THE BEST IS YET TO COME
3/16/2023 9:47:00 AM | Men's Tennis, Champions' TriBUne
Coming Here was the Best Decision of My Life
Champions' TriBUne Archive
By: Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, who goes by Juampi, is a fifth-year senior from Mar del Plata, Argentina, who is in his second season at Baylor after three years at UCF. Part of the Bears' 2022 Big 12 Tournament championship squad, Juampi paired with Finn Bass to reach the doubles semifinals at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego. Baylor (8-9) hosts a pair of ranked teams this weekend, facing No. 22 Illinois at 6 p.m. Friday and No. 14 Wake Forest at 1 p.m. Sunday.:
As I think about where to start and what to talk about in this article, I find myself struggling to pick the people who made the biggest impact in my life. I have been blessed by the many relationships I have created during the last couple of years. Everyone who I came across during my time at UCF and at Baylor taught me something. Looking back to my first couple of days in the U.S., I get overwhelmed by thinking about how many experiences I have gained. I will do my best to picture my journey, with all the positives and negatives that I lived.
BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE
Anyone who follows college athletics would agree Baylor is one of the strongest universities across all sports. Before transferring to Baylor, I was not sure what made its teams more resilient and harder to beat than any others in the country, but it is a reality. I have seen it from outside when I played for University of Central Florida and even though I did not have a chance to play Baylor during that time, I would have not liked to do so. I would like to share my journey before coming to Baylor, the decision on transferring here and my time during these two years.
LIFE BEFORE COLLEGE
I was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. My family includes my parents, Pablo and Angela, and my siblings, Renata, Isadora and Simon. My dad, uncle and aunt played tennis during their childhood, and that was what drove my passion for the sport. I started playing tennis when I was around 6 years old at the local club, and I have never stopped since then. Thanks to my parents and their willingness and effort to give my siblings and I the best of everything, from 9 years of age until I came to college, I had the chance to travel all over Argentina and the world to different competitions. Without him and my mom, there is no chance I would be here today. Time went by and, as I got closer to high school graduation, it was time to decide on whether to go to college or play professional tennis. There is a mistaken stigma in Argentina on what college tennis is and what the benefits you can get from it are. This situation made my decision way more challenging that it should have been. After a couple of weeks of thinking about it, I committed to UCF and joined the tennis team during the Fall of 2018.
UCF EXPERIENCE
Before transferring to Baylor, I played at the University of Central Florida. Like I said before, my decision on coming to college was not through the conventional manner, which also made my first couple of months in the U.S. very overwhelming. I loved every part of being a member of that team, and I am blessed to say that some of my best friends from the sport come from that program. The special thing about it was that we all came in at the same time, and we were pretty much all internationals. We had the same team for three years, which made us bond. We went through a lot, on and off court, during my time in Orlando. Transitioning from playing tennis by yourself to playing college is also very demanding, and I think I did not get used to it until my junior year.
UCF is growing at a fast rate, and I am really proud of being a Knight. Naming every person that made an impact on my life during my time there would be an incredibly challenging task. However, every stage of our lives comes to an end at some point.
TRANSFERRING TO BAYLOR
After my third year at UCF, I felt it was time for a change after my junior year. Since I had two years of eligibility due to COVID, I went for it and put myself in the portal even though it was five days later than the deadline. I would be lying if I said Baylor was not my first option. During my time at UCF, I was always a fan of Baylor Athletics because of my girlfriend, Pauli Barañano, who has been a part of the women's tennis team since 2019. I was always amazed by the way the Baylor tennis team was competing, and how they were always going to put up a fight, it did not matter who they played. Baylor seemed to be the perfect combination of tennis program and academics. I will always be grateful to Coach (Michael) Woodson, Coach Izak (van der Merwe) and the rest of the staff for allowing me to be a part of this amazing family. It is incredibly surprising to see how many former players are around the tennis facility throughout the year, and how plenty of them come back very often to hang out and see their former teammates and coaches.
