Tomas Barrera Petter '21 Recruiting Profile

I was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and lived there until I was twelve when we moved to my mother's hometown in east Texas.  There wasn't a tennis team or tennis community in Crockett, so I didn't begin to compete in USTA until we moved to Austin, Texas about a year and a half later.  My parents decided to make both moves to provide my siblings and me with more opportunities, and though it has been difficult, it has taught me to be adaptable and to overcome many challenges.  Throughout everything tennis has been my biggest constant.  I feel at home on a tennis court and would really like to continue my journey and growth during my time in college.  I give my all to each practice and match and try to grow from every experience, taking my coaches' advice to heart.   

When we moved to Austin, I began to compete as much as possible and managed to get my ranking within the top 20 players in Texas in 16's fairly quickly.  Aging up to 18's in May 2020, I had just begun to play 18's when COVID struck, but I have been training hard during quarantine and am anxious to get back into tournament play to begin to climb in 18's. 

Austin also brought academic challenges and growth for me.  I made the decision to take advanced and honors classes in high school though the US school system and English did not feel native because I wanted to challenge myself.  I am proud of my accomplishments and feel better prepared for college courses.  I also enjoy challenging myself on the tennis court.  I want to play the best players; I want to prove myself; and I want to bring home a win for my team.