Back in The Saddle

By Reinhart Igna - Valencian Community, Spain - 2 minute read

Young male tennis player in yellow shirt, blue shorts, pink shoes, holding a tennis racket, standing ready to hit a ball against a dark blue background.

Less than six months into my freshman year at UC Santa Cruz, the COVID-19 pandemic tore me away from the biggest adventure of my life: competing as a college athlete.

After our team was abruptly sent home, we watched as the news rolled in of countless businesses and fellow athletic programs fell apart across the globe.

I couldn’t let the sport I loved so dearly go without a fight. I donned the hat of a coach, and took a place at the sideline.

As it turns out, it wasn’t the compromise I originally thought. I re-lived my most cherished moments through my students, and they helped me dig deep into my experience and understanding of the sport technically, strategically and spiritually.

But as my business grew, days blended together into years. I gained weight, lost hair, and became more distant than ever from the notion of being a tennis player.

As much as I came to love coaching, years spent feeding balls meant that I lost my edge. I needed heat and pressure.

So, in 2026, I made the challenging decision to leave a flourishing business behind, along with clients who had been with me for years — all for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to the mecca of tennis: Spain.

As I prepared to re-enter the fray of competitive tennis, I set my sights on a long-lost dream: earning an ATP point.

A stylized digital illustration of a tennis player hitting a ball with a racket, with a coach in the background holding a racket and a ball basket, against a dark blue background.

My discipline as a player helped me provide the absolute best experience for my clients, top-to-bottom. I valued being a top-notch service provider and giving back to my community.

What separated me most as a coach was how invested I was in every player’s story, through success and failure alike. That’s why you’ll find all sorts of resources here to grow your game or help your loved ones, as well as a chance to work with me directly.

Here in my blog Framedead, and through my social media pages, I chronicle my new start in tennis: training, competing and connecting with other players and fans across the world. I’m excited to fuse a lifetime of skills as a coach, competitor and content creator together during this project.

I have one goal: to give others the inspiration to pick up the racket and become the best version of themselves, no matter what stage of their life they are in.

Thanks for joining me :)

-Reinhart

A young man wearing a black baseball cap and black T-shirt, stretching his arm across his chest, against a solid dark blue background.