Michigan State University Athletics
Mukherjee Siblings: The Bond of Tennis On and Off the Court
2/12/2020 12:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A sibling bond is a unique relationship that some people don't get a chance to experience. Even rarer are siblings that play the same sport their entire life, rarely have disagreements and act as the other's biggest fan.
Michigan State tennis players Josh and Tia Mukherjee share a love for the sport, and are sharing the same collegiate journey – on and off the court - with an unbreakable bond.
The Mukherjee's hail from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and have been close since they were kids. Josh is a junior, and the oldest. Tia is a freshman. And both are studying Supply Chain Management.
"We have a pretty close family," Tia said. "We traveled a lot together. For his tournaments, we would all go and then I started playing, then we had to split up like half and half. But outside of tennis we go out a lot together."
Both Tia and Josh began playing tennis at a young age.
"I was probably four and she was probably two or three," Josh said.
Their family had a tennis court near their house when they were younger and the two of them would go down and play with their parents for fun.
As they got older, Josh and Tia would watch each other play, admiring each other's game. It wasn't long before they started practicing and training together. They would hit balls, with the only goal being to make each other better. They were never focused on who was the best - they just wanted each other to succeed.
They attended the same schools, had the same family friends and even the same friends when they were on the tennis court.
They attended Bloomfield Hills High School, where they were both five-star recruits. They tried to support each other as much as they could, while still keeping up with their busy schedules at the time.
From attending each other's matches, playing in different tournaments and state titles together and even winning one of the biggest tournaments of their lives at the same time, Josh and Tia created memories that they will cherish together forever.
"We both won the Midwest Closed together. That's probably the biggest Midwest tournament of the year and we won the same year which was pretty cool," Josh said.
When it came time to begin the recruitment process, Josh knew that MSU was the school for him. His love for the school growing up, the coaching staff and his overall comfort he felt with MSU was undeniable.
"Coach Gene Orlando contacted me first and I love Michigan State so it wasn't really a tough decision for me," said Josh.
Tia was there every step of the way with her brother, and along with the warm welcome from the coaches and team, it was no shock that she also became a Spartan.
"I went through his whole recruitment process with him," Tia said. "I visited the school and everything and immediately knew I wanted to go here."
Josh had an impressive showing as a freshman, second on the team in overall doubles wins. He had to sit-out his sophomore season due to knee surgery. While he was rehabbing, Tia was practicing for her freshman season at MSU during the summer by herself.
"All our lives we practiced next to each other and last summer was the first time I'd go to practices by myself he wasn't there so it was weird," Tia said.
MSU women's tennis coach Kim Bruno loves Tia and Josh's close relationship.
"Really great family, nice as can be kids," Bruno said. "We're excited to have them and another member of the family here at MSU. Watching them continue their journey together has been exciting."
Bruno said she has never seen Josh and Tia argue. That seems surprising, but after getting to know them, she said it is easy to believe they've never had any type of disagreement.
"A lot of people say we're the closest pair of siblings that they've ever met," Tia said.
The siblings still practice together and hang out when their schedules permit. Whether it's catching a movie or grabbing lunch, they still make time to keep their bond tight.
While playing professionally is something they both would like to possibly pursue in the future, both Josh and Tia are enjoying playing the game they love with each other and making sure they are maximizing their potential.
Josh is eager to be back on the tennis court this season and Tia is looking forward to starting her career at MSU strong, and both will be rooting for one another on the sideline just like they've been doing their entire life.
Michigan State tennis players Josh and Tia Mukherjee share a love for the sport, and are sharing the same collegiate journey – on and off the court - with an unbreakable bond.
The Mukherjee's hail from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and have been close since they were kids. Josh is a junior, and the oldest. Tia is a freshman. And both are studying Supply Chain Management.
"We have a pretty close family," Tia said. "We traveled a lot together. For his tournaments, we would all go and then I started playing, then we had to split up like half and half. But outside of tennis we go out a lot together."
Both Tia and Josh began playing tennis at a young age.
"I was probably four and she was probably two or three," Josh said.
Their family had a tennis court near their house when they were younger and the two of them would go down and play with their parents for fun.
As they got older, Josh and Tia would watch each other play, admiring each other's game. It wasn't long before they started practicing and training together. They would hit balls, with the only goal being to make each other better. They were never focused on who was the best - they just wanted each other to succeed.
They attended the same schools, had the same family friends and even the same friends when they were on the tennis court.
They attended Bloomfield Hills High School, where they were both five-star recruits. They tried to support each other as much as they could, while still keeping up with their busy schedules at the time.
From attending each other's matches, playing in different tournaments and state titles together and even winning one of the biggest tournaments of their lives at the same time, Josh and Tia created memories that they will cherish together forever.
"We both won the Midwest Closed together. That's probably the biggest Midwest tournament of the year and we won the same year which was pretty cool," Josh said.
When it came time to begin the recruitment process, Josh knew that MSU was the school for him. His love for the school growing up, the coaching staff and his overall comfort he felt with MSU was undeniable.
"Coach Gene Orlando contacted me first and I love Michigan State so it wasn't really a tough decision for me," said Josh.
Tia was there every step of the way with her brother, and along with the warm welcome from the coaches and team, it was no shock that she also became a Spartan.
"I went through his whole recruitment process with him," Tia said. "I visited the school and everything and immediately knew I wanted to go here."
Josh had an impressive showing as a freshman, second on the team in overall doubles wins. He had to sit-out his sophomore season due to knee surgery. While he was rehabbing, Tia was practicing for her freshman season at MSU during the summer by herself.
"All our lives we practiced next to each other and last summer was the first time I'd go to practices by myself he wasn't there so it was weird," Tia said.
MSU women's tennis coach Kim Bruno loves Tia and Josh's close relationship.
"Really great family, nice as can be kids," Bruno said. "We're excited to have them and another member of the family here at MSU. Watching them continue their journey together has been exciting."
Bruno said she has never seen Josh and Tia argue. That seems surprising, but after getting to know them, she said it is easy to believe they've never had any type of disagreement.
"A lot of people say we're the closest pair of siblings that they've ever met," Tia said.
The siblings still practice together and hang out when their schedules permit. Whether it's catching a movie or grabbing lunch, they still make time to keep their bond tight.
While playing professionally is something they both would like to possibly pursue in the future, both Josh and Tia are enjoying playing the game they love with each other and making sure they are maximizing their potential.
Josh is eager to be back on the tennis court this season and Tia is looking forward to starting her career at MSU strong, and both will be rooting for one another on the sideline just like they've been doing their entire life.
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