Sophomore builds on experience

Jakub Praibis came all the way from Litomerice, Czech Republic, but acts as though coming to IU to play for the tennis team was no big deal. \n"My parents made me come," the 20-year-old sophomore said. "It's hard for me not to be at home, but it's possible (to deal with)."\nBefore coming to IU, Praibis had logged some pretty big accomplishments on the court. In 2001, Praibis took fifth place in the Czech Republic Championships and first in the Region Championships. He was ranked the No. 1 player in the region, and No. 62 in the Czech Republic. Last year, as a freshman, Praibis had a 15-5 singles record and a 5-2 Big Ten singles record. He fluctuated between the No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds in singles due to injuries on the team. During the Big Ten tournament, he pulled his groin muscle, and although he was serving at around 70 percent speed, he never complained.\n"(Praibis) is a player, period," coach Ken Hydinger said. "He has a good demeanor, good concentration and is never negative or overconfident."\nPraibis has been playing tennis ever since he was four years old. Hydinger said his experience in the sport shows strongly in his play.\n"He is the picture of a guy going to work everyday," Hydinger said. "He's not a complainer, he's not a talker, he just works hard. He gets down to business."\nHydinger added that physical aspects of his game help him excel at tennis. He said Praibis is quick on the court, and has very consistent, solid strokes as well as good control of the ball when playing. Hydinger said that even though Praibis stands at 5-11 and 148 pounds, he can hit some "big shots," with his forehand especially.\n"Jakub is an intelligent, quiet guy," Hydinger said. "Last year, he was a very mature freshman."\nPraibis enjoys writing, so he decided to major in journalism. But, he said he is still considering other options.\n"Right now, I'm thinking about switching my major to arts," Praibis said. "I hope it will be more creative. However, I'm still thinking about writing for a magazine in the future."\nPraibis's position on the team this year isn't for sure yet, but it Praibis hopes to have a future playing in a top position for the team.