The career pathway in Indonesian tennis may not be full of promise, but resilient players have managed to thrive by living by Alexander Graham Bell’s mantra: When one door closes, another opens.

With challenges in the form of limited funding for national development and a lack of regular domestic tournaments, the nation’s young prospects are trying their luck at college tennis programs in the United States.

Justin Barki is the latest Indonesian to have joined a program stateside.

Justin, who was accepted at Princeton University, an Ivy League school, in 2018, is focusing on sharpening his skills both on the court and in the classroom.

“I got the offer to join the program. The campus gives us leeway in terms of academic performance, but we need to commit to playing for the team,” said Justin, who was paired with veteran Christopher Rungkat at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

The 19-year-old is currently visiting the capital to compete at the 2019 Combiphar Tennis Open, the fourth edition of a tournament categorized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as M15.

Justin, who majors in economy, said the college tennis program was favorable for players as it cost them nothing. The university provides them with basic equipment such as rackets and uniforms and covers coaching fees and travel costs for tournaments.

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