University of Georgia Athletics
‘Contagious’ Grant Brings Shots And Smiles
May 03, 2024 | Women's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Drake Bernstein knew from his first glimpse of Guillermina Grant that there was something special about the tennis player from Uruguay. It was several years back in South Florida, at the Orange Bowl, one of the biggest junior tournaments in the world, and the talented prospect made an immediate impression.
"I saw this girl getting ready to take a return. She was playing a match, bouncing around, and immediately: whoa! You could just see it in the step," said Bernstein, Georgia women's tennis' associate head coach at the time. (He took over for Jeff Wallace as head coach last June.)
Bernstein only got to see her play a few points that day, but he saw enough — her movement and nimbleness on the court, her wide array of shots, her positive demeanor — to know that he wanted to see more and know more about her.
"You see that person and you're just like, that's contagious, that's somebody that stands out, and obviously she's got a boatload of results that verify this," he said.
On Friday, during No. 7 Georgia's 4-0 win of Alabama State in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Grant flashed both the stylish, all-court game that makes her so fun to watch, and the positive, engaging demeanor that draws people in.
(For a taste of Grant's personality and play — and note the variety of between-the-legs shots — just watch and listen to her in this pre-NCAAs video that Georgia put on social media Thursday: https://gado.gs/bts)
In her match at No. 2 doubles Friday, with partner Mai Nirundorn, Grant flashed a big smile after crushing a crosscourt backhand winner. It's something she often does, smile on the court after a great shot or point. The duo was rolling toward a victory when play was stopped after Georgia's other two doubles teams won their matches.
"I like a lot of things about playing with Gigi. I think my favorite thing about her is that she's always positive. Even if I'm making a few mistakes or she sees me down a little bit, she's always picking me back up," Nirundorn recently said of her partner. "I try to do the same for her, and I think our chemistry is really good."
In the opening game of her match at No. 5 singles against ASU's Bea Francesca Acena, Grant chased down a very good drop shot and then won the point with a well-placed overhead, helping her break serve for a 1-0 lead. She won the next 11 games after that, rolling to a double-bagel victory, 6-0, 6-0, to put Georgia up 2-0.
Grant, known to everyone as "Gigi," had won her past 14 completed matches before falling in the finals of the SEC tournament on April 21, to Texas A&M's Lucciana Perez, 6-4, 6-3. It was her first loss since Feb. 4. With Friday's win, she improved to 25-9 in completed singles matches during her junior season, and she and Nirundorn are 22-10 as a doubles team.
Not only has Grant been a very valuable contributor on the court for the sixth-ranked Bulldogs, she has also earned multiple academic honors and has gotten involved in numerous off-court activities and groups. She is currently Co-President of Georgia's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (S.A.A.C.).
And perhaps Grant's great attribute extends far beyond the lines of a tennis court: she brings a joyful enthusiasm and openness to everything she does.
"Even outside the court, she's always there for her teammates, whatever you need," Nirundorn said. "She just always tries to help out, and we love her."
"One thing you'll never hear a coach complain about is Gigi's attitude," Bernstein said.
Another thing you're never going to hear about Grant is that she's boring to watch. She has a crafty, all-court game, one that, with its heavy use of slice and spin, was forged on the clay courts of Montevideo. She said she's played this way her whole life, mixing up her shots and attacking the net when she gets the chance.
"I don't know, it's just my way," she said with a smile. "I grew up playing every single day on clay — sliding, grinding, playing a lot of long points, a lot of spin on the ball — and that's something that here is a little different. A lot of people (in college) hit it hard, they play more flat (shots instead of with a lot of spin), and that's something different."
Grant arrived at Georgia with plenty of potential and firepower, Bernstein said, and she has been an impact player her whole career. As a freshman, she went 12-3 in singles and 15-10 in doubles. Last year, she was 28-8 in singles, including 15-3 in dual matches, mostly at No. 6, and 28-14 in doubles. The key to her development and success as a Bulldog, her coach said, has been in harnessing that firepower and thinking through her approach to each opponent.
"You wouldn't say she's hitting the ball any bigger. She walked in the door hitting the ball big, it's just been learning how to tame the fire," Bernstein said last week. "There are so many weapons, so many options: she can rip forehands, she can rip backhands, she can hit slice backhands, she can come up to the net, she can serve and volley, she can grind from the fence.
"You see her doing a really good job of understanding: this is what I've got to do to get it done today. And it's not really feel-based, it's, this is what it's going to take today. And her record certainly reflects somebody that's giving themselves a chance to win every day."
And Grant's success is helping the Bulldogs, who shared the SEC regular-season title with A&M before beating the Aggies to win the conference tourney, have a chance to win every day. The Bulldogs, now 21-4 this season, will take on Florida State on Saturday (1 p.m.) for a spot in the round of 16.
Staff Writer
Drake Bernstein knew from his first glimpse of Guillermina Grant that there was something special about the tennis player from Uruguay. It was several years back in South Florida, at the Orange Bowl, one of the biggest junior tournaments in the world, and the talented prospect made an immediate impression.
