Roberts Rounds Out Roster With Star Slovakian Novansky

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men’s tennis coach Matt Roberts added the final piece to his 2023 roster with the signing of Michal Novansky.

A native of Trnava, Slovakia, Novansky will join the Bulldogs in January to be part of an already talented freshman class that includes No. 107 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez.

“The Bulldog tennis community is so excited to have Michal join our team in January,” Roberts said. “Michal will bring so much experience to our team for a freshman since he has played all over the world and at every level. His game will translate very well to a college hardcourt in singles and doubles.

“More importantly, he wants to help this team. His selfless nature has been evident in the recruiting process and he will be an immediate fit to our band of brothers we have on this squad.”

Novansky is currently ranked 88^th in the world in the ITF singles rankings, the second-highest of any Slovakian competitor. He reached No. 61 in the ITF Junior rankings and has posted a career-best 13.1 Universal Tennis Ranking.

The 20-year old racked up 36 singles victories on the professional level in 2022 and also added eight doubles wins as well. Novansky’s most recent action saw him reach the main draw in singles of the 15K tournament in his hometown while also reaching the semifinals in doubles during the same event.

“Michal will be a great addition to our team this January for numerous reasons,” said MSU assistant coach Jake Jacoby. “His commitment to becoming the best tennis player he can be combined with our culture will be a great fit for both us and him right off the bat. He is very mature and ready for this new chapter in his personal and tennis development because he already has a great skill set for both singles and doubles combined with his desire to made strides in his game. We cannot wait to get started with him and all the guys again in January.”

Novansky is set to enroll and immediately compete with the Bulldogs during the spring semester. MSU opens the season with a four-match homestand starting with East Tennessee State on Jan. 14.

For more information on the Bulldog men’s tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.