Vanderbilt men’s tennis head coach Scott Brown announced June 12, 2023, the addition of TJ Pura as the program’s assistant coach.
Pura, a native of Pacific Palisades, California, comes to the Commodores after serving his alma mater, Duke, as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2022-23 season. During this time, Pura played a pivotal role in helping Duke reach the championship match of the ACC Tournament, NCAA Sweet 16 and achieve a final ITA team ranking of No. 11. Pura also assisted in guiding senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas to ITA All-America honors.
In his time at Vanderbilt, Pura assisted in coaching the Dores to a 13-13 overall record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. He also played an instrumental role in freshman Danil Panarin’s NCAA Singles Championships bid. The Commodores finished No. 42 nationally for the 2023-24 season with two doubles pairs gaining ITA recognition alongside Panarin’s final singles rank of No. 52.
At the professional level, he served as mentor, traveling coach and manager for American Tommy Paul on the ITF Futures and ATP Challenger Tours in 2018. Pura aided Paul in jumping from No. 372 to No. 201 in the world rankings during this time. In 2022, Pura worked with Paul as a mental coach and neurophysiologist, aiding in the development and implementation of strategies designed to enhance on-court performance including self-talk, routine execution, time management and visualization.
A two-time team captain, Pura competed as a Blue Devil from 2013-17, graduating sixth in school history with 30 ACC singles wins. As a senior, Pura finished 11-0 in singles play in ACC action to both record the most conference singles victories and longest league win streak in program history. He was named the 2017 ITA Carolina Region Most Improved Senior for his efforts.
During his time at Duke, Pura aided the Blue Devils in achieving a 71-39 overall record, as well as appearing in the NCAA Championships three times. In 2013, he earned the singles title at the Winthrop Invitational and the doubles title at the Duke Fab Four Invitational (White Bracket).
After graduation, Pura competed as a professional tennis player on the ITA Futures Tour, representing the United States at the biennial President’s Cup in 2018. Upon retiring from his playing career, Pura worked three years in the investment and finance world before returning to the game in a coaching capacity.
TJ Pura: “I am thrilled to be joining Vanderbilt tennis and learning from an incredible head coach in Scott Brown. I am excited for what we can accomplish in the season ahead and am fully committed to doing whatever it takes to make that happen. Let’s go Dores!”