Julian Saborio’s journey to Baton Rouge from San Jose, Costa Rica, has been difficult.
After signing with the Tigers in summer 2015, the now freshman tennis player was to be enrolled at the University in January 2016. But because of an issue with the NCAA, he was not able to join until fall 2016.
The NCAA held up Saborio’s enrollment because of an academic issue, which kept him out of competitive tennis for eight months. He was finally cleared to join LSU at the start of this past fall semester.
“I was very excited,” Saborio said, “I got here a couple months after I was supposed to, so I was working back home thinking about LSU and what was coming up.”
Former LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan was the first person Saborio came in contact with at LSU.
The Costa Rica native first reached out to Bryan via email and has been in close contact ever since.
“We just kept in touch,” Saborio said. “When I made my visit here, they made me really feel like home here.”
LSU coach Jeff Brown was fond of Saborio from his junior world tennis ranking, and eventually brought him to see the University.
“Bryan was instrumental in identifying him,” Brown said. “We knew he was being recruited by Texas and Florida, so we brought him in for a visit.”
Brown used LSU’s new tennis facility to show Saborio that LSU was taking the next step with its tennis program.
The move made an impression on Saborio and was a significant draw in signing him.
“I felt very comfortable,” Saborio said. “I felt like I could spend four years of my life here, I feel like I made the right choice.”
But Saborio’s issue with the NCAA was a huge setback, and his play suffered when he joined the Tigers in the fall.
“Having that year off was tough on him. I think it really hurt him a lot,” Brown said. “The NCAA didn’t do him any favors by not letting him play that year. It was a struggle for him in the fall and put him behind as we got into the spring.”
Saborio agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“The fall was actually very tough for me,” Saborio said. “I didn’t feel comfortable, I felt kind of lost on the court.”
Saborio is not letting his layoff or fall struggles deter him going forward, working with assistant coach Marty Stiegwardt and Brown on improving his play.
The coaching staff looks at his progress favorably, and they expect a bright future for the freshman.
“He’s got a very big serve and a huge forehand,” Brown said. “He had some things most players need to work on — movement, his weaker side. We are still trying to get through some of those things, but he is starting to put things together. He is doing really well on doubles, and I think that is starting to help his confidence”
Brown believes that if Saborio puts in the work, his talent will shine.
“It is up to him,” Brown said, “He is [going to] have to work hard, and [going to] have to outwork the people that are ahead of him currently.
“He’s got a lot of potential, there is very few people that the serve and the forehand as big as his. There is just a few things we have to put around it, and he has got to really work hard on it.”
For Saborio, this spring is about regaining his best form and confidence in his abilities. He says he is ready to compete and do what is best for the Tigers.
“I am just trying to do my best for the team,” Saborio said.