Men's Tennis Q&A: Enrique Luque Rico

Enrique Luque Rico is a freshman men's tennis player from Cordoba, Spain. He gave us insight to his performance at the recent ITA Regionals and how his transition from Spain to Pepperdine has been for him:

Q: You made it to the Round of 32 at the ITA Regionals, and played against Jake Sands from USC. You gave him quite a tough fight, how did you feel during that match?

A: It was a tough match. Jake is a really good player and he is a freshman also. The first set was really tight, he started to break my serve in the beginning of the match but then I came back and I was 6-5 up but unluckily I broke my strings on my racket, and that threw my rhythm off so I ended up losing the set. Then he won the second set again because my mental game started to deteriorate. I ended up losing the game but he is a really good player and I wish him all the best for the future.

Q: How has the new head coach, Adam Schaechterle, helped you improve your game?

A: Adam is very nice, he is the main reason why I came to Pepperdine. I had a lot of options, and at that time Adam was the coach at Notre Dame so I was talking to him when he was there, and he told me he was coming to Pepperdine, and I was already considering coming here because of the climate and location, so I chose Pepperdine over Notre Dame. He has helped me improve my volleys and serves because they are my weaknesses. Also the assistant coach, Tassilo Schmid, helps us out a lot.

Q: How has your first semester been here at Pepperdine?

A: I love the environment and the people. I love the classes that I am taking and the professors are really helpful, and because it is a smaller school the professors are always willing to accommodate and help you out.

Q: How has the transition from Spain been for you?

A: At the beginning it was hard because this is the first time I have lived outside of Spain. I used to live away from my family for two years before I came to Pepperdine because I was at a tennis academy in a different city in Spain. I'm used to living away from my family but not from Spain, but all my teammates helped me with my transition. It is the best decision I have ever made in my entire life.

Q: How do you prepare yourself before a match?

A: I start my warmup around an hour and 30 minutes before my match. I start off by hitting balls for about 20-30 minutes to get some feel for the ball, then after I put my earphones in and I listen to some music, and about 30 minutes before the match I have an entire bottle of an energy drink mixed with electrolytes, so that I am ready and energized by the time the match starts.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete at Pepperdine?

A: It has a lot of advantages. It is obviously difficult to juggle both studies and tennis but the most important thing is that you get to meet more people and you are close with your teammates. Student-athletes have a lot more opportunities and are much more disciplined.

Q: What are some goals you have for this year?

A: In the fall, I just want to improve my game and get better. For the spring season, we want to finish as a top-25 team and win conference, and also try to make it to the NCAA Championships. And after the year ends, I will go back home and compete in some professional events and see how far I can get in the ATP level.

Players Mentioned

Enrique Luque Rico

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