Most students take classes during sophomore Summer, but Alexander Centenari '13 is not your average sophomore. Instead of hitting the books, Centenari will be training and travelling all across the United States to play in professional tennis tournaments.
Centenari, who hails from Towson, Md., was first introduced to tennis at the age of five by his father.
"My dad started playing around the same time I did, so it was new for both of us," he said. "We both became extremely passionate about the game and worked hard to improve side by side."
Throughout his youth, Centenari also played lacrosse and swam competitively, but upon entering high school he decided to focus on tennis. This choice led to an illustrious high school career, which culminated with Centenari being named the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Player of the Year in his final season.
Still, Centenari's path to Dartmouth was rather unorthodox. After struggling with injuries at the age of 16 that kept him off the tennis court for about a year, Xander decided to take a gap year following graduation. He had been admitted to the University of Virginia and planned to take a year to play in tournaments in order to improve his tennis.
Centenari spent his gap year playing men's tournaments across the United States and trained at ISP Tennis Academy in Nice, France.
"I trained a lot on the red clay in France, he said. "It really helped with my fitness and taught me how to construct points. There are lots of high-level European players on the tour, and I learned and tried to emulate their styles."
While in France, Centenari received a recruiting email from former men's tennis head coach Chuck Kinyon.
During his freshman year at Dartmouth, Centenari excelled on the court, posting a 13-5 record in dual matches. Playing at the bottom half of the lineup, Centenari eased into the college tennis experience.
"The pressure is different than in juniors there's more on the line," he said. "Winning at the lower spots in the lineup helped me gain confidence and gave me the match experience I needed to be successful."
Last summer, Centenari worked hard to do even better than in his stellar freshman year, and again travelled across the country playing Pro Circuit Futures events. He spent August at ISP Academy in France with teammate Alex de Chatellus '13.
"The pro tournaments last summer really helped my game." Centenari said. "The lowest level of pro tennis is still an extremely high level and playing matches and training with those guys really did a lot for my confidence."
The Pro Circuit Futures events are meant to be a bridge to professional tournaments. The tournaments generally offer $10,000 or $15,000 in prize money and feature players ranked as high as 200th in the world.
During the summer, Centenari experienced firsthand the lifestyle of a professional tennis journeyman.
"It's not easy." he said. "On TV they show all the glamour of pro tennis, but that's only the top players. You really have to love the game and be dedicated because a majority of players aren't staying in nice hotels or eating good food. Tennis is a year-round sport, so there's no offseason."
Centenari's training regiment certainly paid off, as he came out his sophomore year playing at the top of his game. He won the Harvard Invitational in the fall and went 11-8 playing at No. 2 singles, leading the team to a third place finish in the Ivy League its best performance in 14 years. He was named second team All-Ivy in singles and first team All-Ivy in doubles with partner Michael Laser '12.
Centenari attributes the jump to several factors, including an improved serve and an aggressive playing style.
"My serve became a weapon, and I'm moving much better," he said. "Coach Drake has helped me dictate points and play a more offensive style."
This summer, Centenari plans to train at Dartmouth with coach Chris Drake during the week and travel to tournaments on the weekends. His first tournament is this weekend in Milford, N.H., and he plans to play Pro Circuit events in Rochester, N.Y., Decatur, Ill., and Binghamton, N.Y., before the summer is over.
Centenari plans on adhering to a tough training schedule while still enjoying all of the perks of sophomore Summer along the way.
"I'm really looking forward to this summer," he said. "By not taking classes, I can focus on improving my tennis game and still have time to hang out with my friends."
Since many of the tournaments are the same events he played last summer, Centenari hopes to improve on his already impressive performance last year and earn ATP points, which would give him an official professional ranking. Centenari was named co-captain for next year's team along with Laser and Christopher Ho '12.
He said he hopes that his training and experience this summer can help the team accomplish its goals in the future.
"Playing pro tournaments last summer did wonders for me, and I'm hoping this summer can boost my game as well," he said. "As captain, I intend to do everything I can to help us achieve our goal of winning the Ivy title."
