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MyTennisHQ Interviews: Ingrid Martins

Written by Gui Hadlich in College Interviews,Interviews

Quick Facts

– School: University of South Carolina
– Year Graduated: 2019
– Current Job: WTA Player (#539 singles)

Bio

Ingrid was born in Brazil in August 22nd, 1996. Growing up, Ingrid was one of the best junior players in Brazil, eventually reaching the #135 position in the ITF juniors ranking. Ingrid had a good junior career, but she definitely took her game to the next level in college.

During her senior year in college, Ingrid finished the year as the #4 best singles player in the country and the #1 best doubles player in the country. She reached All-American status in both singles and doubles. She was selected by the ITA as the 2019 National Senior Player of the Year. She clinched the SEC championship match, giving USC its first SEC title in school history, which gave her the titles of SEC Player of the Year AND SEC Tournament MVP. Finally, she was also an NCAA Woman of The Year Nominee in 2019 and received other academic awards as well. You can say it was quite a year.

Since graduating in 2019, Ingrid has already won 4 future tournaments, reaching a WTA ranking of #539. She shared some great insights with us, and we hope you enjoy!

7 Questions With Ingrid Martins

#1) What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

I never thought about going to college until I was 18 years old. In March of 2015, I was playing Futures in Brazil and things were not going well for me and the country that was going through an economic crisis. My dad couldn’t afford my trips anymore and I was not getting the results I was expected to get.

My family and I saw the possibility of going to the US to play College Tennis. I immediately talked to my coach at the time. My focus was only tennis – I told him I wanted a good coach and a place where I could improve as a person and as a player so I could go pro after graduation. He wrote down in a paper the schools that he had connections and could talk to: the University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, University of Florida and the University of South Carolina.

I said no to Virginia right away because of the weather. North Carolina, apparently, did not want to accept me because of my UTR (Universal Tennis Ranking), so it was between Florida and South Carolina. I was in a rush since it was March already and I was going to school in August so the process had to be quick.

The University of South Carolina was the one that believed in me since the beginning. The Head Coach, Kevin Epley talked to my coach in Brazil at the time, asked for some quick videos and told me to get the minimum grades to get into school since I didn’t speak English well. I visited the school, the coaches and my future teammates and that was it. I didn’t have a lot of choices but I always like to say that even if I had another choice, after these 4 years, I would choose the University of South Carolina.

#2) What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

My favorite moment was for sure in my Senior Year when I clinched the match against the number 1 player in the nation and captured the first SEC Championship in school history. We beat Florida and Vanderbilt to advance to the Final against Georgia. They were undefeated in the season. We had a 5% chance to win the title, according to the statistics websites in College. The night before I had a dream that made me wake up in the middle of the night thinking that we had already won the championship. In that dream, I saw myself lifting the trophy and wearing the famous championship hat.

I was playing the last match on and down 4-2 in the third set, when that dream came in my mind. I thought to myself: “Make that happen. This is yours, go get it for your team.” At that point, every point I won, I turned my eyes to my team on the sidelines. They were the people that lifted me up and believed in me in the difficult times. I couldn’t disappoint them and the school that provided me with the best experiences of my life. I came back 5-4 and it was a deuce point when my opponent was serving. I came to the net after some exchanges and she missed a backhand down the line. I dropped my racquet, fell on the court in tears and everyone jumped on me celebrating our first SEC title.

When I was a freshman, that accomplishment was very distant for us. We were not even in the top 30. We never had a good performance in the conference tournament. We really couldn’t believe that we did it. Everyone was so happy and it surpassed the dream that I had. We were going to bring 2 trophies home. The SEC Championship and my MVP trophy. That dream became reality and everything was real. The emotions of that day will stay forever in our minds.

#3) How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

I just started my first full year in professional tennis after graduation. College Tennis prepared me to face any situation in life, on and off the tennis court. In College, you learn much more than your major or sport, you learn how to be a good citizen. You learn how to become resilient which for me is the most important aspect to be successful or achieve anything in life.

Looking back, every year was a different chapter. Every year, I had to deal with a different situation so then I was building strengthens. It changed the way I look at the world and I value even more the people around me and every opportunity that I am given. The team aspect of it showed me that nothing great can be accomplished by one single individual. College taught me that you have to compete and fight as hard as you can for the things that you want or believe is right.

