Roy Horovitz spent most of his freshman season dying to play.
Reaching that point however, took time and tested him physically and mentally. In many ways, his season ended before it even began — with an April 2024 ACL injury and subsequent surgery sidelining the star newcomer for a majority of his first year at Virginia.
For Horovitz, who at one point held the coveted position as the top recruit in the country, sitting out for the first three quarters of his freshman season was difficult, and taking the recovery process slowly and maintaining eligibility was a viable option. But, driven by a desire to get back on the court, Horovitz put the work in behind the scenes to play even an abbreviated campaign.
“He’s probably the hardest-working guy on the team right now — in rehab, in fitness, in practice,” junior Dylan Dietrich said in the spring.
Horovitz said, his teammates made the process much easier.
“Being surrounded by such a close group of guys and some of my best friends definitely helped me — even without being able to play — have the most fun I've ever had,” Horovitz said.
Horovitz is now healthy, heading into a busy fall season and preparing to get as much playing time as possible.
As fall turned to spring and the highly ranked Cavaliers began conference play, Horovitz bided his time, focused on rehabbing his knee and never lost sight of his goal to get back on the court. It was not until the last day of February, in an away matchup against a strong Duke side, that he finally got his shot.
“It truly meant everything to me,” Horovitz said. “I mean, it was tough just feeling like I was being held back from doing what I love, and then getting back to it and competing again — it was really special.”
Two days later, against North Carolina in the second leg of the road trip, Horovitz earned his first competitive win in nearly a year, winning in straight sets on Court 6 singles. Between Feb. 28 and April 18, he played nine singles matches, attaining a 4-4 record.
He found more success on the doubles court, partnering once with graduate student James Hopper, then nine times with fellow freshman Rafael Jódar. The latter partnership, in particular, was invaluable for Virginia in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, going 6-0.
“Doubles was a ton of fun playing with Rafa and just having fun out there and competing,” Horovitz said. “It was probably the best part of my season.”
Ultimately playing in only nine singles matches and 10 doubles ones, Horovitz's shortened season was still a productive one. Upon his return, he said he felt like a more mature player, even though he was not physically or technically at his best.
Horovitz sacrificed a full year of eligibility for those 19 matches despite a clear opportunity to redshirt or defer his enrollment at the University by at least a semester. To him, finishing high school early and doing whatever it took to play as much as possible in the spring was a no-brainer — it was the next step toward a professional career, and it also let him get back to doing what he loves. Still, the weight of the decision is not lost on Coach Andres Pedroso.
“I will never forget what Roy Horovitz has done for this team [by] burning a year of eligibility just to play doubles for us,” Pedroso said. “[That was just] a very selfless act by a guy that loves this team, loves this University, and to do it as a first-year showed me a lot about his character.”
After Virginia's quarterfinal loss against TCU in the NCAA Tournament, Horovitz again had to take some time off to focus on recovery. He headed to the United States Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando, Fla., to work with a physiotherapist for hours a day rehabilitating his knee.
After almost two months of that, Horovitz said he finally reached a point of complete confidence in his knee and opted to return to Charlottesville for a few weeks to prepare for the USTA Boys' Junior National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. He said it was a difficult conversation with the coaches about whether competing after such a long time off was worth it, but his decision ultimately paid off.
Horovitz reached the quarterfinals of that tournament, winning three matches in the process against other top American players ages 18 and under. A strained abdomen caused him to pull out of the tournament before his quarterfinal match, but just getting the chance to compete was something Horovitz said meant a lot.
Most importantly, Horovitz added, his knee felt great.
“Just to get that tournament feel again and win a few matches and find myself in tough situations and then figure it out,” Horovitz said. “It's been so long since I did that. And to do it all pain-free was a huge step in the right direction.”
And that was it for the summer. Horovitz returned to Grounds in the following weeks and is now preparing for a busy fall season. Pedroso said the plan is to get him as many reps as possible — this is a young team betting a lot on internal development, and ensuring that Horovitz gets the chance to shake off all the remaining rust is a priority.
Feeling better than he has in well over a year, Horovitz seconded that his goal for the fall is just to get more court time. It has been a long road back for the sophomore, but simply feeling close to 100 percent physically after such a long recovery process is an accomplishment in itself — the next step is building up strength and confidence ahead of a demanding dual season in spring.
“I'm just extremely, extremely excited to know that I'm going to be able to — knock on wood — go compete pain-free and just battle as much as I can and figure it out,” Horovitz said. “I feel like my tennis is starting to click back. And now I'll have the opportunities to go out there and have fun.”
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