Oct. 2, 2008
ATLANTA – With the fall season underway and the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend, RamblinWreck.com sat down with freshman Dusan Miljevic to discuss the Serbia native’s transition to the United States.
RW.com: Your hometown of Novi Sad, Serbia is a long way from Atlanta. What interested you in coming to Georgia Tech?
Dusan: “I was searching for a school that had both good tennis and good academics. My major is civil engineering, and Georgia Tech is one of the best schools for that major. Tennis is good as well, so Georgia Tech was my first choice.”
RW.com: How was adjusting to college in your first few months?
Dusan: “Well, it was hard. The whole program was hard – studying and tests–it was very different than my country. I struggled a lot for the first two weeks, but I think I am doing better now – not as good as I want to, but better.”
RW.com: Have some of the guys on the team helped you?
Dusan: “Yeah, they helped me. Guillermo [Gomez], Eliot [Potvin], and some of the players on the women’s team have helped me. They have helped me with my homework and they give me advice on how to get notes, how to study, what to study and what to look for in a class.”
RW.com: How did it feel to compete in your first collegiate tournament, the Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, two weeks ago?
Dusan: “It was great. I was very excited and very pumped up. I wanted to do well, and I just wanted to show that I want to be here.”
RW.com: Were you a little nervous at first?
Dusan: “Well, in the first match, I was very nervous and it went bad, but the second and third matches I played well.”
RW.com: You have been a clay court player for most of your life. How has it been, for you, adjusting to the collegiate turf courts?
Dusan: “It is different. Clay courts are much slower. You have more time to think and to work out your shots, but here, it’s just faster with less time to think about stuff. Essentially, it’s the same stuff, only faster here.”
RW.com: Your twin brother Philip plays at Illinois State. Having been enrolled in college since January, has he given you any advice? Dusan: “Yes. He said that you have to work a lot, study a lot, go to class and take notes. That helps a lot. In tennis as well, just work as hard as you can, that’s the main advice he gave me.”
RW.com: How often do you speak with him?
Dusan: “Everyday.”
RW.com: What has been the most interesting thing you’ve seen since coming to the United States?
Dusan: “Everything combined has been interesting. Most of the stuff is new for me. It is a big city, people are so polite and nice, and it’s just different. As a whole everything is new and challenging.”