#4) A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

You have to choose a number one priority. Of course, you will have to give your maximum effort in both areas since you are in College but there are times that if you have clear on your mind that your priority is tennis, for example, you will make better decisions to keep your good performance in tennis. You will prioritize a night of sleep over staying up late in the library to finish a paper. You will have to manage your time around your main priority. Use the resources that you have in school. Your advisors, professors, coaches and teammates. They are in the same “boat” as you.

#5) Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

I think the main thing is to follow your instinct. You are different than everyone else. You will never be like your classmate that goes out every night, for example. You have to learn how to be different and accept it. A lot of people get lost or unfulfilled because they want to fit in both areas. Keep in mind that it is your path and your life. There are times for social life and fun for sure but you have to do your “homework” first, in academics or tennis. The choices that you make in College will impact significantly your future.

#6) Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

If I could change something, I would give myself more time to learn the language before going to College. Since I didn’t have a lot of time to learn English, I struggled a lot communicating with people. I didn’t feel included most of the times and I remember thinking about coming back home. It was my first time living in a different country away from my family. Most of the times, my teammates and coaches couldn’t understand me which made things more difficult for me and for the team.

#7) In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

College for me is a miniature of the adult life for teenagers. You face obstacles that you never faced before and circumstances that you are going to face a lot of times in your life.


It was important for me because I was not ready to live 100% for tennis. I was 18 but with the body and mentality of a 16-year-old kid. When I was young and went to the doctor, he said, after some examinations, that I was 2 years behind the girls of my age. I was always behind my friends and the people that I was competing in Juniors. I needed more time to develop. Even though I was competing on the pro tour already, I could see that I was not going to last long at that time. I didn’t want to be an ordinary player. I was not going to achieve what I wanted playing professionally at that age and with the conditions that I had. The professional tour requires a lot of resources for you to have a chance to be successful at it. I was not even close to having that when I was 18 living in Brazil.

Going to College was the best decision I have ever made. I learned more about the game in every way possible. I fell in love even more with tennis, I made relationships for the rest of my life and every year I worked towards the goal of pursuing a professional career after graduation.

MyTennisHQ Interviews: Lauren Embree

Written by Karue Sell in College Interviews

Quick Facts

  • School: University of Florida
  • Year Graduated: 2013
  • Current Job: Women’s Assistant Coach at University of Florida.

Bio

Lauren Embree is a college tennis legend, simple as that. Born in Naples, Florida, Embree helped the Gators win back to back NCAA team titles in 2011 and 2012. During her time in college, her singles record was 117-16, with a staggering 86-6 in singles dual match play. She also went undefeated in SEC play during her four years at Florida (38-0!!!). It is without a doubt one of the greatest individual records in college tennis history.

In juniors she reached as high as number 6 in the world and in pros her career high was 232 in the world. Today, Lauren is back at her alma matter working as the Florida Gators women’s assistant coach as well as running a fitness/nutrition side business.

We hope you learn a lot from this legend. Let’s get to it!

7 Questions With Lauren Embree

#1 What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

I committed the fall of my Junior Year to the University of Florida. I had 5 visits lined up, but only ended up taking 2 officials. Being the top commit in the country I was lucky grateful to have a lot of schools reach out to me the day the rules allowed and really enjoyed most of my conversations. I started talking to schools the moment I was allowed and really took my time with getting to know each coach. A few head coaches came on home visits which I really thought made a big difference in my ability to connect with them as well.


I was looking for a school that had great coaches and leaders, as well as a community and support staff that would guide and help myself grow to improve myself as a person, but also an opportunity to win a national championship because that was one of my goals. What stood out about Florida really were the people behind the entire University. Obviously their facilities are second to none, they have a history of winning, but I really connected well with everyone I met, and could see how the community put their heart and soul around Florida athletics in every sport. The coaches were there to help us get better as young adults, improve our tennis game, and really cared about us as individuals.

#2 What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

My favorite moment was definitely sharing the experience of winning 2 back to back national titles with my teammates. In 2011, Florida was tied up 3-3 in matches vs. Stanford who had one the year before. We were playing at Stanford and they had a 188 match win streak on their home courts with thousands of Stanford fans cheering against us. I was fortunate enough to be the last match on at #2 singles. I found myself down 0-4 in the third set with the National Title on the line. My teammates and coaches were cheering me on courtside, and all I could think about was “ I can do this. Just get this one point, then the next point, then the next one, etc.” I refused to give up on points, chased after every ball, and tried to keep my mind calm, in the zone, plugging away inch by inch. My coaches gave me certain tips that I executed and I became closer and closer. I ended up coming back and winning that match 7-6 in the third set (8-6) in the breaker. Those moments I will never forget, I wouldn’t have won that match if I was playing alone, but I know I had thousands of people behind me supporting me to get me through. If my teammates wouldn’t have done their part, I wouldn’t have gotten that opportunity to help bring home that National Title.

Lauren bringing home the national title

#3 How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

College Tennis has given me so many valuable lessons to go on through life. Tennis is just a small part of the experience you have in college. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the lessons you learn and adversity you face. You learn how to put people before you, (in tennis that’s a big one), how to be successful on a team by being unselfish and empathetic towards others, how to persevere through adversity, handle a bunch of different responsibilities thrown at your way, and how to deal and handle pressure when it matters most. Nothing can ever replicate the memories and experiences you have when being on a collegiate team, playing the sport you love, while everyone has one big dream and goal that you work together for every day.

I am currently the assistant coach at The University of Florida, with a side fitness/nutrition business I do for fun on the side.

Lauren’s Fitness and Nutrition Business

#4 A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

I would tell people that academics or tennis doesn’t have to suffer at all. I think it is how you handle your time and what you do on court to maximize it. Yes, there are responsibilities you have in college, and I truly believe if you have access to coaches, advisors, support staff, and resources, you should ask questions, be present, be engaged and maximize everything you can because education is a very important piece to get through life.

#5 Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

I think being social and having fun is a big part in your college experience. With that said, there is definitely a balance, and priorities to which you want to live your days. Understanding that your priorities or goals are a little different or shifted than the average college student who isn’t playing tennis, or maybe different from another sport even, so to surround yourself with like-minded people like you will always help. Being on a team with people who have the same shared goals or vision can help you make the right decisions and keep you on track to wherever path you want to go. In my opinion, being in an environment that is healthy, fun, competitive, uplifting, and motivating you to continue to get better is pivotal in your development.

#6 Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

If I could do anything differently in my college experience, I would network and reach out to make more an effort to build relationships with others. Not that I wasn’t social, but I was so focused on my team and how good we could become, sometimes I missed out on building relationships with other people in the community. I think life is all about relationships, so to be able to impact as many lives as you can is important to me. I also would have taken academics a bit more seriously as far as what I wanted to study. I tried hard, but I wasn’t sure my passion at the time so I went with something pretty generic. My passion was tennis =) Looking back, if I knew what I know now, I would definitely put more thought into what I wanted to study so when your done with tennis whether that be right after college, or your pro career, you are passionate about what you studied through college. Having a big picture mindset is something I would remind my younger self if I could do it again.

Women’s Tennis Fall Classic 9/25/2009

#7 In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

Going to college, in my opinion, is a huge step in human development. I think you learn so many life lessons through your experience, good or bad, with all the obstacles you get to deal with together with your University. It really is one big family and be able to have that when you’re done is invaluable. Personally, if I did not go to Florida and have the experiences I had with my teammates, I would be missing out on so many more important parts of life other than just tennis. I wouldn’t have my best friends, mentors, a community for life, and people who support and help you be successfully after tennis. College tennis was the best thing that ever happened to me because of the moments. Little things I know I took advantage of….bus rides, team trips, 4-3 wins, 4-3 losses, figuring things out when adversity hits, I just really believe being a college student athlete is not something everyone gets to experience, so if you get the opportunity, grasp it, get better, and enjoy the best moments of your life!!

MyTennisHQ Interviews: Felix Corwin

Written by Austin Rapp in College Interviews

Quick Facts

  • School: Minnesota
  • Year Graduated: 2018
  • Current Job: Professional Tennis Player

Bio

Felix Corwin was born and raised in the Midwest. He currently resides in Wisconsin, where he grew up. He graduated from Brookfield East High School, a public high school in Brookfield Wisconsin. Felix entered the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2014.

As a junior, Felix played most of his tournaments in the Midwest region of the US. The only tournaments he traveled around the country for were the super national tournaments such as Kalamazoo, Winter Nationals, and Easter Bowl. He was a highly sought out recruit, ranked top 10 in his class, because of his raw athleticism and upside.

At The University of Minnesota, Felix made a really name for himself. Though the competition in the Big Ten conference is stacked, he won matches over Ohio State‘s Mikael Torpegaard and JJ Wolf. Among other great wins, he became top 40 in the nation for singles and top 10 for doubles. He spent most of his time playing at the number 1 singles position for his team.

After Felix graduated in the spring of 2018, he decided to take his talents to the professional tour. In 2019, he established himself at the futures and challenger level, reaching a career high ranking of 556 in singles.

Personally, I have travelled with Felix and have grown to be good friends with him. He is a fantastic example of how college tennis can be a great environment to improve your game. On the pro tour, he has shown to be one of the guys that is consistently getting better by the month, which is more rare than you might think. His results and ranking are climbing consistently, and I know he is just getting started. Enjoy our article with Felix Corwin, as there is a lot to learn from this guy!

7 Questions With Felix Corwin

#1) What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

The summer before my junior year of high school I started getting a lot of messages from college coaches recruiting me. At this point I did not have results that would get attention of the top teams around the country. I am from Elm Grove, Wisconsin, and played the majority of my junior tournaments around the Midwest. I got a lot of attention from the schools in this area including the top teams such as Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Illinois. These coaches were able to see my potential in person at the tournaments, even if I wasn’t racking up the wins yet.

It was a trend at that time (fall of 2013) for juniors to figure out their college plans quickly. A lot of players were committing to schools during junior year, a full year before their signing day senior year. I was in no position to do that. I wanted to get a better feel for the schools on the official visits that I could take fall of senior year. So I waited to make any decisions, which in retrospect helped me out.

All throughout the year I kept in touch with dozens of coaches through facebook and email. I made big strides in my game that year and moved from around 60 in the country to solidly in the top 20. I had some messages coming from coaches all around the country by the summer going into my senior year. But I grew up following Big Ten sports, so I was set on playing for a team in that sort of environment. I narrowed my top five choices to Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. The decision ended up coming down to Minnesota and Illinois. It was a tough choice, but I decided on Minnesota for a few reasons. They had it all to offer for what I was looking for – great coaches, top-notch facilities, good team, good characters, quality academics. They were a consistent top 30 tennis program so I knew I would be competing with the best teams in the country. At the same time, they weren’t ranked so high that I was worried about potentially not making the starting lineup.

#2) What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

One of my best memories came on the tennis country my freshman year at Minnesota. We were a great team, ranked in the top 20 in NCAA. It was the last weekend of regular season and we had just upset Illinois at home on Friday, who was 3 in the country at the time. That Sunday we were playing Northwestern at home for a chance to win the conference title. Throughout junior year of high school I had Northwestern at the top of my list of schools to go to. They only had one scholarship to give for my recruiting class, and opted to give it to Logan Staggs rather than me, as he was a top junior in the country at the time. So this match with Northwestern went down to the wire, and I was matched up against Staggs. With the team score at 3-3, I was down 5-2 in the third set. I went on a huge run to with the match 7-6 in the final set and clinch the Big Ten Title for my team. It was the sweetest victory.

Photo: The Minnesota Daily

#3) How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

I was fortunate to have a great coach in Geoff Young at Minnesota. Throughout my four years he demanded top notch effort from his players while setting the example of how to be a winner at life. He was constantly telling us the things we needed to hear while dealing with the pressures of school and D-I athletics. I have taken a few things he said to us with me in my career after school.

“Focus on what you can control.”

“Be intrinsically motivated, not driven by external factors.”

“It’s not about succeeding or failing, but about what you learn through the experiences.”

I am playing the pro tennis circuit. Since graduating from Minnesota in May 2018, I have worked my ranking up to 558 in the world on the ATP rankings and my environment at Minnesota is a huge part in that.

#4) A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

Every school offers majors all around the spectrum in terms of difficulty. No matter your learning level, all of the big schools will have education options that are manageable.

Photo: gophersports.com

#5) Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

The biggest thing that affected my social patterns was my teammates. My social structure was very similar to what the other guys on the tennis team were doing. If you are on a team full of motivated players, it will be a lot easier to stay focused as well. So, I would recommend looking closely at team dynamic and character when going on visits.

