UK Men’s Tennis Adds Mercer, Musitelli to 2021-22 Roster
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After an award-winning 2020-21 season that produced three ITA All-Americans and the program’s first ever ITA National Player of the Year, the Kentucky Wildcats are set to enter the 2021-22 season reloaded for success.
On Tuesday, 10th-year head coach Cedric Kauffmann and his staff announced two additions to the Kentucky roster, with JJ Mercer and Francois Musitelli poised to join the team from Ohio State and Old Dominion, respectively.
“With almost everyone returning, we have a good feeling about the upcoming year,” said reigning ITA Ohio Valley Regional Assistant Coach of the Year Matthew Gordon. “Last year, we were talented but lacked some experience. With the guys we have brought in, we feel we have got exactly what we need to take this program to the next level.”
Mercer began his collegiate career with the Buckeyes after entering the college ranks as one of the nation’s premier high school recruits in the class of 2019. The Huntington, West Virginia, native compiled a perfect 80-0 record and won four consecutive state titles at Huntington High School before redshirting his first season at Ohio State. Mercer amassed a 7-2 doubles record and a 4-3 singles record as a redshirt freshman.
“I’m pumped to be at Kentucky and get to work with some of the best coaches and players in the country,” Mercer said. “Coach Cedric and Matt have already made it feel like home, and I can’t wait to see everything this team can achieve on and off the court.”
“We are really excited about JJ,” said Gordon. “He comes from a tennis family and knows what it takes to win. JJ works extremely hard and fits the blue-collar mentality we have here. We know what we are getting with him, he’s a match player who is going to thrive with us at Kentucky.”
A native of Dijon, France, Musitelli began his NCAA career at Grand Canyon before spending his latter three seasons at Old Dominion. Musitelli was a three-time All-Conference USA performer in both singles and doubles with the Monarchs, peaking at No. 18 in the ITA Doubles Rankings and No. 74 in singles. During his most recent collegiate season, he compiled a 11-1 record on the top singles court and a 10-3 record on the top doubles court in a spring 2020 cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am very excited to be joining the team for this upcoming season,” said Musitelli. “After talking with the coaching staff, I truly believe that UK could be a great environment for me to develop as a player and give me the best chance to become as good as I can be. This team is composed of a lot of great players, and I am looking forward to making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with the boys.”
“In Francois, we are getting experience, toughness and leadership,” Gordon said. “He played No. 1 at ODU and beat some of the best players in the country. He is a very hard worker and exactly what we look for in a Wildcat. We have high expectations for him for the upcoming year.”
The Wildcats return all but one player from a season ago, including ITA National Player of the Year and singles All-American Liam Draxl, as well as singles and doubles ITA All-American Gabriel Diallo.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
