Mike Sharp has been an Elite Tennis Pro since 1990. He is USPTA certified, a USRSA Master Racquet Technician, and the Elite Clubs pro shop buyer. Mike is President of the GMITA and also President of the WTA. He previously has served as the Head Pro for the J.C.C. summer camp, Director of Elm Grove’s summer tennis, and an assistant coach at Brookfield Central.

Jon has been an Elite tennis professional for decades. During the summer, he is the Tennis Director of Tripoli Country Club. Jon is a graduate of Marquette University where he played four years of collegiate tennis, and where he is now the Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach. He has been ranked #1 in Wisconsin in both singles and doubles.

Saulo was born in Venezuela and raised in Peru and Brazil. He was introduced tennis at 8 years old on a recreational level. After his family immigrated to Brazil he quickly found his love and passion for the sport and competed throughout his junior career locally reaching a top 10 ranking in Sao Paulo and top 80 in the Nation. By the time he was 16, he began competing in the ITF circuit where he had the opportunity to train with professional players. After high school, Saulo was offered a full tennis scholarship to Dowling College in New York where he continued playing at a high competitive level. Soon after, he was offered a coaching position at NY Sportime Clubs in the Hamptons. His success gave him the opportunity to become Summer Camp Director at Sportime Harbor Island, Westchester. Saulo moved up the ladder to become an Assistant Manager & Tennis coordinator and responsible for the successful development of Sportime Harbor Island. His last role at Sportime was High-Performance Academy Director where he was working hand in hand with the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Saulo Gonzales is here to apply all efforts and experience towards player development of all ages in the Wisconsin area towards USTA competition.

Education & Certifications
USPTA 1 Tennis Teaching Professional obtained from Rush Copley Healthplex 1997 in Aurora, IL
University of Wisconsin Bachelors of Business Administration – 1998-Finance
Northern Illinois University – Master of Business Administration – 2001- Finance

Specializations & Interests
I enjoy teaching all levels for private and group lessons.

Lifelong tennis player and USTA member. Former teaching pro at Schaumburg Tennis Plus in Schaumburg, IL, River Trails Tennis Center, Mt Prospect, IL, Head Tennis Coach of Franklin High School Girls’ Tennis Team, Tennis Director Nicolet Tennis Park & Rec

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
I believe that health is wealth. The most important part of playing tennis is having fun and improving. I love hearing from students on how my instruction has helped them improve their tennis game. In my spare time, I enjoyed spending time with my wonderful

wife and 3 kids playing tennis, soccer, baseball, and basketball as well as going fishing. I enjoy being able to sit down and play the piano as well.

John’s career started in 1992 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2022.

Education & Certifications
I started playing tennis in elementary school and began playing competing in tournaments in middle school. When I graduated from high school I was #3 in Michigan, #22 in the Midwest, and #258 in the United States my recruiting class. During high school, I also started to teach tennis at local courts. I decided not to play competitively in college, but I continued to coach and play for recreation. I attended Purdue University and completed a minor in professional writing then transferred to the University of Michigan and graduated from there with a BA in sociology. After graduating college, I worked as a tennis instructor at Schwartz Tennis Center. The majority of my teaching experience at Schwartz was coaching advanced level high school players and college students of various skill levels. I also taught players of all skill levels from beginners to advanced, and I gained experience working with players of all ages including young kids, high school players, college students and older adults.

Specializations & Interests
I enjoy teaching students of all ages and skill levels and creating lessons plans tailored to each student. So whether you are just starting tennis, or you are an advanced player, I am ready and excited to work with you to improve your skills to help you move up to the next level. I focus a lot on preparing lesson plans before each session, so when we hit the court you will have your own unique lesson that is adjusted to your game and your specific needs to achieve improvement and enjoyment.

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy My teaching philosophy is to help foster improvement through teaching lessons that are challenging and fun and providing specific and detailed feedback. I have a people first approach, and I believe that building relationships with my students is essential. I think that listening to students and engaging them in their learning through conversation is important and I strive to help each individual reach all of their personal goals. I am very passionate about tennis and I enjoy sharing that passion and enthusiasm with others!

Maddy’s career started in 2016 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2022.

Education & Certifications
Medical Student at the Medical College of Wisconsin
Bachelor of Science in Cell & Molecular Biology, minor in Chemistry – Missouri State University
Specializations & Interests
Fati was born and raised in Morocco where she grew up playing tennis from the age of six. She participated in national and international junior tournaments and was ranked in the top 10 players in Morocco. During high school, she was offered full scholarships to compete in NCAA Division I programs in the US. Fati attended Missouri State University & led the women’s tennis team to win the first Missouri Valley Conference tournament in twenty years of the program’s history. As a medical student interested in pursuing a career in Cardiology, Fati is a huge advocate for health & fitness and encourages children to pursue sports competitively.

