For Saul Menjivar ’14, tennis isn’t just a sport—it’s the lifestyle and pathway that shaped his academic career and life after high school.
Menjivar’s childhood was defined by tennis. His mom, who worked full-time as a housekeeper and nanny in Portola Valley, enrolled him in the East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring program. “My mom was originally just looking for an after-school program for [me], but I ended up loving it,” he said.
However, Menjivar didn’t always see tennis as his main sport. Growing up, Menjivar enjoyed playing recreational basketball more than tennis, but when he entered high school, after encouragement from his coach, he began to take tennis more seriously. “I was honestly more interested in [basketball] than tennis, but my coach told me if I wanted this to be my thing, I had to take it more seriously,” he said.
At M-A, Menjivar joined the boys tennis team, where he played on varsity all four years. Known by his friends for being quiet and reserved, he dedicated most of his time to tennis with the goal of being recruited to play at a Division I college.
Menjivar recalled his time at M-A as one defined by ambition. As the first person in his family to attend college, he knew early on that athletics would be his ticket to future academic opportunities, including university admission. “My mom gave me a super serious conversation when I was 12 about how [she] didn’t have a way to pay for my college, but she said if you get good grades and do well with tennis, you can do it,” he said.
Menjivar also began coaching younger kids in tennis at Holbrook Palmer Park during his freshman year, which he credits as an early inspiration for his career. “I realized how much I really love coaching,” he said.
Aside from tennis, Menjivar took an interest in math, and his close relationship with his Calculus teacher, Krysten Bryan, deepened his love for the subject. “Math was definitely my strongest subject. She was a great teacher. I recently caught up with her. I was glad to see her again,” he said.
Tennis consumed most of Menjivar’s high school experience, as he balanced tournament play with intense training. “High school was great, but I was a shyer kid, and I was just really focused on tennis. Most of my good memories come from the team,” he said.
Although Menjivar received multiple Division III tennis offers, he declined and instead attended Loyola Marymount University (LMU), drawn by a financial aid offer. Once at LMU, Menjivar hoped to walk on to the tennis team.
At LMU, Menjivar studied finance and business. Finance, however, wasn’t always Menjivar’s end goal. “When I was 15, I wanted to either be a doctor or go into business,” he said. “I even did a heart surgery internship at Stanford University. But the thought of being in school for so long and not making money until I was 40 made me lean toward business.”
While at LMU, Menjivar wanted to take a different approach to school than he did at M-A. “If I were to do high school all over again, I would want to talk to more people. I didn’t have as many deep friendships as I wanted,” he said. “In college, I really put myself out there and met a lot of people.”
Although he had originally planned to walk-on to the LMU tennis team, he eventually decided against it. “I had some friends on the team, and it was a lot for them, with scholarships, I had to keep a 3.0, and I didn’t think I could be on the team and keep my grades high,” Menjivar said.
Menjivar remained in Los Angeles following his college graduation, working at the startup Airfind, where he had previously interned. He later transitioned into the venture capital world, working in sales, account management, and selling corporate memberships that helped companies connect with emerging startup technologies.
But Menjivar’s tennis journey wasn’t over. After a layoff from his corporate job, he moved to San Diego. Around this time, he began posting fitness content on social media and gradually found his way back to tennis, this time, as a coach.
This transition turned out to be life-changing. Menjivar began coaching Division I athletes and professional competitors. In the 2nd event of the University of San Diego USTA SoCal Pro Series, he coached Aspen Schuman in the Semifinals, putting her close to winning $15,000. At the time, she was ranked at the top in the nation for girls 18s Class of 2026, and competed in Junior US Open, Junior Australian Open, and Junior Wimbledon.
By 2024, Menjivar was splitting his time between San Diego, where he coached a Division I player from UC Irvine, and the Bay Area, where he built a growing list of private clients.
That same year, Menjivar was offered a full-circle opportunity. Former M-A coach Tom Sorenson invited him to take over the tennis program.
Now back at M-A, Menjivar is focused on rebuilding the boys team’s culture and competitiveness. “When I was on the team, we were pretty consistent in CCS and winning. In the last few years, we’ve been losing in the semi-finals, so I just want to make the team stronger,” he said.
For Menjivar, returning to tennis has brought a sense of fulfillment he didn’t always feel in the corporate world. “Last year, even when I had the busiest days, I felt like this was the happiest I’ve ever been,” he said. “I made it back on my path, and it just felt right.”
Menijvar wants to help the team compete with strength and tenacity. “We’re trying to be super tough and play at the highest level,” he said. “It took a while for the team to build that unity—cheering for each other and coming together—but we have a really good squad.”
Menjivar’s advice to current M-A students: “With hard work and putting your mind to what you want to do, you can make it happen. Dream big, dreams are possible, big dreams will come true.”
To those interested in pursuing a career in sports coaching: “Make sure you love it and are passionate about it because it won’t feel like work if you love it.”
