speaker-0: Welcome back to HTP podcast where we go beyond just strokes and strategy. Our mission is to change the culture of tennis, having one conversation at a time through a more positive and holistic approach. And today we have Jaime on the pod. Really cool. Jaime and I met at of South Carolina playing on the men's team. And for me on the women's team, it's kind of funny you have to say that now. The world that we've come to, but yeah.

speaker-1: I know.

speaker-0: I honestly, loved, loved your guys's men's team. I was telling Yev who I had on the pod, I was always jealous of you guys, because you guys would play together, train together, party together. And our girls team was like, I always wanted to try and get all of us together, but girls can be, I don't like this, I don't like them for this reason, I don't want to be around them for this reason unless I have to practice or whatever. but yeah, I always loved your guys' team.

speaker-1: Yeah, we had a blast. We definitely had a blast. The whole team, everybody was, it was like a family. Like to be honest, you know, there were a lot of foreigners, you you guys from here, but everybody just integrated really, really well. And as you said, I mean, you know, we lived together, ate together, had a lot of classes together. Most of us were in the business school and then, you know, then go to practice and rides to practice and But it was incredible. It was incredible. You know, just the workouts afterwards, know, for us going to ride into the stadium and working out there and then going back to eat or a class together, at night. it's just, you forget about the day, the day to day, like how everything was, but it was, it was just four years, five for me. I actually had a knee injury to every single ligament and stayed there for a little bit longer. But, but it was just. just the traveling, the coaches, coach DeMars and Jeff Kefalos which is, this is incredible. I just saw Jeff two weeks ago when I went to Columbia. And, and DeMars you know, go have lunch and stuff and go see him. So yeah, love the guys. We had a blast. We had so much fun. I mean. The weekends couldn't come soon enough if we weren't playing. we had a lot of get togethers, you know, wherever we lived. And so it was just fun. It was just such a ⁓ experience. I loved it. ⁓

speaker-0: Awesome. Now you're originally from Guatemala, right?

speaker-1: or next door, so I'm from El Salvador.

speaker-0: I don't know why I always thought you were from Guatemala. Sorry about that Jaime.

speaker-1: No, you're good. You're good. Yeah, right. Tiny country has been in the news lately, like for a lot of positive stuff. It's incredible. Now right now it's one of the hottest spots to anybody I'll recommend going to El Salvador. And just great weather for sports. You know, it's a dry and rainy season, but the temperature, it's always tropical. So it's just amazing for for example. You're out playing every sport. tried it at school and then part of the teams. I remember being horrible at basketball, but I was quick and fast. then, you know, the coach had like, Hey, you got to be back there and just make sure you pass it to the taller guys and you dribble around. it's just team, but being part of the team environment was incredible.

speaker-0: Do you still have family there?

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know if you knew about my brother. We're like 15, 18 months apart and he a little bit younger. He played at UNCC. Okay. And, ⁓ and, he went back as soon as, ⁓ as he finished, he really wanted to go back, start working and started his companies eventually. And it's done really well there. And, and my sister went to law school in Spain and then, ⁓ she came back and she's a lawyer back home and My parents have been there their whole life. So we love it down there. We love it. I get to go to now with my job a couple of times a year. Yeah. So the summer and the winter, this winter, my parents are coming in three days, live in North Carolina, Charlotte, but we're going to the mountains. So, so it's, it's, ⁓ know, it's an easy three and a half flight. ⁓ So it's not too far. You're living morning, you're having lunch at home already. So it's pretty, it's pretty straightforward. So. ⁓ But yeah, we go there quite a bit. kids love it too. And they get to learn Spanish and they go to Spanish immersion school here. So it's just an add on and they do soccer and tennis there too. And so we love it. It's a, it's a good time. it's, don't feel it's too far from, from where we're at.

speaker-0: That's awesome. Yeah. So coming from a foreign country or outside the states, how did you end up picking South Carolina?

