MADISON, Wis. – Marek Michalicka, a former Wisconsin student-athlete and assistant coach, has been named the head coach of Wisconsin women's tennis, Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced Wednesday.
"I am honored to be named the next head coach of Wisconsin women's tennis," Michalicka said. "As a proud Badger alum, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to build on success of this program. I'm grateful to Chris McIntosh, Marija Pientka, and the entire search committee for trusting me with this opportunity to lead at my alma mater. I also want to thank Coach McKenna for believing in me, bringing me on board, and helping prepare me for this role.
"I look forward to carrying our momentum forward and leading this program to new levels of success. Most importantly, I am grateful to my wife Vanessa and my family for their unwavering support—this journey would not be possible without them. Go Badgers!"
Michalicka has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Badgers, helping guide the program to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while playing a key role in player development, recruiting, and program operations. His leadership and experience have been instrumental in the program's continued growth.
"With a deep connection to Wisconsin as a former Badger student-athlete and having made a significant impact as a coach on the staff, we are excited to elevate Marek Michalika to lead our women's tennis program," said Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh. "Marek's care for the student-athlete experience, combined with his knowledge and passion for the game and the Badgers, is a perfect fit for the program and will serve the department well."
Prior to returning to Madison, Michalicka gained valuable coaching experience at both the collegiate and junior levels. He served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, helping the Cowboys achieve consistent NCAA Tournament success and top national rankings, and also assisted at Michigan. In addition, he led a high-performance junior program in Ann Arbor and guided international athletes through the college recruiting process.
As a student-athlete at Wisconsin from 2007-2011, Michalicka was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and the conference's Freshman of the Year in 2008. He compiled a 97-35 career singles record, finishing with the second-best singles winning percentage (.735) in program history. During his junior season, the Ricany, Czech Republic, native posted a team-best 21-6 singles record and became the first Badger since 1991 - and just the third in program history - to advance past the first round of the NCAA Singles Championship. He also competed in the NCAA team, singles, and doubles championships that year. Michalicka went on to earn three consecutive NCAA tournament berths in singles play, becoming only the third Badger to qualify for three national championships.
After graduating from Wisconsin in 2011 with a degree in economics with a mathematics emphasis, Michalicka competed professionally from 2011–2016.
A native of the Czech Republic, he and his wife Vanessa, also a Wisconsin alum, reside in New Glarus, Wisconsin with their two children.
