Know Your Bulldog: Anastasia Rentouli
October 04, 2018 | Women's Tennis
Imagine moving around the world, away from friends and family, to follow a passion. Picture being the first of your generation to move from your home country to the United States to chase it. For Mississippi State senior women's tennis captain Anastasia Rentouli, that was reality when leaving Athens, Greece.
Tennis has been integral in Rentouli's life since she was six years old. She progressed in the sport until it granted her the chance of an education and a playing career in America. At MSU, she was given the chance to play on some of the biggest stages in collegiate tennis.
In her high school days, it was not popular for Greek athletes to pursue collegiate tennis in America. Rentouli would consider herself one of the first of her generation to make the leap. Now, three years later, Mississippi State has added two more Greece natives to its roster.
When she began school in 2015, Rentouli had no friends or family in the U.S. The eight-hour time difference also meant communication with her family was taxing. The transition was bumpy, but Rentouli is grateful for her family's sustenance that made the decision one with endless potential.
"They [my family] really pushed me, not in a bad way," recalled Rentouli. "They really helped me with coming to the U.S."
Her parent's support would be one of her biggest motivators throughout her MSU career, which drove Rentouli to one of her most triumphant victories in 2018.After more than three years since seeing her daughter compete, Rentouli's mother traveled to MSU for the first time in the spring of 2018. She attended several SEC matches that included the team's most notable victories over Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. A nail-biting success over Vanderbilt was the most profound victory in program history, all culminating at Rentouli's court.
She downed No. 98 Amanda Meyer to clinch the Bulldogs' upset victory over the second-ranked Commodores in dramatic fashion, while her mom eagerly watched from the stands.Rentouli followed that win with a three-set sweep over Diana Tkachenko of Kentucky to clinch MSU's 4-0 ledger against the No. 14 Wildcats. With her mom encouraging from the stands for the first time in over three years, Rentouli remembers with a sweeping smile that was "the cherry on the pie."
She hopes to have the rest of her family at MSU Â on her senior day in the spring. Although her greatest cheerleaders are 5,870 miles away, Rentouli is proud to be tied to a family of Bulldog faithful.
"It's bittersweet to say that it's my last season, because I'd love to play more and more here," said Rentouli. "It's been a privilege to represent Mississippi State Universtiy. The moments are what I'll always be grateful for."
