From Brazil to Belmont

When fans go to Belmont men’s tennis matches, they better get their Portuguese ready, as the eight-man team consists of six Brazilians and two local players.

The rest of the Atlantic Sun has eight Brazilian players combined.

Coach Jim Madrigal has always had a large number of South American players during his tenure. After having players from Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, he didn’t see a real issue with recruiting players from Brazil.

“It seemed pretty natural to develop a relationship,” he said.

The team currently collaborates with Dequipafora, a sports recruiting service in Brazil, to help find future players. The organization does multiple things to market potential recruits, including filming videos and helping recruits improve their English skills.

Sophomore Rafael Matos is one of the Belmont players who worked with Dequipafora while recruiting. He signed with Belmont despite never visiting the campus beforehand.

“I chose Belmont because it was the best option I had with academics and for tennis,” he said.

The number of Brazilians on the team also influenced why Matos came to Belmont.

“We’re like a family,” Matos said. “They picked me up at the airport and showed me around the first day. It’s easy to hang out with them.”

Madrigal has specific reasons why he constantly recruits in South America.

“When you recruit American kids, for the most part, the opportunity to go to college is an entitlement,” Madrigal said.

“To a South American kid, the opportunity to go to college is a blessing. The value of it isn’t taken for granted at all.”

The athletes, even with the effort put in on and off the tennis court, are still able to take that value to the classroom. The team has one of the highest combined grade point averages of any Belmont team.

“They’ve come so strongly recommended to the service. And they stay. No one has transferred.  They’ve all done well in school, which is mostly in part to these guys,” Madrigal said.

The team also keeps a sense of community with each other, even off the court. When this spring’s season ended, they stuck together afterwards and won this year’s mens’ intramural soccer tournament. Group efforts like that help the players become a team while transitioning to the U.S., Matos said.

Most players have had to adapt when moving to the U.S., like the weather and certain parts of culture. Most of the transition, though, occurs on the tennis court and with the team mentality college tennis requires.

“A lot of what has changed is the responsibility,” Matos said. “Since I’m playing for a team now, I’ve got to keep practicing and staying fit. I have to give my best effort every time.”

Matos, with the rest of the tennis team, also had to adjust to more negative parts of college tennis. At nearly every match, Brazilian members of the team are heckled because of their nationality.

“It’s part of it. But I understand why it happens. They want their team to win. They do it so I can lose my focus,” Matos said.

The experience is something players have to adapt to quickly, said Madrigal.

“That’s pretty common. When you have the experience, you realize it’s part of the college game,” he said.

For Matos, he has to adjust to keep one thing only: his focus.

“Sometimes you have to be strong about it. Sometimes you have to ignore it. But you can’t let it influence you and let it lose your focus,” he said.