High-end potential begins this season

There is a steep climb ahead for Grand Canyon men's tennis to reach the national top-50 goal that Lopes first-year head coach Derek Siddiqui has set for his program.

The first steps of GCU's journey have been to emulate the end goal, looking the part with how they train and carrying that over to how they compete when the season opens Saturday at Arizona before a home opener against Wichita State on Monday.

"Everything is about the team and making sure you have your teammates back," Siddiqui said. "We're setting a high standard of acting professional. We may not be a top-five team, but we're going to act like we're a top-five team and do everything a top-five team does, whether that's being professional on the court, working hard and taking care of bodies and getting our work done off the court."

Siddiqui is setting a team culture that he learned from being a standout player at San Diego State and working as an assistant coach for four years each at Gonzaga and TCU, the latter of which enjoyed three consecutive Elite Eight qualifiers.

The Lopes have a head coach dedicated to the men's team only for the first time in GCU's Division I era and a new head coach for the first time since 2009, when the program came out of a 22-year hiatus.

The transition timing to a more intense training regimen works with six freshmen on the 11-man roster, including Siddiqui's first signee. Alfred Almasi arrived from Slovakia last week with a new world, a second language and a different culture all coming at him on top of tennis.

"He definitely has the level," Siddiqui said of his highest-rated player on Universal Tennis Rating. "I wasn't worried that he came in January because he's so mature and disciplined.

"His backhand is world-class. He's always looking to get better and trying to do the extra thing. He's the model of what we want here – a guy who has the high level of tennis and was so excited to come here. The whole time, he was saying, 'I can't wait to be a Lope. I can't wait to take the program to new heights.' "

Almasi has help to do that from a pair of returning sophomores, Martim Marujo of Portgual and Jonathan Da Silva of France.

Marujo is considered the most talented player by staff and teammates after being part of GCU's No. 1 doubles team last season, when he went 10-9 in singles at the No. 3 and 4 spots.

"Watching him play is like beautiful music," Siddiqui said. "If I could teach a kid how to play tennis, I'd model him after Martim. The guy is good. He moves well. He just needs to understand there's always another level you can go to."

Da Silva returns after a year away from the program that he impacted greatly as WAC Freshman of the Year in 2021, when he won the match that cinched GCU's second consecutive WAC Tournament title.

Knowing he comes back to a stronger conference with UT Arlington added as a clear favorite, Da Silva improved his backhand in the fall to go with his serve and forehand.

"A coach's dream," Siddiqui said. "His level is very good. He wants what's best for the team and he works hard every day. He's bringing the range. He was probably the most impressive in the fall with all that."

Freshmen Paolo Rosati of Italy is improving in the adjustment from European clay to American hardcourts and another freshman, 6-foot-5 David Wakesa of Germany, also is showing high-end potential to pair with Da Silva at No. 1 doubles.

But after spending months on culture and skill work, Siddiqui needs to see matches to know how his lineup responds to pressure moments and challenging opponents.

"We're not where we want to be right now, but if we want to win conference and be a top-50 program someday, we have to up the ante in a lot of things," Siddiqui said. "The program is definitely headed in the right direction because a lot of the guys are buying in.

"I love my job. It's been unbelievable. I'm super excited to come to work. I'm grateful to be here and build a program that has so much potential. I love the university. I love everything about it."

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Players Mentioned

Alfred Almasi

Jonathan Da Silva

Martim Marujo

Paolo Rosati

Grand Canyon University Athletics