Richard Sipala was named the Assistant Coach of the Arkansas women’s tennis team on August 5, 2024 after previously serving as an assistant coach with the Princeton women’s tennis program. Sipala helped lead the Tigers to their 18th Ivy League title as the team advanced to the Round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament. Princeton achieved a season-high ITA team ranking of No. 30 and finished 16-7 overall. Under Sipala, Princeton had two athletes earn All-Ivy honors as Neha Velaga received First Team recognition while Maia Sung collected Second Team honors.
Prior to Princeton, Sipala served as the head coach for the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Hofstra from 2021-2023. Sipala led the men’s program to seven wins during the 2022-23 season and reached the CAA Tournament quarterfinals after recording the program’s first postseason win since 2008. In his first season at Hofstra, Sipala coached the men’s team to five dual match victories while the women’s team notched four wins.
Sipala was an assistant coach for the St. John’s men’s tennis program from 2018-2020 and played an integral part for the Red Storm during the 2018-19 season. St. John’s earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2016 and the program’s first Big East Championship in Sipala’s first season. As a result, Sipala and the Red Storm staff were recognized as the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year.
Sipala was a member of the Florida Atlantic men’s tennis program as an assistant coach in 2017-18. In his lone season with the Owls, Sipala helped FAU to a 19-10 record and the team reached the Conference USA Tournament championship.
Sipala has also spent time as a coach for WTA professionals Jovana Jović and Conny Perrin. The Quogue, New York, native was a four-year member of the men’s tennis team at Bryant University. Sipala was an All-Northeast Conference First Team selection as a freshman after winning 18 matches and was named team captain as a senior.
After graduating from Bryant, Sipala moved to New Delhi, India, to serve as an assistant coach at the Vishaal Uppal Tennis Academy.