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
Tennis, like other sports, teaches life lessons that the classroom does not. My priority as a coach is to educate my players and serve as their mentor and biggest supporter. The most important aspect of tennis is to have fun! I’ve had a blast playing tennis for twenty years and wouldn’t change it for the world. My coaching strategy highly depends on the specific needs of my players. I focus on a holistic view first and then on the small details. Tennis is a game that requires a fine technique and it’s crucial to have a foundation. So, we build the foundation first and strengthen the rest.

Fatima started her career in 2015 and she joined the Elite team in 2022.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS: Greenfield High School, 1 year completed at Bethany Lutheran College

SPECIALIZATIONS & INTERESTS: Kerby specializes in working with high school and college students, but works with players of all ages and skill levels. During his free time, he likes to compete in high-level tennis tournaments, attend sporting events, socialize with friends and family, train at the gym, and learn new skills.

PHILOSOPHY: “Tennis is not just a sport about getting the ball over the net. It’s knowing why you play this individual sport, what it takes to be a better athlete/tennis player, knowing opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, analyzing why you win and lose matches, testing your limitations on and off the courts, and consuming the right nutrition to maximize athletic performance. Mental toughness is a huge factor that determines how well you perform. My personal quote I always say to my students ‘If you want to be the best, you have to take out the best’. ”

Kerby started his career in 2013 and he joined the Elite team in 2018.

Education & Certifications
B.A. from Indiana University 2011

Specializations & Interests
Marko teaches people of all ages and abilities. He competes regularly with the top pickleball players in Wisconsin.

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
Practice makes permanent.

Marko started his career in 2022 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2023.

Natalie played Varsity tennis at Grafton High School for four years. After High School, she was awarded a tennis scholarship to play 4 years of Division 1 tennis for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While in college, she was the director and taught tennis for the Grafton Recreation Department for 2 years which served both children and adults in lessons and leagues. In addition, she was the director for a week-long day tennis camp at the JCC. She helps coach the Cedarburg Middle School Tennis for the past 5 years. Natalie has been teaching for Elite since 2013.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS: B.A. Colorado College, USPTA Professional

SPECIALIZATIONS & INTERESTS: With my background in rehab exercise and calisthenics training, I’m fascinated with the biomechanics of tennis. For any player, refining technique is important not just for results on the court, but also for maintaining healthy joints and keeping tennis as a lifelong sport.

PHILOSOPHY: I tend to view sports like tennis (and my other personal favorites: climbing, skiing, and whitewater kayaking) as depending on a foundation of personal health. If you love your sport, that can be the ideal motivation to eat, sleep, and train your body a little better. Small, simple changes can have significant effects on court and in injury prevention!

Daniel started his career in 2022 and he joined the Elite team in 2022.

Brian is a USPTA Pro/Wheelchair certified. He has been teaching tennis for the past 26 years. Brian has been the recipient of Wisconsin’s Rollie Mueller Award, and the USPTA Midwest Fay Tooley award. In 2009, he was presented with the distinguished USPTA National Star Award. During the summer months, Brian teaches for the Mequon Recreation Department. Brian has served since 2012 on the Adaptive Tennis Committee with the Midwest region of the USTA. Brian has been the Co-Director of Wisconsin’s Advantage Kids/Adults and Special Needs/ Wheelchair tennis program for 26 years.

Education & Certifications
Livia earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and played two years at the Division 1 Northern Arizona University with a full tennis scholarship and finished her degree here in Milwaukee as part of the Wolves at Cardinal Stritch University. This is where she also earned her Masters Degree in Sport Management. During her undergrad, she played a variety of spots in the lineup as a singles player and mainly number two position as a doubles player and won two conference championships as part of the Stritch Wolves.

Livia was also a graduate assistant during her Masters Degree to work with the Wolves and pass on the experience to be part of a great team.

Specializations & Interests
Livia coached during her last two years of college during the summers and was part of several summer programs throughout her years in Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Country Club and the Town Club. She got to learn how to work with youth from the best, starting from a very young age, all the way up to the collegiate level. Livia’s favorite part of teaching is taking on young players and helping them learn to enjoy the sport early on — finding the joy in playing tennis is key.

In her free time, she loves taking pictures and engaging in anything art-related like music or drawing.

