Top of the order: freshman Gerardo Meza adjusting to life in the fast lane

Arriving in January as a highly world-ranked junior with Davis Cup experience for his native Mexico, Gerardo Meza enjoyed unprecedented success as a freshman men’s tennis player at Clemson by starting the season at 10-0 while playing at or near the top of the lineup in singles.

“He got thrown right into the heat of battle playing No.1 and 2, and he went 10-0 to start the season,” said Tiger men’s coach Chuck McCuen. “I’m not sure there’s been any freshman in the history of Clemson’s men’s tennis to play that high in the lineup who’s had that good of a start.”

Having already distinguished himself with his winning resume as a junior on the ITF world circuit, Meza got the nod at the start of the season to play at the top singles flight while Tiger seniors Derek DiFazio and Kevin Galloway sat out, and current No.1 Yannick Maden waited for his eligibility to begin.

Meza responded in a season-opening doubleheader with a straight-sets 6-0, 6-0 victory over Wofford’s Michael Schecter, and a 6-1, 6-0 win over PC’s Grayson Mills.

“It was really quick to play No.1, and it was a surprise to me,” said Meza. “I just played No.1 for the first three matches, but I think it was a good experience. Playing No.1 singles your first year is good, because the matches are tougher and with the opposition at No.1 there’s a little more pressure.”

Meza’s first singles loss of the season didn’t come until the sixth match of the year, when the Tigers fell 7-0 in Athens to nationally-ranked Georgia. Losing 6-1, 6-1 to the Bulldogs’ Drake Bernstein in the No.3 position was all part of an expected learning curve as Meza adjusts to the speed and athleticism of the U.S. college game.

“It’s a big difference,” said Meza. “Georgia was a very tough team. It’s top college-level, and Georgia’s one of the best teams in the country. It was a good experience for finding out, ‘what’s my level, right now, and what do I need to do to achieve that high level?’ Some of that is mental.

“Also, the system is a little different. In juniors I played alone. I didn’t play with a team, and was just on my own with a coach. In juniors the tennis is fast, but not fast like it is here. In juniors we play on different surfaces, like clay, which is a slower surface. The tennis at the college level is very fast and you have to be quick, both on the court and with your decisions.”

Meza said that the factor of a vocal and decidedly hostile crowd was another new experience.

“Yeah, the crowd…you’re hearing it,” he laughed. “We need some crowds like that here, because at Georgia and also at Tennessee the crowds were amazing. There were a lot of people cheering on every point.”

At 6-3, Meza has the sort of powerful ground-strokes that make for an effective backcourt player, though he also has an attacking mentality, and will finish at the net at the first opportunity. In McCuen’s view, that combination of abilities makes Meza a difficult opponent to pigeonhole.

“I think that’s the perfect combination in college tennis right now,” said McCuen. “If he gets stuck in the backcourt, he’s very effective, but once he gets to the net, he feels really comfortable and that adds a whole different dynamic to the game. Opposing coaches can dissect a player pretty easily if you’re just one-dimensional. If you’re all serve-and-volley, they’ll find a way to beat that, or if you’re all backcourt.”

Meza believes that his success this year will depend largely on his serve.

“My game is to attack,” he said. “That’s my philosophy of play. Right now I think my serve is the key as far as winning some matches this season.”

Recruited from the Guizar Tennis academy in Orlando, FL, where he’s been based the last three years, Meza was immediately impressed with Clemson.

“Clemson is a very prestigious school academically, and I fell in love with the campus and the courts and facilities,” he said. “The expectations for the program here are high, from getting to the top of the ACC, to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, and winning a national championship.”