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Portuguese-born Pedro Pissarra joins HKGTA as its Head Coach — bringing an extensive suite of training qualifications and peerless experience. His most recent role was as one of the main High-Performance Coaches of Women’s Tennis at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where he was responsible for the development of some of the best ITF Junior players in the world.

His deep passion for observing and studying the game made his coaching career start at young sixteen. Our Head Coach graduated in the Humanistic area of the University of Letters of Lisbon and holds a master’s degree in High-Performance Training from the Technical University of Lisbon. Pedro worked as National Squad Coach in the Portuguese Tennis Federation for U10’s, U12’s and U14’s being an ITF-certified Level 1 coach with the Portuguese Tennis Federation and is a Level C-certified coach with the Global Professional Tennis Coaches Association.

Giorgia comes from Italy, straight from the heart of Rome. She has been a passionate tennis enthusiast since the age of just eight. Coached by the well-known Stefano Panatta, she won the Under-14s Italian National Championships.

From her passion for playing this sport, her passion for coaching was soon developed. She worked as a coach at several sports clubs in Rome and Madrid before catching the eye of a recent started Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. She arrives at Hong Kong after leading the Adults programmes back in Mallorca.

With a degree in Educational Psychology and a host of tennis coaching qualifications under her belt, Giorgia is ideally placed to coach, motivate and inspire players of all ages and abilities to be their very best.

Tennis has been in Damian’s blood ever since he first took up the racquet in early childhood, first as a professional player and subsequently as a highly respected tennis coach.

Holding the Spanish Tennis Federation Coaching Development Scheme’s highest honors, his coaching career highlights include working with international-calibre players on the ITF and ATP circuits and serving as Head Coach at the legendary Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in his native Barcelona. Damian specialises in training HKGTA’s younger Patrons, with the aim of nurturing future champions. Thanks to his extensive experience working with active professionals on the ATP, WTA and ITF tours, he knows exactly what it takes to achieve international success.

Hailing from Santiago, Marcelo Valenzuela is a former professional player whose illustrious tennis career began at a young age. A former Chilean number one youth player, he participated in the Junior Davis Cup, reaching an ITF Junior ranking of 220 in the world as well as earning ATP points. His development as a player also passed at the Justine Henin Academy and Club Andres Gimeno as well as becoming a sparring partner for renowned tennis players Francesca Schiavone and Rueben Bemelmans.

As an ITF Level 1-certified coach, Marcelo has gained valuable international experience with roles in Brazil, Belgium, Russia, Chile, Saudi Arabia and now, Hong Kong. We are delighted to bring his extensive coaching expertise to HKGTA.

Mario ranked among Spain’s top 300 tennis players before he turned his focus to coaching. Mario has been awarded the title of National Teacher by the Spanish Board of Professional Tennis, the European Registry of Tennis Professionals, and the International Coaches Institute. He is a highly skilled coach who works enthusiastically to improve a player’s game at any level.

Mario is also certified in Mental Toughness via a programme developed by world renowned performance psychologist and co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, Dr. Jim Loehr. This commitment to holistic tennis development gives Mario the tools to improve any aspect of our Patrons’ performance and game, both physical and mental – helping them achieve their full potential, both on and off the court.

Pep holds an extensive career having played at the international level as a junior as well as playing NCAA tennis at Concordia College in New York.
A certified coach with the United States Professional Tennis Association and Professional Tennis Registry, he has also worked for various clubs and academies in Barcelona, New York, Shanghai and Turkey.

Pep was previously a Performance Coach with the Hong Kong Tennis Association, helping members of the National Squad Team and Elite Development programme players to hone their skills and lift their game through a holistic training system and state-of-the-art technology. His passion and focus are on helping youth player development.

Stephen is an experienced coach in Hong Kong, having been coaching for almost 10 years and having developed a love for the sport at just eight years old. Stephen accredits playing tennis as some of the best times and memories he has had. He has participated in some of the city’s most important and competitive tournaments and has trained young stars to engage in them.

Stephen is a coach that loves to share his passion to the young kids as well as grown people willing to give a try on this sport. His M.O. is simple, to use the sport to bring the best out of people and help them find joy in the process.

Belarus-born Yuliya has participated in and won numerous European and international tennis championships as a successful under-16s Junior player. As an ITF Level 1-qualified coach, she has also studied a Master of Sport, specialized in Tennis before working as a group fitness instructor, with a particular focus in developing young athletes.

After leading group tennis training sessions in Minsk, Bealarus, and Russia, Yuliya took on a coaching position at Ukraine’s International Tennis Academy in Kyiv. Her passion for the young ages, the ability to engage and inspire younger players for Tennis makes her an asset to the HKGTA coaching team.