Status: University of Virginia freshman. Winner of two national titles this fall — USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y., and the ITA Men’s All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. Also was a finalist this summer at the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
DOB: October 16, 1992 In: Annandale, Virginia
Early Tennis Memory: “That would be hitting at my local courts with my mom. I’d go out maybe three times a week; I’d just enjoy hitting the ball. I remember I’d be out there an hour-and-a-half and enjoying whacking the ball around.”
Tennis Inspirations: “Probably Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Just really enjoy watching them compete and how they handle themselves on the court. I think they’re great role models and sportsmen to represent the sport of tennis.”
Nicknames: “Usually Mitch, The Machine, Robo Frank — those are the three.”
Favorite Movies: “Probably Batman: The Dark Knight and Old School.”
Last Book Read: “Right now I’m reading Rafa. I actually like it a lot. Really interesting. I’d recommend it for anyone to read.”
Current Car: “I don’t have a car. My sister and I share a Camry.”
Greatest Sports Moment (so far): “That’s a tough one… probably getting to compete at all four of the majors in juniors. Getting the chance to see what it’s like to experience the highest level of the sport, not only as a junior but from a professional standpoint.”
Most Painful Moment: “I went to the [2010] Australian Open for juniors and lost in the third round 8-6 in the third set, to the guy who ended up winning (Tiago Fernandes of Brazil). To have that 26-hour flight back to think about the match, that was obviously a tough one to drop.”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “I would say probably Denis Kudla is one, I mean, he’s a really tough competitor. Second I would say…maybe Jack Sock. I think he competes well. I’ve seen him come back from a lot of tough matches.”
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: “Definitely football, to watch and play.”
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “I remember being in Mexico [at the 2008 Yucatan World Cup] and I was playing well, I made a good run to the quarterfinal. I played the No. 1 seed in my first-ever night match. And I really got beat easily by this guy in front of like a thousand people. It was quick. It was on TV. It was pretty embarrassing for me. (Who was the opponent?) Guillaume Rufin. He’s 170 [in the world] now. So maybe he was a good player.”
Best You Ever Felt On Court: “I was playing Evan King in the finals in Carson (2009), and we were both playing well. I felt I could not miss a ball. I felt amazing, really enjoyed that match. That’s the one that sticks out in my mind the most.”
Favorite Players To Watch: “Federer, Nadal. I like watching Murray, I think he constructs the game very well. He plays different than everyone else. He really slows the match down. I probably have a little of that in me, so I really enjoy watching him play. (Women’s player?) It probably was Justine Henin. I felt she played a real all-court game, constantly out there fighting for points. I felt she worked really hard to get her success.”
Strangest Match: “I was in Brazil [at the 2009 Banana Bowl]. My first-ever match on red clay. I was down 6-1 5-1 and 40-15 against this Austrian dirtballer [Tristan-Samuel Weissborn]. I came back and found a way to win. That was the strangest match, just to have everything turn like that. (How did you turn it around?) He was crushing me in the stadium. He had two match points. On the first he tried to hit a winner that missed. Then he tried to kind of toy with me and I ended up passing him. I thought, Okay, there’s no way I’m losing, he’s not even locked in here. I ended up playing really solid. Just got like really locked-in mentally and physically, willing to be out there as long as it took.”
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “I really enjoy the sport itself. It has kind of a mystique to it. I just always enjoy hitting the ball, how the players move and compete. There’s a lot of stuff going on with the players. Yet they’re so focused and tunnel-visioned in on the match.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “In general, I like to see toughness… The willingness to learn. I like people who are willing to experience what’s around them, to see what’s out there. People who try to care and help each other. That’s what we’re here for.”
Scoop Malinowski created the Biofile interview in 1992. He is the author of “Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew” which is now available at Amazon.com.
Photo credit: David Kenas, USTA
Robo Frank made a stunning comeback in Brazil
Mitch · November 21, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Old School is one of his favorite movies and yet one of his nicknames isn’t Mitchapalooza?
Dan Markowitz · November 22, 2011 at 1:25 am
I like this guy. I saw him win in the Open qualis against a big Frenchman. He lost in maybe the 2nd or 3rd round, but he is so well-mannered on the court. You can tell he’s a very nice guy. I thought Kudla would have a bright future, and he’s still only 18, but he has not broken through in first year-and-a-half on tour.
Nice Bio-file, Scoop.