Junior Tabárez Chasing the Next Level at Extreme Tennis Academy

Junior Tabárez’s path to competitive tennis began in the Dominican Republic, where tennis was not initially the sport he expected to pursue.

“My first sport, and the national sport in the Dominican Republic, is baseball,” Tabárez said. “I was always very talented and already had a lot of people watching me. Then suddenly tennis came along, I fell in love with it, and I left baseball behind.”

He was 13 when that change began.

“I found tennis interesting, and as a kid I loved the movement from side to side,” he said. “I fell in love with it, and thank God, here we are now.”

Choosing tennis over baseball created some initial resistance at home, but Tabárez was convinced he had found the sport he wanted to pursue.

“There was a little bit of conflict with my family, but I made my decision,” he said. “In the end, they supported me.”

That decision eventually connected him with Extreme Tennis Academy coach Freddy Azucey and brought him to the United States in 2017.

“I met Freddy in the Dominican Republic. He traveled there for a tournament, saw me play and invited me to his academy,” Tabárez said. “That’s how I came here for the first time.”

After arriving in Florida, he also began working with coach Carlos Maehama. Nearly a decade later, his relationship with the academy goes well beyond the tennis court.

“I met Carlos here, and since then they’ve always been loyal to me,” he said. “They’ve helped me with everything they can, with the training and their time. They make me feel like one more member of the family.”

Tabárez has experienced other training environments over the years, giving him a point of comparison for what he has at Extreme Tennis Academy.

“The academy is something very original,” he said. “They’ve never changed the way they treat you. The routine, for me, is one of the best I’ve seen around.”

The academy also gives him access to everything he needs without having to leave the facility.

“We have everything here. We have tennis courts, a gym, a pool, showers,” he said. “We have all the facilities, and that makes things a little easier for us and helps us develop more.”

Another part of the experience comes from sharing the courts with players from different parts of the world.

“Having international players allows us to focus on many different types of games and cultures,” Tabárez said. “We always learn something from a new international player.”

The work has translated into plenty of success at the local and regional level, including 17 titles at the Battle of Boca.

“At Battle of Boca, I’m already at 17,” he said. “I’ve probably lost about 15 finals too, but I’ve won 17. I’ve also won a lot of Opens around here and the Miami Championship.”

Now, much of his attention is turning toward ITF Futures competition and earning professional ranking points.

“In most of the Futures I’ve played, I’ve made it through qualifying,” Tabárez said. “I just haven’t had that little push I need to get through the first round, but we’ve competed very well and we’re working hard on that.”

He continues entering tournaments regularly to stay accustomed to match pressure while making his everyday training the foundation of his progress.

“I do it about twice a month to maintain my level and my competitive form and just keep going,” he said. “What helps me the most is the training. That’s why I try to give 100 percent and be ready for any opportunity that appears.”

His game is built around an aggressive combination from the first shot.

“My two main weapons are my serve and my forehand,” Tabárez said. “I use them a lot to my advantage. I’m a good server and I attack very well with my forehand. My backhand also gets me out of a lot of situations.”

The next stage will require another step physically, something Tabárez has made a priority as he prepares for more professional tournaments.

“My goals right now are to play the entire upcoming Florida Futures season and keep training,” he said. “I’m focusing more than anything on the physical side because, to reach the next level, you have to be stronger.”

With more Futures tournaments in Central America and Europe on his radar for next year, the objective is clear: turn competitive performances into ranking points and begin moving up the professional ladder.

“I want to stay here, keep training hard and try to give my best,” Tabárez said. “The goal is to get some points, take that next step and eventually get to the Challengers.”

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Written by Associate Editor Osvaldo Godoy. Video shot by Alex Binstok. Video edited by Nathalia Suarez.