Our Bureau
Washington, DC
Madurai-born tennis star Dhakshineswar Suresh got high praise from US President Donald Trump during a recent National Champions Day at the White House.
The 26-year-old Suresh was among the 2025 NCAA Collegiate National Championship teams that had gathered at the White House for the event on Wednesday.
“DK Suresh delivered the clinching point to UCLA 4-2 victory over TCU in the final. And I want to congratulate you,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Who is the best player in the team?’ and they all pointed to him. Congratulations and that’s really incredible, DK, what you have done. You had a great year. You all had a great year. Thank you very much,” the US President said.
At the White House ceremony, Trump honoured the 2025 NCAA championship teams. Student-athletes in attendance included those from Oklahoma State men’s golf, Texas A&M women’s volleyball, Wake Forest men’s tennis, University of Georgia women’s tennis, Youngstown State’s women’s bowling, Florida State’s women’s soccer, and West Virginia University’s coed rifle team of men and women.
The player from Tamil Nadu, Suresh, who moved to the US, is part of the Wake Forest University tennis team. He moved to the US to play collegiate tennis on the advice of former Indian player Somdev Devvarman. He utilized a scholarship to join the US college system, starting at an NAIA school in Georgia before transferring to Wake Forest University for NCAA Division 1 tennis. He is set to graduate in May 2026.
In his praise for the 26-year-old, Trump said, “In the winner’s circle, we have the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tennis Champions, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons….But they battled through the fierce postseason to claim their second national title. DK Suresh delivered the clinching point to seal a 4-2 victory over TCU in the final. And I want to congratulate you.” The Wake Forest University team won the NCAA men’s tennis championships by beating the TCU Horned Frogs 4-2 in the final.
Suresh has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 462 achieved in April 2026 and a doubles ranking of No. 352 achieved on August 18, 2025. He got noticed after helping India beat World Number 6 Netherlands 3-2 in Round 1 of the Davis Cup Qualifiers tie in Bengaluru this February. The player who hails from Tamil Nadu made his ATP main draw debut at the Winston-Salem Open in 2024.
During the ceremony at the White House, the US president also spoke about how his administration was working to “save college sports” and mentioned his executive order that “banned” men from competing in women’s sports.
“So college sports are among America’s most cherished institutions, a tradition where lessons learned on the playing field shape the character of winners. And you are winners, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. The athletes here today represent the very best of that grit and determination and teamwork. That’s why under my administration, we’re fighting hard to save college sports. What’s happening is crazy. It’s crazy. And what we want to do is help athletes like all of you in this room. And as soon as I took office, I ended a terrible injustice and banned men from competing in women’s sports,” Trump said
In his speech, Trump said that his administration is “fighting hard to save college sports.”
