NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion head men's tennis coach Dominik Mueller announced on Tuesday the signing of Jean Karim (JK) Olivier de Sardan as part of the 2024-25 recruiting class.
"JK is the stereotypical recruit we are looking for to join our program. He is tall, athletic, lots of firepower, and has a lot of passion for tennis to get better," said Mueller. "His rise in the rankings in the last 12 months is incredible, but he is just scratching the surface of his potential. We are thrilled he chose us to continue that trajectory and I'm sure he will maximize his talent with us."
Born in Niger, Africa and residing now in Sardan, France, de Sardan has won a pair of ITF World Junior titles this year at J60 and J30. He is highly-ranked, a zero rating in France, and will join a strong line of French players for the Monarchs with the likes of Francois Le Tallec, Francois Musitelli and current Monarch Cosme Rolland de Ravel.
"JK is now the fourth player from France that is joining our program in the last few years. It's been an incredible success story for all parties, with both Francois' qualifying for NCAA's and Cosme being the ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year, and I know JK will make his own mark on our program. We are looking forward to continuing our great relationship with that part of the world since it's been a great cultural fit as well," added Mueller.
De Sardan was impressed with the international flavor of the Monarchs squad in his selection. "I chose ODU for the very strong tennis program, which is very international among players and coaches," he said.
Men's Tennis Announces Signing Of JK Olivier de Sardan
