I was born in El Centro, California. My father, Sergio Gavaldón, and mother, Angelica Gavalón Loaiza, were living in Mexicali while my father opened new stores called Dorians. We then moved to Tijuana until I was age 12 where all our free time was spent at the tennis club, Club Britania.

I was six years old when I first saw Wimbledon on television. It was Chris Evert Lloyd against Hana Mandlíkivá. I was glued to the TV and told my father, “One day I will be playing against them at Wimbledon.” Ten years later, when I was 16, I walked into Wimbledon grounds as a main draw competitor.