Ole Miss Men’s Tennis Inks Top Croatian Junior

Photo courtesy of Robert Jordan / Ole Miss Communications

While a few former Ole Miss men’s tennis players have been making headlines this summer, Thursdaywas all about the future, as head coach Toby Hansson announced the addition of Croatia’s top player, Filip Kraljevic, to the program.

A native of Rijeka, Croatia, Kraljevic has been ranked as high as No. 71 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and No. 1 in Croatia in juniors.  He also boasts a career-high 1206 ATP ranking.

“We are very excited to have Filip join our team this fall,” Hansson said. “I have seen and met many players and what stood out with Filip is his humble attitude, his perseverance and his willingness to work hard.

“My priority is our team spirit, teamwork and the ability for an individual to make contributions to the team.  The team has already established a solid foundation and I believe that Filip will be an asset to build upon that.

Kraljevic played in the French Open Junior Championships, and has won ITF junior doubles titles, including the Grade 2 Epitok-Abris Cup in Budapest, Hungary. He also played for the Croatian National under 18 Team in the Summer Cup. The Summer Cup consists of six separate international team events held across the European continent during the summer months.

“We are grateful that players like Filip see the potential to develop personally both as students and as tennis players here in Oxford and at Ole Miss,” Hansson added.

This marks the second consecutive year for the Rebels to sign the top player from Croatia. Zvonimir Babic helped lead the Rebels to their 22nd consecutive NCAA appearance this past year and a final national ranking of No. 17. He qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championships and ended the year ranked No. 27 in doubles.

For more information on Ole Miss Men’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics