From international competitor to coach, Sramek brings experience to Lehigh

When Ondrej Sramek arrived in the U.S. to play collegiate tennis, it was most certainly a transition. He was adapting to a new country, culture and level of competition.

Now, Sramek is making another transition — from accomplished player to coach.

“It’s a great honor to be at Lehigh,” Sramek said.

As the new Lehigh men’s tennis graduate assistant coach, Sramek brings collegiate, professional and international experience to the Mountain Hawks. A native of the Czech Republic, Sramek played four seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York. 

While in New York, he earned recognition as the No. 1 doubles player in the Division II East Coast Region and was named NCAA Division II East Coast Rookie of the Year and East Coast Conference Rookie of the Year. 

He also brings coaching experience from his home country, where he played professionally and coached at the Hradec Kralove Tennis Club. 

Sramek competed in the Czech Second Division while coaching junior and semi-professional players in technical, tactical and mental preparation.

Sramek began playing tennis at 6 years old after trying out for a camp in his hometown. He also played ice hockey and soccer and swam competitively until he was 10. Sometimes that meant two practices in one day, so he had to choose one sport. 

He chose tennis.

Late in high school, an agent who helps international athletes earn U.S. scholarships approached him at a tournament. Until then, Sramek and his parents had planned on him attending a university in the Czech Republic.

Sramek said going to the U.S. was a great opportunity to combine academics and athletics that wasn’t available back home.

Once Sramek arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas in New York, he said he found a coach who set the standard he now hopes to pass on.

“He was tough on us, but he was fair,” Sramek said. “He wanted us to fight for every ball and never give up.”

His coach also expected his players to respect the program and their opponents. Sramek said they picked up balls after practice, cleaned up venues they visited and never talked down to the other team.

“He wanted us to be respectful to our opponents,” Sramek said.

For Lehigh senior co-captain Alex Van Lumich, Sramek’s international background gives the team a perspective it didn’t have before.

Van Lumich, a math major from Spain who’s half Spanish and half Dutch, transferred to Lehigh from Purdue University Northwest to continue his Division I tennis career. 

He said Lehigh’s program is built around strong traditions and close connections between current players and alumni, and Sramek’s arrival adds another layer to that culture.

Van Lumich said Sramek brings an international perspective that contrasts with the more aggressive, shorter-point style often associated with American tennis. 

Having played international tournaments throughout Europe, Sramek can offer a different tactical view from the sidelines that can matter most during competition, when small adjustments can change the course of a match.

Sramek said that perspective starts with how players in his country are trained.

“In Europe, all the practices are highly methodical,” Sramek said. “Every practice has a purpose, and everything is very professional. We focus a lot on technique when we’re kids.”

Van Lumich said Sramek’s coaching style complements men’s tennis head coach Craig Schwartz’s style. 

Schwartz oversees the team as a whole, while Sramek takes a more hands-on approach: walking the courts, giving individual feedback and building personal relationships with players.

That role has grown quickly.

“(Sramek) has been a great addition to our team and has honestly gone above and beyond what we would normally expect from a graduate assistant,” senior co-captain Benedict Horn-Bourque said. “Our head coach recently had a baby and has had to miss a couple of practices, so (Sramek) has had the opportunity to take on an even bigger role, and he has done an excellent job stepping in and leading practices.”

Horn-Bourque said Sramek is always at the courts before the players, planning drills and thinking about what the team needs to work on that week.

Sramek’s coaching philosophy comes from his Division II career, where he said effort often matters as much as talent.

He now hopes to bring that mindset to Lehigh’s Division I roster.

“It’s not just about how good you think you are,” Sramek said. “It’s about how you fight for the teammates, how you fight for the ball, for the coaches and how you fight also for your school.”

Sramek is pursuing a master’s degree in political science at Lehigh after earning his undergraduate degree in business management. Balancing coursework and coaching is manageable in the fall preseason, he said, but he expects it to get harder in the spring.

His interest in politics is personal. His parents grew up in Czechoslovakia under Soviet occupation, and they couldn’t travel, study English and had restricted freedoms — things he said he hopes don’t happen in the future.

He is considering a career in public policy or political research, though he said his options are open, whether in the U.S. or at home.

“I’m incredibly proud of my country, and I just want to make things better for everyone,” he said.

For now, he’s focusing on the Mountain Hawks. 

“We have great chemistry with Coach Schwartz, and I really respect him as a person,” Sramek said. “He’s a great coach, and I believe together we can have good success in the future.”

The players have welcomed him just as quickly.

Horn-Bourque said the team has had a blast getting to know him and inviting him to team dinners. 

“It honestly feels like he is one of the players,” Horn-Bourque said.

And Sramek wants to give that back.

“Even when things could be hard at school, I try to give my 100% to the team,” he said. “Because the guys, they deserve every bit of respect.”