This year the Bolles tennis team is welcoming a new face to their coaching staff, Coach Eduardo Vieira.
Vieira grew up in Brazil and has been around tennis since he was 7 years old. He learned how to play tennis from his sister, who at the time was one of the top players in Brazil. His playing career consists of being a top 10 junior player in São Paulo, Brazil along with playing futures events in Brazil and Argentina.
After several years of playing, he had to make an important decision. “I felt like in Brazil, when you get to the age 17, you have to choose between trying to go pro or follow a career… it was difficult for me to be a professional player and end up, you know, taking the path of coaching, which is my passion.” So Vieira decided to become a coach.
Vieira arrived in the United States in 1990 and he knew that he wanted to go to a place with the best tennis players in the world. He landed a position at the Nick Bollettieri Academy, which at the time served as the building blocks for the now IMG Academy. “They had about 100 tennis courts in there. And most of the top players used to train over there, like Andre Agassi, Monica Seles and Pete Sampras. All the big-name players used to train at that place. And I just felt like it was the wise decision for me to come and see what tennis was about,” Vieira said.
Along with coaching at the Nick Bollettieri Academy he coached both State and National Junior Champions in both Brazil and in Argentina and worked with players from several different Tennis association such as the ITF (The International Tennis Federation), the ATP (The Association of Tennis Professionals), and the WTA (The Women’s Tennis Association).
Bolles is Vieira’s first high school coaching gig. “To be honest, I was never a high school coach, and I’m taking this as a challenge,” he said. “I really love the opportunity. The school is amazing.” Before working at Bolles, Vieira worked across the street at the San Jose Country Club.
He is excited for the season and the opportunity to compete for a state title. “I heard from previous coaches that we have a very good team. Hopefully everybody that we had in the past is still going to be playing and we are trying our best to make them a better player. But most importantly, being able to compete, not just play.”
Athletics at Bolles are more than just state titles but also being able to develop oneself as well as the athlete. “We are blessed to be able to be in a sport.” Vieira’s advice to players is to “Just go over there and try your best, listen to the coaches and try your best to succeed.”