Mark Kovacs

Mark Kovacs, PhD, FACSM, CTPS, MTPS, CSCS,*D, USPTA, PTR, is a performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker, and coach with an extensive background in training and researching elite athletes. He runs a consulting firm focused on optimizing human performance by the practical application of cutting-edge science. He is a consultant to the ATP, WTA, USTA, and NCAA. Dr. Kovacs also is the director of the Life Sport Science Institute and associate professor of sport health science at Life University. Heovacs Kovacs has worked with hundreds of elite athletes and more than two dozen top professional tennis players, including John Isner, Robby Ginepri, Ryan Harrison, and Sloane Stephens. He formerly directed the sport science, strength and conditioning, and coaching education departments for the United States Tennis Association and was the director of the Gatorade Sport Science Institute as well as an executive at Pepsico. He is coauthor of the book Tennis Anatomy (Human Kinetics, 2011). Dr. Kovacs currently is the executive director of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA), the worldwide association for tennis-specific performance and injury prevention. He is a certified tennis performance specialist and a master tennis performance specialist through the iTPA. He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and both a USPTA and PTR certified tennis coach. Dr. Kovacs is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. In 2012, he was the youngest-ever recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award. Kovacs was a collegiate All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. After playing professionally, he performed tennis-specific research and earned a master’s degree in exercise science from Auburn University and a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Alabama.