Behind the Mask: Vazha Shubladze

After accumulating 13 wins on the top court this season in singles action, Vazha Shubladze was named the Sun Belt Men's Tennis Player of the Year by the conference office last week. The junior is the first Panther to be named Player of the Year in tennis since 2001. This week we caught up with Shubladze to learn more about his transition to college and his life away from the courts.

A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Shubladze first heard of Georgia State through head coach Jonathan Wolff, who reached out to him. Shubladze had never been to the United States, but once he heard about the program and the city of Atlanta, he did not need much more convincing. Shubladze decided to travel over 6000…