Austin native Nevin Alimiri overcomes adversity

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Nevin Alimiri’s earliest memories is of Vince Young scoring the winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The Austin native cherishes his time as a tennis player in Texas.

“Don’t take the opportunities I get for granted,” Alimiri said. “It really allowed me to take my chances on the court.”

Seizing opportunities on the court has not been easy for Alimiri. At her Episcopal School of St. Stephens in Austin, Alimiri was in discussions with Texas and a Division III school about playing next-level tennis.

Ali Miri quickly ran into adversity with the Longhorns, picking what won the national title in his freshman year. He suffered a back injury that sidelined him for much of his first season.

“I knew I needed to be stronger to play at this level,” Alimiri said. “Having a back injury made me look at myself in the mirror and be proud of the weight room.”

When Ali Miri recovered from his back number to play what he thought was his best tennis, he broke his wrist. It was more of an adversity for a player who came to campus without many expectations.

Longhorns head coach Bruce Burke said, “This is probably one of the most remarkable changes I’ve seen.” And now he’s actually very fast on the court.”

Arimilli is now a key cog in the Longhorns lineup. He has started more games this year than his first four games combined.

Alimiri had an emotional and memorable Senior Day weekend as the Longhorns defeated TCU to clinch the Big 12 regular season title. Senior played what he considers the best game of his career to give his team a big win.

Ali Miri’s teammate of five years, Chi Chi Huang, said: “I’m really proud of him to see him finally get the light and get the results he deserves. “We are grateful that he was able to go through this in the final chapter of his tennis career.”

Ali Miri and the top-ranked Longhorns head to Kansas for the Big 12 tournament this weekend. They are about to take another step towards their first national championship since 2019.