#6) Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

Throughout college I was extremely hung up on results personally as well as for the team. I think that increased my anxiety going into matches and brought down my level of play at times. I got better at managing this in my senior year when I played my best tennis in college. If I had been able to do that earlier, I think I would have had more great results throughout my first three years.

Photo: The Minnesota Daily

#7) In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

The biggest benefit to going to college for me was to give my body and mind a chance to mature before playing pro tournaments. I wasn’t ready for the tour at age 18. Those four years were great in terms of understanding my own game. On top of that, my passion for the game and desire to play improved throughout my time at Minnesota. Some of my greatest memories in my life are from college, on and off the court.

MyTennisHQ Interviews: Ryan Peniston

Written by Austin Rapp in College Interviews,Interviews

Quick Facts

  • School: University of Memphis
  • Year Graduated: 2018
  • Current Job: Professional Tennis

Bio

Ryan Peniston was raised in Southend-on-sea, England until he was 13 years old. He then moved to Nice, France to train at ISP Academy, which is now known as Mouratogolo. He was there until the age of 18 when he went to college.

Ryan entered college at the University of Memphis in the fall of 2014. He spent most of his career at lines #1 and #2 singles. He was able to achieve a career high ranking of 32 in singles and 13 in doubles. His doubles partner was fellow Englishman Andrew Watson, who also graduated in 2018.

Ryan’s most notable achievement was making it to the final four of the NCAA individual doubles event. This achievement gave him and partner Andrew Watson All-American status. As you will read in the interview below, this was a goal of Ryan’s from the beginning of his career. It was more special because he and Watson became the first All-Americans in The University of Memphis program history.

I have personally gotten to know Ryan more through the pro tour. In fact, he beat me in my first futures final in 2019. I handed him his first professional title and since that day, he hasn’t slowed down a bit. He raced to a career high of ATP #356 by the end of the year and currently sits at ATP #396.

Ryan has a great head on his shoulders and he is a great example of how college tennis can develop players. Ryan’s level of tennis has improved drastically since the juniors and he attributes that to his coaches at Memphis, the college atmosphere, and his maturation over the years. Without further ado, enjoy our interview with Ryan Peniston as he provides some great advice to aspiring college tennis players.

Photo: ryanpeniston.com

7 Questions With Ryan Peniston

#1) What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

It was awesome actually. At first, college was something that was very new to me, so when I started receiving offers and messages on Facebook I didn’t really know what to think. I was talking to a few schools but only went on one recruiting trip as it was the one that I was most interested in. Going to America was a cool experience and being in Memphis, Tennessee was a complete culture shock. I committed on my recruit trip which was in February and it became a pretty exciting time.

#2) What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

My favorite story of college has to be becoming the program’s first all-Americans with Andrew Watson. We would talk about the goal of becoming all-americans throughout our whole college careers and our coaches would use it as one of the motivations to push us during practices. We didn’t really get that close until of course the last tournament of our college careers. We had a decent senior year of doubles together, we had only played 2 matches together in college before our senior season when our coaches decided to team us up together. We finished the season ranked 40th in the nation so we didn’t really think that we would make the NCAA tournament. The dream started to die a little. I was going for singles and our coach knew that there was a small chance that we could get in as alternates for doubles so he asked Watson if he wanted to come for the hell of it. Thank God he said yes.

Two teams ended up pulling out and the alternates before us already went home for the summer. We were in. We ended playing so freely and well because we literally shouldn’t have been in the tournament and had nothing to lose. We ended up making it to the final four and became the first tennis all-americans in Memphis’ history. To do all that with one of my closest mates, I really couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my college career.

Photo: ryanpeniston.com

#3) How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

College tennis prepared me for all sorts of things in life. It allowed me to grow as a person on and off the court. College gives you a feeling of freedom that most 18 year olds haven’t ever experienced before. You’re in a place filled with 30,000 other kids your age and you can kind of do whatever you want. But then with all that freedom comes the same amount of responsibility. You learn how to be held accountable for your actions and how to really use your time. I am now a professional tennis player and college tennis is a huge reason for that. It was a place that helped me to improve and gave me the confidence to pursue a professional tennis career.

