AUBURN, Ala. – Spaniards Manel Lazaro and Alvaro Jimenez Roman have signed with Auburn men’s tennis, head coach Bobby Reynolds announced Monday. Lazaro will join the team in January ahead of the 2026 dual match schedule, and Jimenez Roman will join the Tigers in fall 2026.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Manel Lazaro to Auburn this spring,” Reynolds said. “Manel is the perfect fit for our program’s culture. He brings tremendous integrity, a relentless work ethic and a genuine desire to get better every single day. He carries himself the right way on and off the court, and we’re confident he will make an immediate impact on our team. We can’t wait to get him on campus and help him take the next steps in his development.”
Lazaro holds a career-high ITF singles ranking of No. 8, achieved in June, and also owns career-high ATP rankings of No. 1200 in singles and No. 1635 in doubles. He won twice on the Rafa Nadal Tour at the Barcelona U16 and Bilbao U16 events and finished first overall on the Rafa Nadal Tour U16 circuit. He was also a semifinalist at the Spanish National Championships in the under-16 division. In 2023, Lazaro became the Catalonia junior champion. In May, he finished as the singles finalist at the ITF J30 Girona.
“We’re thrilled that Alvaro Jimenez will be joining our program in fall 2026,” Reynolds said. “Alvaro embodies the values we look for at Auburn- character, humility and a commitment to hard work. His approach to training, the way he competes and the integrity he shows in everything he does make him an ideal fit for our culture. We believe he has a bright future ahead, and we’re excited to help him grow and contribute to the program from day one.”
Jimenez reached a career-high ITF singles ranking of No. 202 in October and holds ATP rankings in both singles (No. 1757) and doubles (No. 1342). He has won two ITF junior titles at the J30 Mahida and the J60 Avignon and reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 116 in February. In September, Jimenez advanced to the doubles final at the ITF M25 Zaragoza.