Ana Popovic enters her fifth season as head coach of the Hampton tennis programs for the 2025-26 academic year, she started with the Pirates November 2021.
In her first four seasons, she has seen both programs make the CAA Tournament twice and has amassed 29 wins on the men's side and 28 on the women's. She has seen Diana Starodubtseva (Second Team '25) and Mio Kozaki (Third Team '24) earn All-CAA Women's Tennis honors
Popovic brings a wealth of experience and energy to the program. She knows what it takes to win both as a coach and student-athlete.
Prior to Hampton, Popovic had a successful playing and coaching career at her alma mater Norfolk State University where she was an assistant coach.
Both the Spartan men’s and women’s programs captured the MEAC Northern Division title in 2021 in her second year as assistant coach, the second regular season crowns for both since joining the league. The Spartan men had four All-MEAC honorees, including Player of the Year Andres Alcaraz and fellow first-team player Federico Rebecchini. The women earned three all-conference nods, the most in program history, including first-team All-MEAC honoree Paula Fortuno.
The Spartan men advanced to the MEAC Championship final for the second time ever and had a winning record for the second time in seven years. The women qualified for the semifinals for the first time since 2008 and had their first winning record since 2013.
Popovic also served as a volunteer assistant coach for one year in 2019. The Spartan women went 4-1 in the MEAC that year and were awarded the Northern Division crown. Naz Karagoz become the first women’s MEAC Player of the Year in program history, and she and men’s player Vini Da Silva were named first-team all-conference. The Spartan men placed second in the division in 2019 as well.
The 2020 season, her first as an assistant coach, was cancelled after March 12 – before MEAC play – due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Popovic spent five years with the program as a player between 2013 and 2018 and provided valuable leadership on and off the courts.
She earned 20 singles wins in her career and finished with a winning record in MEAC competition at 8-7. Off the courts, the Belgrade, Serbia native received NSU Athletics Director’s Honor Roll recognition six times, was voted team captain prior to the 2017-18 season, and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
A kinesiotherapy major, Popovic graduated from NSU in 2018. Certified tennis coach by the Professional Tennis Registry.
