Guatemalan tennis player joins Flagler tennis

By Mariana Rodas | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Anika Cohen, 19, from Guatemala City joined Flagler’s tennis team sooner than she was expecting.

The new freshman has been playing tennis for 11 years; she was ranked top 3 in Guatemala’s ranking and Central American champion in 2010.

Do to circumstances she stopped playing tennis 6 months before coming to Flagler, her plan was to practice for this semester and try to join the team next spring since playing in a college team has always been her dream

¨My dream has always been to represent a school by doing what I love most, playing tennis¨

Tennis is Cohen’s passion and without playing she was feeling incomplete.

¨I was feeling unsatisfied without playing in Flagler’s tennis team, from one day to another fate led me to accomplish my main dream¨

One afternoon coach Walter Shinn saw her playing and was amazed with the talent and potential she demonstrated, coach Shinn approached her and asked if she would be interested in trying out on the team.

He says: She is a very good player and is really going to help our team.

¨She seemed to have dropped out of the sky for us¨.

Cohen is starting to practice with the team and getting in shape to start season next February, she is committed to do her best job to be in the first three positions of the team and win nationals next season.

She affirms that her main goal is to practice to be in the best shape possible and make coach Shinn feel proud of her and happy about the decision he took by recruiting her.