Not playing tennis was never an option for freshman Riza
Zalameda. Since the age of 2, her father Rolly Zalameda pushed her
to her limits. Often times, he came close to passing them.
“So many times I wanted to quit tennis,” Zalameda
said. “I hated it because my dad was always there every
single day reminding me about tennis. No matter how sick I got, I
always had to hear more.”
The situation between Riza and Rolly Zalameda is emblematic of
many relationships of young tennis players and their fathers who
double as coaches.
“When I first started playing tennis, it was all about
fun,” Riza said. “But then it got really serious and
there was no turning back.”
Zalameda is currently ranked 22nd in the nation collegiately,
but the road that she and her father took to get to this point has
been somewhat turbulent.
Zalameda began playing tournaments at age 8. Her father pushed
her very hard, and the harder he pushed, the more she began to
resist.
“I would always push his buttons,” Zalameda said.
“Almost every practice, I would give him some smart
remarks.”
But despite her rebelliousness, Rolly pushed his daughter with
the intent of making her stronger.
“It was hard at times because she rebelled,” Rolly
said. “But I knew that it would help her be successful
because if she can stand me, she can stand anyone.”
But as time wore on, their relationship strained and Riza began
to have doubts about whether she wanted to keep playing tennis.
“Tennis became so sickening to me,” Zalameda said.
“I would wish that I would just sprain my ankle so I
wouldn’t have to play for a few weeks.”
The two would get into arguments over tennis long after they
left the tennis courts. There were instances where Zalameda and her
father would return home from practice only to stay in the car
arguing in the garage. These arguments would even bubble over onto
the dinner table with only the mother of the household, Angie
Zalameda, there to mediate.
“It got pretty bad at times,” Zalameda said.
“Every time I fought with my dad, I cried.”
It is no surprise that these incidents took place, as a
relationship between a teenage daughter and her father may already
be rocky. The added pressures of competitive sports can cause a
rift.
“As they get older, they get more independence,”
UCLA coach Stella Sampras-Webster said of young, parent-coached
athletes. “But the parents will not want to give them that
independence, so they will rebel more so than normally.”
Having a father as a coach is nothing new in the world of
women’s tennis. A significant number of professional players
have been trained by their fathers, including Serena and Venus
Williams and Jennifer Capriati.
Many of these fathers have prior tennis experience, and Rolly
Zalameda is no exception.
He enjoyed success at a professional level of tennis, competing
for the Philippines in the Davis cup at the height of his career.
The two make no secret that he wants Riza to be able to compete at
the highest level.
“Riza has so much talent, much more than I have,”
Rolly Zalameda said. “Our main goal was to get her into
college, and ultimately, we want her to go pro.”
The benefits of having a coach living under the same roof are
numerous, and it is easy to see why this trend is so common. Having
a father take on the roles of coach, manager, trainer, and
nutritionist can save a family tens of thousands of dollars.
“Financially, it’s great to be able to have your
coach there all the time,” said Sampras-Webster, who has
worked with a handful of players whose fathers have doubled as
coaches. “Your parent probably knows you better than anyone
and should be able to get things across better to help you
learn.”
But there are also inherent disadvantages to this situation that
can hinder a family’s relationship. Sampras-Webster believes
that there is a fine line between a healthy relationship and
destructive one when tennis plays such a large role.
“It’s a real tough balance for the player and the
father,” Sampras-Webster said. “For one, you want to be
a good father and also push them as a coach. The daughter or son
may take things more personal from their father than they would
from another coach. The tennis can overtake their
relationship.”
But as bad as the relationship between Riza and Rolly was at
times, their case is somewhat mild. There are many instances where
young players will suffer significant trauma from their fathers,
both emotionally and physically.
“Playing in Juniors, I saw dads all the time who would
abuse their daughters,” Zalameda said. “They would
shout at them during matches and sometimes I even saw them get
pushed physically.”
There are many examples of fathers’ erratic behavior even
at the professional level. Most notably, Jelena Dokic, a previous
top-10 player on the professional circuit, has a father who heckled
opponents, called the line judges “Nazis,” and
consequently has been banned from numerous tournaments.
Yet it does not appear that the Zalamedas’ situation will
ever come close to resembling situations such as the Dokics’.
Over time, Zalameda has matured and grown out of her rebellious
phase. In turn, Rolly has learned just how far he can push his
daughter.
“We’ve both matured,” Zalameda said.
“Whatever happens on the court stays on the court now. We
don’t take things personally anymore,”
Now that Zalameda is in college, Rolly does not practice as much
as with her and has now focused his attention on his two younger
daughters, Marie and Amanda, whom he has chosen as his next
projects.
Though the two have had their differences in the past, Zalameda
acknowledges that she would not be as good as she is today without
her father’s help.
“I owe my dad for where I have been able to get so
far,” Zalameda said. “And our relationship now is
stronger than ever.”
Rolly can be found at every UCLA home match, quietly supporting
his daughter from the sidelines, swelling with pride. He is very
thankful for his daughter’s patience.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Rolly said.
“My daughter is very coachable. Watching Riza play has
been the best time of my life.”