Andy Nguyen was happy with the way his first two years went playing for UC-Irvine. He liked the fun and carefree nature of his teammates. He liked his coach, Mike Saunders. He had some great results, being named Big West Conference Player of the Week three times this season and making the All-Conference First Team in singles and doubles.

But something was missing, and the 20-year-old Nguyen from Long Beach said he just felt like he needed a change of scenery. He needed room to grow, not only as a person, but also as a tennis player. So, Nguyen decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal with the hopes of hooking on with a larger school in a larger conference for his final two seasons. 

“It’s like the ballpark is huge,” said Ngyuen, who was named Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. “I don’t really know where I want to go, but it’s been a privilege to get a lot of good offers with a lot of schools. Obviously, I prefer to stay in California being a SoCal kid, but that’s not too big of a deal for me anymore.”

Nguyen said UCLA and USC are schools he’s spoken with, as well as the University of Michigan, and other Big Ten Conference schools. He added the decision on where he will spend the next two years has come with “a little craziness.”

“It comes with a lot of pressure, and a little bit of stress, but overall it’s been a great experience,” he said, adding, “Not to take anything away from UCI. I love this school and it’s like a second family to me. I love the coaches, and I love the culture. I loved everything.”

Nguyen said the big “football schools” from conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) have immense resources that UCI lacks. “I just kind of wanted to give myself a chance to be exposed to the quote-unquote ‘bigger leagues’,” he said. “That was the goal in entering the portal.” 

While he’s mulling over his decision, Nguyen will be busy playing close to home this summer as he will take part in the SoCal Pro Series, seven straight weeks of ITF World Tour events with $15,000 in prize money at stake. The series begins May 26 at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. 

“I only have one ATP point so I’ll probably be playing qualifying unless I can get a wild card,” Nguyen said. “I remember watching Learner (Tien) last summer before his career took a huge jump. Having a series of pro events like that right here in SoCal can be like a huge trampoline for a young player.”

Nguyen will definitely have the support of his Vietnamese family who will be tracking his results as he comes from a large tennis family. The youngest of four children, Nguyen was taught the game by his father, Tai, at Cherry Park in Long Beach. On weekends, the family would head south to Westminster, where a lot of Tai’s friends reside, and play at Tony Lam Park.

Nguyen’s older sister, Mimi, played for Michigan and Cindy at the University of Hawaii. Cindy still holds the distinction of being the only player from that school to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Nguyen’s brother Danny had offers to play college tennis but instead chose to focus on his studies and graduated from UCLA.

Nguyen played for Millikan High School his freshman and sophomore years and led the Rams to the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 team title in 2021 while also winning the CIF-SS Individuals in 2022. Nguyen was also a two-time Moore League singles champion and MVP. 

He said a good academic school is important in choosing where he will play next. “Getting a good degree and a strong alumni network is a priority for me because tennis isn’t forever,” he said. “I understand that school is forever, and degrees are forever.”

But he admits to “hating school and studying.” He chose a tough major in Business Economics but has no interest in that subject as a career once his playing days are over. “I kind of just want to be a coach just because I love tennis so much,” he said.

When you ask Nguyen to name his favorite tournament growing up, there is no hesitation. “I’d have to say definitely Sectionals,” he explained. “I had the privilege of winning singles and doubles in the 14s and that is probably my greatest memory.”

He continued: “It was always such a well-conducted tournament and the year I won it was when they did the on-court interviews, and they gave us flowers. They just did a lot for the players. In juniors you don’t always get that kind of experience. Mr. Trevor (Kronemann) is such a good director, and all the staff, I have nothing but good things to say about them and that tournament.” 

With May being Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Nguyen was asked what this month represents to him. 

“It means a lot,” he said. “Being a nationally ranked junior player, I was always very proud that I was representing America, but also as someone who is Asian. In tennis it’s difficult because there aren’t many top Asian players so to me it’s an incredible honor to represent not only the Asian community, but also the Vietnamese community specifically. I’m just super grateful to my sport and my community.”