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. That's a cool story. You know, so coming from there, like at that point in time, like for media wasn't like what it is. Hey, it was like 2002, 2001, 2002 started to look and kind of get a feel for schools. To be quite honest in my mind, it was like, I only knew of, Stanford, Harvard, watching movies, like literally I've been to the States by that time. 40, 50 times, maybe through tennis or through sports and family vacations. But it was just, I never really looked at school. College athletics wasn't on my radar kind of thing. Or it was, hey, I'm going to go to college maybe, but I'm going to try to play pro first. And maybe that happens, but you know, whatever. I had a cousin who now is my business partner. have a hedge fund together, but he played soccer at Davidson College. Like when he, like, You know, I started talking to some of the guys that were traveling already and they were like, like a little bit ahead in tennis than me and in terms of age and then like, where are you going? Where are you playing? And I went to high school in Florida. So, um, I went to tennis Academy and when I left, when I was almost 15, which I can't believe now with the kids almost that age, but, um, so I left and, know, it was in Fort Lauderdale part of the ITF tennis center. It's a little bit of a long story that what I'm gonna tell you, but anyways, it was pretty cool just because the top players in the region were practicing together. So it was a little bit of a different format than maybe going to Bollettieri at the time or like, or just practice with your own coach. was like, all of these guys ended up playing like one at the different schools. We had Ryan Sweeting who won the US Open, played at Florida. You had Devin Mull, like guys that played like. at Ohio state Louisville, all these places that number And some play pros afterwards. So that was awesome to kind of have that and kind of like travel together. Then started playing the ITF tournaments and got to you know, 20 in singles and then three in doubles. once that ranking started up, all these schools kind of sending you mail and trying to talk to you at the time and call you. I was just establishing my email address at that time and it was just like, okay, send me an email, we can talk. Are you going to be there? Or like they will call the house. So that's how basically that started going. then 22 years ago now, 2003, I was playing the Orange Bowl and we won the Orange Bowl in doubles. it was other than the Grand Slans, at least at time, it was the biggest tournament in the world for genius. I was just looking at the list. Somebody sent me the list. So Roger Federer wanted, Andy Roddick wanted, ⁓ know, Jimmy Connors so Coco wanted. The list, it's endless. it wasn't doubles. I played with another guy from El Salvador, Arevalo, whose brother is right now, has been right now like one in the world. in doubles. so coaches started talking to me and be like, Hey, different schools that I hadn't heard of, like in the past year, like, want you to come and these and that, like all the schools that I even mentioned to you at the beginning, there's like, okay, great. Like, you know, you're in the radar. And, but then I started learning more like, Hey, do I want to, what kind of balance do I want? I want academically these and that. And I kind of wanted a little bit. both, guess in terms of something, somewhere that I could be challenged in terms of tennis and then, a great academic school in terms of the business school. And then in my mind, I was like, I need to get bigger. Wanted to go to school, ranking is up. And then, it just came down to like, started talking to, to marry down, talk to my cousin. And that's how I it was, UVA RICE and they were pretty good academically. And, talked to the Chapel Hill, just, but I didn't visit at the end. then did, and then had South Carolina. And then I took a visit to all those schools so it was great experience. I didn't know which one to decide to be quite honest. I loved them all. I had a friend that was playing for Rice. So it was kind of like, well, it could be easier there and all that kind of stuff and a little bit closer to home and the weather is nicer. And then I went to Virginia and there was snow in the ice, but their team was really good. And they had like, you know, they, we could have done really well there. then South Carolina was probably the least, but they had a number one international business school. And when I visited, met, um, Pedro, which, uh, Rodriguez, who I known since I was 14. So, but, uh, I didn't really know that he was there. So, um, anyways, once it's like. You know, he was my host for that weekend went a basketball game and hang out with the guys. Everybody was fun. It's just like Coach DeMars was really good administrating and managing the team. He was just incredible. Like in terms of like, we've never had to like to think about like how we're going to travel. can't show you all the equipment we're going to be staying. I'm sure you guys didn't either, but like, it was just done like at a really high level and And when I spoke to him, remember like, throughout the weekend, I think I went with my dad or my mom, I think with my mom. And she speaks English, but not completely. And he had it mapped out like, hey, listen, like, this is what we're going to be doing. This is the plan for you. This is what we're going to be doing during the week. How's it going to look like? This is how your day is going to look like. You know, we have a psychologist here. We have a nutritionist here. That's one of the things that I tell people when you're there, sometimes you don't know how to utilize all these resources. Yeah. Or you think, Hey, the trainer is there, but I'm like, I'm not injured you know, whatever. But you have like a strength coach, you have the therapist, you have the nutritionist. You have it, you have it all the coaches, like you have tutors, have everything is there. So I just think that most don't use those resources. And they just wait until something is wrong. We had appointments. We got to talk to the nutritionist. You got to see how everything is doing, how you're going, how you're, what's going on. Just got to be in prime condition when, you know, we have to compete in the spring. And the same thing with everything else, right? Just talking to the psychologist, getting the psychologist to know you so that if there's something that happens with or anything outside in life and that person ⁓ knows going on, knows how you operate, how you're thinking. And so those are the things. Things that I thought like added value that maybe other were doing it, but there was a lot of structure in terms of that. Although we at the same time, because of that structure, we felt like we had a lot of freedom within the team. just, you know what you gotta do. And outside that, know, possibly, know, fun. you just gotta care of business when ⁓ it comes on to perform. Or your scholarship too. For guys, you only have four and a half scholarships. We had a great community within the team, but at the same time, not everybody's getting a full scholarship. Right. So how do we work that out? So that's another thing that coach was incredible at doing is people doing co-ops or, you know, working through a semester, giving their scholarship away. And then somebody else can, get their stuff, some classes during the summer. I didn't want it for citizens for six months with Tom Eklund. I don't know if you remember him, Tom is the treasurer for First Citizens Bank, which is the top 10 bank in the country. And he started working there because we worked together there like to do that. So it's just crazy stuff like that. He had it really, he was incredible at managing all those things and it made it easy for all of us. Right. And we went from here, finding where to work, how to get an internship. Most of us have been playing tennis forever. I had that huge injury and like, Hey, I need to build my resume.

