First-year Davi Carlos starts on the men’s tennis team after training under head coach Jeffrey Puhan. PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS
Feeling like he needed “something different,” first-year Davi Carlos traveled from São Paulo, Brazil, to Boca Raton, Florida, to further his tennis career.
Carlos learned about the Puhan Personalized Tennis Program through a family friend and decided to join. Through the program, Carlos met the current St. Joe’s women’s and men’s tennis head coach, Jeffrey Puhan. With daily morning practices, Carlos trained under Puhan while completing high school online.
Having formed a connection with Puhan, Carlos decided to reach out for recruitment. Carlos’ decision to come to St. Joe’s was confirmed after he visited campus and experienced great practices with the team.
Puhan said Carlos’ consistent positive mindset and work ethic has made him a great addition to the team.
“My favorite moments are when he enjoys the success and he’s happy, even though he knew what he had to go through in terms of his training to get to that point,” Puhan said.
The camaraderie and support of the team have been Carlos’ favorite aspects of playing for St. Joe’s.
“Everyone wants you to succeed,” Carlos said. “My teammates, they want me to be better every day because we’re a team. So, if I do good, [my teammate is] gonna do good as well.”
Years of individualized training and competing alone taught Carlos how strongly supporting teammates can influence the match day atmosphere. After having to retire from a match at the Princeton Invitational due to injuries, Carlos was proud to support his teammates.
“It was so fun, like it was crazy, the atmosphere was really good,” Carlos said. “We were the loudest team there for sure, and it made a huge difference for the guys.”
Carlos’ performance has only been progressing. After a tight match against Delaware, Carlos was able to gain back a point and win the match. Donovan McKnight, assistant coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams, said Carlos’ composure in stressful situations has been notable.
“For a freshman to be able to be as composed as he was in those moments, I think that was the best part of it,” McKnight said. “It was that and then the energy that he brought to the court, he’s pumping himself up, and that’s what we really ask for as coaches.”
Despite tennis being largely an individualized sport, McKnight said Carlos is always “providing energy” to support his teammates.
“He’s an excellent teammate as well,” McKnight said. “On the court, off the court, even though he’s a freshman, he really does provide a good example of someone that you could look to be like, ‘Alright, this guy is getting out there and doing his job, doing it well and doing it in a mature way.’”