In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, USTA Florida is recognizing members of Florida’s rich Hispanic community whose talents and dedication help to grow the great game of tennis every day — at every level. We applaud them all for making tennis a better and more inclusive sport, and for making the face of our game more accurately reflect the dynamic diversity of our country.
Alejandra Fandiño of Lake Cane Tennis Center has always been involved with tennis. When she was just five years old, her mother taught her how to hold a racquet and volley. Little did she know that would become her passion.
As Alejandra got older, she got her other family members involved. This saw her brother and cousins start to learn the game and play with her. As she grew older, she knew that her dream was to coach the sport and watch everyone she mentors grow their game. “I love the integration of everyone, the passion of each player to improve, and the continuous desire to learn,” she said.
Alejandra stared tennis when she was 5 and now she coaches at Lake Cane Tennis Center.
Hailing from Colombia, she credits a lot of her success as a coach and person to her Hispanic roots. Growing up, she learned a lot about work ethic and being positive. “I love being Colombian, my Latin heritage helps me fight every day and always move forward.”
Being Colombians and then living to Florida was hard for Alejandra as she wanted to play tennis but struggled to fit in with her peers. “The first few tennis classes for me were very hard because of the language,” she recalled “I tried to do my best to speak but no one understood me.”
However, she didn’t let that stop her from pursuing her passion and becoming the person she is today. “I am a person with a lot of energy, with a desire to learn every day, who does not give up any dream, and I get up after every difficulty.”
Why is it important to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrating culture is important to Alejandra because embracing diversity is a key part of what she stands for. “As Latinos we feel part of something as important as tennis, on the same level as the people who were born here.”
She loves to put a smile of people’s faces.
In such a diverse world, Alejandra wants everyone to feel special and important, because they are. “We live in a country with many cultures, and we should all be included and treated in the same way,” she said. “I think it is phenomenal that there is a month dedicated to our culture. This shows that we are also important to society.”
While tennis and the world are making strides towards inclusivity, Alejandra has been embracing it forever. “No matter where we come from, we all have a purpose in this world, and we are all valuable as people, and we should support and help each other.
