Andres Pedroso Returns To Virginia Tennis

Andres Pedroso named director of tennis at Virginia.
Andres Pedroso helped Virginia win its first National Championship while on the coaching staff. ~ Photo courtesy Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Media Relations

Less than 24 hours after the men’s tennis team captured its fourth National Championship in five years in Brian Boland’s final match after 16 years as head coach, Virginia announced his successor. The Cavaliers have hired Andres Pedroso to return to the program.

Pedroso served as Boland’s associate head coach from 2010-2014 before leaving to coach privately in Florida.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andres and his family back to Charlottesville,” Virginia director of athletics Craig Littlepage said in a news release. “His background as an elite player in junior, college, and professional tennis, along with his experience as our men’s tennis associate head coach and as a coach in the professional ranks and with the USTA have prepared him for this opportunity. Andres believes academic achievement and taking advantage of all of the opportunities the University has to offer are equally important to success on the court. I look forward to the on-going development of both programs under his leadership.”

Pedroso knows as well as anyone that he is stepping into a challenging position considering Boland’s success here. Boland wrapped up a 16-year career with 453 wins, 4 National Championships, 8 Final Fours, 6 ITA Team Indoor National Championships, and 12 ACC titles. Over the past three championship seasons, he led the Hoos to a 123-8 record. UVA also tallied 140 straight ACC wins at one point, a decade-long streak that represented the longest string in any sport in league history.

Boland left Virginia for a position with US Tennis. The United States Tennis Association selected Boland as the head of men’s tennis for USTA Player Development, a job set to begin once the season finished at Virginia. Pedroso will assume his role at UVA on May 30.

“I would like to thank President Sullivan, Craig Littlepage and Jon Oliver for this once in a lifetime opportunity to lead UVA Tennis and succeed one of the greatest collegiate coaches of all time in Brian Boland,” Pedroso said in a news release. “Coach Boland started setting me up for success at the University of Virginia seven years ago, during my time as associate head coach. Moving forward, my intention is to only enhance, together with the entire UVA Tennis coaching staff, the world-class experience that our University and tennis program provide our student-athletes.”

Of course, Pedroso played a significant role in Virginia’s climb to elite status during his first tenure in Charlottesville. During his four-year stay, UVA won 4 ACC Championships, the program’s first National Championship, and 2 ITA National Team Indoor titles. The Cavaliers owned a 120-6 record in the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons. That’s a 95.2% winning percentage.

Virginia did not lose an ACC match in that stretch, something that matched Pedroso’s playing career at Duke. He helped lift the Blue Devils to 4 ACC titles and was a two-time All-American as a player. He earned a spot on the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team. He played professionally for four years as well before taking on a role as a national coach for USTA Player Development.

After joining the UVA program, Pedroso coached six All-Americans, including 2013 ITA National Player of the Year Jarmere Jenkins. He also coached the 2013 NCAA Doubles Champion team of Jenkins and Mac Styslinger and ITA All-American champions Alex Domijan and Mitchell Frank. He earned the 2014 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

“The University of Virginia could not be placing this program in better hands than with Andres Pedroso,” Boland said in a news release. “Andres understands our culture and he played a significant role in getting our program over the top to win repeated national championships. Andres brings to the job a wealth of experience and a skill set that I believe provides UVA Tennis with everything we could ask for in a leader. I am excited for our players, our athletics department, and all of our loyal supporters that they will have the opportunity to work with such a world-class individual and someone who loves the University of Virginia as much as I do.”

Pedroso will inherit a second role beyond being the head men’s tennis coach. Virginia also created a director of tennis position similar to other Division I schools. That means he will oversee both the men’s and women’s tennis programs, which will enable the two to collaborate and work together with the tennis resources.

That also means that Pedroso will have some involvement in hiring a new head women’s tennis coach after the departure of Mark Guilbeau, who led the program for 12 years.

“Nothing will be more important than the overall development of our men’s and women’s student-athletes and maximizing their potential will continue to take a total team effort on the part of many who believe in our cause,” Pedroso said in a news release. “UVA Tennis has always been based on building a community of quality people around a student-athlete experience that produces exceptional leaders and human beings. This will never change and I look forward to reaching out to every person who has or will make UVA Tennis an integral part of their life.”