Todd Smith was named head coach of the TSU men’s and women’s tennis on October 25, 2021. A Tennessee native, Todd grew up playing tennis at the age of five and played on a national level from the age of ten until he graduated from High School at Science Hill in Johnson City, Tennessee. Coach Smith attempted going professional the summer after he graduated but decided after the summer tour to play for the University of Tennessee Volunteer’s. Todd played on the university tennis team from 1990-1993. His 1990 team won the SEC tournament and came in second in the NCAA tournament, setting a NCAA record that still stands for teams with an incredible 34-1 record. After graduating with a BA in Speech Communication, Todd joined the coaching staff as a University of Tennessee volunteer assistant coach under the guidance from hall of fame coach Mike DePalmer Sr.
From there, Todd went on to the Bollettieri Tennis Academy. He worked all facets of the Academy’s program as a coach and ended with legendary coach Nick Bollettieri coaching high level juniors, college and professional players on the famed backcourts of the academy.
Over the years, Todd has competed in and has won multiple USTA National Gold ball events in both singles and doubles, finishing in 2005 #1 in the United States in both singles and doubles in 30+ age division. He also brought in 2 bronze medals as a member of the USTA national team and as an individual at the world championships in Perth, Australia. He privately coached many players in the US who have gone on to play college and professional tennis, all while starting successful businesses in Nashville and raising a family.
Todd’s passion for player development and coaching along with his decades of experience while playing, coaching, and training young athletes, has led him to choose our program at TSU.
