Coaches and Staff

COACHES
&
STAFF

MEET THE TEAM

*All staff are personally trained by Director Kim Grant and are held to her personal standard of excellence.*

Kim Grant, Director
Kim is a former professional tennis player with 18 years of experience on the WTA tour. While on the tour, she gained a reputation as an excellent match strategist, and she coached other professional players while still competing herself. Kim has coached all over the world, starting with coaching fellow WTA professionals during her playing career. She is a certified instructor (including WTA, and USTA certifications) in 6 different countries.
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Coaches

Coach Aleks
Coach Aleks was born and raised in Uzbekistan, Tashkent. He started playing tennis at 6 years old. As a coach, Coach Aleks is dedicated to helping players of all levels reach their full potential on court, he is committed to staying current with the latest techniques and strategies in the game and is always seeking new ways to help tennis players succeed.
Coach Aleks says, “Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics or an experienced player wanting to take your game to the next level, I am here to help you achieve your goals. I am excited to work with you and help you become the best tennis player you can be.’

Coach Enrique
Born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, Enrique has been involved in tennis his whole life. From playing at a university level at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico to teaching tennis at the Odyssey Club in Cancun, Mexico to being the Tennis Director at the Puerto Adventuras Golf and Tennis Club and the Hotel Robinson Club, Enrique has done it all.

Enrique coaches using drills, games, and live-ball situation and improves the strategy and tennis ability of the players along the way. He encourages students to develop their mind and body and develop the consistency that is required to compete at any level of the sport.

Coach Emma- Head Coach (Orange Ball)
Emma has been with Kim Grant and her academy since the beginning. Emma started with Kim Grant Tennis Academy as a player and earned top junior rankings in Northern California. Emma represented Kim Grant Tennis Academy at the 2008 Orange Bowl and has a 2008 Junior Sectionals Doubles title to her name. Currently, even though Emma is a coach at KGTA, she is embarking on a professional career - playing many International Tennis Federation Tournaments.

Coach Atif
Born in India and raised in Dubai, UAE, Coach Atif started playing tennis at 6 years old and was ranked #1 in UAE at age 14. He played many international tournaments, such as ITF Juniors and ITF Futures and then went to college in the United States where he was a student-athlete for 4 years.
Coach Atif says, “I enjoy coaching because I love the game and helping people. Helping people achieve their professional or even competitive goals motivates me to work harder for them and coaching also helps me meet a variety of people from different walks of life.”
When he isn’t playing tennis or coaching, Coach Atif loves watching movies and enjoys hiking with friends.

Coach Elvira- Head Coach (Yellow Ball)
Seven-time champion in Moldova and a National Team member for her country, Coach Elvira represented Moldova in the European Championship for four years prior to attending to LMU. She was also invited to play in the Fed Cup tournament. Coach Elvira has played a handful of WTA Tournaments as well.

Coach Elvira received an Athletic Letter Award along with the full scholarship to attend Loyola Marymount University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Sciences. Her win/loss ratio was 53/15 for all 4 years in singles play at positions #2 and #4.

“I’ve been working with kids since I was 15, helping my coach and then coaching my little sister. She showed me how curious and enthusiastic kids can be and how joyful it is to see the results of your hard work in the players.”- Coach Elvira

Coach Iker
Originally from Spain, Coach Iker has been playing for more than 2 decades and was coached by Javier Piles (former coach of the now retired, David Ferrer).
   Coach Iker played college tennis and graduated with a Kinesiology and Exercise Science degree. His knowledge and understanding of the mechanics of the human body allows him to assist with nutritional advice, create training programs that enhance endurance and flexibility benefit the player’s tennis game.
   “My goal is to make everyone enjoy and get all the benefits fo playing tennis.”- Coach Iker
   Fun fact about Coach Iker is that he is a surfer.

Coach Joshua- Head Coach (Red Ball)
Introduced to tennis around the age of 9, Coach Joshua enjoyed it from the start. Coach Joshua said: “I loved to compete and see the results of putting in hours of hard work of training and practicing paying off in matches.”

Besides playing competitively as a junior, Coach Joshua also played for his High School Varsity Team and then for the SJSU Men’s Club Team. Coach Joshua has a background in Child Development and has taught Mathematics at local middle schools.

He is USTA certified and has coached tennis at various tennis clubs in the Bay Area, USTA Summer League Teams, as well as been a coach for a middle school tennis team in Cupertino before joining the KGTA Team.

Coach Joshua’s passion for tennis and drive to help shape players into the best versions of themselves on court and off court makes him a great addition to the KGTA Team.

Coach Poojashree
From Bangalore, India, Coach Poojashree started playing tennis at 8 years old and excelled throughout her tennis career. Ranked #1 in India for her entire junior career, she also had a ITF Junior world ranking of #39. Coach Poojashree represented India at the Women’s Fed Cup, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Junior Fed Cup and Hopman’s Cup to name a few. She also played Junior Wimbledon, Junior French Open and Junior US Open and won medals at the National Games and the Youth Commonwealth Games. Besides her participation on court, Coach Poojashree also received the following awards: Ekalya Award, Best Junior Sports Person of the Year and Kamataka Press Club Award.
Off- court, Coach Poojashree has completed her MBA in Business Management and has worked in the corporate field for over 7.5years in Commercial Operations and Business Development.
Coach Poojashree coaches because of her love for the sport and to unlock each player’s potential to excel.

Coach Rina
A Russian native, Coach Rina started playing tennis at the age of 8. She played tennis for the NCAA Division 1 Missouri State University.
In her free time, Coach Rina likes to travel and learn new languages.

