MEN'S STAFF

CHRIS WOODRUFF | HEAD COACH

Season at Tennessee: 22nd in 2023-24

Season as Head Coach: 7th in 2022-23

Head Coaching Record: 57-19 (18-9 SEC)

SEC Regular-Season Titles: 2 (2010, 2011)

SEC Tourney Titles: 1 (2010)

NCAA Finalist: 1 (2010)

NCAA Quarterfinalist: 3 (2011, 2013, 2018)

NCAA Round of 16: 1 (2019)

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The proof is in the results. Tennessee chose to place its men’s tennis program under the direction of its most legendary and decorated alum—one of the greatest ATP pros of his generation—and he has positioned the Volunteers among the nation’s elite.

The 2023-24 campaign marks Chris Woodruff’s seventh season as head coach at his alma mater and his 22nd year on staff. The multiple-time ATP Tour champion and former world No. 29 singles player served as assistant coach and associate head coach at Tennessee from 2002 until his promotion to head coach on May 19, 2017.

Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White announced in July of 2021 that Woodruff’s contract had been extended through June of 2026.

Team success has flourished under Woodruff’s leadership. In 2021, that took the form of an SEC Tournament title, a run to the NCAA Championships semifinals and a year-end No. 4 national ranking. Woodruff guided the Vols back to the national semifinals in 2022, the program's first back-to-back NCAA semifinal appearances since a three-year run to the semifinals or further in 2000-02.

A byproduct of a healthy team-first culture is a surge of individual prosperity. Case in point: Pat Harper and Adam Walton capturing the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championship and Johannus Monday earning SEC Player of the Year recognition in 2023.

Woodruff has now coached two different NCAA Doubles Championship tandems (also Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese in 2014), two additional doubles teams who advanced to the NCAA finals and two NCAA singles finalists in John-Patrick Smith (2008) and Rhyne Williams (2011).

Woodruff draws from his worldwide pro tour experience—which includes seven wins against former world No. 1 players, including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, (whom Woodruff upset in the 1996 French Open), Yevgeni Kafelnikov, Thomas Muster, Gustavo Kuerten, Marcelo Rios and Carlos Moya—while now helping Tennessee student-athletes obtain a world-class education and reach their professional tennis goals following successful collegiate careers of their own.

Since returning to Tennessee in a coaching capacity following his ATP retirement, Woodruff has helped the Vols earn a remarkable 36 All-America and 48 All-SEC selections.

His recipe for creating well-rounded, winning teams includes balanced combination of carefully selected international phenoms and a steady dose of homegrown talent. Woodruff has coached players from 19 different countries in addition to 19 in-state stars, including All-Americans Rhyne Williams, Ben Rogers, Davey Sandgren and current ATP standout and U.S. Olympian Tennys Sandgren. Rising ATP star Adam Walton (2017-22) from Australia also grew his game exponentially under Woodruff's leadership.

During Woodruff’s spectacular professional playing career, which ran from 1993-2002, he claimed two ATP tour championships (1997 Montreal Super 9 Canadian Open and the 1999 Miller Lite Hall of Fame Tennis Championships). In 2000, he enjoyed his best year on the tour as he advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and clinched the United States’ Davis Cup win over Zimbabwe.

Following his professional playing career, Woodruff completed requirements for his Psychology degree from UT in 2005.

A lifetime resident of Knoxville, Woodruff is married to Jennifer Woodruff. He has five children: Olivia, Tate, Carter, Ava and Chase.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROOTS ESTABLISHED ON ROCKY TOP
Born and raised in Knoxville, Woodruff lettered for the Vols in 1992 and 1993, garnering All-America honors both years under the tutelage of coach Mike DePalmer Sr.

Woodruff was crowned NCAA singles champion in 1993 and remains the only Vol to capture that title. He finished that season ranked No. 1 nationally, becoming the only Vol since Paul Annacone in 1984 to finish the year atop the rankings.

In addition to his 1993 national championship, Woodruff also was named ITA Rookie of the Year in 1992 and received the USTA Sportsmanship Award in 1993.

In only two seasons of collegiate tennis, Woodruff finished with an 81-16 singles record, with 45 of those wins coming as a sophomore in 1993. His career singles winning percentage of .835 remains second all-time in the Tennessee records book.

His pre-collegiate tennis training took place locally at Knoxville Racquet Club.

