After transferring from Arizona State following his freshman season, junior Filipe Costa has made an impact in Athens. From launching an online tennis academy to leading UGA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Costa balances four academic programs, a Division I schedule and a growing media presence. As Georgia heads into the NCAA men’s tennis tournament, Costa’s journey offers a glimpse into the evolving role of student-athletes.
These questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
Q: The team is coming off a disappointing loss against Oklahoma in the SEC tournament. Can you go through a few of the things you saw and what you think went wrong?
A: We really wanted them. We were struggling in doubles that day. One of the things we’re working on these next few weeks is just really taking more risks. We need to be more aggressive. We need to be more proactive, and we’re reacting too much to what other people are doing. Success doesn’t come to those who wait. Maybe good things do, but winning doesn’t. So you’ve got to go out and take it from them.
I think one of the biggest themes is we really have to go out and take the match and steal it from the opponent’s hands. It doesn’t matter if it’s already on their racket. That’s what Dawgs have always done. Fight through, claw through and bite it away.
Q: How are you guys preparing for the upcoming NCAA men’s tennis tournament?
A: Georgia has always performed at NCAA tournaments. We have 42 SEC championships and eight NCAA championships. If you look back at Manny Diaz’s (former men’s tennis head coach) career, 50% of his career, he made the final four, and 75% of his career, he made the elite eight. Knowing the success of what Georgia has done before, our preparation is absolutely brutal grinding, getting in the best physical shape possible. It’s not to make sure we take care of the postseason. We know we’ve gotten this far before. Let’s make one final heating push to see what we can do in May.
Q: As you mentioned, Manny Diaz retired at the end of last season following a 42-year career coaching Georgia men’s tennis. How did the team adjust to the difference in leadership?
A: The first team dinner we had when we all came back for the fall, we said to the guys, let’s place our full faith and confidence knowing it’s just a first-year head coach and we’re used to a 42nd-year head coach. We can’t compare and create expectations for anyone to live up to the greatest coach of all time. Jamie (Hunt) is doing a great job. We have to trust his system. We want to help him succeed as much as he wants us to succeed with him. We’re allowing him to run things in his manner, and our job is to follow.
Q: I know you’re from Brazil, and earlier this week, it was announced that Gustavo Almeida of Brazil just signed on to UGA’s men’s tennis team. What do you expect to see from him, as well as the other incoming freshmen, next season?
A: I’m super excited for next season. We’re going to have a brand-new team. A lot of guys are leaving, and with the new NCAA litigation, we have roster limits now. The guys that are coming in, Noah Johnson (incoming freshman) and Gustavo, are very close friends. So, you’ve got two friends coming in who play doubles together. Both of them are already bleeding red and black. Noah has visited 10 times, and he hasn’t even started school. I think it will be very good to have a much smaller team, just fresh faces that are very motivated to really make something happen.
Q: What do you think the impact of recruiting international athletes will be on collegiate tennis, not just at UGA but nationwide?
A: Tennis is the most international sport by a large margin in college athletics. One of the biggest things that it does is that while recruiting for football, competition is within the U.S, the competition for tennis is now worldwide. What you’re seeing is that, along with the new changes in NIL (name, image and likeness), college tennis and the pro level are increasingly similar. It’s really only in the U.S. that college tennis is at this level. With these new NIL rules, the level is just going so far that college and pro are almost becoming synonymous.
Q: I saw that you’ve recently started a few social media accounts for “Costa Tennis Academy.” How is that experience with content creation, and what have you accomplished so far?
A: The story of Costa Tennis Academy is that I had five knee surgeries growing up, and I have an inability to put a racket down. So then, when I couldn’t play, I coached. I never taught for money; I genuinely enjoyed teaching. I had a lucky childhood where I moved around the world a lot. Brazil, Chile, Arizona, England and now Georgia. I had a lot of different coaches, which means I learned a lot of different ways on how to explain and teach tennis. Costa Tennis Academy is me standing on the shoulders of the giants that I learned from and putting that knowledge out there.
All of a sudden, I came to college, I was healthy, and I no longer had time to teach. So, I was like, you know what? Let me make a video. I have a couple of things I feel like I cracked the code in, in terms of teaching tennis that lots of other people don’t know. Long story short, we’re 300 videos later with over 60,000 followers across multiple platforms and millions of people each month engaging with what we’re putting out. I create all the ideas, write all the scripts, film all the videos and edit all the content.
Q: How do you find time to balance being a Division I athlete, Costa Tennis Academy and being a student as well?
A: Time management is the art of not confusing movement with progress. A lot of people can move, and they’ll actually get nowhere. But if you can always progress in every action that you do, you’ll be very efficient with what you do. The best advice I can give for time management is that schedules create efficiency. On my phone, my days are planned out by the minute. Whether it’s class, practice, lunch, or dinner that’s all in my schedule. If you make a daily to-do list, you can look at stuff, but if you schedule things out by the hour, or eventually by the minute, you can get way more done than you ever realize. You make time by becoming so efficient with every minute that eventually things become so process-oriented that you must finish what you’re doing now if you want to do the next thing.
One of my strengths has always been time efficiency. I’m currently pursuing four degrees: finance, real estate, a certificate in law, a certificate in entrepreneurship, and being an athlete. I’m also president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
Q: What was the process like becoming president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and how has that experience been so far?
A: I was recommended for it in my first year here. I love the Georgia experience. I love the fact that I get to be involved in this culture of excellence, and I want to advance that in every way possible to keep it on a path forward. So, this year, I ran for the presidency and got elected by the members. Through serving as president, I did a lot of work trying to connect with Greek life and fan engagement. That’s why you see this year, tennis matches were later in the day when they were on a weekday. It’s hard to come out to a match at two, but nice to come out to a match at six. We made sure we were promoting the matches correctly and targeted specific markets to have a little more traction and a higher conversion rate. People don’t know what college tennis is like, so you have to target people specifically. The reason people love specific sports is because of their heroes. Georgia itself is a hero. We want to put that G at the front and center of everything we do. We trust that what we do will create retention; it’s just getting people to come eventually.
Q: What are your personal goals, not only for the rest of this season but also for next year?
A: Last year, we played in the NCAA tournament against Arizona State, my former school. All of a sudden, I was thrown in the lineup, playing against the guy who essentially was my replacement (at Arizona State). I managed to win that match. To me, that being the last ever NCAA tournament for Manny, I completed college tennis. Going through five surgeries and winning a big match for Manny, who took a shot on me after not really knowing who I was, meant everything.
Outside of that, I still have big hopes and dreams for this team. I want to make a good run with them through these first two rounds. If we can make a Sweet 16 run, that’d be an unbelievable achievement. Next year, with this brand-new team, I want to give these guys a taste of what I had when I first came in, another SEC Championship. We have 42 of them; it’s something we’re used to. I had advice one time that your attitude is like your breath, you don’t want bad breath, and you don’t want a bad attitude. So, whatever the goal is, long-term or short-term. I put in God’s hands. All these little things, I try to do with the best attitude, commitment, and enthusiasm because maybe one day someone will see that and they’ll entrust me to something bigger.
Brad Jimenez is a student in the undergraduate sports media certification program at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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