Wayne Bryan is an American tennis

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, author and speaker. He is the former owner and tennis director of the Cabrillo Racquet Club and father of the

Bryan brothers The Bryan brothers, identical twin brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, are American former professional doubles tennis players. The most successful men's doubles team of all time, they won more professional matches, tournaments and Grand Slam (t ...

, Bob and Mike, the most successful professional doubles team in tennis history.

Early life and education

While attending the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

from 1965 to 1969, he played for the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I i ...

tennis team as the No. 1 singles and doubles player.

Coaching career

Bryan was voted

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) was a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally took place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA would ...

coach of the year for three consecutive seasons (2011–13).

Philosophy

The cornerstone of Bryan's coaching philosophy is "Making It Fun". He stresses the importance of enthusiasm and positivity and believes it is as much the coach/parents' job to inspire and motivate as it is to teach proper tennis technique.

Criticism of the USTA

In 2012, a private letter written by Wayne Bryan on American junior tennis was published online. Bryan expressed concerns about USTA Player Development, calling it bureaucratic and authoritarian, citing the U10 mandate requiring all children ten and under (regardless of ability) to compete on miniature courts using lightweight "green dot" balls . Bryan mentions as harmful to American junior tennis the increasing number of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

college scholarships being awarded to foreign players and the attempt to nationalize coaching, rather than supporting existing player-coach relationships in the private sector. In the same letter, Bryan calls for increased spending transparency by the USTA, stating that the salaries of

Patrick McEnroe Patrick William McEnroe (born July 1, 1966) is an American former professional tennis player, broadcaster, and former captain of the United States Davis Cup team. Born in Manhasset, New York, he is John McEnroe's youngest brother. He won one ...

and his staff should be made public. A response by USTA Player Development General Manager

calling Bryan's analysis "full of holes" has led to an ongoing public debate about best practices.

Personal life

Wayne Bryan is the author of the book ''"Raising Your Child To Be A Champion In Athletics, Arts and Academics"'', on his personal experiences as a parent of aspiring tennis players (). He is a frequent emcee of tennis charity events and clinics.

References

American tennis coaches Living people UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's tennis players Year of birth missing (living people) American male tennis players {{US-tennis-bio-stub