After a dominant 2024 campaign that saw Kentucky men’s tennis go 27-3 overall with a perfect 12-0 in conference play, the squad has struggled to match that standard this season.
Twenty-one matches into the 2025 schedule, the Cats sit at an underwhelming 11-10 underlined by a disastrous 4-7 record in the SEC with four of those in-conference losses coming against unranked opponents.
Most recently, on the weekend of March 28, Kentucky traveled southwest to take on both No. 4 Texas and No. 12 Texas A&M, suffering 4-0 and 4-1 losses respectively.
Totaling for just one point in both matches, the Cats return to Lexington with two more frustrating in-conference losses.
The SEC is no laughingstock and currently leads all conferences in top 25 appearances with five schools sitting high in the March 25 ITA rankings. Additionally, eight more SEC squads are ranked between 26 and 50.
Despite this, in the Jan. 6 ITA poll, the first of the season, Kentucky was the second-highest ranked SEC team and the No. 7 overall team in the country. Just two months later, in the March 4 release, the Wildcats plummeted to No. 27 as the eighth best team in the conference.
So, what happened to the Cats?
Last season, after winning the SEC championship for the second consecutive year, Kentucky lost to the eventual national champion TCU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Following the defeat, three paramount pieces of the roster, Taha Baadi, Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer, graduated and turned to different career paths within the sport. All three of the former Wildcats were named to the All-SEC first team in 2024 and peaked in the top 25 of their respective disciplines.
Baadi and Lapadat, the captains from the 2024 SEC champions, are both now competing in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), while Mercer joined Marshall’s tennis staff as an assistant coach.
The doubles team of Lapadat and Mercer was not one to be messed with. The ITA All-Americans in doubles peaked at No. 4 in the ITA rankings and took the No. 3 doubles seed in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, the exact opposite has taken place.
The Wildcats have faced an array of difficulties in doubles competitions and addressing these challenges will be crucial for improving overall success in the final stretch of their fixture.
Currently, the No. 21 ranked pair of Eli Stephenson and Jack Loutit are the top duo for the Cats. The returning sophomores are 8-6 overall with a 5-4 record in the SEC.
In the 10 matches where Kentucky doesn’t win the doubles point, it’s come away with just three wins, and with having to rely on winning the singles courts, there’s been very little wiggle room for failure.
Despite the struggles, Kentucky’s roster remains filled with young potential. The team’s returners, three of five still being sophomores, have already gained valuable experiences in the early stages of their careers.
The foundation for success is there, and the Wildcats are best off looking to develop and grow through the challenges.
With four more matches left in the regular season, Kentucky has a chance to get back on track before the NCAA Tournament. Its next competition is against Dayton on April 2 at the Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington where the Cats look to bounce back after four straight losses.
