DJ Bennett joins Auburn staff ‘all in’ on coaching
The most decorated player in the history of Auburn women's tennis, Bennett's focus is next on full-time coaching as an Auburn assistant coach.
Auburn women’s tennis all-timer DJ Bennett is joining the Tigers coaching staff and she’s soon putting her full focus into her new coaching career, Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said.
Szabo told the Auburn Torch that he and Auburn offered Bennett the option to pursue opportunities as a professional player while also coaching the squad, but that Bennett wants to coach full-time starting in July.
Auburn’s most accomplished player in program history is staying on to try to help the next generation of Tigers reach even higher.
“She wants to be all in on the coaching and she’s excited for the next phase, and she feels very accomplished with her tennis career,” Szabo said. “So, yeah, she’s excited to be doing it full-time.”
Bennett as co-captain of the team this past year helped lead Auburn women’s tennis to a Final Four victory and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship, as well as the SEC Tournament championship and a share of the regular-season SEC title.
Bennett and her Auburn doubles partner Ava Esposito last week qualified for the main draw of doubles at the U.S. Open this September, winning the American Collegiate Wildcard Playoff in Orlando.
Szabo said she still plans to play with Esposito there — but the current plan is for that to be just about the end of her competitive playing career.
It’d be quite a fitting final bow, at a Grand Slam major.
“In July she’ll start full-time with us,” Szabo explained. “She’s going to play the U.S. Open and then that’s going to be it. Unless she, like, makes a deep run in New York, I think, you know, she’s kind of done playing.
“Even though I offered it to her — I spoke to the administration and stuff and they were open to her doing both and scratching both itches — but she said that when she does something that she wants to be all in and she doesn’t feel like she’d be able to do either the right way if she’s kind of dipping her toes in both.”