Men's Tennis
da Silva, Rodrigo
Rodrigo da Silva
- Title:
- Men's Tennis Coach
- Email:
- rodrigo@GoCards.com
- Phone:
- 852-0217
Head Coach - 10th season at DI level, 13th season overall
Sixth season at Louisville; 81-71Â overall, 23-27 ACC
DI Record: 117-131
Overall head coaching record: 169-152
Team Accomplishments
In the last three seasons, da Silva has created two duos of doubles All-Americans in Natan Rodrigues with Etienne Donnet (2024) and Fabien Salle (2023). The tandem of Rodrigues and Donnet advanced all the way to the national semifinal in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship, the furthest any pair of Cardinals has advanced in the championship. They finished the year ranked at #4, the best doubles ranking for a pair of Cardinals ever. When paired with Salle the year prior, the duo advanced to the national quarterfinals while Donnet competed in opening round of the Singles Championship.Â
Under da Silva's tutelage, the Cardinals have been ranked in the top 30 in three of the last four seasons with seven players nationally-ranked in singles and six doubles teams appearing among the top 85 in the nation over the span of his six seasons which include the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 campaign. da Silva holds an 81-71 record at Louisville while registering a 117-131 mark on the Division I level and a 169-152 overall career record.
In the program's most recent season, the Cardinals finished 13-18 overall, advancing to the second round of the ACC Tournament Championship before coming up short in a comeback against Florida State, falling 4-3. UofL faced 14 ranked teams throughout the season; all but one ACC opponent the Cardinals played in the regular season was ranked. During the spring, Louisville was ranked as high as No. 59 in the ITA rankings. Junior Will Mayew was ranked as high as No. 80, Natan Rodrigues was No. 88 and Rodrigues and doubles partner Hamza El Amine were as high as No. 77.Â
In the 2023-24 school year, da Silva led the program to a 14-14 record with a grueling non-conference and conference schedule. Three different Cardinals were ranked in the ITA Singles Top 100 throughout the year. The highlight of the year was All-American doubles pair Natan Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the furthest Louisville has gone in the doubles tournament. The duo finished the year at #4 in the ITA Rankings, the best doubles ranking by any Cardinal tandem ever. They were selected Second Team All-ACC in doubles while Donnet earned the same nod on the singles side.Â
Louisville finished the 2023 season with a 17-12 overall record and earned its second straight at-large berth and 14th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. After defeating Texas Tech in the first round, Louisville advanced to NCAA Regional Final for the first time since 2017. The 2023 campaign marked the third time in program history that the Cardinals earned NCAA tournament bids as a team as well as singles and doubles and the first since 2011.
In addition to the team accomplishments, several individuals also achieved impressive results on the court. Etienne Donnet earned an at-large bid to the NCAA singles championship while Fabien Salle and Natan Rodrigues represented the Cardinals in doubles and earned All-America distinction after reaching the quarterfinals and finishing the season at No. 9 in the ITA doubles rankings.
da Silva oversaw the 2021-22 squad to a 19-8 overall record – marking the most wins since the 2017 squad went 22-10. Additionally, Louisville earned an at-large bid to the NCAA championship for the first time since 2017.  The Cards also reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship after earning the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament and compiling a 9-3 record ACC play – the best finish and most wins since joining the conference.
The Cardinals spent the final four weeks of the 2022 regular season ranked in the ITA top 25 team rankings, reaching as high as No. 23 – for the first time since the 2015 season
The 2022 results are even more impressive because they mark one of most impressive turnarounds in program history. In 2021, the Cardinals posted a 9-12 overall record and went 3-8 in the ACC. In one season, da Silva's Cardinals doubled their overall win total and tripled their league wins in one of the NCAA's most competitive conferences.
After being named Louisville’s head coach prior to the fall of the 2019-20 season, da Silva helped guide Tin Chen become the first player in school history to capture the ITA Ohio Valley Singles title. The Cardinals registered a 9-6 overall record prior to the cancellation of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19.
