9 Memphis

[Frida Kosofsky]

TennisMemphis is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to build a better community and enhance lives through tennis and education. Tennis Memphis provides youth programs after school and during the summer, including our comprehensive year-round Junior Development, Tennis and Tutoring (TnT), free tennis clinics and outreach programs and USTA programming. We manage several City of Memphis public tennis centers: Eldon Roark in Whitehaven, Frayser, Leftwich, Raleigh and Wolbrecht Tennis Centers.

When individuals choose to donate and support Tennis Memphis, they are making a meaningful contribution to a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing lives and building a better community through tennis and education.

Whether your child is looking to experience the joy of tennis for the first time or is a competitive player seeking to take their game to the next level, Tennis Memphis Summer Camp is the perfect place for you. Camps are offered at our conveniently located tennis centers across the city.

Welcome to tennis and let the fun begin! If you just decided that tennis is something you wanted to try then this is the class for you! PTF 101 is a beginner class that focuses on form and fundamentals so you have the building blocks for success! Our coaches will help give you the right information to keep you playing for a lifetime! Players must register by emailing afr...@tennismemphis.org. The pricing is $150 for the entire 6 week session.

Zach is from Indiana, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Saint Francis University, where he played and coached for their Division 1 tennis team, loving every opportunity he had to step foot on the court.

Zach has had the opportunity to coach in New York at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, as well as in Southern Florida, and back home in Pennsylvania. Alongside coaching, Zach is well-versed in racket and string knowledge, starting his path in Florida working for Diadem Sports for a summer internship as a stringer and racket customizer.

Jeffery has immersed himself in tennis for over a decade, starting as a kid and developing a deep passion for the sport. As he honed his skills, he gained a reputation as a skilled player, inspiring him to share his knowledge with the youth and anyone interested in this beloved game.

The next stage becomes more challenging for players as they improve their skills, movement, and play situations. Here they need to use class time to make the ball go faster, add spins, and connect a variety of shots together using patterns of play. Moving forward in the court and using angles will also become a priority at this level. They will now be developing all five play situations; baseline rally, serve, return, moving forward, and your opponent moving forward. Mentally they learn to focus, embrace, and enjoy challenging situations.

The third phase of the program has them transitioning to the full court. Players at this stage are more confident and tactically aware. Goals are now more focused around their opponent and how to attack and defend. Focus is placed on developing more tactical skills and refining technical ones, building upon the quality foundations from previous stages, including attacking, defending and using strengths and weaknesses. As they continue to grow and develop, basic strength and athletic skills play a bigger part in their game; physical size must be considered as players transition.

Players now have transitioned fully to the regulation court and have a good understanding of all the play situations. Tactical and technical aspects of development are the main focus. Players will continue to develop their own game style and have the ability to make adjustments under pressure. A good understanding of high percentage play and pattern for singles and doubles fundamentals will be a focal point. Hard work, sportsmanship, and discipline is a must as the intensity and demand of the program is increased. Staying mentally and emotionally positive through the process is expected from all participants.

Trip is a native of the Memphis area. With a background in Division 1 college tennis at the University of Mississippi, his journey in the world of tennis began as a player, and he has since transitioned into a successful coaching career.

In 2007, Trip began coaching at Tennis Memphis, where he has been a pivotal figure in nurturing the tennis talent of aspiring players. He is committed to providing high-quality coaching to players of all ages and skill levels.

Trip enjoys working with both juniors and adults, helping them improve their game and fall in love with tennis. He has coached numerous players from the beginner stages to the collegiate level.

As Director of Tennis Paul will be assisting the coaches at each of our facilities, helping to attract and coordinate events and tournaments, acting as the liaison with the University of Memphis tennis teams and assisting with the junior programs.

Adam joins our team at Tennis Memphis with over ten years of experience in almost every aspect of the tennis industry. He has been a director for Adults, U10 and Junior development as well as worked in the sports equipment industry.

Adam has had some amazing opportunities so far in his life. He has coached players who have gone on to play on the WTA, BJK Cup, National Championships, Little Mo finals and reach junior rankings as high as top 20 in the country. He has also strung and customized rackets for many WTA and ATP players.

As the Adult Head Tennis Professional, Adam is extremely excited to bring everything he has learned in his career to Tennis Memphis. Whether players are looking for fun, competition or the next big social event, Adam is there to help! He cannot wait to show Memphis all of the fun you can have while improving your game every single day.

Cedric comes to Tennis Memphis with a decade of extensive coaching experience ranging from the junior to adult level. He has coached over 35 juniors in Regional, Southern and National level tournaments and continues to serve as a mentor to several collegiate players. Cedric served as the Director of Junior Tennis at the Racquet Club of Memphis until its closing in 2019.

Cedric is the son of Marnix and Caroline De Zutter and the youngest of their three children. He is also a proud (and favorite!) uncle to Laure and Nick. While Cedric is a Belgian native he is happy to call Memphis home and excited to be part of the Tennis Memphis team.

Andrew joins us with nearly a decade of coaching experience across all levels and age groups (beginners to the elite and collegiate levels), specializing in juniors tennis. Born and raised in Memphis, Andrew has been in the local tennis community all his life. As a junior player, Andrew was ranked top 40 in the South.

Professionally, Andrew has taken multiple junior teams to state championships. Most recently, he led the University of Jackson girls team to back to back state championships, and the boys teams to back to back finalist rounds of the championships.

In 2022, Andrew moved back to Memphis to continue his coaching career closer to home. Andrew is married to his wife, Megan, and they recently welcomed their daughter, Savannah, in July 2023. He is excited to continue to grow his career and expertise for the sport in the city where it all began.

Diane is the Tennis Memphis Operations Manager, and has been with Tennis Memphis since 2014. Diane reports to the Director of Business Operations, and brings with her a lifelong passion for tennis at quality facilities like those that Tennis Memphis operates. This drives her to engage and coordinate with the City of Memphis and subcontractors aimed at maintaining and improving the tennis experience.

Melinda has been the Director of Business Operations for Tennis Memphis for the past 6 years. Prior to her time at TM she was the Director of Finance for another local nonprofit. Melinda and her husband Robert both play on numerous USTA teams and enjoy traveling, hiking, and all things outdoors. She is a native Memphian and serves at both her church and a local ministry. She loves the mission of Tennis Memphis and being a part of its wonderful team!

Thomas is a highly experienced tennis pro with ten years of coaching experience in and out of the Memphis area. Originally from Virginia, Thomas relocated to Memphis as a teen where he played as a high level junior and collegiate player. Thomas has worked with adults and juniors of all levels. His proudest accomplishment has been his dedication to bettering himself with tennis even while working two to three jobs throughout high school and tennis to fund his development as a player. With his work at Tennis Memphis, Thomas hopes to help make tennis development accessible to everyone.

In our first stage, players learn the basic concept of the game and how to direct and control a ball in a space. Players develop fundamental movement, balance, as well as basic hitting and rallying skills, reception, contact, and a basic short swing shape. From the very beginning they learn key tactical and technical concepts of the game, with the focus on controlling and directing the ball to help win points. They will build the skills required to serve, return, rally and score beginning at the very first clinic.

Ryan is the Welcome Center Manager for the Leftwich Tennis Center and a proud native Memphian, raised by a great family. He has a background in sales, marketing and insurance. Prior to his tenure with Tennis Memphis Ryan was the Networking and Marketing executive for a local Insurance Company. Ryan is ambitious and driven and plans to enter the field of international business.

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