Christian Sigsgaard came to the United States to win.

The 6-foot-3-inch freshman grew up in Naestved, Denmark, mostly spending his time playing soccer with friends. Growing up, tennis wasn’t even in the picture.

“I didn’t start (playing tennis) until I went on vacation with my family one year,” Sigsgaard said. “There were no soccer fields where we were, so we had to find something else to do. I found some tennis courts there, and when I came home from vacation, I just kept playing.”

Sigsgaard later joined a tennis club, learning the sport from the ground floor and polishing his game. The young tennis player quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the top-ranked junior in Denmark in the Under-16 division.

His hard work paid off in 2015 when he represented his country in the Davis Cup, an international tournament referred to as the “World Cup of Tennis.”

The then 18-year-old held his own, defeating world No. 86 Nikoloz Basilashvili from the Republic of Georgia to lift Denmark to victory.

“It meant a lot to me,” Sigsgaard said. “Being able to represent Denmark and play with the greatest players in the country was a big deal. It made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than myself.”

Sigsgaard moved to the U.S. in the fall of 2016, leaving his family and friends behind in another continent to pursue his tennis career at The University of Texas
at Austin.

The move came with its challenges, but Sigsgaard found a second family in his Longhorn teammates.

“Most of the guys on the team are able to go home on the weekends and see their parents, but I don’t see mine for months at a time,” Sigsgaard said. “It’s hard sometimes, but it helps to have such a close connection with my teammates.”

Sigsgaard started the season as the No. 6 singles player in the country. The Dane struggled in the spotlight at first, going up against elite talent like Ohio State’s No. 1 Mikael Torpegaard and Wake Forest’s No. 2 Petros Chrysochos.

But Sigsgaard fought through the adversity, propelling the No. 6 Longhorns to an 18–5 record as they now hit the final stretch of the season with championship
aspirations.

“Christian has learned a lot this year,” head coach Michael Center said. “He had a target on his back to start the season because of his ranking, so he’s gone through some growing pains, but it’s been good for him. He’s growing up.”

Sigsgaard’s time at Texas is just another stepping stone towards his ultimate goal. The freshman hopes to make a career out of the sport, something he’s been working toward since that family vacation.

“The best-case scenario for my career would be to graduate and then go pro,” Sigsgaard said. “Hopefully I can have a breakout season, play well in some tournaments and compete in the ATP World Tour. That’s the plan.”