Lakewood Ranch pro returns to the court

LAKEWOOD RANCH — It had been two years since Chris Marquez walked onto the court as a competitor.

The Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center head tennis professional spent more than a decade competing in United States Tennis Association tournaments and at the University of South Florida before a pair of arthroscopic knee surgeries five years ago forced Marquez to stop competing on a regular basis.

But on March 12, Marquez returned to the court in the 2011 Tennis Exhibition Tour for Charity at Jacaranda West Country Club in Venice. The U.S. PTA Tour Exhibition Series brings local tennis professionals together for a tournament. The event is similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.

“I’m just looking forward to getting out there and having a good time,” Marquez said before the tournament. “I don’t get out on the court (very often) anymore, so it’ll be interesting. I’ll be rusty, but hopefully I can hold my own for a little bit.”

Marquez competed in the exhibition tour doubles match with Jacaranda Director of Tennis Adam Zastempowski, Longboat Key Club tennis professional Claudiu Retean and Lakewood Ranch assistant tennis professional Arlon Day.

The four teaching professionals played three sets of doubles, rotating partners for each set, with the top two players in terms of the amount of games won advancing to the quarterfinals April 2 at the Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center. Zastempowski won first place in the event, and Retean broke a three-way tie to capture second place.

“It felt pretty good to get back on the court competing after such a long time, and to be in that environment again,” Marquez said. “I don’t play a whole lot of tennis these days, and it showed. I was very rusty, and it took a while to get a feel for the court, my feet and the ball.

“I felt like towards the end, I started to hit the ball a little cleaner and serve well, but it was too late,” he said.
Marquez was 11 years old the first time he picked up a tennis racket. His father, Rolly, introduced him to the sport.

“I was kind of a late-bloomer,” Marquez said. “I picked it up very fast, and I moved along quickly.”

Marquez began competing nationally in USTA tournaments before playing at USF for four years. During his college tennis career, Marquez also played in some satellite tournaments over the summer but eventually decided to turn his attention to teaching after graduating in 1993.

“I decided I enjoyed teaching and coaching right out of college,” Marquez said. “I’ve been a tennis professional ever since. I enjoy the coaching, talking and meeting people.

“Just knowing you’re helping someone out and making someone better. … I just enjoy helping people improve and be happy,” he said. “A lot of our members know they’re not world-class players, but I like helping them improve their livelihood.”

Marquez spent time coaching on the WTA Tour, traveling around the world with American Kristina Brandi, who was 28th in the world at one time. He then went on to serve as the head tennis professional at The Palmer Academy in Tampa before assuming his current position in 2000.

“Tennis has been good to me,” Marquez said. “It’s been a good experience. … I feel like I wear a lot of different hats on the court.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].