Oct. 21, 2016
By Cat Perez
On his days off, you can find finance major Maxime "Max" Hinnisdaels catching up on school work, doing homework and resting before his week begins. The men's tennis senior, originally from Saint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium, takes being a student-athlete at Auburn University very seriously. Many would argue he is living the American Dream.
The decision to move to America for college came after he graduated high school. He searched for a second home that could provide him the opportunity to receive an education and play tennis, the sport he loves.
"Knowing how hard the business is out there, I chose the smart way of combining my education with what I wanted to do at a very high and intense level," said Hinnisdaels. "I think the United States is the only country that actually offers possibilities like this with insane facilities and resources like we have here. It is a win-win situation for me here and was a big reason for my choice."
Hinnisdaels played his first year at Texas Tech, but looked to transfer after his freshman season. He visited Auburn University and "immediately fell in the love with the campus." A few weeks later, he was officially an Auburn Tiger.
While at Auburn, Hinnisdaels has been distinctive. He excels in the classroom and has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. On the court, he ranks within the top 100 players nationally according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles and has consistently played in the No. 1/2 singles spot for the Tigers.
While his individual rankings are important, they don't matter all that much to Hinnisdaels. He is more focused on how his team can and will do when the Tigers open their season at UCF in January.
"Team wins are the ones that stick forever in your memory. Those are memories you keep your whole life."
One team win in particular that stood out to the senior occurred last year against Ole Miss. As a junior playing no. 1 singles, Hinnisdaels defeated Stefan Lindmark 6-4, 7-5.
"As a team, last year we beat 22nd-ranked Ole Miss. It was a really good win as a team. That is one that I'll keep in the books," said Hinnisdaels.
Hinnisdaels and the rest of the Auburn Tigers will face a new opportunity this year working with new coach Bobby Reynolds.
"Obviously everyone in the tennis world knows who Coach Reynolds is and when you see his career, there's nothing much else to be said, " said Hinnisdaels. "He was an amazing player, knows what he is talking about and has been in the business for a long time. The only adjustment you can make is listen."
Headed into his senior season, Hinnisdaels plans to leave his mark on the Auburn Tigers. His goals for the season include an individual top 20 ranking and to be a leader to the younger guys.
"My goal individually is to be a leader and show the guys that I have matured over the years here," said the senior. "Most importantly what I hope to achieve is to lead this team to a decent SEC and a decent year as a team and to leave the team better than it was before."
Cat Perez is a student assistant in athletics communications at Auburn