TJ Pura - Associate Head Coach - Men's Tennis Coaches

TJ Pura

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
tj.pura@duke.edu

Former Blue Devil TJ Pura rejoined the Duke men's tennis coaching staff as the first assistant coach in May 2024. He was promoted to his current position as associate head coach in July 2026. Pura also served as a volunteer assistant at Duke during the 2022-23 campaign.

As a key piece of the 2025-26 campaign, Pura helped the Blue Devils to a 15-14 overall record, 6-7 ledger against ACC competition and to the NCAA Team Championship for the sixth consecutive season. Pura helped Duke claim a pair of wins against a ranked NC State squad and to the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship.

During the 2025 dual match season, Pura helped Duke go 19-9, including a 9-4 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils ended the year ranked No. 18 in the ITA national poll after defeating nine ranked opponents and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships. Individually, three Blue Devils finished in the top 125 of the final singles rankings, while five doubles pairings were featured in the final top 125. The season was highlighted by the All-America tandem of Cooper Williams and Theo Winegar, who closed the year ranked No. 3 nationally. The duo posted an 11-2 overall record and secured eight victories against nationally ranked opponents.

Pura came back to Durham in May 2024 after spending one season (2023-24) as the first assistant coach at Vanderbilt University. While in Nashville, Pura helped the Commodores to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 and mentored 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year and at-large NCAA Singles participant, Danil Panarin. Vanderbilt jumped from No. 72 in the national rankings the year before Pura arrived to a final 2024 ranking of No. 42.

As a volunteer assistant in 2022-23 with Duke, Pura worked with Pedro Rodenas as he earned ACC Rookie of the Year, ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year and doubles and singles All-America accolades. Pura's assistance that season also helped Garrett Johns to First Team All-ACC and All-America honors in doubles and singles.

Pura was a member of the Duke program from 2013-17 and earned Third Team All-ACC honors in 2017. The two-time team captain graduated sixth in program history with 30 career ACC singles wins and tied for seventh in most career ACC singles matches played with 41. Pura also ended his career tied for first in single-season ACC singles wins (11) and singles winning percentage (1.000; 11-0) during his senior year. In addition, he compiled the longest single-season ACC winning streak in program history when he went 11-0 during a stretch in 2016-17. For those efforts, Pura was named the 2017 Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Carolina Region Most Improved Senior and recipient of the team’s first annual Robert C. Taylor Leadership Award.

Pura also found his way into Duke’s record book his freshman year when he finished tied for first in highest ACC singles winning percentage as a rookie with a mark of 6-0 (1.000) and fourth in highest doubles winning percentage with a record of 12-2 (.857). During his Blue Devil tenure, Pura helped lead Duke to an overall record of 71-39 and three NCAA team championship appearances (2014-15-17), including a showing in the round of 16 in 2015. He owned one singles title (Winthrop Invitational - 2A, 2013) for his career and captured one doubles title (Duke Fab Four Invitational - White Bracket, 2013).

Pura graduated from Duke in 2017 with a degree in computer science and history with a certification in innovation and entrepreneurship. After graduation Pura became a professional tennis player on the ITF Futures Tour. Since retiring from the professional circuit, Pura spent three years in investment banking and corporate finance before recognizing that his true passion was coaching and peak performance. He has become a mentor and mental coach for numerous athletes, including Tommy Paul who is a top-15 ATP player.