Tennis Center Pros

Adrian Clarke was born in Barbados and came to America as a teenager. For a year and a half he trained at the Port Washington Tennis Academy before receiving a full tennis scholarship to Hampton University in Virginia. Adrian played the Davis Cup for the Commonwealth Caribbean and later for Barbados, whose team he also captained for two years. Besides being the Director of Tennis at three resorts in Barbados, Adrian has taught at the Wall Street Racket Club, the East River Tennis Club and was director of the Reebok Junior Program at Flushing Meadows. Adrian has taught at the Prospect Park Tennis Center for fifteen years and was appointed director in 2021. Adrian is also a professional steelpan player and enjoys writing.

Grenada native Heyden Ashton boasts an impressive background as a former national junior and senior singles and doubles champion. His extensive experience includes representing the Windward Islands' national junior team and contributing seven years to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Davis Cup team. Heyden holds a USPTR certification and has excelled as a coach for both Grenada and the Windward Islands' national junior team. With a coaching tenure exceeding two decades at esteemed institutions such as the Port Washington Tennis Academy and the Midtown Tennis Club, he currently serves as the head coach for the Calhoun Boys and Girls Varsity tennis and table tennis teams.

Treverson "Travis" Alleyne is from the Caribbean island of Barbados. Travis is in his second year with the PPTC and has been a volunteer instructor with the Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association in Brooklyn for seven years. He is certified with the USPTR to teach kids 10 and under but enjoys teaching all levels and ages. Outside of tennis, he is a drummer who has played private and public events around the tri-state the past twelve years.

Avery grew up playing tennis with his father in Ohio, developing a deep love for the game at an early age. He went on to play at Kenyon College for a team consistently ranked in the top ten of Division III. He brings over ten years of coaching experience, having worked with people of all ages and skill levels. He’s excited to start his next chapter at PPTC, helping players achieve their goals with an emphasis on form, mindset, and match play tactics.

Roger Brown is from the Caribbean island of Grenada, known as the Spice Isle. He has been a freelance tennis instructor and racket stringer for many years and is pleased to bring his knowledge and experience to the Tennis Center's Junior Development Program and other programs.

A former Olympian, Jenny competed on the WTA tour from 1986-1997, reaching a career-high world rankings of #45 in Singles and #20 in Doubles. She had career singles wins over top-ten players Hana Mandlikova, Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver; reached the Wimbledon mixed doubles finals; and was a semifinalist at the French and US Opens in Women’s Doubles and a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon. She played singles for Australia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and was a four-time member of the Australian Federation Cup Team. She holds a BA in Film from Hunter College.

Paul served as the Director of the Prospect Park Tennis Center from 2004-2021. He received the top rating upon certification by the USPTA. Paul still enjoys playing and was ranked #5 in the East in the Men’s 45 Singles and #2 in the Father and Son Doubles. He enjoys teaching all levels of play and the dynamics of group instruction. He has taught tennis at several respected tennis venues in the US, Caribbean, and Europe. In 2006 Paul and his wife began the Special Aces program for kids with special needs. Paul is also a visual artist whose work has been shown at the Brooklyn Museum, Site Santa Fe and several other art museums and galleries in the US and abroad. His work can be viewed at paulcampbellstudio.com

Zac started playing tennis at a young age and developed a deep love for the game. He loves teaching all levels but holds a special place for teaching youth. Zac believes that tennis is for everyone and understands how to scaffold for differently abled children, and adults of all skill levels. When not on the tennis court, Zac can be found at any of the local playgrounds chasing his daughter.

Allison is a USPTA certified coach with almost twenty years of experience at racket and country clubs. Coach Alli was born and raised in Staten Island and played second singles and first doubles for the University of Connecticut while captaining the program. She has notable wins over Old Dominion, Marquette, DePaul, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Pittsburg, to name a few. Alli teaches to the individual and focuses on enhancing every student's natural strengths in order to bring out their best tennis. She has a ton of energy and coaches dynamic, engaging, and fun group classes and looks forward to making a positive impact at the Prospect Park Tennis Center.

