Coming into the season, senior Danijal Muminovic had high hopes for how he wanted his senior year to go. Less than four weeks into the spring season, he’s already living up to them.
Muminovic was named AAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after earning his first doubles win alongside Enzo Vargas and closing out his singles match 6-1, 6-4 against UTRGV’s Ivo Isqueiro. This is the men’s tennis team’s first weekly accolade since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2023.
“I had no idea about the achievement,” Muminovic said in response to finding out about the announcement. “I was doing my homework at the RACE, and all of the sudden, the coach texted me about the achievement. I was like, ‘What? Is it real?’ Honestly, I did not expect it at all. I guess hard work paid off.”
The Bosnian native represented UTSA at the AAC Individual Tennis Championship where he beat the likes of AAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year, Pablo Alemany, in three sets. He climbed up the ranks to the finals as he fought off the then No. 8 ranked John Bernard in two sets and No. 5 ranked Timothy Carlsson Seger in three. Muminovic closed out the fall season as runner-up in men’s singles, only losing to Tulsa sophomore Alex Okonkwo.
“It was a great step of motivation and inspiration to keep dreaming bigger,” Mumiovic said of the results from the AAC Championship. “We went from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. I mean, it’s a huge accomplishment for the team, for the whole athletic department at UTSA, since we went to a higher, more difficult, tougher conference.”
Receiving a major accolade such as this serves as proof that the tennis program is moving in the right direction and can compete at a higher level. Naturally, any ordinary person might feel pride for their accomplishment, maybe even immodest. This can’t be said for Muminovic, whose family keeps him completely grounded with their support despite the 6,000 mile distance.
“I told them when the article from UTSA was published. They were happy, especially my mom. She was motivating me to keep pushing more and more,” Muminovic said of his parents’ reaction.
Muminovic’s sister, Damira, is no stranger to hearing about these accolades, let alone to receiving them.
“She was also happy, but that’s nothing huge for her,” Muminovic said. “She was also winning those kinds of awards when she played college tennis as well. Overall, I get huge support from my family. It’s very helpful, especially when I’m here, not surrounded by family all the time.
“I think naturally, I’m [a] humble guy, and I like to be calm as much as possible. I try to keep that (the award) on my mind as something that is good and beneficial for the team,” Muminovic said. “All my teammates were happy about my accomplishment, which it’s a great sign for all of us. It means we all care for each other, if something is achieved team-wise or individually.”
