Rafael “Rafa” Martinez joined the USD women’s tennis staff in September 2025. He brings with him a lifetime of dedication to tennis as a top-ranked player, experienced coach, and dynamic program leader.
Martinez is no stranger to college tennis in California, having served as Assistant Coach for both the men's and women's tennis teams at Sonoma State University from 2017-20 before taking over as Interim Head Coach of the women's program. Under his leadership, Sonoma State achieved national rankings and developed well-rounded student-athletes. He also earned a Bachelor's degree in Business and Sports Management and an MBA from Sonoma State University.
His coaching career has also included leadership roles such as Tennis Director at Academia de Tenis HRT (2017-19), Junior Director at Balboa Tennis Club, and Head Coach at All Court Tennis Academy’s High Performance program (2020-22).
Martinez is also the founder of multiple tennis organizations. Establishing the Montmar Tennis Academy in 2023, he built successful junior and adult training programs. With Elite Athletes Mindest Mastery, which he founded in 2021, he develops mental resilience programs for high-performance athletes. Most recently, he established Beyond the Court, a non-profit in San Diego that provides tennis opportunities for underprivileged youth.
Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Martinez was nationally ranked among the Top-10 juniors in Mexico and represented his state at the Junior Olympics. He went on to compete at the NCAA Division II level, earning Male Athlete of the Year honors at Holy Names University in both 2014 and 2015.
Certified in sports psychology, Martinez integrates mental strength training into all aspects of his coaching. He also enjoys running marathons.
