The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Year at Ole Miss:
- Eighth
- E-mail:
- gdrober2@olemiss.edu
- Phone:
- 662-915-7809
- Alma Mater:
- Kentucky (2013)
Grant Roberts was named the seventh head coach in Ole Miss women's tennis history ahead of the 2025-26 season, after serving eight seasons as assistant and associate head coach for the Rebels.
"First, I'd like to give a huge thank you to Keith Carter, Jennifer Saxon and Wesley Owen for this opportunity," Roberts said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Ole Miss, and I am very excited to continue my career here in this new role. I feel honored to lead this incredible group of student athletes and continue to work alongside some of the best staff in the country.
"Second, I want to thank Mark Beyers. It's hard to put into words how grateful I am that you took a chance and brought me to Ole Miss seven years ago. You've been an incredible coach, mentor and friend to me since my first day in Oxford, and I'm going to miss working with you every day. You're one of the all-time greats in our sport, and I'll do everything I can to fill your shoes and continue the legacy that you're leaving behind."
Roberts joined Ole Miss in the spring of 2018 and immediately made a positive impact on the Rebels. He assisted Mark Beyers in leading the Rebels to their first 20-win season (22-7) since 1999, the NCAA Sweet 16, the most wins in SEC play (9-4), their best finish in the SEC (fifth) since 2012 and a final ranking of No. 8, the highest since 1999. This historical season included Arianne Hartono claiming the first individual national champion in program history.
Roberts was on Hartono's court when she made a historic run to the NCAA Singles Championship, becoming the first NCAA Champion in program history. He also helped coach All-SEC student-athletes Alexa Bortles, Sabina Machalova, Tea Jandric and Anna Vrbenska.
The next season, Roberts helped guide Jandric to becoming the ITA Southern Region's Most Improved Senior while also earning All-SEC Second Team status. Additionally, Machalova was named the ITA's Regional Player to Watch after collecting 15 wins.
In 2024-25, Roberts assisted a trio of athletes to the NCAA Individual Championship. Ludmila Kareisová, Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher and Lucie Petruzelova each made appearances in Waco, Texas, for a shot at an individual title. Sending three athletes to the individual tournament is the most by a Rebel team since 2000, and Ole Miss was tied for the most representatives in the tournament among all schools.
Roberts also helped coach Kareisová to the individual tournament as a sophomore in 2023. Kareisová was an All-SEC Second Team member that year, owning a 12-7 dual singles record.
The Rebels reached the first round of the NCAA Team Championships in 2021. Roberts also assisted in coaching Machalova to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Singles Championships. The Rebels concluded the 2021 season 11-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play. Ole Miss reached as high as No. 19 in the Oracle/ITA national team rankings. During the season, the Rebels earned six ranked wins including four victories versus top 25 opponents. Six of the teams' victories came via sweeping their opponents. The Rebels earned four sweeps versus SEC opponents including three against top-25 teams (No. 18 Auburn, No. 19 LSU and No. 21 Vanderbilt).
The 2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rebels competed in 14 matches earning a 9-5 overall record (1-3 SEC). Most notably, the team defeated No. 14 UCF on the road 4-3. The Rebels defeated the Knights in just under four hours. Tereza Janatova clinched the match with a third set tiebreak victory on court three. At home the team compiled a 7-3 record including a 4-1 victory over Roberts’ alma mater Kentucky. During Roberts’ first three seasons the Rebels won over two-thirds of all home matches (23-11, .677).
In his second season in 2019, Roberts helped guide senior Tea Jandric to the ITA Southern Region’s Most Improved Senior and was also dubbed with All-SEC Second Team recognition. Jandric went 8-1 in league play, including four ranked wins and three in a row, including taking down No. 4 Contreras of Vanderbilt. Then-sophomore Sabina Machalova was named the ITA Southern Region’s Player to Watch. In the fall, Jandric reached the finals of the ITA Southern Regional, and the pair of Alexa Bortles and rookie Isolde de Jong also reached the finals, falling in a tough three-set thriller to the reigning national champions. The women ended their season with a huge upset, taking down No. 16 Texas A&M 4-2 on Senior Day.
In his first season, Roberts assisted Beyers in leading the Rebels to their first 20-win season (22-7) since 1999, the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, the most wins in SEC play (9-4), their best finish in the SEC (5th) since 2012 and a final ranking of No. 8, the highest since 1999. Roberts was on senior Arianne Hartono's court when she made a historic run to the NCAA Singles Championship, becoming the first NCAA Champion in program history. He also helped coach All-SEC honorees Alexa Bortles, Sabina Machalova, Tea Jandric and Anna Vrbenska.
Roberts arrived in Oxford after serving as the women's assistant coach at Colorado. Prior to that, he was a volunteer assistant coach for the men's team at the University of Kentucky for three years.
He helped the Wildcats reach the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 where the team finished 13th overall in the country. Roberts worked with ITA Ohio Valley Region Player to Watch, William Bushamuka who became a first-team All-SEC selection and a first team All-American in 2017. Roberts also worked with SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Ryotaro Matsumura in 2016. Matsumura also earned ITA Ohio Valley Region Rookie of the Year honors and was named to the All-SEC second team.
Roberts was a standout player at Kentucky. Despite battling injuries, he helped lead the Wildcats to the 2012 SEC Championship and the NCAA Sweet 16 three times, including the quarterfinals in 2010. Roberts is Kentucky's all-time leader in matches clinched.
In the classroom, Roberts was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three straight years.
Roberts earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at the University of Kentucky in 2014.
Roberts and his wife, Caitlyn, welcomed a son, Noah Grant Roberts, in May 2025.
| YEAR | HEAD COACH | RECORD | .PCT |
| 1975-76 | Kay Partlow | 7-4 | .636 |
| 1976-77 | Linn Dunn | 7-1 | .875 |
| 1977-79 | Russell Blair | 23-6 | .793 |
| 1979-86 | Billy Chadwick | 107-54 | .665 |
| 1987-01 | Jerry Mongtomery | 232-120 | .659 |
| 2002-2025 | Mark Beyers | 308-267 | .536 |
| 2025-Present | Grant Roberts | 0-0 | N/A |
