How could Bjorn Hoffmann not play tennis?
 
A product of Newport Beach, California, Hoffmann came from a tennis family and was, after all, named after 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg.
 
"When my mom was carrying me and they would watch Bjorn Borg on TV, they would call me 'Bjorn' as a half joke," Hoffmann explained. "They really liked Bjorn Borg. After a while, the name kind of stuck, and they went with it."
 
Hoffmann added, "Most people find it unique and cool, since it's a name they haven't heard much before – and sometimes I get 'Baby Bjorn,' as a joke."
 
Now a member of the 24th-ranked Cal men's tennis team, Hoffmann played other sports as a kid. But of course, tennis won out.
 
"I was put into a couple different sports when I was younger, and naturally I gravitated towards tennis," he said. "I played soccer, and I enjoyed it when I was younger. My dad coached some AYSO teams, and I played, and it was fun. But tennis held more importance as I got older." 
 
He also had a prior connection to the University of California system through his parents, Biljana Longman and Carsten Hoffmann, and his uncle, Zoran Korac, who all played tennis at UC Irvine
 
After starring at Corona del Mar High School, Hoffmann moved onto Cal and is "Baby Bjorn" no longer. Instead he's a veteran as one of three juniors on a Cal roster that doesn't have a senior. He's led by example, winning a team-high 28 times in singles – coupled with just five losses – and taking a 10-match winning streak into Saturday's NCAA super regional at Texas. Hoffmann's latest victory, a 6-3, 6-0 result over Illinois' Vuk Budic on May 4, came in Cal's 4-1 NCAA round of 32 win over the No. 15 Illini. One day earlier, Hoffmann clinched the 4-1 NCAA round of 64 match over Drake with a 7-6(4), 6-1 win over Ben Clark.
 
"He's been an incredibly strong and steady force on our team, and that says a lot about his leadership," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "He leads by example every time he goes out. We've seen tremendous growth in Bjorn in three years in the program. What he's doing this year speaks a lot to his personal growth and the growth of his game. This game hasn't been easy for him to play. Tennis is a tough sport – a mentally and physically demanding sport. How he's accepted the challenge this year has been one of the forces that's helped us achieve the level of success we've had."
 
Heading into the showdown with the second-ranked Longhorns in Austin, Cal has won five out of six matches, which encompasses a win in the regular-season finale at Oregon, a run to the Pac-12 Championship final and two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Hoffmann gives credit to something else for the Golden Bears' success – with tongue (partly) in cheek.
 

"I really think it's the mustaches," he said. "We all started growing out our mustaches during the Washington-Oregon weekend. I think that's really helped our team fire on all cylinders, and we're playing some of our best tennis right now. We're peaking at the right time. Hopefully we continue to have a good run in the NCAA tournament."
 
"There is a lot of facial hair on our team," Wright laughed. "It's a source of strength, and the guys are really embracing it. A lot of these guys look significantly different with mustaches underneath their noses. I love seeing it and love how it's providing us a focus going forward in the postseason."