Jimmy Arias Named Director of Tennis at IMG Academy
April 18, 2019
IMG Academy announced that Jimmy Arias has been promoted to Director of Tennis. Arias joined the Academy as Director of Player Development in 2018, and will now oversee all aspects of the Academy program, including boarding school, camps, professional player training and events.
Arias was one of the original tennis students at IMG Academy, then the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, when it opened in 1978. He turned pro at age 16, and within three years, reached the U.S. Open singles semifinals, won the 1981 French Open mixed doubles and claimed four professional singles titles. Arias reached a career-high of No. 5 in the world in 1984 at age 20. Since his retirement from the professional ranks, Arias has been involved in the game as both a coach and a commentator for ESPN, The Tennis Channel, Rogers Sportsnet and the Canadian Broadcasting Network.
IMG Academy also named longtime coach Pat Harrison to Director of Tennis Operations. In his new role, Harrison will oversee the day-to-day management of facilities, staffing and tennis program delivery.
Harrison first joined IMG as a coach in 2008, working predominantly with touring pros. Since joining the Academy, Harrison helped guide the development for the likes of Michael Venus, Heather Watson, Madison Brengle, and Danielle Collins. Notably, this year Collins reached a career-high ranking of No. 23 after a breakout performance at the 2019 Australian Open, where she won her first-ever Grand Slam matches, going on to earn a berth in the semifinal. Collins was also a two-time NCAA singles national champion (2014, 2016). Harrison’s two sons, Ryan and Christian Harrison, compete on the ATP World Tour and train at IMG Academy, while daughter Madison finished a collegiate career in 2018 at Mississippi State University, where she is currently a student-assistant coach.
Arias takes over for Rohan Goetzke, who moved on to pursue other opportunities in tennis. Goetzke served as Director from 2012-19. During that time, IMG Academy developed four players who reached World No. 1 in the junior rankings (Miomir Kecmanovic, 2016; Whitney Osuigwe and Axel Gellar, 2017; Sebastian Korda, 2018).