Leading their last ride: Gator tennis seniors reflect on team culture, bold playstyle

Tanapatt Nirundorn and Pablo Perez Ramos have had two very different college careers. But both seniors are leading the Florida men’s tennis team in their final seasons as brothers, mentors and highly ranked tennis players.

Tanapatt Nirundorn: ‘I had to step up big time’

Nirundorn, coming out of Bangkok and Hilton Head, South Carolina, is a Gator through and through. He started his freshman season at Florida in 2022 with a 32-20 overall record and persevered when a new coaching staff took over at the start of his sophomore year.  

“I was kind of on edge. I didn’t know how it would affect the program or affect me,” Nirundorn said. “I just felt with my instincts that I should tough it out, and what I’ve learned is that change is good.”

As the Gator great father-and-son duo of Bryan and Ben Shelton left UF to pursue their careers on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, coach Adam Steinberg and the supporting staff filled the void they left behind.

But it wasn’t just the new coaching system that stepped up; Nirundorn also took on a leadership role early into his collegiate career to help the talented incoming freshman class.

He felt a personal responsibility for helping the freshman adjust, he said.

“I feel like I had to step up big time,” Nirundorn said.

The senior did, as the team went 11-1 at home in the 2023-24 season, and he would go on to post an overall doubles record of 74-49 as of April 4.  

Throughout his final season, Nirundorn provided veteran leadership and lineup stability, helping the team secure rankings all while guiding a young roster. The Gators currently sit at No. 21 nationally, while Nirundorn and junior teammate Henry Jefferson are ranked No. 8 in doubles. 

That impact has translated into results on the court. The team has had some notable wins this season, knocking off top contenders in Intercollegiate Tennis Association and SEC play. Nirundorn and his teammates attribute their success to the current Florida coaching staff. 

“They know me very well as a player,” Nirundorn said. “All three coaches are really positive, and I think that's what I need. I don’t need someone always berating me.”

The Gators use this support, both on and off the court, to shape their play style and their personality. Like most sports, tennis is a mental battle. Players can fall off early in a game and lose the set, but what matters most is maintaining the right mindset and responding. 

Steinberg, associate head coach Anthony Rossi and assistant coach Max Koller remind the team of these lessons when they go to the towel or the bench to recollect themselves.

“I think as a player, I have more identity for my game,” Nirundorn said. “I know exactly what I'm doing every point now, and the coaches have always encouraged me to play aggressive and play the right way.”

Pablo Perez Ramos: ‘We push together’

Florida’s other senior star, Pablo Perez Ramos, also emulates that aggressive play style.

Ramos, like Nirundorn, brings life and leadership to his team. But his path to Florida was much different. After growing up in the Canary Islands, the Spaniard decided to travel nearly 3,400 miles to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to chase his tennis dreams.

His tennis aspirations began in childhood, when his father first put a racket in his hand. Later, his hometown coach trained him. 

But though Ramos realized his dreams early, he still faced mental hardships on the way to achieving them.

“I wanted to quit. I had a moment that I was not having the results that I wanted to,” Ramos said. “I was practicing three hours a week, and I was like, there’s no point for me to keep playing.”

Thanks to Pablo’s mom and sister, Gator and tennis fans alike get to see his excellence and big personality shine on the court. They pushed him to keep playing and keep doing what he loved. 

Ramos credits some of his leadership abilities to the seniors he met at NJIT when he first moved to the U.S. at 17.

“I didn’t know how to speak English, but I had two really good seniors who kind of helped me a lot,” Ramos recalled. “I think the freshmen here deserve someone who can help them reach their goals and their full potential.”

That experience now shapes the way Ramos leads, he said. At NJIT, he posted a 79-25 overall singles record with a 76-28 doubles record and discovered his own leadership style. Despite the culture, environment and weather shock when arriving in Florida, he adjusted.

While his values and mindset carried on to the type of player he is here at Florida, he learned and grew alongside his Florida family.

“Here, every time we have a tough moment, we push together, and that means a lot for me, and I hope for everyone watching,” Ramos said.

While the second half of the season started with poor in-conference play, Ramos and the Gators do not let defeat define them. Despite losing to Texas A&M, Ramos uses that experience as a valuable lesson. “It was a good example for the freshman to look at someone who's not better than the other player but kept pushing and fighting,” he said.

That mentality is the foundation of the legacy Ramos hopes to leave at Florida. More than anything, he wants to be remembered as a relentless warrior who never quit.

As the season concludes in the coming weeks, they’ll look to show out for one last ride. Ramos is 18-4 in overall singles this season, while Nirundorn is 19-13 in overall doubles, but they hope to leave a legacy that goes beyond the stat sheet.

“I just want to be known as someone who was always there for their teammates and someone who really cared about the program,” Nirundorn said.

Playing for Florida meant everything to both. With players constantly coming and going, each aims to leave the program better than when they joined.   

“I know I’ve only been here for just a few months, but it’s been something that will be with me forever,” Ramos said.

Contact Ethan Feinberg at efeinberg@alligator.org. Contact him on X @thefeinline.

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