A former Thai national junior tennis player visited the White House to meet Donald Trump after winning a championship in the United States.
This was a significant opportunity for "Mai" NaPhat Nirundorn, a former Thai national junior tennis player, who was invited to the White House to meet U.S. President Donald Trump after playing a key role in helping her university tennis team win a national championship.
NaPhat, known as "Mai," once ranked 20th in the world in junior tennis, decided to pursue her undergraduate studies in the United States at the University of Georgia on a full tennis athletic scholarship starting in 2022.
Over four years, NaPhat helped her university team secure numerous championships at both national and regional levels. In 2025, she was part of the team that won the NCAA Division 1 championship, the highest collegiate tennis competition in the U.S.
Due to this success, NaPhat and her team were invited to the White House, where President Donald Trump warmly welcomed and praised the athletes.
In addition to tennis, teams that won championships in volleyball, golf, bowling, and football also met with Trump during the event.
Donald Trump delivered a speech at the event, saying, "Winning in sports, I often say, is a microcosm of life... you find out in two hours or one season what you're made of... but in life, sometimes it takes years to understand that."
NaPhat Nirundorn is the daughter of "Gene" Pimismay Kansuthi, a former Thai national female tennis player, and has one younger brother, "Tonmai" Thanaphat Nirundorn, who is currently a senior at the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship.