Helming one of the best programs in college tennis for nearly a decade, men’s tennis Coach Andres Pedroso has coached his fair share of incredible talents. At present, he is the only coach in the sport who can boast about having two players ranked in the top 10 nationally, and he spent the summer watching guys he has coached appear in grand slam main draws and win professional tournaments across the Atlantic.
With all that talent sporting the V-Sabre over the years, many — or perhaps just one — of us are still left with a burning question. With a dual match tied at 3-3 entering a deciding set, who exactly does Pedroso want standing at the baseline?
If Pedroso were to, just for a day, play the role of college tennis’s Dr. Frankenstein, exactly what would he build? Using traits from the 11 players on his roster, what would his perfect player look like? Pedroso sat down with The Cavalier Daily to answer this question.
Serve — Dylan Dietrich
As the only guaranteed shot in tennis, the serve is foundational to so many players’ games. Junior Dylan Dietrich, unsurprisingly, is Pedroso’s pick for service, with it being a centerpiece of the 6-foot-5 junior’s game.
“He can take the racket out of your hand with the serve,” Pedroso said.
Dietrich is currently the ninth-ranked singles player in the country, having spent most of last season playing Court 2 singles for the Cavaliers, going 18-5 in the dual-spring season. Giant serves are a staple of Dietrich’s thrilling play, and, while inconsistency sometimes gets the best of him, the junior can seemingly beat anyone on his best day.
Return — Rafael Jódar
“You’ve got to go with Rafael Jódar,” Pedroso said. “He might have the best return in college tennis.”
Having a freshman season half as good as the one that now-sophomore Rafael Jódar had would be an accomplishment in itself. The sophomore out of Madrid is clinical from the baseline and went an incredible 19-3 in singles in his first semester as a Cavalier.
Currently the second-ranked singles player in the nation and a recent winner on the Challenger Tour, Jódar opted to return to Virginia for a second season, where he is poised to again be one of the best players in college tennis and an unstoppable force from the baseline.
Movement — Jangjun Kim
Sophomore Jangjun Kim arrived on Grounds in January, started winning and never looked back. The Korean sophomore is a steady contributor for Virginia, playing mostly on Courts 5 and 6 but racking up wins there, going 16-7.
Movement in tennis is much more than just speed, acceleration and footwork, and not many players embody that the way Kim does. Kim controls points effectively, with calculated and efficient movement accompanying strong buildup play, which allows him to thrive against more mistake-prone opponents. He spent his summer playing professional tournaments in Asia and taking summer courses, and may be preparing for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Forehand — Måns Dahlberg
“That's between Kim and Måns,” Pedroso said. “I think Måns will be offended if I don't choose him, so I'm gonna go with Måns on seniority.”
Senior Måns Dahlberg is certainly deserving of the nod. Entering his fourth year on the roster, he strikes the ball better than almost anybody on the team. The Dahlberg that appears late in the season is probably one of the scariest sights a Court 5 or 6 singles player can see across the court, and his strong baseline shots — especially that forehand — have helped Dahlberg win tight matches.
Dahlberg went 15-12 in duals last season and is also half of the No. 18 doubles pairing in the country alongside Dietrich. The senior ended last season in incredible form, going 9-1 from March 28 onward and scoring the deciding point in clutch fashion for Virginia’s ACC semifinal win over top-ranked Wake Forest.
Backhand — Keegan Rice
“I'm gonna need to go with Mr. Keegan Rice there,” Pedroso said. “He's got one of the most pure backhands that I've ever coached.”
Playing mostly on Court 3 in the spring, sophomore Keegan Rice put together solid performances against tough opposition day in and day out. The sophomore out of Regina, Canada, has a crisp backhand that generates incredible power from behind the baseline, powering him to an 11-11 record in spring singles and an 11-10 record in doubles with partner graduate student James Hopper.
Net game — Ty Switzer
“Ty Switzer volleys extremely well,” Pedroso said. “He came a long way in doubles last year.”
Senior Ty Switzer only played doubles for Virginia in spring, but did so with seven different partners, showcasing what Pedroso saw in the senior’s growth. Standing at 6-foot-2, he is decisive at the net, making him a versatile doubles player that can find success with many partners, including three freshmen last season.
Tennis IQ — Roy Horovitz
Sophomore Roy Horovitz, who spent most of his freshman year sidelined recovering from an ACL injury, said his time out turned him into a more mature, poised tennis player.
“Just from the mental side of things, I felt a lot more mature on the court,” Horovitz said.
In what court time he did get in spring, Horovitz found most of his success in doubles, going undefeated with Jódar through the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Finding success in long, drawn-out points, the sophomore still considers his game a bit of a work in progress but prides himself on his ability to make opponents’ lives difficult with prolonged rallies and tough-to-reach balls.
Attitude — Stiles Brockett
If attitude is analogous to that composure and clutchness necessary for tight matches, then sophomore Stiles Brockett has it in droves. The sophomore, hailing from Fairfax, Va., went 5-4 in spring singles, with his most noteworthy performance being a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win on Court 6 against a top-ranked Texas Feb. 2.
That day, Virginia was trailing 3-1 at one point and had worked its way back to 3-3, meaning that the entire match came down to Brockett, who was playing a third set against an extremely strong, more experienced player. With deliberate play and unparalleled composure, Brockett won the third set decisively, showing exactly what attitude is needed for clutch wins at the highest level.
Leadership — Stefan Regalia
Junior Stefan Regalia only saw the court once in spring — playing doubles with Switzer in an away matchup against Boston College — but, in his two years as a Cavalier, he has been a relevant name in the Virginia rotation.
With a record now at 12-10 in singles over his two years, the junior out of Arlington, Va., is a vocal sideline presence and an important part of the depth that may be the difference for a Virginia side that lost two players over the offseason while bringing in none.
Sense of Humor — Douglas Yaffa
One might expect that the “perfect” college tennis player would likely finish their matches pretty quickly. But with the nature of the game, that means their work is far from over. That is where the “glue guy” skills come into play, and nobody embodies that better on the Virginia roster than senior Douglas Yaffa.
When he’s not playing, Yaffa can be found at home matches camped out beside Court 5 or 6, egging on his teammates with nicknames, taglines and assorted sound effects. Dahlberg, a regular recipient of this support who was a freshman with Yaffa in 2022, said that the support he gets from his sideline from his teammate is invaluable in maintaining a positive mindset.
Preparation — RJ Fresen
“If RJ was healthy, I can promise you, he would probably be the best at the pre-match and the preparation.” Pedroso said. “He's extremely prepared any time he gets a chance to play tennis.”
Senior RJ Fresen never had the stereotypical college athletics experience. Plagued with back injuries from a young age, Fresen played a bit in his freshman year but has since not played any college tennis matches. Pedroso raved about the now-senior’s work ethic, which saw him return to the roster in the 2023-2024 season after a two-year absence.
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