After losing two key seniors, Petar Teodorovic ’26 and team captain Aman Sharma ’26, from last season’s Ivy League championship team, men’s tennis is reloading.
Coming off its first Ivy League title since 2017 and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, Cornell now turns its attention to a new season. Head coach Silviu Tanasoiu, now in his 15th season at the helm, has brought in three talented freshmen — including two recruits from Romania, a country quietly becoming a pipeline for the Red’s tennis talent.
Meet three new faces: Greg Bernadsky, Cezar Papoe and David Carteputreda.
Greg Bernadsky — Mason, Ohio
Bernadsky arrives in Ithaca as one of the most decorated prep recruits in recent Cornell tennis history. A five-star recruit ranked among the top 50 nationally and No. 1 in Ohio by tennisrecruiting.net, the William Mason High School product was a two-time singles state champion and helped lead his team to a state title. He also claimed a doubles gold ball and singles silver ball, the United States Tennis Association’s highest honors for junior tournaments.
For Bernadsky, the choice came down to what Cornell offered both on and off the court.
“Cornell is a top tier school in the country and the world, and I wanted to continue my education here, along with playing,” Bernadsky said. “They finished [in the] top 25 in the country, and I'm excited to continue my tennis career along with my academic career.”
The adjustment to college life has been smooth, and Bernadsky said the team environment has been a big reason why.
“I love the whole team, we’re really close,” he said. “We hang out a lot, and I’ve bonded with a lot of the guys. I really am excited for the team aspect of tennis. Our coaches are the best and they care about our development, not only on the court, but off the court, as a person.”
Cezar Papoe — Târgoviște, Romania
For Cezar Papoe, Cornell isn’t unfamiliar territory — it’s a family legacy.
His older brother Radu Papoe ’25 graduated as one of the most accomplished players in program history, finishing with a four-year singles record of 75-22 while anchoring the No. 1 spot. Radu became the first player in nearly 25 years to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors and secured the tennis program's first-ever All-American honor.
Now, the younger Papoe arrives carrying his own resume.
A two-time Romanian national singles champion and one-time doubles champion, Cezar also secured three International Tennis Federation Junior titles. The Târgoviște native has a career-high singles ranking of 987 and now looks to continue that success in Ithaca.
For Cezar, following in his older brother’s footsteps is exciting, but so is creating a path of his own.
“It's really special," Cezar said. “He gave me a lot of insight into Cornell and the team, but I'm also excited to create my own experience and make my own path here.”
Cezar grew up playing primarily on clay, while college tennis is largely played on hard courts. The transition has required some adjustment, he said, but he is embracing it.
“It's definitely different because I grew up playing a lot on clay,” he said. “The hard courts here are faster and require some adjustments, but I'm enjoying the challenge and adapting to it.”
Beyond the challenge of adjusting to a new style of tennis, Cezar was also drawn to Cornell’s balance of athletics and academics.
“I chose Cornell because it offered a great combination of high-level tennis and strong academics,” Cezar said. “I also already had a connection to Cornell through my brother, which made the decision even more special.”
David Carteputreda — Galați, Romania
Cezar may represent family legacy. Newcomer David Carteputreda, meanwhile, brings his own international resume.
Carteputreda is a 12-time national champion in Romania and has reached a career-high No. 1,799 in the ATP singles rankings — a level of professional experience few college freshmen can claim. Like Cezar, Carteputreda grew up primarily playing on clay. But for him, the bigger adjustment has been the speed and energy of the American college game.
“In Romania, I grew up playing mostly on clay, and I definitely didn't have access to as many facilities as we have here,” he said. “I think I adjusted pretty easily to the hard courts, but the style of play is a little different. The tennis here feels more aggressive and faster, so that's something I'm continuing to adapt to.”
Adjusting to college tennis was only part of Carteputreda’s transition to Ithaca. He also found a program that matched his ambitions both on and off the court.
“I think what ultimately led me to choose Cornell was the combination of really strong academics and athletics,” Carteputreda said. “The coaches were a really good fit for me, and the level and ambition of the team convinced me that it was a good choice.”
The transition has been equally smooth off the court, with the freshman referring to the squad as “a big family.”
“All the guys are really nice, everyone helps each other a lot, and the coaches also make me feel heard, which I really appreciate,” Carteputreda said.
The Learning Curve
For the three freshmen specifically, Tanasoiu knows the transition is not easy, both on and off the court.
“There's a huge learning curve for each one of them, just getting accustomed to Cornell's volume, the intensity, both academically and tennis-wise,” Tanasoiu said. “We have a lot of work to do with our mentality, with our perception, with our standards, understanding and implementing a high level of standards on a daily basis.”
Three hungry freshmen, three different paths to Ithaca. Now each will have to find his place in a program coming off its first Ivy League title since 2017.
Austin Curtis is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at acurtis@cornellsun.com.
