No. 1 Recruit Signs with TCU
8/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Alex Rybakov, the No. 1 recruit in the incoming 2015 freshman class, has signed an athletics scholarship to join the TCU men's tennis team as announced by head coach David Roditi on Monday afternoon.
Rybakov, a 6-foot-1 lefty from Coral Springs, Fla., becomes the fourth member of the 2015 recruiting class and will join the team in January 2016 after spending the fall playing in the professional circuit.
"We are obviously very excited to have Alex come and join us and be apart of our family," Roditi said. "Not only is he one of the top Americans in one of the best crop of players that we have had for a long time, but it is the way he goes about his daily business that attracted us the most. All the coaches, all of his peers and the people around him speak very highly of his character and very highly of his work ethic. He has a very positive influence on those around him and he is very mature and committed to becoming a professional tennis player and that is exactly what we are looking for.
"We also felt that from talking to him, that he felt very comfortable on our campus, with our coaching staff and with the other players. We felt that his fun personality was a good fit for our team."
A blue-chip recruit, Rybakov climbed to as high as No. 14 in the ITF Junior rankings and competed in the junior portion of the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Rybakov had his most success at the grand slams in 2014, as he was able to advance to the Round of 16 in doubles at the French Open and the Round of 16 in singles at Wimbledon.
Rybakov was also a quarterfinalist in the singles bracket earlier this month at the USTA National Boys 18-16 Championships, where he fell to French Open Junior Champion Tommy Paul.
"I don't think school was really my first option, but after looking into it, I think it's definitely a good choice," Rybakov said. "Whether it's one, two, three or four years, it's just getting better and continuing to keep moving forward with my game. I liked the other schools too, but just with the coaches and the players, the facilities, the campus, I think TCU is the best fit for me."
Currently ranked No. 811 in the singles ATP rankings and No. 1391 in the doubles rankings, Rybakov has picked up 16 wins this year in singles and doubles at ATP and ITF Pro Circuit main draws. Rybakov has made it to the quarterfinals or better at 16 Futures tournaments around the world.
"We are excited about helping Alex get to the next level," Roditi said. "There are some things that Alex can use in the college scene to improve. He will get physically stronger and work on small parts of his game. What it comes down to it, he is going to have an amazing experience that nobody can ever take away from him. The professional tournaments are not going anywhere and they will be there when he decides to turn pro. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to experience playing for a university and this will prepare him to play Davis Cup one day for his country."
Rybakov joins fellow 2015 signees Reese Stalder (Fr./Costa Mesa, Calif.), Gregory Anderson (Fr./Tucson, Ariz.) and Gianni Mancini (Fr./Irving, Texas). TCU also welcomed Kentucky transfer and junior Jerry Lopez to the team for the 2015-16 season.
TCU is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, as the team advanced to its fourth Final Four in program history and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the final Oracle/ITA poll. Roditi was named Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, while Cameron Norrie became the 22nd Horned Frog and 44th All-America selection in TCU men's tennis program history.
Players Mentioned
