SE: Barzó Wraps K-State Career with Tennis Family for Life
Apr 27, 2021 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
A few weeks ago, the two seniors on K-State Tennis gave each other a look.
In her three years as a professional tennis player, Lilla Barzó won tournaments in Finland and Madagascar. She reached doubles finals in Italy and Croatia on the ITF Tour.
What Barzó hadn't done is watch much tennis where the outcome of another match would determine whether or not she ran onto the court to celebrate a victory with her team.
It was completely unbearable.
"Everybody was so nervous," Barzó said. "I remember Margot [Decker] said during the match, 'Well, now I would rather play than watch because I'm freaking out.' Everybody was shaking."
That match, earlier this month in Manhattan, featured a heroic performance from Iona Gheorghita in the last singles' match of the day, to deliver a dramatic 4-3 win over Kansas.
It was the first victory for K-State Tennis in the Sunflower Showdown since 2014.
"As tennis players, we know we shouldn't show emotion because it can affect the player. So, we were trying to be extremely cheerful, but keep our facial expressions neutral," Barzó said. "It was amazing to experience that. I think it was the peak of the semester for the team."
Barzó finished up her senior season at the Big 12 Championship last week in Waco, winning the final singles' match of her college career even as K-State fell in the first round.
It wrapped up a two-year adventure for the Hungarian international, who arrived in Kansas after a professional tennis career on the WTA and ITF Tour. As a transfer student from the University of Szeged, Barzó came to Manhattan with two years of eligibility in the Big 12.
She certainly made them count.
"Time can solve a lot of things," she said. "I learned to be patient and that I'm more resilient than I thought."
Barzó knew she wanted to play college tennis but heading to Manhattan was still a leap of faith. She remembers sitting in Bramlage Coliseum for the first time in 2019, going through one of the beginning-of-the-year meetings for student-athletes at K-State.
That's when her new head coach, Jordan Smith, walked up and introduced himself.
"You know when you meet someone and have the very best feeling? I don't know how else to explain it," Barzó said. "Jordan was super friendly, and I was like, 'OK, I'm fine now.'"
The move to K-State also meant that she would be without a car. Going to college in her hometown back in Hungary, this had never been a problem for Barzó.
"Even though Manhattan is smaller than Szeged, the absence of a car made it a little bit harder. I kind of bolt everywhere and I guess I'm still doing that," she said. "I think that was the biggest adjustment."
But the opportunity awaiting Barzó in Manhattan was also something completely different from life as a pro tennis player.
The Wildcats are the only team at K-State made up entirely of international student-athletes. Unlike on the WTA and ITF tour, these women weren't competing against Barzó.
They were her teammates throughout two years of competition in the Big 12. Experiencing that family atmosphere for the first time made an impact on the former Hungarian professional.
"Tennis is kind of a selfish sport where you have to think as an individual. But once I got here, I forgot how to do everything by myself and started to do everything for the team," Barzó said. "In professional tennis you think as an individual, but in college tennis you think about a family and fighting for a family."
COVID-19 certainly brought that into focus. Barzó returned to Hungary in the spring, as the pandemic wiped out what should have been her junior tennis season in 2020.
Even with the Wildcats scattered across the globe, the bond with her new teammates was real.
"The coaches did an amazing job. Every week, we had a team meeting, and they organized some kind of virtual activities. That was really, really, funny all the time," she said. "I think that was one of the reasons we stayed in contact and it didn't feel like we were separated."
It's a change in mindset from professional tennis, more than anything that might show up on the scoreboard, but that's exactly what Barzó was hoping to find in Manhattan.
And the results on the scoreboard weren't bad either - the Hungarian was reliable part of the rotation for K-State Tennis in 2021, grabbing wins over West Virginia and Kansas.
Even after a loss, Barzó was surrounded by the K-State coaching staff and her teammates, a group able to offer more support and encouragement than she found as a pro. It's the difference, she said, that comes from playing for your school instead of yourself.
As Barzó returns to Hungary this summer, to pursue her law degree back in Szeged, she will spend less time worrying about Jayhawks and Cyclones.
But the impact of her two seasons in college tennis? After her last match in Manhattan on Senior Day, Barzó put it best:
"I felt like I gave it all, everything that I had in me," she said. "I left my heart on the court."
A few weeks ago, the two seniors on K-State Tennis gave each other a look.
