Benjamin Graf will begin his first full year as volunteer assistant coach for the DBU Women’s Tennis team this fall. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Graf won the men’s singles silver medal at the Baltimore County Tennis Championships in his senior year at Perry Hall High School. In college, he played on the intercollegiate club teams for both Towson University and the University of North Texas while on full scholarship for music. While completing his doctoral degree, he became President/Captain of the North Texas club team and led them to their highest national ranking in school history (No. 38) and first appearance at the USTA Tennis on Campus National Championships. Under his direction, North Texas was also chosen as the USTA Texas Club of the Year Runner-Up (2013) and the USTA Texas Club of the Year (2014). Coach Graf is a PTR certified tennis coach and has served on the UNT Sports Club Executive Board and Sports Club Council.
In November 2013, Coach Graf started coordinating a charity tennis tournament in Denton, Texas, to raise money for children in one of the poorest countries in the world—Nepal. This November, at the fourth annual “Project Nepal Charity Tennis Tournament,” Graf and UNT Head Tennis Coach Sujay Lama hope to add to the $10,600+ raised in the past three years for schools in Nepal. Graf worked under Sujay Lama as a coach for the Nike Tennis Camps in Denton from 2013-2015. During the past two summers, Graf has coached with his number one tennis mentor; world-class tennis coach Raj Lama, former champion of the Dubai Open and PTR Professional. Graf is a dedicated student of the game and is constantly looking for ways to improve himself as a person and as a tennis coach.
Coach Graf’s favorite doubles partner is his wife Emily, who he met on the club team at North Texas. They have been married for three years and reside in Carrollton, Texas. They still attend First United Methodist in Denton, where they were married in 2013. “Dr. Coach” enjoys serving DBU as part of both the academic faculty and the athletic coaching staff.
