Around the World with Women's Tennis: Emma Antonaki
April 17, 2020 | Women's Tennis
Seven athletes who call four countries home make up the Mississippi State women's tennis team roster. Their cultures may be vastly different, but they're all united by one common theme; their love for tennis and Mississippi State University.
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The following is a glimpse into sophomore Emma Antonaki's life in Athens, Greece.
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Antonaki became just the third freshman in program history – and only second in singles – to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships in 2019. After just two seasons in Maroon and White, she ranks fourth in career doubles win percentage and eighth in career combined win percentage in MSU's record books.
Describe your transition to life in the United States.
EA: "My transition last year was pretty good. My teammates, the coaches and the people around me were friendly. They made it easier for me adjust. The biggest difference I experienced was the language. English is not my first language. Sometimes I had problems understanding the people. The food is also very different. I have different traditions and a different taste so that was hard getting used to."
What was the most helpful in your move to the United States?
EA: "The United States is very different compared to Greece because everything is more organized. We have a schedule Monday through Saturday. We know exactly what we have to do. We know our classes and the time of practices and workouts. We have everything we need around us. Everyone is there for us to help and provide information so we can have the best results in academics and tennis."
What is the weather like in Athens, Greece?
EA: "The weather is pretty nice the whole year. In the summer the temperature is high. It reaches around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius (86 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In the winter it is around 0 to 10 degrees Celsius (32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) and below."
What language do most people in Greece speak?
EA: "The main language in Greece is Greek. Everyone speaks Greek unless they're from a different country and just live in Greece. I speak Greek and English."
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What is your favorite Greek dish to eat?
EA: "My favorite fast food dish is called Souvlaki. It's pita gyros with fries, tomatoes, lettuce and meat. My favorite traditional food is Gemista, which is vegetables stuffed with rice."
What is your favorite thing to eat in Starkville?
EA: "I like Umi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar a lot. We go as a team after our matches. I like Arepas, which is a new place downtown. It has more Spanish-flavored foods so it's similar to European food."
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How many siblings do you have? Do you have a big family?
EA: "I have four siblings. I am the youngest. I have three nephews and my parents, of course. My grandma lives three hours away from me in a village. I have a pretty big family, and everyone is very supportive of me. They were very excited when I signed to play tennis in the United States."
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Where is your favorite place to go Greece?
EA: "Everything is really great in Athens, Greece. My favorite place to go is in the center of Athens, which is about 30 minutes from my house. When I go it's usually with friends on a bus. There's always a lot of people there. There are a lot of places to eat, have coffee and sweets. There are very good monuments for tourist to see. It's really nice, especially in the summer with the nice weather."
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What differences are there playing tennis in your country compared to the United States?
EA: "In the United States everything is very organized. You know exactly the schedule that you have and what time practice is and the workouts. Greece is not that organized. In Greece I had to communicate every day to check what time practice and workouts were because the school that I attended didn't allow us to leave before two o'clock. Everything I wanted to do had to be after two. I had to do more at night after practice and workouts, which made me very tired. I didn't have much time. It was very stressful and hard. It's easier for me now."
What is your favorite sport in Greece? Who are your favorite athletes?
EA: "We don't have American football, so our fútbol is American soccer. I don't like soccer. I like to watch basketball. My favorite athlete is  Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari. They're two great tennis players. I really admire them. I know Maria personally too."
What is your favorite song?
EA: "I listen to mostly Greek music and not that much American music. I really like 'Bella Ciao.' It's in our warm up playlist, and we listen to it before every match. I always dance with Valeria Nikolaev, so it's really fun for us."
What holidays do you celebrate?
EA: "We celebrate Christmas and New Year Eve. We have family dinner or lunch with the whole family at the table and it's really nice. For Easter we go to church. We have a tradition where we crack eggs and we color them. It's like a game between everyone. The person with the egg that is not cracked is the winner. For dinner we eat lamb. It's a tradition. In the summer we don't really have any holidays to celebrate, we just go on vacation."
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If you were trying to get someone to move to Greece, how would you convince them?
EA: "I would tell them about the weather for sure, because the weather is really good in both winter and summer. I would talk about the history. We have a lot of historical monuments here. I would talk about the citizenship and the people. In Greece, everyone is very friendly. That's a good reason for someone to move there."
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What do people say when you tell them you're from Greece?
