Roberts Named Mississippi Tennis Coach Of The Year
January 24, 2025 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's tennis coach Matt Roberts has been named the 2024 Mississippi Tennis Association Coach of the Year.
Roberts will be recognized during a luncheon at the River Hills Club in Jackson at noon on Saturday. Due to Roberts' obligations hosting ITA Kickoff Weekend, he will be unable to attend the event so one of his former players, Stedman Strickland (2018-21), will be accepting on his behalf.
"It's truly an honor to be recognized for this award," Roberts said. "There are so many great tennis coaches and instructors at all levels throughout this state and I'm grateful to be a part of the growing tennis community here in Mississippi."
Roberts is currently the longest-tenured head coach at MSU in his 11th season and has been with the program since the summer of 2012. During his time at the helm, the Bulldogs have compiled a 192-78 record and have reached the NCAA Championships every year of his tenure save for the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and won back-to-back SEC Tournament Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Under Roberts, State has reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships six times, including five of the last six seasons. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2018 headlined by Nuno Borges, who was a five-time All-American in Maroon and White and three-time SEC Player of the Year. Borges is currently ranked 33rd in the world as a professional.
Roberts has coached nine players that have won 15 total All-America honors including current two-time All-Americans Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez. The Little Rock, Arkansas native has also coached 32 All-SEC selections, two SEC Freshmen of the Year and three SEC Scholar Athletes. He was named the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year and has been recognized as the ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year four times.
Over the course of his career, Roberts has amassed an astounding 122-24 record at home and currently has Mississippi State off to a 5-0 start and ranked ninth nationally. The Bulldogs are set to welcome NC State, LSU and Pepperdine for ITA Kickoff Weekend beginning with the Waves on Saturday at 10 a.m.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