In her three years as a professional tennis player, Lilla Barzó won tournaments in Finland and Madagascar. She reached doubles finals in Italy and Croatia on the ITF Tour.
What Barzó hadn't done is watch much tennis where the outcome of another match would determine whether or not she ran onto the court to celebrate a victory with her team.
It was completely unbearable.
"Everybody was so nervous," Barzó said. "I remember Margot [Decker] said during the match, 'Well, now I would rather play than watch because I'm freaking out.' Everybody was shaking."
That match, earlier this month in Manhattan, featured a heroic performance from Iona Gheorghita in the last singles' match of the day, to deliver a dramatic 4-3 win over Kansas.
It was the first victory for K-State Tennis in the Sunflower Showdown since 2014.
We belong. 🌻#KStateTEN x Sunflower Showdown pic.twitter.com/MQ87JWASiv
— K-State Tennis (@KStateTEN) April 5, 2021
"As tennis players, we know we shouldn't show emotion because it can affect the player. So, we were trying to be extremely cheerful, but keep our facial expressions neutral," Barzó said. "It was amazing to experience that. I think it was the peak of the semester for the team."
Barzó finished up her senior season at the Big 12 Championship last week in Waco, winning the final singles' match of her college career even as K-State fell in the first round.
It wrapped up a two-year adventure for the Hungarian international, who arrived in Kansas after a professional tennis career on the WTA and ITF Tour. As a transfer student from the University of Szeged, Barzó came to Manhattan with two years of eligibility in the Big 12.
She certainly made them count.
"Time can solve a lot of things," she said. "I learned to be patient and that I'm more resilient than I thought."
Barzó knew she wanted to play college tennis but heading to Manhattan was still a leap of faith. She remembers sitting in Bramlage Coliseum for the first time in 2019, going through one of the beginning-of-the-year meetings for student-athletes at K-State.
That's when her new head coach, Jordan Smith, walked up and introduced himself.
"You know when you meet someone and have the very best feeling? I don't know how else to explain it," Barzó said. "Jordan was super friendly, and I was like, 'OK, I'm fine now.'"
The move to K-State also meant that she would be without a car. Going to college in her hometown back in Hungary, this had never been a problem for Barzó.
"Even though Manhattan is smaller than Szeged, the absence of a car made it a little bit harder. I kind of bolt everywhere and I guess I'm still doing that," she said. "I think that was the biggest adjustment."
But the opportunity awaiting Barzó in Manhattan was also something completely different from life as a pro tennis player.
The Wildcats are the only team at K-State made up entirely of international student-athletes. Unlike on the WTA and ITF tour, these women weren't competing against Barzó.
They were her teammates throughout two years of competition in the Big 12. Experiencing that family atmosphere for the first time made an impact on the former Hungarian professional.
"Tennis is kind of a selfish sport where you have to think as an individual. But once I got here, I forgot how to do everything by myself and started to do everything for the team," Barzó said. "In professional tennis you think as an individual, but in college tennis you think about a family and fighting for a family."
COVID-19 certainly brought that into focus. Barzó returned to Hungary in the spring, as the pandemic wiped out what should have been her junior tennis season in 2020.
Even with the Wildcats scattered across the globe, the bond with her new teammates was real.
"The coaches did an amazing job. Every week, we had a team meeting, and they organized some kind of virtual activities. That was really, really, funny all the time," she said. "I think that was one of the reasons we stayed in contact and it didn't feel like we were separated."
It's a change in mindset from professional tennis, more than anything that might show up on the scoreboard, but that's exactly what Barzó was hoping to find in Manhattan.
And the results on the scoreboard weren't bad either - the Hungarian was reliable part of the rotation for K-State Tennis in 2021, grabbing wins over West Virginia and Kansas.
Even after a loss, Barzó was surrounded by the K-State coaching staff and her teammates, a group able to offer more support and encouragement than she found as a pro. It's the difference, she said, that comes from playing for your school instead of yourself.
I left my heart on the court. 💜#KStateTEN pic.twitter.com/FLCGjXsAut
— K-State Tennis (@KStateTEN) April 19, 2021
As Barzó returns to Hungary this summer, to pursue her law degree back in Szeged, she will spend less time worrying about Jayhawks and Cyclones.
But the impact of her two seasons in college tennis? After her last match in Manhattan on Senior Day, Barzó put it best:
"I felt like I gave it all, everything that I had in me," she said. "I left my heart on the court."
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