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
As a player who has a degree in psychology, Livia is very much invested in the mental aspect of tennis and thinks mental toughness is part of tennis no matter what level it is played. Starting early and finding joy in playing is a great start, and then, later on, it is important to incorporate the mental preparation of tennis into the lessons. This will help a player develop skills not only on the tennis courts but in all aspects of life. Teaching them young is a great way to establish a lifelong relationship with tennis.

Livia’s career started in 2016 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2022.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

IPTPA Level II Instructor since 2016with Junior Teaching Certification in 2021

SPECIALIZATION & INTERESTS

Mike teaches all levels including Juniors. He competes regularly against the top players in the area.

PHILOSOPHY

Pickleball can be just fun, super competitive, or some combination of the two. Whatever your goals are I can help get you there.

Mike’s career started in 2014 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2022.

Education & Certifications
• College degree in education and history
• Coaching enforcement
• Played European circuit
• Captain of Wisconsin tennis team

Specializations & Interests
• Tennis
• Property management

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
Teach students of all ages to learn tennis, staying in shape yet enjoying their sport

Martin’s career started in 1970 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 1972.

Education & Certifications
Kelly grew up playing sports. In college, her favorite classes were tennis and badminton. This led to her pursuing a degree in physical education and she graduated from UW Madison with a specialization in corporate fitness.

Her first job was at a fitness club where she discovered the game of racquetball. She competed for many years at the local, state, and national levels, winning multiple championships, and was inducted into the Wisconsin Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Kelly was also involved in tennis as a player/coach. She competed in 4.5 state league teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin and served for eight years as the head women’s tennis coach at UWM.

She transitioned into pickleball in 2014 and has never looked back! She competes at the 4.5/5.0 level and has won numerous gold medals locally as well as National Senior Games medals. She runs programs for both New Berlin and Muskego Park and Rec and is the director of pickleball at the Wisconsin Club.

Kelly is a PCI-certified level 2 instructor and loves teaching all skill levels individually or in groups.

Specializations & Interests
Playing pickleball
Running pickleball events/tournaments
Teaching pickleball
All pickleball – all the time!

Health & Recreation Motivational Philosophy
Exercise is so much more enjoyable and beneficial when you love the activity. Pickleball is not only good for the heart and body, but it’s also good for the soul as well.

The social component of this game is unmatched in other sports and the friendships developed in both the communities in the area and the pickleball world at large are unrivaled.

Kelly’s career started in 1991 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2002.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
• UW-Whitewater Physical Education
• USPTA Tennis Professional

SPECIALIZATION & INTERESTS
I am interested in and enjoy coaching all ages & levels of
tennis players from 3 years old to 83+ years old.

PHILOSOPHY
My philosophy starts with sharing an understanding and enjoyment of the game of tennis. This comes from my enthusiasm and knowledge of the game, which I have been playing since age 7. I hope to motivate my students to have an appreciation and passion for the game, which can lead to physical, mental and emotional benefits both on and off the court.

Brian’s career started in 1990 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2007.

Robert came to North Shore from Western Racquet Club where he was their Junior Development Coordinator. Prior to that, Robert was the Tennis Director at The Brookclub/Elite-West Brookfield. He played collegiate tennis at Marquette University where he was the team‘s #1 Singles Player and played #1 Doubles with North Shore Elite‘s Tennis Director Jon Calvillo. As a junior competitor, Robert was the #1 ranked player in Indonesia. Robert has playing experience at the international level and pro satellite competitions. Robert is currently working with some of the area‘s nationally ranked juniors.

Mark is the Head Men‘s and Women‘s tennis coach at Cardinal Stritch University. Mark grew up in the Milwaukee area and has been a part of Elite Sports Clubs his entire life. Mark played NCAA division 1 college tennis at UW–Green Bay at the #1 singles and #1 doubles position. Mark is also a former Wisconsin team state champion and individual state runner up at Nicolet High School. Mark has also previously coached at UW-Milwaukee and UW Green Bay and has been teaching tennis in Wisconsin for 13 years. Mark is excited to be teaching at North Shore Elite, where he grew up training for his tennis career.

