After 23 years at the helm, Florida women’s tennis head coach Roland Thornqvist unexpectedly announced his retirement Monday morning.
A month into the fall season, Thornqvist informed his team of his decision during a team meeting, explaining, “I just think it’s time.”
Associate head coach Jeremy Bayon will step in as interim head coach while UF conducts a national search to permanently replace their long-time leader inThornqvist.
Across his time at Florida, Thornqvist led the Gators to four national championships and 11 SEC regular season championships. He also won 10 SEC Tournament championships.
Before coaching at UF, Thornqvist spent five years at Kansas and North Carolina, leading each program to NCAA Tournament berths.
In 2002, as a young 32-year-old coach, Thornqvist took the job at Florida, following in the footsteps of UF Hall of Famer and three-time national champion Andy Brandi.
Wasting no time upon arriving in Gainesville, Thornqvist led the Gators to a national championship appearance in his first season and a national championship win in his second season. He consistently produced rosters that could contend nationally, making the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 14 of his first 16 years. Additionally, before 2018, Florida ranked in the top six at the end of all but one season under Thornqvist’s leadership.
In 2011 and 2012, Florida won back-to-back national titles in one of Thornqvist’s most impressive displays guiding the Gators. Defeating No. 1 Stanford in comeback fashion to win his second national championship in 2011, Thornqvist followed that with a dominant run to the national championship again, defeating UCLA in a 4-0 sweep. Over the two-year run, Florida went 58-2, one of the greatest multi-season stretches in collegiate women’s tennis history.
Thornqvist’s final national championship came in 2017 when the Gators defeated Stanford again. Following the national title, the Stockholm, Sweden, native’s squads took a downturn, failing to make it past the second round in four seasons.
Coming off of a 17-9 season that concluded in the second round with a No. 14 final ranking, Thornqvist was set to lead a promising Florida roster into 2025, with fall play already underway.
The former ITA National Coach of the Year noted that he had regressed in recent years, which played a role in his unanticipated retirement.
“The way I do the job is hard – I'm on the court a lot – and I think I've been a little less effective than I want to be the last few years,” Thornqvist said.
The 54-year-old will finish his career with a 507-107 record at Florida and a 582-157 record overall.
"The University of Florida is incredibly grateful to Roland, who has had a remarkable tenure in Gainesville, winning national and SEC championships while representing the Gators with excellence," UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said.
While his retirement from coaching at UF comes as a surprise, Thornqvist expects to remain in the college tennis world and is content with his experience at the University of Florida.
“I'm so grateful,” Thornqvist said. “I’ll always be a Gator.”
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.
