By Steve Pratt

(August 25, 2010) The moment his playing days were over at the University of South Alabama, Mark Gellard knew what he wanted to do. He simply wanted to be known as a world-class coach who sought after and developed future tennis champions.

"That’s always been the goal," said the 25-year-old Gellard who currently resides in Delray Beach, Fla., and has coached big names on the WTA Tour like Martina Hingis, Nadia Petrova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands for the past several years. "I have spent time on tour and have coached some big names. Now I want to establish some roots and develop future champions. That’s the goal from here on out"

Gellard, originally from Reading, England, also knew early on that he wanted to do it all in the United States.  "I came to Florida when I was 12-years-old to go to Disneyland and I told myself right then I wanted to move to the States and become a professional tennis player. That was my dream. It was really all about living and chasing after the American dream."

The road to his dream began in 2002 when he arrived to play at East Carolina University. After a year there, he transferred to the University of South Alabama and captained the men’s team into the Top 20 in 2004. He graduated with a business degree and soon after graduation became the volunteer women’s assistant coach at South Alabama.

It was in that position that he knew he wanted to coach women’s players.

"It’s something I kind of fell into at first," said Gellard, who has also been employed as a hitting partner for Venus Williams. "It’s completely different coaching the men. It’s easier, really, to coach the guys. I have learned so much. I have learned how to be more patient and how to deal with emotional issues."

Gellard got his big break in early 2007 when he got a call from a contact at Octagon saying that Hingis — on her comeback tour — needed a hitting partner in England right before Wimbledon. "I was at the Eastbourne event and driving back to my house about an hour and a half from there. I got the call that said I need to meet Martina at Wimbledon in the morning and that’s how it all started. I worked with Martina for three weeks then came to the States and did the U.S. Open series events with her."

He then met up with Mattek-Sands who benefitted from her relationship by having her best summer ever in 2008, making the fourth round at Wimbledon with Gellard by her side, including wins over Vera Dushevina and defending finalist and No. 11 seeded Marion Bartoli before losing to Serena Williams in the Round of16.

Gellard has also been instrumental in the development of American Lauren Albanese, who moved from No. 260 to a career-high No. 151 WTA ranking during her time with Gellard. He has traveled with junior Ester Goldfeld, whose junior ranking went from around 100 to Top 50 under the guidance of Gellard and whose WTA rank went from nothing to Top 500.

He is currently working with Christine Kandler, who is just 15 and ranked No. 588 in the WTA. Kandler recently won a round at a WTA event in Bad Gastein against Eva Fernandez-Brugues (ranked No. 180 WTA).



Gellard has spent the past two and a half years working for the International Tennis Academy (ITA) in Delray Beach, Fla., and has started his own website at www.markgellard.com. He is also starting a small squad of elite players and aspiring pros in Delray Beach. He was the Austrian Junior Fed-Cup captain this year in Turkey where his team finished third behind Germany and the Czech Republic.

"I have the big names on my resume and I’m proud of that, he said. “Now, I want to help the younger players and send one all the way to the top."

The dream lives on for Mark Gellard.