The phone call still stands out to Juan Herrera.
Luciana Roa Munevar had just arrived at IMG Academy and stepped onto a tennis court for the first time when Margie Zesinger called Herrera.
“You need to come and watch this girl,” Zesinger, the head coach of the girls tennis team, told him.
Herrera, IMG’s director of tennis, did.
Three years later, Roa is 13 years old and already competing — and winning — against players several years older than her on the ITF Junior Circuit.
The Colombian has won 18 of her first 22 ITF Junior matches. This year, she became the first South American player born in 2013 to reach an ITF Junior quarterfinal before taking another step forward: winning her first ITF Junior singles title at the J30 in Managua, Nicaragua.
She also won the doubles title.
For Herrera, who is Colombian himself, Roa’s rapid development has been exciting to watch.
“She’s very special,” Herrera said. “When you see a kid that is in love with the game of tennis, in love with the aspect of competing, loving having a team around her, embracing that — that's very special.”
Roa’s first ITF singles title provided a glimpse of the competitiveness Herrera and Zesinger see every day.
She was up 5-2 in the deciding third set, holding a 40-15 lead in the championship match before nerves crept in. Suddenly, Roa was down 6-5 and facing match point.
“I got very nervous,” Roa said. “But I still said to myself, ‘I can still do it.’ Even if she had a match point, I can still do it. And I did it.”
Her aunt was there when Roa finally closed out the match, leading to a rush of emotions after a rollercoaster third set.
“I hugged her, and I cried because it was very emotional for me,” Roa said.
Not long after, Roa got a glimpse of the biggest stages in tennis.
She recently returned from New York, where she experienced the U.S. Open up close, watching matches, sightseeing and even taking the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium. It also happened to be her first visit to the Big Apple.
Zesinger had Roa hit swing volleys in front of about 1,000 of the world’s top tennis coaches who were gathered at the U.S. Open, giving her another opportunity to expose Roa to the pressure and environment surrounding the sport at its highest levels.
“She was a star yesterday,” Zesinger said.
But the trip wasn’t all tennis. Roa watched the mixed doubles semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium and got to explore New York City during one of the busier parts of the year.
For IMG, that’s part of developing a 13-year-old whose professional career is still years away.
“For us, we have to preserve Luciana, to keep her happy, to not just play tennis, but to have great friends and to enjoy it,” Zesinger said.
That balance hasn’t diminished Roa’s competitiveness.
“When you step on the court, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing — if they’re bigger than you, smaller than you, older than you or younger than you,” Roa said. “You just need to go and do what you need to do, do your work.”
Zesinger has seen that mentality firsthand since Roa arrived at IMG at 11.
“What I’ve noticed is this inner confidence in her that it doesn’t matter who’s across the net, and that’s very rare in tennis,” Zesinger said. “She’s not afraid to play girls that are younger or lower level or girls that are older at a higher level.”
Roa’s confidence is backed by a willingness to work.
Herrera has an office overlooking IMG’s courts. After Roa finishes her morning training session, he routinely hears a tennis ball smack against his window.
“And I know that she is with a big smile, kind of telling me, ‘I’m here. I’m putting in the work,’” Herrera said.
That work ethic has helped Roa make the rapid jump from promising 11-year-old to one of the younger players making noise on the ITF Junior Circuit.
IMG’s coaches also point to her ability to absorb instruction. Zesinger said Roa has a strong growth mindset and understands that some of the skills she’s developing now are intended for the professional game years down the road. The focus includes attacking second-serve returns, taking the ball earlier and adding more variation to her game.
“She understands the long-term process,” Zesinger said.
As Roa’s ranking has climbed, so have the expectations. She’s beginning to enter tournaments as a seed, but she isn’t letting the early success change her approach.
“Because I’m the No. 1, I don’t need to be like, ‘Wow, I’m the No. 1,’” Roa said. “I just need to keep up my work.”
For Herrera, watching that work pay off carries an added significance.
Sharing Colombian heritage has given him another reason to feel invested in the journey beyond the tennis court. When Roa won her ITF titles, Colombia was dealing with a difficult stretch following a series of earthquakes. Herrera said he and Roa talked about how her success was already bringing some joy back home.
“As Colombians, we had a tough few days with all the earthquakes and everything, and that coincided with her winning her ITFs,” Herrera said. “We were saying, ‘You’re already bringing joy to the whole country during this difficult time.’”
Herrera has watched eight players at IMG rise to No. 1 in the junior world rankings. He believes Roa has the tools to eventually join that group.
But for now, he takes pride simply in watching a young Colombian player discover just how far her talent can take her.
“Super proud to be part of that journey,” Herrera said. “We know that there is more to come, and we’re very excited about it.”
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: IMG Academy’s next world No. 1? This 13-year-old tennis star is making her case
