Alejandro Gandini first picked up a tennis racket at age 6, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Armando. He fell in love with the sport soon after and joined a tennis club along with his sibling in the Dominican Republic, their home country.

Years later, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year has joined the DePaul men’s tennis team. A graduate student transfer from Creighton University, Gandini arrived at DePaul this fall to pursue a master’s degree in finance and hoping to find new tennis opportunities. 

“Chicago is a great city, and the tennis team has a great culture,” Gandini said. “It truly is a culture of winning. With three Big East titles in the past few years, there is a feeling of leading.” 

Gandini’s success started early in his career. He played for his national team when he was only 13 years old.

“Being able to represent my country, especially such a small country, is something I am really proud of,” Gandini said. “Playing at that level matured my mentality really fast.”

As a teen, he not only competed against high-level players, but also watched how they conducted themselves on and off the court. In doing so, he said he absorbed good habits and new techniques that helped mature him into a better player. 

Gandini demonstrated these improvements during his time on Creighton University’s tennis team for all of his undergraduate years. He racked up numerous accolades, including Big East recognition for two consecutive seasons.

Matteo Iaquinto, the assistant coach and DePaul alum of the men’s tennis team, has gladly welcomed Gandini onto the team, praising his drive to push both himself and his teammates  to be better. 

“Alejandro brings a lot of experience to the team — the guys can always learn from him,” Iaquinto said. “He is a great competitor and always sets a great example at practice both attitude and tennis-wise.”

Iaquinto, who got to play alongside Gandini last year at the 2024 Davis Cup in Paraguay, described his gameplay strengths.

“He is a very creative player,” Iaquinto said. “He has very quick hands and is able to rely on his sharp intuition.”

Beyond being a positive influence and skilled player, Gandini is also a great team role model through his inclusion and selflessness, said freshman team member Bernardo Vialle. 

“As a person, he just cares about everyone,” Vialle said. “With the freshmen, he makes sure that they are getting used to college, and he is just there to listen to anyone.”

 Vialle also mentioned how Gandini’s past experiences in high-level tournaments, like the Davis Cup, has raised the standard for the team.

“Ultimately, playing with someone on that high of a level makes everyone else also want to be able to play at that level,” Vialle said. 

Gandini’s presence also brings another Spanish-speaking player to the men’s tennis team. 

“Being new to the city and the university, it always helps to get to talk in Spanish with the other players,” Gandini said. “It feels like home.” 

Though Gandini is a skilled player, he has still faced losses on the court. He said he does not let these losses discourage him, however, and instead tries to keep his mind focused.

“When I do lose, I always remember to think about where I want to be, what I have already been through in the past, and I know the path to my goals will have failure that I need to face along the way,” Gandini said. “Passion is everything for me.”

“Where tennis cannot get you, passion and hard work can.”

Gandini’s aspirations continue past college. After playing at DePaul, he hopes to return to the Dominican Republic’s national team and play on the professional circuit.

But for now, he’s happy to be at DePaul, where he has felt quickly accepted everywhere on campus.

“It has really started to feel like a family for me,” Gandini said.

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