Estrella Burgos, an Improbable Trailblazer, Takes Aim at U.S. Open

*Who said this Dominican tennis player was over the hill? At 34 he just hit his stride. VL

By Ben Rothenberg, New York Times

WASHINGTON – The longest road to the biggest stages of tennis started where no road had before.

Victor Estrella Burgos, who turned 34 on Saturday, will be the oldest player ever to make his debut in the main draw at the United States Open when it begins Aug. 25.  He will also be the first from the Dominican Republic to participate  in the 128-player draw. In February, he became the first Dominican to crack the ATP top 100 after he won the Challenger tournament in Salinas, Ecuador.

“I won the tournament, and finally it means that my dream is true, to make the top 100,” he said last week. “This day I’m not going to forget because it’s unbelievable how I wanted so much to show the world that Dominicans, we can play tennis. We have the athleticism for this; just we have to work hard.”

Click HERE to read the full story.

[Photo courtesy DartMarcus/menstennisforums]

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