Blair O'Brien:
At the young age of 4 years old, Blair began his tennis journey. It started with regular hits with the family and a group lesson. Five years later, Blair won his first tournament: the Auckland Championships, in singles and doubles. Following this, he won over 10 junior age group tournaments in the next few years.
At 12 years old, Blair coached for the first time; a group of 13-18 year olds. Over the next 10 years, he gradually built up more group and individual lessons, coaching up to 30 hours a week.
While studying at University, Blair managed to maintain an average of above one match per day in between training and competitions. This lead to playing for 5 clubs at once between Auckland, North Shore and Wellington, and he was crowned the New Zealand University's tennis champion in singles and doubles.
Upon completing a Science Degree (Statistics, University of Auckland), Blair's journey as a full time coach began at West End LawnTennis Club, Auckland. By 2012, Blair was the Assistant Head Coach, and was responsible for the training and coaching of a team of up to twenty coaches. This led to modernising the coaching style with the most recent methods to make the tennis more fun and easier to learn.
After 20 years of coaching at West End, Blair left New Zealand to coach in London, UK for two years. Here Blair added to his previous coaching course (Tennis New Zealand's JDC), by completing the LTA Level 3 programme.
Being stuck out of the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, Blair and his fiancée journeyed around the world before returning to New Zealand for good in April 2022.
Blair’s vision as a club level coach is to show a passion for the sport, and by doing so inspire others to want to play and improve. He finds that those who are hungry to improve and learn are always the fastest learners. Hence he likes to lead by example and show passion in order to help others find their passion!
Blair's coaching style is high energy, play based tennis,. He teaches with an open mind to individually cater to bring out the best in everyone technically, tactically, physically and mentally.
Victor Kiintcharov:
My name is Victor Klintcharov and I am a tennis coach with over 22 years of competitive playing experience and over a decade of coaching experience. I was raised in New Zealand, where I fell in love with the game of tennis at a young age. I spent most of my childhood on the tennis courts, honing my skills and developing a passion for the sport.
After years of hard work and dedication, I had the opportunity to play competitively at college in the USA. I was fortunate enough to lead my team to multiple Conference and Regional Championship wins and to reach 12th place at Division II nationals and 8th place in the nation for doubles. Throughout my career, I have trained and competed with a number of world-class players, gaining a deep understanding of the game and what it takes to succeed at the highest levels. As a coach, I draw on this experience to help my students improve their skills, develop their own unique playing style, and reach their full potential.
As a coach, my philosophy is to create a positive and supportive learning environment that allows my players to thrive. I believe in a holistic approach to coaching, focusing not only on technique but also on strategy, fitness, and mental toughness.
Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics of the game or an experienced player looking to take your skills to the next level, I am here to help you achieve your goals and become the best player you can be.
Chloe Shin
Chloe has over 15 years of experience as a player and 12 years of coaching experience. She has played ITF junior tournaments worldwide and WTA for career pursuit. She reached a career high in Juniors of #125 in the world, in WTA singles as #747 in the world and a world rank in doubles of #491.
In 2013 Chloe relocated to New Zealand and established a career as a playing coach.
Participated in the Chelsea Cup and Caro Bowl competitions, achieving a maximum possible New Zealand ranking. She has also completed the Club Professional Coaching course.
We are incredibly lucky to have someone as skilled and knowledgeable as Chloe coaching at the club, and I am absolutely delighted to welcome her to the club! Chloe is currently only coaching 8-10pm Monday, Tuesday and Fridays, and the Saturday morning while she raises her family.
Alex Wilson
Hello everyone, my name is Alex Wilson, and I am from Cambridge in the UK. I've been a full-time tennis coach for nearly 6 years now, working mainly in the UK but also across Europe in Greece, Turkey and Spain before coming to New Zealand where I was working in Hamilton before moving to Auckland. I have a huge passion for coaching young years, developing their on-court personality and maximising their potential. I also have a wealth of experience working with junior and adult club tennis, majority being doubles based but also singles analysis too. Still a keen hitter and enthusiastic to play so hopefully get to meet, work and hit with as many of you as possible next term and beyond! See you on court!
Alex is a Level 2 coach with a University Honors degree in sports coaching.