AUSTIN, Texas — Nicole Khirin formed a love affair with tennis at an early age. She recalls a trip to go pick up her brother from the tennis courts when she was around 3 as the time she first picked up a racket and started hitting balls. She hasn’t stopped since. 

“Every tournament when I was younger, I realized I was actually good at tennis,” Khirin said. “My parents took me for more and more tournaments and it started being more than just tennis lessons.”

As Khirin continued to improve, she discovered that being in Israel made it harder to chase her dreams of playing professionally. 

“We don’t have culture of the sport in Israel, so it’s really hard to find a sponsor,” she said. “Almost one year ago my parents told me it’s too much, maybe you think about going to college.”

So as Khirin started weighing her options for her tennis future, she definitely wasn’t sold on going to college at that moment.

“One year ago, I say to my family, 'There is no chance I’m going to college,' and here I am right now,” Khirin recalled. 

Where she is, is at the University of Texas. Many programs across the country tried to get her to come play for their team, but it was UT women's tennis coach Howard Joffe who helped Khirin land in Austin.

“He was real with me and not faking and just trying to get me here,” Khirin said. “Howard is the main reason why I’m here.”

“I sort of explained to her that she could pursue the education and continue to chase the tennis in a way you would if you just played professionally,” Joffe said. “I think I was maybe most effective of all the coaches in explaining that to her.”

Joffe needed a new top player on his team after losing Peyton Stearns to professional tennis. He saw real potential in Khirin’s game.

“For a lady that is not very tall, she has tremendous power,” Joffe said. “The athleticism and the speed, and of course she’s very experienced. It was a combination of all those things I knew we’d have a stellar player.”

As Khirin adjusted to college tennis, she was also adjusting to life in the United States as a college student.

“It was really hard for me to get used to college tennis because the rules are different and the environment is really different,” she said. “People are shouting during the point, which I’m not used to.”

“I’m sure the year has been tumultuous and difficult to say nothing of the socializing of being a 21-year-old freshman,” Joffe said. “The idea that she has played No. 1 and been tremendously successful is standing alone a great achievement, but on top of the layers I’ve described, it really is an unreal achievement.”

Khirin adjusted to the college game pretty nicely. She helped Texas win the Big 12 title while being named the conference freshman of the year and overall player of the year. She also helped the Longhorns land the No. 8 overall seed for the NCAA tournament as they make a run for a third straight national title.

“I think we’re getting better as a team. We’re in the right place and I think we can do it,” Khirin said. 

The freshman from far away has handled many challenges throughout this year but she’s developed a strong mental aptitude over the years to handle challenges. Some of that mindset comes from serving in the military. In Israel it is mandatory for citizens to enroll, and Khirin spent two years going to training before coming to Texas.

“It was hard, I will not lie, it was really hard in the beginning,” she said. “It wasn’t easy but every kid in Israel that goes to the military will end up being more mature. Obviously I wasn’t a fighter but I needed to do everything by my own. It’s not like school where I’m calling mom and, 'Hey, mom, can you help me?' No, I needed to do everything on my own.”

While she admits it’s been hard being so far away from family and that she misses the food in Israel, she’s thrived on her own over here in Texas and on the tennis courts.