Lucie Langenkamp was a phenomenal player who grew up playing tennis in the Czech Republic, one of Europe’s top tennis cultures. Like many of us who join a sport because of a parent’s or sibling’s interest in that sport, Lucie was inspired to try tennis after watching her mother play it for fun. She fell in love with tennis and stuck with it. Over years of training, Lucie developed a grinders game and became known as the “Czech Nadal.” On clay, you had to be willing to run a marathon to have a shot at beating her. Some of her highlights include reaching the top 650 WTA in doubles, winning against a 180-ranked WTA player, and winning an ITF pro circuit tournament. She also played on a full scholarship at an NAIA college team and won the doubles national championship. Working with her college coaches, Lucie evolved her game to adapt to the faster hard court surface — she learned to play more aggressively and to take advantage of the speed and tempo of hard courts.

Lucie’s game always improved regardless of where she trained. Her mentality was to keep an open mind, learn, and work hard. This mindset works anywhere and her understanding of the right training mindset helps students become better players and overcome and the ups and downs of tennis. Lucie’s experience and wisdom are perfect for students at the Fairfield Tennis Club because she can lead students and coaches to a visible path toward success. Tennis is a challenging sport and Lucie is the kind of guide who knows that you can become a great player and enjoy tennis through those challenges. Her mantra is to inspire people to love tennis even after they show signs of frustration. Getting good at tennis “starts with the joy of playing” and her mission has always been to help students find that joy.

Lucie earned her dual-graduate degrees in sports psychology and recreational management while working as an assistant tennis coach for the women’s team at Illinois State. Her advanced education in sports psychology complements her coaching and playing experience. Tennis requires the development of a strong mind and control over emotions when things don’t go your way — her expertise guides players to develop the mindset to succeed in this sport. The knowledge she gives helps students and coaches above and beyond what one could expect at tennis clubs.

Lucie’s vision is unique and her belief in people’s ability to enjoy and learn is a valuable source of strength you won’t find just anywhere. She is driven to make each player better and believes “anybody can make it in the game.” Lucie has many tools and vast knowledge of drills and training strategies. But Lucie does not stop herself there, she continues to evolve her teachings by listening to other coaches and experts who share their knowledge with her.

The Director continues to play for fun and competes in mixed-doubles tournaments with her husband, a former Division I player. They recently reached the finals in The Battle of the Pros. Lucie will always love tennis with a passion: “Tennis is a sport for life.”

Mitch brings over 30 years of teaching and management experience at tennis facilities throughout Fairfield County and Westchester County. This included the position as Head Tennis Professional at Fairfield Beach Club for 11 years in the summer months, Head Tennis Professional at Brooklawn Country Club for the last 15 years and Director of Tennis from 1991-2000 at Fairfield Indoor Tennis. For 7 years during the winter months, Mitch was the General Manager at Yonkers Tennis Center. He is fully certified with the U.S.P.T.R. While playing Division I collegiate tennis at Furman University he received a B.A. in Spanish. As a junior, he was ranked in the top 15 in the Eastern and New England sections.

Michael is in his 15th year at Fairfield and brings over 20 years of teaching experience to players from red ball to the professional level. Michael has 15 years of Director experience including being the Tennis Director of Fairfield Tennis from 2014-2017 as well as the Director of Tennis at Brae Burn Country Club from 2006-2009. In 2010 Michael became the Director of Racquets at Birchwood Country Club in Westport, where he currently teaches tennis, pickleball, and platform tennis.

A tournament tested player, Michael played professional tournaments for 6 years, as well as earning All American honors at Washington College in Maryland, including two NCAA National Championships and induction in to the Washington College Hall of Fame. He also achieved top 3 Sectional and State rankings in Florida and the Mid-Atlantic as well as top 10 junior ranking in his native New Zealand. His teaching background includes working with touring pros, NCAA national champions, nationally ranked juniors, and state high school champions. He also enjoys working with beginners through the most experienced tournament player and every level in-between.

Born in Oakland, California, Andy earned a BA Degree in Music from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he was captain of the tennis team and played #1. A certified instructor for over 32 years, he has taught at the Country Club of Fairfield, The Patterson Club, The Westport Tennis Club, Aspetuck Country Club, and Long Ridge Club in Stamford. He is currently teaching summers at Black Rock Yacht Club. He enjoys working with juniors because he gets a kick out of “seeing them improve and growing to love the game.” Andy seeks the water when not on the courts, finding time for windsurfing and sailing.

Born and raised in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Glenny Hay was a scholarship player for Shorter University. Glenny was an NAIA All-American player, NAIA “Best Athlete to Watch” her freshman year, a 2003 Regional title, and a No. 3 ranking in singles as well as a No. 4 ranking in doubles. She also represented the Dominican Republic at the Pan-American Games, Centro-American Games and was a member of the Dominican Fed-Cup Team. As a Shorter University’s Hall of Fame inductee, Glenny has worked at Fairfield University as the Women and Men Assistant Coach for two seasons in which both teams reached the NCAA Tournament. Glenny currently works at the Fairfield Beach Club and is excited to work with adults and children of all levels. Glenny has now been teaching for 13 years and was just recently inducted to the Hall of Fame of her hometown San Pedro de Macoris.

