Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
A spirit that is not afraid

Jay Jacobs names new men's tennis head coach

<p>Doubles pair of Joseph Van Dooren (left) and Maxime Hinnisdaels (right). (Ellen Jackson/ Photographer)</p>

Doubles pair of Joseph Van Dooren (left) and Maxime Hinnisdaels (right). (Ellen Jackson/ Photographer)

Former Oklahoma men's tennis coach Bobby Reynolds has been named Auburn men's tennis head coach, athletics director Jay Jacobs announced Friday.

“It’s exciting that someone of Coach Reynolds’ extensive professional experience and network of contacts throughout all levels of tennis wants to join the Auburn family,” Jacobs said. “Those relationships and the experiences he can share with our student-athletes will have a great impact as they chase their dreams and pursue their careers.”

Reynolds, an Atlanta, Georgia native, spent the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach with Oklahoma men's tennis, helping the Sooners advance to the NCAA championship match. 

The former professional tennis player holds a 12-year career and retired in 2014. In 2009, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 63 in singles and No. 46 in doubles. He has appeared in 17 main draw grand slam events in singles and 20 main draws in doubles.

“I’d like to thank Jay Jacobs, Bernard Hill and everyone at Auburn for giving me this opportunity to be a head coach, close to my home in Atlanta and back in the SEC where I played,” Reynolds said. “I also want to thank John Roddick and the University of Oklahoma for giving me the chance to fulfill a dream and get back into college tennis from the coaching side."

The most decorated play in Vanderbilt tennis history led the Commodores to the 2003 NCAA Final as a junior and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He finished the 2003 season ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles and was named SEC Player of the year, but chose to forgo his senior year to pursue professional tennis.

Reynolds advanced twice to the the third round of a grand slam event in singles (2005 Austrailian Open, 2008 Wimbledon) and did so four times in doubles. He was the 2012 MVP of World Team Tennis and the league's male rookie of the year in 2010, leading the Washington Kastles to four Mylan WTT world titles from 2011-14.

“I know how passionate the Auburn family is about all its teams, and I know we can succeed, thrive and do great things in tennis here," said Reynolds. "I’m looking forward to working with the members of the team and drawing from all my experiences to put my stamp on the program and its development.”

Reynolds replaced Eric Shore, who retired in May after a 26 year coaching career at Auburn.


Share and discuss “Jay Jacobs names new men's tennis head coach” on social media.