Florida Gators men's tennis


The Florida Gators men's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference. The team hosts its home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, led by head coach Bryan Shelton. In the eighty-five-year history of the Gators men's tennis program, the Gators have won nine SEC team championships, two NCAA singles championships and one NCAA doubles championship.

Team history

The Florida Gators men's tennis team was started by head coach Dennis K. "Dutch" Stanley in 1932. In eight years leading the Gators' tennis program, Stanley compiled a team win-loss record of 54–12, still the best coaching record in the history of the program as measured by winning percentage. Stanley, who also served as the head coach of the Gators football and track teams, left the university in 1940, but later returned as the first dean of its College of Health and Human Performance.
The Gators have won nine Southeastern Conference team championships.
They Gators men's tennis team has never won an NCAA national team championship, but advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinals in 2000 and 2005. In individual match play, Gators Mark Merklein and David Blair claimed the NCAA doubles championships in 1993. Merklein won the NCAA singles championship in 1994, losing just one set while defeating six tournament opponents. Gator Jeff Morrison claimed the NCAA singles championship in 1999, also losing only a single set on the way to the title.

Year-by-year results

The Florida Gators overall record is 1,208–498–6 through the 2015–2016 season.

All-Americans

Twenty-two members of the Florida Gators men's tennis team have earned forty-seven All-American honors.