Sebastian Liggenstorfer sits down with UEL’s Bulgarian tennis ace.
The University of East London tennis programme is dominating the BUCS league with all four teams still unbeaten this season.
A good mix of students from the UK and scholars from around the world, playing within the great infrastructure provided by the university, are the main reasons for the success.
One of those scholars is Lyuboslava Peruhova from Bulgaria. She is in her second year at the UEL and studies Interior Design.
It is not easy to move to a different country with a new culture and foreign language. But it might have been easier for her to adapt to her new circumstances then for others, because she loves to travel and meet new people.
The reasons behind Peruhova’s move to England and London were simple: it was to combine a good degree with her passion for tennis.
“I wanted to study abroad and get a good degree,” she said. “At first I wanted to study in Berlin, but the universities in Germany with lectures in English were not good enough. That is why I choose to come to England. I prefer to live in a big city, so London was the perfect choice.”
Tennis has played a big role in her entire life and when tennis programme leader Richard Buscombe asked her if she would be interested in playing tennis for UEL and be part of the team, the decision to come to East London was made.
Performing
“It was the only university which has everything that I need. I can do my degree and still play professional-standard tennis and practise.”
The university tries to help and support their sports scholars, but it is not always easy keeping up with the studies and performing on the court. She trains two to three times a week at least, and competes in official matches on Wednesdays.
“It’s quite difficult to manage my degree and play tennis at the same time. I have classes every day this year, but my tutor lets me miss some of the classes so I can play,” Peruhova added.
Now in her second year everything is much easier to handle then in her first, where she had to get used to her new life in London. Just like with everything else UEL helped her settle in and was there whenever she needed something.
“I am really thankful to my programme leader, who helped me improve in my degree and I am thankful to the entire UEL sports team. They helped me to sort everything out and gave me a hand every time I needed help.”
This years BUCS season is now halfway through and Peruhova so far has won every single game she has played for UEL. As well as hoping to help the team achieve promotion and cup competitions, her main personal goal is to receive a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking during her time at the university. With the help and support of UEL she might reach that goal.