CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Familiarity goes a long way for Austin Peay State University men's tennis program, as head coach Malik Tabet announced that Remi Calleja, of France, has signed a National Letter of Intent.

Tabet found Calleja to be a talented young player with a true tennis pedigree – his father, Jean-Michel, is a tennis instructor and his aunt, Marie-Christine Calleja, played in the French Open, U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon.

“He's very talented and really just has a great heritage of the game,” Tabet said. “I really like the way he is crafted from the baseline, but also is a really good doubles player.”

In Ohio Valley Conference play, the Govs won only two doubles points – against Morehead State and Murray State. Despite a first-round win against Morehead State in the OVC Tennis Tournament, the Govs lost that doubles point and then again in the semifinals to Eastern Kentucky. In the doubles-as-one-point system, winning that early point means a team only needs three singles wins to take the match.

Calleja has played well in the upper echelon of the France Tennis Federation, having won four matches inside the top series. He also was a finalist at the Dauphine Savoy region.

“He's a kid that is very physical,” Tabet said. “He's strong and we'll continue to build on that here.

“Doubles is crucial at this level. We lost a couple of matches where if we had won the doubles point, things would've been different. When you have someone, like Remi, that can make a strong impact in doubles, it's a nice plus for our program.”



-AP-