Men's Tennis
Roberts, Matt
Matt Roberts
- Title:
- Head Men's Tennis Coach
- Phone:
- 662-325-2896
Career
Seasons Coaching (Overall): 15
Seasons as Head Coach: Nine (Nine at Mississippi State)
Seasons at Mississippi State: 11
Career Record: 168-70 (70.6%) // 63-36 SEC (63.6%)
Career Record at Mississippi State: 168-70 (70.6%) // 63-36 SEC (63.6%)
Record vs. Ranked Opponents: 78-64 (54.9%) // 56-41 SEC (57.7%)
Record vs. Southern Region Opponents: 64-10 (86.5%)
Record in the NCAA Championship: 13-8 (61.9%)
Record in the SEC Championship: 12-6 (66.7%)
National Results/Honors:
Mississippi State Head Coach (2015-present)
Matt Roberts enters his10th year as Mississippi State’s head coach in 2023-24 having guided the Bulldogs the NCAA Championships each year of his tenure save for the 2020 season, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Roberts is a three-time ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year (2017-19) as well as the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs have advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships (2016, 2018-19, 2021) five times during Roberts’ tenure, including one trip to the Quarterfinals (2018).
Under Roberts’ watch, MSU won back-to-back SEC Tournament Championships in 2018-19. It marked the first time in school history the Bulldogs had won the conference tournament in consecutive years. State also posted back-to-back 11-1 regular season records in league play during those seasons while eventually reaching the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals and Round of 16 respectively.
Roberts has coached 30 All-SEC players including three-time SEC Player of the Year Nuno Borges. Borges went on to win ITA National Player of the Year honors in 2019 and finished that season as the National Runner-Up. Borges, who now plays professionally on the ATP Tour, was also a national semifinalist in 2017-18. He is the first player in program history to accomplish those feats.
Roberts also mentored Giovanni Oradini, who reached the NCAA Round of 16 in 2018 and Quarterfinals in 2019 as well as Florian Broska, who played in the NCAA Singles Championships in 2021-22 and was named the 2022 Southern Region Senior of the Year.
During his time as both an assistant and head coach in Starkville, Roberts has worked with seven All-Americans, two SEC Freshmen of the Year, three SEC Scholar Athletes of the Year and four ITA Rookies of the Year.
Roberts has also produced eight doubles tandems that have reached the NCAA’s including three that have reached the Round of 16, two Quarterfinalist teams and one semifinalist tandem of Oradini and Niclas Braun in 2019.
Mississippi State Assistant Coach (2013-14)
In the summer of 2012, Roberts joined the Bulldogs’ staff as an assistant under Per Nilsson.
Roberts helped Nilsson lead Mississippi State to a 37-21 record during his two seasons as an assistant and into the NCAA Championships. The Bulldogs reached the Round of 16 in 2013 and the second round the following year.
Roberts was awarded as the ITA Southern Region Assistant of the Year in 2014.
Michigan State Assistant Coach (2010-12)
Prior to joining the Mississippi State staff, Roberts was an assistant for three years at Michigan State under legendary coach Gene Orlando. Went 49-34 in his three years assisting Orlando, helping improve the Spartans from 13-14 in his first season to 18-9 and 18-11 in his next two seasons.
Arkansas-Little Rock Volunteer Assistant Coach (2008)
Helped lead to the Trojans to one of the most successful seasons in school history. The UALR team finished the 2008 campaign ranked No. 8 in the ITA Central Region.
Playing Career
Roberts is no stranger to the SEC. A three-time captain and four-year letterwinner (2003-06) at the University of Arkansas, Roberts knows what it's like to play in the rigors of the league. During his time in Fayetteville, Roberts amassed a career record of 84-50 in singles play, helping lead his team to a top 25 ranking in each of his four seasons. Roberts' upperclassman years are where he shined the most, registering a 54-19 record and two All-SEC honors as a junior and senior.
Before attending Arkansas, Roberts was one of the top-ranked juniors in the United States.
From 2000-02, he was ranked as the No. 1 Southern junior and climbed to be as high as number seven in the national junior rankings. Roberts was an instrumental part in Pulaski Academy winning the 2002 Arkansas High School State Championship, where he also captured the individual championship.
While playing professionally on the ATP circuit, Roberts achieved career high rankings of No. 517 (singles) and No. 522 (doubles).
Personal
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Roberts graduated from Arkansas in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching and teaching.
