Andres Martin credits his mother for first getting him interested in tennis and the USTA Southern community for helping grow and develop that interest into a burgeoning professional career.
Martin, 23, a native of Flowery Branch, Ga., just north of Atlanta, is in his first season on the ATP Tour following a stellar collegiate career at Georgia Tech University.
Martin entered the year ranked in the 580s, but a hot start to the 2025 season has boosted his rankings inside the top 500 at 494 as of early March. He advanced to the semifinals in a USTA M15 tournament in Jamaica to open the year, followed by a pair of round of 16 appearances in M15 tournaments in Sunrise and Naples, Florida. He and partner Keshav Chopra, a former teammate at Georgia Tech, won the doubles title in Naples.
Earlier this month, in the San Diego Open, a USTA Challenger event, Martin had one of his best tournaments since turning pro, coming out of qualifying to defeat the 184th ranked player in the world on his way to advancing to the round of 16 where he lost in split sets to eventual champion Eliot Spizzirri, ranked 188.
With less than a year on the ATP Tour full-time, Martin said he is focusing on consistency as well as developing an identity on and off the court.
“I feel like I’m playing pretty well right now, being more consistent, which is something I’ve been working a lot on,” Martin said in a recent interview. “I’ve had some good moments on the tour, but I just haven’t played super consistent. I’m just trying to develop my identity on the court, who am I going to be each time I step out on the court; and then just being that person every single day. And, that’s just not only about tennis, that’s about life. Who do you want to be as a person? And from there, it’s going to show on the court. That’s my priority right now, developing my game every day and really focusing on who I want to be on and off the court.”
Growing up, athletics was a big part of Martin’s family. His father, Rafael, had been a member of the Costa Rican men’s basketball national team and his mother, Andrea, was ranked as high as No.2 in beach volleyball in her home country of Venezuela. A self-taught tennis player, Andrea introduced Andres to tennis when he was just 5.
“I remember my mom taking me out to hit tennis balls and it just being a lot of fun,” Martin said. “Then they built some new courts in our neighborhood and we started playing more. Both of my parents were pretty athletic and I grew up always playing all different sports, but there was something about tennis that I was drawn to.”
At age 7, Martin would get his first coach, Murry Lokasundaram, who he still works with to this day.
“We still talk just about every day,” Martin said. “He pretty much taught me everything I know and he’s been really the key to my development ever since I was at a young age. He’s a big reason why I’m where I am today.”
While success in junior tournaments didn’t come easy or early, Martin found that he loved the competition and that he had the inner drive to put in the work to get better.
“I really wasn’t very good at first, but I had a lot of support and encouragement and I just enjoyed playing and trying to get better,” he said. “My parents were driving me to tournaments and I had a coach who was working with me and helping me. I was about 9 or 10 when I realized that maybe I could do something with tennis. Some kids don’ like to practice, but I always enjoyed that part of it. And, I was always open minded about my game and always willing to try new things to get better. Every day you go at it and eventually as you get older all that hard work started to show in my results. When I was 14 and 15, I started beating players I had always lost to and then 16 seemed like a tough year, but after that something clicked and I was destroying guys again.”
As Martin got more and more involved in junior tennis, the costs to travel to tournaments and for lessons quickly escalated for the family. As a teenager, Martin did his best to help out by working a variety of jobs, from washing windows to selling raffle tickets.
When the family received support from the Junior Financial Assistance (JFA) program through the Southern Tennis Foundation, Martin was able to focus on tennis and quickly moved up the junior rankings, climbing as high as No. 6 in USTA boys’ under 18 national rankings.
“Tennis is pretty expensive, especially in the juniors; you’re not making any money at all,” Martin said. “Looking back, I’m not even really sure how it was possible for my parents to afford all the tournaments and lessons. It was just a lot. My parents didn’t have the money for me to just travel everywhere. When Southern began helping us out, I remember it was a big deal, not only for the financial help, but knowing an organization like that was behind you and supporting you; It was a big boost. That gave me a lot of confidence, not only to keep going and to play for something bigger than myself, but it also alleviated a lot of that financial stress on my family. It just allowed me to play the game without worry and stress, and that’s such a huge thing that every kid should have.”
Playing in Georgia and in tournaments throughout the South, Martin quickly realized the level of competition was making him a better player.
“I always knew the Georgia and Southern tournaments were super strong with a lot of great competition, and I just continued to work and try to get better,” Martin said. “I knew if I could compete in Georgia and in Southern tournaments, I could compete just about anywhere. Looking back, when I was 12 years old, I would never have imagined being a top 20 player in the South, or even a top 20 player in Georgia.”
Martin said he learned at a young age the importance of having intensity and purpose in each practice session, a mindset that carries over today.
“Honestly, it’s pretty ironic how it works --- the more you focus on developing yourself, the more you focus on the everyday grind and working to get better, the more good things that come to you,” he said. “You have to believe that everything you’re doing is serving a purpose and you have to set your intention every day. For some reason, I was always pretty good at being focused and intense, even at a young age, even when I was losing a lot of tournaments. I just trusted the process.”
During a standout career at Georgia Tech, where he was a two-time ITA All-American, Martin was the recipient of the Southern Tennis Foundation Scholarship, which helped him compete in ATP events while retaining his collegiate eligibility. In his ATP Tour singles debut in 2022, he defeated No. 69 Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Atlanta Open in straight sets.
“Getting the Southern scholarship was a tremendous help,” Martin said. “I was playing a lot of pro tournaments in the summers and it was nice to have a little bit of something so that I could eat. Starting out in a pro career is very brutal, especially when you’re still in college. Having that scholarship really allowed me to keep playing.”
Martin credited USTA Southern and its former long-time junior tennis administrator, advocate and the anointed “Mr. Junior Tennis” Bill Ozaki for creating an environment where junior players could thrive.
There are so many great people in the Southern organization and especially Bill Ozaki,” Martin said, “I just remember him being so supportive of not only myself, but other juniors coming up through the ranks at the time. There are a lot of good players that have come out of Georgia and the Southern sectionals in recent years and that’s a reflection of USTA Southern. They really support their junior players. I take a lot of pride being from the South and being from Georgia.”
Martin continues to live in Atlanta and train at Georgia Tech. He said he hasn’t really changed his mindset or attitude since officially turning professional in May of 2024.
“I feel like playing pro tennis is the same thing I’ve been doing since I was playing juniors,” he said “I’ve been doing it so long that it really doesn’t feel that different. Of course, I’ve developed more skills, more experience and more understanding of everything, but at the end of the day you’re still playing tennis and grinding to get better. I honestly feel the same. I just need to continue to do what I’ve done and trust the process and I believe that’s going to lead me to becoming the best version of myself and the best player I can be. That’s the goal every day.”
{Note: This was written by Larry Ish used with permission of the author.}
