When Wisconsin's No. 1 singles player, Alex Kasarov, graduated last year, he left his brother Lachezar to lead the team. The brother-duo comes from a town in Bulgaria named Burgas. "It is about the same size as Madison," Lachezar said.
Both brothers began to play tennis at the age of four, and grew up playing the sport together.
Their dad would take them to the courts, and Lachezar felt he was good compared to most kids his age, so he was motivated to continue playing. He began to win a lot of tournaments, and his confidence kept growing.
Eventually, Alex left home to attend UW, and Lachezar was quick to follow.
Both brothers attended Wisconsin for two years, until Alex left after his senior year to start a career as a tennis instructor in Chicago.
With his brother's departure, Lachezar is now one of the leaders on the team and is hoping to follow in his brother's footsteps.
Both brothers already have similar styles of play.
"We both are very aggressive players on the court," Lachezar said.
They also both have their focus and mindset as offensive players.
"It is rare for either of us to hit defensive shots," Lachezar added.
But off the court is a different story. They are completely different people with many different characteristics.
"I am known as the bad kid, while Alex is known to be quiet and considerate," says Lachezar. "Each of us is distinct in our own way, so I feel no pressure to be like Alex."
This year Lachezar plays three or four singles, but he is really concerned about his team as a whole. His goal for this year is to reach the NCAA tournament with the team. "Individually I have no specific goals, mainly I want our team to improve and move higher in the rankings," Lachezar said.
As of right now UW's record is 3-1, and the team is currently not ranked in the top 30, but Lachezar said, "We definitely have a chance, our team is much better now then we used to be, and our record does not show."
This past weekend UW suffered its first loss on the season to No. 5 Pepperdine.
"This match showed we have a lot of potential and can beat many other teams," Lachezar said.
Overall, Lachezar is a pretty optimistic guy, always looking on the bright side. His inspiration is Mike Tyson because he loves his style and attitude inside and out of the ring.
As for the future Lachezar would like to continue to play tennis and see where it takes him. Right now Lachezar is studying finance, so he is open to job opportunities in that field. One thing is for certain — he is going to remain in the United States.
But for now, Lachezar is looking forward to going to Miami for spring break with the team to play in a tournament.
"I love Miami because the beach and hot weather remind me of my hometown."