Lessons

Coach Nelson has long been a part of the SVC Tennis staff, joining back in 2015 as a clinic assistant and working his way up to his current role as an Assistant Tennis Professional in February 2018, when Nelson obtained his USPTA certification. Nelson was home schooled, growing up in the high level competitive sphere of Florida junior tennis, where he reached the top-50 in the state. Coach Nelson has a great love for the game, a fun, laid-back personality and a special way of driving results from his students. Currently in his last year of law school at UNC, Nelson is with us on a part-time basis. He works with students of all levels and really enjoys working with those who want to work hard, listen, and learn. Fun fact: Coach Nelson plays ambidextrously–hitting just as impressively right and left handed!

Coach Diego was welcomed to the SVC Tennis Family in October of 2020. He comes to us from Callao, Peru, where he was born and raised. Diego started playing tennis when he was 11 years old and competed at a high level in Peru. He was a multi-sport athlete for his high school, playing tennis, soccer, and the popular Peruvian sport of Fronton. Coach Diego moved to North Carolina in 2017 and began his tennis coaching career working with students in his neighborhood. In 2019, Diego achieved his High-Performance Tennis Instructor Certification through the Professional Tennis Registry. He enjoys working with players of all ages and levels and has an incredible passion for teaching the sport of tennis. Diego believes that the key to success on the tennis court revolves around excellent footwork and he makes it a goal of his to get the best out of each of his students every time they share the court with one another. A fun fact about Diego is that his closest friends call him ‘Josh’ because they believe he looked like Josh Nichols from Drake and Josh when he was younger.

Coach Sarah joined us in October 2020. Sarah is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Spanish and Speech and Hearing Sciences. She is from Southern Pines, North Carolina and grew up playing USTA and Team Tennis at the varsity level. In 2018, Sarah was named NCISAA 2A Player of the Year. She is currently a member of the UNC Club Tennis Team. Fun Fact: Sarah attended YMCA Camp Cheerio for eight years, six as a camper and two as a counselor. If not for COVID-19, this past year would have been her third year on staff!

Coach Carolina became a member of the the SVC tennis staff in October 2020. Carolina is from Chapel Hill, NC and is currently a junior at the University of North Carolina, where she is a member of the UNC Club Team. She has played competitive tennis for the majority of her life and loves teaching and sharing the game with junior players. A fun fact about Carolina is that she spent a month backpacking in the Canadian wilderness last summer!

Coach Cal has been working at SVC since 2017, first working as a stringer, then a camp assistant, and finally a full tennis assistant. Cal has lived in the US for about 8 years now, and has been playing tennis since he was 4 in Scotland. He started competing in USTA tournaments when he was 10, and has played competitively in tournaments and school ever since, reaching top 30 in NC before focusing more on coaching and school. Cal enjoys working with players of all ages and levels, and loves to help them work hard to achieve their goals. A fun fact about Cal is that he has been a member of the SVC tennis program since he was 9 and has been working here since he turned 14! 

Coach Alice became a member of the SVC staff in January 2021. Alice is from Raleigh NC and is currently a junior at the University of North Carolina, where is she is a member of the UNC Club Team. She grew up playing USTA junior tournaments reaching top 10 in NC in every age division and top 100 in the Southern Region. She graduated from St. David’s School, winning 6 straight state championships, all state, all conference honors, and 2019 EPIC player of the year. A fun fact about Alice is she’s majoring in English and Peace, War, and Defense and hopes to go to Law school in the future.