Sports is a universal language. It tears down linguistic barriers and unites athletes around the world through the simple playing of the game.

It’s no different in Tuscaloosa for the Alabama men’s tennis team, as seven different countries – China, England, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Russia and the United States – are represented on the team. Although the language barriers can be tough at times, everyone has turned it into a positive learning experience.

“I think it all started when our junior class first came in and they all just connected,” head coach George Husack said. “They all speak the same language of tennis. It’s pushed them to learn more about each other.”

Husack arrived at Alabama in 2012 and wanted to establish a “culture and a standard” to the Alabama tennis program. It took only a year for the men’s team to reach the NCAA Championships in 2013. Most recently, the Crimson Tide made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons the last two years, the first time since 2009-10.

Husack’s vision for the program has been in motion since the very first day, but has blossomed in the past several years. The departure of senior and No. 1 player Mazen Osama after last season has opened the door for players to step forward and take a leadership role. With three seniors and four juniors on the squad, Husack has plenty of experience to lean on this year.

Riccardo Roberto is a member of the aforementioned junior class. His 5,038-mile journey from Padova, Italy, is a story similar to many of his teammates.

Roberto loved a variety of sports as a kid, including soccer, tennis and skiing. Living in northern Italy, Roberto was three hours from the nearest snowfall but stopped skiing competitively when it became too much of a drive. However, the Italian will be the first to tell you that he can hop on a pair of skis whenever and glide perfectly down the side of a mountain.

At 13, Roberto made the decision to stop playing soccer and focus solely on tennis.

“It was really natural, just a process,” Roberto said. “I didn’t overthink about it. I just went with tennis. I was finding tennis more enjoyable and just canceled [soccer] completely.”

The tennis system in Italy is different from that of the United States. Tennis players in Italy join clubs at 15-16 years old and have their own coaches and training facilities. Roberto played for Istituto Santo Stefano in Naples, Italy, and turned professional. He was ranked as high as No. 1,356 in the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings and earned three wins over top-1,000 ATP singles players.

Dedicating himself to his professional career, a broken foot could not have come at a worse time for a player trying to prove himself. However, the popular junior’s upbeat attitude showed through.

“It made me choose to go to college, was like a Plan B for me, I could study and play tennis,” Roberto said. “I was late to the college process, so at first it was tough.”

The University of Tennessee was recruiting Roberto heavily, but Roberto said it wasn’t the right fit. James McKie, the assistant coach at Tennessee, helped get Roberto’s name out to other schools. Within a week, Roberto’s email was flooded with messages from schools across the country.

It came down to North Carolina State or Alabama.

“I really liked the city in Raleigh, but the team and coaches, I didn’t feel was a good fit,” Roberto said. “Here I felt comfortable with everything.”

Since arriving on campus in January 2018, Roberto has “dug his roots” after finding his way through the first few semesters of college life. After winning 12 more singles matches and four more doubles matches as a sophomore compared to his freshman year, Roberto will be a go-to option this year for the Crimson Tide.

“I’ve always felt like he was a great person and immensely talented,” Husack said. “He’s charismatic and loves to talk. It’s all about putting it all together, and I think he’s going to have a great third year.”

This weekend’s opening tournament in Tuscaloosa will feature Roberto and three other Crimson Tide players: Marcelo Sepulveda Garza, Alexey Nesterov and Avi Shugar. Shugar, a freshman from Eugene, Oregon, will be competing in his first collegiate tournament. He was quick to praise Roberto’s preparations for this weekend.

“He’s been a great mentor and a great guy,” Shugar said. “It’s awesome to have him on-court, and he’s a lot of fun off, too.”

Easygoing, talkative and funny, but serious when the time comes, Roberto rolls into his junior year with a high number on the team sheet and higher expectations. That part is inevitable, but he’s not worried about it.

“I don’t have any expectations,” Roberto said. “Last year was a great year, though that’s the past. I want to only think about the present.”