"I saw this girl getting ready to take a return. She was playing a match, bouncing around, and immediately: whoa! You could just see it in the step," said Bernstein, Georgia women's tennis' associate head coach at the time. (He took over for Jeff Wallace as head coach last June.)
Bernstein only got to see her play a few points that day, but he saw enough — her movement and nimbleness on the court, her wide array of shots, her positive demeanor — to know that he wanted to see more and know more about her.
"You see that person and you're just like, that's contagious, that's somebody that stands out, and obviously she's got a boatload of results that verify this," he said.
On Friday, during No. 7 Georgia's 4-0 win of Alabama State in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Grant flashed both the stylish, all-court game that makes her so fun to watch, and the positive, engaging demeanor that draws people in.
(For a taste of Grant's personality and play — and note the variety of between-the-legs shots — just watch and listen to her in this pre-NCAAs video that Georgia put on social media Thursday: https://gado.gs/bts)
In her match at No. 2 doubles Friday, with partner Mai Nirundorn, Grant flashed a big smile after crushing a crosscourt backhand winner. It's something she often does, smile on the court after a great shot or point. The duo was rolling toward a victory when play was stopped after Georgia's other two doubles teams won their matches.
"I like a lot of things about playing with Gigi. I think my favorite thing about her is that she's always positive. Even if I'm making a few mistakes or she sees me down a little bit, she's always picking me back up," Nirundorn recently said of her partner. "I try to do the same for her, and I think our chemistry is really good."
In the opening game of her match at No. 5 singles against ASU's Bea Francesca Acena, Grant chased down a very good drop shot and then won the point with a well-placed overhead, helping her break serve for a 1-0 lead. She won the next 11 games after that, rolling to a double-bagel victory, 6-0, 6-0, to put Georgia up 2-0.
Grant, known to everyone as "Gigi," had won her past 14 completed matches before falling in the finals of the SEC tournament on April 21, to Texas A&M's Lucciana Perez, 6-4, 6-3. It was her first loss since Feb. 4. With Friday's win, she improved to 25-9 in completed singles matches during her junior season, and she and Nirundorn are 22-10 as a doubles team.
Not only has Grant been a very valuable contributor on the court for the sixth-ranked Bulldogs, she has also earned multiple academic honors and has gotten involved in numerous off-court activities and groups. She is currently Co-President of Georgia's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (S.A.A.C.).
And perhaps Grant's great attribute extends far beyond the lines of a tennis court: she brings a joyful enthusiasm and openness to everything she does.
"Even outside the court, she's always there for her teammates, whatever you need," Nirundorn said. "She just always tries to help out, and we love her."
"One thing you'll never hear a coach complain about is Gigi's attitude," Bernstein said.
Another thing you're never going to hear about Grant is that she's boring to watch. She has a crafty, all-court game, one that, with its heavy use of slice and spin, was forged on the clay courts of Montevideo. She said she's played this way her whole life, mixing up her shots and attacking the net when she gets the chance.
"I don't know, it's just my way," she said with a smile. "I grew up playing every single day on clay — sliding, grinding, playing a lot of long points, a lot of spin on the ball — and that's something that here is a little different. A lot of people (in college) hit it hard, they play more flat (shots instead of with a lot of spin), and that's something different."
Grant arrived at Georgia with plenty of potential and firepower, Bernstein said, and she has been an impact player her whole career. As a freshman, she went 12-3 in singles and 15-10 in doubles. Last year, she was 28-8 in singles, including 15-3 in dual matches, mostly at No. 6, and 28-14 in doubles. The key to her development and success as a Bulldog, her coach said, has been in harnessing that firepower and thinking through her approach to each opponent.
"You wouldn't say she's hitting the ball any bigger. She walked in the door hitting the ball big, it's just been learning how to tame the fire," Bernstein said last week. "There are so many weapons, so many options: she can rip forehands, she can rip backhands, she can hit slice backhands, she can come up to the net, she can serve and volley, she can grind from the fence.
"You see her doing a really good job of understanding: this is what I've got to do to get it done today. And it's not really feel-based, it's, this is what it's going to take today. And her record certainly reflects somebody that's giving themselves a chance to win every day."
And Grant's success is helping the Bulldogs, who shared the SEC regular-season title with A&M before beating the Aggies to win the conference tourney, have a chance to win every day. The Bulldogs, now 21-4 this season, will take on Florida State on Saturday (1 p.m.) for a spot in the round of 16.
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.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Georgia Women's Tennis SEC Quarterfinal vs Texas Video Recap
Saturday, April 18
Georgia Women's Tennis vs Mississippi State Video Recap
Saturday, April 11
Georgia Women's Tennis vs Tennessee Video Recap
Saturday, April 04
Georgia Women's Tennis vs Kentucky Post-Game Recap
Thursday, April 02