New Sale Tennis Club professional coach Jason Yap has hit the ground running only days after his official appointment. 

Sale Tennis Cub President Robin Lowe said “Outgoing coach Anthony Zafiris had raised the bar on our coaching program to a standard never before seen at our Club.  We were therefore understandably a little nervous during the initial recruitment process.  Jason was assessed as the stand out candidate by our coach appointment panel and from the day of his appointment he has exceeded all of our expectations.  The degree of preparation he puts into all of his programs and activities, his focus on technique and his enthusiasm on court is fantastic.  Based on what we have seen I think everyone is looking forward to Term 4 and beyond.”

Jason’s duties with the Club started with a successful Open Day on Saturday September 25 that attracted the maximum 20 participants allowed.  The day was a fun introduction for all those who attended with tennis coaching, games and fitness activities all in a fun environment.  The “Win a point against the Coach” challenge was a highlight with Madi Nicholas taking home a brand new racquet as her reward for claiming a point against former professional circuit player Yap.

The Open Day was followed by a 3 day school holiday clinic that ran from Monday to Wednesday.  The clinics were a mixture of tennis, team building, fitness conditioning and good old fashioned fun.  The 20 maximum was achieved on most days and the sound of the activity, noise and laughter coming from the courts each day was testament to the fact that everyone was having a lot of fun while they learned.  Check out our facebook page to see video of the kids in action.

New coach Yap said "Myself, and my family, are falling in love with the town and its people more each day. I'm looking forward to continuing to build a great team culture, instilling strong core values and introducing new and exciting programs to Sale Tennis Club members in 2022. It's time for our world class facility to run high-level programs to produce elite athletes on and off the court."

Jason has now commenced his full time coaching role at the Club with lessons and squads each morning and afternoon and ANZ Hotshots on Saturday mornings.  He has ambitious plans to introduce Cardio Tennis, Fast 4, adult group coaching and other programs designed to assist players return to tennis successfully. 

Adding to the challenges for a new coach is that all programs must be delivered within COVIDSafe guidelines and be limited to a maximum of 20 participants. 

The short term ambition now is to prepare the coaching students for the return of Wellington Gippsland Tennis Association matches, which looks likely to be in early November, and for tournament play when this returns to the Victorian calendar. 

Anyone who would like to participate in any of the various coaching programs can contact Jason on 0403 082 388 or complete registration of interest form

Madi Nicholas is all smiles with her free racquet complements of her “Win a point off the coach” victory.