Best Tennis Colleges – 2025
January 6, 2025
What are the best tennis colleges in the country? I should be pretty well equipped to answer that question: I played competitive tennis all throughout my childhood and into my high school years. I consistently woke up at 5 AM for pre-homeroom practice sessions; I spent my summers training at Florida tennis centers like IMG and Evert Tennis Academy; I traveled around the country to compete in USTA tournaments. Tennis was for me a serious endeavor, and at times it threatened to swallow my entire adolescent identity. But I was never bound for tennis greatness. I was good, but I wasn鈥檛, in the grand scheme of things, that good.
When I considered playing tennis in college, I looked exclusively at Division III schools. The best tennis colleges鈥擠ivision I heavyweights like Stanford, USC, and Virginia鈥攔ecruit the best players from around the world. Ben Shelton, who鈥檚 currently ranked 21st on the ATP Tour, played college tennis at the University of Florida. That鈥檚 how elite the best tennis colleges are. So what are the best tennis colleges? Check out the list below.
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25 Best Tennis Colleges – 2025
25) North Carolina State
Former pro player Kyle Spencer is the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack, and he鈥檚 led the team to success in recent years. The Wolfpack were 18-7 in 2024, and three of their players qualified for the NCAA men鈥檚 singles championships.
24) Texas A&M
Texas A&M is an elite tennis school that attracts some of the best players from all over the world. The Aggies finished the 2024 season ranked 16th by the .
23) South Carolina
South Carolina currently sits at 15 on the ITA鈥檚 list of the best tennis colleges in the country. This year, the Gamecocks were represented by starter Lucas da Silva in the NCAA men鈥檚 singles.
22) Mississippi State
Mississippi State has never won an NCAA championship, but the Bulldogs are still one of the strongest programs in college tennis. To give you an idea of just how elite the best tennis colleges are, Mississippi State recently recruited one of the best junior players on the planet, Bryan Hernandez Cortes of Spain. The 18-year-old has also been ranked as high as 38th in the World ITF Juniors.
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21) Harvard
The storied Ivy isn鈥檛 exactly known for its athletic dominance, but tennis is one sport at which Harvard is truly elite. The Crimson finished the 2024 season with a 20-7 record and ended the year as the 12th-ranked tennis program according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
20) Oklahoma
A Big 12 powerhouse, it makes sense that Oklahoma is home to one of the most elite tennis programs across the sport. Oklahoma only lost five times in 2024, and at the end of the year, they were ranked the 11th best squad by the ITA.
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19) Florida State
The Seminoles were ranked 10th overall by the ITA in 2024. Last year, three Florida State players earned All-American honors.
18) Arizona
The Wildcats finished 2024 ranked 9th overall by the ITA. They went 26-4, and two of their players qualified for the NCAA singles tournament.听
17) Columbia University
Columbia finished out the 2024 season ranked 8th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. , a three-time All-American, won the 2024 NCAA men鈥檚 singles title, making him Columbia鈥檚 first men鈥檚 singles champion of the modern era.
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16) Duke
Basketball is what Duke is known for鈥攖he Blue Devils are easily one of the most well-decorated teams in all of college basketball. But Duke has a strong tennis program as well. The Blue Devils have finished within the top 15 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association鈥檚 year-end rankings eight times.
15) Kentucky
Like most big state schools, the level of tennis at Kentucky is elite. While the Wildcats haven鈥檛 racked up as many accolades as some of the other tennis powerhouses, they鈥檙e an ascendant program. In 2022, they finished runner-up in the NCAA tournament, losing to the Virginia Cavaliers.
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14) Ohio State
Like Kentucky, Ohio State鈥檚 tennis program is on the rise in recent years. The Buckeyes have never won the NCAA tournament outright, but they鈥檝e come close. In 2018 they made it to the championship but were bested by Wake Forest, and in 2023 they returned to the championship round before falling to the seemingly unstoppable Virginia Cavaliers. At the end of the 2024 season, the Buckeyes were the third highest-ranked team in all of college tennis.
13) Illinois
The Fighting Illini won the NCAA championship in 2003, and they finished runners-up in 2007. Power-serving Kevin Anderson played for the Illini; he was, at one point in his pro career, the fifth-highest ranked player in the world. Additionally, Anderson appeared in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open and is regarded as one of the best South African tennis players of all time.
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12) Baylor
Baylor University is another elite tennis school. The Bears have won their conference tournament eleven times since 2002, and the program鈥檚 crowning achievement came in 2004, when they won their first NCAA championship.
11) Wake Forest
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons won the NCAA championship in 2018, and they came close to a repeat the following year but were bested by Texas in the championship round. The ACC powerhouse finished the 2024 season as the sixth highest-ranked team in college tennis.
10) Texas
The Longhorns have been a mainstay of the college tennis landscape throughout the decades. They were making deep runs in the NCAA tournament as far back as 1955, and they won their first championship in 2019.听 The Longhorns tennis squad finished the 2024 season as the second-highest ranked team according to the ITA.
