North Carolina State University Athletics
Pulgar Brings Back Confidence From 6-Month ITF Tour
11/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Nov. 24, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jaime Pulgar has been away from his NC State tennis teammates for more than six months, and he’s anxious to return from his summer-and-fall sabbatical from school.
Pulgar, a two-time All-ACC performer for the Wolfpack men's squad from Madrid, Spain, took the fall semester off so he could travel across his native country and other far-flung locations to play in the International Tennis Federation Futures Tour, a year-round tour for young players with tournaments around the world.
Pulgar has fared well in more than a dozen events, posting a 7-15 overall record in singles competition, while playing against some of the world’s best up-and-coming tennis players in his native Spain, Kuwait and India.
More impressively, Pulgar paired with a handful of different partners in doubles play throughout the fall and won four flight championships, including three with regular partner Ivan Arenas-Gualda of Spain. Their most recent title was in late October in Kuwait.
Pulgar won three consecutive tournaments with Arenas-Gualda and Federico Zeballos in September. He owns a 26-10 doubles record on the ITF tour.
“I was fortunate to be able to take this semester off because I have enough credits towards graduation,” Pulgar said by email from Kuwait. “I have three classes remaining in the spring towards my degree in business administration.
“It worked out well for me, because the fall college tennis season is pretty short, so this has allowed me to play all summer and all fall. It’s allowed me to compete every week against good players from all over the world.”
Pulgar is currently ranked No. 873 by the ITF after his participation this summer and fall. He’s enjoyed the opportunity to measure himself against top-notch competition, but he’s also eager to return to Raleigh, so he can set about improving the Wolfpack’s fortunes at its new tennis home.
Last year, the Pack was 10-14 overall and 2-9 in ACC competition. Pulgar, despite his All-ACC honors, was injured for nearly a month of the conference season. Still, he won double-digit singles matches for the Pack, primarily playing in the No. 1 and 2 slots. He also added nine wins in doubles play.
So far, with just two tournaments remaining to play, Pulgar said the best part of being on the pro circuit has been his success in doubles play.
“That showed me I could compete with everyone and thanks to those tournaments I jumped in the rankings,” he said.
Though travel has been difficult, he’s enjoyed the experience of playing in different venues and locations. He’s learned he no longer likes to play on clay, something he hasn’t done during his three years of college competition.
But most of all, he’s built confidence that he will bring back with him to NC State for the spring season, which begins on Jan. 14 with a tripleheader at the new Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Tennis Complex, the new $3 million home for the Wolfpack men’s and women’s varsity teams.
“I’m very excited about finally playing in one of the best stadiums in the nation,” Pulgar said of the arena-style stadium that will seat up to 1,000 fans. “It’s going to be a great experience to play matches at night time with better crowds and that is one of the things that drives me to practice harder every day, to get better and so we can make good memories in that stadium.”
He’s kept an eye on how his teammates did in the fall, especially the three incoming freshmen. Austin Powell, Robbie Mudge and Beck Bond all had strong debuts in fall tournaments. Powell advanced to the finals of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Ga., while Mudge made it to the semifinals in the same bracket of the same event and Bond won a backdraw title in his bracket at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
When Pulgar returns, the Wolfpack will have its entire starting singles lineup back from last season, with the three newcomers fighting for playing time. That gives Pulgar – and men’s head coach Jon Choboy – plenty of reason for optimism.
“I’ve been keeping up with the results of the guys this fall,” Pulgar said. “We have a very solid team this year since we didn't lose anybody on our lineup from and these new guys are supposed to bring good things to the table.
“Hopefully, we can achieve good things my final season.”
Choboy believes that Pulgar’s experiences will only help him improve this coming year.
“I have high expectations for Jaime,” said the coach. “He’s an extremely hard-working player. He’s literally spent the last six months playing against the highest level of tennis competition and doing very well.
“I think he will make a great impact.”
Pulgar hasn’t set any specific goals for himself, but he does have an attitude that is focused on having a successful final season.
“I’ve never liked setting specific goals in terms of ranking or things like that,” Pulgar said. “I rather set goals in terms of attitude, day-to-day work and intensity – the things I can control.
“My goal is to be remembered as somebody who did everything he could for the Wolfpack and somebody who gave everything he had in every practice and match.”
Pulgar will graduate in May and he plans to see how he would fare on the professional tour fulltime. He would eventually like to earn a Master’s degree in the United States before settling down in his native country.
“I want to know where my limits are,” he said.
After spending the last six months playing abroad, he has expanded those limits greatly.