EA: "When people ask me where I'm from and I say that I'm from Greece, everyone gets excited. That makes me very happy. Everyone wants to go to Greece. If they come, I can be their tour guide and explain everything to them and show them my country."
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The following is a glimpse into sophomore Emma Antonaki's life in Athens, Greece.
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Antonaki became just the third freshman in program history – and only second in singles – to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships in 2019. After just two seasons in Maroon and White, she ranks fourth in career doubles win percentage and eighth in career combined win percentage in MSU's record books.
Describe your transition to life in the United States.
EA: "My transition last year was pretty good. My teammates, the coaches and the people around me were friendly. They made it easier for me adjust. The biggest difference I experienced was the language. English is not my first language. Sometimes I had problems understanding the people. The food is also very different. I have different traditions and a different taste so that was hard getting used to."
What was the most helpful in your move to the United States?
EA: "The United States is very different compared to Greece because everything is more organized. We have a schedule Monday through Saturday. We know exactly what we have to do. We know our classes and the time of practices and workouts. We have everything we need around us. Everyone is there for us to help and provide information so we can have the best results in academics and tennis."
What is the weather like in Athens, Greece?
EA: "The weather is pretty nice the whole year. In the summer the temperature is high. It reaches around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius (86 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In the winter it is around 0 to 10 degrees Celsius (32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) and below."
What language do most people in Greece speak?
EA: "The main language in Greece is Greek. Everyone speaks Greek unless they're from a different country and just live in Greece. I speak Greek and English."
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What is your favorite Greek dish to eat?
EA: "My favorite fast food dish is called Souvlaki. It's pita gyros with fries, tomatoes, lettuce and meat. My favorite traditional food is Gemista, which is vegetables stuffed with rice."
What is your favorite thing to eat in Starkville?
EA: "I like Umi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar a lot. We go as a team after our matches. I like Arepas, which is a new place downtown. It has more Spanish-flavored foods so it's similar to European food."
Â
How many siblings do you have? Do you have a big family?
EA: "I have four siblings. I am the youngest. I have three nephews and my parents, of course. My grandma lives three hours away from me in a village. I have a pretty big family, and everyone is very supportive of me. They were very excited when I signed to play tennis in the United States."
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Where is your favorite place to go Greece?
EA: "Everything is really great in Athens, Greece. My favorite place to go is in the center of Athens, which is about 30 minutes from my house. When I go it's usually with friends on a bus. There's always a lot of people there. There are a lot of places to eat, have coffee and sweets. There are very good monuments for tourist to see. It's really nice, especially in the summer with the nice weather."
Â
What differences are there playing tennis in your country compared to the United States?
EA: "In the United States everything is very organized. You know exactly the schedule that you have and what time practice is and the workouts. Greece is not that organized. In Greece I had to communicate every day to check what time practice and workouts were because the school that I attended didn't allow us to leave before two o'clock. Everything I wanted to do had to be after two. I had to do more at night after practice and workouts, which made me very tired. I didn't have much time. It was very stressful and hard. It's easier for me now."
What is your favorite sport in Greece? Who are your favorite athletes?EA: "We don't have American football, so our fútbol is American soccer. I don't like soccer. I like to watch basketball. My favorite athlete is  Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari. They're two great tennis players. I really admire them. I know Maria personally too."
What is your favorite song?
EA: "I listen to mostly Greek music and not that much American music. I really like 'Bella Ciao.' It's in our warm up playlist, and we listen to it before every match. I always dance with Valeria Nikolaev, so it's really fun for us."
What holidays do you celebrate?
EA: "We celebrate Christmas and New Year Eve. We have family dinner or lunch with the whole family at the table and it's really nice. For Easter we go to church. We have a tradition where we crack eggs and we color them. It's like a game between everyone. The person with the egg that is not cracked is the winner. For dinner we eat lamb. It's a tradition. In the summer we don't really have any holidays to celebrate, we just go on vacation."
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If you were trying to get someone to move to Greece, how would you convince them?
EA: "I would tell them about the weather for sure, because the weather is really good in both winter and summer. I would talk about the history. We have a lot of historical monuments here. I would talk about the citizenship and the people. In Greece, everyone is very friendly. That's a good reason for someone to move there."
Â
What do people say when you tell them you're from Greece?
EA: "When people ask me where I'm from and I say that I'm from Greece, everyone gets excited. That makes me very happy. Everyone wants to go to Greece. If they come, I can be their tour guide and explain everything to them and show them my country."
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