The 2020-21 campaign saw the NCAA fall season canceled and several dual matches impacted by COVID-19 guidelines. The Cardinals earned nine wins and appeared in the ITA Top 60 rankings five times, reaching as high as No. 49 and finishing the season at 51. Additionally, Louisville placed three singles players: Tin Chen, Fabien Salle and Sergio Hernandez, and two doubles teams: Salle/Matthew Fung and Hernandez/Chen in the ITA singles rankings. Salle and Hernandez earned All-ACC honors at the end of the season.
The Cardinals earned ITA Academic Team honors in 2021 and 2022, with 12 the ITA All-Academic Team selections.
Da Silva came to Louisville after four seasons as the head men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He makes his return to UofL where he spent six years (2009-14) as an assistant coach, helping guide the Cardinals to three BIG EAST Conference tournament titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
UTSA Head Coach (2016-19)
During his time at UTSA, the Roadrunners improved their win total during each of their seasons including back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013. Most recently, his 2019 squad posted a 14-10 record and boasted an All-Conference USA selection in Javier Rodriguez while Kai Breitbach appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. The 2019 team also excelled in the classroom, earning 2019 ITA All-Academic Team honors.
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Additionally, da Silva assembled a pair of top-10 recruiting classes among mid-major schools for the first time in UTSA program history.
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Pepperdine Assistant Coach (2015)
Prior to his stint at UTSA, da Silva served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine during the 2014-15 season. He helped lead the Waves to an 18-10 record, a top-40 national ranking and the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. While at Pepperdine, four players earned All-West Coast Conference honors.
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Louisville Assistant Coach (2009-14)
Da Silva spent six years as an assistant coach at Louisville and helped guide the Cardinals to some of the most successful seasons in program history. With his assistance, UofL compiled 161 wins while earning three conference titles and five NCAA appearances - including a trip to the round of 16. While at Louisville, the 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year helped oversee the highest team ranking (10), most season wins (24), the first two-time All-American in singles and the first doubles team to earn All-America honors.
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In his first season at UofL, the Cards posted a 21-7 record and made the first of four straight NCAA team appearances behind 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year Austen Childs. Louisville also qualified for the NCAA singles and doubles championships.
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The 2010 squad followed with a program-best 24-6 mark, won the BIG EAST title and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history. Louisville spent the entire season ranked among the nation’s top 20, reaching as high as No. 10, while Childs finished the season as NCAA singles runner-up and earned All-America accolades.
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Da Silva was named 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year after he helped guide the Cardinals to their second straight BIG EAST crown and third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Childs was named BIG EAST Player of the Year for the third time, became Louisville’s first two-time All-American and teamed with Viktor Maksimcuk as part of UofL’s first doubles team to earn All-America honors.
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The 2012 Cardinals captured their third straight BIG EAST Conference title and registered an 18-10 record en route to their fourth NCAA appearance in as many years while Sebastian Stiefelmeyer garnered BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. UofL went on to post a runner-up showing in the 2013 BIG EAST championship.
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In his final season as an assistant coach at Louisville, da Silva helped the Cardinals reach the 2014 American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals in Louisville’s lone year in the league. The Cards went on to make their fifth NCAA tournament appearance in six years.
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Anderson Head Coach (2006-08)
Da Silva joined the Cardinals’ coaching staff in the fall of 2008, after three seasons as the head men’s and women’s coach at his alma mater Anderson College. In his three seasons there (2006-08), da Silva led Anderson to three regular season, two tournament titles and three NCAA regional appearances and was a two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
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He led the men to an overall record of 52-21 and a perfect 28-0 mark in league play. The Trojans made trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of his three years at the helm. He coached All-American, ITA Rookie of the Year and Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Philip Pakebusch.
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Da Silva guided the women to an eight-win improvement from his first to final season with a 12-8 record.
