Per Nilsson

Biography

Per Nilsson was named head coach of the Gators on Oct. 29, 2024, and is the seventh head coach in program history. In his first season with the Gators, Nilsson led a doubles pair to the NCAA Final Four, where they surpassed the No. 1 seed and later earned a career-high No. 3 ranking. Nilsson also guided two players to All-SEC postseason honors, including Alicia Dudeney, who ended her collegiate career on an 11-match win streak. Nilsson joined the Gators after spending nine years at Pepperdine (2015-2024). During his stint with the Waves, Nilsson garnered an impressive 211-48 (.815) overall record and led the program to every possible West Coast Conference regular season (9) and tournament (8) titles. Since Nilsson took over in 2015, Pepperdine has made the NCAA Tournament every year, including a championship debut in 2021, a semifinal appearance in 2024, and four quarterfinal appearances (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Under Nilsson’s helm, the Wave has finished each season since 2016 ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top-10. Before Nilsson was named head coach of the Waves, he served as the head men’s tennis coach at fellow SEC school, Mississippi State. Between 2008 and 2014, Nilsson led the Bulldogs to back-to-back SEC West titles (2011, 2012) and brought Mississippi State to four straight NCAA Tournaments from 2011-2014. During his six seasons at Mississippi State, Nilsson developed four ITA All-Americans, 17 All-SEC selections, three SEC Freshman of the Year, an