CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Traci Green, the Sheila Kelly Palandjian Head Coach for Harvard Women's Tennis, announced today that Carlos Drada will join the program as an assistant coach prior to the 2026-27 season.

"Carlos is an outstanding addition to our program. He has a strong track record of developing student-athletes and competing at the highest levels of college tennis," says Green about the recent hire. "His experience, passion for coaching, and commitment to excellence make him a tremendous fit for Harvard. I'm excited to welcome Carlos to Cambridge and know he will have tremendous impact on our program as we continue building something special."

Drada comes to Cambridge after stints as a tennis professional at the Lauderdale Tennis Club and working in player development at Coach Life Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This role will be Drada's return to college tennis after previously serving as the head coach for University of Kentucky Women's Tennis for 18 years. His time in Lexington began in the summer of 2005 and during his tenure he recruited and developed student-athletes from around the world while leading Kentucky to sustained national success.

Drada led the Wildcats to its highest national ranking of No. 11 during the 2016-17 season. Throughout the 18 seasons, the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 during his second year at the helm and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament seven times.

Wildcats' student-athletes also saw success individually under Drada as he guided six All-Americans, coached Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi to a pair of quarterfinal appearances in the NCAA Tournament doubles draw and helped give Kentucky its first National Champions in school history with a victory at the 2016 National Indoors Doubles Tournament.

Prior to being elevated to head coach in 2005, Drada served on the staff for three years as an assistant coach and was named National Assistant Coach of the Year and the Kentucky Coach of the Year in 2005.

Drada was also a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a standout on the men's tennis team. The Cali, Colombia native played for the Wildcats from 1997-2000 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance and marketing. During his collegiate career, Drada recorded 91 singles victories and earned NCAA All-America honors in 2000 after finishing as the NCAA Singles Championship runner-up.

In addition to his success on the court, Drada emphasized academic excellence throughout his coaching career. His teams earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for 12 consecutive years.