Steve Annacone, who is a well-respected individual within the Tennis community, has been hired as a volunteer assistant coach for the Arizona women’s tennis team.
In his first Annacone helped lead the Wildcats to a 12-12 record, including three wins over Pac-12 programs (Utah twice and Oregon).The Wildcats finished off the season ranked No. 49 in the country and No. 6 in the Southwest by the ITA. Emma Wilson was also ranked No. 13 individually in the Southwest by the ITA.
Off the court, five Wildcats were named Pac-12 All-Academic. Gitte Heynemans was named to the First Team, Sophia Thomas was named to the Second Team, and Marie Val Aelst, Talya Zandberg and Camila Wesbrooks were named Honorable Mention.
Annacone's second season was cut short due to COVID-19. He led the team with a winning record of 9-7. During the fall (2019) semester the team earned the highest cumulative team GPA of a 3.67. During the spring, player Gitte Heynemans received the student-athlete of the month award.
Annacone spent seven years on the ATP Tour Paul Annacone’s coach (highest world rankings: #12 in singles, #2 in doubles). Paul Annacone has gone on to coach Pete Sampras, Tim Henaman, Roger Federer, Sloane Stephens, and is now coaching Taylor Fritz, a promising young American currently ranked #50 on the ATP Tour. In 1996, Steve Annacone founded the Smoky Mountain Tennis Academy (SMTA) in Knoxville, Tenn. For 19 years, he was Facility Director, Head Coach, and Camp Director at SMTA. Steve Annacone was named USTA/Tennessee Pro of the Year in 1998. More than 75 SMTA students went on to compete in college, including one All-American and many at the Division 1 level. A large number of these players started playing at SMTA and trained there throughout their college careers.
Steve Annacone has been Tennis Director or Head Tennis Professional at numerous facilities and clubs in New York, Florida, and Tennessee. Annacone Tennis Management LLC (ATM) was created in 2011 to help tennis facilities utilize the procedures and methods proven successful in Steve’s experience over the years. As President of ATM, Steve Annacone has managed more than 15 facilities in four different states.
He is also starting a Youth Tennis Program (ages 5-13) in Tucson aimed at kids who have little or no tennis experience. The goal is to increase the number of local junior tennis players, provide a great experience for players of all levels, and give the kids that focus on becoming the best players they can be, the opportunity to reach their goals.
“I am extremely excited to help Ryan and Denise create a tennis environment and program that will attract the best players in the United States and Internationally," Annacone said. "It will allow us to develop these players so that they can achieve success at the highest possible level."
