Muguruza leads tennis with impressive victories

For Jose Luis Muguruza, Tech ' s leading tennis player, there was no doubt in selecting Tech to pursue his career in tennis.

" While selecting colleges I was looking for a good school in tennis as well as in academics, particularly industrial engineering. [Tech] is the best one in the country, " he said.

Colombian-born Muguruza, a sophomore from Wesley Chapel, Fla., has been a star on Tech ' s tennis team this year. Muguruza posted a team-best 11-4 record last fall. He had a 4-1 record at the ITA Regionals and advanced to the semifinals of the ITA region II Championship.

Last month he won three singles matches at the Puerto Rico Invitational including wins over No. 2 Ryler DeHeart of Illinois, No. 21 Conor Niland of California and No. 23 Fabrizio Sestini of Texas Christian.

" I began to play tennis when I was five. My parents did not play tennis until their late 30s, but they wanted me to play. They thought it is a good sport with fewer chances of physical injuries. Hence they put me in, and I started liking it, " Muguruza said.

He is serious about his tennis and wants to go pro sometime in the near future.

" This year I am playing pretty solid, and I am completely motivated. [In the] next two semesters I will take off (from school) to try to play some tennis and see how it goes. Depending on that, I will decide if I have to come back [to school] or to go pro. "

For Muguruza, highlight of his career before this year came in December 2002 when he reached the finals of the USTA International Winter Championships, defeating the U.S. ' s Brian Baker, the third-ranked junior player in the world. He followed that success by winning the 16-and-under singles championship at the prestigious Orange Bowl Tournament. Overall he reached the singles finals of seven tournaments in 2002, winning two of those and was a finalist in six doubles draws, winning two.

Muguruza also competed in the U.S. Open Junior Tournament in both singles and doubles in 2003.

" The U.S. Open was a good experience. I was [a] bit nervous then as I had not played against good guys because of my elbow injury two years ago. Now I am completely recovered and hopefully will improve further, " he said.

Muguruza gives most of the credit for his tennis career to his parents. " They do not want me to give up tennis because they know that I have put lots of effort in it, and I like to compete and to win. They travel for every tournament with me. They are very involved in my career. "

He was also inspired by professional players. " I used to look at Agassi and Sampras as my role models. That was a great rivalry. Those sorts of people kept me going [in tennis], " he said.

Muguruza ' s career is already inspiring his younger brother to follow his footsteps. " He is just 14 and has already started playing like big guys. He has started getting confidence and much needed attention, " Muguruza said.

His elder sister is graduating in management from UVA this semester.

" My sister was the only one from our family who used to play tennis. But now she has decided to pursue her career in management and concentrate more on her studies, " he said.

When asked about how he manages time between tough classes and his tennis, " That ' s not difficult. I always find some time to go out with friends, listen to some Latin and Hip-Hop music, dance to it, play chess and watch some movies. As long as you manage your time pretty good, you will get some time out, " Muguruza said.

Muguruza also enjoys traveling, and his career in tennis has helped him visit some interesting places. " I have traveled a lot in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. I liked traveling to Spain, Hungary, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. " But then there is a downside to it as well. " I miss many weekends with my family and nearly all the birthdays. So whenever I get free time out of practice and classes I prefer to go to Tampa to spend time with my family. That ' s the way it goes. I like traveling, but I also want to be with my family, " he said.

Muguruza has set the goal of breaking into the top 500 in the world within one year of turning pro. If he continues playing such good tennis, it certainly is possible.