TOMMI NISSINEN - FROM FINLAND TO JMU TENNIS - James Madison University Athletics

By Daniel Bronstein
Multimedia Communications Practicum Student

For the past two years, sophomore Tommi Nissinen has been one of JMU's top tennis players and this spring has been on a tear with an 18-6 record. Including the Fall portion of the schedule, he has a 25-9 overall record. An impressive mark, but has come a long way from his competitive beginnings in Oulu, Finland.

He can first remember playing tennis at the young age of seven, but was more involved in playing other sports like ice hockey and soccer because tennis hasn't caught on in Finland. He soon developed his tennis game though and with the advice of his parents and realized he could pursue tennis as a passion. One of Finland's top tennis players was considered an idol for him growing up saying "Jarkko Nieminen is the best." Playing in many elite tennis academies and winning 23 medals with the Finnish Junior National team, he began to look at playing the game in college.

Nissinen had no idea where to look, but never thought about staying in his native land to play due to the low level of popularity for the sport there. He imagined there would be more opportunity in the U.S. to play competitively.

"I e-mailed a bunch of schools around the country," he said, including JMU. He almost instantly received a response from JMU's tennis coach Steve Secord, and when they finally met up at a showcase in Florida, Secord was absolutely impressed with not only Nissinen's skills, but also his academics, demeanor, and respect for others.

"Tommi is a leader, a hard worker, and has a great personality. He has all the tools and weapons to be a great player and is someone you want representing JMU."

In his visit to JMU, Tommi was overwhelmed by the Division I atmosphere, and it was a change from Finland saying "the people at JMU were really open and social."

Since coming to the U.S., Nissinen has enjoyed the warmer climate. The transition has been fairly smooth for him, although he had to get used to the intensity of college sports. Playing at JMU, he improved in all areas from his tennis skills to his abilities in speaking English.

"It is funny when international players come over to America," he said. According to Nissinen, many words get lost in translation and what is spoken is totally different from what is meant to be said.

Tommi's only playing weakness is his size saying, "I would like to be a bit taller." But, he makes up for it by being consistent in his execution and work ethic. Coach Secord thinks that he adapted well for his size and argues that he developed an intellect for the game, knowing when to put pressure on opponents.

JMU teammate and roommate, Ville Maaranen, knew a thing or two about Nissinen as they both grew up together in Finland and have been best friends since they were just 12-years-old. Maaranen mentioned that Nissinen's game improved through the years just because of the amount of work he put forth in the weight room, in strength and conditioning, and in just developing more power and becoming a faster and better-fit player. "Tommi not only