Sri Lanka native Jayawickrema at home, away from home

For IU senior women’s tennis player Jithmie Jayawickrema, home is Colombo, Sri Lanka, where she first discovered her love for tennis.

“It was pretty much my life,” Jayawickrema said. “I mean, I didn’t have anything else but tennis.”

Jayawickrema started playing when she was 8 years old, and she represented Sri Lanka in the Federation Cup, the world’s largest international women’s tennis team competition, by the time she was 17.

At the junior level for International Tennis Federation play, Jayawickrema compiled 73 total victories. She was a four-time national champion in Sri Lanka from 2005-08, and her ITF junior world ranking peaked at 309.

Jayawickrema attended Bishop’s College in Colombo, Sri Lanka, before committing to Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Tex., in January 2011.

“In high school, that was the thing to do, for you to go to the U.S. and get a scholarship to play tennis,” Jayawickrema said. “In my country, there were a lot of people who did that, but for me it was a big deal to come here.”

Last year, Jayawickrema was a first-team All-Southland Conference selection in doubles play after posting a 20-3 record and being ranked as high as No. 17 nationally.

Despite her successes at SFA, Jayawickrema decided she needed a change.

“I talked to the coaches here (at IU), and I really liked them, so I decided to take a visit to see how it was,” Jayawickrema said. “I really liked it.”

She also considered transferring to Purdue, Virginia, N.C. State and Central Florida but ultimately decided to attend IU, where she found her home away from home in Bloomington.

“I liked it here because the coaches made me feel like I’m more welcome, and I’m more comfortable here,” Jayawickrema said. “When I came to visit, they really made me feel like I’m at home.”

She said the coaches helped her transition smoothly to IU.

“Both of them are so helpful to me,” Jayawickrema said. “They’re just so nice. They’re some of the nicest coaches I know personally, so it helps you to get through your matches and in the whole season. They care about you.”

Jayawickrema said the team’s preseason goals were to win the Big Ten, get to the NCAA Championships and be ranked in the top 30.

As the season has progressed, the Sri Lanka native, who aspires to go to graduate school to study physical therapy, has had more opportunities to help the Hoosiers accomplish their lofty goals.

“She’s been our first one off the bench up until now,” IU Coach Lin Loring said. “I think she’s excited to be in the starting lineup, and she just needs matches right now. She’s only been in the lineup for three or four starting matches, so she’s still kind of getting her feet wet.”

Loring said Jayawickrema’s biggest match of the season was defeating the No. 13 player in the nation, Nebraska’s Maike Zeppernick, 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 6 singles match April 7.

“I’m hoping that that match will give her a lot of confidence for the rest of the conference season and the Big Ten Tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament,” Loring said.

In a competitive conference with four Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25, Jayawickrema might prove to be the spark the Hoosiers need to accomplish their preseason goals. Not only is her 15-1 record in her past 16 singles matches the best for any IU player, but Jayawickrema is 9-1 in the No. 6 singles spot. IU is 7-5 when any other player competes in the same position.

She said IU’s two wins against top 10 opponents, No. 2 Duke and No. 10 Michigan, brought the team together and that the team’s chemistry is peaking at the right time.
In addition to IU’s team unity, the Hoosiers’ home-court advantage will be one of their biggest assets in the postseason.

Jayawickrema said she thinks IU can do well when the team plays host for the Big Ten Tournament at the IU Tennis Center, where the Hoosiers are 10-2 this season.

It is only fitting that in her senior season the Big Ten Tournament is in Bloomington, on a campus she has grown to love as her second home.

“I think (I) just like the atmosphere itself. It’s not like it’s a big city at all,” Jayawickrema said. “I like it that way, and I love the campus.

“Just being around it, you feel like you’re at home. You don’t feel like you’re out of place.”