Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, senior men’s tennis player Junaid Hossain really had no idea what his life would be like. A tall and lanky guy, Hossain excelled at volleyball in his youth even before attempting tennis.

Then, when he was 12 his father, a former heavyweight boxer in India, took Hossain out to play tennis. What happened next was nothing short of amazing.

Hossain played in his first tournament at the age of 13. He went up against the No. 1 junior tennis player in Australia, a kid by the name of Matt Carroll. It was Hossain’s very first competitive match. Hossain defeated Carroll and went on to win the tournament. As for he and Carroll, they became good friends and they remain close. Hossain pointed out the irony that he and Carroll will meet again when Sac State takes on Fresno Pacific University tomorrow, where Carroll attends school.

“It’s kind of ironic that the guy I played my first competitive match against will also be one of the last,” Hossain said with a grin.

While in Australia, Hossain grabbed a top five national ranking in the under 16 category. He went on to capture three straight state championships in Victoria, Australia, never losing a single set. He broke the record of two straight victories by fellow Aussie, and 1997 US Open champion, Patrick Rafter. Hossain takes pride in the fact that the record still stands.

In January of 2002 Hossain first set foot on American soil. He enrolled at the University of the Pacific where he stayed for one year. Hossain then transferred to Oregon, before finally coming to Sac State in August of 2003.

Hossain’s play has made an incredible impact on the team.

“His technique is perfect,” assistant coach Jonathan Labella said. “Every stroke he possesses is a weapon. He is basically like a professional.”

He has been counted on since to help guide the team to wins with his big forehand and even bigger serve. Fellow senior Thomas Morton can attest to Hossain’s powerful game.

“He has an innate ability to hit people with the ball,” Morton said laughing. “It doesn’t matter if he’s in one far corner and you’re in another, you are going to get hit.”

In 2005, an injury to Hossain derailed the Hornets’ chances of winning a conference title. He broke a metatarsal in his left foot during practice. He was told it was just a sprain, so he continued to play on it. As the pain continued he went to get another X-ray, where the doctor told him that he should not even be walking on the broken foot.

Not even the Vicodin he was taking for the pain could keep him afloat for the conference tournament. Hossain risked permanent and career-ending injury to play in the tournament. In the championship match, however, the injury got the better of him.

“I was actually on the court warming up when the trainer came and told me I couldn’t play,” Hossain said. The Hornets went on to lose the championship match 4-0 to defending champion Montana State.Hossain and Gabriel Loredo have teamed up this season to go 17-2 at No. 1 doubles, creating a huge boost to the team all year long. Watching the two of them on the court it is easy to see why they are so successful.

“We have really good chemistry on the court,” Loredo said. “We have a good relationship and we play basically as one person.” The pair’s strong record has left its mark on the rest of the team.

“Their success has had a good effect on the rest of the team,” Labella said. “The other guys see them working so hard that it makes them play harder as well.”

Hossain’s abilities aren’t confined to the court. He is an electrical engineering major who works hard in order to achieve his future goals. “I’d like to eventually work in the Silicon Valley on computers,” he said.

His day consists of school from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., then it’s off to tennis practice for two hours, and then it’s time for studying. A life of school-practice-books-bed has been hard on him, but he takes it all in stride. “It’s been hard work, but it paid off when I got a 4.0 last semester.”

Sac State sits in second place in the Big Sky conference, poised to make a run at the title with a healthy Hossain on the court. Maybe he can exit the game just as he entered- as a champion.

Benn Hodapp can be reached at [email protected]