Marcela Marino
has her mother to thank for leading her to the sport of tennis.
Elena Dominguez
was a highly skilled tennis player back in the day, and she used to bring her
daughter, Marcela, along to her matches. When Marcela was a very young child,
she was unsure what to make of the sport, but by age 8 she picked up a racquet
herself and started taking lessons.
It didn’t happen
right away, but eventually she fell in love with it. Now, decades later, Marcela is still playing. Her mother introduced her to the sport, but
she continues playing matches to this day because she enjoys it herself.
Merino has
played over 200 matches with Tennis League Network, and she’s found success
forming friendships, winning intense battles and staying active and invigorated
along the way.
“I love playing
tennis,” she said. “I’m very committed to that, and I think that’s what keeps
me finding partners and trying to play as much as I can.”
Merino switched
from tennis to ballet when she was around 10, and after that she dabbled in
softball as a kid. She’s the kind of person who likes to focus on one sport at
a time, making sure she specializes enough in that craft so she can get the
most out of the experience.
She’s become
close with Mary Heasley, a fellow veteran who has played even more matches than
Marcela. All it takes is an email, and they start collaborating to zero in on a
day they’re both free. In no time, they’re on the courts, hitting groundstroke
after groundstroke, trying to outwit and outhit the other.
“We’ve actually
become very good friends,” Merino said.
When it comes to
her style of play, the Newton, Massachusetts resident Merino is tenacious and
relentless. After over 200 matches, Her record is close to .500 overall, and she has a winning record
in three-setters and third-set tiebreakers. Marcela's Career stats.
She rarely gives
in, and she’ll do anything it takes to get the win. Oftentimes, that means
unleashing a slick slice at the exact right moment.
“Everybody tells
me that I have sort of a nasty slice,” she said, laughing.
But that doesn’t
mean there’s not room for improvement. Merino said she wants to improve her
serve – both the accuracy and speed. The great thing about tennis is that she
can do that by herself.
Once she feels
comfortable with her new technique, she can try it out against Mary or another
opponent.
She said she enjoys
TennisNorthEast.com because it’s the right level of competitiveness. The goal
is to win, but it’s also to have fun and there isn’t too much stress or
pressure.
She’s played
dozens of matches and here's Marcela's current division, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
She wouldn’t be the player she is without her mother, and for that she’s both proud
and grateful.
“My mom was very
influential in getting me into the sport,” Merino said.