speaker-0: I do want to ask you, because that's really tough, being, I don't think everyone always understands being at a top school like that and getting injured. What was that like for you? Because on the severity of the injury, of course, sometimes you have to get surgery right away because you got to be ready to play. Other times, you just have to play through the injury. What ⁓ that experience like for you? Because your knee injury was pretty bad. Yeah.

speaker-1: It was, it was devastating. You know, at time it was just, I was going to play that semester and, potentially go try to play a little bit pro. and, that year, I was pretty much playing and I'll be playing one, we had an incredible team. We could mix it up with some guys. I was playing one, playing a second double header, beating this guy like six one four zero and then approach go to the net. We had a lob, I'm thinking that it's gonna go out. We're playing indoors. And then, of a sudden I'm like, it might be going in. I remember I see that clipping the line, like just the line, and it's like, in. And was, you know, couldn't get it back and I tried do it in between my legs. And then on that court, and specifically, we were all serve on court one, and there are lot of balls. sometimes laying down and sometimes that felt stays in the ground. And at the speed that I was going, it may be the movement that I made too, I don't know. I felt like my foot slipped and then the weight of my body went on my knee and hit myself against the fence in back. And I had never felt pain like that. And it was just like, what's this? And thought it was just at the beginning that just, I just hit myself so hard against the fence that It's going to start coming back. Like I couldn't breathe for like a minute it felt or two. I don't know. Like the trainer comes in, coaches like, so finally, and then the pain is, like a knife is having me down there. And then it's just feeling a little bit better, kind of like numb. And I still try to like, six one four zero, I think 45 or something like that. I'm just like, I'm finished this up and I try to serve and like, I, it's the first time like that. I just felt like. There was nothing like, so I had to stop. I made the serve and then the guy made like made basically like a little ball through my forehead that I was gonna think crush, but I couldn't even walk like two steps. was like in one leg. So I said like, this is it, that's it. anyways, check the doctor the next few days. inflammation was bad. The guy just comes back in after X-rays and all this stuff MRIs and is just like, you're young This will be quick and you don't need to worry. You'll be back next season. So I was like, got it. We were about to go to play the Dominican Republic and Davis Cup. We had a pretty good team. This guy that I just, that I used to play doubles with, he was pretty much like 200 in the world. At the time, he had gone to Spain instead of going to college. And he was playing well. And we're about to play these two guys from the Dominican Republic, older than us. But they were just crushing it in the and challenges. And one of them was Victor Estrella and Johnson Garcia. They were like, Victor, I think, was like 40 or 50, he got to be. But I remember sending them messages a few weeks before we were going down there, like, hey, we're going to crush you. We're ready for you guys or whatever. And I was excited about that. the Olympics were coming and there was a wild card, or I think two wild cards that they were giving out. So one of them was going to this guy, all they got from El Salvador that was playing pro, like 200 at the time. And then these are these, all I these guys from Bahamas who practice, used to practice with me before going to college, played a one at Ohio State and had a good team too. So they went to. Australia, think they deserve it. It got in me too, because I was like, I lost potentially all these opportunities. And, you it was something that was going to be like potentially five to six months to get back. And I just had really bad tendonitis and ⁓ it took me like 14 months and I was still in crutches. Sometimes I couldn't like, I'll be sitting down and to stretch my leg. You'll just lock, lock up. I'm like, it was just, it was just bad. Another girl that had it like right as I did like the day before, think she played soccer at USC as well. She was back in like five months and she was like, my knee feels better than like, so it just depends on the person, same doctors, same everything. ⁓ he was like, yours was pretty bad. You tore, not just your ACL, but like, not ACL, meniscus, they call that perfecta. Just to come back from that, but the support that I had, you know, it was incredible too. It's just like, I had another trainer. Like apart from the one from the one that the team had and just like, but, but it was tough. missed a bunch of stuff as you're going through that training. PT, guess it's just stuff mentally. And, and also then to come and watch the guys play, because I wanted to support them, but at the same time I was