Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Anthony Pero: A Unique Journey to Michigan State
3/23/2020 1:48:00 PM | Men's Tennis
After his tennis match is over, Michigan State sophomore Anthony Pero makes sure to say a warm hello toward the live streaming cameras on the court. He's not saying hello to just any fans watching, but to three special people signed on from Germany.
It's his family, living in Cologne. The Pero family is originally from Allen Park, Mich., but has been overseas since Anthony was 14. His father Tony, who works for Ford Motor Co., accepted an assignment in England, and a year later, was relocated to Germany.
The transition to European culture was tough at times, but Pero believes he gained invaluable life and tennis experiences.
"Germany definitely had a huge impact, honestly if I didn't move to Germany I don't know if I'd be playing here," Pero said, about now being at MSU. "If I didn't move to Europe, I don't know if I'd be here because one guy on our team, Josh Mukherjee, was 10 times better than me when I was a kid – so much better than me – so when I moved to Europe and came back it was cool to be playing with him and be like, 'I worked hard enough to play with him.'"
Pero first picked up a tennis racquet when he about six when found it in his aunt's garage. He tried other sports throughout his childhood, but tennis was the one that stuck, especially when he moved overseas. When Pero was in the U.S., his training was much less structured than when he moved to Europe. He was training more often with high-level coaches in England and Germany that were more involved in his development.
The different style of play in Germany, along with the prevalence of clay courts, helped Pero achieve his goal of playing college tennis. One of his coaches had experience training professionals, developing players that went high enough to play Roger Federer at one point of his career. Pero was taught to play a more defensive style of tennis, which is fitting in well for collegiate tennis.
Pero, who played No. 2 singles for the Spartans during the spring season, beat a ranked player this season by using his smarts.
"His type of game style was like, 'If you hit the ball hard toward me, I'm not going to hit it any harder, but I'm going to put it in a spot back just as hard as you hit it to me,'" Pero said. "It was kind of like redirecting and that has helped me so much because that's my game style now."
The recruiting process to MSU was difficult for Pero and his family. He knew he wanted to come back to the U.S. to get a degree in engineering and potentially German, but he also wanted to pursue tennis at a high level. The challenge was getting U.S. college coaches to see him. His family sent him back to the U.S. at one point to have him hit with a friend while the MSU coaches watched.
"Being recruited was tough. I spent a lot of time emailing coaches, I emailed probably 30-plus, 40-plus coaches trying to get my name out," Pero said. "Coach (Gene Orlando) really likes recruiting from Michigan, and we're all American so he was interested in that. I was also in contact with a few other schools, and probably two weeks before I committed to another school Coach O was like, 'All right, we need you on our team,' and it was definitely a better choice than the other school I was planning on going to.
"It was stressful at first because I didn't really want to go to these other schools and nobody else really wanted me because nobody else really knew me, so it really worked out for both of us, Coach O and me, because I'm playing well."
His parents and younger brother Daniel still live in Germany until the end of the year, so Pero doesn't get to see them very often. He has made a few trips back to Cologne over summer and winter breaks. Luckily, Pero has an aunt in Whitmore Lake, Mich., and she's his "mom" for the time being.
"When a mother sends their first child off to college, they can't wait for them to come home on the weekend, give them a hug and a kiss, cook their favorite meal, make sure they have everything they need when they head back to campus, see them on their birthday and Thanksgiving. It has been very difficult," Diane Pero, Anthony's mother, said. "With all that said, what gets me through this time is knowing Anthony is in his happy place and has worked so hard to get there."
Pero said the best part about living in Europe was not only the development he experienced in his tennis game, but the chance to travel. He has visited Italy (his favorite), Norway, Belgium, Spain and many more. He still has many friends in Germany, and potentially sees himself moving back there at some point after he graduates, given he improves his German.
