Bryan BeilkeMerely knowing a person who moved to a foreign country on her own to pursue passionate endeavors is awe-inspiring enough.
Add on to that the fact that she merited national championships in her home country by the age of 13, hadn’t yet graduated high school when she moved to America, aspires to become a professional athlete, works to attain a Cal Poly degree and is only 21, and Diane Filip may make you just feel lazy.
Filip, a sophomore on the Cal Poly women’s tennis team, was born in Romania as the only child of athletically inclined parents. Her father played soccer but was forced to choose between the sport and education, while her mother ran track and competed in hurdles.
“There weren’t opportunities like there are today and I feel lucky,” Filip says.
She grew up in Denmark and has traveled across Europe for tournaments and practices.
“I started hitting a tennis ball when I was 7-and-a-half,” she said. “At the time I tried out a lot of other sports but I just kind of went with tennis. I was told I had talent. It started getting serious around age 9 – that’s when I started traveling an hour each way to Aarhus (in Denmark) for practice four times a week, and that was for four years.”
She laughed, adding, “My dad was in the car a lot.”
Filip joined the Danish national team for a year during high school. In 2003, she moved to New Braunfels, Texas to attend the John Newcombe Tennis Academy. In 2005 she attempted to turn professional by playing in international tournaments. Various injuries delayed her attempt, so she decided to finish high school.
During her tennis career in Denmark, Filip was No. 1 in singles, won regional and national championships, excelled in doubles, traveled to numerous European championships, had a junior international ranking of 310 and had a 2005 Women’s Tennis Association ranking of 1198.
Cal Poly head coach Hugh Bream found out about Filip through sports colleagues on the East Coast and recruited her through e-mail. In the fall of 2006 she became a Mustang.
“She’s been great,” Bream says. “She’s done a lot of traveling as a junior (competitor). She’s self-reliant, self-motivated, maturing as a tennis player and finding out what it takes to be pro.”
Not only did the business administration major come to Cal Poly for its tennis program, but also because of its environment.
“I’d always wanted to go to the (United) States and live in a sunny place so I was looking at Texas, California and Florida,” she said. “I came here without even having been to the campus. I feel lucky; I really like it here. School’s going great so I really can’t ask for more.”
In her short time at Cal Poly, Filip has already warranted attention for her commitment, performance and assertion on the court.
She received accolades for her contribution at last season’s Big West Championship and for wins over Pepperdine and No. 1 seed UC Irvine.
“(The Big West Championship last year) was probably the highlight for Diane as well as for our young team,” Bream said. “Against UC Irvine last year we were tied 3-3 when she played some great tennis and got us the best win of the season. It was a real thrill for her and a real thrill for us.”
Playing UC Irvine was memorable for Filip as well.
“That was a clinching match; I was the last match out there,” she said. “To win that and get into the Big West Conference was a huge moment for me, and to see the whole team get there was a new experience. I’ve won in national tournaments, but it was a different feeling than the college experience. Being a part of that was something I’ll never forget.”
Assistant coach Paige Esparza, alongside Bream, has been working with Filip since she joined the team.
“She finished up last year very strong,” Esparza said. “She’s improving as a player. She’s a great kid, hard worker, does well with her teammates, is very encouraging, and overall a team player.”
Both coaches agree on her most valuable asset.
“Her biggest strength is her competitive fire,” Esparza says. “She digs in and competes strongly in every match.”
Bream added, “Her greatest strength is her competitive spirit. Shot-wise, her backhand is an excellent shot and she’s improved her serve into a real weapon.”
Filip’s objective this season is the same as it is for her team – to improve.
“Individually, I don’t have a set goal, other than to come out every day and practice, being the best that I can be in tennis and in school,” Filip says. “As a team we’re No. (68) but I definitely think we can be in the top 40. People think it’s an individual sport, which it typically is, but in college tennis you’re not just out there for yourself.”