University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Helped Zielinski Achieve Tennis Dreams
April 21, 2026 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
As Jan Zielinski stood on court two at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex during the short break between doubles and singles in Georgia's match against Oklahoma last month, his long list of achievements as a Bulldog and as a professional were read over the loudspeakers. It took a while to cover all of the highlights.
During his career, from 2015-18, Zielinski was a two-time All-American, an NCAA doubles finalist (with Robert Loeb) in 2017, and he had a high ITA ranking of No. 1 in doubles and No. 2 in singles during his junior year. His 124 career singles wins rank fifth all-time at Georgia, as do his 227 combined singles and doubles wins.
"Being back here brings back all the memories from the times when we played — all the best memories," the 29-year-old Zielinski said during his first visit to Athens since turning pro. "It feels amazing to be back. I was waiting to be back for a long time; it's been seven years since I last stepped on these courts."
Zielinski did a lot in college. He's done even more as a pro, including reaching the height of the sport by winning two Grand Slam titles: the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles with partner Hsieh Su-wei. He was also an Australian Open men's doubles finalist in 2023 (with partner Hugo Nys), and an Australian Open semifinalist in January with his current partner, Luke Johnson, who played at Florida.
Before this year's Aussie Open, Zielinski, from Warsaw, Poland, represented his home country in the United Cup, an international competition featuring men and women in a Davis Cup-style format, with one singles match for the men, one for the women, and one mixed doubles match in each round. Zielinski and partner Katarzyna Kawa went 4-0, including winning the clinching match for Poland in the final against Switzerland.
That was a good moment, but so far nothing has topped his two Grand Slam titles with Su-wei. The first one, in Australia, a year after falling in the finals of the men's doubles, was particularly sweet.
"That was a very special moment — one of the most special moments of my career," he said. "Looking back at the year before, when we lost in the finals of the doubles, it felt like a little bit of revenge to get that title. We saved a match point in the final and then came out on top; it was a great feeling."
Zielinski was an excellent doubles player throughout his Georgia career, and he's not only been able to make a living playing doubles professionally, he's been ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and has won five men's doubles titles and the two Grand Slams in mixed.
"I think you always have to believe," he said when asked if he's surprised himself with the pro career he's had. "It starts with the belief — it starts with the hard work and the belief, and then the success is just the end product. I've always wanted to be there, doing what I'm doing, and I imagined it when I was a young kid. I dreamed of it, and now here I am."
He credits his collegiate experience at Georgia with helping him handle life on tour.
"There are a lot of tough environments out there on the tour, but not as tough as college tennis," he said. "When you face these environments, and then go out on the professional tour, it's so much easier. The environment here and at other college places, they teach you a lot, and they prepare you for tough crowds, like in Australia, the French (Open) and the U.S. Open."
Zielinski, currently No. 33 in the ATP Tour men's doubles rankings, was in Athens for a couple of days alongside his longtime girlfriend, Dalma Galfi, who is ranked No. 117 in singles on the WTA Tour. The day before the Georgia match they attended on March 27, the couple was hitting on the clay courts at the Athens Country Club in preparation for pro tennis' clay-court season leading up to May's French Open.
I happened to be hitting two courts over at the same time, but my eyes kept shooting over to their court. It's not every day that two professionals are hitting near you, one of them, whom you covered throughout their collegiate career, a two-time Grand Slam champion. Zielinski looked like the same player he was for the Bulldogs, only better. More muscle, more power, same great all-court game.
Zielinski is based out of Warsaw, while Galfi lives in Budapest, Hungary. They see each other as much as they can, both between tournaments and at the bigger events that feature men's and women's players, but they're often at different tournaments, too. It's not the easiest arrangement, but life as a pro tennis player isn't always easy.
"It's tricky, but we manage it as well as we can," he said.
In the weeks since leaving Athens, Zielinski has played in tournaments in Marrakesh, Morocco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Munich, Germany. This week, he's playing at the Madrid Open in Spain. It's a lot of travel, a lot of training, a lot of hard work, and a lot of fun, Zielinski said.
"It's obviously a tough way and a fun way to make a living, but it comes with a lot of sacrifices," he said. "It's basically living out of a suitcase in hotels for months. I've been home for three days since December, and that tells a lot. Home is basically where my girlfriend is. ... We're missing out on all the birthdays, all the special occasions that we don't get to celebrate with the family.
"It's difficult, but as I said, we're privileged to do what we do. We're living the dream."