Isabella grew up in Brooklyn and started playing tennis at 6 years old at our very own Prospect Park. She was a top 20 Eastern player in girls 14s 16s. From there she became a nationally ranked player, playing USTA and ITF tournaments. Eventually, Isabella relocated to Florida to train at the Evert Tennis Academy before playing on the Babson College team.

Shelly is a Guyanese-born Libra who recently migrated to the USA. She's a former Guyanese national singles and doubles player as well as a former National Football Captain. She has over ten years experience as the Guyanese National Junior Tennis Coach and more than fifteen years working with players of all levels. A certified International Tennis Federation level 2 coach and Guyanese National Junior Tennis Coordinator, Shelly is passionate about seeing her students improve. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, attending sports events, and giving back to community projects.

Leon was both a Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Champion in Guyana. As a member of the Guyanese National Team, he competed throughout the Caribbean and South America, where he taught before moving to Los Angeles and then New York. Leon has taught at Central Park, Manhattan Plaza, the East River Tennis Club and the New York Junior Tennis League. He is also an expert racquet stringer.

Felix Garcia grew up playing tennis in Ecuador and competed nationally while he lived there. He earned a scholarship to go to Missouri Valley College where he played for the tennis and soccer teams. In Missouri, Felix completed his Business Management degree and later moved to NYC where he now lives with his wife and kids. Felix enjoys playing and coaching tennis. He also plays soccer, music and trains for boxing/MMA.

Anna was the captain of the St John’s Women’s Tennis Team, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management. Originally from the Republic of Georgia, she was a member of the country’s first tennis academy and selected as one of the three top players. She has taught at the Saw Mill Club, the Brooklyn Racquet Club, and CityView Racquet Club.

Eduardo was ranked #1 in Caracas, Venezuela, in the 16- and 18-and-under divisions. He won the Prospect Park Tennis Center Championships in 2009, and was a finalist in 2010. Known for his backhand, Eduardo has taught at East River Tennis Club, Tennisport and Total Tennis. He is an accomplished visual artist who has exhibited at the Queens Museum, the Bronx Museum of Art and the Carrillo Gil Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico.

The Tennis Center's youngest pro, Euly was introduced to tennis at 6 years old in North Carolina and quickly developed a passion for the sport. Living in North Carolina for most of her youth, she spent a majority of her time training and playing competitively, maintaining a top 10 state ranking in the 16 & 18U divisions. Euly spends her time between university and working at the Center where she especially loves coaching children.

Boris Granolic is an Australian tennis coach with 15+ years of coaching experience. As a nationally ranked junior tennis player in Australia, he was a member of the four-time high school state championship winning tennis team, four times out of six. Boris has expertise in coaching all levels of experience. He is equally comfortable in holding one-on-one lessons, group training, elite squad level training, or cardio tennis.

Originally from Mexico, Lucy played in Houston, Texas as a youth, and reached a juniors ranking in the top 30. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Houston. She has been teaching at Prospect Park Tennis Center for nearly a decade now and loves teaching children. Aside from coaching tennis, she also enjoys Salsa dancing and is part of a performance team in Manhattan. She enjoys adventures in the outdoors such as hiking and loves playing tennis with friends and USTA teams.

Nigel played Davis Cup for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, and was the team captain. He studied and played tennis at Harding University in Arkansas, and taught tennis in Italy for seven years, where he coached many top-level junior players and became fluent in Italian. Nigel also has taught at the East River Tennis Club and at Tennisport.

A staff pro since 1999, Woody played Davis Cup for Haiti, where he was ranked #2 in the country, and was the Inter-Caribbean Junior Champion. He is also head pro at Lincoln Terrace, and is an avid soccer player.

Nadzeya grew up in Belarus, Soviet Union, and was invited to study and play for Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. She graduated with four national tennis titles, and a diploma with honors.

