University of Richmond Athletics
International Appeal
04/19/2001 | Men's Tennis
April 19, 2001
Niki Doll was no stranger to the United States when he first arrived at the University of Richmond in August of 2000. But the 21-year-old freshman from Heidelberg, Germany fought an uphill battle to climb his way into the top of the Spiders' tennis singles and doubles lineup. After a lifetime of playing on clay courts in Germany, Doll was forced to refine his game and tactics for the hard courts that are predominant in collegiate play.
"The first couple of weeks were terrible," Doll said. "I didn't have any timing and sometimes I thought I could not play tennis anymore. Coach (Steve) Gerstenfeld and the whole team really helped me a lot to come out of my `depression.' There were moments in which I was very close to tears and I almost thought about quitting the team."
With the support of head coach Steve Gerstenfeld and his teammates, Doll quickly evolved into a dominant force on the Westhampton courts. Doll echoed Gerstenfeld's sentiments about the team to describe what helped lift him out of his first-semester funk.
"When you are on the court, you should make tennis the most important thing in life. But as soon as you are off the court, relax and enjoy the other things."
With that perspective in hand Doll never looked back. Gerstenfeld credited Doll's work ethic, athleticism and maturity as a cause for his evident transition, and, in effect, improving the team's chemistry."
"It took Niki several months to become comfortable on the hard courts, " Gerstenfeld said. "Now, with six plus months under his belt, it's as though he's been playing on hard courts all his life.
"He has an excellent work ethic in practice and a never-give-up attitude in competition. And it is rubbing off on his teammates, Gerstenfield added. "His court demeanor has clearly impacted his teammates." Doll's mother is American and he spent some of his summers visiting relatives in New Jersey and Washington D.C. while growing up. After graduating from high school, he spent two years in community service in Germany at a group home for children with family problems. Doll drove the children to school and helped with various housekeeping duties around the facility. At the same time he was able to play in competitive tournaments in his homeland, which helped prepare him for Richmond's tough opposition. Doll was ranked in the top 300 in Germany last year.
"I competed with some top-ranked German players," Doll said. "These players can definitely compete with the American college Division I league."
Doll said he decided to study abroad more than two years ago and was courted to play on the Division I level by several universities but Doll believed the University of Richmond was a perfect fit for him.
"It is an academically strong school, especially the Robins School of Business. I plan to major in international business," Doll said. "The campus is beautiful, and it is a relatively small campus. I prefer to know a lot of people I live with."
The team's dynamics also aided his verdict on Richmond. "In Germany it is very hard to combine school and tennis since sports are not as integrated in the school system as it is here in America," he said. "My teammates are very nice guys and we really form a team."
After showing such progress in his freshman year, Doll's presence will be pivotal in Richmond's quest for Atlantic 10 supremacy in the near future.
"The most exciting thing for me about Niki is that he has a tremendous amount of room for growth," Gerstenfeld said. "He's not close to fully developed as a tennis player." Gerstenfeld added that Doll is in the process of developing better mechanics on his second serves, groundstrokes and volleys.
"Niki will have a very exciting three more years ahead of him," Gerstenfeld said. "With [No. 1 player] Rob Flader graduating, Niki will likely lead our team as our top player as a sophomore. "Over the years, I've had two previous students in that same situation and it's my opinion that Niki will not only be up for the challenge of playing at the number one position, he will excel there."
