Luis Perez -- An Unlikely Tennis Veteran

Growing up in Uruguay, tennis was uncommon to say the least. Not only did soccer dominate the country, but tennis is an expensive sport, out of reach for many people in the country. This makes Luis Perez an unlikely tennis player.

But for the last four years, Luis has been an avid player of the game. In fact, Luis has become a 'Peerless Veteran' after playing 100 matches as part of Tennis League Network over the past 3 years.

What makes this even more impressive is that he is a member of our Fort Lauderdale league. This is a smaller community that grew out of our booming Miami league. It is composed of a tight group of talented players, who have had a lot of fun and playing each other on the courts.

Here's more about Luis and his experience with our league:

Which league are you a member of? 

Fort Lauderdale tennis flex league  

How long have you participated in your league?
Since 2012

How did you first learn about it? 
I found it via google.

How often do you play?
Between 2 to 3 times a week.

What do you like most about the league? 
Flexibility to schedule games, cost, organization and variety of players

Tell us about your most memorable match(es)
When I was very close to beat one of my arch-rivals Mr. Tatz Tanaka in a 3 hours game where I lost 7-5,7-5

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why? 
Michael Litel, super nice guy, consistent but not particularly aggressive game, nevertheless he is nearly un-beatable. Also, Leoncio Gutierrez, another great guy with very consistent game, nice technique.

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?
One of the best things happening to me in the last 5 years was to become a member of this league, I have not only improved my game of tennis but I have met a lot of nice people!

How did you get started playing tennis? 
About 4 years ago I was at 240 lbs., being 5’9” this was not ideal, I started eating better and got involved in tennis, now I am at 180 lbs., healthy and with lots of energy!

What level player are you?
3.5

What do you love about tennis?
In singles is just you vs the other player, if things go well is because of you and if they go bad is because of you. It's also highly technical, being an engineer I love the theory applied to practical and in tennis there is a lot of theory behind the tennis techniques.

And of course, in tennis,  the size or the age of the other player does not necessarily influence the results.

Who are your favorite pro players? 
Federer because the way he moves, he flies over the court. And Ferrer too because of his never giving up attitude during play.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Being from a humble family and growing up in a Latin American third world country (Uruguay), the chances to pick-up tennis as your sport are almost nil… the sport everyone plays is soccer because is cheap and easy, you grab a ball and you play on the street or on the closest empty field… tennis is expensive and reserved for an elite crowd.

I remember being 12 years old and walking by the tennis clubs, peering through the fences and watching all these people learning, training and playing and I loved it but never had the chance… Migrated to USA in 1986, got married and raised three children, today all grownups, just had the chance to pick up a racquet about three years ago and never looked back!!

So far I have not won any tournaments and only once made it to the playoffs, but it doesn’t matter, I have improved my game in these three years and I will keep playing until my joints scream at me to stop !!

Alex de Frondeville -- Frisbee Anyone?

New England is known for its cold weather. We wouldn't consider it a 'tennis city', compared to places like sunny Los Angeles or Miami. Though when the weather is warm you can guarantee Alex is making the most of it.

Alex recently became a veteran of Tennis League Network after playing in 25 matches in the Boston league. Despite his dedication to the game, it's not even the sport he plays most. That title belongs to ultimate frisbee.
He has seen a tremendous amount of success in competitive frisbee, and has won numerous national titles and is even a world championship!

Here's what Alex had to say when we recently interviewed him:

Which league are you a member of? 

Summer/Fall doubles, Fall Advanced singles league in Tennis NorthEast.

How long have you participated in your league? 

This is my first year. I started in competitive in the spring, then in the summer I was put in advanced.

How did you first learn about it?

I've been getting back into tennis (I played on my high school team) after 30 years of playing ultimate frisbee. I have been looking for regular playing opponents for two years with zero success. I randomly came upon this league doing a web search, signed up, and have loved it ever since.

How often do you play? 

I'm averaging about 1 to 2 matches a week. I'm not doing any outside tennis at the moment which I need to also be doing at the same time. I've been trying to develop a topspin backhand but it isn't good enough that I can break it out in these competitive matches.

What do you like most about the league? 

I'm definitely appreciating the ability to schedule matches based on my schedule. Some weeks I don't play any matches, but once I played 5 matches in 7 days!

Tell us about your most memorable match(es). 

Well, my very first match in the league this spring was with Josh Kushinsky. I double-faulted about a quarter of the time and got in 4 first serves in the entire match. This was the first time I had really played a true competitive match in years. Before my next match I went out and served two buckets of balls and proceeded to win my next 7 matches before being moved up to the competitive/3.5 division.

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why? 

I've played Nick Matsuura in Advanced twice this fall and we've split and they have been very close both times. I think I stole the victory the first time, but now that I'm improving my second serve, I don't think he will be able to tee off on it quite as much and I'm looking forward to winning the rubber match!

