Jin’s Growth, Impact On Florida Men’s Tennis

Florida sophomore men’s tennis player Jeremy Jin has quickly established himself as one of team’s top players.

Strong Impact at UF

Jin arrived at UF with a solid baseline that was established by his training in Sydney, Australia — his home. He quickly had to adapt to playing with a team rather than as an individual, which is what most of youth tennis consists of.

“The format makes it different, you’ve got not just yourself to worry about, you’ve got five other guys,” he said.

Jin said the skill level between juniors and college increased tremendously.

“I definitely had some things to build around, and the main thing was becoming more of an all-court player, having more variety in my game,” Jin said. “Building my net game, building my backhand slice, improving my serve, improving all those little things definitely made a difference.”

Jin primarily plays on courts one and two for the Gators and has taken on some of the best college tennis players in the country. He is ranked No. 61 in the ITA singles rankings, but has his sights on breaking the top 20 by the end of the season.

“It’s a good spot to be in, but I try not to think about it too much,” Jin said. “There are rewards for being highly ranked, but if you focus too much on it, it gets in your head. It’s something that’s affected me in the past, trying to get to that ranking, so I’m just trying to stay process-oriented and improve every match.”

SEC Performance

Florida recently began its SEC matches. Jin has goals for the improvement on his own game during conference play.

“I’ve been really focusing on my net game, it’s something that I’ve definitely struggled with in the past, but as of recently, I’ve actually almost found a breakthrough and really become more confident up there, so I’m just trying to add on to it,” Jin said.

Florida defeated Auburn last Saturday and followed it by another win against Alabama on Monday. Jin represented his team on court one for both matches. He was able to secure the win against Auburn, but lost to Alabama. However, Jin’s skillset, energy and mindset helped contribute to the team’s wins overall.

“Jeremy’s one of the best players in the country in my opinion. So the expectations I know he sets for himself are really high and he’s gonna play super high in our lineup,” Florida coach Adam Steinberg said. “It’s great having him up there because every time we play him at one or two, we feel we have a good chance.”

Steinberg’s Thoughts

Steinberg said Jin is one of the most competitive tennis players he knows with a high tennis IQ. Jeremy is different from other players.

“He’s a student of the game,” Steinberg said. “He loves tennis. He’s very knowledgeable. He sees things a lot of players his age don’t see.”

Playing on courts one and two come with leadership responsibilities.

“He’s not always the most vocal guy, but he does behind the scenes,” Steinberg said. “The guys respect him, they listen to him when he speaks.”

Jin has a infectious energy on the court. Steinberg said that his energy is unmatched when he is engaged.

“He’s incredible,” Steinberg said. “And you can definitely feel that from the stands.”

Although Jin has a lot of room for improvement and growth, he continues to be a standout player for Florida.