Seasons Coaching (Overall): 15
Seasons as Head Coach: Nine (Nine at Mississippi State)
Seasons at Mississippi State: 11
Career Record: 168-70 (70.6%) // 63-36 SEC (63.6%)
Career Record at Mississippi State: 168-70 (70.6%) // 63-36 SEC (63.6%)
Record vs. Ranked Opponents: 78-64 (54.9%) // 56-41 SEC (57.7%)
Record vs. Southern Region Opponents: 64-10 (86.5%)
Record in the NCAA Championship: 13-8 (61.9%)
Record in the SEC Championship: 12-6 (66.7%)
National Results/Honors:
- NCAA Appearances: 10 (2013-19, 2021-23)
- NCAA Quarterfinals: 1 (2018)
- NCAA Round of 16: 6 (2013, 2016, 2018-19, 2021, 2023)
- Final ITA Top-25 Finishes: 8 (2013 – No. 11; 2014 – No. 19; 2015 - No. 23; 2016 - No. 19; 2017 – No. 18; 2018 – No. 5; 2019 – No. 9; 2021 – No.15; 2023 – No. 16)
- NCAA Singles Finalists: 1 (Nuno Borges – 2019)
- NCAA Singles Semifinalists: 2 (Nuno Borges – 2017, 2018)
- NCAA Singles Quarterfinalists: 1 (Giovanni Oradini – 2019)
- NCAA Singles Round of 16: 1 (Giovanni Oradini – 2018)
- NCAA Singles Selections: 12 (2013 - Romain Bogaerts, Malte Stropp; 2014 - Florian Lakat; 2016 – Rishab Agarwal; 2017 – Nuno Borges; 2018 – Nuno Borges, Giovanni Oradini; 2019 – Nuno Borges, Giovanni Oradini; 2021 – Florian Broska, Giovanni Oradini; 2022 – Florian Broska)
- NCAA Doubles Semifinalists: 1 (Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini – 2019)
- NCAA Doubles Quarterfinalists: 2 (Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic – 2018, 2019)
- NCAA Doubles Round of 16: 3 (Jordan Angus/Malte Stropp – 2013, 2014; Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey – 2017)
- NCAA Doubles Selections: 8 (2013 - Jordan Angus/Malte Stropp; 2014 - Jordan Angus/Malte Stropp; 2015 - Julian Cash/Florian Lakat; 2017 – Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey; 2018 – Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic; 2019 – Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic, Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini; 2021 – Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler)
- All-Americans: 7 (Romain Bogaerts – 2013 (S); Julian Cash – 2015 (D); Florian Lakat – 2015 (D); Nuno Borges – 2017 (S), 2018 (S, D), 2019 (S, D); Giovanni Oradini – 2018 (S), 2019 (S, D); Strahinja Rakic – 2018 (D), 2019 (D); Niclas Braun – 2019 (D))
- NCAA Elite 90 Academic Award: 1 (Rishab Agarwal - 2016)
- ITA National Player of the Year: 1 (Nuno Borges – 2019)
- ITA Senior Player of the Year: 1 (Nuno Borges – 2019)
- ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award: 1 (Nuno Borges – 2018)
- ITA National Freshman of the Year: 1 (Romain Bogaerts – 2013)
- ITA Scholar Athlete Selections: 24
- SEC Tournament Champions: 2 (2018-19)
- SEC Championship Finals: 3 (2017-19)
- SEC Championship Semifinals: 5 (2015-19)
- SEC Championship Quarterfinals: 6 (2015-19, 2021)
- Highest SEC Championship Seed: No. 2 (2018, 2019)
- SEC Player of the Year: 3 (Nuno Borges – 2017, 2018, 2019)
- All-SEC Selections: 30
- SEC Freshman of the Year: 2 (Romain Bogaerts – 2013, Florian Lakat - 2014)
- SEC Player/Freshman of the Week: 31
- SEC Newcomer of the Week: 1
- SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year: 3 (Rishab Agarwal – 2016; Nuno Borges – 2018, 2019)
- Academic All-SEC Selections: 34
- Highest Final ITA Regional Ranking: 1st (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
- ITA Senior Player of the Year: 2 (Nuno Borges – 2019; Florian Broska 2022)
- ITA Player to Watch: 1 (Giovanni Oradini – 2019)
- ITA Rookie of the Year: 4 (Romain Bogaerts – 2013; Florian Lakat – 2014; Florian Broska – 2018; Nemanja Malesevic – 2021)
- ITA Most Improved Player of the Year: 1 (Tassilo Schmid – 2015)
- ITA Most Improved Senior: 1 (Trevor Foshey – 2019)
- 2018 SEC Coach of the Year
- ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year (2017-19)
- 2014 ITA Southern Region Assistant of the Year
| Roberts Year-By-Year As A Head Coach | |||
| Year | School | Record // SEC | Notes |
| 2015 | Mississippi State | 20-8 // 9-3 | SEC Tournament Semifinalists; NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2016 | Mississippi State | 18-9 // 7-5 | SEC Tournament Semifinalists; NCAA Round of 16 |
| 2017 | Mississippi State | 21-9 // 8-4 | SEC Tournament Finalists; NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2018 | Mississippi State | 23-3 // 11-1 | SEC Tournament Champions; NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2019 | Mississippi State | 24-4 // 11-1 | SEC Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament Round of 16 |
| 2020 | Mississippi State | 9-6 // 1-2 | Remainder of season canceled due to COVID-19 |
| 2021 | Mississippi State | 18-10 // 5-7 | SEC Tournament Quarterfinalists; NCAA Tournament Round of 16 |
| 2022 | Mississippi State | 14-13 // 4-8 | NCAA Tournament First Round |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 21-8 // 7-5 | NCAA Round of 16 |
| Total | Nine Seasons | 168-70 // 63-36 | SEC Tournament Semifinalists or better (2015-19); SEC Tournament Champions (2018-19); NCAA Appearances (2015-19, 2021-23); NCAA Round of 16 (2016, 2018-19, 2021. 2023); NCAA Quarterfinals (2018) |
Mississippi State Head Coach (2015-present)
Matt Roberts enters his10th year as Mississippi State’s head coach in 2023-24 having guided the Bulldogs the NCAA Championships each year of his tenure save for the 2020 season, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Roberts is a three-time ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year (2017-19) as well as the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs have advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships (2016, 2018-19, 2021) five times during Roberts’ tenure, including one trip to the Quarterfinals (2018).
