With the dream of pursuing collegiate tennis, freshman Diogo Rocha made the move from Lisbon, Portugal to Denver.
One of the nine players on Denver’s men’s tennis team, Rocha’s first season with the Pioneers has been one for the books. In the Summit League Championships on April 27, DU took home the first place title and Rocha was the first to gain a singles win, 6-0, in this tournament. This year, Rocha’s individual singles record was 18-6 and for individual doubles, Rocha’s record was 16-7.
“We just won our conference tournament last weekend and with that we have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. We are hoping to have some very good weeks of practice to be ready to go and play our best tennis of the year at the NCAA tournament,” said Rocha.
Taught by his father in Portugal, Rocha began playing tennis at the age of six and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. With his career at Denver underway and off to a strong start, Rocha has big plans for the future.
“My biggest dream is to become a professional tennis player and I think DU is giving me the best preparation for that,” Said Rocha. “With the team, we work very hard every day and that’s the kind of practice you need if you want to become a professional.”
Starting his career last fall at DU, the transition from Rocha’s native Portugal to Denver was challenging, but has proved to be successful.
“It wasn’t easy in the beginning,” said Rocha. “Portugal and the United States are two very different countries. First, I had the language adaptation, which wasn’t easy in the beginning. Also, being away from my family and friends for a long period of time required an adjustment. Besides that, it has been a great experience and I am really enjoying my time in Denver.”
While in high school, Rocha played for a local club team in Lisbon, as his school, Escola Secundaria de Miraflores, did not have any sports teams. While growing up, Rocha did not think that he would be able to continue playing tennis into college, but when Denver offered him the opportunity, Rocha was happy to make the move and pursue the sport that he loves.
“In Portugal, we don’t have college sports, and it’s very difficult to conciliate both a university and a high level sport. With these situations, coming to the United States was the perfect option for me because here I can do both at a very high level.”
Adjusting to his new life in the United States, Rocha is grateful for the relationships he has made on and off the court this year.
“We have six freshmen on the team and we try to help each other a lot. We also have a couple of older guys that did a fantastic job helping us every time we needed it. I definitely have to say thank you to all of them and also our coaches for really supporting me and making my adaptation to a new country so much easier.”
Studying business, Rocha is happy that DU provides him with more than just tennis-related opportunities.
“I think Denver is a really nice city,” Rocha said. “Then DU is just an amazing combination of both very well-recognized academics and also very high-level athletics. In the winter, we have the snow (something that never happens in Lisbon) and it’s beautiful in the spring. Having a beautiful campus and the mountains as a background, I just felt that DU would be the right place for me to be, and I was definitely right.”
With three more seasons with the Pioneers ahead of him, Rocha is excited to play the sport he loves and to continue college career in the United States.
“I grow watching and playing tennis almost every day,” said Rocha. “It’s something that I love to do and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. In tennis, we have the chance to compete from the first to the last point which is something that I really enjoy about the sport.”
