Mark Dickson
Mark Dickson is entering his first year as an assistant coach of the University of Miami's men's tennis program, arriving at Miami following successful careers as both a player and coach.
As a player, Dickson was successful on all levels. He was a captain and leader of three Top 8 finishing Clemson University men's tennis teams. There he was three-time All-American and ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in college singles and doubles, respectively. Mentored by Coach Chuck Kriese, a four-time ITA/USPTA/PTR Division I National Coach of the Year, he also advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals twice.
As a professional, he was ranked as high as No. 12 on the ATP prize money list, No. 23 on the ATP Tour doubles rankings, No. 32 on the ATP Tour singles rankings, No. 20 on the WCT Tour singles rankings and No. 10 on the US Men's Open singles rankings.
He is a 10-time winner of international professional tournaments, including WCT River Oaks International and ATP Toulouse. In bigger tournaments, including the US Open and the Australian Open, he has advanced to the grand slam quarterfinals and defeated many top 10 players in the world, including then-No. 1 Ivan Lendl.
Dickson learned a lot about the game while being practice partners with former world No. 1 players Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier and Jimmy Connors.
Throughout his career Dickson has been a model for sportsmanship, winning awards that include the ACC Championships Sportsmanship Award, the ATP Tour Cologne Sportsmanship Award, the Charles Mulcahy Sportsmanship Award from the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and he was the runner-up for the ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.
Dickson began coaching privately in 1990 in Sarasota, Fla., where he led students to universities like UM, Clemson and Georgia, as well as rankings as high as No. 159 on the ATP tour and No. 39 on the WTA tour.
In 2008, Dickson opened the Mark Dickson Tennis Academy LLC in Sarasota and is now the President, Manager and Director of Tennis and Athletic Performance. His academy has provided coaching, player development, fitness and movement skills to players of all ages from QuickStart through NCAA Division I college.
Last season, he was a volunteer assistant coach of men's tennis at Florida Gulf Coast University, which received the 2011 ITA All-Academic Team Award.
Dickson, who holds certifications such as USPTA Professional 1, ATP World Tour Professional and USPTA Specialist in Competitive Player Development, was also named as one of the 2011 USTA Regional Player Development Camp Coaches.
Dickson, who attended Clemson for four years, earned his degree from Thomas Edison State College.
