Capkovic brings his past success to the Tigers

Freshman Peter Capkovic spends his matches staring through the fence, urging the men's tennis team on with only his words.

The sidelines are not a familiar place for Capkovic, an internationally-seasoned tennis veteran from Slovakia, who spent his junior years touring Europe and competing with some of the best young players in the world.

Due to NCAA regulations, though, the 22-year-old freshman has only three years of eligibility. He is therefore not permitted to spend any time on the court during matches for the entirety of this year.

He entered college so late because he spent seven years in high school working on polishing his tennis game.

"I took just one year off [after graduation], but I was in high school for seven years because I had a special schedule," Capkovic said.

Though Capkovic does not come from a family with a strong tennis legacy, both he and his younger brother Kamil are top-level players. Kamil, who is three years Peter's junior, played in the opening round of Slovakia's Davis Cup — an annual tournament that can best be described as the World Cup of tennis — against Spain's Fernando Verdasco in March 2005. Slovakia went on to eventually win second place in the Davis Cup competition.

Rather than being jealous of his brother's success, Peter lauds Kamil's accomplishment of reaching such a high level of play at such a young age.

Peter himself first picked up a racquet when he was six years old. Capkovic pursued basketball along with tennis throughout his childhood years. When his tennis play began to outpace his basketball skills, though, he dropped basketball at 13. At 16, he had become one of the top players for his age group in Slovakia and began playing for the Slovakian junior national team in the 16-and-under bracket.

Capkovic benefited from a revamped national tennis program in Slovakia which included the construction and formation of a new national tennis center. Capkovic had the help of a fitness coach to give him the best all-round game possible.

At the center, top players of all ages "practice in one place with all the Davis Cup players and with all the best players," Capkovic said. "I had a contract with the Federation [and] they paid my expenses; it was really nice."

Because of Europe's relatively small size, Capkovic traveled often by car around the continent, competing against juniors from a wide variety of backgrounds.

When the time came to look for university programs, Capkovic did what many Slovakian tennis stars do — he sought out programs in America. While most Slovakians stay within Europe to pursue a university education, often going to countries like the Czech Republic, tennis players have the unique opportunity to acquire athletic scholarships on the other side of the Atlantic.

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Capkovic took the initiative to email men's tennis head coach Glenn Michibata.

Michibata's reputation as "number one in the world in doubles [at one time and] a great coach" attracted Capkovic to the Orange and Black over the other schools that expressed interest in him. For Capkovic, who is looking to pursue economic studies, Princeton offered "the best combination of academics and sports."

Likewise, Michibata was impressed by Capkovic even before he began practicing with the team and was happy to have snagged such a high-quality player.

"Peter was already a very accomplished tennis player and competing at a world-class level before coming to Princeton, so I knew he would have a huge impact on our team," Michibata said. "I first met Peter when he arrived this past summer to take part in the summer scholar institute program. Before then, our only form of communication was email."

Michibata has not been surprised by the level of skill and intensity that Capkovic has brought to each practice but has been surprised by his overwhelmingly positive attitude.

"Anyone who has reached his level of play must have a good work ethic which he brought to every practice. The thing about Peter that was a bonus was his enthusiasm for the team and how easily he gets along with the players," Michibata said. "I have yet to hear him brag about his accomplishments, letting his racquet speak for himself."

The strong camaraderie among teammates was a pleasant surprise for Capkovic who notes how welcoming and "friendly" his new team been. The team is really tight-knit, and members of the team hang out together both on and off the court.

In practice, Capkovic found the biggest adjustment to the American style of play to be the distinctly positive style of American coaches as opposed to the more critical coaching style in Europe.

He notes that in Europe, and Eastern Europe in particular, coaches dissect every mistake and frown if even one in 10 shots is missed.

"Here [in America] they're like, 'Oh, you made nine shots! That's awesome,' " he said. "They always look at the bright side."

In regard to coaching attitudes, Capkovic does not have personal preference for one style or the other. As he points out, both Russians and Americans have been greatly successful in grooming top players.

The sky seems to be the limit for Capkovic when he resumes formal competition this summer and looks to accrue enough victories for a possible appearance in the ITA All-American tournament in the fall, according to Michibata.

The mature yet confident Capkovic is not fazed by his hiatus from competition.

When asked what the strengths of his game were, he struck a smile and responded, "I have only strengths."

The Tigers are excited to see an up-and-coming star who will pick up wins for them next year and complement the already promising freshman class which features Alex Vuckovic and Alex Krueger-Wyman. For now, though, Capkovic contentedly watches from the sidelines and urges his teammates on hopefully for a successful Ivy League season.