Xander Centenari ’13 Named Head Coach of Men's Tennis

HANOVER, N.H. – Director of Athletics and Recreation Harry Sheehy has announced that Xander Centenari has been named the head coach of the men's tennis team. A former professional player who graduated from Dartmouth in 2013, the two-time Big Green captain brings years of playing and coaching experience back to the Upper Valley.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Xander to the Dartmouth College Athletics Department as the next head coach of men's tennis," Sheehy said. "Throughout the search process, Xander proved himself to be a passionate and articulate advocate for the student-athlete experience at Dartmouth. His love of tennis, competitive spirt and work ethic make him a great fit for the college. He fully understands the potential for the athletic experience to be transformational in the lives of students. I look forward to working with him to continue the success of the program."

Centenari was a volunteer assistant coach at South Florida in 2018 before being promoted to assistant coach for the 2019 season. While there, he helped the team to an American Athletic Conference (ACC) title, a second round NCAA Tournament appearance, and a year-end Division I ranking of No. 34. He also saw Alberto Barroso Campos garner AAC Player of the Year honors and Chase Ferguson be named Rookie of the Year.

Prior to that, Centenari enjoyed a four-year professional career (2013-17), playing singles and doubles in more than 100 tournaments across 22 countries. He reached the finals in three tournaments during his last 18 months of play and was ranked No. 536 in doubles and No. 1249 in singles by the ATP, both of which were career-highs.

Centenari began professional coaching in 2016, coaching some of the world's best professional players, including Gonzalo Escobar (No. 281 in singles) and Sami Reinwein (No. 488 in singles). He helped Reinwein to nine ITF Futures semifinals appearances and one ITF Futures final. In 2017, Centenari coached Escobar to a career-high ATP ranking of No. 281 in singles and coached him to his first ITF Futures pro singles title since 2014.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Harry Sheehy for giving me this opportunity," Centenari said. "I've had a deep connection to Dartmouth and the tennis program for many years and am thrilled for the opportunity to be able to lead this team as head coach. I've got an excellent group of guys on the team to work with, and I am excited to build on the team culture. We will set some clear goals about how we will do things day-to-day, giving us the best chance to win rounds in the NCAA Tournament and contend for Ivy League titles."

Centenari graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in psychology. Serving as captain twice, he competed at the No. 1 and 2 spots in both singles and doubles during his last three seasons. He was the 2013 recipient of the ITA Northeast Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award and was named All-Ivy for singles (2011) and doubles (2011, 2013) during his time in Hanover.

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