NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Vanderbilt men’s tennis is adding a new assistant coach to its staff: Filip Kraljevic. A former professional coach who also played collegiately at Ole Miss, Kraljevic joins the Dores as the team prepares for the upcoming spring season.
A HUGE addition the the program 🔥
Welcoming former @IMGATennis coach and @OleMissMTennis alum, Filip Kraljevic‼️#FightDores ⚓️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o742OzHCu2
— Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis (@VandyMTennis) November 22, 2024
“I am eager to start my new role as the assistant coach for men’s tennis at Vanderbilt,” Kraljevic said. “I competed in the SEC as a player, and now I am beyond excited to return to the conference and have the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious university. I am grateful to Scott and the entire athletic department for trusting me with this incredible opportunity.”
While competing for the Rebels, Kraljevic was an impact player, ranking as high as No. 52 in singles and No. 6 in doubles in the ITA rankings. Ole Miss consistently ranked inside the top 25 during all four of his years there. In juniors, he was an accomplished player on the ITF junior circuit, with wins over multiple future top professional players: Casper Ruud (ATP high No. 2), Matteo Berrettini (ATP high No. 6), Hubert Hurkacz (ATP high No. 6), and Alexander Bublik (ATP high No. 17). Kraljevic also played for the Croatian junior national team and achieved a high ATP singles ranking of No. 1206 in the world.
“I am thrilled to have Filip join our coaching staff as an assistant coach,” head coach Scott Brown added. ” He has SEC blood from his time at Ole Miss and understands the grit and toughness that is required to win in this conference.”
Kraljevic has spent the past five years coaching at the prestigious IMG Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida while also coaching and traveling with multiple top-200 pros in the ATP and WTA, including: Martin Damm (ATP No. 175), Adrian Andreev (ATP No. 183), Kei Nishikori and Peyton Stearns (WTA No. 43). On the junior side, he mentored and developed multiple junior players into the top 10 of the ITF junior rankings and has coached at all four junior Grand Slams and the ITF Junior Finals. Kraljevic coached sophomore Danil Panarin to a Junior Orange Bowl U18 title in 2023 ahead of his SEC Freshman of the Year season for the Dores last spring.
“He is one of the best up-and-coming, young coaches in the business and has already had tremendous success developing young players at both the professional and junior levels during his time at IMG over the past five years,” Brown continued.
“He has a great eye for the game, but more importantly, understands the process and work ethic it takes to develop young men both on and off the tennis court, to achieve success later in life,” Brown concluded. “Our goal at Vanderbilt is to create a developmental pathway for student-athletes to successfully transition from college to professional tennis, and to be set up for success in life once their playing careers are over. With Filip joining our staff, we are taking a major step forward in this department.”
The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team is set to return to action in early 2025 for the start of the spring season. For more information and updates on the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, follow @VandyMTennis on Instagram and X.
