Our Tutors
Guy Leverton
Tutor
Guy Leverton
Tutor
Guy started playing tennis at the age of 7.
As a junior he trained and competed in the UK and France before turning Pro at 18.
He is an LTA Coach Education Tutor and Assessor and has been coaching for over 30 years. During this time he has travelled extensively and worked across all aspects of the industry.
Isla Smith
Tutor
Isla Smith
Tutor
Isla is a mum of two and lives with her husband, children and husky in Devon.
She has over 20 years experience in the tennis and fitness industry. Having worked for many years as a full time and head coach she qualified as a coach education tutor and assessor and now delivers LTA qualifications, cpds, forums and workshops. She has also been commissioned to use her expertise towards helping to develop the LTA coach education pathway.
She also works within the fitness industry as an instructor, assessor, quality assurer and yoga teacher.
She has a particular passion for educating coaches and players alike on the benefits of yoga exercises in the performance and longevity of our sport.
Julie Bradbury
Tutor.
Julie Bradbury
Tutor.
Julie is a Level 4 LTA Accredited Tennis Coach and Tutor. She has over 20
years’ experience working with both junior and adult players at all levels and
was also the County Captain for the U18 Oxfordshire Girls. She has managed a
large schools outreach programmes to increase participation across
Oxfordshire.
Julie is also a Badminton England Accredited Level 3 Coach and Tutor and was
a professional player in the 1990’s. She is a double Olympian having
represented Great Britain in the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, reaching No
1 in the World at mixed doubles.
She is currently Badminton Director for Community Badminton, who partner
National Tennis Association, organising, managing and delivering a programme
of affordable sport for all ages across the UK. Julie is also Coaching Director for
Oxfordshire County Badminton and within these roles she manages and
mentors a large team of coaches.
Steve Whelan
Tutor
Steve Whelan
Tutor
Steve is an LTA Level four performance coach with over twenty years of industry experience. Steve is currently a racquets manager for David Lloyd and the 12& Under Girls County Coach for Buckinghamshire.
Steve brings a wealth of coaching and programme development experience to his courses. Steve has been a head coach on several player pathways that have produced several ITF ranked juniors.
Not just a performance coach, Steve has a track record for highly successful club, school and community tennis programmes.
Lorraine Ristic
Tutor
Lorraine Ristic
Tutor
Lorraine is an LTA Level 5 Performance Coach and also a highly experienced LTA Master Coach Education Tutor and has been tutoring for the LTA for over twenty years at all levels.
She has also been a tennis coach for over 30 years and was the head coach at the East Gloucestershire Tennis Club for 19 of them where she ran the very successful Lorraine Ristic School of Tennis before moving to Painswick Lawn Tennis Club where she established the Painswick Tennis Academy. There she produced players of all levels including most notably Alicia Barnett. She maintains very passionately that it is important to coach and teach our wonderful game alongside tutoring as there is always still so much to learn and it is this on court work that keeps her fresh and open to new ideas.
Prior to her coaching and coach education Lorraine played tennis professionally from the age of 21 and retired at 26 but continued to play to a high level since then and has represented Great Britain at all age groups in the Seniors World Team Championships from 35 to 55.
Jane Poynder
Tutor
Jane Poynder
Tutor
Jane is an LTA Master Tutor and LTA Level 5 Development Coach.
She is based at Manor Park Club, Malvern, Worcestershire and joint partner in Malvern Tennis Academy.
She has coached all ages and abilities for many years.
Jane was the recipient of the LTA Lifetime Achievement in Coaching Award in 2013.
Sue Rich
Tutor
Sue Rich
Tutor
Sue, lives and works in Cambridge but still plays competitively for Norfolk and has a wealth of experience both as an LTA Master Tutor as well as LTA Master Performance Coach. She is a former LTA National Coach working with the 12 and under girls and World Student Games Team Manager and Captain. She has worked with players of all ages and abilities helping players to fulfil their potential at Club, County, National and International level and currently is the Cambridgeshire Junior Team’s Manager and Head Coach at Cambridge LTC. She was voted LTA Coach of the Year in 2007 and received the LTA’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2017. She has a real passion for coaching and tutoring.
Ashley Neaves
Tutor
Ashley Neaves
Tutor
Ashley is an LTA Senior Performance Coach, currently running a coaching programme at The Avenue Lawn Tennis Club in Havant. Since playing tennis full time and competing on the British Tour Circuit and in Junior ITF events, Ashley has been a coach for over 15 years. He has taken players from the age of 5 to become National Champions and has worked with players of every age and stage including National VI tennis players.
In 2010, Ashley won the Darren Toop UK Young Coach of the Year award. In 2017, he won the LTA UK Coach of the Year and in 2020 the Peter Grinyer Innovation Award for keeping tennis players active through lockdown with ‘The Tennis Mentor’ social media channels.