Alabama Men’s Tennis Adds Riccardo Roberto and Jeremy Gschwendtner to the Program
1/10/2018 3:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Roberto is eligible immediately, while Gschwendtner will be eligible to compete in Jan. 2019
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team and head coach George Husack picked up two strong players by adding Riccardo Roberto and Jeremy Gschwendtner to the program announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Roberto is an incoming freshman who hails from Padova, Italy and will be eligible immediately, while Gschwendtner from London, England, will sit out a year and become available to compete in January of 2019.
Roberto will look to make an immediate impact on the team with the 2018 dual match season beginning this Saturday, Jan. 12, with a doubleheader against Jackson State at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility.
"Riccardo is an eager and very determined individual," said Husack. "He is also a blast to be around as his personality is infectious. We seemed to just hit it off from the start of the recruiting process and we're all elated that he'll be joining our team. His tennis talent and experience will contribute immediately while his character and enthusiasm will have an indelible effect on the program."
The talented Italian ranked as high as No. 4 in the Italian u18 junior rankings as an amateur, while achieving a career-best No. 1356 in the ATP World Singles Rankings as a pro. Roberto has competed in numerous Futures tournaments in Italy, Egypt, Greece, Tunisia and Turkey, including earning significant wins over No. 384 Claudio Fortuna, No. 678 Riccardo Balzerani, and No. 945 Ondrej Krstev.
The freshman had a UTR Rating as high as 13.55, before he stopped competing in September of 2017 due to turning 20 years old. Before choosing Alabama, he considered Tennessee, NC State, Virginia Tech and Florida State.
"I chose Alabama because of the instant family feeling and connection I had with the players and coaches," said Roberto. "We share a similar spirit for tennis and are very motivated to push the Crimson Tide program to new levels of success. The university campus, facilities and support for student-athletes is incredible and I can't wait to get started."
Gschwendtner will practice with the team until becoming eligible in January of 2019.
The freshman had a UTR Rating as high as 13.42. The London native, considered Mississippi State and Ole Miss before choosing Alabama.
"My college selection was a tough one for me as I started pretty late with the process," said Gschwendtner. "This summer, however, I met and traveled with Thibault Cancel to a couple of tournaments. I learned a lot about him and his experience at Alabama which had a large impact with my decision, along with my communication with George and Robbie. This university has so much to offer both athletically and academically. The tennis program, athletic support, facilities and campus atmosphere is incredible and I'm excited to get started with my college career."
Gschwendtner competed extensively in ITF junior and professional tournaments throughout Great Britain, Europe and Africa, while gaining notable wins in junior (ITF) and professional (ATP) events over Lev Kazakov (ITF #30, 13.71 UTR), Filip Jianu (ITF #38, 13.71 UTR), Ryan Nijboer (ITF #49, ATP #919, 14.14 UTR) and Giulio Zippieri (ITF #70, 13.90 UTR). He was also a finalist at the Aegon British Tour event in Loughborough last March after reaching the main draw through qualification rounds.
"We are both fortunate and very happy to have Jeremy join our program," said Husack. "His international experience at the junior and professional levels will make an impact to our team and to his transition to college tennis. Jeremy has been very well coached and is a gritty competitor with tremendous upside. He also speaks three languages which is unique and his character is a great fit with our program's culture."
The London native, is no stranger to big-time tennis, growing up only 20 minutes from Wimbledon and going to the renowned event every year since he was six years old.
Gschwendtner and Roberto will be joining junior Mazen Osama and freshman Patrick Kaukovalta, who signed back in November, for the 2018 season. Osama spent the summer and fall playing in 14 ITF Futures events from July through December in his home country of Egypt, while earning a No. 907 ATP Singles ranking. The junior qualified and reached singles final of Egypt F22, while finishing as a doubles finalist at the Egypt F28. Osama also reached UTR Rating high of 14.39.
"We are very excited with this diverse group of new and returning players that will compete for the Crimson Tide," stated Husack. "Collectively, their competitive spirit, high character, drive to improve and excitement to represent the University of Alabama on and off the court is a lot to look forward to. Robbie (Weiss), Glen (Fanelli) and I can't wait for the season to get underway and witness what these fine young men will accomplish this season."
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