The veteran of the Auburn men’s tennis team, Diego Chavarria has made the most of his time on the Plains since arriving in the summer of 2017.
Adding great flexibility to the Tigers’ lineups since his freshman season, he has played up and down the singles ladder and has been paired with seven different doubles partners, showing his willingness to help the team in any role necessary.
“He’s one of the fastest, most explosive kids that I’ve ever seen play,” Coach Bobby Reynolds says of the San Jose, Costa Rica, product. “From the doubles court, where he had so much success the years that he played, and two years ago, contributing at the bottom of the lineup to a team that needed that depth, he has been a contributor.”
During his Auburn career, Chavarria has posted 45 doubles victories (11 of those during the shortened spring of 2020, when he and Anders Fry reeled off nine straight wins to start the season) and added 23 singles wins to the Tigers’ totals, but his impact goes far beyond the scoreboard.
“He’s going to be missed by the guys around him. He wins a lot of sprints in conditioning, he’s beaten a lot of those guys in the weight room. In everything we do, he’s a leader,” Reynolds says. “To see him leave and move on, it’s going to be tough.
“From what he’s put in on the academic side, to see somebody be a student-athlete but also master the academic rigors of an engineering student, Diego will come in and say, ‘I was up until 4 a.m. studying again last night,’ but whatever he puts his mind to, he does,” Reynolds marvels. “He’s a very bright kid and he talks about wanting to go into the business world. That just shows you who he is, to spend four years doing engineering and then also he wants to do business — and he’ll do it.
“Taking on the workload (engineering) takes on a daily basis as well as the time it takes to be a Division 1 men’s tennis player, he’s going to be successful in whatever he does. Diego will be really successful if he follows his heart.”
“I’m studying industrial and systems engineering and my plan is to work in supply chain management,” Chavarria, a member of the SEC academic honor roll, says. “I’m doing a minor right now in supply chain management and that’s what I want to do when I graduate.
“Auburn has helped me grow beyond what’s imaginable, especially in time management skills. Learning how to schedule my time around the court and school with all the assignments and activities both inside and outside the court. That’s a big thing I’ve learned.”
His older brother Federico played tennis at Oklahoma, but when it came time, Diego chose to play in the SEC for the Auburn Tigers.
“To me, the Auburn spirit is a sense of family, beyond athletics to just Auburn in general. Since I’ve been here, I’ve made a lot of relationships that I think are going to last forever. That sense of family and unity – that’s a huge thing.
“There are so many things about Auburn that are special — going to football games pre-covid was definitely a great experience with other athletes and friends. Being able to experience huge wins at the football field has been amazing.
“And the growth of our team has been very special. The team has done really well this season compared to my other years; beating Bama was probably one of the most exciting moments of my entire career,” Chavarria says of the Tigers’ 4-3 win March 5 in Tuscaloosa. “It was huge; it was the first time we’ve beaten them since I’ve been here, so that’s a big one.”
“Diego is really my first recruit that’s been here four years, so he holds a very special place to me,” Reynolds adds. “I’ve seen him grow not only on the court but off the court. He always comes out with a smile and he doesn’t have bad days. We brought him here to Auburn, sat and talked with his incredible family, and to see him grown up and leaving, it’s a sad moment for me. I’m excited for him, but for me, it’s the first one.”
Friday will be Chavarria’s last match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, but War Eagle has become a lifelong part of his vocabulary.
“Whenever I hear it, I smile,” he says. “And when I hear it in the future, it’s going to bring back so many memories; it feels great. I’ve definitely heard a few ‘War Eagles’ outside the country and it makes me proud of where I’ve been and what I’ve become. Auburn will always be part of my home.”