Jonatan Berhane Named Head Coach of Alabama Women’s Tennis
4/21/2023 5:23:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Berhane has served as assistant coach of the Crimson Tide for past five seasons and Western Kentucky head coach from 2014-18
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Jonatan Berhane has been named head coach of the Alabama women's tennis team, Director of Athletics Greg Byrne announced on Friday. Berhane, has most recently served as an assistant under legendary Crimson Tide head coach Jenny Mainz, who recently announced her retirement after 26 seasons at the helm. Prior to joining the Crimson Tide, Berhane was head coach of the women's team at Western Kentucky from 2014-18.
"We are excited to announce the elevation of Jonatan to head coach of our women's tennis program," said Byrne. "He has incredible character and, having been a part of the program for the last five seasons, knows all about the wonderful team culture built by his predecessor Jenny Mainz. Congratulations to Jonatan and his family. We look forward to having him join our outstanding lineup of head coaches."
In Berhane's five seasons with the program, Alabama qualified for three NCAA tournaments (there was not an NCAA tournament in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic), which included helping the program make its first appearance in four years at the 2019 NCAA Championships. The Tide has had three players advance to the NCAA singles championships, including two on the current squad in sophomores Loudmilla Bencheikh and Petra Sedlackova. Additionally, he helped Alabama record its best start to season since 2018 with nine straight wins in 2022 and has captured a total of 69 wins since joining the program for the 2018-19 season.
"Today is one of the best days of my life," said Berhane. "I'm honored to take over as the next head women's tennis coach at The University of Alabama. I'm beyond words with this incredible opportunity and the excitement of continuing to work with this special group of young ladies. I believe in this team, and I know we will continue to improve and work toward winning another SEC Championship.
"I would like to express my appreciation to Chancellor St. John and the Board of Trustees, Dr. Stuart Bell, Greg Byrne, Dr. Karin Lee and the UA administration for their belief in me to lead this program. I've worked hard over the last five years to build relationships within the administration and the Tuscaloosa Tennis Community. I'm looking forward to continuing the strong tradition of excellence on the courts and in the classroom. It's important to me to build upon the championship culture and continue developing confident, successful female leaders."
With Berhane's assistance, Alba Cortina Pou was named the Southern Region Most Improved Senior and the Southern Region Arthur Ashe Award winner, while Andi Daniell was named the Southern Region Senior Player of the Year and Sedlackova was named the Southern Region Rookie of the Year. In 2021, Bencheikh and Anne Marie Hiser won the ITA Southern Regional Doubles Draw and became the first UA doubles duo to qualify for the ITA Fall National Championships since 2016.
Academically, the Tide has earned ITA All-Academic Team all four prior seasons and has seen 29 student-athletes qualify as ITA Scholar-Athletes. Cortina Pou was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and both Daniell and Cortina Pou earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
While at Western Kentucky, Berhane was named the 2017 Conference USA Head Coach of the Year and led the Lady Toppers to a semifinal appearance in the conference tournament that season. Western Kentucky recorded three straight seasons with a winning record in addition to posting a perfect APR score during his tenure.
Berhane also spent a season as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's program at Youngstown State and was a graduate assistant coach for two years at East Tennessee State.
Berhane graduated from Lewis-Clark State College where he ranked as a Top 15 NAIA singles players in the nation, while also ranking in the top 10 in doubles. Before transferring to LCSC, Berhane attended Virginia Intermont College, leading his team to a top five NAIA ranking.
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Berhane achieved a No. 10 Swedish ranking and was a finalist for the Swedish Championship doubles. He earned his MBA in sports management at ETSU in 2013. Furthermore, Berhane speaks three languages – Swedish, English and Tigrinya – and he also understands Norwegian.
While appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms and conditions of this proposed appointment, the financial terms remain subject to approval by The Board of Trustees.
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