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That all changed when an assistant coach at Virginia Tech named
Freddy Gomez heard about a talented tennis player in Italy. Gomez,
who now serves as the director of tennis at Hidden Valley Country
Club in Roanoke, Virginia, once worked for Tech head coach Terry
Ann Zawacki-Woods, and he talked about Fusinato and what stood
out to him.
“I first heard of Fusi from a friend of mine who saw her play with a
lot of character during a summer tournament in Italy,” he said. “Then,
when I started researching her, I noticed that she had a respectable
record and ranking for playing in very few tournaments. She actually
only played most of her tennis in the summer.”
Gomez ultimately came to the conclusion that Fusinato would be
a great prospect. He still had to convince her into coming to Virginia
Tech. With other schools trying to recruit her, she talked about what
made her comfortable with committing to Blacksburg.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” she said. “That was the
toughest decision ever. You’re 18, so in Europe, you’re an adult. What
made me come was the assistant coach, Freddy Gomez. He was really
patient with my English, and we had a good human relationship.”
Gomez knew he had the player he wanted to help build the program
at Virginia Tech.
“There was good chemistry between us possibly because of our
cultures,” Gomez said, a reference to his being an international player
in Venezuela during his younger days. “I thought she was a great
person and player. She was just what I was looking for in a player.”
Fusinato said the transition was tough on her. There were language
barriers, social barriers and even food barriers to overcome. But the
transition was tougher on her parents.
Continued on page 36
inside.hokiesports.com35
women’s tennis spotlight
francesca fusinato
Italy native Francesca Fusinato
and her family often drove up to
six hours to play in various tennis
tournaments in Europe, but the
time and effort paid off when she
received a scholarship offer from
Virginia Tech.