Jan. 31, 2008

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate men's tennis player Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso does his best to be a good teammate on the court. That could be one reason why Gonzales-Orbegoso is fourth all-time in doubles wins coming into this season at 40 career wins. He is also tied for sixth along with former teammate Stefan Dumitrescu for most doubles wins in a season with 22 in 2006-07.

As the only senior on this season's men's tennis team, Gonzales-Orbegoso is looking forward to the challenge of taking on a leadership role and hopes to lead Upstate tennis to another great season.

Recently, Gonzales-Orbegoso sat down with Adam Walker of upstatespartans.com to talk about the tennis program, growing up in Peru and PlayStation 2.

US.com: How much have you been looking forward to this season, the first in Division I?
Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso: I'm really excited about our season because it is our first in Division I and it's my senior year. I really want to do my best this season as the team captain and the only senior to give the knowledge I have to my teammates.

US.com: Are you pleased with you current play on the court?
SGO: I feel that I need more matches right now. This will come as the season goes along, but I'm really pleased with my play. Mentally, I feel like I'm strong enough to handle things.

US.com: You've put together an impressive doubles record during your career with several different playing partners. What are some of the keys to playing doubles tennis?
SGO: For me, the key is good communication with your partner. You have to make your partner feel comfortable with you, respect him, try not to pressure him too much so that he can develop his game, have fun and be smart.

US.com: How much does competition between yourself and your teammates in practice help prepare you for matches?
SGO: That's really important because some coaches say that you can win matches in practice. If you are practicing with your teammate and you're trying your best that will reflect in the real matches and in a tournament.

US.com: With most of the men's and women's tennis players being from outside of North America, do you feel like being part of the tennis program is like being part of a family?
SGO: We are like a family. We try to support each other if some one has a problem and we talk about it because we came from outside the United States. It important for us to have each other, to be together and speaking the same language makes things easier.

US.com: What was it like growing up in one of the largest cities in South America, Lima, Peru?
SGO: I really like Lima. My family is there and you have a lot of stuff to do and sports you can play. It was a nice experience growing up there.

US.com: What were some things you liked to do when you were a kid in Peru?
SGO: I was the kind of kid that really liked to do everything. I liked going to the mountains to hunt and I liked to go to the beach to surf and play volleyball. It was nice because there were a lot of options and you could do everything in Lima.

US.com: What is your relationship like with head coach Alessandro De Marzo?
SGO: We have a really nice relationship. My brother, Diego, used to play here and he and Coach De Marzo have known each other since I was nine or 10 years old. When coach was a player at USC Upstate, he came to my house and I was just starting to play tennis at that time. We have a really close bond with one another.

US.com: What do you like to do when you are not in class, on the tennis court or studying?
SGO: I like to watch TV to get my mind out of studying and practice. I also like to play PlayStation 2 and a soccer game called Winning Eleven and I like to go on the computer to MSN and chat with my friends in Peru.

US.com: You are in your senior year. What are your plans after graduation?
SGO: That's a good questions because I don't know what I'm going to do and I'm going to have to make a decision after the semester. I have the option of staying here for one year and try to find a job or go back to Peru and work there.