The University of Memphis was a great stepping stone onto the pro tour for me. One of the biggest reasons for that is the coaching staff, Paul Goebel and Chris Doerr. They really helped me to improve my game. The coaches and team became like a family to me and it felt like a home away from home.

#4) A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

I would say that college gives you a chance to improve your tennis game whilst getting a college degree. It allows you to have something to fall back on without compromising your tennis game. If you want to delve deep into your academics then college is also an awesome place to do that, allowing you to form some amazing networking relationships.

Photo: ryanpeniston.com

#5) Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

I would say that it is 100% possible to have fun and not compromise your tennis and academics. College is a place that you can take your tennis to the next level and also have a great social life.

6) Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

If I were starting college again I would just try and go to as many college events as possible. Even though I feel that I went to loads of events during my college career I would still try and go to more. Also I would make as many networking connections as possible as it does no harm at all to introduce yourself and it can do a world of good for your life after college.

7) In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

College tennis was a great choice for myself as I developed very late physically and my game wasn’t ready for the pro tour when I was 18. I would win an odd round here and there in futures before college but college took my game to another level and allowed me to consistently do well in futures. Also I feel that there are so many things in college that you would be missing out on if you didn’t go, as in social and team aspects.

Photo: ryanpeniston.com

MyTennisHQ Interviews: Luísa Stefani

Written by Gui Hadlich in College Interviews,Interviews

Quick Facts

– School: Pepperdine
– Years: 2015 2018
– Current Job: WTA Player – #46 Doubles

Bio

Luisa was born in Brazil on August 9th, 1997, and she is one of the best female Brazilian tennis players to ever play the game. She had a successful junior career, reaching the #10 spot in the world. She chose to attend Pepperdine University (Go Waves!), and had an amazingly successful college career.

During her freshman year, Luisa ranked as high as #2 in the nation in singles and #6 in doubles. Her final winning percentage after 3 years at Pepperdine was an outstanding 84.7%. She became an All-American in all 3 years, and she was selected ITA National Rookie of the Year.

After leaving Pepperdine, Luisa managed to crack the top #100 in the world in doubles – within 1 year of playing on tour. She is currently ranked #46 in the world, and she has won 1 WTA International title and 2 WTA 125Ks.

On a personal note, Luisa is one of the most humble and down-to-earth tennis players I have ever met. I’ve had the privilege of being at Pepperdine during the same years Luisa was there, and I can say that Luisa is as much a great person as she is a tennis player. Everyone at Pepperdine cherished her and admired her for her work-ethic. She has some great advice to share with us today, so we hope you enjoy!

7 Questions With Luísa Stefani

#1) What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

I never considered playing college tennis until my last year of Juniors. At that time all I knew was that I wanted to turn pro and keep playing tennis. My parents pushed me to give it a second thought as they saw college tennis as a great opportunity for me to go to a good university in the States, use it as a plan B for life, and also get a break from the continued financial expenses that a pro career requires. It was a stressful few months trying to process everything and decide what to do. I finally committed to Pepperdine in March of 2015 after going on a few official visits and that was the first time I fully embraced the decision and felt excited about it.

Throughout the whole recruiting process I was lucky to have a lot of school options and coaches reaching out to me from all over the country. I didn’t know much about college tennis back then and it got pretty overwhelming hearing about all the programs. My parents were extremely helpful in the process by communicating with some coaches while I still wrapped my head around the idea, and that way I could also keep focusing on my tournaments. I received messages and offers from coaches progressively throughout high-school, but only started to actively talk to programs and consider college tennis during my senior year. Before committing I officially visited 4 schools: Florida State, Oklahoma State, Georgia (UGA), and finally Pepperdine. Last one, best one. Go waves!!!

My priorities were:

– Weather: coming from Brazil I really need the sun and hot weather so I crossed out anywhere remotely cold. Pepperdine was hard to beat in that aspect.
– Coach: someone I believed could help me with my game and also trust
– Team atmosphere and vibe

It’s easy to get stressed and overwhelmed during the recruiting process. So many schools have incredible facilities and support, cool gear, fun college towns, big athletic programs, and so many other tempting factors that can make the decision of “where do I wanna spend the next 1-4 years of my life” very challenging. Having my priorities straight and just trusting my gut was very important when making a final decision.

