It’s a tough question, as difficult as any that Julieta Pareja faces on the tennis court.
“I really like the basketball one a lot,” she said. “And then of course Diversity Day. There are so many great ones in Season 1, it’s hard to choose.”
Pareja is talking 1-on-1 on Zoom on a recent morning about a passion of hers, maybe second only to tennis: She’s an enormous fan of “The Office,” the legendary NBC sitcom. She’s seen every episode many times, and when the pressures and expectations of life and sport get to be too much, sometimes she needs a little Jim and Pam to soothe her mind.
While “The Office” may be a pleasant diversion, Pareja’s performance at her workplace, the tennis court, in the last 12 months has been nothing short of remarkable.
A precocious talent identified a few years ago by the United States Tennis Association’s elite coaches, Pareja has rocketed up the ITF World Junior rankings this year, to the spot everyone aspires to: No. 1.
A list of her accomplishments could fill a book, but here are just a few: She was a finalist in both singles and doubles in the Wimbledon girls tournament in July, and a quarterfinalist at the prior Grand Slam, Roland Garros.
Pareja has won three major junior tournaments this year so far, including the prestigious Indian Wells event in March, and thanks to all that rose to No. 1 in the ITF rankings despite not turning 17 until February.
She finished fourth at the USTA Girls Nationals in San Diego earlier this month, but Pareja’s season was so outstanding that she was given a wild card into the women’s draw of the Open (her first match will be Monday morning, West Coast time, against No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina), and she’ll be a favorite to win the Open girls tournament starting Aug. 31.
“She walks on the court and she just breathes tennis, you could see that right away,” said USTA national coach Thierry Champion, who has worked with Pareja for two years. “She is such a natural, and has such humility, which is great to see.”
Pareja, the youngest of three tennis-playing siblings (Raquel and Antonia both played collegiately), is soft-spoken and polite. She thinks before answering any question and doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the incredible success she’s experienced this year.
“I go into every tournament the same, just trying to do my best and not expecting to win the title or anything,” said Pareja, who attended Calavera Hills Middle School and then Carlsbad High for a year. “I never think about a ranking goal or a result, but having that (No. 1) ranking is really nice, and shows hard work pays off.
“But there’s so much more to be done.”
Pareja’s racket journey began the way those of younger siblings often do: she tagged along to Raquel and Antonia’s practices and tournaments and got the bug to play herself.
Starting at age 4 at Kelly Park and Poinsettia Park in Carlsbad, Julieta was coached by her mom, Adriana and others. She now is coached mainly by Adam Peterson out of Anaheim, with USTA coaches Champion and others helping out as well.
Adriana said there wasn’t a “lightbulb” moment that showed Juliana’s talent when she was young.
“She has been a late bloomer, just getting better day to day, year to year,” Adriana, a native of Colombia, said in a recent phone interview. “We never thought of it like ‘oh she has so much potential,’ it was just having fun and enjoying the moment and staying in the moment.”
The bond between mother and daughter has been rock-solid, always. It’s Adriana
who travels to every tournament with Julieta and is the one Julieta leans on for
support, sympathy and everything else a young tennis star needs.
“She’s always there for me and so helpful, no matter what,” Pareja said at Wimbledon. “She keeps me grounded and keeps me focused on the right things.”
Champion has seen mother and daughter together a lot and gives Adriana a ton of
credit for Julieta’s success.
“Julieta is a very healthy person, and that’s because her family does such a great job with her,” Champion said. “(Adriana) asks all the right questions, and is very humble and grateful about the journey she and Juliana are on.”
Pareja’s game is smooth; she doesn’t overpower you with enormous serves or killer forehands, but she’s very technically sound. Her right-handed strokes are fluid and smooth, and her mental toughness has become a major strength.
For example, at Wimbledon this year she faced home-nation British players Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, with the crowds vociferously against her. But Pareja remained unruffled and beat both in deciding third sets.
“To get to a Grand Slam final was amazing, and to play such tough matches to get there was really helpful,” Pareja said. “It will be nice to play a Slam at home now at the U.S. Open,” she added with a laugh.
Pareja’s U.S. Open pro debut almost came last year; she reached the final round of qualifying before falling. Monday she’ll face former Wimbledon champion Rybakina in front of a New York crowd that loves to cheer on underdogs, especially young American ones they’ve never heard of before.
While Pareja’s present looks extremely sunny, her future is even brighter. She’s a longshot to play college tennis, as she’s already been signed by the sportswear brand On, which counts Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek among its clients.
Just by making it into the main draw at the Open, Pareja could pocket $110,000 if she elects to take the money and forfeit college eligibility (there are many lawsuits challenging that NCAA rule and it’s likely to be overturned in the next few years, but at least for now, players can’t take prize money if they want to ever play college tennis).
Pareja needs to get a little stronger, Champion said, and will certainly continue to improve on her shot selection and approaches to the net. But in a sport that so often eats its young, Pareja seems calm and ready for whatever comes next.
“I just really enjoy every part of it, and don’t get caught up in what people are saying,” Pareja said. “I love playing and competing and traveling, it’s tiring but really just a lot of fun.”
