From Syria to Qatar to Germany to East Lansing: The Story of Taym Alazmeh
7/19/2024 12:48:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Michigan State freshman tennis player Taym Alazmeh doesn't remember much about his childhood home in Damascus, or his native Syria. He and his family left in 2011, when he was eight, due to a war breaking out and a worsening political situation.
Many families were not as lucky as his to make it out safely. According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 300,000 Syrian civilians died between 2011 and 2021. Their departure from Syria may have saved their lives.
"My parents felt that it was not safe for us to stay and it would be better for our future to leave," Alazmeh said. "We all left together. Me, my brother, my mom, my dad. We moved to Qatar because we had family living there."
Alazmeh said he wasn't completely aware of what was going on at such a young age, not realizing it may be the last time he would be in Syria. As he got older, this realization became more difficult.
"I find it pretty sad I don't have that many memories just because we left when I was so young," Alazmeh said. "I would love to go back and get a clearer picture of what it's like."
Tennis has been the constant in his life, in his life back in Syria, through the family's moves to Qatar and Germany, and now here, with his spot on Michigan State's tennis team. Alazmeh started playing tennis at age four, practicing with his family in his backyard. He started sessions with a coach around age five.
It hasn't been easy for Alazmeh, moving to a different country three times throughout his life. Despite a lot of uncertainty and change, the freshman has become a key addition for Michigan State tennis since arriving on campus.
Alazmeh and his family moved to Frankfurt, Germany after living in Qatar for eight years. Because his mother is half German, his family has German passports. Alazmeh said part of the reason they moved to Germany was due to the lack of opportunities to practice tennis in Qatar.
"I liked the opportunity, especially in terms of tennis," Alazmeh said. "Tennis there is on a pretty high level, so it was really good for me to develop my game."
Alazmeh practiced at Alexander Waske Tennis-University, a tennis academy near Frankfurt. He practiced full time at the academy during the four years he lived in Germany and attended online school, allowing his entire day to be devoted to tennis.
It took some time for Alazmeh to acclimate himself to living in Germany after spending the first 16 years of his life in the Middle East. He said it took a couple of years to adjust because everything, from the people to the social norms, were much different from what he had been used to.
MSU Head Coach Harry Jadun was recruiting in Germany while Alazmeh was competing in the German National Championships and they met several other times at junior tournaments. Jadun believes meeting him in person impacted his decision to attend Michigan State. Alazmeh also talked with teams from the ACC and SEC before deciding to become a Spartan.
"I had a better connection with Harry than with the other coaches and I believed in his vision, so I decided to come here," Alazmeh said. "My parents met him and they felt comfortable about me coming here too."
It has been a smooth transition to MSU for Alazmeh. At first, Alazmeh was worried about moving for the third time, but he was welcomed with open arms as the newest member of the team in the winter.
"I feel like my teammates made it much easier," Alazmeh said. "Coming straight into a team environment helps a lot because they were all there for me."
Jadun is elated to have Alazmeh on his team and loves the impact he has already brought. Jadun sayd he is always positive, cheerful and helping his teammates. In his eyes, Alazmeh is one of the best tennis players to come from Syria and thinks what he has accomplished says a lot about him.
"All around he's just a great human being. From a leadership perspective, I think that's going to suit him moving forward," Jadun said. "From a personality standpoint, he's meshed really well with the guys on the team."
Alazmeh, a psychology major, believes his passion for the sport is what brings him success. He said compared to other people, he wants to be on the court every day and feels his consistency of work is the best trait he has.
"On days off I struggle to keep myself away from the courts," Alazmeh said. "Enjoying playing tennis pushes me to work hard in practice every day and I think it helps me to improve."
Alazmeh described his journey as a roller coaster and feels he doesn't have a true home anywhere after having constant change in his life. It has been tough at times, but he explained he learned to enjoy the chaos and understands he needs to stay calm and see the positive side of things. Jadun said the path Alazmeh has taken to get here shows his resilience and is ready to see the newest chapter of his story unfold.
