Good Sports INDIAN PLAYERS BOOST NEBRASKA TENNIS
(Left) Spurti Shivalingaiah of Bangalore .
University of Nebraska’s women’s tennis team features two Indian players, Spurti Shivalingaiah of Bangalore and Vasanti Shinde of Pune.
Spurti, a sophomore, came to Nebraska in 2014, prompting Vasanti to become a Husker a year later. “The football games impressed me when I came here,” Spurti told the Daily Nebraskan. “The culture of sports over here is so much bigger than in India. We don’t emphasize on sports as much as we do education.”
While the professional tennis circuit is their ultimate goal, they’re also preparing themselves for more traditional careers.
(Right) Vasanti Shinde of Pune.
“I might try my luck in the pro circuit, and if it doesn’t work out I’m going to be coming back for my master’s degree,” Vasanti said.
Spurti, who’s recovering from surgery she had four months ago, has similar thoughts. “I want to stay here and go pro,” she said. “But considering all the injuries I’ve had, I’m not sure I could do that, but it’s really something I’d love to do. But, if not, I’d definitely love to stay here and get a job in something involving econ and finance.”
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