Felipe Iser grew up in Sau Paolo, Brazil, 5,256 miles from Big Rapids. Growing up, tennis was always a significant part of his life. His father was a tennis player as well and he passed on that love for the game down to Iser.
Iser was a multiple-sport athlete throughout his childhood but started to take tennis seriously when he was about 14 years old, playing in junior tournaments around the area.
Tennis was more than just a sport for Iser; he faced a lot of hard times in school and says he used tennis to get away from it.
“In school, I used to get bullied, but I was able to use tennis as a sort of escape,” Iser said. “It’s obviously an individual game, so it allows for me to work on a lot of things by myself and taking everything point by point. The game allowed me to zone out of everything going on in school and just play.”
Iser realized later in his high school career that he wanted to play at the next level, so he got in contact with a recruiter who sent kids from Brazil to the United States.
The process is very different from a normal recruiting cycle for out-of-country athletes. Since Brazil is so far away, they are unable to take visits to different schools, which makes the process a bit more difficult.
Iser, however, found a home in Mississippi College, a DII program in Clinton, Miss.
He spent his first two seasons there and had the opportunity to grow as a person and player, helping Mississippi College to be ranked in the top 25 in the country in his first year with the team.
After his sophomore year, he decided to find a new home. He reached out to over 30 schools and did not hear back from any due to his low Universal Tennis Rating.
Iser felt discouraged but knew he needed to play better to continue playing at a high level.
“My rating was low around April and May, and no coach wanted me,” Iser said. “I started to play in some tournaments in New York, and actually played really well which raised my rating. Once I got my rating up, I was replying to my own emails that I sent out just to show them I could play at a high level. Once I did that, Coach Mark reached back out.”
Iser’s determination and persistence paid off, and he accepted an offer to play at Ferris State.
Playing for Ferris has been a success for Iser; in his first season, he is already a team captain.
Freshman teammate Jose Perez applauds Iser’s guidance on the team.
“Felipe is such a fantastic leader,” Perez said. “He shows so much pride in respect in everything he does, he is a captain for a reason.”
Iser competes in singles and doubles play this season, with senior teammate Alessandro Santangelo as his doubles partner on the third flight.
Santangelo has loved having Iser as a teammate and friend.
“Felipe is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen,” Santangelo said. “He is also insanely competitive in everything he does, it translates really well to his game.”
The team has been successful overall, posting a 9-6 record with three more regular-season matches to go, and Iser has been a reason for that success, excelling in both singles and doubles.
Iser has one more year left of eligibility after this season. Once he is finished with tennis, he is unsure of what he wants to do but says he would like to get a job in finance and stay in America.