US Open Tennis 2014: Ageless Wonder Victor Estrella Burgos Shines at Tournament [Exclusive]

By Edwin Molina First Posted: Aug 28, 2014 09:02 AM EDT

Victor Estrella Burgos proved that, as the old saying goes, "Age ain't nothing but a number."

And he did that Tuesday by not only making his U.S. Open debut at the spry age of 34 year old -- ancient by tennis standards, the oldest player to debut in the U.S. Open -- but also beating the Netherlands Igor Sijsling in his first appearance at the yearly tournament.

Estrella Burgos had to come back, going down in the first set before storming back, overcoming Father Time and the intense summer heat beating down on Court 6 of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, to beat Sijsling (2-6), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Speaking to Latin Post after the match, the Dominican-born tennis star spoke about his victory at the Open, the challenges he overcame to get this far, getting support from Dominican fans at the Open and what it was like to blossom at an age where most tennis stars begin to see their skills declining.

"I started a bit nervous and for a moment I was upset that I was disappointing all these people who came to see me," said Estrella Burgos after the match. "But even if I would have lost that second set, I knew that I was going to be able to win."

Estrella Burgos began playing tennis at the age of 8 and coached before he started his pro tennis career. Estralla Burgos launched his career later than most players, turning pro in 2002 at the age of 22, when most tennis players have had years of experience under their belt.

He competed mostly in local tournaments and played for his country's Davis Cup team, but it was not until 2006 that he started playing at higher level events, competing in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger tournaments before making the leap into the top-tier ATP tour.

Estrella Burgos' career has started to take off this year at age 34 -- when most players are thinking about life after professional tennis -- becoming the first Dominican ever to break into the ATP Top 100 in February. He is currently ranked 80th in the world going into the U.S. Open.

"I worked hard to be here at this moment. I worked hard on making the change from Challenger [Tour] to ATP," said Estrella Burgos. "In the European portion of the [ATP] tour, I did not win at Roland Garros or Wimbledon but I advanced to the next round in Queens [Club in London] and I played well in Eastbourne. After that, I made the ATP semis in Bogota in singles, in Atlanta I made the semis in doubles. In Washington, I made the Round of 16 beating some good players. I think I have made that change in [playing] levels and at this point in time, I feel I have adapted at this level of play, the ATP level. I expect to stay at this level, competing in tournaments."

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The partisan New York City crowd was fully behind the Dominican tennis player, with the crowd getting bigger and louder as the match wore on against Sijsling, fans chanting "VICTOR! VICTOR!" as he got closer to victory over his much younger opponent. Estrella Burgos knew he would have some support going into the U.S. Open, but was pleasantly surprised at the magnitude of the love he received from the stands, shaking hands with his newfound fans as he did a victory lap after sealing the victory.

"I was surprised to see so many supporters, so many Dominicans, when I entered the court," said Burgos exclusively to Latin Post. "At the end of the match, I was even more surprised. It was completely packed. I was really surprised at the end to see so many people supporting me. There were people that came all the way from the Dominican Republic to watch me play and support me. That gives you something extra, extra motivation to play better and play with greater will in the game."

Estrella Burgos is extremely appreciative of the support he is receiving considering he almost quit the sport altogether after suffering a devastating injury, tearing cartilage in his right elbow in 2012.

"When an athlete suffers an injury, there is always doubt at some point," Estrella Burgos told Latin Post. "Eventually, you just want to go out and play and that helped me overcome the doubt. When I decided to return to play, I was all in. Every athlete, every tennis player that goes through an injury goes through that doubt. But it's mental, it's in your head and you overcome it."

Next up for Estrella Burgos on Thursday is 17-year-old Croatian Borna Coric. The 2013 U.S. Open junior champion Coric, who had to go through qualifiers before making his U.S. Open debut in this year's men's tournament, upset 27th-ranked Lukas Rosol in his opening round match. Estella Burgos realizes he will not have an easy time against Coric, who defeated a ranked player in Rosol during the first round. Rosol had eliminated tennis icon Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon two years ago.

"I have rest, focus, train for Thursday," said Estrella Burgos. "I have a player in front of me that is a junior champion and who beat Rosol. I think I have a good shot at advancing into the third round but I need to focus and prepare for my game."

Regardless of how things pan out on Thursday for Estrella Burgos, he hopes his success in Grand Slam tournaments spurs interest in the sport of tennis on an island that exalts Major League Baseball (MLB) stars like Pedro Martinez, "Big Papi" David Ortiz and Albert Pujols. Estella Burgos hopes to someday start a foundation in the Dominican Republic that will give children access to equipment, and allow access to public courts for those interested in tennis.

"Without a doubt, I think my victory helps a lot in raising awareness that tennis does exist in the Dominican Republic and that it's not just baseball and basketball, that there are other athletes in other sports," says Estrella Burgos to Latin Post. "I want people to put the Dominican Republic on the map, open a new path, open new horizons for a sport not well known [on the island]. I believe that in the future this will help tennis in the Dominican Republic."