Tennis Experience
I was born in Santiago Chile and immigrated to the United States as a young child, and I’ve been playing tennis for decades. I became passionate about tennis while watching my father and uncle play tennis on the public courts in San Francisco. At the age of 10, my Dad enrolled me in a free weekly tennis program run by the Youth Tennis Foundation (YTF) (now called the Junior Tennis Foundation), which served, unbeknownst to me, under-served youth. At the end of the first year, another student and I were fortunate to be the first recipients of a YTF scholarship which meant being able to attend a summer tennis program at the prestigious California Tennis Club in San Francisco. This is where I learned the fundamentals of tennis.
I played singles on the varsity tennis team during all four years of high school, and played a bunch of Northern California USTA junior tournaments, with solid success in doubles in the Boy’ 18s division. After playing for my local community college during freshman year, during my sophomore year, I played Division II at San Francisco State University rotating between #1 and #2 singles. I then decided to focus on my education and didn’t play competitive tennis again until after I finished my graduate degree.
Starting my career, then a family, and then a business kept me away from competition for a long time. But I never stopped playing.
Most recently, I was ranked in Northern California in the Men’s 45s and then Men’s 55s singles divisions. I hold a 4.5 NTRP rating and play three to four times a week with 4.0 and 4.5 friends and competitors.
I’m currently in the process of being certified as a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA)’s Tennis Coach.