University of Georgia Athletics
Costa Is ‘A Natural Leader’
May 14, 2024 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Whether he was in the lineup or not, Filipe Costa was going to make his presence felt at every Georgia men's tennis match. If you didn't see him on the court, you definitely heard him cheering for his teammates as loudly and passionately as he could.
The guy leading all of those "Georgia! ... Bulldogs!" cheers inside Henry Feild Stadium during the Bulldogs home matches? That's Costa.
"That's the role that I enjoy," said Costa, who last month was the recipient of the UGA Athletic Association's Dick Copas Leadership Award, given to the Georgia male student-athlete that regularly demonstrates a commitment to the group over himself, during the annual Dawgs Choice Awards.
And it's a role that has been forced on him for much of his tennis career because of a long injury history. He's had so many injuries and surgeries over the years that it's a tribute to his love of the sport that he continues to work his way back after each one.
"I've had five knee surgeries, a blood clot in my chest, an impingement in my shoulders, nerve problems in my arm, and as I couldn't play, I still wanted to be an influence and have some sort of leadership position and benefit the team," Costa said. "So then it was like: How can I be of use today?
"The best way I found to do that was with my voice."
A redshirt sophomore originally from São Paulo, Brazil, though he also lived in several other places including England, Chile, Arizona and Georgia before becoming a Bulldog, Costa has a voice that carries. And a fire and enthusiasm for the Bulldogs and tennis that carries much further.
Part of that is just Costa's big personality, but he's also had a lot of experience making himself heard. He moved so often growing up that he knew he had to initiate a lot of interactions to make new friends. He also spent many years acting in school productions, he said.
"I used to be shy, believe it or not," Costa said.
In his time as a Bulldog over the past two seasons — he redshirted as a true freshman at Arizona State in 2022 before transferring, and then has missed a lot of time due to injuries since he got to Georgia — Costa has been far and away the team's loudest cheerleader.
"He's amazing at it," said junior and No. 1 singles player Thomas Paulsell, one of the few upperclassmen or multi-year Bulldogs on what was one of the youngest teams coach Manuel Diaz ever had. "He gets the crowd going. People want to come to tennis matches because they get involved, because of Filipe."
Right before the Bulldogs took the court, Costa would lead the team's cheer. During matches, when he was out of the lineup, it was Costa who got the Georgia faithful energized whenever there was a quiet moment.
Costa took being a leader and cheerleader, two very different roles, equally seriously.
"I think it's innate to him. He's got a great personality, he's vivacious and very outgoing — he's a natural leader," said Diaz, who is retiring after 36 seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach. "He communicates very well, and he's just got a great attitude. He's a superb, positive influence on everybody."
When Costa isn't practicing or at a match, he's working away on his double majors, Finance and Real Estate. As if that wasn't enough, he's also pursuing a double certificate in Entrepreneurship and Law. And as if that wasn't enough, he has created his own tennis academy on social media, with more than 40,000 combined followers. He also has a partnership with a major online retailer.
Costa exudes energy, drive and intellect at all times.
"He's intelligent and he's very well-rounded," Diaz said. "He's always got a smile on his face and he's one of these guys that you're attracted to because he exudes happiness. It's very easy for him to cheer on his teammates and support them when he's not on the court. But even when he's on the court, he provides a lot of positive energy for everybody."
Last season, Georgia went undefeated in SEC play during the regular season and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Five of the Bulldogs' main six singles players didn't return, with five wrapping up their careers and star freshman Ethan Quinn turning pro after winning the NCAA singles title. That left all of the player leadership to Costa, Paulsell and junior Miguel Perez Peña.
"A whole lot fell onto them, and not by choice. But these guys responded admirably and will benefit greatly from what they went through this year," Diaz said.
Leader is a role Costa was born to play. He is a natural at it and he embraces it even though he'd much rather always be out there playing.
"The crowds at Georgia are the best in the country, and I want to give them reasons to get involved and fun things to do as they come back match after match," Costa said. "If you get involved, you're more invested. That's not only better for the crowd, it's better for the players."
And Costa has been very good for the crowd and the players. He also was able to contribute a bit on the court this season, going 10-4 in singles matches overall and 6-1 in dual matches, while also going 6-10 in doubles.
This spring, as Georgia was battling to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, Costa provided several key victories down the stretch at No. 6 singles, against Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Tennessee State. His win to clinch the victory over the Rebels on April 15 was the first clinching win of his career.
And in the first round of the NCAAs, Costa earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over Arizona State's Constantinos Koshis in the Bulldogs' 4-3 loss.
"It's just incredible. He finished the year playing his best tennis," Diaz said. "I know that he is very excited, as well, but I am super excited to see what these next couple of years hold for him."
Assistant Sports Communications Director 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.
