Biofile: Stefan Kozlov

[scoop]

By Scoop Malinowski

Status: ATP no. 167.

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 160

DOB: Feb. 1, 1998 In: Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (Plays for USA)

First tennis memory: “Playing in the rain with my dad (Andrei). When it was raining we kept playing with soft balls. Really good memory.”

Tennis inspirations: “My dad. Probably Federer. He’s a complete player.”

First famous tennis player you met or encountered: “Yevgeny Kafelnikov at Sony Open in Miami. But I was really little. My parents were telling me the story. (What’s the story?) I didn’t want to take a picture with Kafelnikov. I don’t know why. I was five years old. I started crying. Never took a picture [smiles].”

Last book read: “I haven’t read a book in a while…just kidding. Probably Life of Pi.”

Favorite movie: “Day After Tomorrow.”

Greatest tennis moment, so far: “Tough one…tough question…so many good memories. Maybe winning my first Challenger in Columbus, Ohio (def. Sandgren 61 26 62).”

Most painful moment: “Maybe losing the Orange Bowl finals 14s. (To who?) Hong. Korean kid.”

Favorite tournament: “Wimbledon.”

Closest tennis friends: “Henrik Wiersholm. Spencer Papa. From juniors.”

Funniest players encountered: “Monfils maybe. Monfils, yeah.”

Fiercest competitors encountered: “I practiced with Federer a couple of times. But I don’t know.”

Did anything surprise you about practicing with Roger Federer (at US Open in 2012): “Nothing really. I mean, I was pretty surprised that I could hang in with Federer, return his slice, and I was getting everything back with the same speed on my shots.”

Who do you love playing tennis: “I love tennis because it’s a fun sport. There’s a lot of other things that you can do on the court and it’s pretty fun.”

Funny tennis memory: “Once there was a huge bug on the court. I don’t know what kind of bug it was.”

Strangest match: “Junior Davis Cup. I was up 5-1 in the third set in the semi and I lost. I had maybe six match points. (Against who?) Australian kid.”

Favorite sport outside tennis: “Probably basketball.”

Three athletes you like to watch & follow: “LeBron James. Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh.”

People qualities most admired: “Great attitude and great spirit. Great competitors.”