When discussing the history of Florida and Georgia athletics programs, it would be impermissible not to mention one of both schools’ most successful sports: women’s tennis.
While not the most conventionally crowd-generating, the Florida-Georgia women’s tennis rivalry remains one of the fiercest in the collegiate tennis world, and for good reason.
From 2007-13, collegiate women’s tennis was played at an elite level between the two SEC schools.
UF’s women’s tennis team entered the late 2000s as one of the most dominant programs in the nation, facing limited competition in the SEC. Under the guidance of recently retired UF head coach Roland Thornqvist, who joined the program in 2002, the Gators had notched five consecutive titles, SEC regular season and tournaments alike.
Thornqvist was one of the premier young coaches in Division I tennis after winning the 2003 national championship only two seasons into his tenure at Florida. The Gators entered the 2007 season preparing for another dominant SEC run. However, that didn’t come to fruition.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s women’s tennis program wasn’t on the same level as Florida's at the time, experiencing a slight decline after winning the 2000 national championship. Then, things abruptly changed.
In Thornqvist’s first six matches with Georgia, he went 5-1, the strongest start for any coach in the rivalry. In their 2007 matchup, the Gators had a strong contingent of returning players. But Georgia outplayed UF, dethroning the Gators from atop the SEC standings for the first time in five years at the 2007 SEC tournament.
“I have to congratulate Georgia. They showed that they were tougher today,” Thornqvist said after the loss. “They had a little bit more than we did.”
The Bulldogs’ dominance came to a head in 2009 when the Gators faced Georgia twice in three weeks. After a disappointing 4-2 loss to the NCAA title favorite Bulldogs, Florida prepared for an NCAA tournament round of 16 matchups against Georgia. The result was no different. Georgia ended Florida’s season.
In a common theme of their repeated matchups from 2007-13, Thornqvist emphasized his respect for Georgia’s program, knowing it was what remained between Florida and a second NCAA title.
“We knew we were playing a team that was picked to be a favorite for the national championship. We were probably underdogs in most of the spots,” Thornqvist said. “When we play them, we certainly have to be sharp at everything we do.”
During the 2009 offseason, the Gators focused their attention on the beast that stood in front of them: the Bulldogs. Florida designed its practices to improve the weaknesses that Georgia exposed. UF shifted its attention to leaping the hurdle that remained in Athens, Georgia.
Between 2010-13, Florida faced Georgia six times, winning every contest. The Gators went 58-2 during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, winning the national championship in both years.
Florida faced Georgia in the SEC Tournament in 2012 and 2013, leveling Georgia 4-1 and 4-0, respectively.
“That was the SEC's finest right there, the two best teams in the league without a doubt. It was high-level tennis from start to finish,” Thornqvist said after the 2012 victory. “I’m just very pleased.”
Florida’s final notable postseason match with Georgia came in 2013, when two of the top 4 teams met with the SEC championship on the line.
After Florida’s first sweep against Georgia in a decade, Thornqvist emphasized how his players stepped up in a huge moment with Georgia across the net.
“Georgia is very, very talented. Our freshmen were really amazing,” Thornqvist said. “They've gotten tougher and tougher.”
The Gators and Bulldogs haven’t met beyond the regular season since 2016, with Georgia having won each of the pair’s last eight contests. Nonetheless, the rivalry always burns on. When the Gators and Bulldogs face off, there is a different energy on the court.
“When I see our girls play and see how they fight and play with so much passion, it's electrifying,” former Gator Olivia Janowicz said about facing the Bulldogs in 2013. “It helps you.”
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @noahwhite1782
Noah White is a sophomore majoring in journalism and public relations and The Alligator's Women's Tennis Reporter. In his free time, Noah writes some more and plays soccer and volleyball. He also knows more about Liberty League women's soccer than you do.
