April 8, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - From her first day at USC Upstate, senior women's tennis player Diana Martinez has been a steady performer on several different stages.
On the tennis court, she owns the USC Upstate all-time record in with 134 combined wins (71 singles, 63 doubles) and has consistently improved her win totals in both singles and doubles each season. She currently holds an 18-6 overall record in singles in the 2007-08 season and a 15-7 overall doubles record with playing partner, junior Maria Herrera, and will look to the lead the Spartans to the school's first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championship this week in matches at East Tennessee State Wednesday and against Campbell Thursday.
Off the court, Martinez is an outstanding student, racking up a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) last year. She was selected as an ESPN the Magazine Second Team Academic All-American and will graduate this year with a degree in Economics.
Martinez recently sat down with Adam Walker of upstatespartans.com to talk about her play, partnering with Herrera and her future plans.
US.com: How would you describe your tennis game right now?
Diana Martinez: It's getting better. We are near the end of the season and I'm playing my best right now. We played three tough matches recently and I feel like my game progressed and improved a lot. Right now, I hope to keep playing the same way because we have a few more important matches.
US.com: What is it like to be USC Upstate's all-time career leader in combined singles and doubles wins?
DM: It's great. I never thought I could achieve that record and we have some great players. Anna (Novo) also has a lot of wins, too, but I hope I have at-least one year holding the record. It feels amazing because we always say as a team that we're making history and it's good to make history with your team and with individual records as well.
US.com: How much does the team want to win the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title?
DM: It's very important since we realized that we were going to Division I, we would not be able to go to the conference tournament, regionals and nationals, and our main goal was to win the regular season title. Right now, we're closer and closer to achieving our goal. All the work, practice and running is hopefully going to pay off.
US.com: How fun is it playing doubles tennis with your partner, Maria Herrera?
DM: It's great. She has been my playing partner for three years and we have a great friendship on and off the court. We get along very well.
US.com: What kind of person is your coach, Alessandro De Marzo?
DM: What can I say? He's crazy, but he knows the right moments when to have fun and to practice hard. The most important thing is we all get along with him, he's always there for us and he's our friend. I think that helps with tennis as well because having a great relationship off the court and on the court goes a long way.
US.com: What are some of the differences between your homeland of Colombia and the United States?
DM: The language of course, the food and I miss my family and my friends. Back home, I always play tennis on a clay court, but here, we play on a hard court.
US.com: What has it been like playing with Susana Hernandez for four seasons?
DM: It has been amazing. Susana is one of the finest persons on the team. She always knows what's going on, she always makes funny comments if we're stressed or tired to bring us up and that's why she's a very good person.
US.com: Does it feel like you are part of a family with the women's and men's tennis teams?
DM: I know that sometimes other teams don't get along and only play together because they have to, but I think every single person here, the guys, the girls, Coach De Marzo and Coach (Tammy) Matheny, we all enjoy being around each other. We always spend a lot of time together off the court. Almost everyone is roommates with someone on the tennis team and we all are best friends.
US.com: Who's the best player: De Marzo, Stefan Dumitrescu or Sandy Franz and why?
DM: I think they all have different qualities and good styles of play. I've never seen Alessandro play, but from what Tammy says, he was always tough and fighting to the last point. Sandy has improved his game so much since he came here. Stefan has had great results since he's been here and was in the Division II singles championship match. I think Stefan is the most talented.
US.com: What are your plans after graduation?
DM: What I want to do right now is go to graduate school this fall, but I don't have too many options right now. I've been looking for a scholarship and if I don't get one, I'm going to apply for some jobs around here.
