CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Lockhart Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Andres Pedroso announced Tuesday (May 26) that Luca Preda (Constanta, Romania) has signed an athletics aid agreement and will join the Virginia team as a freshman in the fall of 2026.
Preda reached a career-high ITF World Juniors ranking of No. 5 in April 2024, finishing the season ranked No. 7. He won five juniors singles titles, including the J500 in Cairo, and two J300s. He also won four juniors doubles titles. He reached the doubles semifinals and singles quarterfinals at the 2024 US Open, and also played in the Junior French and Junior Wimbledon that year. He competed in the 2024 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu, China, advancing to the semifinals. He was the finalist at the 2023 Orange Bowl.
Preda has played in five Challenger main draws, twice advancing to the second round. He made his ATP Tour debut at the ATP 250 in Bucharest in 2025, advancing to the quarterfinals of the doubles main draw. He also represented Romania in Davis Cup play in 2024.
Preda joins American Jack Kennedy in the Cavaliers’ incoming recruiting class. The combination of Kennedy, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, and Preda has given the Cavaliers the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Virginia loses two players to graduation from its 2026 NCAA Champion squad: Mans Dahlberg and Douglas Yaffa.