Tennis
ERICK GARCIA
T&S TENNIS PROFESSIONAL |
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A Native of Oaxaca, Mexico, Erick started his tennis journey at the Club de Tennis Brenamiel at the age of nine as a ball boy and hitting partner. At the age of fourteen, Erick earned a full tennis scholarship to the Centro Tenistico Guido Lorandi in Puebla, Mexico which is the equivalent to Everts Tennis Academy. His teaching career began at 15 and for three 3 years he taught players of all ages while excelling with his own game- reaching the top 10 in the boys U18 Nationally. While many of his friends received scholarships to top Division I programs in the United States, he remained in Mexico because he didn’t speak English. Tennis eventually paved the way for him and Erick moved to Ontario, Canada in the early 2000’s.
He started teaching tennis at the Niagara Academy of Tennis, a boarding tennis school for international students in St. Catharines, Ontario. He learned to speak English, scored well on the SAT and earned a scholarship to Niagara University. As a Purple Eagle, Erick accumulated 69 wins in singles and 63 doubles victories from 2003-2007. Erick played several ITF futures qualifiers and Open events in Mexico, Ontario and Western NY during his playing career. He got as high as top 35th and top 50th in the Men’s Open Rankings in Mexico and Canada respectively. Erick has also been Niagara University’s Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach since 2017. In 2019 he joined the coaching staff at the Village Glen after leaving the Niagara Academy of Tennis following nearly two decades as a tennis professional. As a coach, Erick has mentored several top juniors and adults from all over the world. Under his head coach tenure at Niagara Academy he helped produce many ITFJunior Champions, and a boy’s U18 Canadian national doubles champion. He has assisted over 100 players to get university entry and tennis scholarships in the US, Canada and Mexico. Hans Hach Verdugo is one of Erick’s most outstanding pupils- a current ATP Tour professional who has played in all Grand Slams and won his first doubles title Los Cabos in 2021 with American John Isner. At Niagara University Erick has helped the team to become a powerhouse in the MAAC Conference and a respected Division I tennis program nationally. Erick graduated from Niagara University with a Bachelors in Marketing and also with an MBA in International Business. Erick resides in Wheatfield with his wife, Kendra and three children. |