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COACH PROFILE
Long journey lands Rincon in the Canes ’ court Success has helped shape teaching style BY ADAM BERGER SENIOR SPORTS WRITER
When Mario Rincon was growing up in the small town of Duitama, Colombia, he and all of his friends played soccer. That was the game; that was the sport, until the day that Mario ’s father, channeling his inner Ray Kinsella from “Field of Dreams, ” built a tennis court in the family ’s backyard. “It wasn ’t a fancy court or anything, just some flat land with a tennis net. It worked, ” Rincon said. “From there we played tennis all day long. ” But Rincon ’s life didn ’t play out like a typical sports movie. He never went on to become a tennis legend. He never fell to his knees in celebration after winning a major. But he did have a modest professional career, cracking the top-200 in the mid-1990s during his nine-year stint on the ATP World Tour. According to the ATP ’s website, Rincon won $132,921 in prize money through singles and doubles competitions in his time as a pro. He played in all the major tournaments, on the courts of the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open. Heading to school Most aspiring tennis players would sign up for that resume immediately. Take the money and the memories, then ride off into the sunset. But that wasn ’t enough for Rincon. “I played for the University of Kentucky a long time ago and I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to play professional tennis and then when I finished … I wanted to become a college coach, ” said Rincon, who also played for his country as a member of the Columbian Davis Cup Team from 1989 to 1998. “The whole concept of playing together as a team in college, the whole concept of enjoying a victory together, to me that was the ultimate experience, ” he said. Rincon, who turns 45 later this month, is the head coach for the University of Miami men ’s tennis team. He began coaching at Miami in 2004 and won ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2006. He has stayed in the game for this long because tennis is what he loves, and tennis is what he knows. Growing Up But when you talk to Rincon about the man who introduced him to the racket and ball back in Duitama all those years ago, he tenses up. So you press him on the subject. 22
SPORTS
“My dad never let me know that he was happy about my achievements but I think he was really proud. He was always pushing and pushing and pushing and asking for more, ” Rincon recalled hesitantly. Sitting in his office at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, with pictures of his daughters Laura, Daniela and Gabriella proudly displayed on a filing cabinet above his desk, Rincon would rather talk about match strategy or one of the eight Hurricanes on his young Miami roster than his relationship with his father, Victor Mario. “His father was so demanding, ” said Laura Rincon, Mario ’s wife. “If he lost, it was the end of everything. ” Nevertheless Rincon stresses that his father was a critical figure in his life and a positive one who got him to this point in his career. “As a 16-, 17-year-old kid, when you have to play and practice so many hours there are more things that you would enjoy doing than playing tennis, ” Rincon said. “To play at a high level I think somebody else needs to push you and my dad was that figure for me. But I liked it. I loved it. I was very competitive … I ’m really glad that he was there for me. ” And then of course there is Rincon ’s late mother, Erneftina. “She was just the most lovely person ever, in the world. She was always very supportive, ” Rincon said. “Of course my dad was more results oriented; my mom was more feelings oriented. That ’s a side that I always appreciated and I think it was a great mix. ” It ’s no surprise that this balance of discipline and nurture comes out in Rincon ’s coaching style. Keeping his balance During a recent home meet against the University of Central Florida, Rincon could be seen slowly pacing the center aisle that sits between the first and second groupings of courts. Arms crossed, he peers through his dark sunglasses with an unreadable stare, overseeing every one of the six singles matches taking place simultaneously. Somehow Rincon keeps tabs of every point, no matter the court. It ’s this aisle that offers him the best vantage point for a meet and serves as a nerve center of sorts, a place where he can feel the pulse of his team. “In college tennis it is very different than professional tennis, when in singles you have six matches going on and the different matches have different momentums, ” said Rincon, whose Canes would end up beating UCF 5-2. “Sometimes the whole momentum swings as a team and that ’s a very interesting aspect of it. For us coaches to try to catch that wave, that momentum going our way … that ’s what we want. ”
THE MIAMI HURRICANE
April 12 - April 15, 2012
ZACH BEEKER // Staff Photographer
LEADER: Mario Rincon, coach of the men’s tennis team since 2004, encourages his players during Sunday’s match against Duke. Miami was swept in that match. Rincon could write a dissertation on the unique aspects of college tennis, and the challenges of coming up with a strategy to win a meet. He enjoys trying to out-think his opponent, and doesn ’t have a problem telling you he ’s good at it. But there are the other responsibilities that come with being a college coach, the ones that a tennis court can ’t prepare you for; the skills and lessons that Rincon took
from his mother. “You ’re an important figure in their lives when they ’re away from home, trying to get their degree and become better tennis players, ” Rincon said. “It ’s a huge responsibility to be their coach, and I take that very seriously and I love it. ” FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THE STORY, VISIT THEMIAMIHURRICANE.COM