'Houston is here': Rolling with the wheelchair national champions

Just months after playing wheelchair tennis for the first time, Nicholas Tijerina traveled with the University of Houston team to the 2022 national championships. Two years later, Tijerina and the Houston Cougars claimed the crown at the 2024 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships, winning the program's first national title at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., in April.

Alongside veteran teammate Jose Arriaga and coach Gabriel Gutierrez, Tijerina helped Houston end juggernaut Alabama's seven-year reign as team champions at the event.

Read more: University of Houston wins team title at ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships

"When I first joined, I had no idea about this whole world that was out there with competitive tennis, especially at the university level," said the rising star, who goes by Nick. But his trip to the 2022 championships gave him a clear vision for his goals in the sport.

"From then on, I wanted to win this tournament. It was a major dream of mine," he said.

The aerospace engineering student credits his coach, his teammate and the sacrifices he's made since picking up the sport for the rapid improvement on the court. Long days of classes are followed by hours in the gym and on the tennis court, with his consistent routine reaping major rewards.

"It's not easy," he said of his packed schedule.

"I'm not trying to gas myself up, but it's really hard!" he added with a laugh.

The Cougars' path to the wheelchair title was just as challenging, particularly with just two players on the roster. That meant that Tijerina and Arriaga had to play twice in every match: together in doubles and individually in singles. Most of the other teams at the championships had bigger squads, allowing for rotation and rest.

Houston's title run received even more spotlight because of its timing at the USTA National Campus. The wheelchair championships coincided with the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier between the U.S. and Belgium, as well as the USTA annual meeting being held at the same site.

"I think the Billie Jean King Cup helped showcase wheelchair tennis as well," said Gutierrez. "When people were walking around the campus, the first thing they saw besides the Billie Jean King Cup was the wheelchair tennis collegiate event. ... It was very well executed."

Arriaga was proud to compete in front of the crowd, which included many fans from Houston: "What I remember the most was seeing all my teammates and supporters cheering for our victory," he said. "I will always cherish that moment forever. There were Houstonians who attended a national USTA meeting, and they were watching our matches all the time. It is the first time they watched me play and that was very remarkable for me."

All the action in Orlando also gave the Houston players an opportunity to learn from the pros. Tijerina and Arriaga were able to watch Jessica Pegula's comeback win in the opening tie of the Qualifier, and both took lessons from the dramatic match.

"What I learned from Jessica's match is to always keep fighting and never give up," said Arriaga. "She lost the first set, but I saw her fighting for every point and ending up winning that match. It was so exciting and impressive to see her play."

Tijerina was surprised at the low trajectory of the groundstrokes in the match, a big difference from the spin-heavy game he is used to in wheelchair tennis: "I was kind of shocked to see how close to the net that they play. They don't play with a lot of safety margin," he said.

"I don't know if I really picked up much from that, because they're really good! But definitely just an appreciation.

"Definitely spin can hurt wheelchair players a lot more, since we're not able to jump, obviously. I think some spin throws off the tempo."