I knew this was the right path to take in my life, but it was still full of fear and uncertainty. I remember the call that I had with Mike when I verbally committed to Baylor, and I can still feel the anxiety I felt during the whole transfer process. I decided to transfer on July 6th, when the deadline to do so was on July 1st. We had little time to go through everything. During that last call, I remember telling Mike nothing related to this was going to be easy, but it was going to be worth it. After one year and a half of being at Baylor, I can firmly assure it was the best decision I made.
JOURNEY AT BAYLOR
From the very first day at Baylor, I felt like at home. I was quickly amazed by the way the program was ran and the amount of professionalism all around the facility. Joining such a successful group of players who had achieved so much in the previous years was a big challenge because of what was expected from us. There was a good pressure that did not exist in my previous experience at UCF. My first year competing for the Bears was special, we had a ton of success and barely lost throughout the season. I believe that for a big chunk of the year we were the best team in the country, but unfortunately, we could not translate that into a national championship. Some of the best memories I have in the sport are from this first year at Baylor. I had the chance to be the deciding court in some important matches during the year against teams like Kentucky, Oklahoma and Stanford. The pressure you feel when being 3-3 is something that every college tennis player should experience, does not matter what the outcome is. I had a great time doing it, and I will always be thankful for the many lessons learned throughout it.
However, I think these past couple of months in my second year have been the most challenging in my college time. We started out the season decently by qualifying for the National Indoors. During the last couple of weeks, we have been struggling with injuries and lack of confidence, but I am sure the best is still to come for this group and I am very confident we will get to where we want to be. As for myself, being in a leadership position has brought me out of my comfort zone and taught me many lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. We are far away from where we want to be on court, but off court this group of guys is second to none. We all get along really well and, despite the many hard moments we have experienced on court, we remain together.
LESSONS LEARNED AND LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Yes, becoming a Baylor Bear was the best decision of my life. I have played college tennis for the last five years, and this has been without a doubt the stage of my life where I have grown the most. On court. I became a better player, but I think the lessons learned off the court during this process will prepare me for life after graduation. Coaches, staff, teammates and professors have impacted my life in a way that I cannot put into words.
As I said before, everything that happens around Baylor Athletics is truly special. Of course, there are years where things go better, and other times where results are not what we want. What makes this place elite is everyone involved pushing to the best of their abilities.
My college career, and therefore my tennis career, are coming to an end. Writing this last sentence scares me beyond measure. I will always be thankful for the relationships made, lesson learned and places that I got to know through playing the sport. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for me, but I do not want to move on without enjoying competing for the Bears over the next couple months.
FAMILIA
¿Por dónde empezar no? Dejé este párrafo para lo último porque creo que así lo merece toda mi familia. Mas allá de que siempre tuvimos la suerte que tanto a mi como a mis hermanos nunca nos falte nada, venir de Sudamérica y más todavía de Argentina representa dificultades. Tener un deportista en la familia fue siempre algo distinto para nosotros y para mí también. Ha habido muchas cosas que se tuvieron que sacrificar, tanto mis hermanos como mis padres. Nunca hubiese podido jugar todos los torneos que jugué, ni venir a estudiar a estados unidos si no fuese por mi papá y mi mamá. Viajes eternos en auto a cualquier rincón de argentina, y también horas pensando que era lo mejor para que yo crezca como tenista y también como persona. El propósito de este artículo es hablar de mi experiencia en Baylor y como me ha ayudado a crecer, pero la verdad que nada de esto hubiese pasado si yo no tenía la ayuda y el amor de mi familia.
Cualquier persona que me conoce sabe de la relación que tengo con Pauli, hace cuanto nos conocemos y lo que significa para mí. Haber venido a Baylor es también gran parte gracias a ella y estoy muy contento de todo lo que se nos viene.
Por último, no me quiero olvidar del resto de mi familia, abuelas, tío, y tías también aportaron enormemente en mi vida en distintos aspectos y me ayudaron en muchas cosas.
