Weiss Signs Three Top-Tier Student-Athletes for 2020

Clemson, S.C. — The Clemson men’s tennis program is proud to announce the signing of three recruits for the fall of 2020. The 2020 recruiting class marks the first under first-year head coach Robbie Weiss.

Ryuhei Azuma

Osaka, Japan

Resume

• 69th ranked junior in the world
• No. 2 ranked recruit in Japan for the class of 2020
• Has beaten nine top-100 ITF juniors over the past year, including three top-50 players
• Won ITF J2 in Shanghai, China after dropping just one set
• Beat two blue-chip recruits en route to semifinals of the J1 ITF in College Park
• Qualified for the Australian Open Junior Championships

Head Coach Rob Weiss on the signing of Ryuhei Azuma:

“Ryuhei is one of the best recruits in the world for incoming freshman and we could not be more excited to have him join our program. Ryuhei is a very special person and an amazing tennis player.  Having played in two Junior Grand Slam events this past year along with all the big international ITF junior events, Ryuhei brings a lot of high-level experience to the program.  Ryuhei will be an excellent addition to our program not only from a tennis standpoint but will be instrumental in the cultivation of our culture which will be vital to the ongoing success of the program.”

Spencer Whitaker

Richmond, Va.

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Resume:

• Ranked as high as No. 16 in the country in 2019
• Ranked as high as No. 6 in the country for the graduating class of 2018
• Blue-chip recruit according to tennisrecruiting.net
• Held an ITA ranking as high as 196 in the world by ITF Juniors
• Won ITF J1 Costa Rica Doubles Championships in January 2019
• Won ITF G3 Doubles Title in Bogota, Colombia

Head Coach Robbie Weiss on the signing of Spencer Whitaker:

“Spencer is an extremely talented tennis player and one of the best ball-strikers I have seen.  Spencer will play a vital role in our success at Clemson over the next 4 years. Spencer has extremely high character, is an amazing student and will be a leader right away in the locker room. There is no ceiling for Spencer and we are excited to mentor and coach him here at Clemson. Spencer is also not your typical student-athlete as his ultimate goal is to travel into space and work for NASA. His favorite sport to watch is sumo wrestling.”

Daniel Labrador

Tampa Bay, Florida

Resume

• Five-star recruit according to tennisrecruiting.net
• Ranked as high as No. 37 in the United States
• Defeated a top-ten recruit from the class of 2020
• Notched two wins of ATP ranked players in ITF Pro Futures Qualifying
• Semifinalist at the Boys 16’s Clay Court National Championship
• Earned the sportsmanship award at the Winter Nationals
• Recently defeated Cash Hanzlik who is currently ranked No. 2 in the country in the class of 2020
• Earned three wins over ATP players, one ranked as high as #800 in the world

Head Coach Rob Weiss on the signing of Daniel Labrador:

“Daniel has been on my radar for a very long time. He is in amazing person, student and tennis player and is a model recruit for any coach.  Daniel will also play a big role in helping to build the culture of the Clemson Men’s Tennis program.  As a player, Daniel has no holes in his game and has tremendous upside. His best tennis is ahead of him, and we couldn’t be more excited for him to be a part of the Clemson Family.”