“I love coaching because I have for tennis and a passion for teaching.”- Coach Rina

Coach Peter
As a Bay Area native, Coach Peter started playing tennis at the age of 4. He continued training consistently and that led to him being a highly ranked junior in NorCal as a teenager as well as playing #1 varsity freshman year at Mountain View High.

After playing singles for Foothill College, his tennis coaching career began. Starting as a volunteer at Cuesta park, he spent the next 10 years training and developing his abilities to be an excellent and fully committed tennis coach.
With a passion for mental toughness training, helping students of all ages with composure and confidence along with technique development, he looks forward to every opportunity to use tennis teachings as a tool for positively impacting the lives of our players.

Coach Raymond
Coach Raymond was born and raised in Marbella, Spain. He started playing tennis at 5 years old. He is dedicated to making other players achieve their goals and succeed on the tennis court.

Coach Raymond was coached by Manolo Santana (former world No. 1) and played college tennis for four years.

He loves coaching and teaching other people what he knows best, and is looking forward to working with you.

Fun fact about Coach Raymond is that he plays the piano.

Professional Players

Viewing Sessions By Request:
As a professional athlete training at our facilities, training sessions with coaches and hitting partners are available to be viewed/ observed live on court with the player and coach.
- Private (Pro Player and coach practicing and a student may be on court listening, taking notes and absorbing the knowledge).
- Clinic (group of student are on court watching a Pro Player and a coach train, but a second coach is there to explain the training sessions and explaining to the students what to learn from and apply to their own tennis).
- Hitting/ Match Play (Pro Player and a hitting Aplay practice matches or live ball drills and player can be on court to get an up close experience).
* Viewing Sessions are priced differently based on the category so please contact the office for booking requests. .
Players are allowed to ask Pro Players questions after practices and they may give “coach” tips and pointers if asked.

Ema Turudija (Player)

Ema is a professional tennis player from Serbia and came to the United States on a full tennis scholarship. She played division 1 collegiate tennis for all four years as an undergraduate student. Ema spent her freshman and sophomore year at the University of Louisiana at Monroe where she played both singles and doubles. By the end of her sophomore year, the team was ranked 75 in the ITA National Team Rankings. Upon finishing her sophomore year, Ema transferred to Missouri State University where she served as a number 1 player for both singles and doubles. In 2016 she was named an All-MVC First Team selection as well as MVC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week on two occasions. Ema was also on Athletic Director's honor roll on three occasions, and on the Dean's list her senior year.

Administration

Kerilyn, Assistant Director and Life Coach
Kerilyn was a top level junior in South Africa and played division I tennis at San Jose State University on a scholarship. Coach Kerilyn has been coaching and developing players of all levels for 15 years and is certified with the ITF- International Tennis Federation. Along with her well-accomplished tennis career, she is a certified life coach, award winning leader, and public speaker.

Laura-Accountant
Laura joined us in 2016 and is responsible for managing the accounting, financial reporting, payroll, and overseeing compliance with tax returns and other regulations. Laura grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When graduated from high school, she got her accounting degree from Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires. Although Laura did not grow up playing tennis, she always felt attracted to the sport. Later, when she met her husband Jorge (a tennis player since eight), she became an enthusiastic tennis player. Laura and Jorge have one daughter, Helena, who is a tennis student at KGTA, and Zoe, their dog, who loves to pick up tennis balls! Outside of work, Laura enjoys gardening, spending time with her family, traveling and attending tennis tournaments.

Fiona- Personal Assistant to Director Kim
Hails from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fiona has a varied career background.
After graduating from Wits Technikon, she taught Fashion Design for 15 years, the last few years as Head of Department. She was a stay-at-home mom for a few years after her son Joshua was born. In this time she successfully designed and retailed the “trolley tots cover”, germ free shopping carts for babies. She also volunteered at her Church and was responsible for preparing couples for Marriage. She is a certified Lifeline counsellor and Family Life practitioner. In 2008, working with her husband Dean, they established Ezyprop, a successful Sandton based property rental and sales Agency. In 2019, Fiona and her family happily relocated to the USA.
Her spare time is spent enjoying this beautiful country, touring and tasting her way! She is an avid reader and crafter.

Stacey- Coordinator: Programs-Marketing-Merchandising
As a top ranked junior in South Africa, Stacey spent a total of 6 years as #1 in the nation. Stacey earned a tennis Scholarship to University of Hawaii where she studied BA Media and Communication. Along with being an ITF certified professional tennis coach, Stacey also has a degree in Fashion Management and Communication with a minor in Haute Couture. She is currently working towards her Masters in Fashion Management. Her passion for tennis and player enrichment shines through in all she does at KGTA.

Sydney- Office Manager
Originally from the Bay Area, Sydney is a member of the office staff. She is a certified Medical Assistant and currently pursing a degree in Nursing. Sydney attended Sacramento State for her undergraduate classes and is now continuing her studies in the Bay Area. She has been involved in competitive sports for 12 years, primarily basketball, which she has 4 years of experience coaching as well. She has good analytical and problem- solving skills and is very excited be a part of the KGTA team.

George- Front Desk Representative
George grew up in Menlo Park, California, and is currently attending school in San Francisco. He initially attended college in Northfield, Minnesota pursuing a degree in Psychology, and then transferred over to the University of San Francisco, switching over to pursue a degree in Communications.
As a child, George traveled with his Dad’s baseball team across the country. Witnessing his dad’s competitive spirit encouraged him to delve into the world of sports on his own, playing inter mural volleyball in college and developing a passion for tennis from working at the academy.