33-Year-Old Part-Time Tennis Player Earns American Glory With a Rafael Nadal-Esque Touch

Every great person has a story behind their success. Some come from poverty and work day and night to achieve their dreams. Some come from affluence and have their fair share of struggles that they overcome to reach greatness. However, there is seldom a story that is perfect for a drama movie adaptation. Matija Pecotic, Serbia-born Croatian national, has a highly dramatic story. Knowing that will leave the reader wondering how it’s not a movie yet.

Pecotic was offered to come to the US to get coached at Princeton University by coach Glenn Michibata who believed that he played like Rafael Nadal.

Matija Pecotic was born in 1989. He was still in Belgrade, Serbia, with his family till 1993. War was ubiquitous and his father left after he got the first opportunity to work in another country. The Pecotic family later relocated to Malta. He then got into several sports and chose tennis as his main preference.

Matija Pecotic played like Rafael Nadal

Matija Pecotic sent videos of his game to several universities in the world. However, he only received a reply from Glenn Michibata from Princeton University. Later on, Billy Pate became the Princeton head coach for Pecotic’s senior year.

He laughed when recalling the story of how he came to coach the Croatian. Receiving an email to coach a guy who was ranked 1000 in the ITF was unconventional according to Pate.

He further stated that Pecotic developed an intimidation factor to his game by the end of his college career. Pate explained that he developed a Nadal-like fierceness to games. He also had a Nadal-like physicality when he moves around the court.

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He further stated that his routines of fitness and the gym aspect surrounding it made him a player to look out for.

“He’s got a little bit of the Nadal-like game and he’s got a little bit of a Nadal-type fierceness, where [he has] the big physical energy moving around,” Pate said. “He has a lot of routines he does and also values the fitness and the gym aspect of it and the grind, so I think he’s got a lot of those elements.”

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Pecotic is now ranked at 784 and recently beat former world number 8 Jack Sock in a 3-setter match on ATP tour debut. Although, he may not have had a highly celebrated career like many others,

Pecotic has overcome several odds to be where he is at the moment.