Cracked Interviews [Tennis Podcast] · Cracked Racquets, Bleav

Virginia Head Coach Andres Pedroso Previews Early Season Top 10 Matchup with TCU

January 14, 2026·42 min·3 clips

How did two best friends become NCAA doubles champions and set the tone for Virginia's season?

This episode features host Alex Gruskin interviewing University of Virginia men's tennis head coach Andres Pedroso to preview a top-five matchup against TCU. Coach Pedroso reflects on his team's successful fall season and the development of his young roster. He discusses the surprise NCAA doubles championship won by the pair of Dylan Dietrich and Mans Dahlberg, attributing their success to friendship and coaching from assistant Treat Huey. Pedroso explains how this victory helped establish Dahlberg as the team captain for his professionalism and toughness. He details the integration of a large freshman class, including standout Rafa Hodar, and compares this group's acclimation to past legendary Virginia teams. The coach shares his perspective on Hodar's rapid professional rise, highlighting the player's exceptional mentality and clutch performance under pressure. Pedroso reveals he did not watch the recent Australian Open qualifying match between his former players, Chris Rodesch and Rafa Hodar, but was proud of their sportsmanship. He describes the current Virginia team as exceptionally prepared and united, with many players living together. The coach values scheduling tough early-season matches like TCU to mimic the professional tour's challenges. He credits the overall rise in college tennis quality to increased coaching investment and superior resources. Pedroso strongly prefers holding the NCAA individual championships in the fall to encourage competition and player development. He passionately defends the college coaching profession as the "best job in tennis," despite its increasing demands. The tone is conversational and insightful, blending casual banter about workout routines with in-depth tennis analysis. This episode is perfect for college tennis fans, Virginia Cavaliers supporters, and anyone interested in high-level program building and player development. Listeners seeking entertainment-focused content or those with no interest in collegiate sports might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A focused preview that gives a top-five college tennis matchup the right context.

This preview keeps its focus on Thursday’s Fort Worth matchup between number three TCU and number five Virginia, and that restraint helps it. Alex Gruskin opens the door, then mostly lets Virginia head coach Andreas Pedroso do the talking about culture, growth, and the kind of…

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Why you'd press play

Hear Virginia's read on a top-five men's tennis battle at TCU.

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