When asked who he is,
Pepe simply replies; “Pepe Imaz”.
Who someone is should not be defined by their achievements nor their possessions. In Pepe’s opinion, people are simply that, human.
“So when he describes himself he explains he is plainly an imperfect human with the desire to evolve and grow each day and to be able to provide the things that he needs to live.”
Understandably people would like to know a little more about Pepe’s tennis life, below is a short summary of his life in the word of tennis.
Pepe began at the age of 4 years old playing on the tennis court at his family home. From this point on he began to show great prominence and quickly became the best in his region (La Rioja). Therefore, at the age of 10 he left home to go to a Barcelona training academy.
At that time, the game was the only priority in his life and all he wanted was to be a champion.
Pepe quickly began to realise that due to his achievements on court, he started to receive a lot more attention than usual (which he obviously loved) and in addition, if he kept winning the attention would multiply, both socially and from his family. At 16 he was one of the best in Spain in both singles and doubles.
However when he approached the age of 18 the expectations he had created in his head, which were totally unreasonable and exorbitant, started to give him a sense of failure, contempt and negative feelings began to grow in him.
Unconsciously he began to self harm through bulimia. Due to something which Pepe describes as magical or divine, he suddenly became aware that he was sick (which is always the last thing a patient accepts whether they’re bulimic, alcoholic, drug addict etc...)
From that point on Pepe began to seek psychological help and to study psychology books, but his problem did not stop growing. It was only when he started to read personal growth (self-help) books that he realised what was happening.
“He simply didn’t
love himself. ”
Pepe began working on loving himself more, soon he started to feel much better and his tennis also started to improve. No longer was winning his only priority, but to simply enjoy what he loved doing; play tennis.
Within 2 years his tennis and his ranking rose quickly. However, at the age of 23, when he was at the highest point in his tennis career, he felt something inside himself that made him not want to play tennis anymore. It was then that he decided to leave the court.
After doing so he spent a year where the only thing he did was read about being a human, trying to understand more and more himself and other people.
After that year he received some proposals to start coaching some guys. They were guys with quite serious problems and especially with a great need to love and respect themselves more. This is how he began his new career as a coach.
But meanwhile, another problem emerged from inside Pepe; opening up and loving as a couple. For two years he suffered greatly because of his inability to open up to love and be loved.
With all the knowledge he had received through self-help and the psychology books he had read, plus the help of a wonderful psychologist, he knew perfectly what was happening to him, but he couldn't find a way to break free of that menace.
That's when Pepe was introduced to spirituality and the world of energy through a Lebanese lady. It was as if by magic, his fears began to dissipate until he was free to open up and to love. And until this day it remains his daily work to continue to love, both himself and the people he works with.
“Today Pepe trains a group of players wishing to compete at professional level, sharing with them his knowledge of tennis and of emotional growth, which has helped him so much, and how important it is both in tennis and life.”
Besides his tennis coaching, Pepe does lectures and talks titled ‘Amor & Paz' throughout the Spanish territory, and works on an emotional level with players of the ATP and WTA Tour.
