How Mexican-American tennis coach Angel Lopez found his place in the game

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, before the Civil Rights Movement took hold in the United States, Mexican-American Angel Lopez confesses that he felt like an outsider in more ways than one when he first picked up a tennis racquet as a high schooler in San Diego. But now, nearly 50 years later, Lopez has not only found his place in the game, but become a pillar of it in his local community.

The son of a Mexican mother and a father who was a U.S. war veteran, Lopez and his family are the embodiment of the American Dream, but grew up in an era where he was discouraged from honoring his heritage. His given name, José Ángel, was shortened to Angel, he was discouraged from speaking Spanish publicly, and was teased with exaggerated stereotypes like the cartoon character Speedy Gonzales.

"As a young boy, when I would hear the 'Star-Spangled Banner,' and you would hear, 'O say can you see,' I thought, "'Jose, that's me!" he recalls this Hispanic Heritage Month, proud of his roots still to this day. "'They're singing about me.'"

⬆️ WATCH: Meet legendary coach Angel Lopez, and hear his inspiring story

On the tennis court, at a time where tennis was firmly cemented in its "country club" stereotypes, Lopez "just didn't feel like I fit in," either, he adds.

"I wanted to be accepted by the better players. The way the better players accepted you, was you beat 'em."

In the 1970s, when he was a student at the University of California San Diego, Lopez was given the opportunity to showcase his talents to do just that. He won a local tournament hosted by the La Raza (a Spanish term colloquially associated with Mexican ancestry) Tennis Association, and received financial backing from the group to travel to tournaments and take private lessons with future International Tennis Hall of Famer Pancho Segura.

"One thing that Segura said is that the ball doesn't care how rich you are, it doesn't care what color you are, just get it over the net and win the point," Lopez says.

Working with Segura, who famously coached Jimmy Connors, as well as learning about the top-ranked Richard “Pancho” Gonzales in school, gave Lopez the inspiration that he could achieve in tennis, too.

"Having a role model is super important," he says. "You have an image of what you want to be like. You can say, 'Those guys are like me, I want to be like those guys. I want to be the best coach I can be like Segura was."

Lopez started coaching at 24 years old, passing up the opportunity to turn professional in part to ensure greater financial stability in his life, and eventually took a job at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club in 1979. He became its director of tennis in 1986.

"When they were building the club, I was telling my friends that I wanted to be the head pro at that club one day, and they were laughing at me," he says. "I had a vision of what I wanted to be, and I'm here."

In his career, Lopez has worked with pros including Michael Chang, Brandon Nakashima and Alexandra Stevenson, among others, mostly in their formative years. He has been honored by professional organizations including the USPTA (now RSPA), PTR and the United States Olympic Committee, and won a 50-and-over ITF world championship title in 2006.

But he's most proud not of what he's achieved, but how he's used his platform to change lives of kids like him. He has contributed to scholarships for local Hispanic students through San Diego community tennis associations, donates to his alma maters and hosts junior tournaments at his facility.

"Giving back to my community is really important to me ... people helped me out, and that's why I do what I do," he says.

I'm a proud American, and I'm proud of my culture.

"I love coaching top Mexican juniors ... having an impact on so many kids that have gotten scholarships, become doctors, become attorneys, it's like family. It's an awesome feeling."