La Cueva's top-ranked tennis player leaves New Mexico to join academy in Spain

One of the top prep tennis players in the state is leaving New Mexico after his sophomore season to train at a tennis academy in Europe.

Jaime Moran, the No. 1-ranked player for state champion La Cueva, will pursue his tennis prowess in Valladolid, Spain, where he will train for the next two years at a competitive tennis academy called Federación de Tenis de Castilla y León.

Moran, a Valladolid native, moved to Albuquerque when he was 10. Growing up, he played soccer, basketball and tennis competitively. It wasn’t until his freshman year at La Cueva that he decided to fully focus on tennis.

The Spaniard was ranked second on the team his freshman year before being named the top player this past season. As a sophomore, Moran racked up an individual record of 26-6 and led his team to a 15-1 regular season record, and ultimately a state team championship. He won the District 2-5A singles tournament and was a finalist in the state singles tournament.

“It was a successful season. I’m proud of my teammates for all the work they put in,” Moran said during an interview with the Journal.

Moran stated that he enjoyed his tennis experience with the Bears.

“I like the team dynamic at La Cueva. It’s fun to compete against all the other schools, particularly Academy.”

Outside of the prep tennis season, Moran spent time playing United States Tennis Association tournaments; however, he believes that his time in Europe will allow him to play at a more competitive level.

“I’m going to get more higher level training and be able to play more competitive tournaments,” he said. “In New Mexico, there aren’t too many tournaments and it’s hard to drive several hours to compete in higher level tournaments. Travel is very easy in Spain, so I have more opportunities to play against top tier opponents there.”

Moran loves the competitive aspect of tennis.

“(Tennis is) special because you have to figure out how to play different opponents and find their weaknesses. In tennis you’re going to have many bad days, but you have to stay strong mentally and find a way through those bad matches.”

Moran will leave for Spain July 31.

He plans to return to the United States to play college tennis.