Meet The Thunder from the Land Down Under: Jeremy Jin

On April 8, Gators Men’s Tennis added Jeremy Jin, a promising international talent, to the 2023 class. I had the privilege of sitting down with Jin for a short chat about his background, on-court skillset and influences throughout his career.

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Tale of the Tape

Jeremy is a 5’10” right-hander hailing from Australia. He was born in Sydney, but recently made the move up the coast to Brisbane to further his tennis career.

Background

The first time Jeremy picked up a tennis racket was when he was barely in grade school. Coming from a tennis family, he very quickly realized this was a prominent goal he could set for the future.

“I think by the age of 10, I was pretty set on what I wanted to do. When I was 13, I dropped out of school to do it online so I could play tennis full time.”

Jin has traveled the world playing tennis throughout his young career. In doing so, he climbed the ITF junior rankings as high as No. 42. He has played multiple Grand Slams on the junior circuit, and he has competed on all three of the major surfaces. Historically, hard courts have been his most comfortable surface, judging by a dominant win percentage. This bodes well for American college tennis.

Jin had many coaches throughout his playing career, as he has moved around a bit. However, one of the constant driving forces for him has been his parents, who both played tennis in the past.

“When I started taking [tennis] more seriously, dad really took the coach role. He was really strict with me even from a young age, but it’s funny, I never really minded it. At the end of the day, I enjoyed being out there and wanted to get better.”

On the Court

Jin is a consistent and precise baseliner with impressive mobility. He facilitates break points with an exceptional return of serve, and his on-court intelligence is significantly above par. I asked him about his strengths, and he was very humble — that was the question he seemed the most hesitant to answer.

“I’ve always said I’m kind of balanced on the court. I’m still trying to build that big shot, you know, like a Ben Shelton serve or forehand. It will come over time, hopefully. I’m pretty counter-punchy and I think I move around the court well.”

I also asked him about how he perceived his weaknesses on the court and what aspects he was hoping to improve at Florida.

“Getting that first serve better or that big forehand because, you know, that’s what it takes these days to get past the college level and into the pro scene.”

He also mentioned he wants to improve his transition to the net and his anticipation at the net. With head coach Bryan Shelton, I’m sure none of those wanted improvements will get overlooked.

Why Florida?

When asked, Jin spoke very highly about the coaching staff and culture at the University of Florida. He noted that the program won the NCAA Men’s Team Championships just two years ago under coach Shelton.

“I know the coaches are very good. I’ve heard from other people; I’ve even heard from other college coaches, who are usually pretty biased about their own school. I’ve only heard good things…with their former development of transitioning pros. I myself want to play pro tennis when I can.”

Jin also harped on the school itself and its academic reputation. Living in the Sunshine State and playing tennis at a school that excels athletically and academically — not a lot of downsides.

Jeremy also is very familiar with many of the other players on Florida’s team.

“I know Tanapatt really well. I know Togan a bit. I know Jonah. Aidan Kim is coming in as well and I know him very well. [UF] just seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

Jin has actually won a doubles tournament alongside Tanapatt Nirundorn in the past. His chemistry with the team already has a jumpstart.

Get Ready

Jeremy Jin will be making the trek from Australia to Gainesville to begin his UF career this August.

As humble as he is talented, he is sure to be a Gator Nation favorite.