TAMPA (Aug. 4, 2016) – USF men's tennis head coach Ashley Fisher has hit the ground running, adding world class experience to his coaching staff with the hiring of Jimmy Arias as an assistant coach.
“Adding Jimmy to the Bulls family lends enormous credibility to the message that our program is designed to bridge the gap between college and professional tennis,” Fisher said. “His experience playing at the pinnacle of the ATP World tour, combined with his wealth of knowledge and energy will serve as an amazing asset to USF men's tennis.”
A native of Grand Island, New York, Arias is an American tennis legend who, at the age of 15, became the youngest person to ever achieve a world ranking. At 16, in 1980, he turned professional and became the youngest player to win a main draw singles match at the U.S. Open.
In 1982, Arias captured his first ATP title in Tokyo and reached the singles final at both the Washington D.C. and Indianapolis events. He also won the French Open Mixed Doubles title with Andrea Jaeger.
Arias had a career-year in 1983 capturing four ATP titles, including the Italian Open and reaching the semi-finals of the U.S Open. He finished the year ranked No. 6 in the world and these results earned him a position in the year-end Masters event. He was also the recipient of the 1983 ATP Most Improved Award.
In 1984, Arias achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world and reached the Quarter Finals of the French Open, falling to John McEnroe. Later in the year, he played his first grass court event making the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. He also captured the bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, where tennis was a demonstration sport.
Arias has career victories over Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Goran Ivanisevic, Yannick Noah, Andres Gomez and Aaron Krickstein. He was a member of the United States Davis Cup teams from 1983-1987.
A familiar face and voice, Jimmy serves as a television and radio commentator for ESPN, Tennis Channel, Rogers Sportsnet and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He is currently a regular at many leading senior tennis events and instructs clinics around the world. Most recently, he was an analyst for the 2016 SEC Championships and the NCAA Tennis Championships. Arias also served as an analyst for the Beijing Olympics.
Arias currently resides in Sarasota, Fla. with his wife, Gina, and their two children.
Be sure to follow USF men's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head coach Ashley Fisher will begin his first year at the helm of the program for the 2017 season after serving as an assistant coach in 2016. The USF men's tennis program has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference Championships and advanced to three-straight NCAA tournaments.
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