Miguel Perez Peña, a sophomore from Castellon de la Plana, Spain, is a standout on Georgia’s men’s tennis team.
Peña has a record of 27-10 in singles matches on the year, the most singles wins of any player on the team. He also helped lead the Bulldogs to a perfect 12-0 record in conference play.
Here’s what Peña had to say as he prepares for the NCAA tournament, which starts this weekend with the first two rounds in Athens:
(This interview has been edited for clarity.)
Q: What was your inspiration to get into tennis?
A: I will say, and this may seem a little obvious for people in Spain, but my inspiration since I was young was always Rafael Nadal. I feel like he’s probably one of the best athletes in Spain, in the history of Spain…He was always my inspiration.
Q: How was the experience of playing on the Spanish national team?
A: It’s definitely something unique. I (did) that when I was younger and before coming here to UGA. It gave me a sense of playing for something bigger than (myself). I feel like that was very helpful.
Q: Was there anybody on that team – players, coaches – who were very influential for you in building your game?
A: I feel like in the team I was at, I have friends I used to play international tournaments with around Europe. The players that were part of that team were also in France. I had so many good memories from different types of tournaments we played together. I feel all those players made me better and we helped each other to become better players.
Q: Were there any big adjustments coming to the U.S. in your day-to-day life or on the tennis court?
A: There were many. I feel like one of the biggest ones in terms of culture is that people in Spain are very close. We like to greet people by giving two kisses on both of our cheeks, so it’s kind of different here….Getting used to the culture here. Also, there’s a time difference, and just in general, the culture is different here. I like the culture here, but I feel like the first two months were a little bit harder in that aspect.
Q: Do you have any pre-match routines?
A: Yeah, I always like to eat my pre-match meal about two hours before the match. Then once it gets close to the warmup, around one hour before the warmup, I like to tape my fingers, grip all of my rackets, no matter if the grip has been used or not. Then I like to listen to music to hype myself up and just hang out with my teammates in the lounge.
Q: What is your go-to meal before a match?
A: My go-to meal I would say is probably rice or pasta. Then I would like some salad or some sort of vegetables in the middle as well. I personally like fish a lot more than I like meat, but either chicken or some sort of fish like salmon or maybe a piece of a steak would be a good pre-match meal.
Q: What are the go-to tunes before the match?
A: Tough question, because it depends on the mood. But I like Kanye West a lot. A lot of my hype up songs are from him. But I also like, depending on the day, depending on where we are playing, I like different types of songs, but I will say he’s probably my favorite artist.
Q: What would you say has been the difference-maker in your play this year, and what’s the reason for all that success?
A: I feel like this year I’ve been doing a good job of trying to do my best to help the team. Not only focusing on myself and trying to win matches, but also figuring out the best way to help the team. If it’s on the court, in practice, off the court, hanging out with the teammates. I feel like I’ve been keeping myself in really good shape physically and mentally. I’ve been doing a good job of staying healthy.
Q: How has the bond been with each other, especially going undefeated in SEC play?”
A: It was a tough beginning of the year. We had two losses in a row. We all got together. We always stayed together. Since then we’ve built to the point where we are at right now. We are playing with a lot of confidence on every court. I feel like we’ve always been a close group, really close. We always go to dinner together and do all these types of things off the court together.
Q: If you’re struggling, in a match or just something in general in your life, is there someone personally or someone to help you through that?
A: Well I have my family back in Spain. They are very far from here. But I keep really good contact with them. I call them every day, so I feel like I can always call them and go to them if I ever need something. But here, I can always count on my teammates, friends, I also have my girlfriend here that I could always go to if I ever needed to. I feel like I have created a good environment, good people that could always help me.
Q: Any teammates in particular that you have been closest with on the team?
A: I feel like we are such a close team, every single one of us. Obviously, the seniors and the guys that were here last year, I feel like I’ve shared more moments with them since we would be together for a much longer time. But this year, for example, Filipe Costa, he’s my roommate. When we travel on the road, we always stay in the room together, and we know each other much better than we did at the beginning of the year.
Q: Any favorite memories so far this season?
A: Probably winning the SEC regular season here against Mississippi State. When we finally clinched the season title and went 11-0. I feel like getting to get the trophy, that was a good moment for sure.
Q: When you graduate, what do you want your legacy to be when you leave here?
A: I want everyone to remember me as a good person other than a good tennis player. Also, I would like to be remembered as a player who fought until the very last point for his teammates no matter what the score.
Nick Pierce is a student in the Sports Media Certificate program at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.