GRACIAS A TODOS, LOS AMO
By: Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, who goes by Juampi, is a fifth-year senior from Mar del Plata, Argentina, who is in his second season at Baylor after three years at UCF. Part of the Bears' 2022 Big 12 Tournament championship squad, Juampi paired with Finn Bass to reach the doubles semifinals at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego. Baylor (8-9) hosts a pair of ranked teams this weekend, facing No. 22 Illinois at 6 p.m. Friday and No. 14 Wake Forest at 1 p.m. Sunday.:
As I think about where to start and what to talk about in this article, I find myself struggling to pick the people who made the biggest impact in my life. I have been blessed by the many relationships I have created during the last couple of years. Everyone who I came across during my time at UCF and at Baylor taught me something. Looking back to my first couple of days in the U.S., I get overwhelmed by thinking about how many experiences I have gained. I will do my best to picture my journey, with all the positives and negatives that I lived.
BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE
Anyone who follows college athletics would agree Baylor is one of the strongest universities across all sports. Before transferring to Baylor, I was not sure what made its teams more resilient and harder to beat than any others in the country, but it is a reality. I have seen it from outside when I played for University of Central Florida and even though I did not have a chance to play Baylor during that time, I would have not liked to do so. I would like to share my journey before coming to Baylor, the decision on transferring here and my time during these two years.
LIFE BEFORE COLLEGE
I was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. My family includes my parents, Pablo and Angela, and my siblings, Renata, Isadora and Simon. My dad, uncle and aunt played tennis during their childhood, and that was what drove my passion for the sport. I started playing tennis when I was around 6 years old at the local club, and I have never stopped since then. Thanks to my parents and their willingness and effort to give my siblings and I the best of everything, from 9 years of age until I came to college, I had the chance to travel all over Argentina and the world to different competitions. Without him and my mom, there is no chance I would be here today. Time went by and, as I got closer to high school graduation, it was time to decide on whether to go to college or play professional tennis. There is a mistaken stigma in Argentina on what college tennis is and what the benefits you can get from it are. This situation made my decision way more challenging that it should have been. After a couple of weeks of thinking about it, I committed to UCF and joined the tennis team during the Fall of 2018.
UCF EXPERIENCE
Before transferring to Baylor, I played at the University of Central Florida. Like I said before, my decision on coming to college was not through the conventional manner, which also made my first couple of months in the U.S. very overwhelming. I loved every part of being a member of that team, and I am blessed to say that some of my best friends from the sport come from that program. The special thing about it was that we all came in at the same time, and we were pretty much all internationals. We had the same team for three years, which made us bond. We went through a lot, on and off court, during my time in Orlando. Transitioning from playing tennis by yourself to playing college is also very demanding, and I think I did not get used to it until my junior year.
UCF is growing at a fast rate, and I am really proud of being a Knight. Naming every person that made an impact on my life during my time there would be an incredibly challenging task. However, every stage of our lives comes to an end at some point.
TRANSFERRING TO BAYLOR
After my third year at UCF, I felt it was time for a change after my junior year. Since I had two years of eligibility due to COVID, I went for it and put myself in the portal even though it was five days later than the deadline. I would be lying if I said Baylor was not my first option. During my time at UCF, I was always a fan of Baylor Athletics because of my girlfriend, Pauli Barañano, who has been a part of the women's tennis team since 2019. I was always amazed by the way the Baylor tennis team was competing, and how they were always going to put up a fight, it did not matter who they played. Baylor seemed to be the perfect combination of tennis program and academics. I will always be grateful to Coach (Michael) Woodson, Coach Izak (van der Merwe) and the rest of the staff for allowing me to be a part of this amazing family. It is incredibly surprising to see how many former players are around the tennis facility throughout the year, and how plenty of them come back very often to hang out and see their former teammates and coaches.
