Archive: Toledo Rocket Success Stories

By Michael Moore, University of Toledo Athletic Communications intern

TOLEDO, Ohio – Growing up in Thailand, Pawit Sornlaksup knew from an early age that he wanted to play college tennis in the United States. He has achieved his dream, playing No. 1 singles at the University of Toledo and earning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors in his first season as a Rocket.
 
But that's not to say Pawit's journey has been an easy one.
 
Pawit got an early introduction to tennis and took to the game right away. He was three years old when he first picked up a tennis racquet. Two years later he competed in his first match. At age 17 he was playing for the Thailand national team.
 
"My whole family played tennis," said Pawit. "I went to a tennis court when I was young and just immediately felt it."
 

While Pawit was eager to pursue his tennis dreams, his mother, Wannaporn Sornlaksub, made sure he stayed focused in the classroom just as much as on the court.
 
"An education is necessary to live a quality life in Thailand," she said. "He is free to give professional tennis a shot, but he must first earn his bachelor's degree."
 
After briefly attending college in his home country, Pawit enrolled at ASA Miami Junior College in Dania Beach, Fla. He would go on to help his team reach No. 4 in the Oracle national junior college rankings.
 
Still, Pawit had larger goals, his eyes set on playing college tennis at the Division I level. One of the coaches he had been in contact with was Al Wermer, the head coach at the University of Toledo. Wermer was quickly sold on Pawit's potential.
 
"I spoke to former players who were familiar with Pawit's game," said Wermer. "After my conversations with his coach and family, I could tell that he would be a great fit here."
 
Having finally realized his goal, Pawit ran into an unanticipated roadblock – the COVID-19 Pandemic. Like all international students, when he arrived on campus, he was forced to isolate in an apartment all by himself. It was difficult way to begin his Rocket career. "I couldn't go outside and do the things I love," said Pawit. "It was miserable."
 
While the tennis part of his life came naturally to Pawit, he did encounter some cultural differences when he first arrived America. One, not surprisingly, was the language barrier. Though he learned English at his school in Thailand, he found himself unprepared to immerse himself in his new language.  
 
"I could understand people, I just couldn't say things back," said Pawit. "Trying to piece everything together in my head was confusing."  
           
Pawit credits his teammates for helping him overcome the language barrier. 
 
"Whenever I didn't know what something meant I would turn to one of my teammates and be like, bro what does this mean?" said Pawit.
 
Another difference Pawit discovered was body size and conditioning. He wasn't in the States very long before he noticed how much lighter he was than everyone he saw in America.
 
"It was a culture shock to me because everyone was so much bigger than I was," said Pawit. "In Thailand, people are much smaller."
 
Pawit dedicated himself to getting stronger. "I had to do extra reps and spend extra time outside of set workouts to get myself into shape," said Pawit. "It was tough, but I eventually started to appreciate the process."
 
Those challenges now mostly behind him, Pawit is poised to achieve tremendous success at UToledo. After earning a team best 22-2 singles record along with MAC Player of the Year honors last year, Pawit has two more seasons of eligibility to hone his tennis skills. He is excelling in the classroom too, holding a 3.9 grade point average in information systems.  
 
After his college playing days are over, Pawit hopes to play professionally and to represent Thailand in the Davis Cup competition. While those goals remain dreams for the future, Pawit is focused on what lies in front of him.
 
"Both tennis and my academics are going well right now," said Pawit. "This upcoming season I'm focused on winning the MAC Conference title."