Ann Arbor Native Kosta Takes Assistant Coach Position

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- New University of Michigan men's tennis head coach Bruce Berque announced today (Tuesday, Aug. 10) the hiring of Michael Kosta as an assistant coach. An Ann Arbor native, Kosta played four years of collegiate tennis at Illinois from 1998-2002 while Berque was the Illini's associate head coach.

Kosta

"There is nobody else I've enjoyed coaching more throughout my career than Michael," said Berque. "He has tremendous passion for the game of tennis, but more importantly, for competition. I believe his competitive attitude, combined with his enthusiasm and energy, will help lead this team to where it needs to be."

Kosta finished his career at Illinois with an impressive singles mark of 107-47, seventh on the Fighting Illini's all-time wins list, and a 37-7 record in Big Ten conference action. His doubles rsum includes an overall total of 77-41 and a 26-12 record in league competition. Kosta had a career year in 1999-2000, as he finished the season with a team-high singles record of 37-10 while dropping just one conference match (12-1). He helped lead Illinois to four Big Ten regular season championships and three league tournament titles during his career and earned academic all-conference honors twice (2001-02). During his senior season, Kosta helped the Illini earn their first-ever No. 1 ITA national ranking.

After earning a degree in speech communications from Illinois in 2002, Kosta competed professionally in events throughout the world, earning career-high ATP rankings of No. 788 in singles and No. 336 in doubles. He has also been a part-time teaching pro at two local tennis clubs, Liberty Athletic Club and Huron Valley Tennis Club. In 2002, Kosta traveled to Melbourne, Australia, to assist in a doubles strategy demonstration for more than 400 ATP coaches at the Australian Open.

Kosta compiled a remarkable 110-5 singles record during his prep career at Greenhills High School (1994) and Huron High School (1995-98), including individual state championships at No. 1 during his sophomore and senior campaigns. A two-time Michigan Player of the Year (1996, '98), Kosta earned all-area and all-state recoginition during each season. The top ranked junior player in the Midwest Region in 1997, Kosta captained the River Rats to the 1996 state championship.

Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423

University of Michigan Athletics

Ann Arbor Native Kosta Takes Assistant Coach Position

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