Recruiting Profile
Blue Chip Trevor Svajda Commits to SMU
by Rhiannon Potkey, 10 November 2023
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Up until two months ago, Trevor Svajda had no intention of ever joining a college tennis program. But after a talk with his private coach, Svajda had a change of heart.
The blue chip senior from San Diego, California considered many of the major schools before deciding to commit to Southern Methodist University.
Blue Chip Trevor Svajda Has Committed to SMU
“I didn’t want to play college tennis at all and now I am really excited to go,” Svajda said. “The opportunities at SMU are great and I also just didn’t think I would be ready on the tour for winning Challengers. I don’t think I was ready physically and I can get stronger in college.”
Svajda has family in Dallas and his coach, Matt Hanlin, who is also his godfather, is located in the city.
“I think it was a good decision to stay local with my coach. He runs like eight different facilities in Dallas and he is just great. I wanted to be close to him,” Svajda told TRN in an exclusive interview on Friday afternoon. “They also have the Dallas Open coming in February, so that is something I am looking forward to.”
Svajda is enrolling in January to join the Mustangs for the 2024 spring season.
“I wanted to get there early,” he said. “I am probably not going all four years, so why not start the process now rather than later I guess.”
Svajda said SMU’s impending move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next July “definitely” played a role in his decision as well.
“I knew I could have probably played at any school, but I wanted to play No. 1 somewhere,” Svajda said. “I want to play the best players in college and also have the opportunity to get the wild cards when you get in the top 20 in college.”
Svajda’s life could have been very different if he chose to pursue his other passion of playing video games.
“Before I got serious about tennis, I was kind of a pro Fortnite player for a while,” Svajda said. “I was on a team and had a tiny contract and made some money. But about two years ago, I quit Fortnite completely and took tennis seriously.”
The Mustangs are glad he did. Svajda would like to become a pillar SMU can build around for the future.
“I am hoping to get some recruits like me in there now that they see I committed,” he said. “I think our team will definitely grow from this.”
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About Rhiannon Potkey
Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two
decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many
sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories.
Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national
events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches.
Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You
can reach Rhiannon by email at
[email protected].
