Michael-Ray Pallares González (born December 15, 1980) is a professional tennis player from the Dominican Republic. He was a member of the Dominican Republic Davis Cup team and represented his country at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
He won the men's singles gold medal at the 2022 State Games of America, an Olympic-style multi-sport event held in North America. It is organized by the National Congress of State Games as part of the United States Olympic Committee in which athletes qualify for the Games by earning a medal in their respective State Games in the previous two years. Pallares was the men's singles gold medalist at the 2020 Commonwealth Games of Virginia (Virginia).
Biography
Michael-Ray Pallares González is a second cousin once-removed of the Dominican Mirabal sisters.
Junior career
As a junior, Michael-Ray was a two-time USTA National Champion winning the USTA National Interscholastic Championships in Lexington, Kentucky as well as the USTA National Port Washington Easter Classic at the famed Port Washington Tennis Academy in Port Washington, New York.
Past winners of these events include Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Butch Buchholz, Arthur Ashe, Roscoe Tanner, Harold Solomon, Bryan Shelton, Chris Woodruff, Luke Jensen, Brian Baker, and Donald Young amongst others.
College career
Michael-Ray accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where he played for the Alabama Crimson Tide men's tennis team which was ranked Top 10 in NCAA Division 1 Men's Tennis. In 2003, he was voted the Most Improved Player and was an instrumental part of the team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in Athens, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Professional career
ATP World Tour
Pallares González turned professional in 2004, competing predominantly on the ITF Men's Circuit and ATP Challenger Tour.
He's held an ATP ranking in singles & doubles for over ten years, posting wins over six players who were each ranked inside the ATP Top-300 and advanced to the doubles final of the $15K Algeria F3 Futures Tournament in 2011.
Doubles: (1 Runner-up)
Davis Cup
Michael-Ray Pallares González has represented the Dominican Republic as a member of four Davis Cup selections, posting a 1-0 record competing in the 2004 Davis Cup Americas Zone Groups II.
Davis Cup: Singles (1-0)
European League Club Tennis
While playing European League Club Tennis for teams in Italy (TC Volpago), Germany (SV Blankenese e.V.), Austria (TC Grün Weiß Steyr) & (UTC Casa Moda Steyr), and France (Racing Club de France), Michael-Ray compiled a 57-13 record, helping his teams get promoted four times in their respective leagues.
European League Club Tennis: Record (57-13)
USTA Tournaments
The United States Tennis Association Open Tournaments are the most competitive on the USTA schedule and provide a high level of competition and prize money for experienced players. Players of all abilities and ages can play in Open events, including former and current pros, teaching professionals, college players and top-ranked juniors.
In 2009, Pallares won the prestigious 83rd Annual National Public Parks Tennis Championships. The National Public Parks Tennis Association was founded by Dwight Davis and established the inaugural event in 1923.
Past winners of this event include Gardnar Mulloy, Seymour Greenberg, Fred Kovaleski, Noel Brown, Bill Tym, Steve Wilkinson, Ken Stuart, Larry Parker, Juan Farrow, and Carlos Gómez-Díaz amongst others.
While competing at the Men's Open Singles division, Michael-Ray achieved a #1 Final Ranking 10 times in 7 different sections. The USTA is made up of 17 individual sections, each representing distinct geographic locations throughout the United States.
Since 2021, the USTA Competition Committee approved changes to the Nationwide Competitive Structure, paving the way for a standardized nationwide structure and ranking system for tennis events across the 17 USTA Sections.
Michael-Ray was the #1 ranked player in the United States in the Men's Open Singles division for the years 2021 and 2022.
USTA Men's Open Singles: Rankings
Coaching career
Michael-Ray Pallares González is the Owner & Head Professional of Crown Elite Tennis Academy, a high performance tennis academy specializing in junior development in Tampa, Florida.
He has served as Professional Tour Coach and/or hitting partner for several Top 10 ATP & WTA Players including Nicolas Almagro, John Isner, Vera Zvonareva, Alla Kudryavtseva & Kristina Brandi.