Before his collegiate coaching career
Prior to his stint at Anderson, da Silva was on the staff at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he served as a coach from 2003-05. Before joining the Bollettieri staff, da Silva was a tennis professional at the West View Tennis Center in Morgantown, W.Va.
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Da Silva was also the head professional at Anderson’s Cardinal Racquet Club from 1997-99. During his tenure at Cardinal, the club was named the SCTA Club of the Year and the ’98 Southern Club of the Year.
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As a player at Anderson, da Silva was a member of the 1996 National Christian College Athletic Association championship team and won the 1996 NCCAA championships in singles and doubles.
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The Campinas, Brazil native earned his bachelor’s degree in sports science from Anderson in 2000 and his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from the University of West Virginia in 2003.
Da Silva has two sons, Luca and Caden.
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Rodrigo da Silva Year-by-Year Coaching Record
Sixth season at Louisville; 81-71Â overall, 23-27 ACC
DI Record: 117-131
Overall head coaching record: 169-152
Team Accomplishments
- As a head coach
- 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance, advanced to second roundÂ
- 2022 NCAA Tournament appearanceÂ
- As an assistant
- 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance
- 2012 NCAA Tournament appearance
- 2011Â NCAA Tournament appearance, advanced to second roundÂ
- 2010 NCAA Tournament appearance, advanced to Round of 16Â
- 2009 NCAA Tournament appearance, advanced to national quarterfinals Â
- Doubles All-Americans as head coach
- Natan Rodrigues (2023, 2024), Etienne Donnet (2024), Fabien Salle (2023)
- Doubles All-Americans as assistant
- Viktor Maksimcuk (2011), Austen Childs (2011)
- Singles All-American as assistant
- Austen Childs (2010)
- Austen Childs was the national runner-up in the NCAA Singles Championship when da Silva was an assistant at Louisville in 2010
- Rodrigues and Donnet advanced all the way to the national semifinals in the NCAA Doubles Championship under da Silva's leadership in 2024Â
- 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the YearÂ
In the last three seasons, da Silva has created two duos of doubles All-Americans in Natan Rodrigues with Etienne Donnet (2024) and Fabien Salle (2023). The tandem of Rodrigues and Donnet advanced all the way to the national semifinal in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship, the furthest any pair of Cardinals has advanced in the championship. They finished the year ranked at #4, the best doubles ranking for a pair of Cardinals ever. When paired with Salle the year prior, the duo advanced to the national quarterfinals while Donnet competed in opening round of the Singles Championship.Â
Under da Silva's tutelage, the Cardinals have been ranked in the top 30 in three of the last four seasons with seven players nationally-ranked in singles and six doubles teams appearing among the top 85 in the nation over the span of his six seasons which include the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 campaign. da Silva holds an 81-71 record at Louisville while registering a 117-131 mark on the Division I level and a 169-152 overall career record.
In the program's most recent season, the Cardinals finished 13-18 overall, advancing to the second round of the ACC Tournament Championship before coming up short in a comeback against Florida State, falling 4-3. UofL faced 14 ranked teams throughout the season; all but one ACC opponent the Cardinals played in the regular season was ranked. During the spring, Louisville was ranked as high as No. 59 in the ITA rankings. Junior Will Mayew was ranked as high as No. 80, Natan Rodrigues was No. 88 and Rodrigues and doubles partner Hamza El Amine were as high as No. 77.Â
In the 2023-24 school year, da Silva led the program to a 14-14 record with a grueling non-conference and conference schedule. Three different Cardinals were ranked in the ITA Singles Top 100 throughout the year. The highlight of the year was All-American doubles pair Natan Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the furthest Louisville has gone in the doubles tournament. The duo finished the year at #4 in the ITA Rankings, the best doubles ranking by any Cardinal tandem ever. They were selected Second Team All-ACC in doubles while Donnet earned the same nod on the singles side.Â
Louisville finished the 2023 season with a 17-12 overall record and earned its second straight at-large berth and 14th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. After defeating Texas Tech in the first round, Louisville advanced to NCAA Regional Final for the first time since 2017. The 2023 campaign marked the third time in program history that the Cardinals earned NCAA tournament bids as a team as well as singles and doubles and the first since 2011.
