The Trip of 6,000 Miles: Yasha Zemel and his Tennis Journey

January 21, 2020, Yasha Zemel officially joined the University of Kentucky men’s tennis roster. As a 23-year-old sophomore, Zemel felt as if he was at an unlikely age to be at UK. 
 
At seven years old in his hometown, Haifa, Israel, Zemel started playing tennis simply to be with his friends. When he turned 11, it became more serious. 
 
“I had a couple of friends who played tennis and my mom asked me if I wanted to try (tennis) because my friends were playing it,” Zemel said. “So I said, ‘why not?’ and randomly just went (to play) one day.” 
 
He continued to play the sport, even while he was drafted to the Israeli Military. 
 
“Every man and woman when they turn 18 are drafted to the army,” he said. “But there is a special program for athletes that you can get into if you have earned any kind of external (athletic) achievement.” 
 
Within this program, the athletes are allowed to practice every day. Along with practices, they are also granted around 80 days off a year for tournaments and other athletic events. 
 
Being an athlete in the military was very time consuming and demanding. Zemel quickly had to learn how to manage his time efficiently. 
 
“I was waking up everyday around 5:30 a.m., and then I would have to be at the army at around 6:30, where I would work for two to three hours then go to practice, eat lunch, go back to practice, then back to the army for maybe two more hours and then getting back home around 8:00 p.m.,” he said. “Sometimes I had to sleep at the base and direct patrols at night, but it was just very busy.” 
 
While serving, Zemel was in officer school. He was in charge of cleaning and arranging different things at events along with other soldiers. At his base, there were four other athletes, including one other tennis player. 
 
Initially, he was not considering playing collegiate tennis until he was approached by UK volunteer coach, Peter Kobelt, who asked him about his future plans. 
 
“During COVID, he approached me asking if I was considering playing in college, and I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Zemel said. “I thought to myself, maybe I should give it a try.” 
 
Zemel joining the Kentucky team adds another foreign player to the already heavy foreign roster. The transition from Israel to the United States was something that he was not initially prepared for. 
 
“The beginning was tough, there is a big difference in cultures between Israel and the United States,” he said. “When I got here, I got right into the season so I had to adjust pretty quickly to college tennis.” 
 
Now on his second season with the team, the initial adjustments and culture shock have faded. 
“I like the team and the coaches and I am really enjoying my time here,” he said. “But as of now, everything is good.”
 
This season, the Cats have a 13-4 record overall, including a 4-1 Southeastern Conference mark. Kentucky will hit the road this coming weekend to first play No. 29 Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tennessee, and then head to No. 31 Ole Miss to play at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.