Bryant University Director of Athletics Bill Smith announced Nestor Bernabe as the next head coach of the Bryant men's tennis program on Wednesday afternoon.
Bernabe brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to Smithfield and has been a mainstay in the state of Rhode Island tennis community.
"We are so excited to welcome Nestor as the head coach of our men's tennis program," Smith said. "Nestor's passion and excitement stood out during the interview process. He has a proven track record of identifying and developing outstanding people and tennis players. Bryant men's tennis is in great hands with Nestor Bernabe.
Bernabe has spent the last 14 years as the Director of Tennis at the Providence Tennis Academy. During his time at the Providence Tennis Academy, Bernabe has worked with nine Rhode Island High School Singles champions and 10 Rhode Island High School Players of the Year. In addition, he was part of Jared Donaldson's (former ATP Top 50) along his journey from junior to professional tennis.
"First, I want to thank Mr. Smith for this amazing opportunity," Bernabe said. I am very excited to have been chosen to be the next head coach for men's tennis at Bryant University. The Bryant Tennis program is like a giant family and I am looking forward to joining the team and leading it to the next level. This program has a great tradition and our facilities are second to none and will keep improving. I feel very lucky to be the next head coach and I'm excited to help this team accomplish great things."
Prior to his time at Providence Tennis Academy, Bernabe spent two years at Solaris Tennis Club in Stamford, Connecticut. He trained over 100 USTA New England sectional ranked players and 50 nationally ranked players.
Bryant will be Bernabe's third collegiate coaching stop. He spent the 2013-14 season as the assistant coach for the men's and women's tennis programs at Fairfield University. Prior to Fairfield, Bernabe spent three years as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Brown. He was a part of five All-IVY selections, one ranked singles player and four ranked doubles teams. Bernabe's 2010 recruiting class was ranked No. 21 in the country by tennisrecruiting.net.
In addition to these coaching positions, Bernabe was also playing professionally from 2003-2007, earning rankings in both singles and doubles. He was also a WTA Tour Practice Partner for Justine Henin-Hardenne for the 2004 US Open.
A 2003 graduate of Sonoma State with a B.A. in American Multicultural Studies, Bernabe was a four-time MVP of the Sonoma State Men's Tennis team. He capped his collegiate playing career by earning First Team All-American honors as a senior in 2003. The Sonoma State University Alumni Association Athlete of the Year in 2003, Bernabe was ranked #16 in singles at the end of the year and had a U.S. National Open Ranking of #130. During his career, Bernabe was ranked as high as #10 in singles (2002) and #4 in doubles (2001), while posting a career-record of 142-49.
During college, Bernabe was also an instructor at Evert Tennis Academy and the co-founder and head pro at One Love Tennis Academy. In addition, he also served as Vice President for the Sonoma State Student Athlete Advisory Committee during his junior and senior years.
Original source can be found here.
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