NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As part of the conference tournament, the SEC office announced that Commodore senior Joubert Klopper is the 2023 SEC men’s tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The accolade, voted on by conference coaches, recognizes student-athletes’ combined excellence across athletics and academics. Klopper joins Charlie Jones (2012) and Vikram Chari (2017) as the only Commodores to receive the honor.
Academics
An economics major and business minor, Klopper completes his undergraduate Vanderbilt degree in just three and a half years, with a cumulative 3.644 GPA. He has been accepted into Vanderbilt’s master of finance graduate program.
Klopper is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, and he has been named to Vanderbilt’s Dean’s List four times. He also represents men’s tennis on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Athletics
A native of Bloemfontein, South Africa, Klopper came to Vanderbilt in 2020. The start of his career as a Commodore was hindered, however, by a fractured elbow the spring of his freshman year and a broken arm just months later. Klopper bounced back from these injuries and blossomed into a leader on the team and playmaker on the courts.
Klopper has held winning records through each of his four seasons as a Commodore. In 2022, he excelled in singles play, reaching a career-high No. 11 ITA Ohio Valley Regional ranking and a No. 59 ITA National ranking. He led the Dores with an overall singles record of 27-12, including a 15-9 record in dual match play. Of these victories, five were against ranked opponents, and three clinched the matches for the Commodores. In doubles play, Klopper amassed a 16-8 record, including five doubles point–clinching victories. At the end of the season, Klopper was the recipient of the 2021–22 Golden Dores Male Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.
During his senior season, Klopper reached the doubles quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championship and had a six-match doubles win streak at the start of the season. He sits tied for 10th in school history for single-season doubles victories. Through his Commodore career thus far, Klopper has accrued 57 singles victories and 32 doubles wins.