Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Related News

Zaki Named ULM Tennis Coach

Zaki Named ULM Tennis Coach

Tennis Jan 19
MONROE, La. – Abdelrahman Zaki has been named ULM tennis head coach, as announced by Athletics Director Scott McDonald.
 
Zaki comes to ULM from Marshall where he was an assistant coach for the women's team in the fall of 2021. He helped Emma Vanderhedyen win a singles championship and the team win a doubles championship at the College of Charleston Fall Championship. 
 
"We're very excited to have Abdelrahman Zaki to join the ULM family," ULM Athletics Director Scott McDonald said. "He's all in and extremely enthusiastic about building the program while developing athletes both on and off the court. Zaki is committed to increasing the tennis program's presence in the community. He has hit the ground running. Zaki and his team can't wait to open the spring season."
 
"I would like to thank Scott McDonald and (Assistant Athletics Director/SWA) Erika Cheung and all hiring committee members for giving me this opportunity to lead ULM tennis and for making me feel at home the moment I arrived on campus," Zaki said. "I am looking forward to guide our team and write some new successful history for ULM tennis." 
 
Prior to Marshall, Zaki was an assistant coach with the Tulane men's tennis team in the spring of 2021, where the team concluded the season with its best ITA national team ranking in the post-Katrina era at No. 23. The Green Wave was listed in the Top 25 in each of the final five polls of the season. Tulane reached the second round of the NCAA Regional at Ole Miss and finished the season with a 15-8 record in duals. 
 
Zaki was the women's tennis head coach at NJIT from 2017-20. He helped the Highlanders to a 9-3 record, a 6-0 mark at home and a Top-8 regional ranking in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. He recruited Aya Saleh, a WTA ranked player, and Amira Badawi, ranked in the Top 200 in the World Juniors. The team also earned the NCAA Division I Academic Public Recognition Award, posting a 3.75 team grade-point average and a 3.88 GPA in the spring of 2020. 
 
In 2018-19, Zaki led the NJIT women to their best season since joining the ASUN Conference. The Highlanders won 13 duals, marking the first time they had won double-digit duals since 2013-14. The club also collected its most ASUN postseason accolades since joining the league. Joleta Budiman was ASUN Freshman of the Year and part of the Doubles Pair of the Year with Holly Matson. Matson was First-Team All-ASUN and First-Team ASUN All-Freshman. Mouna Bouzgarrou also earned a spot on the All-Freshman team and All-ASUN Second Team. 
 
In 2017-18, the Highlanders made their third appearance in as many years in the ASUN postseason tournament. Amanda Helminsky and Mayar Eltony were each named second-team all-conference. 
 
Before taking over as head coach at NJIT, Zaki was an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs at NJIT from 2015-17. The NJIT women reached the ASUN semifinals for the first time in 2017 as Eltony was named ASUN First Team and to the All-Freshman team and Nathalie Habegger was named to the ASUN Tennis All-Tournament Team. 
 
On the men's side, Aleksa Petrovic was the first NJIT tennis player named to the ASUN All-Freshman team and Markus Schultz was a ASUN Conference First-Team selection in 2015-16. 
 
Zaki became involved in coaching while an undergraduate at New Orleans and has been a member the Egyptian National Team coaching staff. He has also worked for the Women's Tennis Association and Intercollegiate Tennis Federation national teams. 
 
At UNO, Zaki was an All-Louisiana selection in 2010-11 and was team captain as a junior and senior. He was a three-time ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete and named to the 2013 Southland Conference All-Academic Team. He represented the Egyptian National Team (u12, u14, u16, u18) and was ranked in the Top 300 by the ITF (u18). 
 
He reached the finals of the 2008 Arab Championships in doubles and semifinals in singles (u18), reached the quarterfinals of ITF tournaments in Kenya, Uganda, Algeria, Qatar and Egypt and won the Egypt National Club tournament in doubles three times (u14, u16 and u18). 
 
He holds a certification from the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association and Women's Tennis Coaches Association. 

 
Print Friendly Version