Tell us a little bit about yourself, for example: What do you do? Where did you grow up? What are your hobbies (besides tennis)? (Feel free to share any interesting details about your life.)Up until this past week I was an Associate Manager of Recruiting Coordinators at Salesforce (originally hired by Tableau). I had been there since May 2019 but unfortunately was a part of a layoff, something pretty common in the Tech industry over the last year or so. The break has been really nice though. I joked that since I was on payroll for 2 months after hearing the news, I was technically a semi-pro player. I have been in Maryland my whole life, growing up just north of Towson, and eventually going to the University of Maryland in College Park before moving downtown a few months after graduation. Go Terps! Fun fact, I took a half semester tennis class as part of my electives for my Kinesiology degree. Besides tennis, I love going to the movies, working out to P90X videos, traveling, reading books, and going to baseball games. On the traveling note, the reason I didn’t get to go to my third straight end of year tournament was because my girlfriend surprised me with tickets to visit Australia on my 30th birthday last year. I guess that was an okay reason to miss it!I am a member of the Baltimore Tennis League.
How long have you
participated in your league?
I’ve been a member since August 2018, when I joined
for the Fall Season that year.
How did you first learn about it?
I joined by referral from a friend that I had lived
with in Baltimore and also went to college with.
How often do you play?
I’m on the tennis courts 4-5 times per week between
league matches, private lessons, and group lessons.
What do you like most about the league?
I really appreciate the player base that this league
attracts. I can honestly say that 99.9% of my matches are against players who
want to win but not at the cost of sacrificing sportsmanship. I’ve made some
great friends who are really invested in seeing me improve as a player. As
someone that did not play tennis growing up, this is my first opportunity to
really track match stats and play competitively and the league does a great job
at keeping things as balanced as it can be. The End of Year Tourney is such a
great addition, I’ve gone twice and plan on going every year that I am able
to!
A few definitely come to mind! I’ve had multiple
matches that have needed to be played across two, sometimes three days due to a
variety of reasons but mainly the length of the rallies. A playoff win last
year in September also comes to mind, a three setter that ended with a 7-5
final set in my favor. Also have to mention getting the chance to play against
Steve in my first Miami Tourney playoff match, a three setter where I lost the
first set but came back to win the next two. Got some great advice on how to
improve my game after that match! The first match of that tournament was
amazing as well, cramps did me in as it was my first match in the Miami heat,
last time I go deep sea fishing the day before match play begins! It was great
experience regardless as I had my mom, brothers, uncles, and cousins watching
me play.
Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?
Pat Martel and Sam Honegger both top the list. One of
the multi-day matches I mentioned above came against Pat, and he’s the player
that I’ve played the most in this league. I won’t say how many times because
I’m still searching for that first W, but every match is a good one and we
match up well. It just seems like everytime I improve, he does as well, which
makes it so great to play against him! Sam and I have a very even match
history, in 9 matches he has the edge at 5-4. We match up well and both agree 3
setters should be the way to determine every final set. He got the best of me
in our most recent playoff match but I’m sure we have many more great matches
in store. I was super pumped for him when I heard that he won his division in
last year's tournament!
Overall this league is so well run, I try to invite as
many players to it as I can. Initially I was nervous about not having tennis
experience, but there is such a wide variety of tennis players in this league,
some with high school or collegiate experience or others who just had a racket
at home like me, that you can always find a good match. The multiple mid year
tourneys outside of the season ones are a great addition as well.
How did you get started playing tennis?
My family always had tennis rackets laying around but
growing up my time was spent playing soccer, football, and baseball. I love
baseball and as a kid, there was no chance I would miss out on baseball to try
tennis considering they were the same season. Once I moved into Baltimore in
2015, my three roommates at the time all had rackets at the time and were
better than me, which motivated me to get better myself. Fast forward 3 years
and I was looking to boost my competition and here we are.
Do you play to compete, or for fun?
I love the sport and have a great time
playing. I also really prioritize my health and I tell others that I want
tennis to be my old man's game to keep me in shape. That being said, I’m a
glutton for competition, so I gotta say I’m here to get some wins out there on
the court!
What level player are you? (NTRP rating)
4.0, Elite & Advanced League
What do you love about
tennis?
I love the simplicity of the game from the scoring
system to the general idea that the player who makes fewer mistakes wins. I
also love the mathematical approach to the game from knowing where the net is
the lowest, hitting high percentage shots, and the importance of angles.
Finally, I love the feeling after a long 3 set match, yeah I want to win
everytime out there, but I know that I just gave it my all and my body may be
hurting but it’s also doing wonders for my health.
Who are your favorite pro players? Why?
My favorite player of all time is Arthur Ashe. As a
black tennis player, I don’t see too many players that look like me both in the
league and on TV. Ashe was a trailblazer throughout his tennis career and after
it ended. He’s a hero of mine that I look up to and learned so much about
his life and struggles from reading his book Arthur Ashe: A Life. I highly
recommend any tennis fan to give it a read. I also really love watching Rafa
play and hope that we haven’t seen him at the French Open for the last time.
I’ve got a soft spot for Nick Kyrgios, I really hope he can break through for
one Slam during his career. Final shout out would be for Agassi, I read his
autobiography Open, and what a journey he had. Watching highlights of him
running around the court definitely inspires me to go all out on every
point.
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