Through it All with Juan Martin

4/19/2022 2:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis

When I first arrived in America to play college tennis, I remember telling two other freshmen that this was going to go by so fast.

Time flies when you're having fun, right?

The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want it to end. Ever.

Standing here today, I still don't want it to end, but the time is nearing.

Every time I see the passion in the eyes of a freshman walking through the doors, I'm instantly reminded of those feelings I had back then.

Just seeing their faces light up with excitement and taking in a completely new adventure. Meeting new people, connecting with the coaches and just the overall school experience in its entirety.

Man, I'm going to miss that.

My turn to fly

I've never taken any of this for granted.

How could I?

I spent my first 13 years growing up on a farm in Argentina that was about 30 minutes away from the city. We had a population of around maybe 20,000 people in General Villegas — it was a really small rural area without much around.

It was tough growing up like that as a kid, honestly. My friends would call and invite me to come hang out with them from time to time, but it would literally take me hours to get there.

I obviously see things completely different now that I'm an adult.

Back then, sure, it wasn't always ideal.

Today, all I see is the beauty of it.

The calmness.

It's the perfect place to get away from the rest of the world and relax.

Just waking up every morning and seeing the sunrise through the window is pretty amazing. It's a very, very special place.

But after those first 13 years, I decided to start traveling with my tennis coach. It's what needed to be done if I ever wanted to reach the next level, you know.

And that was the goal, after all.

For the most part, I was just in such awe of the opportunity, you know?

Moving to a completely new country and playing the game I loved — it just sounded like the perfect scenario.

College tennis is such a multi-cultural sport as so many players are internationals. Being surrounded by players from all walks of life was super intriguing to me.

Obviously, the pressure of playing for a team is different than when you're just out there playing for yourself. But then again, that entire experience and forming new friendships was something I really looked forward to.

A last resort

I spent my first four years at TCU before arriving here at the University of Alabama.

I was stoked about everything college-related, but tennis-wise, things were pretty rocky for me in the early going. During my freshman year at TCU, I had an impingement in my bones, and my femur was causing me a lot of pain.

There was a labrum tear in there that needed surgery to fix.

That was obviously a last resort, but it was necessary with none of the rehab really working to solve the issue. So, I underwent surgery and came back a year and a half later, more ready than ever to resume my tennis career.

I stepped onto the court and started playing until I suddenly felt the same pain in my femur.

It was crushing.

I'd gone through surgery and endless hours of rehab just to be right back where I started — back to feeling the same pain.

It was an absolute nightmare.

Then we discovered they didn't shave the bone enough, and I needed to go back in for another surgery.

So, I got it done, and a couple of months after that, I was back in there for yet another procedure to fix a hernia in my core.

Keep in mind, all of this was going on in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic.

But, despite it all, I never stopped believing that I could get back to competing. All of the sacrifices I made to get here — they had to come with some sort of reward, right?

It was unfortunate that I was sidelined for most of my college career, but hey, that's life.

When I graduated from TCU, I was looking for a new opportunity — and Alabama was the perfect fit.

Academically.

Athletically.

Now that my body has healed up for the most part, it feels incredible to be back on the court again and play the game I love. New environment, new coaches and new teammates — and I couldn't be happier.

Even after everything that's happened and the consequences of my physical struggles, there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for the opportunity college tennis has provided me.

A dream fulfilled

If you asked me about my future after college tennis, I wouldn't know how to answer.

I don't know what the future holds for me or where I'll be a year from now. All I can do is live in the moment and enjoy the time I have left in college.

This entire experience has been a dream come true.

But I know it has to end at some point. I'll have to move on and begin a new chapter in my life without college tennis. So yes, there is that part of me that envies my younger teammates experiencing all of this for the first time.

There's a part of me that would love to jump in a time machine and go all the way back to that moment when I was a freshman walking through those doors.

I'll always miss that feeling, and nothing can ever replace it.

I'm just happy that I got to be one of the few people in this world lucky enough to experience it.