Kenji Michaud started playing tennis at the age of 17 in the Tennis Center's Junior Development Program. Two years later, while pursuing his BA in music as a classical pianist, he would play on the Ithaca College club team. Kenji is a PTR certified instructor and enjoys teaching both kids and adults. He works as Program Coordinator at the Center.

Ron has been playing tennis since the age of 9. He was a starter for the Cardozo High School tennis team in Bayside, Queens, and was also a starter for the NYU tennis team. Ranked nationally and regionally, Ron trained at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy, the Port Washington Tennis Academy and the National Tennis Center. He has coached at NYU, Midtown Tennis Club, and recently coached the Columbia Prep High School varsity tennis team to a 2022 PSAL championship. Ron focuses on form, conditioning and mental toughness.

Joseph was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. He was introduced to tennis at age 9 and developed a love for the sport. Joseph was ranked in the top #4 in the 14 and 16 and under league in the Ghana Nationals. Joseph began his coaching career with the women's tennis team at Yeshiva University and specializes in teaching Junior and Adult development programs. In addition to his work in Prospect Park, Joseph teaches at Cary Leed’s Tennis Centre in the Bronx and aside from coaching tennis, Joseph has built a lifelong passion for road bike racing.

An instructor at the Prospect Park Tennis Center for more than 20 years, Winston is a gifted Pee Wee coach who led the Columbia Grammar Prep team to several championships. A head pro at the Knickerbocker Field Club, Winston has conducted teacher training sessions for the NYJTL and has worked in the USTA Player Development Program. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, and is passionate about helping children with disabilities learn to play tennis.

As a youth, Danny played tennis competitively and served as an instructor for the City Parks Foundation and at a YMCA. After a long hiatus during which he missed the sport sorely, he returned to competing several years ago, first by joining the adult leagues at Prospect Park, and now he is thrilled to share his passion for tennis though teaching on these same courts. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the nearby Knickerbocker Field Club (the Knick, a tennis club) and the affiliated Knickerbocker Tennis Foundation, which provides tennis coaching for local youth. He is also a four-time singles champion at the Knick. Aside from tennis, Danny is a consultant to nonprofit organizations and he dabbles in writing and entrepreneurial projects.

Steve Ross is a highly experienced tennis player and coach who was ranked number one in the East in the men's division in the 1970s and later number one in the men's 35s. In 2013 he was inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. Steve has been coaching at the PPTC for ten years and especially enjoys working in the Junior Development Program. He is originally from Miami, FL.

Vlad Safovich is a USPTR certified tennis instructor who has been involved in the sport for over 10 years. Vlad teaches various age groups at different levels, ranging from 10 and under to adults, and beginner to advanced. Before discovering his love for tennis and launching his teaching career, Vlad played soccer professionally. He utilizes his athletic background to emphasize a balance between all elements of the game, mental and physical, while also paying attention to the finer details, such as mastering footwork. Vlad combines his passion for teaching and the love of the sport to positively impact his students.

Peter grew up playing tennis at Prospect Park as a kid. Along with developing technique and fostering a positive environment in his students, he aims to ignite in them the same kinetic magic he first felt on the courts at the PPTC.

An instructor at the Prospect Park Tennis Center since 1989, Todd specializes in teaching adults. He learned to play in Minnesota, where he played Division III Tennis. He has been a Head Pro at the Knickerbocker Field Club since 1994. Todd plays rhythm guitar and sings vocals in the band Blue Plate Special.

Francis began coaching tennis in 1986 as coach of the Miriam College Women’s Tennis Team in the Philippines. He also has coached for the NY Junior Tennis League, NYSC, USTA Team Tennis and the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association. He teaches tennis to developmentally challenged children and adults through his work with HERO, Inc. Francis received the Skyline Conference Co-Coach of the Year Award in 2010, the NYJTL Outstanding Coach Award in 2003 and the USTA Certificate of Recognition in 2003.