Danijal Muminovic Named INTENNSE Challenge Series Athlete of the Year
INTENNSE Tennis
3 MINS | Published on 08/21/25
ATLANTA, GA — What began as a backup plan quickly became a breakout moment for Danijal Muminovic. When summer internships didn’t pan out, he threw himself into the INTENNSE™ Challenge Series — and walked away not just with unforgettable battles on court, but the title of Challenge Series Athlete of the Year.
“I mean, honestly, I didn't expect to receive any of the awards, so it was a little bit of a surprise for me,” Muminovic said. “This first season of INTENNSE has been super fun and super memorable. It served as a great inspiration and motivation for me to keep working hard, keep pushing myself every day to prepare myself for the Challenge Series. and to play against the pro teams,” he said. “It's been fun, definitely electric, and intense.”
The Challenge Series provided a unique opportunity for players not selected or available for a full-time team roster position to qualify through a series of fast-paced singles matches. The top performers earned a place on a Challenge Team which took on one of the pro squads on Saturday afternoons. Muminovic was the only player to compete every week, and his improvement was clear.
“The first time I was so scared, I was so nervous,” he said. “As time went on, I was feeling more comfortable, more confident in myself, and more knowledgeable when it came to the rules.”
He faced tough early results but quickly adapted.
“The first time, as you might know, I lost in the playoffs by one [point], twice, so I was a little disappointed. So I knew I had to change something,” he said. “The second week I qualified, and it was my first time playing against the pro team. So it was different playing within the Challenge Series and playing against the pro teams.”
What made the experience even more challenging was the rotating nature of the Challenge Teams, requiring players to build chemistry with new teammates in a short amount of time, and to transition from being opponents to playing together.
“The Challenge series is kind of tough in a way that you really don't know your teammates that well compared to pro teams,” Muminovic said.
Throughout the season, Muminovic was able to learn from elite-level coaches, including Jesse Levine, Jonathan Stokke, Manny Diaz, and Samantha Crawford.
“INTENNSE was a super nice way to meet and connect with coaches who coached professional players, who were professionals themselves, or who were top college tennis coaches. So I was very grateful for that.”
He also took advantage of a rare opportunity to play in a professional-level arena with a full production setup.
“The arena was great,” Muminovic said. “We were surrounded by all kinds of professional people from broadcasting, to cameras, ball kids, as well as referees. It was indoors, we played in air conditioning, which is again, a great plus.”
Late in the season, when a full-time roster spot opened up, Muminovic got the call. With no time to prepare, he made the dash from a charity event to the INTENNSE Arena and officially suited up for Team Tampa.
“That day I had some other plans. For example, like running a charity event at the country club,” he said. “I had no plans on coming to the arena because I was busy, and then you called me. So, I was literally flying from the country club to the arena.”
Even with limited time on court, the call-up meant everything.
“I was grateful I was able to play and compete,” he said.
Muminovic has competed at the college level and on the ITF circuit, but said there’s nothing quite like what INTENNSE created in its first year.
“Different vibes, different energy, very innovative in a way,” he said. You have to experience that in order to know how it feels.”
When his name was called during the championship weekend and he was named Challenge Series Athlete of the Year, Muminovic was caught off guard but incredibly honored.
“I didn't know what to expect, honestly,” he said. “I came to the championship maybe like 30 minutes before the actual match. And I was just hanging around there. Then all of a sudden, they called my name. I was like, what's going on? What am I getting the award for?”
As for what’s next, he’s already thinking about returning.
“Well, I hope so,” he said. “I'll be practicing, I'll be ready. So we'll see.”
