Renee Shaktivel

Staff Writer

Hristina Cvetkovic is a sophomore tennis player from Nis, Siberia. She has been on the court since the age of seven, following in her mother’s footsteps.

Her mother was a college athlete at Tyler Junior College and Grand Canyon University. She then went on to play professionally for the Yugoslavian national team.

“You won’t believe me, but she did not want me to play tennis,” Cvetkovic said. “She knows how hard it is and what sacrifices you have to make in order to be successful. She tried to hide all the rackets in the house when I was little.”

Despite her mother’s hesitation, that would not hold her back. As a child, Cvetkovic dreamed to play professionally and win Grand Slam titles.   

“I would watch Novak Djokovic, my fellow Serbian and one of the best tennis players in the world, and I would wish I could play like him,” she said.

Currently, she plays no. 1 singles for ISU and studies psychology with the interest of sports psychology. Mixing her interests of psychology and athletics, she hopes to become a coach to share her knowledge on the court and help guide future athletes through any personal struggles.

No stranger to setbacks herself, she has faced injuries and has the knowledge of what it’s like to be told she would never play again.

A few months ago, doctors told Cvetkovic that due to her hand injury, she would have to leave her tennis career behind. However, with faith and a lot of hard work, she has been back this season with the goal to enjoy her time on the court and give 100 percent of herself to the game.

“Since I am 6-foot-1, people sometimes think that I am a basketball or volleyball player,” she said.

Before coming to the states, she played for the Zivkovic tennis academy in 2012, winning three straight tournaments and placing in the top-five in Serbia, including several national championships last season.

She came to the U.S. for the first time when coming to ISU, after several offers from larger universities the desire to help grow ISU’s team brought her here.

“I chose ISU because I wanted to make this program big, I really believe that we can be the number one team in the conference and that is why I am here,” she said.

The states can offer her new adventures with a unique experience with new food, language, education, and culture. After a few short days Cvetkovic was able to make Pocatello feel like home she mentioned.

“Pocatello is really small compared to my hometown and is surrounded by a lot of mountains,” she said. “But the community makes it so special and the people here are just amazing and so kind.”