In today’s world, it is often stated that catching a break is all about one’s connections.

Patrick Fisher, NIU men’s tennis coach, first heard of Israeli Dor Amir, who now plays for the Huskies, through a friend.

“Dor was a very accomplished junior player on the world junior circuit,” Fisher said. “I got a good idea of his abilities through looking at his video and analyzing his results as a singles player. Tennis is kind of subjective. It’s not like watching someone play basketball, where you see someone dunk 10 times and you think he’s really athletic, but he might not be able to shoot or play defense. With tennis, if you win, you earn your spot. It’s a little easier to determine an individual’s level in an individual sport than in a team sport.”

After sitting out last season because of NCAA international transfer guidelines, Amir has dominated opponents while Fisher has proven that networking pays dividends.

Because of NCAA regulations, Amir patiently waited to face collegiate competition. Amir was not allowed to travel with the team for away matches and Fisher made sure Amir did not violate any NCAA policies by playing in competitive settings and allowed him only to train with the team.

“It gave him an opportunity to get adjusted to the school, food, environment and the team,” Fisher said. “He learned about balancing practice and academics. That was the biggest thing we focused on with him. We wanted him to settle in and find his niche.”

With a year of no competition and a massive culture shock, Amir had plenty of adjustments to make. Amir adapted seemingly well while showing no signs of rust, starting this season 18-3 in singles action, primarily playing in the top three spots of the lineup.

“It wasn’t easy because my teammates are my friends,” Amir said. “When they went on the road, I would have to stay back. It was hard to do because I want to play and help the team.”

Amir’s undeniable talent has helped NIU throughout the lineup. Amir is statistically the strongest asset in an NIU team that is in unfamiliarly successful territory, boasting a 17-5 record with six matches remaining.

“I’m not that surprised,” Amir said. “I came here to win the MAC and help my team and my friends. The coaching has helped me a lot and I am getting a lot better.”