"I just think he's a special kid and I'm glad we have him on our team here," Jadun said. "I'm excited for what the future holds for him because he's just starting his career and his journey here at Michigan State."
Many families were not as lucky as his to make it out safely. According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 300,000 Syrian civilians died between 2011 and 2021. Their departure from Syria may have saved their lives.
"My parents felt that it was not safe for us to stay and it would be better for our future to leave," Alazmeh said. "We all left together. Me, my brother, my mom, my dad. We moved to Qatar because we had family living there."
Alazmeh said he wasn't completely aware of what was going on at such a young age, not realizing it may be the last time he would be in Syria. As he got older, this realization became more difficult.
"I find it pretty sad I don't have that many memories just because we left when I was so young," Alazmeh said. "I would love to go back and get a clearer picture of what it's like."
Tennis has been the constant in his life, in his life back in Syria, through the family's moves to Qatar and Germany, and now here, with his spot on Michigan State's tennis team. Alazmeh started playing tennis at age four, practicing with his family in his backyard. He started sessions with a coach around age five.
It hasn't been easy for Alazmeh, moving to a different country three times throughout his life. Despite a lot of uncertainty and change, the freshman has become a key addition for Michigan State tennis since arriving on campus.
Alazmeh and his family moved to Frankfurt, Germany after living in Qatar for eight years. Because his mother is half German, his family has German passports. Alazmeh said part of the reason they moved to Germany was due to the lack of opportunities to practice tennis in Qatar.
"I liked the opportunity, especially in terms of tennis," Alazmeh said. "Tennis there is on a pretty high level, so it was really good for me to develop my game."
Alazmeh practiced at Alexander Waske Tennis-University, a tennis academy near Frankfurt. He practiced full time at the academy during the four years he lived in Germany and attended online school, allowing his entire day to be devoted to tennis.
It took some time for Alazmeh to acclimate himself to living in Germany after spending the first 16 years of his life in the Middle East. He said it took a couple of years to adjust because everything, from the people to the social norms, were much different from what he had been used to.
MSU Head Coach Harry Jadun was recruiting in Germany while Alazmeh was competing in the German National Championships and they met several other times at junior tournaments. Jadun believes meeting him in person impacted his decision to attend Michigan State. Alazmeh also talked with teams from the ACC and SEC before deciding to become a Spartan.
"I had a better connection with Harry than with the other coaches and I believed in his vision, so I decided to come here," Alazmeh said. "My parents met him and they felt comfortable about me coming here too."
It has been a smooth transition to MSU for Alazmeh. At first, Alazmeh was worried about moving for the third time, but he was welcomed with open arms as the newest member of the team in the winter.
"I feel like my teammates made it much easier," Alazmeh said. "Coming straight into a team environment helps a lot because they were all there for me."
Jadun is elated to have Alazmeh on his team and loves the impact he has already brought. Jadun sayd he is always positive, cheerful and helping his teammates. In his eyes, Alazmeh is one of the best tennis players to come from Syria and thinks what he has accomplished says a lot about him.
"All around he's just a great human being. From a leadership perspective, I think that's going to suit him moving forward," Jadun said. "From a personality standpoint, he's meshed really well with the guys on the team."
Alazmeh, a psychology major, believes his passion for the sport is what brings him success. He said compared to other people, he wants to be on the court every day and feels his consistency of work is the best trait he has.
"On days off I struggle to keep myself away from the courts," Alazmeh said. "Enjoying playing tennis pushes me to work hard in practice every day and I think it helps me to improve."
Alazmeh described his journey as a roller coaster and feels he doesn't have a true home anywhere after having constant change in his life. It has been tough at times, but he explained he learned to enjoy the chaos and understands he needs to stay calm and see the positive side of things. Jadun said the path Alazmeh has taken to get here shows his resilience and is ready to see the newest chapter of his story unfold.
"I just think he's a special kid and I'm glad we have him on our team here," Jadun said. "I'm excited for what the future holds for him because he's just starting his career and his journey here at Michigan State."
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