Mark Dickson Joins Men's Tennis Team as Assistant Coach
Oct. 17, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Mark Dickson is entering his first year as an assistant coach of the University of Miami’s men’s tennis program, arriving at Miami following successful careers as both a player and coach.
“We are really excited to have Mark join our Hurricane family,” said head coach Mario Rincon. “Mark played at the highest level in professional tennis becoming one of the best tennis players in the world, and he was able to develop his game and accomplished all his goals by playing collegiate tennis.”
As a player, Dickson was successful on all levels. He was a captain and leader of three Top 8 finishing Clemson University men’s tennis teams. There he was three-time All-American and ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in college singles and doubles, respectively. Mentored by Coach Chuck Kriese, a four-time ITA/USPTA/PTR Division I National Coach of the Year, he also advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals twice.
“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Miami tennis program and head coach Mario Rincon,” said Dickson. “I am so appreciative of the opportunity to work with Miami’s dedicated student-athletes and return to the ACC Conference. I know how competitive the league is, and I look forward to helping our team thrive in the ACC.”
As a professional, he was ranked as high as No. 12 on the ATP prize money list, No. 23 on the ATP Tour doubles rankings, No. 32 on the ATP Tour singles rankings, No. 20 on the WCT Tour singles rankings and No. 10 on the US Men’s Open singles rankings.
“The UM program has one of the richest traditions of any tennis program in the country as far as athletes who have played for the Hurricanes, received their education and have gone on to participate at the highest level of men’s tennis,” continued Dickson. “The strong academic program at Miami coupled with the coaching experience that we can provide will allow us to attract the strongest, most competitive student-athletes in the world.”
He is a 10-time winner of international professional tournaments, including WCT River Oaks International and ATP Toulouse. In bigger tournaments, including the US Open and the Australian Open, he has advanced to the grand slam quarterfinals and defeated many top 10 players in the world, including then-No. 1 Ivan Lendl.
Dickson learned a lot about the game while being practice partners with former world No. 1 players Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier and Jimmy Connors.
“I’m delighted to have Mark Dickson as our new assistant coach,” Rincon continued. “Mark’s knowledge of the game and experiences as a professional and collegiate player, and the path he followed to become one of the best, will be invaluable to our program. Along with Laurence Tieleman, our volunteer assistant coach, we have put together a great coaching staff that has great playing experience and we want to share it with our student-athletes.”
Throughout his career Dickson has been a model for sportsmanship, winning awards that include the ACC Championships Sportsmanship Award, the ATP Tour Cologne Sportsmanship Award, the Charles Mulcahy Sportsmanship Award from the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and he was the runner-up for the ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.
Dickson began coaching privately in 1990 in Sarasota, Fla., where he led students to universities like UM, Clemson and Georgia, as well as rankings as high as No. 159 on the ATP tour and No. 39 on the WTA tour.
In 2008, Dickson opened the Mark Dickson Tennis Academy LLC in Sarasota and is now the President, Manager and Director of Tennis and Athletic Performance. His academy has provided coaching, player development, fitness and movement skills to players of all ages from QuickStart through NCAA Division I college.
Last season, he was a volunteer assistant coach of men’s tennis at Florida Gulf Coast University, which received the 2011 ITA All-Academic Team Award.
Dickson, who holds certifications such as USPTA Professional 1, ATP World Tour Professional and USPTA Specialist in Competitive Player Development, was also named as one of the 2011 USTA Regional Player Development Camp Coaches.
“It’s a dream opportunity to be associated with the University of Miami. Mario Rincon is a true gentlemen and a winner on and off of the court,” added Dickson. “Miami’s tennis program has earned the respect from coaches and student-athletes from around the world as one of the premier programs in the country.”
Dickson, who attended Clemson for four years, earned his degree from Thomas Edison State College.
Dickson replaces CJ Weber, who recently took the head coaching job at Florida Gulf Coast University.
“CJ gave us five great years at UM,” said Rincon. “I’m so grateful for everything that he did for our program, and for becoming a great friend to me and my entire family. He will accomplish great things at FGCU.”