In addition to the team accomplishments, several individuals also achieved impressive results on the court. Etienne Donnet earned an at-large bid to the NCAA singles championship while Fabien Salle and Natan Rodrigues represented the Cardinals in doubles and earned All-America distinction after reaching the quarterfinals and finishing the season at No. 9 in the ITA doubles rankings.
da Silva oversaw the 2021-22 squad to a 19-8 overall record – marking the most wins since the 2017 squad went 22-10. Additionally, Louisville earned an at-large bid to the NCAA championship for the first time since 2017.  The Cards also reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship after earning the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament and compiling a 9-3 record ACC play – the best finish and most wins since joining the conference.
The Cardinals spent the final four weeks of the 2022 regular season ranked in the ITA top 25 team rankings, reaching as high as No. 23 – for the first time since the 2015 season
The 2022 results are even more impressive because they mark one of most impressive turnarounds in program history. In 2021, the Cardinals posted a 9-12 overall record and went 3-8 in the ACC. In one season, da Silva's Cardinals doubled their overall win total and tripled their league wins in one of the NCAA's most competitive conferences.
After being named Louisville’s head coach prior to the fall of the 2019-20 season, da Silva helped guide Tin Chen become the first player in school history to capture the ITA Ohio Valley Singles title. The Cardinals registered a 9-6 overall record prior to the cancellation of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19.
The 2020-21 campaign saw the NCAA fall season canceled and several dual matches impacted by COVID-19 guidelines. The Cardinals earned nine wins and appeared in the ITA Top 60 rankings five times, reaching as high as No. 49 and finishing the season at 51. Additionally, Louisville placed three singles players: Tin Chen, Fabien Salle and Sergio Hernandez, and two doubles teams: Salle/Matthew Fung and Hernandez/Chen in the ITA singles rankings. Salle and Hernandez earned All-ACC honors at the end of the season.
The Cardinals earned ITA Academic Team honors in 2021 and 2022, with 12 the ITA All-Academic Team selections.
Da Silva came to Louisville after four seasons as the head men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He makes his return to UofL where he spent six years (2009-14) as an assistant coach, helping guide the Cardinals to three BIG EAST Conference tournament titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
UTSA Head Coach (2016-19)
During his time at UTSA, the Roadrunners improved their win total during each of their seasons including back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013. Most recently, his 2019 squad posted a 14-10 record and boasted an All-Conference USA selection in Javier Rodriguez while Kai Breitbach appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. The 2019 team also excelled in the classroom, earning 2019 ITA All-Academic Team honors.
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Additionally, da Silva assembled a pair of top-10 recruiting classes among mid-major schools for the first time in UTSA program history.
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Pepperdine Assistant Coach (2015)
Prior to his stint at UTSA, da Silva served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine during the 2014-15 season. He helped lead the Waves to an 18-10 record, a top-40 national ranking and the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. While at Pepperdine, four players earned All-West Coast Conference honors.
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Louisville Assistant Coach (2009-14)
Da Silva spent six years as an assistant coach at Louisville and helped guide the Cardinals to some of the most successful seasons in program history. With his assistance, UofL compiled 161 wins while earning three conference titles and five NCAA appearances - including a trip to the round of 16. While at Louisville, the 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year helped oversee the highest team ranking (10), most season wins (24), the first two-time All-American in singles and the first doubles team to earn All-America honors.
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In his first season at UofL, the Cards posted a 21-7 record and made the first of four straight NCAA team appearances behind 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year Austen Childs. Louisville also qualified for the NCAA singles and doubles championships.
