There are two freshmen on Marquette’s experienced women’s tennis team. One, Andrea Amortegui, came from Florida. The other came from much farther away.
Natalija Popovic hails from Cacak, Serbia, about two hours outside of Belgrade, the capital. According to Tennis Europe, Popovic’s best international ranking was No. 36, a mark she attained by winning two singles titles and one doubles title.
Despite her accomplishments, Popovic couldn’t turn pro because she didn’t have enough money. Instead, she came to Marquette, hoping to chase both an education and her dream.
“If I stayed in Europe, you can’t be student athlete,” Popovic said.