(Joanna Goodwin -- The Beacon)
By Joanna Goodwin, Staff Writer -- goodwin12@up.edu
A handful of grunts and sighs are heard around the Tennis Center at the men's tennis practice. Under it all, with any missed shot or inadequate hit, unintelligible Spanish phrases expel out of Alex Ferrero in fits of athletic frustration.
Born in Almeria, Spain, 1991, his life has always been focused on tennis.
"I started playing when I was 10 years old because my dad plays," Ferrero said. "I played with him and that is when I decided I wanted to be a pro-player."
The route he took to making his dream a reality was different from the path others may have taken in the states, but he was driven to succeed.
"When I was 17, I joined a high level group of 10 guys that traveled all around Europe to different tournaments," Ferrero said.
Back in those days, Ferrero lived and breathed tennis.
"I completed high school online so I could focus on tennis, but now there is a big difference. This is harder because I have to change my mind between tennis and school," Ferrero said.
The combination of schoolwork and sports may be something he has never really experienced before, but Ferrero says he has been working hard to stay motivated.
"It is a really hard thing to go to practice all day and then have to write a 10-page paper when I don't want to do it, but you just have to do it anyways," Ferrero said.
Head coach Aaron Gross and assistant coach Henry Oldham discovered Ferrero the same way everyone seems to be discovered these days: the Internet.
"Oldham is Spanish-speaking so that created communication through email," Gross said. "We researched his results, got emails from recruits and were able to see how he did in pro-tournaments."
Even Gross said that he has made a fantastic adjustment.
"He started mid-year, and he could have chosen to come in with the idea to adjust to the team or adjust the team to him," Gross said. "He adjusted well and didn't need any special treatment even though this is his first time living in a new country."
Despite only joining the team in mid-January, Ferrero has assimilated nicely to his new surroundings, thanks to the support that he gets from the rest of the team.
"Before, on my other teams, you would just think about yourself, you would even compete against your other teammates. I just had my coach for support. But here, we are thinking about everyone and cheering each other on," Ferrero said.
Fellow teammate, Geoff Hernandez, is proud of his new doubles partner.
"He came in, right off the bat, ready to fill the role very well," Hernandez said. "He is doing a great job at working with Aaron to improve aspects of his game."
Ferrero is new at doubles but he is excited about the new experience it is giving him.
"I prefer singles better, but I am starting to like doubles," Ferrero said.
Hernandez loves when they get the opportunity to play together too.
"I think our big and little contrast fit together well, we are always yelling and screaming in Spanish, always supporting each other. It's really fun," Hernandez said.
The team considers the addition of Ferrero to the UP team to be great and are interested to see how he will continue to progress.
"He just has to keep competing," Hernandez said. "He is so great now as a freshman, I can't imagine where he'll be as a senior."