like, God, I just, I just want to be out there, and just, I just love competing. So to this day, and especially tennis, it was just all such, was tough. And I kind of pivot a little bit. Once I started seeing that my knee wasn't coming and coming back, will pass and a year. I told coach I'll come back if you know, you need me, but if you don't like, I'll do like a medical retch or that guys. And it just happened that, you know, can be helping everything and I started playing a little bit and kept beating some of the guys in the team. And then, he couldn't finalize a deal with a player that was supposed to come just for the spring. Anyway, so I came back and got to play a lot of matches and, it was tough because I will play, let's say on a Sunday and then I wouldn't practice until next Wednesday because my knee was so sore and ice and everything. So that was tough because it's, that you're not a hundred percent and that you, you're going to play somebody that in some cases that you're supposed to beat you you not be totally physically there and you're still tender and it was just and stiff. Sometimes on the road you'll go and play on Friday and travel and play Sunday. Those were horrible. But, you I to beat a few guys.

speaker-0: If you don't mind sharing a little bit, like the mental toll, because injuries, even though it's obviously the physical side that's keeping you out of the game, like you mentioned a little bit, like the mental toll that it takes, because it's like you were at your peak having all these opportunities and now you're a year out that was only supposed to take so many months. So it can really mentally, fuck you up. You know, because your expectations you're to come back sooner than you are. And so that whole inner dialogue that can happen, it can be really, really frustrating. And then when you do finally come back and play and you're like, ⁓ I'm not playing like I was, will I even ever be able to play like I was? Like the mental toll that that take, if you don't mind just sharing a little bit more into that.

speaker-1: That one was, it was really tough, especially at the beginning, like first knowing that that's going to happen, you know, the surgery and all that kind of stuff. Then it started getting better mentally I knew like, Hey, trusting the process, starting to like doing the rehab and out with that trainer. Let's do like the morning and also in the afternoon, like, listen, let's try to do more, try to see like how much we can push it, within its limit. And then anyways, it was, it was like, we were going hard and, but the tendonitis was there from the beginning. So, so that was the tough part. And I think having that connection with ⁓ a Dr. Casper was his was just incredible because ⁓ he knew me and he knew what I was going through. He knew everything that I was doing in the back end and having my parents was just, was just huge too. Like, of course it's just over the phone and stuff, but. just kind of knowing, hey, where are you at? then I remember, think I remember for my mom or both of them go on the phone, they were just like, you know what? We just need to focus on the controllables. And I just, that stayed on my mind for whatever reason. was just like, you're doing what you need to do. You can't be playing. We already know that you got do the rehab, got to do that PP, make sure you're icing, all this kind of stuff. Make sure that you're sleeping well, making sure that you're eating well. And then she started doing that. And then the other focus that we had was like, why don't you try to accelerate and start trying to get your masters? So I went and talked to coach to see if I could say, you know, I was staying there. it's like, so yeah, yeah, absolutely. Start taking as many classes as you can. You can take classes in the summer too. And then we take it from there. So that's what, that's what helped me kind of get through it. But in the back of my mind, in the back of my mind, I was just like, okay, I just need to. think of what's one day at a time. I can't think too far ahead because I don't know if I'm going to be playing tennis ever. I don't know what the situation is going to be. So my whole life has been tennis and now I got a pivot, right? So it was tough, but I think with time I started assimilating what was coming next and accepting reality. Then it started getting a little bit easier and there was so much going on at the time in terms of making sure that I have a job. because at time, tennis was not going to be an option. And just physically, I needed like a year or two just to just take care of my body, like let it heal. And that's kind of what happened. Now my knee feels, I don't even feel anything. You I remember. So, you know, I've been like that for years, but it did take time to get to that point. It was interesting, tough times mentally, I would say, but ⁓ eventually it's just, kind of learn to. Muscle them through, guess, and then support people that were around. You can matter, coach, just kind of saying, we're going to do whatever you can physically through. ⁓

