Rafael Rovira, the current tennis coach for Solano Community College, continues to encourage growth for tennis players with the recent formation of the women’s tennis team. Rovira isn’t an ordinary coach, he incorporates factors of emotional and physical growth into his training. Indeed, Rovira is the heart and foundation that keeps the tennis courts of Solano running.
Rovira was born and raised in Puerto Rico until the age of eleven years old. He described it as a family friendly environment where he was free to be a joyful kid. “Growing up there was great because I had all my family there cousins , uncles, grandparents, etc.,” said Rovira.
“We had access to a family farm which I would visit every weekend to play, ride horses and throw mud at each other” he added.
He then moved to Venezuela at the age of eleven and was only there for a three year period of time till he moved to the United States. Rovira landed in the United States, adjusting to American culture in Texas where he’d realize that his biggest cultural adjustment wasn’t the language barrier.
While Rovira was fortunate enough to have learned the English language in Puerto Rico, It was rather the questions he received while being there that was his biggest cultural adjustment. “ I was an anomaly to them because I wasn’t from there and they have never heard of Puerto Rico; they thought I was weird”. Rovira explained. Overcoming it day by day where eventually he was no longer an anomaly but a peer and colleague.
His time here in the states is where he found his passions for tennis. He picked up his first racquet and began to play at school all throughout sixth and eighth grade.
“I would hit balls but it was mainly about hitting them as hard as I could over the fence and never about playing the game”. Rovira jokingly explained.
Rovira didn’t start to seriously play tennis until he was 30 to 31 years old. That’s when his love for tennis truly developed and changed everything for his life.
“I got deep into it and went straight in, and here I ‘am as a head coach at a community college”.
Fortunately, Rovira landed at the Solano courts in 2017 because of the annual tennis challenger.
“At Solano we have a tennis tournament and the challenger is the minor league for tennis and I was asked to be on board and help with the direction of it and get things on court”.
By this challenger Rovira took his first steps at Solano and little did he know he would become Solano’s head tennis coach.
“From this I met the head coach of Solano and became an assistant coach and things evolved from there and now I’m the head coach.” Which he is very happy to be a part of.
While his goal as a tennis coach is to ultimately get Solano to win, Rovira wants to encourage self growth from his team: “For me, my biggest goal is not necessarily to make better tennis players; it is to make better people.”
Rovira further explained, “My job off the court is more important by keeping people calm and helping them realize what they’re doing wrong and what they’re doing right and try to combat that to create a better technique and better focus”.
A part of the self growth mission has been encouraging self reflection and emotional control for his players, encouraging dialogue when needed for the players wellbeing.
A common philosophy that Rovira uses is emotional control because of his understanding of controlling the ball, “To me the people who have the potential to become a tennis player are the people who overcome the frustration of not hitting the ball where you want it to.” Rovira emphasizes. Currently, he’s been assembling the women’s tennis team for the 2025 season, factoring in his principles and skill.
Due to a lack of players, the Solano women’s tennis team was unable to continue for the 2024 season. Yet, that is all about to change for the better. Rovira is proud to announce that there will be a women’s tennis team for the 2025 season.
Rovira has expressed his excitement over the forming of both tennis teams, hoping to encourage others to join the sport and even pursue joining the women’s team,“The best way to get better at tennis is to play tennis”.
