Matt Roberts Named Assistant Men's Tennis Coach
9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 3, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's tennis coach Gene Orlando has announced the hiring of Matt Roberts as the assistant men's tennis coach. Roberts, who has been playing tennis professionally on the ATP circuit since September 2007, will begin working with the Spartan team immediately.
"Matt brings a wealth of experience as a collegiate and as a professional player," said head coach Gene Orlando. "His experiences will further help the development of our young men both on and off the court."
During his years of playing competitive tennis, Roberts has managed to give back to the tennis community by helping coach players of all ages and ability levels, most recently serving as the volunteer assistant tennis coach at University of Arkansas-Little Rock (2008). While with the Trojans, Roberts helped lead the men's tennis team to one its most successful seasons in school history. The UALR team finished the 2008 campaign ranked No. 8 in the Central Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Some of his other positions include: tennis pro at Proutsneck Country Club in Maine (2007-09) and tennis pro and recreational director at the Wal-Mart Fitness Center (2006-07).
Collegiality, Roberts was a three-time captain and was four-year letterwinner with the University of Arkansas. While with the Razorbacks, Roberts recorded a career record of 84-50 in singles play, helping lead the team to a top-25 ranking in each of his four seasons. Roberts' best seasons at Arkansas came when he was an upperclassman where he registered a 54-19 record and twice garnered All-SEC honors.
Before attending Arkansas, Roberts was one of the top junior players in the nation. From 2000-02 Roberts was ranked as the No. 1 Southern Junior and rose to as high as number seven in the National Junior Rankings. Roberts also led his Pulaski Academy squad to the 2002 Arkansas High School State Championship capturing the individual championship along the way.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Roberts graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching and teaching.