More than 8,500 miles away from Villanova University is senior Stefan Suarez and freshman Justin Suarez's hometown: Makati City, Philippines.

There are no direct flights traveling from Philadelphia to the Philippines, and with connecting flights the journey from country to country can take more than 24 hours.

Four years ago, Stefan decided that the opportunity in the United States and playing for Villanova was worth the sacrifices he would have to make, like having to leave behind his home, his parents Raymundo and Kimberly, and younger brother Justin.

Three years later, Justin made the same choice, following in the footsteps of his older brother and coming to Pennsylvania to play for coach Brad Adams and the Wildcats.

It was a decision that Justin did not take lightly. 

“It is always hard to follow in the footsteps of family, especially when your father is a Philippine tennis legend and your brother is an exceptional player,” Justin’s high school coach from the International School of Manila, David Allen, said.

“Well, Justin managed to do this, with his own brand of tennis and quirky personality he showed South East Asia what he could do. Bouncing back from defeats that could see anyone else give up the game, to becoming a more complete player and person, Justin became a tennis legend at school, leaving as a captain and a record of three gold (medals) and a silver in our international conference.”

During Spring season, the two brothers were paired together on court No. 1 in doubles play. The two went 6-4, clinching the doubles point against UConn, Drexel and Lehigh.

Individually, Stefan went 2-6 on court No. 1 in singles and Justin had a record of 1-4 in the No. 6 spot.

We asked both Justin and Stefan to reflect on their careers, the international recruiting process and their ultimate decision to play for Villanova. 

What age did you start playing tennis? Did you ever play any other sports?

STEFAN: “I started playing tennis when I was seven years old, but I did not take the sport seriously until I was 15 as I wanted to be selected for the Philippine Junior Davis Cup team. During this time, I would travel around the Philippines and compete in tournaments in order to increase my ranking in hopes of being selected to the team. When I was 16 I would travel around Asia and compete in International Tennis Federation (ITF) 18 and under events, in pursuance of a world ranking. I tried playing other sports as well, such as basketball, baseball, and golf, growing up but never competitively.”

JUSTIN: “As a tennis family, I was introduced to the sport when I was six years old and I have loved it since. I was fairly involved in a small soccer league, but then decided to focus entirely on tennis when I was seven, especially since I was much better in tennis. Every now and then, I do enjoy playing basketball with my friends.”

When did Villanova get on your radar? Did you know anything about the school living so far away? Who was the first person to contact you within the program and how old were you?

STEFAN: “Villanova got on my radar during my junior year when I participated in my first college tennis showcase. Prior to the event, I studied the list of coaches attending and tried to find schools where I would receive a great education all while being able to contribute to the team; Villanova was one of these schools. I did not know much about the Villanova outside of the University having a great business program, and that it was Augustinian. 

The first person to contact me within the program was coach Brad Adams and this happened after college tennis showcase during the summer of my Sophomore year. I kept in touch with him until I ultimately decided to commit to Villanova.”

JUSTIN: “Back in 2016, I remember seeing Villanova for the first time in an undergraduate business program ranking by Bloomberg where they came out on top, which I did not think much of. It was only until my brother told me about his experiences in school that I truly became interested in Villanova, and eventually started doing research on student life and the tennis program. I started reaching out to Coach Adams long before the tennis recruitment showcase in June 2018, in which I planned to talk to him about the amazing program the school had to offer. I was extremely thankful that he was able to watch me play and decided that I was a good fit for the school.” 

Can you describe what your international recruiting process was like? Did you visit any other schools or interested in any other schools?

STEFAN: “My recruiting process was different in that it was done mostly online via email. The only school outside of Villanova that I was able to visit was the University of Connecticut. I would rely on online resources, such as YouTube videos and the university’s website in order to get a feel of the campus.

Out of all the schools that reached out to me, I found Villanova to be the perfect fit as it had strong academics and a competitive tennis program. If I was not able to enter Villanova, then I would have applied to other schools as a regular applicant.”

JUSTIN: “Living so far away, there were limitations in the process such as my inability to play in tournaments in the US, and so I had to create a short college tennis video that showed my strokes and some points.

Unfortunately, because of the sheer number of emails that coaches receive per day, some of mine were left unanswered. Fordham University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Tufts University were one of the few that replied. After back and forth conversations through email, I was able to meet the coaches in person through the showcase and talked about my fit for the schools. Ultimately, I visited Fordham and Carnegie Mellon, but I believed Nova was the best choice for me and I have no regrets since.”

Why did you end up picking Villanova?

STEFAN: “I ended up picking Villanova because it had one of the best business schools in the country, a tennis program where I could contribute, people that I would get along with on the team, a chance for me to grow my faith as a Catholic, and it was reasonably close to my aunt in New Jersey.”

JUSTIN: “It has a good business program, its a catholic university, and with family relatively nearby, Villanova had all the things I was looking for in a college, and a spot on the tennis team reinforced my decision. Essentially, I was looking for a school where I would be able to play for the team, as well as a school that was academically challenging. Also, with my brother in the school as a senior, I believed that it would be nice knowing that I have someone watching my back at all times and just someone to talk to when I needed to.”

What is your favorite part of playing with your brother? Is it easier to be partners in doubles with him because you know each other so well?

JUSTIN: “Our chemistry is definitely my favorite part, especially in doubles where trust and confidence in each other is so important. I do believe it is much easier partnering with him in doubles just because we both know each other’s playing style so well that it is just such a big advantage rather than playing with someone I’ve only known for a year; just knowing his shot tendencies really helps me during a point as I would be able to predict where the next shot would be going.”

STEFAN: “My favorite part was trying to build the team chemistry. I have only played with him competitively once in the juniors thus teaming up with him was new for me. The key to playing great doubles is understanding your partners’ tendencies and trusting your partner to move when you do, and this was something I have yet to establish with him coming in. It was awesome getting the chance to figure this out with him.

Knowing each other well definitely made it easier to play with him as we were very transparent with each other. I was able to speak my mind with him and he was too thereby allowing us to understand each other and avoid conflict.”

What is the hardest part of living so far away from home? How often can you go home?

STEFAN: “The hardest part of living so far away from home was that I rarely got to see my support system, my parents. I have a great relationship with my parents and they have been my biggest supporters and mentors that it was definitely an adjustment to be on my own. Additionally, just being a new country with a different culture, system and, people was a challenge. I am fortunate as I believe that I was successfully able to navigate these obstacles and make the most out of my opportunity to study in this great university.

JUSTIN: “Not being able to see my parents everyday and having a normal face-to-face conversation is definitely the hardest part, especially with the 12-hour time difference that makes it even harder to talk. When problems arise that I want to talk to my parents about, I usually have to wait until 9pm to call and tell them what happened, which is so much different than talking about it when it just happens. I also miss my PS4, but I miss my parents way more.”