Hoffmann Continues Family Legacy at UCI

UC Irvine men’s tennis has built a program rooted in family. And in more ways than one, family is what brought graduate student Bjorn Hoffmann to UCI.

Hoffmann spent the previous four years in Berkeley, but was no stranger to UC Irvine as the fifth-year transfer grew up in Newport Beach with a long family tradition at the University. 

Both of Hoffmann’s parents, and his uncle, are Anteater tennis alums, while his grandfather was also a professor at UCI. His father, Carsten, who was a teammate of current head coach Mike Saunders, helped the ‘Eaters to three-straight Big West titles from 1988-1990. Hoffmann’s mother, Biljana Longman, and his uncle, Zoran Korac, also earned all-conference honors in their collegiate careers.

“Given Bjorn’s family roots, and my relationship with his family, I knew having him play out his final season as an Anteater would be meaningful for me, the program and his parents,” head coach Mike Saunders said. “But I was more concerned with the journey being worthy for Bjorn. I wanted it to be more than a productive one-year transaction. He was coming from a team at Cal that was special; the players were close friends and his coach, Peter Wright, is a world class mentor and human being. To Bjorn's credit, and I think this speaks volumes about his strength of character and leadership ability, he connected with our guys instantly and invested in the relationships off the court, and that made all the difference.”

Born into a tennis family, it’s no surprise that Hoffmann naturally gravitated toward the sport. He was hitting balls as soon as he could get out on the court and hold a racket. Although he played other sports growing up, tennis was his main focus. It wasn’t always an easy road, but with the support of his parents, Hoffmann continued on his tennis journey and began to come into his own in high school. 

“There were definitely times when I wasn’t crazy about tennis so my parents helped me stay engaged and pushed me in a good way; they were an amazing support system,” Hoffmann said. “I really found my appreciation and love for the sport later on because it wasn’t until my high school years that I really started to get better.”

Everything started to click for Hoffmann at Corona del Mar High School under head coach Jamie Gresh. Putting more focus on his fitness, getting in additional work with a trainer and growing his confidence with some big wins, all helped him continue to reach new heights, culminating in a team state championship and CIF individual title as a senior.

“That was the best year to leave high school and start my college career,” Hoffmann reminisced. “That period of time, winning state and also CIF was amazing.”

Although Hoffmann didn’t initially follow in his parents’ footsteps, he did stay in the UC system, taking his talents up north to Cal where he helped the Golden Bears make two appearances in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. As a senior in 2020, he was well on his way to his best collegiate campaign before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt. With the cancelation of the season and closure of the campus, Hoffmann returned home to Newport Beach, finishing out his final semester of classes remotely.

“Once it kind of set in, and we were all away from each other knowing we might not see each other again for a while, it was definitely disappointing and pretty sad at first,” Hoffmann said. “But, once we realized we were getting another season, I think that’s when I really started to look at this in the most positive way possible. I still graduated, I still had all my friends there, and now there could be some new opportunities, so I am incredibly grateful.” 

When the NCAA announced it would be granting another season of eligibility, Hoffmann started looking into where he could play his final campaign while getting his master’s degree, and he didn’t have to look much further than his own backyard.

Growing up in the area, and with his father being a former teammate of Coach Saunders, Hoffmann was already comfortable with the men’s tennis program, paving the way for a smooth transition. He would also be able to complete UCI’s Master of Finance program in his final year, while continuing a family legacy.

“I have two brothers, so my family would always say at least one of us had to go to UCI,” Hoffmann said. “I guess this is kind of everything coming full circle; it was meant to be. I’m really familiar with the men’s tennis program and Mike (Saunders), so I knew I was in good hands, and obviously Irvine is a great school, so it just made a lot of sense.”

The comfort level, along with the sage advice of his new coach has brought Hoffmann’s tennis game up another notch as he was ranked among the top-125 singles players in the nation for three weeks, with a high placing of No. 60.

“Everyone is super close on and off the court which creates this family dynamic,” Hoffmann said. “They are all really nice guys, good people and they’ve just kind of brought me in. 

“I think a couple conversations I had with Mike at the beginning of the season also helped me a lot. He treats everyone equally in terms of respect, but knows that certain guys operate differently and knows how to approach different people. He understands where I’m at as a fifth-year senior and explained to me that one thing you can’t really replicate in life and that I should cherish about this time is the ability to compete and leave it all out there. I hadn’t really thought about it that way, so it was inspiring and I think I’ve actually been playing some of my best tennis because of that mentality.”

While Hoffmann credits Coach Saunders for his recent growth on the court, it has definitely been a two-way street as he has made a big impact on the program in his short time with the Anteaters.

“Bjorn's impact has been immediate and dramatic,” Saunders said. “On the court, I knew he would make us a better team and win consistently at the top of the lineup, which is incredibly valuable in college tennis. But his competitive toughness, work ethic, team spirit and leadership has been infectious; he's galvanized the identity and ethos of this team with belief, courage, resilience and a will to win. There were a couple matches early in the year where Bjorn refused to lose in a way that inspired all of us to believe in this team. Bjorn has bolstered our recruiting efforts with intrigue and legitimacy. Additionally, he has sparked some renewed excitement around the program. We have received more encouragement from our alumni and the surrounding tennis community this season than in my previous five years as head coach. His time as an Anteater has been short and sweet; his contribution will no doubt be indelible.”           

In addition to all of the success he’s had on the court, Hoffmann has been just as impressive in the classroom. He was a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete (minimum 3.5 GPA) and two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection at Cal where he earned his bachelor’s degree in legal studies. Now, he is working toward his master’s degree in finance at UC Irvine, which he will complete in August.

“My parents instilled in me that it’s important to do well in school, learn and get good grades,” Hoffmann stated. “I’ve taken it seriously and done well for myself. This might be the last year I’m ever in school again, so I’m just trying to take what I can and make it as valuable a time as possible.”

Hoffmann’s focus on his academics has paid off as he already has a job lined up starting in September. Hoffmann will be working for Microsoft as a Customer Success Account Manager, which he describes as a mix between IT consulting and a relationship management role. His dream is to eventually make it to Microsoft headquarters in Seattle.

Although he isn’t planning to pursue a pro career, Hoffmann will spend his final summer before entering the working world playing club tennis in Germany, where several recent ‘Eater alums are from, including 2016 graduate Nico Mertens. Extending his UCI connections internationally, Hoffmann has known Mertens for awhile, and actually stayed with him while the two were playing in Germany a couple summers ago.

Before he begins his post-collegiate endeavors, however, Hoffmann still has some business to take care of at UC Irvine as he and his teammates will be vying for a Big West Championship and NCAA Tournament bid this weekend at the Orange County Great Park. The ‘Eaters are the No. 2 seed and will begin postseason play in Saturday’s semifinal round.