The menís tennis team consists of three North Carolinians, five out-of-state residents and three members from other countries. These different backgrounds mold the team into a culturally diverse group of athletes.

Sophomore Rob Lowe moved to the United States from England last year and has been a mentor to freshmen Akash Gujarati, from India, and Jaime Pulgar, from Spain.

ìI can see a lot of what they are going though,î Lowe said. ìThe team is very welcoming. Itís the family of the N.C. State Wolfpack.î

Lowe decided to travel away from home to play tennis at the young age of 15.

ìTennis in the U.S. is better– better standards, more players,î Lowe said. ìThere is more individual work in America. In England they are a little sloppy in areas so itís good to get into different competitive environments.î

Coming from Spain, Pulgar said he decided to come to N.C. State to have the best of both worlds– pursuing an education as well as a tennis career.

ìIn my country, if you want to play tennis and you want to play pro you have to leave your studies,î Pulgar said. ìBut here you have the possibility of doing both at the same time.î

Gujarati, originally from India, understands the pressures of Spain. He has traveled often and spent time playing on the pro-circuit in Spain.

“I was training in Spain for a while and it wasnít going as well as I wanted it to,î Gujarati said. ìSo I thought that college tennis would be a good option for me.î

The level of tennis competition in each of these countries has also highlighted some differences, according to Pulgar.

ìIn Spain, itís very different,î Pulgar said.  ìWe mostly play on clay courts and here it is mostly hard courts. The mentality and type of players are different.î

Gujarati agreed with Pulgar and said that in Spain there is a tough tennis mentality.

ìI feel that Indiaís competition isnít as intense as it can be,” Gujarati said. ìSpain is very intense but college tennis is tough but at a completely different level.î

In contrast, England has a very relaxed tennis mentality, which, according to Lowe, is why he wanted to come to the United States to play.

“The practices and the coaches are a lot harder than they are in England,î Lowe said. ìThey also do more individual work which is all good and will benefit me.î

When moving to the United States from another country, there is an expected culture shock and adjustment period, but for Gujarati, it wasnít too difficult.

ìI have relatives in Cary, N.C. so that makes it a lot easier,î Gujarati said. ìAlso, English was one of the first languages I learned in India so that hasnít been a problem.î

On the other hand, Pulgar didnít know a lot of the English language or culture when he first came to N.C. State.

ìI think itís kind of difficult because Iím here by myself,î Pulgar said. ìI donít know the language very well but I think in a little bit of time and with good friends it will be good soon.î

Although Lowe said he didnít have a big language barrier coming from England, he still needed time to break out of his shell once in Raleigh.

ìAfter I came out of my shell, I think I fit in pretty well,î he said said. ìIím not being big headed but I think the team likes me, Iím a very social person so it wasnít hard. Iíve gained some great long lasting friends.î