Michael Venus broke another boundary for LSU this summer at the Olympic Games.
Venus, the 2009 SEC Player of the Year, became the first to represent LSU men’s tennis team at the Olympic Games. He competed for New Zealand in the men’s doubles tournament alongside his partner, Marcus Daniell.
Fifteen current and former LSU athletes traveled to Río de Janiero this summer to represent seven different countries at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Daniell has partnered with Venus dating back to 2010, and he is currently ranked 71st in the ATP World Tour’s official doubles rankings. He won two ATP doubles titles throughout his professional career.
“That’s very rewarding to see them advance their tennis games to the professional level and to be able to do that,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown.
Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil abruptly ended the duo’s run at the games, defeating Venus and Daniell in the first round, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).
Venus and Daniell were the second men’s doubles pair to ever compete in the Olympic Games for New Zealand and qualified by being the country’s highest-ranked players.
The 28-year-old Venus also achieved a great amount of success prior to this year’s Olympic Games, winning four ATP doubles titles alongside his partner from Croatia, Mate Pavić. They also were able to reach the third round of Wimbledon this July for a second consecutive year.
While at LSU, Venus was an All-American athlete in singles and doubles, made the First-Team All-SEC and was a member of the SEC Honor Roll.
Venus is currently ranked 40th in the ATP World Tour’s official doubles rankings.
“It means a lot and especially to recruits,” Brown said. “They want to know that you have a program that could potentially, given their ability and effort, get them to that level. It tells a recruit that whatever you input, with what we’re going to be able to give you, you can go to the bigger stages.”