In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, USTA Florida is recognizing members of Florida’s rich Hispanic community whose talents and dedication help to grow the great game of tennis every day — at every level. We applaud them all for making tennis a better and more inclusive sport, and for making the face of our game more accurately reflect the dynamic diversity of our country.
Tennis is More Than a Game, It’s My Everything
Daniela Alvarez has been around tennis since she was a little girl, and not only did she learn how to play the game, but she made it her obsession, changing her life forever.
She was first introduced to the sport when she was just eight years old. Her uncle, who lived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia at the time was the one who got her into the sport. He ended up moving to America, when he was offered a tennis scholarship, and Daniela is extremely grateful that he got her involved with tennis.
It is a lifelong sport and Daniela is amazed at all the journeys that tennis has taken her on. “I love the number of opportunities and experiences that sport has given me through the years,” she said. “I traveled the world playing tennis and created lifelong friendships with people from different countries and cultures.”
She also earned a full scholarship to play at Clemson University, where she worked extensively on her tennis game and even had two separate Final Four appearances, during her tenure.
Daniela played college tennis at Clemson and made two Final Four appearances.
On top of the playing aspect of the game, tennis is the reason she was able to have her own family, which is also passionate about the sport. “I also met my husband through tennis, who won the National Championship at the University of Georgia,” she recalled. “Now, we both have the pleasure of spending lots of quality time on the court with our daughters who also share the same passion for tennis. Tennis is our life!”
Today, Daniela is the Head Pro for the Club at Boca Pointe in Boca Raton. She works with tons of adults, regardless of their levels. Daniela, alongside her husband, also has a high-performance academy for junior athletes called the “Gonzalez Tennis Academy” where some of the best in the nation come to train.
How Daniela’s Hispanic Culture Has Shaped Her Life
Family and culture is a huge part of Daniela’s life.
Moving to another country can be difficult, but for Daniela, her roots never changed. “I am proud of our strong family foundation and work ethic” Daniela said. “It has helped shape the person I am today. Determined, with strong family values and open-minded.”
Daniela loves everything about Hispanic culture, from the music and food to the language and sense of community. “Growing up I love spending time with my family celebrating traditional holidays such as Semana Santa, and Christmas,” she said. “I also had 30 cousins to play with during the festivities, which made it all the more exciting and unforgettable.”
Daniela teaches everyone, including her daughters, to accept everyone and be inclusive.
When it comes to celebrating and recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, Daniela thinks it’s important both on and off the court to admire her culture and the people that have fought for their rights. “It’s a nice reminder of our roots and a time to honor our culture and the people who have inspired others to succeed. In tennis, it is also a reminder that culture, language, country, or race is no impediment to having fun and being inclusive.”
Diversity is important to Daniela and she left us with one word, “respect” as her goal in life is to respect others and give everyone the same opportunity regardless of where they come from. “I think that’s the key to a healthy environment.”
