University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Marta Gonzalez
May 03, 2019 | Women's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
There are many facets to Marta Gonzalez. a junior standout on Georgia's women's tennis team: She's from Madrid, Spain, though she was born in China and adopted by Spanish parents. She's studying mechanical engineering and wouldn't mind designing smart homes once she's done hitting forehand passing shots. She has been good at the Rubik's Cube since she was 12 and wishes she could sing.
Gonzalez was named first-team All-SEC this spring, along with Bulldog teammates Katarina Jokic and Vivian Wolff. On the second-team from the 23-1 Georgia squad that's the No. 1 seed the NCAA tournament were Lourdes Carle and Elena Christofi, and Meg Kowalski was the SEC Freshman of the Year.
It has been a stellar year for all of the Bulldogs, including Gonzalez who plays No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles and received an at-large selection into the NCAA singles tournament later this month. Georgia is hosting an NCAA regional this weekend and will take on Alabama State in the first round Saturday at noon.
On Friday, Gonzalez sat down for a Quick Chat before practice and talked about a wide range of topics. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: You've got exams and the NCAAs going on at the same time, so how hard is it to juggle these two very important things?
Gonzalez: I think it's all based on time management and that's very important, especially because I'm studying engineering and it's very time-consuming. If you don't schedule your day you're in trouble.
Frierson: I saw that you're majoring in mechanical engineering, what got you interested in that?
Gonzalez: My two last years of high school in Spain, I was doing the science and technology part; the two last years, you have to decide if you want to go do arts or if you want to do business ... so I knew I didn't want to do something related to business or arts. I like math, I like physics, so I tried to go that way.
When I came here, even though it was in English and everything was different, my first semester I was like, I don't know what to study, which is fine because here you have so much flexibility, you don't have to rush it like in Spain. So I took some math classes and second semester I was like, OK, why not try engineering?
The reason why I picked mechanical is because it's the broadest engineering out of all of them. I knew I would have more paths to follow rather than just something specific in one of them.
Frierson: Is there something in engineering that you would like to do once your tennis days are done?
Gonzalez: I would like to work in home automation, creating intelligent or smart houses and making life easier. I don't know if I also want to try to play tennis professionally, so that's something I will decide when I get there.
Frierson: Madrid is one of the great cities in the world, so what besides your family and friends do you miss the most?
Gonzalez: The culture, culture is so important. I miss the environment, just being there, it's home and it's something I've done all my life. It's my habitat (laughs), my natural habitat.
Frierson: Is there something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Gonzalez: Jamón serrano, it's serrano ham. It's kind of like prosciutto, it's from the pig, but I want to say that jamón serrano is better than prosciutto.
Frierson: Who's the funniest person on the team?
Gonzalez: Oh, Lourdes. It's between Lourdes and Vivian, and I would say it's probably Lourdes. Also, she's from Argentina and also speaks Spanish; I get the sense of humor that she has.
Frierson: Does it help that you two have Spanish as your native language? Is there a comfort level to having her there with you and you can speak your native tongue?
Gonzalez: Yes, it feels much better although her Spanish is very different from mine. It's like a completely different dialect and they use different words and different expressions, but still it's Spanish and it's nice to talk to her. ... We try when we're all around the team to just speak in English.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Gonzalez: I would say I'm a very creative person — I don't want to brag on myself, but ... first thing, I know how to do the Rubik's Cube. I'm a big fan of that, I solved my first one when I was 12 years old probably and just started liking it and kept learning new techniques for it.
I also learned my freshman year, (associate head coach Drake Bernstein) had the ukulele and I wanted to learn that. I played the flute in high school but because it was mandatory, everyone has to do it, but I wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. I ended up learning how to play the ukulele and also the guitar. I haven't played in a while but I know the basics.
I've always liked drawing and one time I drew a picture of all the courts (at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex) in pen and that was one of my best drawings I've ever done. And because of the fact that I was learning how to play the guitar, I would try to create songs. And I ended up writing some poems.
Frierson: What was your first Georgia football game like?
Gonzalez: The stadium here at Georgia is way bigger than, for example, Real Madrid's stadium in Spain, so I was very, very impressed. There's also the fans that are screaming; I think it's more fun because of the people that you're with than actually watching the game. I liked it and had a really good experience.
Frierson: Did you know what you were watching?
Gonzalez: I was still learning at that point.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Gonzalez: The first thing that came into my mind (laughs) is to be good at singing, but I don't know if that's what I would like. I would have to put more thought into it. I would like to sing well so that I could sing my songs.
Frierson: You've traveled to a lot of different places through tennis, so what's one place you would like to see again and where is somewhere new that you'd like to see?
Gonzalez: Out of all the places I've seen, when I saw the Grand Canyon when I was in Arizona, I thought it was very beautiful. I also would like to go to Niagara Falls.
