Catching Up with Luis Fernando Manrique
HurricaneSports.com recently caught up with former Miami tennis players to talk about their current career as well as their college years in Coral Gables.
Check out our recent conversation with Luis Fernando Manrique, who graduated from Miami in 2005.
Where do you live now and what are you up to these days?
I currently live in Miami, I haven’t left. I work in real estate but I’m also a coach of Top 10 doubles player Jean-Julian Rojer.
What is your fondest memory of playing in Miami?
There isn’t one that I can actually single out, but probably the fact of being able to play on a team. I always played tennis as an individual sport. The fact that being able to compete and play with others at the same time, that put it all together.
Do you still keep in touch with any of your teammates? And if so, which ones?
Not as much as I would like to. The young alums and everyone comes back at some point to Miami whether it’s a layover or a family trip or something. The fact that I live here, geographically, it’s always favorable to me to maintain contact with all of them. I keep in touch with Rudy Rake and Diego Ayala, who graduated a couple years before me, and Michael Myles, and Arturo Zizold.
How has having a degree from Miami helped you?
Tremendously. After finishing my undergrad in business, I went on and played the pro tour for a couple years. I also earned my MBA here as well, in which I graduated in December 2012. It’s helped tremendously. I focus a lot on my business with Latin America. That being said, being in Miami, with the school, with the network I was able to build, has been very helpful to my career.
Since leaving UM, have you followed the teams? And if so, what has impressed you the most?
I have a very good relationship with Mario Rincon. He did tremendous things for me as a player and as a person. I’m always constantly speaking to him. He’s someone I always call at all times during the school year, and we still maintain a good contact. When I was playing, he would always be very active in my life and very present. He’d be calling making sure how I was and making sure UM was here.