I knew this was the right path to take in my life, but it was still full of fear and uncertainty. I remember the call that I had with Mike when I verbally committed to Baylor, and I can still feel the anxiety I felt during the whole transfer process. I decided to transfer on July 6th, when the deadline to do so was on July 1st. We had little time to go through everything. During that last call, I remember telling Mike nothing related to this was going to be easy, but it was going to be worth it. After one year and a half of being at Baylor, I can firmly assure it was the best decision I made.
JOURNEY AT BAYLOR
From the very first day at Baylor, I felt like at home. I was quickly amazed by the way the program was ran and the amount of professionalism all around the facility. Joining such a successful group of players who had achieved so much in the previous years was a big challenge because of what was expected from us. There was a good pressure that did not exist in my previous experience at UCF. My first year competing for the Bears was special, we had a ton of success and barely lost throughout the season. I believe that for a big chunk of the year we were the best team in the country, but unfortunately, we could not translate that into a national championship. Some of the best memories I have in the sport are from this first year at Baylor. I had the chance to be the deciding court in some important matches during the year against teams like Kentucky, Oklahoma and Stanford. The pressure you feel when being 3-3 is something that every college tennis player should experience, does not matter what the outcome is. I had a great time doing it, and I will always be thankful for the many lessons learned throughout it.
However, I think these past couple of months in my second year have been the most challenging in my college time. We started out the season decently by qualifying for the National Indoors. During the last couple of weeks, we have been struggling with injuries and lack of confidence, but I am sure the best is still to come for this group and I am very confident we will get to where we want to be. As for myself, being in a leadership position has brought me out of my comfort zone and taught me many lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. We are far away from where we want to be on court, but off court this group of guys is second to none. We all get along really well and, despite the many hard moments we have experienced on court, we remain together.
LESSONS LEARNED AND LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Yes, becoming a Baylor Bear was the best decision of my life. I have played college tennis for the last five years, and this has been without a doubt the stage of my life where I have grown the most. On court. I became a better player, but I think the lessons learned off the court during this process will prepare me for life after graduation. Coaches, staff, teammates and professors have impacted my life in a way that I cannot put into words.
As I said before, everything that happens around Baylor Athletics is truly special. Of course, there are years where things go better, and other times where results are not what we want. What makes this place elite is everyone involved pushing to the best of their abilities.
My college career, and therefore my tennis career, are coming to an end. Writing this last sentence scares me beyond measure. I will always be thankful for the relationships made, lesson learned and places that I got to know through playing the sport. I cannot wait to see what life has in store for me, but I do not want to move on without enjoying competing for the Bears over the next couple months.
FAMILIA
¿Por dónde empezar no? Dejé este párrafo para lo último porque creo que así lo merece toda mi familia. Mas allá de que siempre tuvimos la suerte que tanto a mi como a mis hermanos nunca nos falte nada, venir de Sudamérica y más todavía de Argentina representa dificultades. Tener un deportista en la familia fue siempre algo distinto para nosotros y para mí también. Ha habido muchas cosas que se tuvieron que sacrificar, tanto mis hermanos como mis padres. Nunca hubiese podido jugar todos los torneos que jugué, ni venir a estudiar a estados unidos si no fuese por mi papá y mi mamá. Viajes eternos en auto a cualquier rincón de argentina, y también horas pensando que era lo mejor para que yo crezca como tenista y también como persona. El propósito de este artículo es hablar de mi experiencia en Baylor y como me ha ayudado a crecer, pero la verdad que nada de esto hubiese pasado si yo no tenía la ayuda y el amor de mi familia.
Cualquier persona que me conoce sabe de la relación que tengo con Pauli, hace cuanto nos conocemos y lo que significa para mí. Haber venido a Baylor es también gran parte gracias a ella y estoy muy contento de todo lo que se nos viene.
Por último, no me quiero olvidar del resto de mi familia, abuelas, tío, y tías también aportaron enormemente en mi vida en distintos aspectos y me ayudaron en muchas cosas.
GRACIAS A TODOS, LOS AMO
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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