If you ask a Wichita State Student what’s on their bucket list, they might tell you that they hope to travel to a new country, learn a language, excel at a sport or meet an idol. In just three weeks, Jocelyn Devilliers, a senior former tennis player studying international business and marketing management, knocked all of those dreams off his list.

Devilliers, an international student from France, was accepted into an internship at this summer’s U.S. Open, one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. During his time at the tournament, he got the opportunity to work side-by-side with some of the greatest tennis players in the game.

Devilliers’ experience with tennis made him a sought-after hitting partner for many of the professional players at the U.S. Open. As someone who has been playing the sport since he was 4 years old, Devilliers could hold his own against some of the greats, including current U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal.

One day during the tournament, after playing tennis for four hours in the morning, Devilliers was asked if he would be interested in being a hitting partner again that afternoon. Although he was exhausted, he was curious about who needed a partner.

“I asked who I would play with, and when they told me it was Rafael Nadal, the best player in the game right now, I was obviously like, ‘Of course!’”

Nadal won his first Grand Slam tournament at age 17 and went on to win 16 more in the 14 years following. The tennis player wanted someone who would be a worthy opponent while warming up.

In order to play with Nadal, Devilliers first had to play with his coach, Carlos Moya.

“He said, ‘First you warm up with me, and if you’re good enough you can play with him’,” said Devilliers. “I got through to play with Nadal and it was the greatest experience.”

What made the encounter even better was Nadal going on to win the tournament.

“It was so great to watch him. He acted like it was his first time winning a Grand Slam, and it was amazing,” says Devilliers.

Devilliers had a unique advantage at the tournament that made it easier to connect to players. He spent his high school years in Spain, learning the language by being submerged in the culture.

“When you live somewhere, you either learn the language or you struggle,” says Devilliers. “Eventually you just catch on.”

Devilliers used this same technique to learn English at Wichita State. This allowed him to be one of the few interns at the U.S. Open who could communicate with most of the players.

In addition to being trilingual, Devilliers used his knowledge from his international business courses to help him interact with players from different cultures.

“It’s important to realize that some sayings or gestures in one culture might mean something different to another culture,” says Devilliers. “For instance, the OK symbol you use here means something very rude in other parts of the world.”

Devilliers came to Wichita State to study international business and play tennis on the men’s tennis team. It took Devilliers some time to get used to the Kansas lifestyle, especially since the Wichita community is different than what he was used to. Luckily, the people who surrounded him helped with the adjustment.

“Everyone here is very nice,” says Devilliers. “In bigger cities, everyone already has a friend group, and they’re not looking to expand. So it’s nice to be able to make a connection with people here.”

The help of his teammates and tennis coaches made Devilliers able to experience the U.S. Open up close and personal. His experience as a member of the WSU men’s tennis team and seeing the atmosphere of a Grand Slam tournament made Devilliers confident in his dream to play professionally in the future.

As a fifth-year senior, he is unable to play on the Wichita State team, but he still plays for fun in his free time. After graduating in May 2018, he hopes to play professionally or work as a coach.

He and his wife, another WSU tennis player named Aleksandra Devilliers (formally Trifunovic), are expecting their first child by the end of the year. Although the future makes them both a bit nervous, they are excited to see where it will take them, especially if it’s back to a tennis court.