#2) What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

It’s really tough to choose a favorite moment because thinking about it reminds me of so many great times. Tennis wise, one of my favorite moments was during my sophomore year playing against Ellen Perez from UGA (now one of my fave dubs partners and good friend) at UGA under a solid crowd on the stands and my teammates standing court side while we battled out in a whole third set to clinch a spot in the quarter-finals of team NCAAs. I remember me sitting next to my coach after we split sets and looking up to the crowd, then seeing both teams courtside anxiously waiting for the third set, and just letting the emotions sink in. Per had a big smile on his face and told me: “are you having fun yet?”. His words and energy that day have stuck with me forever since and it’s a feeling I still strive to find when I step out on the court. I ended up winning the match, all the Waves rushed to the court celebrating, and it was definitely a day to remember.

Some highlights off the court were the deep talks and laughs during road trips, going hiking, watching sunrises and sunsets, paddleboarding sessions at Kelly’s, and just being able to go to the beach whenever take up some of my best memories. Living and spending time with some of my best friends on and off the court is tough to beat.

#3) How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

I played 3 seasons at Pepperdine and put a stop on my college tennis career to turn pro in the summer of 2018. Since then, I’ve been traveling and playing on tour full time. I’m currently focusing on doubles, and still playing (or at least hoping to) play more singles too. College has helped me learn to communicate better with people, and especially be open minded to other people’s views and opinions no matter their culture or backgrounds. The pro tour is competitive and can get pretty lonely so going to college also allowed me to meet incredible people and build relationships in the tennis world who I can talk to, and rely on while on the road. Being on a team and having to play under a lot of pressure has also helped me learn how to control my emotions and behavior on court.

#4) A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

Managing your time properly to maintain healthy habits. These include your nutrition, getting plenty of sleep, choosing and building positive relationships, and keeping up with the school work. It might be easier said than done but if you can find a good balance when doing all these things it will allow you to get the most out of yourself in both practices and matches.

#5) Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

Like I said before college is a perfect time to learn about yourself, become more independent, and mature both on and off the court. My advice would be to choose your group of friends and relationships wisely. Be smart about who you hang out with because chances are you’ll learn a lot from them, do what they do, spend a lot of time together, and vice-versa. I will also say to definitely enjoy your “social” time while in college because you’re most likely to never have a similar opportunity to live with many of your friends and teammates together again. Be responsible about it and remind yourself of your priorities (tennis/academics/etc…) and that should be enough to motivate you to be a good influence to others around you and especially yourself while still having a good time.

#6) Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

I think I would have taken things less seriously at times and maybe even gone out more with my friends. I have always been very self-disciplined, and limited the partying time to a minimum, but looking back, I feel like I could have let myself go a little bit more when the time was right. Another way of putting that is I wish I would have done a better job “trusting the process” with the help of my coaches especially on the tennis court, and not put too much pressure on myself and on my decisions during that time. While taking care of my responsibilities was always a priority for me, I learned that enjoying things day by day and not overthinking the future (which is easy to do in school) is also crucial.

#7) In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

Looking back I’m sure that going to college was one of the hardest but best decisions of my life. The pro tour can be very challenging in many ways so nowadays I can’t think of a better alternative than taking a few extra years to mature in college and benefit from all the training structure, financial support, social life, all while earning a good education before facing the pro tennis player life grind. Now that I have lived through at least a couple of years of both worlds I can clearly see that college tennis is an incredible route for juniors transitioning into the pro tour. Personally, I had a life changing experience and I’m so grateful to Pepp and everyone who made my time there so memorable. GO WAVES!

MyTennisHQ Interviews: Diego Hidalgo

Written by Gui Hadlich in College Interviews,Interviews

Diego-Hidalgo-College-Interview

Quick Facts

– School: Florida
– Year Graduated: 2016
– Current Job: ATP Player (#262 doubles)

Bio

Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in April 18th of 1993, Diego is one of the top names in a great generation of Ecuadorian tennis players. Diego was ranked as the 16th best junior tennis player in the world, which gave him the opportunity to attend a great school – University of Florida. There, Diego played mostly at the #1 position, finishing his senior year ranked as the #13 best college player in singles and #3 in doubles. He received the 2016 SEC Player of the Year award and was an All-American in both singles and doubles.