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The 2010 squad followed with a program-best 24-6 mark, won the BIG EAST title and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history. Louisville spent the entire season ranked among the nation’s top 20, reaching as high as No. 10, while Childs finished the season as NCAA singles runner-up and earned All-America accolades.
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Da Silva was named 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year after he helped guide the Cardinals to their second straight BIG EAST crown and third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Childs was named BIG EAST Player of the Year for the third time, became Louisville’s first two-time All-American and teamed with Viktor Maksimcuk as part of UofL’s first doubles team to earn All-America honors.
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The 2012 Cardinals captured their third straight BIG EAST Conference title and registered an 18-10 record en route to their fourth NCAA appearance in as many years while Sebastian Stiefelmeyer garnered BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. UofL went on to post a runner-up showing in the 2013 BIG EAST championship.
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In his final season as an assistant coach at Louisville, da Silva helped the Cardinals reach the 2014 American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals in Louisville’s lone year in the league. The Cards went on to make their fifth NCAA tournament appearance in six years.
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Anderson Head Coach (2006-08)
Da Silva joined the Cardinals’ coaching staff in the fall of 2008, after three seasons as the head men’s and women’s coach at his alma mater Anderson College. In his three seasons there (2006-08), da Silva led Anderson to three regular season, two tournament titles and three NCAA regional appearances and was a two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
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He led the men to an overall record of 52-21 and a perfect 28-0 mark in league play. The Trojans made trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of his three years at the helm. He coached All-American, ITA Rookie of the Year and Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Philip Pakebusch.
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Da Silva guided the women to an eight-win improvement from his first to final season with a 12-8 record.
Before his collegiate coaching career
Prior to his stint at Anderson, da Silva was on the staff at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he served as a coach from 2003-05. Before joining the Bollettieri staff, da Silva was a tennis professional at the West View Tennis Center in Morgantown, W.Va.
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Da Silva was also the head professional at Anderson’s Cardinal Racquet Club from 1997-99. During his tenure at Cardinal, the club was named the SCTA Club of the Year and the ’98 Southern Club of the Year.
  Â
As a player at Anderson, da Silva was a member of the 1996 National Christian College Athletic Association championship team and won the 1996 NCCAA championships in singles and doubles.
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The Campinas, Brazil native earned his bachelor’s degree in sports science from Anderson in 2000 and his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from the University of West Virginia in 2003.
Da Silva has two sons, Luca and Caden.
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| Coaching Background | |
|---|---|
| 2006-08 | Anderson (head coach) |
| 2008-14 | Louisville (assistant coach) |
| 2014-15 | Pepperdine (assistant coach) |
| 2015-19 | UTSA (head coach) |
| 2019-current | Louisville (head coach) |
Rodrigo da Silva Year-by-Year Coaching Record
| Year | Record | Conf. Record | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 17-5 | NCAA DII Tournament First Round | |
| 2006-07 | 17-8 | NCAA DII Tournament First Round | |
| 2007-08 | 18-8 | NCAA DII Tournament Semifinals | |
| 2015-16 | 3-20 | 0-4 | |
| 2016-17 | 6-18 | 0-3 | |
| 2017-18 | 13-12 | 1-3 | |
| 2018-19 | 14-10 | 2-1 | |
| 2019-20 | 9-6 | 2-1 | |
| 2020-21 | 9-12 | 3-8 | |
| 2021-22 | 19-9 | 9-3 | NCAA Tournament First Round |
| 2022-23 | 17-12 | 6-6 | NCAA Tournament Second Round |
| 2023-24 | 14-14 | 3-9 | |
| 2024-25 | 13-18 | 2-11 |
Louisville Men's Tennis - NCAA Quarterfinal Recap
Thursday, May 23
UofL MTEN Etienne Donnet Post Match Interview 4-7-24
Sunday, April 07
UofL MTEN Matthew Fung Post Match Interview 4-7-24
Sunday, April 07
MTEN Natan Rodrigues - Post-Match Interview - March 3, 2024
Monday, March 04