In 2008, Woodruff became the fifth Vol in UT history to be inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame. He was elected to the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.

YEAR-BY-YEAR HEAD COACHING HISTORY
2022-23: Woodruff's Vols saw continues success in 2023. The program reached the NCAA Super Regionals for a fourth consecutive season, the program's most consecutive runs to the Round of 16 or further since 2008-11. Finishing the dual season with a 23-8 overall record, Woodruff's Vols finished second in the SEC regular-season standings.

Junior Johannus Monday became the fourth Vol in program history to be named SEC Player of the Year and the first to do so under Woodruff's watch as head coach. Woodruff was Tennessee's first recipient of the honor, in 1993.

During the indoor season, Tennessee advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championship for a third consecutive year, picking up a pair of wins in Chicago.

Three Vols collected All-SEC honors, as Monday and Emile Hudd achieved first-team status, while Shunsuke Mitsui was tabbed to the All-SEC Second Team for the second time in as many seasons. Additionally, graduate student Pat Harper earned ITA Doubles All-America status for a third straight season.

2021-22: Coming off a record-setting year in 2021, Woodruff kept his foot on the gas pedal during the 2022 dual season, guiding the Vols back to the NCAA Semifinals for a second consecutive year. Tennessee (26-8) has now finished with single-digit losses in each of Woodruff’s five seasons as head coach at his alma mater.

Woodruff saw the perseverant group of Vols go 2-0 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend to advance to the ITA Indoor National Championships in Seattle for the second time since 2014. While in Seattle, Tennessee earned three top-13 wins and advanced to the championship match.

Tennessee went on to reach the SEC Tournament semifinals and won 12 of its final 15 matches to close the season. In all, 11 of Tennessee's 26 wins came over top-25 opponents, with four of those coming against top-10 competition.

Woodruff saw graduate student Adam Walton—the sixth member of Tennessee’s 100/100 wins club—and sophomore Johannus Monday become first team All-SEC members for a second year in a row, while newcomers Emile Hudd, a senior, and freshman Shunsuke Mitsui garnered second team All-SEC recognition in their debut seasons on Rocky Top. Additionally, Walton and Monday each achieved ITA Singles All-America status for a second consecutive year. Walton and fellow Aussie Pat Harper earned doubles All-America status following their final ITA ranking of No. 10.

2020-21: Woodruff guided the Vols to heights the program hadn’t seen since 2010. Tennessee claimed the program’s fourth SEC Tournament title and 13th overall conference crown with a dramatic, 4-3 victory over top-ranked Florida in the tournament final. The Vols then stormed to the semifinal round of the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2010, knocking off Alabama A&M, in-state foe Memphis, No. 18 Arizona and No. 11 Georgia on its way to concluding its strongest season under Woodruff’s tutelage.

Woodruff then helped guide the doubles pairing of Adam Walton and Pat Harper to the 2021 NCAA Doubles National Championship. The Australian duo’s title marked UT’s third all-time NCAA doubles crown.

Woodruff also oversaw the development of freshman standout Johannus Monday, who earned several accolades in his first season as a Vol. The Hull, England, product garnered the SEC’s Freshman of the Year award and earned inclusion on the All-SEC First Team, the SEC All-Freshman Team and the ITA All-American Team. Monday’s stellar debut season—which featured an incredible 13 victories over ranked opponents and a 31-6 singles record—was capped with the prestigious ITA Rookie of the Year Award.

Tennessee’s 28 team victories in 2021 were its most since 2010. Other team highlights from 2021 included UT’s first ITA Indoor National Championships berth since 2014, its first NCAA semifinal appearance since 2010 and its first SEC title since 2010.

2019-20: The Volunteers jumped out to an impressive 14-2 record and were off to their best start since 2011 before the season was cut short due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In just 16 matches, UT swept its opponents nine times—the most sweeps in a season by a Tennessee squad since 2013. The Vols had just opened SEC play when the season was canceled and owned a 2-1 record after the first three league matches.

After playing No. 2 singles for the duration of the 2018-19 season, junior Adam Walton appeared poised to elevate his game in the spring of 2020, as he boasted a 12-1 record at the No. 1 position—including five wins over ranked opponents. Martim Prata, a sophomore from Lisbon, Portugal, also exhibited a leap in performance in the spring of 2020, as he had a 12-2 record on the year and was 6-0 at No. 2 singles before the season was cut short.