"It was definitely the best decision my dad made, to go to Europe I mean," Pero said. "Obviously there were sometimes when I was like 'I hate this,' but most of the time it was like 'This is unbelievable.' Now looking back, I'm 100% hopeful he would say yes 10 times out of 10."
It's his family, living in Cologne. The Pero family is originally from Allen Park, Mich., but has been overseas since Anthony was 14. His father Tony, who works for Ford Motor Co., accepted an assignment in England, and a year later, was relocated to Germany.
The transition to European culture was tough at times, but Pero believes he gained invaluable life and tennis experiences.
"Germany definitely had a huge impact, honestly if I didn't move to Germany I don't know if I'd be playing here," Pero said, about now being at MSU. "If I didn't move to Europe, I don't know if I'd be here because one guy on our team, Josh Mukherjee, was 10 times better than me when I was a kid – so much better than me – so when I moved to Europe and came back it was cool to be playing with him and be like, 'I worked hard enough to play with him.'"
Pero first picked up a tennis racquet when he about six when found it in his aunt's garage. He tried other sports throughout his childhood, but tennis was the one that stuck, especially when he moved overseas. When Pero was in the U.S., his training was much less structured than when he moved to Europe. He was training more often with high-level coaches in England and Germany that were more involved in his development.
The different style of play in Germany, along with the prevalence of clay courts, helped Pero achieve his goal of playing college tennis. One of his coaches had experience training professionals, developing players that went high enough to play Roger Federer at one point of his career. Pero was taught to play a more defensive style of tennis, which is fitting in well for collegiate tennis.
Pero, who played No. 2 singles for the Spartans during the spring season, beat a ranked player this season by using his smarts.
"His type of game style was like, 'If you hit the ball hard toward me, I'm not going to hit it any harder, but I'm going to put it in a spot back just as hard as you hit it to me,'" Pero said. "It was kind of like redirecting and that has helped me so much because that's my game style now."
The recruiting process to MSU was difficult for Pero and his family. He knew he wanted to come back to the U.S. to get a degree in engineering and potentially German, but he also wanted to pursue tennis at a high level. The challenge was getting U.S. college coaches to see him. His family sent him back to the U.S. at one point to have him hit with a friend while the MSU coaches watched.
"Being recruited was tough. I spent a lot of time emailing coaches, I emailed probably 30-plus, 40-plus coaches trying to get my name out," Pero said. "Coach (Gene Orlando) really likes recruiting from Michigan, and we're all American so he was interested in that. I was also in contact with a few other schools, and probably two weeks before I committed to another school Coach O was like, 'All right, we need you on our team,' and it was definitely a better choice than the other school I was planning on going to.
"It was stressful at first because I didn't really want to go to these other schools and nobody else really wanted me because nobody else really knew me, so it really worked out for both of us, Coach O and me, because I'm playing well."
His parents and younger brother Daniel still live in Germany until the end of the year, so Pero doesn't get to see them very often. He has made a few trips back to Cologne over summer and winter breaks. Luckily, Pero has an aunt in Whitmore Lake, Mich., and she's his "mom" for the time being.
"When a mother sends their first child off to college, they can't wait for them to come home on the weekend, give them a hug and a kiss, cook their favorite meal, make sure they have everything they need when they head back to campus, see them on their birthday and Thanksgiving. It has been very difficult," Diane Pero, Anthony's mother, said. "With all that said, what gets me through this time is knowing Anthony is in his happy place and has worked so hard to get there."
Pero said the best part about living in Europe was not only the development he experienced in his tennis game, but the chance to travel. He has visited Italy (his favorite), Norway, Belgium, Spain and many more. He still has many friends in Germany, and potentially sees himself moving back there at some point after he graduates, given he improves his German.
"It was definitely the best decision my dad made, to go to Europe I mean," Pero said. "Obviously there were sometimes when I was like 'I hate this,' but most of the time it was like 'This is unbelievable.' Now looking back, I'm 100% hopeful he would say yes 10 times out of 10."
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