Staff Writer
As Jan Zielinski stood on court two at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex during the short break between doubles and singles in Georgia's match against Oklahoma last month, his long list of achievements as a Bulldog and as a professional were read over the loudspeakers. It took a while to cover all of the highlights.
During his career, from 2015-18, Zielinski was a two-time All-American, an NCAA doubles finalist (with Robert Loeb) in 2017, and he had a high ITA ranking of No. 1 in doubles and No. 2 in singles during his junior year. His 124 career singles wins rank fifth all-time at Georgia, as do his 227 combined singles and doubles wins.
"Being back here brings back all the memories from the times when we played — all the best memories," the 29-year-old Zielinski said during his first visit to Athens since turning pro. "It feels amazing to be back. I was waiting to be back for a long time; it's been seven years since I last stepped on these courts."
Zielinski did a lot in college. He's done even more as a pro, including reaching the height of the sport by winning two Grand Slam titles: the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles with partner Hsieh Su-wei. He was also an Australian Open men's doubles finalist in 2023 (with partner Hugo Nys), and an Australian Open semifinalist in January with his current partner, Luke Johnson, who played at Florida.
Before this year's Aussie Open, Zielinski, from Warsaw, Poland, represented his home country in the United Cup, an international competition featuring men and women in a Davis Cup-style format, with one singles match for the men, one for the women, and one mixed doubles match in each round. Zielinski and partner Katarzyna Kawa went 4-0, including winning the clinching match for Poland in the final against Switzerland.
That was a good moment, but so far nothing has topped his two Grand Slam titles with Su-wei. The first one, in Australia, a year after falling in the finals of the men's doubles, was particularly sweet.
"That was a very special moment — one of the most special moments of my career," he said. "Looking back at the year before, when we lost in the finals of the doubles, it felt like a little bit of revenge to get that title. We saved a match point in the final and then came out on top; it was a great feeling."
Zielinski was an excellent doubles player throughout his Georgia career, and he's not only been able to make a living playing doubles professionally, he's been ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and has won five men's doubles titles and the two Grand Slams in mixed.
"I think you always have to believe," he said when asked if he's surprised himself with the pro career he's had. "It starts with the belief — it starts with the hard work and the belief, and then the success is just the end product. I've always wanted to be there, doing what I'm doing, and I imagined it when I was a young kid. I dreamed of it, and now here I am."
He credits his collegiate experience at Georgia with helping him handle life on tour.
"There are a lot of tough environments out there on the tour, but not as tough as college tennis," he said. "When you face these environments, and then go out on the professional tour, it's so much easier. The environment here and at other college places, they teach you a lot, and they prepare you for tough crowds, like in Australia, the French (Open) and the U.S. Open."
Zielinski, currently No. 33 in the ATP Tour men's doubles rankings, was in Athens for a couple of days alongside his longtime girlfriend, Dalma Galfi, who is ranked No. 117 in singles on the WTA Tour. The day before the Georgia match they attended on March 27, the couple was hitting on the clay courts at the Athens Country Club in preparation for pro tennis' clay-court season leading up to May's French Open.
I happened to be hitting two courts over at the same time, but my eyes kept shooting over to their court. It's not every day that two professionals are hitting near you, one of them, whom you covered throughout their collegiate career, a two-time Grand Slam champion. Zielinski looked like the same player he was for the Bulldogs, only better. More muscle, more power, same great all-court game.
Zielinski is based out of Warsaw, while Galfi lives in Budapest, Hungary. They see each other as much as they can, both between tournaments and at the bigger events that feature men's and women's players, but they're often at different tournaments, too. It's not the easiest arrangement, but life as a pro tennis player isn't always easy.
"It's tricky, but we manage it as well as we can," he said.
In the weeks since leaving Athens, Zielinski has played in tournaments in Marrakesh, Morocco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Munich, Germany. This week, he's playing at the Madrid Open in Spain. It's a lot of travel, a lot of training, a lot of hard work, and a lot of fun, Zielinski said.
"It's obviously a tough way and a fun way to make a living, but it comes with a lot of sacrifices," he said. "It's basically living out of a suitcase in hotels for months. I've been home for three days since December, and that tells a lot. Home is basically where my girlfriend is. ... We're missing out on all the birthdays, all the special occasions that we don't get to celebrate with the family.
"It's difficult, but as I said, we're privileged to do what we do. We're living the dream."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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