From all outward signs, Sratha Saengsuwarn, a senior on the men's tennis team, is a contradiction. On one hand, he is a practicing Buddhist, who hopes to someday be a traveling monk. On the other hand, he is an electrical engineering major who has spent the past two summers on the fast track working for software giant Microsoft. On the surface it seems an impossible balance to maintain, but one look into Saengsuwarn's life and it's easy to see just how well he's made it work.
Even on the tennis court, under intense pressure as co-captain and the No. 2 singles player, Saengsuwarn blends both worlds.
"Tennis is actually a form of meditation for me," he said.
Born and raised in Thailand, Saengsuwarn began playing tennis at the age of nine, and it wasn't long before his attachment to the game grew. Soon he found himself watching footage of his idol, Pete Sampras, for four hours daily until he developed a style of his own. It wasn't long before he became the top-ranked player in his country.
Eventually, his skill launched him onto the global stage where he competed in some international tournaments and ultimately at the Junior Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
"That was definitely the highlight of my younger career," Saengsuwarn said. "We got to access all the facilities, meet all the top players and play in one of the best venues in the world. It was great."
After excelling in high school, Saengsuwarn was recruited to play for Princeton, where he has been a force on the varsity squad for the past four years. He faced the same challenges as any international student when he first arrived, but it didn't take long for him to settle in.
"It was tough adjusting to be in the U.S., but having 14 guys by your side has been good — it's really been a great experience so far," he said.
While Saengsuwarn may not be the most vocal of players, his attitude on and off the court has made him a subtle and effective leader in the Tiger tennis program.
"Sratha brings much more than his ability to dominate in between the lines to the team. His ability to calm his teammates with his candid sense of humor keeps everyone loose even in the most stressful moments," senior teammate Ted Mabrey said.
Saengsuwarn has enjoyed incredible success during his time with the Orange and Black and is coming off his best fall season to date. He recently toppled a close competitor from UPenn at the Farnsworth Invitational and helped his team finish sixth at the annual Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference invitational tournament.
Saengsuwarn's success isn't limited to the tennis court, though, as he is also an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete also, meaning he has a cumulative GPA exceeding 3.5. Whereas tennis can be totally unpredictable, he finds consistency in the classroom.
"It's been pretty crazy sometimes," Saengsuwarn said. "I remember doing a graph theory problem set until five one morning and then having practice at seven. But it's still been fun."
His life motto is simple, and it's emblazed on five identical t-shirts he owns: "One life. Live it." However passive and seemingly unconcerned he may seem on the outside, he has shown himself to be a dynamic personality with tremendous potential.
"[Saengsuwarn] brings incredible talent combined with a disarming personality that makes everyone around him smile," Mabrey said. "We are extremely lucky to have him on our team, and I have been fortunate to be his teammate for four years."
When asked about his plans for next year, Saengsuwarn does little more than laugh and shrug his shoulders, but don't be fooled into thinking he doesn't have options. He is weighing a career in the software engineering field and also contemplating entering the Buddhist order of monks in Thailand.
This is only if he doesn't try his hand at the professional circuit.
"There's always a small chance," he said. "I haven't given up on that yet."
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