Te Kani Williams, a business administration senior from Auckland, New Zealand, is captain of the UTRGV Menโs Tennis Team and competes in singles and doubles.
Q: What do you like to do in your downtime?
A: โI enjoy spending time with my girlfriend [and] hanging out with the boys, whether itโs just at my place watching tennis or playing video games. I donโt mind going to the gym, going to the beach, and I like fishing.โ
Q: How did you get into playing tennis?
A: โSo, when I was 3, my older sister was actually getting tennis lessons. One day, my dad took me to go pick her up [at] practice. Her coach saw me swinging around one of her rackets and asked me to hop on the court. He threw me a couple balls, and [I was] lucky enough to connect on those shots. It just took off from there.โ
Q: What made you want to play here in America?
A: โSince I was about a teenager, a lot of guys from my country, if they [are] good enough, they get to go over and come here and play [in] college. Looking at those sorts of guys and thinking, โYeah, thatโs what I want to do.โโ
Q: What would you like to say to anyone feeling homesick?
A: โI feel homesick quite a lot. Iโd say, if anything, just try and stay in touch with your family and friends as much as possible. Get on the phone with them. Let them know how youโre feeling [and] how youโre doing, because at the end of the day, thatโs your biggest support system.โ
Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration or role model?
A: โParents, for sure. One of my older cousins was a big role model for me. My granddad, [too]. He was a huge role model for me growing up, as well. And then, tenniswise, Iโd say, [Rafael] Nadal. I felt [heโs] easily the best tennis player thatโs ever lived. Just the way he fights, his grit, the way he never gives up, and [he] just hustles, so thatโs what I love about him. I tried to emulate a lot of what he does in my game.โ
Q: What is your favorite show/movie?
A: โProbably, my favorite show would be โOzark.โ Itโs on Netflix. Itโs unbelievable. And then, favorite movie [is], probably, the first โAvengersโ movie.โ
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: โMinced cheese pie.โ
–Compiled by Matthew Gonzalez