Kate was born in Ukraine, and received her education at Northwestern State and Cleveland State University while helping both teams reach the finals of their conferences. Kate was a part of a Division I team for five years while being a scholar-athlete, member of the President’s List every semester of education, and part of multiple committees in college. She had 63 Singles wins and 71 Doubles wins in her 5-year career while setting the record at CSU with the most singles wins in a season with 27 wins and being named a Horizon League Doubles and Singles Player of the Week multiple times. Kate has completed her Bachelor’s of Business Administration and Masters of Business Administration degrees. She has coached summer junior camps while at college and back in Ukraine, and is enthusiastic about teaching tennis to people of all ages and levels.

Originally, from Penapolis, São Paulo, Brazil, Rafael trained as a junior under Carlos Kirmayr, a former top ATP player. While at his academy Rafael transition from player to coach, as an assistant coach in Winter and Summer clinics in Serra Negra, Brazil where academy is located. In 2017 Rafael moved to Bloomsburg, PA began playing NCAA Division II tennis at Bloomsburg University for two years. In 2019 Rafael moved to University of West Florida located in Pensacola, FL to finish his degree in Economics.

Rafael loves to teach and enjoys bringing creativity and enthusiasm to the court along with his years of experience acquired through his own personal tennis journey.

Daniel Rodrigues is one of the most accomplished tennis players to compete at the University of South Carolina. During his college tennis career he was ranked twice as #3 and twice as #1 in 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division 1. Daniel was the NCAA 2021 Singles finalist and Doubles Semi-Finalist in 2022. He was college Tennis Player of the Year in 2022 and 2-time All-American. His current professional ranking is 600 in singles and 492 in Doubles.

Daniel is from Madeira, Portugal.

Daniella Medvedeva, born in Kaliningrad,Russia and raised in Mallorca,Spain, was the number one junior in the world under 16 achieving the award of player of the year by tennis Europe junior tour at the age of 15. Daniella has attended clemson where she primarily played the number 3 position in singles, being the deciding match in beating the number 19 and number 22 teams in the country helping the team enter the top 25 team ranking, alongside by beating numerous college top 50 ranked opponents including a top 20 win which put her in the top 70 college rankings. She has graduated from Clemson with a Bachelors degree in International management and a minor in brand communications, and is currently pursuing her MBA in management and Masters in marketing at Fairfield university while being a grad assistant for the tennis team.

Born and raised in Spain, Cristina Mayorova became a top-ranked tennis player, representing the Spanish National Team. She ranked in the top 2 nationally for six consecutive years, earning her first WTA ranking at age of 15 in singles and 16 in doubles. Cristina attended Clemson University on a tennis scholarship, where she achieved a top 60 national singles ranking and helped lead her team to a top 20 national ranking, primarily competing at the top singles and doubles positions. Cristina holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications, a master’s degree in Marketing, and was named to the ACC Honor Roll in 2024. She now enjoys coaching and sharing her experience with players of all levels.

Originally from Italy, Nicola moved to the U.S. in 2019 to play tennis for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. He competed in doubles at the number 1 and 2 positions, and in singles between the number 3 and 5 positions. In 2021, he achieved a Division 1 doubles ranking of 18 and won the Atlantic Regional Championship. In 2023, he won a Sun Belt Conference title. In 2024, he reached an ATP singles ranking of 1758. Nicola majored in Business Analytics with a focus on finance. He has coached children aged 14 and under, who have consistently ranked in the top 15 in the county for the past two years, and has accompanied them to international tournaments. He enjoys coaching because he wants to instill a passion for tennis in others and help them improve.

Originally from Portugal, Manel began his coaching career at the Oporto Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club, working with junior players and developing a deep understanding of player development. Since then, he has gained extensive coaching experience at all levels, from beginners to professionals, including roles at Hamlet Swim & Tennis Club (VA) and Norbeck Country Club (MD), where he quickly advanced from Assistant Pro to Head Pro.

Dedicated to junior development, Manel has worked with some of Portugal’s top junior players at Academia Quinta de Monserrate – Sport Club do Porto before bringing his knowledge to Fairfield Indoor Tennis. His coaching philosophy is centered on working with motivated players and fostering growth in individuals of all skill levels.

As a player, Manel competed on the professional tour and played NCAA Division II, representing Tusculum men’s tennis. Before college, he achieved a highest Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 12.95 in singles. During his collegiate career, he helped the Pioneers win the 2021 SAC Tennis Tournament, finishing the season ranked No. 26 in the NCAA Division II national team rankings. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Tusculum University.