BOCA RATON, Fla. — Every weekend for the past six years, at least 200 top-level players have lined up at the courts at the Macci Academy in Boca Raton for one reason: the Battle of Boca.
The tournament, hosted at the Rick Macci Tennis Center, is livestreamed and has helped players like Vibha Gogineni and Bullion Sharp get on college coaches' radars.
WATCH BELOW: Boca tennis director battles MS while helping players reach college
"It's definitely good match experiences, and you can play people lower and better than you, which is good because you always want the diversity so you can improve as a player," Gogineni said.
"I started playing here when I was 16 years old; that was the first time I played at the Battle of Boca," Bullion Sharp, a Battle of Boca winner.
The tournament is hosted by Jason Zafiros, who recent winners say creates an environment unlike any other.
"It's definitely fun, Jason. He has a very charismatic personality and is super hilarious," Gogineni said.
"He makes you feel welcome, and you build a bond and relationship with him," Sharp said.
Those testaments are what Zafiros says he does it for — an effort that began during a difficult time.
"The pandemic happened, and everything was shut down, and we just wanted to provide an opportunity for kids to play, and that's kind of how it started."
While the tournament has grown into one of Palm Beach County's largest, Zafiros received a life-altering diagnosis this past year: multiple sclerosis.
"It's been a huge challenge, but you know, each day it's very tough for me. I wake up in the morning, and I'm in pain. It's sometimes really hard to get out of bed," Zafiros said.
Even with daily discomfort in his back, feet and legs, Zafiros continues to host the tournament. Every six months, he undergoes IV treatments to help manage the disease. While he knows he can never be rid of MS, he says he will never stop fighting.
“I have a mission I’m dedicated to in this tournament; I'm never going to miss it," Zafiros said.
When asked what it is about tennis that keeps him going while battling MS, Zafiros said:
"You can have MS; you can have different diseases, and you can talk about it, and you can still work hard. I dedicate my life to what I do," he replied.
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