speaker-0: That's amazing Jaime. I do want to point out, think when we have those critical points in our life, like having that support can make a world of a difference. the that you were getting it obviously from your family, you know, your coach, from the university, that is amazing. sometimes when you go through those injuries and you don't have that or you have very little support, it's tough, man. It's really hard. So I'm glad to hear that you had all that support to be able to get through it all. And then you mentioned play tennis actually a lot nowadays.

speaker-1: Yeah, more than I have been in the, you know, maybe 10 years ago, I would say. So it was just, it's just awesome. This community that we have here in Charlotte, a lot of people that play, there's a couple of guys that played at USC that are playing there. Club has like, you know, 40 courts and five indoor courts and clay courts, hard courts, whatever you want. It's a racket sports. So, so it's awesome. You can call anybody at any time. been playing a lot of dingles lately. So that's been, it's been fun. I had the opportunity to play with Andy Roddick lives here. So we played, you know, and it's just to kind of see that competitiveness and guys that played before and love guys that played pro. And it's just kind of, it's just kind of crazy like how that community helps each other. not just tennis wise, many of them have kids, many of them, different, uh, stages of their careers and need help here or there. So it's just incredible. It's just, I, at the end of the day, I guess the older that I get, the more that I see that tennis is basically the same as life. teaches you all that resilience, that grit, being in the court, being down, being tired, being injured, like still trying to get better, managing, being alone. because you just kind of figure it out by yourself and all those frustrations, all those mistakes. ⁓ And just see it, the same way and then just having to come through mentally by yourself. So, was tough going through those injuries, I just see it as part of, life and how to manage that period of time, that process and that had happened. until that point. you know, it's just the level of discipline that gives you, and just it's ⁓ through that, in a way, quote unquote, which I love kind of going through this suffering that you go through in the court, right? Because the struggle to kind of figure it out just means that you're trying to achieve something, you know, and making ⁓ those little decisions, where are you going to hit? Where are you going to play? So it was just... It was just crazy. All these life lessons that you, start getting through it and then you start, they just show and throughout your life at that point, they just, they not mean much to you. I feel like, I feel like looking back, I was excited when I won the orange bowl. was, it was incredible. But, and for years, I didn't really think that it was that much. ⁓ I mean, thought it was, but it was just kind of part of the process, but not looking back with my kids and everything. It's just, it was awesome. It was a great memory. It was just the names that were there, the names that, you that year were winning and whoever won it in the past and who's won it afterwards. It's it's just incredible. I love, I love this sport and what it teaches you mentally, you know, more than, you know, the strokes and the wins. I can't even tell you. mean, of course I remember so many of the matches and college and before or after, but I'm good friends now with so many guys that doesn't even matter. it's just, and friends for life too. Cause we have a chat with the tennis guys. you were talking about that. We got it together for weddings. We got it together for trips. And next year they're coming here. They're going to Disney World. They're coming here. I feel them with their kids and everything. So this stuff is just, it's just, there. So it's been, it's been incredible. incredible journey. Hopefully I can keep playing still for much longer.

speaker-0: you so much for your time today Jaime. I really appreciate it. Yeah. your story and if you guys like these tennis tales, please like, share and subscribe.

speaker-1: Like and subscribe.