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9) Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers have never won an NCAA championship, but that doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e not one of the best tennis colleges in the country. They鈥檝e been runners-up three times, in 1990, 2001, and 2010, losing all three times to tennis powerhouses Stanford, Georgia, and USC, respectively.
The Vols boast some legendary figures amongst their alumni. Paul Annacone played for the Volunteers before turning pro, and after his pro career ended (he achieved a career-high ranking of 12), he established himself as one of the best coaches in tennis history. Annacone coached Pete Sampras from 1995 to 2002, Tim Henman from 2003 to 2007, and Roger Federer from 2010 to 2013. Annacone also worked with Sloane Stephens, Stan Wawrinka, and he鈥檚 currently the coach of number 4 in the world Taylor Fritz.
American Tennys Sandren, who was ranked as high as 41st on the ATP Tour, played at the University of Tennessee, as did current Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff.
8) Pepperdine
The Pepperdine Waves have one NCAA tournament championship on their resume鈥攖hat championship came in 2006鈥攁nd they鈥檝e finished runners-up twice, in 1982 and 1986.
The most prominent Pepperdine product is undoubtedly Brad Gilbert. Gilbert is best known for his work as a coach, having worked with Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, and, most recently, Coco Gauff. But Gilbert made his mark as a player on the pro circuit as well. At the height of his career, he was the fourth-highest ranked player in the world. He never won a grand slam, but he went on deep runs at Wimbledon and the US Open. He also won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and won a total of twenty singles titles before retiring.
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7) Florida
The University of Florida might not have the pedigree as some of the other schools on this list, but it鈥檚 still one of the best tennis colleges in the country. In 2021, the Gators beat the Baylor Bears to win their first NCAA championship. Plus, the school has produced some elite professional talent. Jesse Levine, who achieved a ranking of 69 on the ATP Tour, played for the University of Florida, as did Ben Shelton, who鈥檚 currently ranked 21st on the ATP Tour.
6) UCLA
UCLA has one of the strongest, most solidified legacies in college tennis. The Bruins have won the NCAA championship sixteen times, and they鈥檝e finished runners-up another fourteen times. A good chunk of those championships came in the early days of college tennis, in the 1950s and 60s (the NCAA tennis tournament was established in 1946). But that doesn鈥檛 mean that we should discount the Bruins鈥� dominance. They won back-to-back championships in 1970 and 1971, their most recent championship came in 2005, and they were back in the championship round in 2013 but were defeated by Virginia.
The Bruins also boast some notable tennis alum. Two legends of the sport, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe, finished their college tennis careers as UCLA Bruins.
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5) Georgia
Georgia is known primarily as a college football powerhouse, but it鈥檚 also one of the best colleges for tennis in the country. The Bulldogs have been NCAA champions six times, and they鈥檝e finished runner-up seven times. Their dominance has been consistent: between 1987 and 2008, I couldn鈥檛 find a string of more than three years during which the Bulldogs weren鈥檛 either NCAA champions or runners-up. John Isner, arguably the best American tennis player since Andy Roddick, played for four years at the University of Georgia.听
4) TCU
Texas Christian University has long been one of the best tennis colleges in the country. The Horned Frogs have dominated the Big 12, and since the 70s, they鈥檝e been a consistent contender in the NCAA championship. Five times have the Horned Frogs made a semifinal appearance in the tournament, but their big breakthrough came last year, when they finally won it all.
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3) Virginia
Virginia has been the most dominant force in college tennis over the last decade and change. Since 2013, the Cavaliers have won the NCAA men鈥檚 championship an incredible six times. Their most came in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. In addition to those championship runs, the Cavaliers were runners-up in the NCAA championship twice, in 2011 and 2012. Brandon Nakashima, who鈥檚 currently ranked 35th on the ATP Tour, played a year at the University of Virginia before turning pro.
2) Stanford
Stanford is one of the best tennis colleges in the country. The Cardinals have been at the top of the sport for decades, and they鈥檙e the second most decorated squad in college tennis history, having won a remarkable seventeen NCAA championships. Their last championship came in the year 2000; they were runners-up in 2006, and most recently, in 2011.
All-time great John McEnroe won the NCAA singles title as a Stanford Cardinal in 1978. Two other all-time greats, Bob and Mike Bryan鈥攌nown professionally as the Bryan Brothers鈥攁re Stanford University alums. The Bryans won the NCAA doubles title for the Cardinals in 1998.
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1) USC
The University of Southern California is the best tennis college in the sport. The Trojans have won the NCAA championship 21 times, and they鈥檝e been dominant through the ages. Their first championship came all the way back in 1946, their most recent came in 2014, and they rattled off a string of four championships in a row between 2009 and 2012.
Lastly, the Trojans鈥� most notable alum is probably , a former world number one and US Open and Wimbledon champion.
Best Tennis Colleges – Additional Resources
