Red Raider Tennis Camps
Michael Breler - Men's Head Coach
Michael Breler enters his sixth overall season with the Red Raiders and second as the head coach when he was promoted to the position on May 12, 2023.
In 2024, Breler coached the Red Raiders to key wins over Utah, Tulsa and BYU, while aiding senior Olle Wallin to his second-straight NCAA Individual Championship appearance in singles. Breler also coached all-conference selections in Wallin (singles), Piotr Pawlak (doubles) and Sebastian Abboud (doubles). In addition, six Red Raiders were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team while four were selected as ITA Scholar-Athletes.
In his first season as interim head coach of the Red Raiders, Breler aided the team to 14 wins with eight of those coming against ranked opponents. Breler coached Tech to victories over ranked teams such as Alabama, Arizona State, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. Picking up conference wins against both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the Red Raiders earned a No. 3 seed into the Big 12 Tournament, their highest seed at the tournament since 2016.
Breler coached an All-Conference selection in Wallin as he picked up All-Big 12 First Team Singles honors. Freshman Lorenzo Esquici became just the second freshman in program history to be named a position champion and was able to secure the Big 12 title at No. 5 singles. The doubles pairing of Piotr Pawlak and Franco Ribero also claimed the Big 12 Position Champions honor at No. 2 doubles with a 3-1 record at the spot.
Breler also coached Wallin to his debut at the NCAA Singles Championships as he became the first Red Raider to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in singles since 2017 while ending the year ranked No. 57. Breler was promoted to head coach after leading the Red Raiders to their 19th overall and fifth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament when they faced Louisville in the first round of the tournament.
In the 2022 season, Breler helped coach the Red Raiders to 14 victories, including key wins against LSU, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, while also having a Red Raider finish the season in the top-100 of the ITA singles rankings as Isaac Arevalo checked in at 77th.
Spearheading the Red Raider’s recruiting efforts, Breler has made an instant imprint on the program by securing Tech’s first ever nationally ranked recruiting class (15th). The ranking also locked the Red Raiders at the top of the Big 12 Conference.
Breler has assisted in Tech’s success on and off the court having helped coach the program to a national ranking of 24th, reaching as high as 19th, at the conclusion of the 2021 season. In the same year, Breler helped coach the team to the second round of the NCAA Championships with a first-round victory over Virginia Tech. Breler has also assisted in producing nine All-Big 12 Academic and 11 ITA Scholar-Athlete selections.
No stranger to the Red Raider program, Breler shined as a member of the Tech men’s tennis team from 2005-09, racking up 27 singles win during his junior campaign, setting a record for single season singles victories (27), single season winning percentage (.844) and dual match season winning percentage (.904). Breler also held a career singles record of 79-41, placing him in the top-10 in program history in singles victories and singles winning percentage (.658).
Breler would also go undefeated in the Big 12 at the No. 6 position in 2008 earning him the Big 12 champion award at that spot. He also picked up the Big 12 Champion award at No. 2 doubles in 2009. Additionally, Breler was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week recipient earning the honor in March 2006 and March 2008. Together, with teammate Sinisa Markovic, he received a national double ranking of No. 11 in 2008 after advancing to the finals of the ITA Regionals, defeating two nationally ranked opponents.
Breler saw similar success in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big 12 first team honors three times while at Tech, becoming one of 10 Red Raiders in program history to make the list at least three times. He garnered ITA Scholar Athlete Status in 2008 and won the Excellence in Financial Education Award from the Society of Financial Service Professionals in 2009.
While at Tech, Breler took a pair of internships in the financial services industry before eventually accepting a full-time position at a risk management and commercial insurance service company in Lubbock. During his five years with the company, Breler ultimately gained a leadership position with the firm before accepting his position with Lubbock-Cooper ISD.
Prior to returning to the Red Raider program, Breler previously served as the head tennis coach at nearby Lubbock Cooper since August of 2015, coaching the high school varsity, junior varsity and middle school teams while also teaching private and group lessons to juniors and adults of all ages.
A native of Malmo, Sweden, Breler graduated from Korrespondensgymnasiet in Torsas in 2005. He was ranked as the No. 8 player in Sweden in the 18 and under division, placing as high as No. 170 in the ITF junior world rankings. Breler won the national outdoor team championships in 2004 and was a national runner-up in doubles in the 18-and-under division. He was also a four-time provincial champion in singles and doubles.
Breler graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Personal Financial Planning in 2010 and would later get his Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 2011.