By Jim Hague
Monica Iturralde might be better off working at a delicatessen counter or at a salad bar instead of being a highly successful member of the Rutgers-Newark women’s tennis team.
Because as Iturralde and Kevin Morris, her head coach at R-N, put it, she’s best described as a slicer.
“Over the years, I’ve acquired the defensive style of playing tennis,” Iturralde said. “I think it started in high school. I’m a slicer. I slice it very thin. I constantly switch my style of play. Some people hate it, because people don’t know what’s going on. It makes me a different player and it’s been successful.”
Just how successful? Try a record of 23-5 over the last two years as a singles player for the Scarlet Raiders, including a streak of 11 straight wins last year as a sophomore. If that’s the case, then there’s no need for her to become a baseline blaster or a serve-and-volley queen. The slice is quite nice.
“I love doing it,” Iturralde said of her unique approach. “I work on it during drills all the time. I love killing the ball at net. That helped me develop the skill. It’s a good technique and I love to do it all the time.”
Morris loves to watch Iturralde’s unique style.
“It’s really great as an approach shot,” Morris said. “The slice forces the opponent to hit the ball up. It’s really like facing a knuckleball pitcher in baseball. The slice gives you a different look every time. It does things differently than most shots. It makes it very difficult to play her. She has the tendency to hit the ball and just let it die and it slices away from right-handed players. She has the ability to do it all the time. She can come over the top with it, use her forehand, a two-handed backhand. She just loves to play that style.”
Monica said that she developed the slice from playing with her older brother, Mario, who is an avid tennis player in his own right and also uses the slice.
“At first, I hated it when he did it, but after a while, I realized that maybe this was shot that would be good for me,” Iturralde said. “I thought maybe others would hate it as much as I did when I played my brother. Not a lot of players use it and there are a lot of them who hate to play against it.”
Iturralde said that she is surprised that the slice has become such a major part of her game.
“I never thought it would work out so well for me,” Iturralde said. “It’s a nice record to have. I’ve been in every match and I’m sure the slice helps. Over the years, my serve has gotten better and my ground game has also improved.”
Iturralde said she welcomes the idea that she’s playing third singles this season for the Scarlet Raiders, as well as first doubles. She was a fifth singles and third doubles player during her first two seasons.
“I think I’m good working under pressure,” Iturralde said. “I love to play higher and I’m happy that I’m moving up the ladder. It’s great for me and I know I can play at that level. It’s better for me that I’m playing the better competition.”
Morris is expecting big things from Monica this season.
“She’s really playing the best tennis of her life right now,” Morris said. “Monica is a great success story. She has so much confidence now that she expects to win. I love to watch her play from afar. She knows what she’s doing and she doesn’t need me to pat her on the back and tell her what to do. She does things on her own. She’s always confident and always thinking she can beat her opponent.”
Morris said that Iturralde is also a coach’s dream.
“She has a great personality and she’s a good team player,” Morris said. “She’s very supportive to her teammates. She’s the first one to congratulate her teammates and she’s always so upbeat and positive. When we need to work on a weakness, she’s very coachable, she listens to criticism and is willing to work hard.”
Morris said that he vividly remembers seeing Iturralde play when she attended David Brearley High School in Kenilworth (where she was also a successful basketball player) and knew he wanted her to be a part of his fledgling program.
“She’s the first player I saw play when I took over the program and I recruited her right away,” Morris said. “I knew she would fit in well here and I’m glad it worked out so well.”
Iturralde is majoring in biology and physical therapy at Rutgers-Newark, but she hopes to gain another major in psychiatry in the coming years.
“That’s my goal and what I’m aiming for in life,” Iturralde said.
But for now, the junior will continue on being such a positive influence on the women’s tennis program at Rutgers-Newark.
“Tennis is such a fun sport,” Iturralde said. “I think anyone can play it. Look at what I’ve been able to do. I am proof that anyone can go out and hit a tennis shot.”
And truly enjoy a little slice of life.
