In their own words: Ron Marquez on honoring his heritage on and off the tennis court
As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout May, we look to amplify the voices of AAPI leaders in tennis who are working to spread this sport far and wide. This month, you'll meet leaders who are telling their first-person stories and who recognize the influences family, friends, players, teachers and coaches have had on the direction their lives and careers have taken—and how that direction is positively impacting the newest generations. Today, meet Ron Marquez.
For me, tennis has always been more than a game—it has been a way of carrying my Filipino heritage onto courts where players who looked like me were rarely seen. As a proud Filipino-American, I have spent more than three decades shaping junior, high school and professional tennis in San Diego, bringing the values my family taught me—humility, hard work and quiet leadership—to the sport.
I learned the importance of representation from AAPI mentors throughout my life. My parents, Agripino and Lydia, immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s; my mother enrolled me in organized sports, and my father introduced tennis to our family after learning the game on Navy deployment in Australia. The bonds of the San Diego Filipino community taught me that identity is something you carry forward, not leave at the gate.
The Redondo family—trailblazers of San Diego tennis—showed me that Filipino-Americans belonged at the highest levels of the sport. And like so many in my generation, I idolized Michael Chang, who won the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) San Diego Section Boys’ Tennis title in 1986 and the French Open in 1989. I modeled part of my game after his—the relentless footwork, the refusal to give up a point, the proof that an Asian-American from California could compete on tennis’s biggest stages.
Ron Marquez in action on the tennis court. Photo courtesy of Ron Marquez.
From 1999 through 2018, I served as the boys’, girls’ and co-ed varsity tennis coach at University of San Diego High School and Cathedral Catholic High School. Our teams reached the CIF San Diego Section Championships every season from 2003 through 2012, capturing seven CIF Girls’ Tennis titles and five consecutive CIF Boys’ Tennis Finals from 2007 through 2011.
Honors followed: CIF/UT San Diego Girls’ Tennis Coach of the Year (2004, 2007), Cal Coaches Southern California Girls’ Tennis Coach of the Year (2016), San Diego High School Coaching Legend (2019), and induction into the Dons Sports Hall of Fame (2024). In a sport with little Filipino-American presence, I wanted my spot on the bench—calm, prepared, proud—to say to every Filipino kid in the stands: This game is yours, too.
Ron Marquez teaching a young tennis player. Photo courtesy of Ron Marquez.
I credit mentors Steve Furgal, Jean Kremm and Gary Edwards for getting me involved in organizing junior tennis tournaments at age 16. I have since served Youth Tennis San Diego (formerly the San Diego Tennis Patrons) in many roles, helping create the Junior Player Council and serving two stints on its Board of Directors. In 2018, I joined the CIF San Diego Section Office—which oversees high school athletics in the region—as Events and Operations Coordinator. I introduced the Universal Tennis Rating system for high school rankings, work that has since evolved into the use of World Tennis Number.
When COVID put high school sports on hold and the boys’ (Spring 2020) and girls’ (Fall 2020) seasons were lost, I drew inspiration from Billie Jean King and worked with local coaches to create a co-ed tennis season in Spring 2021—giving both teams a chance to compete and producing the only mixed doubles championship in CIF San Diego Section history. In July 2024, I was promoted to Associate Commissioner and CFO, overseeing tennis and 30 other sports.
As a volunteer, I serve on the USTA National Schools Committee, have served on the CIF Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis Advisory Committee and Coordinating Council, and have been a USTA Conference guest speaker. Since 1991, I have also trained and coordinated ballpersons for professional tennis in San Diego.
I continue to play tennis today, but my deepest joy comes from teaching the game to my dozens of nieces and nephews—the next generation of my Filipino family on the court—and from mentoring high school tennis coaches across San Diego. The lessons from my AAPI mentors travel forward through every rally, every coaching conversation, every young player who finally sees themselves in the game.
I am especially honored to represent Filipino-Americans in a sport where that representation continues to grow. From the ballperson tent to the Hall of Fame, I have spent a lifetime opening doors—and I will keep them open for everyone who follows.
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