Getting to Know Guillaume Dalmasso '24
Economics
Aix-En-Provence, France
Ever since he was a kid growing up in southern France, Guillaume Dalmasso has been swinging a racquet, eventually outplaying his two older brothers because, well, he hates to lose.
“I really like to compete—not just in tennis, but anything,” says the 17-year-old (above, far right) from his home in Aix-En-Provence, a short drive from the Mediterranen. “Even in ping pong, when we were young, I always wanted to win.”
Dalmasso’s strategy is straightforward: “If I lose, I practice and play so much that the next time I play, I win.”
That kind of dedication—along with a killer serve that’s been clocked as fast as 128 mph—won him a place on the Santa Clara men’s tennis team, and he’s looking forward to the day he can join them and other students on campus.
Though Dalmasso wasn’t able to tour SCU in person, he liked what he saw during a virtual tour of the University.
“I like that Santa Clara is in California, next to Silicon Valley,” says the economics major. “Also, it’s a nice place because of the weather. And I like the buildings.”
So far, he’s met some SCU first-years on social media, but the 6-foot-3-inch tennis player has mostly been focusing on his game and tournaments he’s continued to play in France, always with respect to social distancing.
In addition to practicing two-hours every day, twice a day, he meets on Zoom with both Broncos head coach Niall Angus and SCU trainers.
Elsewhere, you can find Dalmasso listening to hip-hop or rap, playing esports like NBA 2K and FIFA 20, or watching the Netflix series Narcos.
What would surprise most people about him?
“That I’m pretty good in school,” he says. “Normally, when I talk to someone, they think if I missed class because of a tournament, I won’t do as well. But I still get good grades.”
Written by Tracy Seipel