Merced’s Ciudad adjusted to a new country, new courts

Juan Ciudad was so buried in schoolwork last year he was not able to play tennis. So when he was seeking a location in the United States to spend his year as a foreign exchange student from Spain, good weather was a must.

Ciudad landed in Merced and excelled as Merced High School’s No. 1 player. The senior lost just one Central California Conference match this spring and knocked off two-time conference champion Cesar Nava to win the CCC singles championship.

After being named the conference MVP and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Tournament, Ciudad is the Sun-Star Tennis Player of the Year.

“It was a new experience,” Ciudad said. “Everything is different here than it is in Spain. The people are different. The schools are very big.”

“Coming into the season, we had Jordan Rex Cabrera, who had been our No. 1 player since he was a freshman,” Merced coach Keith Tetangco said. “I wasn’t sure how it would go with them competing for the No. 1 spot, but Juan is such an easy guy to get along with. He’s going to be missed. Not just because of the player he was, but our guys just enjoyed being around him.”

Ciudad didn’t have much trouble adjusting to life in California. He made friends easily and enjoyed his time in Merced. He loved eating at Wing Stop. He was able to make trips to San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles during his time in California.

And, just as important, he was able to play tennis.

“I wanted to play tennis as much as possible,” Ciudad said. “I never got tired of it. It just makes me happy when I’m playing.”

Growing up in Spain, Ciudad was used to playing on softer surfaces. Adjusting to the hard courts here took time.

“His biggest struggle early on was his timing,” Tetangco said. “He was late on his shots. He had to adjust to the speed, lower trajectory of the ball. He was still good enough to beat most people. Once he got used to it, he was fine.”

Ciudad’s strength was his consistency. Opponents had to beat him because he wasn’t going to beat himself with mistakes.

“In the beginning, I was bad,” Ciudad said. “It took time for me to improve. I had to get used to the speed of the game. I’m consistent. I’m fast. I’m stable mentally.”

He has a solid all-around game with his backhand and forehand. Ciudad gets considerable topspin on his forehand, and his forehand exposes his opponents’ backhands on crosscourt shots. It became a big weapon for him on the hard courts.

Ciudad was grateful for the opportunity to play tennis again. He enjoyed his success on the court, but the toughest part of returning to Spain will be leaving his friends.

“The people was the best part,” Ciudad said. “They were so nice, and it was easy to make friends.”

This story was originally published June 14, 2015 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Merced’s Ciudad adjusted to a new country, new courts."