MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University Director of Athletics Michael L. Covone announced the hiring of Fred Bonal as the assistant men’s tennis coach, effective Monday, November 18, 2013.
Bonal, who served as a volunteer coach on last year’s NCAA Division II National Championship team that went 29-0, is in his second year at Barry. He will be responsible for player development, on-court coaching, recruiting and administrative duties.
A native of Bordeaux, France, Bonal coached 20 years at Bordeaux Club. There, he was responsible for the First Division Junior and Senior competition. He also worked for the WTA and ATP in France for five years, training top 20-ranked player Ronald Agenor from 1994-95.
Following his extended career in France, Bonal moved to the United States, where he provided tutelage to Tarik Benhabiles, who was the coach of U.S. great Andy Roddic, from 2005-08 in Key Biscayne, Fla. He also trained 10 players who earned top 50-250 world rankings. In 2009, he also started training players individually in Hollywood, Fla.
As a player, Bonal competed in a couple ATP tournaments in Bordeaux. He earned a master’s degree in engineering from Bordeaux Sports University in 2002. He earned an undergraduate diploma from the French Federation of Tennis in 1998 after working for 10 years as a competition coach. In addition to his duties with the FFT, he taught independently during that 10-year period.