GoDuke.com: What has been your proudest moment at Duke?
Henrique Cunha: My freshman year when I beat the No. 1 player in the nation to clinch the match against USC, I think was one of my favorite moments of my career here. I hope to have a similar or better moment this year.
GoDuke.com: What is your favorite part about being a Duke student-athlete?
HC: Well, I like to be pushed, so I really enjoy being here working hard on the tennis court, running track and lifting. Also, going to classes the professors are going to ask challenging questions. I like the challenge because it is not easy. You are pushed on the courts and you are pushed in the classroom.
GoDuke.com: What has been your favorite class at Duke?
HC: Well, I am doing Markets and Management Studies, so I really like business. I took a finance class that I really liked. I think this semester I am taking an entrepreneurship class that will probably rank in my top three classes.
GoDuke.com: Tell us about the time when you first started playing your sport.
HC: I started when I was about five years old, in my hometown. My dad played tennis and my mom took me to the club, I started hitting some balls and I started taking lessons twice a week.
GoDuke.com: What was your favorite food when you were a child?
HC: Well, I really like Brazilian type of food. We eat rice, beans, steak and salad. We don't eat much Spanish food, like in the U.S. So I would probably say steak, rice and salad are my favorite food.
GoDuke.com: Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
HC: My family is a big influence for me in what I do, in my decisions, what I want to do and what I want to achieve. I always think about them. In the sport, probably Gustavo Kuerten, the greatest Brazilian tennis player ever. He won the French Open when I was seven, so that was a big motivation to keep playing and maybe achieve something similar to him.
GoDuke.com: Do you have any hidden talents?
HC: I am fluent in Spanish, Portugese and English.
GoDuke.com: Do you have any TV shows DVRed?
HC: Shark Tank.
GoDuke.com: What is one possession you can't live without?
HC: I would say music. Whenever I travel, I have to take my iPod or computer just to listen to music. I think music serves as motivation before a tennis match or the mindset that I like to be.
GoDuke.com: What kind of music do you have on your iPod?
HC: All kinds of music. I like Pop, Rock and Brazilian music.
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