Putting the tennis in tennis-ity: Marina Davtyan’s journey to the pros

At 24, Marina Davtyan has big goals—and she has already proved that not much can stop her, not even injuries.

Born and raised in Armenia, Davtyan was exposed to tennis from a young age, but she did not pick the sport up willingly. Her older sister picked up the racket first, while Davtyan admits she was occupied with other sports at the time.

“I started playing tennis because of my sister,” Davtyan told the Weekly. “She was a popular kid in high school, and at that time, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you are playing tennis. That is so cool.’” My dad kind of forcefully took me there. I had gymnastics at that point, and I was pretty serious about it—then, I fell in love with tennis.”

By age six, Davtyan picked up tennis as if it were second nature. Her talent would literally start taking her places. “I played international tournaments my entire life. I even lived in Minsk, Belarus and Georgia for more competition and just a better coaching staff,” she said.

Both Davtyan and her parents recognized her potential and nurtured her athletic career.

Fast forward to 2017, she decided to trade Europe for North America, making the move from Armenia to the United States to further pursue a tennis career. It was a difficult decision to leave her family behind, but an exciting opportunity was waiting for her.

“The University of Tulsa recruited me, and they were ranked top 16 in the country. I was very excited. I went there for three years and then COVID hit. I had to kind of go back home, rethink all my decisions, the coaching staff and all that. I then transferred to Liberty University,” Davtyan relayed. “It was like an academy, with athletes practicing for three or four hours a day and competing at the same time. That is when I started to play more professional tournaments.”

Davtyan returned home in 2020, ahead of her transfer to Liberty University, but she was not able to start things with her new school on time as she was in Armenia when Azerbaijan launched a full-scale war against Artsakh. “I couldn’t travel because of that. I had to be in Armenia for a semester, and then that is when I finally transferred to Liberty. I started in January instead of September,” she recalled.

Though it was a very difficult time for her homeland, it offered an opportunity to reconnect with family she had not seen in years. Davtyan explained that her training was hindered due to a lack of resources in Armenia, compared to the ones she had grown accustomed to in the United States. “Tennis-wise, it was not that great. Because, again, we do not have many people who either play the sport or who are at a good level.”

After returning stateside, Davtyan completed her senior year of college while balancing work and training. “After graduating, they gave you that opportunity to work for a year and I tried to work and balance the tournaments and practicing, which was super difficult,” she recalled. Davtyan found herself working at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy while chasing her playing dreams. “It was, like, 13 hours of work and then practicing. It was just really tiring. And after that, I had to choose whether I was staying here, trying to get a green card, or going back home to travel and play tournaments. So, I decided to stay here.”

Right now, Davtyan is focused on staying in the United States and obtaining an EB1-A visa. Even while organizing her personal life, she is making sure to stay in top game shape. “I am a few steps away from getting a green card. That is what I am doing right now while training for tournaments. I have a few 15k’s coming up in October. So, the grind season is now.”

On any given day, Davtyan finds herself coaching between four to six hours a day, training in hitting sessions with her boyfriend and finishing the day at the gym to improve conditioning. Because of her visa application, she cannot travel back home to see her family. So, Davtyan’s parents are working on visas to visit her in the U.S.

Despite multiple injuries that paused her college career, Davtyan remains committed to her dream. “My dream has always been to play professional tennis, and I feel like, finally, after all of those injuries, COVID and financial issues, my dream is possible. Yes, I have had some obstacles, but I still want to pursue and see how far I can go. I get very motivated when I see girls from the United States who are Armenian. I want to be one of those girls who girls in Armenia look up to.”

All photos courtesy of Marina Davtyan