While the Mississippi State men’s tennis season is far from over, head coach Sylvain Guichard knows his team already faces a harsh challenge for next year-replacing three seniors who graduate at the end of this year.
Seniors Matt Armstrong, Max Fomine, and Romain Ambert played their last home match on Friday when the No. 26 Bulldogs fell to the No. 29 Arkansas Razorbacks 5-2. MSU was without Ambert at singles for the third straight match, all of which have been losses.
“If you look at these guys’ win-loss record, we’re losing a lot by losing these three seniors,” Guichard said, adding, “Not just that, we’re losing good people. They’ve been part of the success of Mississippi State for years.”
Each of the seniors looks back on their time at State with great fondness, reflecting on the relationships they’ve built with not only their teammates, but fellow students as well.
“For me, everyday was a memorable experience,” Fomine said. “Whether it was class, practice, or whatever, everyday was memorable. I got to know a lot of people from both athletics and class.”
For Fomine and Ambert, college didn’t just mean coming to a new school, but a whole new country as well.
“The first two weeks were very hard,” said Fomine, who made the trek from Russia to Canada to the United States. “It was a very hard adjustment, but the people here made it easy for us.”
Like his teammate, Ambert found the change difficult at first, but has thoroughly enjoyed his time at MSU.
“The adjustment was huge, especially in terms of language,” said Ambert, who hails from Toulouse, France. “But I’ve been blessed each day I’ve been here.”
For Armstrong, playing college tennis has been a unique experience since the majority of the tennis players are not from the United States.
“I like it a lot,” Armstrong says of being surrounded with international players. “You get to learn a lot about different people and different cultures. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Life after tennis will be much different for each of the seniors. Armstrong plans on going to graduate school to get his master’s degree in business administration.
Ambert plans on finishing his degree in December and will perhaps try to start coaching at the college level.
Fomine will graduate in May and is engaged to get married in August. He and his fianc plan to move to Hilton Head Island, S.C., where Max will work with the Stan Smith-Billy Stearns Tennis Academy.
One thing is certain for MSU tennis: its three seniors will be sorely missed.
“It’s hard to replace seniors,” Guichard said, reiterating, “it’s very hard to replace seniors.”