Borelli's USTA Experience Touches the Future
9/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 17, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas - When TCU hired Dave Borelli as its new head coach for women's tennis, the school knew they were getting a quality coach. Following long-time coach Roland Ingram would not be an easy task for any individual, but Borelli's credentials gave him a boost. Seven national titles in 14 seasons at Southern California, coaching elite athletes whom were playing on the pro tours, and working with the USTA's men's junior program were not the mark of a faint-hearted person. Frog staff and supporters learned in late July just how correct their decision to hire Borelli was.
At the end of July, USA Today published a list of the top 10 up and coming young men's tennis players in conjunction with an article about professional tennis. Borelli coached seven of those 10 athletes, including Jeff Morrison, Robby Ginepri and Alex Kim, during his time with the USTA Men's Rookie Pro program.
"It was a wonderful experience for me in that I was their first contact with the professional scene, and their first influence in terms of their start in the professional ranks," said Borelli. "It's fun to have a part in their development because these are the next Davis Cup and future Grand Slam champions."
Now Borelli begins the next adventure of his coaching career - back to the collegiate circuit, a forum he's been absent from since he departed USC in 1988. His first Horned Frog squad returns nine players from last season's Conference USA Championship team. Returnees include junior Paty Aburto, who is ranked 72nd in the preseason poll by the ITA, and the doubles team of Aburto and senior Rosa Perez who are No. 16 in the doubles preseason rankings. TCU will host the TCU Invitational Sept. 20 and 21 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
Top 10 Young Men's Players on the Rise (those coached by Borelli are in bold)
Andy Roddick
James Blake
Taylor Dent
Jeff Morrison
Robby Ginepri
Alex Kim
Brian Vahaly
Jack Brasington
Mardy Fish
Alex Bogomolov