EDUCATION & AWARDS

• Bachelor’s of Arts & Science from UW-Milwaukee
• USPTA Elite Tennis Professional
• Excellence in Tennis Award 02/03 Club Corp
• Star Performer of the Year 2007- Le Club
• USPTA/Midwest Fay Tooley Award 2010
• WTA Bill Letwin Award Recipient 2012
• USPTA WI Professional of the Year 2017

SPECIALIZATION & INTERESTS

• Director of Junior Tennis Le Club 2001-2009
• Coached three USTA Jr. Team tennis teams to Nationals
• 2005 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- 5th place
• 2007 Tucson, Arizona- 2nd place
• 2008 Mobile, Alabama team went undefeated 21-0
• WTA Chairman of Jr. Development Committee 2007-2019

PHILOSOPHY

“Grow, develop, win, and have fun playing the game of tennis”

Chips’s career started in 1995 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2009.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

• Graduate of Ferris State University PTM Program
• USPTA Elite Professional

SPECIALIZATION & INTERESTS
I love teaching people of all ages and ability levels. Interests are sports and collecting sports cards and memorabilia.

PHILOSOPHY
Fun and enjoyment is key, patience is important, but attitude and energy are the only things you can control.

Marty’s career started in 1990 and has been with Elite Sports Clubs since 2012.

Jeff is a USPTA Elite Professional with over 30 years tennis teaching experience. He has taught tennis at the Vail Racquet Club in Vail, Colorado and in Munich, Germany after he came off the ATP Tour. Jeff has been on the tennis staff at Elite Clubs since 2005 and worked with hundreds of the state’s top high school and other high-performance junior players. Jeff has coached many juniors that went on to get a college scholarship in all three NCAA divisions. Jeff was ranked in the state, Midwest, and country as a junior player. He teamed with brother Jordan in college to reach a National ranking of #17 for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in doubles. Jeff and Jordan took the school to National Championships in 1988 and 1989, getting the school a National ranking of #19. Jeff and his brother, Jordan, were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 at UWM. Jeff has been a top 10 Nationally ranked player post-college and reached a high of #2 in the country in doubles with partner Jordan Aranda.

Jordan is a USPTA Elite Professional with over 30 years tennis teaching experience. He was a member of the professional tennis staff that gained the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort in Sarasota, Florida, the #1 rated resort in the country in the mid-1990’s. Then co-directed Hidden Palms Racquet Club in Tampa, Florida. He has been on the Elite Clubs tennis staff since 2005 and worked with hundreds of the state’s top high school and other high-performance junior players. At times coaching them to collegiate scholarship and post-college employment in the tennis industry. He has the privilege of working closely with well known international professionals such as ex-Davis Cup Captain Tom Gullikson, Nick Bollettieri, Oscar Wegnar, and Rick Vetter. As a player Jordan won the WIAA State High School doubles crown in 1985 and 1986 while attending Shorewood High School. He teamed with brother Jeff in college to reach a National ranking of #17 for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he was the player with the most wins in school history, and where the brothers were inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. He has been a top 10 Nationally ranked player post-college and reached a high of #2 in the country in doubles with partner Jeff Aranda.

Erika returns to Elite with over 20 years of experience in the tennis industry having worked for Lake Geneva Tennis, the USTA Midwest Section and Elite Sports Club-Brookfield (1992-2008). A three-time USPTA Midwest Nancy Mickler award winner (2008, 2014, 2017), she has worked with state, section, and nationally ranked junior players as well as been selected as a USTA Midwest Zonal coach five times, been appointed to the USTA Midwest Junior Competition Committee, Collegiate Committee, and the USTA Wisconsin Sanctioning and Scheduling committee. She was also honored by the Milwaukee community for exemplary leadership and commitment towards the development of youth in 2018.

Wentz-Russell starred at the University of Texas El-Paso where she was named All-Western Athletic Conference in both 1996 and 1998. Wentz-Russell was ranked as high as fifth in the ITA Southwest Region in doubles and 30^th in the NCAA Division I doubles rankings. She graduated from Brookfield Central HS with a 129-12 record as well as a WIAA state singles runner-up and a WIAA state doubles championship finish.

Wentz-Russell, who graduated from UTEP with a degree in Kinesiology in 1999, is USTA Sports Science certified, a certified USPTA pro, and is on the Wilson Advisory Staff. She also served as the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the UW-Milwaukee from 2003-2004.

Andres grew up in Mexico where he was introduced to tennis at the age of 7. He competed in the juniors there where he reached top 15 in the nation by the age of 18. He then received a scholarship to play at Lewis-Clark State College where he competed at the highest national level. After graduating he started his coaching career teaching on the East Coast. Andres has experience working in high-intensity academies as well as indoor clubs, where he’s taught all levels of play, from kids to promising juniors as well as adults. He is also the former Head Tennis Coach at Rutgers University in Newark. Andres now hopes to be able to bring that experience to Wisconsin and help you develop your game and take it to the next level!