2018-19: Woodruff followed up his successful first season as head coach with even greater results in year two. The Vols won 22 matches—UT’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2010 and 2011—finished 8-4 in the SEC and reached the SEC Tournament final for the first time since 2013. At the NCAA Championships, the Big Orange defeated Radford and NC State to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2014. Individually, Tennessee placed three players—Timo Stodder, Adam Walton and Scott Jones—on All-SEC Teams. Stodder earned All-America honors in singles and doubles, wrapping up his career as a three-time All-American. Preston Touliatos earned All-America honors in doubles for the second time in his career and, along with his teammate, Stodder, became the first Tennessee doubles team since 2014 to reach the semifinal round at the NCAA Championships.

2017-18: In his first season as head coach—following a lengthy tenure on the UT staff as an assistant and eventually associate head coach—Woodruff led one of the great turnarounds in program history, coaching the Vols to 21 wins in 2018 compared to 13 the previous spring. Tennessee faced a tough conference schedule but came out of the regular season as the No. 4 seed entering the SEC Tournament. In early February, Woodruff tested the doubles combination of Preston Touliatos and Luis Valero. A few short months later, the duo finished the dual-match season with a 12-4 record and earned a bid to compete in the doubles tournament at the NCAA Championships.

JAMES MCKIE | assistant COACH

The 2023-24 season marks Associate Head Coach James McKie's seventh year in Knoxville and his fifth as associate head coach. The 2022-23 campaign saw McKie help guide the Vols to a fourth consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance, marking the program's most consecutive runs to the Round of 16 or further since 2008-11. His efforts on the recruiting trail helped land the nation's No. 3 recruiting class going into the 2023-24 season according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

During the 2021-22 season, McKie aided the Vols to a second consecutive NCAA Semifinals appearance and a trip to the ITA Indoor National Championships for a second year in a row. McKie helped oversee four All-SEC selections, a pair of ITA Singles All-Americans and an All-American doubles duo in 2022

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Following a COVID shortened year, McKie entered the 2020-21 campaign—his fourth year in East Tennessee—with a reloaded Vol Tennis squad that was a mixture of young and old talent. McKie helped guide the Vols to their best season in over a decade. UT qualified for the ITA Indoor National Championships for the first time since 2014, claimed the SEC Tournament Title for the first time since 2010 and advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Team Championship for the first time since 2010.

Tennessee's 28 dual victories in 2021 were the program's most since 2010 that saw the Orange & White knock off 19 ranked opponents (a total that consistently stood as the most in the country). McKie was also primarily responsible for the late development of graduate students Giles Hussey and Luca Wiedenmann into mainstays at the bottom of the Tennessee lineup, along with the development of Hussey and doubles partner, Mark Wallner as a consistent team at No. 3 doubles.

The 2019-20 season was McKie's third year on Rocky Top and first as associate head coach with the Tennessee men's tennis team. He helped lead the Vols to a 14-2 start - their best start since 2011 - before the season was cut short due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. In just 16 matches, UT swept its opponents nine times, recording the most sweeps in a season by a Tennessee squad since 2013. The Vols had just begun SEC play when the season was canceled and stood at 2-1 after the first three league matches.

Following an impressive year one on Rocky Top, McKie helped to lead the Vols to even greater heights in year two. Tennessee finished the season with 22 wins, securing the program's first back-to-back 20 win seasons since 2010 and 2011. The Big Orange reached the SEC Championship final for the first time since 2013 and the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. Individually, Timo Stodder and Preston Touliatos earned All-America honors, Stodder in singles and doubles, while Touliatos earned the accolades in doubles. As a doubles team, Stodder and Touliatos made a run to the semifinal round at NCAAs, the farthest a UT doubles team has advanced since 2014.

In his debut season in Knoxville, McKie helped lead the Vols to their best season in five years, as the team posted a 21-9 mark and a fourth place finish in the SEC. He helped land the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation going into next season according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

McKie previously served as assistant coach for two seasons at Tulane, helping the Green Wave put together historic success as a program and individually.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge to the tennis court for both our younger and more experienced players," Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff said. "He has a jovial personality that relates to anyone, and he is a world-class recruiter. I look forward to having a long and prosperous working relationship with him.”