Under Roberts’ watch, MSU won back-to-back SEC Tournament Championships in 2018-19. It marked the first time in school history the Bulldogs had won the conference tournament in consecutive years. State also posted back-to-back 11-1 regular season records in league play during those seasons while eventually reaching the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals and Round of 16 respectively.
Roberts has coached 30 All-SEC players including three-time SEC Player of the Year Nuno Borges. Borges went on to win ITA National Player of the Year honors in 2019 and finished that season as the National Runner-Up. Borges, who now plays professionally on the ATP Tour, was also a national semifinalist in 2017-18. He is the first player in program history to accomplish those feats.
Roberts also mentored Giovanni Oradini, who reached the NCAA Round of 16 in 2018 and Quarterfinals in 2019 as well as Florian Broska, who played in the NCAA Singles Championships in 2021-22 and was named the 2022 Southern Region Senior of the Year.
During his time as both an assistant and head coach in Starkville, Roberts has worked with seven All-Americans, two SEC Freshmen of the Year, three SEC Scholar Athletes of the Year and four ITA Rookies of the Year.
Roberts has also produced eight doubles tandems that have reached the NCAA’s including three that have reached the Round of 16, two Quarterfinalist teams and one semifinalist tandem of Oradini and Niclas Braun in 2019.
Mississippi State Assistant Coach (2013-14)
In the summer of 2012, Roberts joined the Bulldogs’ staff as an assistant under Per Nilsson.
Roberts helped Nilsson lead Mississippi State to a 37-21 record during his two seasons as an assistant and into the NCAA Championships. The Bulldogs reached the Round of 16 in 2013 and the second round the following year.
Roberts was awarded as the ITA Southern Region Assistant of the Year in 2014.
Michigan State Assistant Coach (2010-12)
Prior to joining the Mississippi State staff, Roberts was an assistant for three years at Michigan State under legendary coach Gene Orlando. Went 49-34 in his three years assisting Orlando, helping improve the Spartans from 13-14 in his first season to 18-9 and 18-11 in his next two seasons.
Arkansas-Little Rock Volunteer Assistant Coach (2008)
Helped lead to the Trojans to one of the most successful seasons in school history. The UALR team finished the 2008 campaign ranked No. 8 in the ITA Central Region.
Playing Career
Roberts is no stranger to the SEC. A three-time captain and four-year letterwinner (2003-06) at the University of Arkansas, Roberts knows what it's like to play in the rigors of the league. During his time in Fayetteville, Roberts amassed a career record of 84-50 in singles play, helping lead his team to a top 25 ranking in each of his four seasons. Roberts' upperclassman years are where he shined the most, registering a 54-19 record and two All-SEC honors as a junior and senior.
Before attending Arkansas, Roberts was one of the top-ranked juniors in the United States.
From 2000-02, he was ranked as the No. 1 Southern junior and climbed to be as high as number seven in the national junior rankings. Roberts was an instrumental part in Pulaski Academy winning the 2002 Arkansas High School State Championship, where he also captured the individual championship.
While playing professionally on the ATP circuit, Roberts achieved career high rankings of No. 517 (singles) and No. 522 (doubles).
Personal
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Roberts graduated from Arkansas in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching and teaching.
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts Michigan State Presser
Saturday, May 03
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts & Niccolo Baroni
Friday, May 02
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts - NCAA Selection Show
Monday, April 28
Mississippi State Men's Tennis vs. Arkansas Recap - 04/07/21
Thursday, April 08
