In the capital city of Mexico, a tennis pro turned coach was born 47 years ago to a lifetime of competition and leadership spanning the globe.
Opportunities began at a young age for Miami University women’s tennis head coach Ricardo Rosas.
“It was a lot of summer camps,” Rosas recalled. “My parents used to drop us at the club and my sister would ask me to play and that’s kind of how everything happened for me.”
At age 16, Rosas began traveling internationally as a junior to play in tournaments including Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the French Open, all with the help of sponsors and mentors pushing him to explore the professional tour.
Despite the stiff competition, Rosas found success on the court highlighted by winning the Eddie Herr International Junior Championship in doubles in 1994 at age 18. At the time, Rosas was ranked among the top 30 junior players in the world.
“I was fortunate that at the club I played at there were a few good successful tennis players that had already won in the professional tour,” he said. “There were also a lot of good junior players and that helped me to develop a bit faster.”
Rosas went on to play four years on the ATP Tour before ending his semi-professional career in 1997. He then began coaching at the Gary Kesl Tennis Academy in Florida before coming to Oxford.
As a recently retired athlete, Rosas had no intentions of college coaching, until a move to the area sparked a new opportunity. His path to Miami tennis started when his sister-in-law encouraged him to stop by a team practice in order to find a way to stay connected to tennis.
“It brought a lot of good out of me, I was able to implement what I know to our players,” Rosas recalled. “I discovered that it is something I really enjoy.”
Rosas spent 15 years as the assistant coach before being named associate head coach in 2013 and is now in his seventh season as the program’s head coach. As head coach, Rosas has led the RedHawks to two regular season Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships and one post-season title.
Current Miami sophomore Montserrat Sierra, a fellow Mexico City native, describes Rosas as a motivational figure and not just on the court, but in the players’ personal lives too.
“He has high standards for the team but cares for you as a person overall,” Sierra said. “He wants you to excel in all areas and pushes you to do better.”
The two can share a piece of their home through their relationship as well.
“Sometimes there will be a quick joke that we can make, and only we get it,” Sierra said. “It definitely does provide a connection and an understanding of my background too.”
Going forward, Rosas has no plans of leaving Miami.
“Miami has a special place in my heart,” Rosas said. “It has given me an opportunity, big time, and I love everything about it here.”
Rosas’ RedHawks sit at 7-7 on the season, and will be back in action Friday, March 22, at Northern Illinois University.