During the 2017 season, Tulane reached No. 20 in the national team rankings, its highest since 2005. The Green Wave reached the second round NCAA tournament both years, logging an 11-0 home record in 2017. McKie was named the 2017 ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

In individual performances, McKie helped guide Dominik Koepfer to the No. 1 national singles ranking and the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship title. He was named the ITA National Senior Player of the Year.

Two additional players reached the national rankings: Constantin Schmitz at No. 13 and Ewan Moore at No. 77.

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, McKie played college tennis at Drake from 2009-13. He climbed as high as No. 68 in singles and No. 16 in doubles in the ITA national rankings while finishing his career with 204 combined victories, the third most in program history. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2013 and was a three-time all-conference recipient. During the last three years of his career, Drake swept the MVC regular-season and tournament titles.

McKie spent two years at Fresno State, helping the team win 20 matches over two seasons, including a 16-10 mark in 2015.

He graduated with his bachelor's degree in business administration from Drake University in 2013 and earned his masters degree in sports administration from Fresno State in 2015.

JAIME BARAJAS | ASSISTANT COACH

A decorated former college tennis standout and experienced coach at the collegiate and professional levels, Jaime Barajas (pronounced: HIGH-may Buh-RAH-hoss) was announced as the next assistant coach for the Tennessee men’s tennis program by head coach Chris Woodruff Friday.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jaime to Tennessee,” associate head coach James McKie said. “The experience he will bring to our program is invaluable and we look forward to how he will help our program continue to succeed.”

Most recently, prior to arriving in Knoxville, Barajas served as an independent contractor with the United States Tennis Association from 2019-22, working with some of the top junior tennis players in the country, along with transitional professionals.

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His primary roles included on-court coaching, analyzing scouting reports, serving as a hitting partner and overseeing strength and conditioning workouts as needed.

Barajas coached ATP professional Brandon Nakashima, who achieved a career-high ATP world singles ranking of No. 43 in October of 2022. Under Barajas’ guidance at the 2022 San Diego Open, Nakashima won the title at the ATP 250 event in his hometown by defeating Marcos Giron (ATP 49) for the 21-year-old’s first career title. Nakashima rose from just outside the top 200 in the ATP rankings to as high as No. 43 while being coached by Barajas.

During the 2021-22 season, he served as the assistant coach for the University of the Pacific men’s tennis program.

“I would like to thank Chris (Woodruff) and James for trusting me and giving me this opportunity,” Barajas said. “I am beyond grateful to be joining such an experienced and well-coached team. I can't wait to get to Rocky Top and begin this new journey.”

Barajas played at Utah State for four years, from 2014-18. He capped his collegiate playing career with 46 total victories in his senior season with Utah State and his efforts were duly rewarded with All-Mountain West honors in both singles and doubles.

After going 25-11 in singles and 21-12 in doubles play as a senior during the 2017-18 season, he finished his career with the Aggies as the winningest player in program history, tallying 152 combined singles (89) and doubles (63) wins.

He went undefeated in conference play at the No. 1 singles spot as a senior (6-0), recording four victories over nationally-ranked opponents to help push the Aggies to Mountain West regular season and conference tournament championships in 2018.

His junior campaign in 2016-17 saw him become the first Aggie in program history to be nationally ranked in singles, coming in at No. 123 in the ITA preseason poll. He went on to post an 8-4 record at the No. 3 singles spot and was 13-10 in overall dual singles action, with each of those matches coming at the top-three lineup slots. Barajas posted double-digit wins in doubles for a second consecutive year, going 16-13 with a 14-11 mark in dual matches. He picked up Mountain West Player of the Week honors twice in 2017.

As a sophomore in 2015-16, Barajas was named the Mountain West Player of the Year after logging a 24-9 singles record, including a 15-7 record atop the singles lineup. Among his team-leading 24 singles wins was his match-clinching victory over Boise State on March 19, 2016, the program’s first-ever win over the Broncos. On the doubles courts, he recorded a 17-8 overall record, including a 14-6 mark in dual matches.

As a freshman during the 2015 dual season, Barajas set the school record for singles wins in a season, posting a 25-10 singles mark for the Aggies that year. He was 14-5 at the No. 5 singles lineup spot in 2015. Following a 4-1 week early in his first career dual season, Barajas earned Mountain West Player of the Week honors on Jan. 28, 2015.

A native of Woodland Hills, California, Barajas graduated from Utah State with a B.S. in health general studies. Son of Jaime and Lourdes Barajas, he is a fluent Spanish speaker.

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