The anticipation of Jean-Julien Rojer’s return to the UCLA
men’s tennis family is finally over.
The way it ended, however, is more like a sloppy divorce than a
beautiful homecoming.
Rojer, a key component of UCLA’s 2002 NCAA tournament
semifinal run, informed the team Tuesday by e-mail that he will not
be returning for his senior season. Instead, he will continue to
pursue a professional tennis career.
This announcement comes after months of speculation that he
would return to the team in April after competing internationally
and fill in the missing piece that would allow the team to win a
national championship that has eluded UCLA since 1984.
Collegiately, Rojer was No. 35 in singles and No. 1 in doubles in
the preseason.
“We’re all pretty disappointed with (Rojer’s
decision),” coach Billy Martin said. “He was supposed
to be here after the Davis Cup, and he had a change of heart. So
that’s disappointing to us. We all would’ve liked to
have had him on the team.”
Assistant coach Jason Sher echoed Martin’s sentiments.
“Obviously we would’ve loved for him to come
back,” he said. “We were hoping for him to come back
and give it one last shot to win an NCAA title, which he’s
never won.”
His teammates are disappointed as well, especially the ones who
have been with him the longest.
“I kind of knew he wasn’t going to come back,
because I’ve known him for three years,” Djahangiri
said. “He was not answering (questions regarding his return),
and when he does that, I knew he was not going to come
back.”
“I don’t want to be insulting,” he said.
The team, currently 17-2 and ranked No. 4 in the nation, must
now focus on winning a national championship without Rojer.
“We’re obviously not as strong, but we’re
still feeling that we have a very good chance to fight for the
national championship,” Martin said.
Rojer, who is home in the Netherlands-Antilles, has not spoken
in person to anyone associated with UCLA tennis as of
Wednesday.
The Association of Tennis Professionals has him ranked No. 255
internationally. He last won a tournament Feb. 10, when he won the
Jamaica F2 Tournament. He has won $3,613 so far this year.
“He’s already proven that he can succeed in the
pros,” Martin said. “He’s had a great five to six
months.”
The Netherlands-Antilles lost its last Davis Cup match over the
weekend, a 3-2 loss to Haiti. Rojer won both of his singles matches
but lost his doubles match.