In a country where baseball has traditionally been the most popular sport, tennis has continued to grow thanks to coaches who have dedicated their lives to developing young players. One of them is José Manuel “Lenny” Estrella García, a coach who has spent more than two decades helping shape the next generation of Dominican tennis.
Today, Estrella coaches at Club Centro Español in Santiago, the same club where his own tennis journey began. Unlike many players who start at five or six years old, he didn’t pick up a racket until he was almost 11.
His introduction to tennis came through his family. His cousin is former world No. 43 and three-time ATP champion Víctor Estrella Burgos, one of the biggest names in Dominican tennis history. A recommendation from a school psychologist and the influence of his family ultimately led him to the sport.
At first, however, tennis wasn’t his passion.
“I liked baseball like everyone else in the Dominican Republic, and I didn’t feel comfortable with tennis at first. Once I started playing better, there was no way to get me off the court.”
His progress was quick. By the age of 14, Estrella had already earned a spot on the Dominican Republic’s Junior Davis Cup team and later represented his country again in the 16-and-under and 18-and-under categories.
After high school, he briefly pursued an engineering degree but soon realized his future was in tennis.
“I didn’t feel comfortable, and that’s when I decided to leave university and dedicate myself to being a tennis coach.”
Estrella then began a long process of education, completing coaching certifications in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain. He later joined the Dominican Tennis Federation and traveled extensively with the country’s youth teams and national squads, visiting countries including Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Throughout his coaching career, he has always been drawn to high-performance players and the challenge of helping young athletes reach their potential.
For Estrella, though, the most rewarding part of coaching has little to do with rankings or trophies.
“It feels super special when you’re explaining something to a player and you see that what you’re teaching is giving results and helping them improve.”
He believes coaching goes far beyond teaching forehands and backhands.
“You have to be a father, psychologist and coach.”
Having worked with countless young players and families, Estrella is also realistic about the challenges of pursuing professional tennis. He believes discipline and perspective are essential and often encourages players to consider the college pathway.
“It is a very hard and difficult sport. You have to be very disciplined and very different from the rest if you want to play professional tennis.”
At the same time, he sees college tennis as a tremendous opportunity.
“Tennis opens a lot of doors.”
One of the biggest influences on Dominican tennis, according to Estrella, has been his cousin Víctor.
“Víctor was the person who opened the way. He became a reference for all the players who dream of playing professionally.”
Today, from the courts of Club Centro Español in Santiago, Leny Estrella continues to pass on his experience to young players, helping them grow not only as athletes but also as people, one lesson at a time.
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Written by Associate Editor Osvaldo Godoy.