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Rick is joined by his friend, Rodrigo Almeida this week on “Tech of Sports.”
Rodrigo is an assistant tennis coach and the Tennis Health Program Coordinator at the University of North Texas.
One of the top young coaches in the nation who is widely respected for player development, Almeida helped lead the Campbell men’s team to the 2018 Big South Conference championship. He spent a season at UTEP with the women’s team and helped develop freshman Kristen Prelle into an all-conference No. 1 player in the Miners lineup and one of the league’s top players overall.
Almeida talks about tennis fitness, college tennis and answers Rick’s questions about the online fitness industry as quarantine is still a thing in many parts of the country.
Almeida was a standout player for Western New Mexico from 2010-14. On two occasions he was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He climbed as high as 26th in the ITA’s NCAA DII rankings, and was also the top-rated player in the central region as a senior.
Upon the conclusion of his playing career, Almeida served as a student assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at WNMU. Both teams advanced to the RMAC Championships. Additionally the men’s team secured a ranking of 27th.
Almeida served as an instructor and group chaperone for 15 nationally-ranked American juniors who toured and played in cities like Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona and Paris. He then went on to serve as a tennis professional for Cliff Drysdale Tennis, instructing individuals with skill levels ranging from beginners to semi-professionals. Following his time Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Almeida accepted the position at Campbell.
Make sure you follow Rodrigo’s tennis page on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/almeida_tennis/
