Armed with a hatred of cold weather and a lack of experience with the microwave, freshman Ryan Papazov traveled nearly 4,000 miles from the United Kingdom to take on Hillsdale College and join the men’s tennis team.

According to Papazov, it was his father, Nick Papazov, that first introduced him to tennis. 

“He did have dreams of making it pro, but that never worked out for him,” Papazov said. “We used to train a lot together, and then eventually, I started playing in an academy at about seven years old.”

Papazov is from Sutton, England, a town 10 minutes away from Wimbledon by car. As someone who has played tennis since he was three years old and began competing when he was four, Papazov was in the perfect location with regards to Wimbledon, internationally known as one of the best homes for tennis competition. He would often be among the massive annual audience. 

Papazov’s parents are both from Bulgaria, but they met in London before settling down in England, where Papazov was born and raised.

“In that sense, I’m 50-50,” Papazov said. “50% Bulgarian, 50% British, and now 0.001% American.”

According to the Hillsdale Chargers website, Papazov recorded over 340 career victories on the court during his high school career. He won the 2023 Salisbury Cup for Surrey County in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles as well as the Surrey County Championship with partner Callum Dickson in 2021. In the 2023-2024 season, he held a record of 34-16 in matches. 

Papazov said he sought out Hillsdale for its combination of rigorous academics and tennis training. He said he appreciates Hillsdale’s emphasis on education, the “student” in “student- athlete,” saying that it is something he should be equipped with if professional tennis does not work out.

“My mom wanted me to have an education and my dad wanted me to have a strong commitment to tennis. Here at Hillsdale you get the best of both worlds,” Papazov said. “You can explore the bases a lot better. You can find out who you are and be able to try different things, whether that’s through the education here or through the sports.”

Papazov said his dream is to play professional tennis.

“World number one, to win absolutely everything,” Papazov said. “That was probably pushed onto me by my parents a lot mentality-wise — trying to always succeed in what you do.”

Papazov said having the tennis team around him at Hillsdale has grown his love for the court.

“Compared to the UK, when you were playing tournaments, training mostly would be by yourself. You wouldn’t often make friends,” Papazov said. “Here, it’s a lot more team-based, which takes off a lot of pressure, especially from a mental aspect.”

Papazov said the longest he has ever been away from his family was for a month while he was living with his grandmother in Bulgaria.

“Obviously you have FaceTime, but that does not make up for the lack of physical contact and everything,” Papazov said. “You’ve got to take the positives with the negatives. It’s always the case: when one door closes, another one opens.”

Papazov said despite sharing the same language, the American-Hillsdale environment takes getting used to. He has experience with the training and lesson schedule that Hillsdale athletes have, but the amount of reading required is new to him.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve read more in the past three weeks than I have in the past three years,” Papazov said.

Papazov has training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for about two hours with lifting on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about an hour. 

Papazov said there was an emphasis on running on the Hillsdale tennis team, something he was not used to during conditioning in England.

“It’s a lot of running, but even so, it’s 100% necessary. I need to push myself harder,” Papazov said. “[Coach Turner is] able to push me in that way and in that sense, and I will see the benefits in the long term. Currently, the short-term benefits are that I am sore, so I know he has worked me hard.”

Papazov said he appreciated the intensity with which the team is coached and the encouragement they bring to each other.

“We’re more of a family than a team — that’s the best way to put it,” Papazov said. “When everyone is trying their hardest, and you can see them putting in their effort, you’re able to motivate each other and raise yourselves up together.”

Freshman Sam Plys, one of Papazov’s teammates, said Papazov is a vocal participant during their games. 

“He’s always pushing us to get better,” Plys said. “I think he was the first of the freshmen to lead people in chants.”

Head coach Keith Turner said Papazov first reached out to him last spring. According to Turner, Papazov has the capacity to be a big part of the team in future years.

“Looking at his video, he looked like a guy with a big serve and big game with high potential,” Turner said in an email. “He brings a strong work ethic, confidence, and team spirit.”

Papazov said he has been able to bond with the five other international students on the tennis team.

“Being so far away from your family — most of us can relate to that,” Papazov said.

Papazov said he was surprised by the kindness and positivity of American students. 

“Especially seeing those American high school movies where you had all the jocks and everything, spinning the basketball on their finger as they walked through the cafeteria, all the students are lovely,” Papazov said. “That’s probably the biggest difference between the UK universities and the US universities.”

Volunteer assistant tennis coach Brian Hackman said Papazov is a leader in his confidence and positivity. 

“He wants his teammates to give their best effort, and he brings everyone together,” Hackman said.

Hackman said he appreciates Papazov’s willingness to take constructive criticism and learn.

“Not every student-athlete is easy to coach,” Hackman said. “He doesn’t take anything personally, doesn’t say ‘no’ or ‘I can’t,’ so it’s been a very great experience working with him. He has the potential to be one of our top doubles players.”

Papazov said he appreciates the audience turnout at sporting events, something he was not used to having.

“People actually come to watch you, and they’re your friends,” Papazov said. “In the UK, if I wanted my friend to come down, he’d tell me no. He’s not driving 50 miles for me, but over here they would be willing to come.”

Papazov referred to the school motto, “strength rejoices in the challenge,” when discussing the standard he upholds for himself.

“You’re not going to get stronger without a challenge,” Papazov said. “Winning isn’t everything; you’ve got so many experiences to make.”