Random Tennis Player Biofile: Abel Jimenez

First memory of tennis: Playing tennis with my cousins at the Tennis Club at our beach summer town, beautiful Salinas-Ecuador.

Spotted playing at: Bayfront Park in Longboat Key, Florida.

Lives: Lakewood Ranch, Florida

Years playing: 20 years on and off since I was eight.

Favorite players to watch: Andre Agassi – hence my son’s name!, Rafa Nadal and when he was on, Marat Safin.

Greatest tennis moment: Winning a weekend USTA tournament (New England section) after beating my semifinal and final opponents by having them retired in the middle of the matches. They both had cramps in their legs and could barely walk. The semifinal guy, the top seed, retired at the beginning of the third set and the final guy in the middle of the second set. That trophy made me realize how important it is to be fit to win in this sport.

Most painful tennis moment: I’ve got quite a few disappointment moments in tennis…the finals of the tournaments that I lost are on top of the list.

A funny tennis memory: Playing a final of a tournament on clay…we are playing the third set, I was down 2-1 and my opponent hits a drop shot after a long rally. I ran hard, but I tripped, lost control of my body and fell down face first!! I was covered with clay and usually I would be pretty upset with this situation in a final match of a tournament, but for whatever reason I just sat down in the court and smiled for about 20 seconds. This loosen me up and I went on to win the match 6-3!

Favorite courts to play: I actually enjoy playing in all of them, but I grew up on the red clay and it’s still my favorite.

Why do you love tennis: I love both playing the game and watching the game…I love many sports, but tennis has become my favorite especially for the individuality of it.

Shoes: Adidas Barricade.

Racquet: Head.

Abel started playing tennis in Ecuador

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