I was born in China so I would like to go to the place where I was born and visit just to see it. ... I'm adopted so I was born in China and my parents are Spanish, so I was adopted when I was nine months. My little brother's also adopted so I remember going when I was 5 years old to China to adopt him but I don't remember much, so I want to go back there again now that I'm 20 and actually have a better experience and remember.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
There are many facets to Marta Gonzalez. a junior standout on Georgia's women's tennis team: She's from Madrid, Spain, though she was born in China and adopted by Spanish parents. She's studying mechanical engineering and wouldn't mind designing smart homes once she's done hitting forehand passing shots. She has been good at the Rubik's Cube since she was 12 and wishes she could sing.
Gonzalez was named first-team All-SEC this spring, along with Bulldog teammates Katarina Jokic and Vivian Wolff. On the second-team from the 23-1 Georgia squad that's the No. 1 seed the NCAA tournament were Lourdes Carle and Elena Christofi, and Meg Kowalski was the SEC Freshman of the Year.
It has been a stellar year for all of the Bulldogs, including Gonzalez who plays No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles and received an at-large selection into the NCAA singles tournament later this month. Georgia is hosting an NCAA regional this weekend and will take on Alabama State in the first round Saturday at noon.
On Friday, Gonzalez sat down for a Quick Chat before practice and talked about a wide range of topics. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: You've got exams and the NCAAs going on at the same time, so how hard is it to juggle these two very important things?
Gonzalez: I think it's all based on time management and that's very important, especially because I'm studying engineering and it's very time-consuming. If you don't schedule your day you're in trouble.
Frierson: I saw that you're majoring in mechanical engineering, what got you interested in that?
Gonzalez: My two last years of high school in Spain, I was doing the science and technology part; the two last years, you have to decide if you want to go do arts or if you want to do business ... so I knew I didn't want to do something related to business or arts. I like math, I like physics, so I tried to go that way.
When I came here, even though it was in English and everything was different, my first semester I was like, I don't know what to study, which is fine because here you have so much flexibility, you don't have to rush it like in Spain. So I took some math classes and second semester I was like, OK, why not try engineering?
The reason why I picked mechanical is because it's the broadest engineering out of all of them. I knew I would have more paths to follow rather than just something specific in one of them.
Frierson: Is there something in engineering that you would like to do once your tennis days are done?
Gonzalez: I would like to work in home automation, creating intelligent or smart houses and making life easier. I don't know if I also want to try to play tennis professionally, so that's something I will decide when I get there.
Frierson: Madrid is one of the great cities in the world, so what besides your family and friends do you miss the most?
Gonzalez: The culture, culture is so important. I miss the environment, just being there, it's home and it's something I've done all my life. It's my habitat (laughs), my natural habitat.
Frierson: Is there something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Gonzalez: Jamón serrano, it's serrano ham. It's kind of like prosciutto, it's from the pig, but I want to say that jamón serrano is better than prosciutto.
Frierson: Who's the funniest person on the team?
Gonzalez: Oh, Lourdes. It's between Lourdes and Vivian, and I would say it's probably Lourdes. Also, she's from Argentina and also speaks Spanish; I get the sense of humor that she has.
Frierson: Does it help that you two have Spanish as your native language? Is there a comfort level to having her there with you and you can speak your native tongue?
Gonzalez: Yes, it feels much better although her Spanish is very different from mine. It's like a completely different dialect and they use different words and different expressions, but still it's Spanish and it's nice to talk to her. ... We try when we're all around the team to just speak in English.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Gonzalez: I would say I'm a very creative person — I don't want to brag on myself, but ... first thing, I know how to do the Rubik's Cube. I'm a big fan of that, I solved my first one when I was 12 years old probably and just started liking it and kept learning new techniques for it.
I also learned my freshman year, (associate head coach Drake Bernstein) had the ukulele and I wanted to learn that. I played the flute in high school but because it was mandatory, everyone has to do it, but I wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. I ended up learning how to play the ukulele and also the guitar. I haven't played in a while but I know the basics.
I've always liked drawing and one time I drew a picture of all the courts (at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex) in pen and that was one of my best drawings I've ever done. And because of the fact that I was learning how to play the guitar, I would try to create songs. And I ended up writing some poems.
Frierson: What was your first Georgia football game like?
Gonzalez: The stadium here at Georgia is way bigger than, for example, Real Madrid's stadium in Spain, so I was very, very impressed. There's also the fans that are screaming; I think it's more fun because of the people that you're with than actually watching the game. I liked it and had a really good experience.
Frierson: Did you know what you were watching?
Gonzalez: I was still learning at that point.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Gonzalez: The first thing that came into my mind (laughs) is to be good at singing, but I don't know if that's what I would like. I would have to put more thought into it. I would like to sing well so that I could sing my songs.
Frierson: You've traveled to a lot of different places through tennis, so what's one place you would like to see again and where is somewhere new that you'd like to see?
Gonzalez: Out of all the places I've seen, when I saw the Grand Canyon when I was in Arizona, I thought it was very beautiful. I also would like to go to Niagara Falls.
I was born in China so I would like to go to the place where I was born and visit just to see it. ... I'm adopted so I was born in China and my parents are Spanish, so I was adopted when I was nine months. My little brother's also adopted so I remember going when I was 5 years old to China to adopt him but I don't remember much, so I want to go back there again now that I'm 20 and actually have a better experience and remember.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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