The University of Nottingham Tennis Club is one of the biggest in the country and has been bolstered this year by the arrival of sport scholar Rebeka Stolmar. Rebeka competed for the University of Central Florida at NCAA level and has decided to continue her playing career and academics here at the University of Nottingham. Studying MSc Psychology in the Faculty of Science, Rebeka has already been very successful on the court in #GreenandGold colours, winning the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Doubles Championships with teammate Marie Mattel. We spoke to Rebeka to find out more about how she's found life here in Nottingham.
Great to meet you Rebeka, could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your tennis journey so far?
Sure, so I’m from Hungary originally – living there for 19 years, and my parents were both quite passionate about Tennis. My Dad wasn’t professional but he did play in a few tournaments and played a lot with his friends, so I was always around a tennis court as a kid. From there, I started playing and practising, and the results started to come too which led to the Hungarian Tennis Federation picking me up. That’s how it all started for me.
As a junior I began to travel and play internationally with the national federation, and initially I looked to go professional, and it was quite a last-minute decision for me to go into academics. I was able to have the chance to do my undergraduate degree in Florida as well as playing for the Tennis team, and we were quite successful on the court so it was a great decision. It was a really nice four years and during my time in Florida I began to really love tennis again.
What is it about the sport of tennis that you enjoy?
I just really enjoy the game and I have a lot of love for the sport. For a long time, I would put a lot of pressure on myself to win and to do well, but over time I started to realise that it’s all about enjoying it as much as you can. Even though I haven’t been able to break through professionally as I planned, I’m still thoroughly enjoying playing. I love to be on court.
When did you decide to continue your education here at the University of Nottingham?
After I finished my undergraduate at Central Florida, I looked to move into the professional game and started playing at an academy in France, but unfortunately I had some bad timing with injuries. I’d also really started thinking about my career after Tennis and was intrigued by the prospect of becoming a psychologist. I really wanted to pursue a Master’s degree to build towards this so I decided to talk to my friends about my options, and because I wanted to continue playing tennis too, I ended up here in Nottingham. A couple of people I played with in the US followed a similar path which is how I found out about the opportunity. It was an easy decision because I can continue with a really good education as well as high-level tennis.
Is psychology a subject that you’ve always been interested in?
I’ve always had an interest in psychology, but it wasn’t actually what I studied at Central Florida. I studied sport and exercise science because I was thinking about becoming a physical therapist as that is the field of work my dad is in. However, by the time I finished my degree in it, I’d realised that it wasn’t for me so much, and because I had that interest in psychology – the course available to me here was perfect. The course here is quite challenging but I’m enjoying it.
Having travelled and studied in different environments, how does your experience in the UK and Nottingham compare?
Well it’s definitely rainier here! Coming from Hungary, the cold was not a problem but I did notice the rain. However, I’ve really enjoyed being here so far. The campus here in Nottingham is really green and in some ways reminds me of home which is really nice. The sport culture here is different to America for instance because of the size of the club. In America, the team community is much smaller. Here, the Tennis club is quite big with so many people. At the beginning it was quite weird but it’s a really nice community with a big family feel, so it’s very different but I’ve enjoyed it.
How has your season gone so far on the court here at the University of Nottingham?
It’s been really good. We’ve won all of our matches in the league so we are undefeated, so we can’t complain so far! I’ve also won all of my doubles matches with my partner Marie (Mattel), so it’s been going well. I’ve played with Marie for a while now because we actually played and studied together in the US. We became really good friends whilst we were there as well as receiving All-American honours, but it was a bit of an accident that we both decided to study here in Nottingham at the same time! I had no idea that Marie wanted to do a masters, and when I was speaking to Matt (Wildt, UoN Tennis Head Coach) about Nottingham, he mentioned that a few other NCAA athletes were interested which included Marie. When he said that on the phone to me - I could nott believe it! We’d never spoken about it but ended up making the same plans.
Has it been helpful to have that shared experience with Marie?
It’s been really helpful and really nice. We’re roommates too and we’ve really been able to enjoy our time here together, whilst also helping other through tough times. On the court, I love to play doubles with her because it’s so much fun! We don’t really get frustrated with each other and we have a chemistry after playing together for so long that we know what each other will be doing on the court without having to say it. Sometimes I won’t be playing my best but she’s able to hold some games and bring us over the line and vice-versa so I feel like we make a good team.
Are you looking forward to the rest of the BUCS season?
Yes I’m looking forward to it. We’ve gone undefeated so far so I’m hoping that we can go far in the BUCS championships and make a run at BUCS Big Wednesday, but anything can happen in tennis. I think that’s why it’s such a fun sport because anyone can beat anyone. However, I really do think that we can make the final at BUCS Big Wednesday and win the championship - that would be really fun!
What are your aims after you finish here at the University of Nottingham?
I don’t think that I’ll go back home, and the US is also a little far so I’m not 100% sure! Becoming a clinical psychologist is something that I want to do at some point for sure, but you need a PhD for that so that is something that’s in my plans. I’d also love to continue playing doubles with Marie but we’re just planning how we’d do that at the moment.
How do you think you will you look back at your time at the University of Nottingham?
Firstly, I’ll definitely be happy if I can finish this degree! It’s been a great experience because there’s more of a balance between academics and sport, which I’ve not really had before. I think this experience will be really beneficial for me because there’s so much more than just playing sport and studying, there is so much more to the university experience here.
A huge thank you to Rebeka for spending time talking to us about her experience here at the University of Nottingham so far. We look forward to following the women's tennis team as they continue on the road to BUCS Big Wednesday. You can follow their results and find out more by visiting our dedicated web page here.
You can find out more about the Sport Scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham by visiting our dedicated web page. You can also find out more about our Performance Tennis programme by clicking here.
Posted on Tuesday 27th February 2024