When asked if he had any pre-match rituals, Florida men's tennis player Chase Perez-Blanco had a simple answer.
"I don’t shower for the season," he said with a slight pause. "Just kidding," Perez-Blanco said and then laughed.
The sophomore has seen his share of ups and downs when it comes to playing for the Gators. With the Fall season having ended, Perez-Blanco is looking to improve while pushing himself to tackle new challenges.
When Perez-Blanco first stepped foot on UF's campus last Fall, he was by no means immune to the struggles that most freshmen face.
The Miami native admits that he was a lazy student with a bad work ethic when he started college.
A lack of focus made it difficult for him to excel in the classroom.
Coach Bryan Shelton knew Perez-Blanco had talent, but being a student athlete at UF requires a heightened level of focus.
So when the young tennis player was struggling with classes, Shelton took it upon himself to push Perez-Blanco harder than most of the other players.
Shelton has stressed to Perez-Blanco that it is a privilege not just to play tennis at UF, but to attend the school in the first place.
Perez-Blanco said he thought going to classes and seeing his tutors would be enough to get by.
It wasn’t.
Now, while studying applied physiology and kinesiology, the student-athlete has found his balance.
Perez-Blanco credits the improvement in his grades to better time management and taking a more proactive approach to his education.
"It’s a lot," Perez-Blanco said, "but you have to decide how to manage your time really well."
While Perez-Blanco improved his grades, his tennis game still had room for improvement.
The transition from the high school level to the collegiate level was difficult for Perez-Blanco, a five-star right-hander and the No. 29 overall recruit in the 2014 class (No. 3 in the state of Florida).
He lacked direction, and he was worried about living up to the expectations everyone had for him.
But soon enough, he found a mentor and friend in now-senior and captain Diego Hidalgo. When confused about what to do, Perez-Blanco said he would look to Hidalgo for help and guidance. He credits his outstanding freshman season to Hidalgo always motivating him.
"He pushed me and made me want to be a better tennis player," Perez-Blanco said. "Don’t tell him I said any of that though."
Perez-Blanco also faces some disadvantages when it comes to his physical limitations.
The 5-foot-8 sophomore is one of the two shortest players on the team with junior Elliott Orkin.
Being on the shorter end of the height spectrum is a disadvantage for many tennis players.
It makes it harder to hit big serves and play a strategy known as serve and volley, where the player serves the ball and automatically runs to the net to hit a returning volley.
Since Perez-Blanco is usually shorter than his opponents, he often has to compensate by outrunning them.
Perez-Blanco and Shelton both acknowledged the fact that he was not in the best of shape when he first came to UF, which hindered his play.
He would pace himself, according to Shelton, because he would run out of energy too quickly if he would spend a few minutes on every play.
As a way for Perez-Blanco to improve his endurance, Shelton and assistant coach Mark Merklein make Perez-Blanco put in extra time running and building up his endurance.
The improvement to his game is not lost on Perez-Blanco.
He didn’t grow up in a household of tennis players. Neither his parents nor siblings played the sport.
Around the age of 7, however, his parents enrolled him in an All-Sport camp where Perez-Blanco was first introduced to the game of tennis. Instantly he fell in love.
"I just picked up tennis from there," he said, "and I loved it and have been playing ever since."
Not only did his parents kickstart his tennis career, but to this day they continue to be a source of support and encouragement for him.
Perez-Blanco recalls the times that his parents would have to sacrifice their personal lives and their jobs to allow him to travel and play as his career advanced.
Even though his family lives about five hours away from Gainesville, they still manage to show up at matches from time to time.
Several times last season, Perez-Blanco would look up into the stands and see familiar faces cheering him on. He recalled how nice it was to see his parents’ faces in the crowd for his first match as a Gator.
"They enjoyed it, which brought a smile to my face," he said.
Although the bond within the Perez-Blanco family is very strong, Chase knew that when Signing Day came around he was ready to go out on his own and be away from his family.
Perez-Blanco captured impressive titles while at Gulliver Preparatory School . In 2011, 2013 and 2014 he brought home state championship titles along with other awards and accolades.
In 2013 he was named a USTA Florida Player of the Year and took home the singles state championship title.
Gulliver Preparatory School coach Kelly Mulligan described Perez-Blanco as an all-around quality player who always knew how to get the job done.
"Chase always made it important to play. He was always committed," Mulligan said.
It was during his junior year that Perez-Blanco caught Shelton's eye.
Shelton said he can still recall the exact moment when he knew that Perez-Blanco was a special player.
Perez-Blanco was up against a higher ranked player, Henrik Wiersholm who currently plays for the University of Virginia, and defeated him in three sets.
"Right then I put this guy on my radar and made sure to continue to follow this guy and recruit him, especially since he is from the state of Florida," Shelton said. "We don’t want this guy to get away,"
In his junior year of high school Perez-Blanco came and toured the UF campus and instantly felt a sense of belonging.
So when signing day came around and he was between the University of Miami and UF, there really was no choice for him.
"It was a good choice," he said. "The right one."
Follow Madison Belfour on Twitter @madisonbel4
Chase Perez-Blanco returns a ball during Florida's 4-1 win against Mississippi State on March 13 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