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league? 

Playing singles and doubles at the same time has been a little bit more challenging in terms of scheduling matches, but that is on me, not the league. I'm grateful for the opportunity as I also love doubles.

How did you get started playing tennis? 

I started when I was pretty young, playing at a club in my hometown. I ended up playing on my high school tennis team, playing first doubles and making all-country and just missing the state tournament after losing in 3 sets to our 2nd and 3rd singles players in the sectional tournament.

When I got to Princeton, I quickly realized that I wasn't even going to make the JV team, saw a flyer for ultimate frisbee practice and played ultimate for the next 30 years. I picked up a racquet maybe 15 times in that interval.

What level player are you? 

The league has me at a 3.75 right now. Before I started this league, I had barely heard of USTA ratings and had to ask a friend I'd played a few times what I should be rated. She said between a 3.5 and 4, and when I applied as a 3.5, I was started at 3.25 and worked my way up.

What do you love about tennis? 

Unlike most of the sports I've played, it is truly an individual sport (when playing singles). There are lots of styles of play, strategies, and the theoretical best player doesn't always win.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself.

I was born in Massachusetts but moved to Rye, NY when I was 5 and my parents still live there. I switched from tennis to ultimate frisbee in college and I've been playing ever since. I've been fortunate to be able to compete and win at numerous national and world ultimate frisbee championships, the most recent of which was the world beach ultimate championships in Dubai back in March playing for the US grandmasters team (40+) where we beat Sweden in the finals. As ultimate winds down, it's time to get back into tennis which I should be able to play for a long time.

Nikolas Buitrago -- San Jose's Most Interesting Tennis Player

We wanted to feature a profile of Nikolas Buitrago to show his dedication to Tennis League Network after playing dozens of matches. So when we asked to learn more about him we were surprised to see that Nikolas does a whole lot more than dominate the courts: He dances, dives, swims and more!

He's also originally from Europe, having lived in Spain, France and Italy (No doubt he's had some jealousy from peers). He's also had the opportunity to see some tennis played at Roland Garros--home of the French Open.

If you want to find out more about San Jose's most interesting tennis player, read the interview below:

Which league are you a member of? 

I am a member of Tennis San Jose.  He's played 30 matches this year and has a 19-11 record.  https://www.tennissanjose.com/69467/profile?hh=1

How long have you participated in your league?

I have been playing in the league since June 2015.

How did you first learn about it? 

My friend, Albert Gomez, highly recommended it since I was looking to play a lot more matches than the other leagues I had joined. He was right, I found a lot more players as eager to play as me.

How often do you play? 

My work schedule isn't easy as I work on weekends and have to get creative finding time to play during the week. I try to play 3 matches a week, but if I had the time I would play double that!

What do you like most about the league? 

I love the rematch idea! It's great to be able to play against opponents you had great fun with or simply want to get another shot at beating them. The playoffs, of course, the pinnacle of the competition, are great, too.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es).

It's funny because, the 3 matches that come to mind are all losses to really good players. My losses against Geoff, Tam and Andre were all matches that pushed me to focus on what I need to improve. That's what I love so much about this sport: losing and then having to work up a strategy; a game plan; having to dig deep and find a way to beat your opponent. It's like trying to crack a code or solve a puzzle.

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why? 

I have so many rivals I like...and that is another thing I like about the league. There is such a variety of styles and a large draw of players to compete against. You rarely will have enough time to play against every single player in your draw. There is also a wide variety of levels that makes it really interesting because you never know who can upset who.

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league? The players are really friendly and accommodating. I rarely have any problem finding someone to play against.

How did you get started playing tennis? 

At age 15, I took some lessons and loved it. I watched a ton of tennis and wanted to imitate all of my favorite players of the time.

What level player are you?

I am a 3.75...I think.

What do you love about tennis? 

I love to compete, one on one, where the only person I can rely on is myself. Win or Lose, it's up to me. I love how cerebral the sport is and how physically demanding it also can be. A lot of people don't realize how much technique, proper movement and a positive mentality goes into playing tennis.

Who are your favorite pro players? Why? 

I have so many...My first idol was Pete Sampras. I tried to imitate every tiny aspect of his game. A lot of people would give me praise on how well I could imitate him, but unfortunately I wasn't nearly as good of course.

When I first started playing, I would serve and volley all the time, and I would get my butt kicked most of the time as well. Nowadays, I have an admiration for a lot of different players and different aspects of their game and I try to adapt them to mine.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Europe. I lived in Spain, Italy and France. I have great memories going to watch pro tournaments. One of my favorites is Roland Garros, I got to see a lot matches there.

I have a lot of hobbies: art, salsa dancing, swimming. This year I also picked up scuba diving. I have a lot of different interests and I am always looking to try something new and exciting.