In the Pro Tour, Diego has won 15 future doubles tournaments and 2 singles. He is currently ranked #262 in the world in doubles and #366 in singles. Most recently, Diego paired up with Gonzalo Escobar for the Davis Cup tie between Ecuador and Japan, winning the doubles match and securing a spot for Ecuador in the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid.

Most importantly, I’ve known Diego for quite some time and he’s a terrific human being. He’s got an incredible work ethic and has a great attitude in general, which I’m sure has played a role in the success he’s had thus far. There’s a lot to learn from what he shared with us below, so we hope you enjoy!

7 Questions With Diego Hidalgo

#1) What was your recruiting/school selection process like?

I committed 3 months before going to school, at the time I was trying to make it in the pro tour but I got injured and I started researching for the best school for me. I was contacted by many schools through Facebook since I was playing juniors (2-3 years prior to going to school) but it got more serious with The University of Texas, UVA, Baylor, and Florida. The first 3 contacted me through Facebook, but my father started looking for a program that had a good coaching staff, good academic school, but also a team where I could play high in the line-up. He came up with Florida and we thought it was the best fit for me. It seemed a serious program that was preparing students to go pro after college and focusing on growing as a person and student as well. That was exactly what we were looking for.

#2) What was your favorite moment/story/aspect of college?

I think the competition in college and the team unity are things I will always remember and smile. I remember the time we won the conference championship (SEC) against Georgia, our biggest rival in the SEC. I lost my singles playing #1, but we ended up winning the tie. At the bus back to Gainesville we were all celebrating very happy but then we all started singing Spanish songs (I was the only foreigner in the team) and my teammates and I started all hugging and crying from joy. It was a great moment that I will never forget. Before going to college I would have never thought I was going to be that involved in a tennis team.

#3) How did college tennis prepare you for the rest of your career/life?

College tennis made me grow as a tennis player but most importantly as a person. I believe I matured a lot off the court and that has helped me mature on court. Also, it helped me learn how to be a good teammate and to play tennis as a team sport which I had never done before. I think that is the answer why Ecuador now is going to the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid and we are all former college players. I’m playing pro tennis now, and I am enjoying it a lot. It was tough for me at the beginning, a couple of injuries, bad results, struggling with money, etc… But I have surpassed that barrier and now I can enjoy a little more. I believe patience has been the key. Learning that everything takes time.

#4) A lot of juniors and parents worry that tennis will suffer because of the academic demands of college. What advice would you give an 18-year old in terms of balancing academics and tennis?

I believe college tennis is the best route a junior player can take if he wants to be a good pro. The competition is tougher than in Futures, it has all the infrastructure you need to get stronger and better, it teaches you how to manage your time wisely, how to live on your own and being responsible, and so many other things. The best part is that college tennis is getting better and better each year, you can see that in the results of the players that went to college and are now playing pro.

#5) Another thing we see parents worrying about is how the social component of college will affect their kids’ tennis. What would you tell an 18-year old going to college in regards to having fun without compromising their tennis/academics?

I believe it is very important to know what your priorities are. There are going to be three main things: tennis, school and partying, but you can only do well two of those, so you have to choose. In my case, tennis was and is my priority, then I put the hours I needed to put in school, and then I also had time to see my friends and have a social life. I had to be smart and know when I had time to party and when I had to stay home resting or studying, but that’s one thing you learn.

#6) Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you were starting college again today?

First, I wouldn’t try to play a year of pro tennis, I would go straight from juniors, that way I could finish earlier and start playing pro tennis earlier after graduating. Like I mentioned before, I would try to be more flexible with those three main things but always knowing that my priorities are tennis and school, but not canceling my social life. It’s needed.

#7) In your case, why did you think that college tennis was a good option as opposed to going directly to the pro tour?

I helped me grow as a tennis player. I got stronger physically, stronger mentally and better in my game. I was lucky to have Brian Shelton, Mark Merklein and Scott Perealman as coaches, and that’s one very important thing when you are deciding, coaches that are going to help you grow, not just win as a team. I learned from them that tennis is just a part of my life, but most importantly I am a person, and I have to be respectful, humble, and thankful for what I have and have had. I also learned how to manage my time and be responsible with it, and most importantly I made friends and connections that are going to stay with me forever.