Tennis Development Programme

The Downe House approach

► Tennis is an all year round activity at Downe House. We play every day throughout the year and more than 350 girls take tennis lessons each week. Our tennis programme offers your daughter the opportunity to develop her tennis and be part of competitive team matches during the term.

► The philosophy behind our tennis programme is based on four key elements, each of which plays a vital role in success: Mental, Technical, Physical and Tactical. These elements have been broken down to provide a specific focus for each term.

► Our coaches analyse every student, collecting data which is stored on our database. This data is reviewed at the end of each term and shows the progress made in each area.

► MICHAELMAS

Technical term: During this term we break down the technique of each student, looking closely at correct grip, stance, strokes and any kinks that hinder performance.

► LENT

Tactical term: Tactical awareness is an essential area to work on. During this term students work on understanding their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to exploit the flaws in their opponent’s game.

► SUMMER

Physical term: During this term we work hard on the movement side of tennis. Focus is on footwork, recovery, speed and power.

The mental side of tennis is the most important and girls will therefore be expected to have a strong work ethic and positive attitude throughout the year. Our coaches help students deal with pressure situations and to believe in their own ability.

► The standard of coaching we offer at Downe House is exceptionally high and varied, by coaches who have come straight off the professional circuit to highly qualified LTA coaches with a breadth of experience. Our expectations of students are extremely high but our main purpose is for the girls to have fun and embrace the challenge.

The Tennis team

Josh Goodall Head of Tennis, managing a team of five coaches. An ex-ATP professional player with a career-high men’s world ranking of 184 (114 Doubles). Represented GB in the Davis Cup twice and played a total of eight Wimbledons and one US Open. Josh finished 2012 as GB No 2 behind Andy Murray. He turned to coaching four years ago, during which time he coached a player to win the U16 National Championships.

Staff coaches

Chris Llewellyn Former Junior Grand Slam semi-finalist (Doubles, Wimbledon). Former National Champion U18 (Doubles) Highest ITF World ranking 164. Ranked Junior GB No 1 (U18). Fully licenced LTA coach. Senior Performance Coach Award Level 4. Development Coach Award Level 3. UKCC Level 3 Award.

Damian Lane 20 years’ experience playing in tournaments and club matches. Fully licenced LTA Senior Performance Coach. USPTR Elite Pro. RPT Level 2 and RPT Level 3. One of the first coaches in the country to be awarded the Senior Performance Coach Award.

Luke Gojnic Experienced PTR qualified coach with more than 10 years’ teaching experience at Downe House. Luke was previously a professional squash player reaching the top 50 in the global rankings.

Tina Wall Experienced LTA qualified tennis coach who has coached at schools and clubs for over 20 years, concentrating on girls’ and ladies’ doubles. Tina is a regular member of the over 40s Gloucestershire county tennis squad.

Guest Professional Coach 2019-2020

Jocelyn Rae

U18 National Champion Singles and Doubles, Commonwealth Gold Medallist Mixed Doubles in Delhi, India, and Wimbledon QuarterFinalist. Jocelyn has played all the Grand Slams and reached the 3rd round of the Australian Open. She has represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup six times.