Email us: info@tennis-together.co.uk
We are Kate and Jon, experienced tennis coaches and local Bexley parents, teaming up to launch Tennis Together. Inspired by our experiences within clubs as well as by our son Alfie, our vision is to run a community, family-friendly coaching programme.
We want to challenge the stigma tennis holds and provide affordable, good quality tennis coaching where everyone is welcome.
Kate grew up in Charlton and started playing tennis with her mum and dad at a local club when she was 7 years old. At age 11, Kate started playing competitive tennis and as a junior reached top 15 in the country. She represented Bexley Lawn Tennis Club, winning the National Junior Club League (now AEGON) as well as being part of the winning Kent Junior County cup team on multiple occasions. At 19, her tennis then took her to North Carolina State University, where she achieved a full tennis scholarship. Having finished university she continued to play competitive tennis at both County and National level. She represented the Cumberland Club and Kent ladies winning National titles in both.
During this time, Kate also began her coaching career, and has worked in clubs around the local area since. She is an extremely experienced tennis coach (LTA Level 3), and is near to completing her Level 4 Senior Coaching qualification. She still enjoys playing club and county tennis, although her focus now is on raising her son, Alfie and building her tennis coaching business alongside partner, Jon.
Kate’s coaching philosophy has been shaped from both her experiences in competitive tennis, but also from work she has done in the community through coaching at local clubs and schools.
Jon was brought up in Eltham and started playing tennis with his family, namely Mum and Grandad, at the local park. After being encouraged to join a community club nearby, he completed a tennis leaders course at age 15. This allowed him to gain valuable work experience and earn money whilst completing his studies at Bexley Grammar School. He then continued to work his way through the coaching qualifications and is now a LTA Level 3 Accredited coach. Since then, Jon has worked in parks tennis and a performance tennis centre, giving him valuable experience in all areas of coaching.
Jon is an experienced tennis coach, with a philosophy around bringing people together to enjoy and learn the game of tennis. He is able to deliver inclusive, yet valuable tennis coaching, which is complemented by everyone who has been on court with him. He has an intuitive skill of being able to understand what people want and implements them into every session that he delivers.
Hassam has always been passionate about tennis and currently plays at 2 local tennis clubs near Bexley and Sidcup, representing one of them in their teams. He plays tennis because he loves the sport, it keeps him fit, and it reminds him of the important things in life: Staying in the moment, commitment, resilience, and camaraderie.
The arrival of Hessam's grandson prompted him to embark on his tennis coaching qualifications as he was inspired by his grandson's enthusiasm and love of learning. He is now a LTA qualified coach, holding a LTA Level 2 Tennis Instructor qualification and he is really enjoying being able to teach the sport he loves. Hessam considers it both a privilege and a responsibility to help shape the next generation of tennis champions.