Born and raised on Long Island, Matt Li was a passionate multi sport athlete in his youth. He attended SUNY Cortland, graduating cum laude with a degree in Sports Management and a minor in Exercise Physiology. Post college, Matt gained valuable experience working in the professional sports industry, before joining the SPORTIME team in 2015. After holding multiple positions at SPORTIME’s Syosset and Roslyn locations, he was promoted to General Manager of SPORTIME Roslyn. Matt joined the SPORTIME team in 2015.

Simon Childs, originally from the United Kingdom, was ranked as high as #49 on the ITF junior circuit. He went on to play for DI University of Louisville, where he achieved NCAA high rankings of #6 in doubles and #49 in singles. Following this highly successful college career, Simon took his talents to the ATP tour, where he secured multiple doubles titles, including an ATP title in Mexico. He held Head Pro positions at numerous country clubs before joining SPORTIME, where he has held various Director-level positions. Simon joined the SPORTIME team in 2012.

Jordan Kotzagiannidis grew up in Queens, NY, and has been coaching at SPORTIME Roslyn for over 20 years. Now the club’s Associate Tennis Director and the Adult Tennis Director, he is an experienced and well-respected developmental tennis coach for players of all ages and levels, He also serves as a leader and mentor for the team of coaches at SPORTIME Roslyn. Jordan joined the SPORTIME team in 1998.

George, hailing from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, has been a SPORTIME coach for over two decades. His tenure at SPORTIME reflects not just his passion for the sport, but his dedication to nurturing tennis talent across all age groups and skill levels. George has introduced countless players to the sport of tennis, inspiring a love for the game in everyone that he coaches. George joined the SPORTIME team in 2000.

Russell Heier, a Long Island native, was an NJCAA Collegiate All-American at Florida Junior College in Jacksonville, and competed on the ATP tour for five years. He has achieved the #1 singles ranking in the USTA Eastern Section across multiple age groups, and he was the captain of his Talbert Cup team. With decades of experience, Russell has coached players of all ages and levels. He joined the SPORTIME team in 2013.

Eric Rubin, hailing from Queens, NY, brings over forty years of tennis expertise to the SPORTIME coaching team. His tennis journey started at Martin Van Buren High School, where he played #1 singles and captained the team. After high-school, Eric earned a B.S. in Sports Medicine from SUNY Albany. Eric began his coaching career in the mid-1980s at then Roslyn Racquet Clubs’ sites in Roslyn and Syosset, which became SPORTIME sites in 1998 – now Sportime Roslyn and Sportime Syosset. Throughout his career, Eric has nurtured sectionally and nationally ranked players, including his son Noah Rubin, who achieved a #127 ATP career high ranking. Eric joined the SPORTIME team in 2019.

Hailing from Senlis, France, Nicolas was a top junior tennis player in his home country. After a successful junior career, Nico attended Middle Georgia State University where he played for two seasons. He then transferred to the University of Mobile, where he led the team to a Southern State Conference Championship and was voted First Team Southern State Conference. After graduating, Nico served as the Assistant Tennis Coach for UM and coached at various country clubs in the U.S. and in France. Nico joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Milan was a top ranked junior in Serbia and also achieved a coveted ranking among the top 200 junior players in Europe. He attended Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, where he led the tennis team to an NCAA Title and achieved a top 15 NAIA conference singles ranking. Post college, Milan’s love of the game took him back to Serbia, and to China, both as a player and coach. Milan joined the SPORTIME team in 2022.

Santiago hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a junior, Santiago was a top-100 player in South America, earning himself a scholarship to play at D1 University of South Alabama. His college team won two SunBelt Conference Championships. After college, Santiago moved to Hualalai, Hawaii, where he coached players of all ages and levels. Santiago joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Liza, who hails from Samara, Russia, was a top 25 ranked junior player in her home country. Liza attended D1 Iowa State University, setting the record there for most tennis wins as a freshman. She then transferred to D1 Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas, where she was team captain for two seasons and achieved a top 50 NCAA singles ranking. After graduating, Liza served as Assistant Coach of the women’s tennis team at the University of Massachusetts . Liza joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Valentin hails from Mulhouse, France, where he made his mark as an elite junior player, achieving a top 15 national ranking. His success on the junior circuit led him to D1 Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. As a member of the GCU tennis team, Valentin was voted team captain, and, during his final season, Valentin was named the WAC Conference singles player of the year after finishing the season undefeated in conference play. Upon graduating, Valentin was the winningest doubles player in school history. Valentin joined the SPORTIME team in 2021.

Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, Steffany was ranked as high as #3 in her home country as a junior. She attended Middle Georgia State University, where she was voted SSAC All First-Team and reached the finals of many highly competitive ITA tournaments . After graduation, Steffany served as Assistant Tennis Coach for the University of Mobile. She joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Santino Sormani, originally from San Luis, Argentina, was ranked #8 in Argentina, and in the top 50 in South America, as a junior. Santino went on to play for Chowan University in North Carolina, where he played #1 singles for all four years, and was Team Captain. Santino joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Laurent grew up in Clamart, France. After an impressive junior tennis career, Laurent received a scholarship to D1 Grand Canyon University, in Phoenix, Arizona. Laurent’s successful college career, on and off the court, included helping his team win the WAC Conference Championship in 2018 and receiving his degree in Sports Management. Laurent joined the SPORTIME team in 2022.

Gabriella was born in Moscow, Russia, but her junior tennis career took off after she moved to Armenia, where she was ranked as high as #2 in the country, with wins over numerous players ranked in the ITF Top 100. She went on to play college tennis at the University of Buffalo, where she was voted team captain. Off the court, she served as VP of the Council of Student Athlete’s for the MAC Conference. After graduating, Gabriella joined the pro Tour and proudly represented Armenia in the Fed Cup in 2017. Gabriella joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Maria, originally from Trinidad, Bolivia, was an accomplished junior player, achieving high rankings of #29 in South America and #3 in her home country. Maria attended the University of Mobile, where she was named SSAC player of the week four times and voted SSAC All First Team, and where she achieved All-American in both singles and doubles. After graduating, Maria coached in Bolivia and at various locations in New York. Maria joined the SPORTIME team in 2023.

Mike hails from the United Kingdom and has been a coach for more than 30 years. As a coach and tennis consultant worldwide, he has worked and delivered training in over 80 countries, supporting the development of tennis on five continents. Mike has been a keynote speaker at three ITF Worldwide Conferences and has presented at multiple USPTA World Conferences, PTR International Symposia, and National Conferences, and is a regular contributor to the ATP/WTA Pro Course. Mike was the author of the ITF Tennis10s manual, the Official U10 Program of many nations across the globe. His previous roles include Director of Tennis at MatchPoint in Southampton, England, and Director of Junior Tennis at the West Hants Club in Bournemouth, England. A Level Five LTA Coach, PTR Professional, and USPTA P1, Mike was also an LTA Master Tutor, ITF Expert, and PTR World Professional of the Year in 2007. In 2022 he was recognized as a PTR International Master Professional. He joined the SPORTIME/JMTA team in 2022, bringing his coaching and coach education background to the key role of developing our coaching staff and enhancing our programs across the Company.

Jill has led teams and built the business for a variety of specialty retailers throughout her career. From a strong apparel background, including Kenneth Cole, Jacadi, and Hot Topic, she moved into hard lines with Yankee Candle. After 10 years of moving the business forward at Yankee and Newell Brands, it was time for a new challenge. Jill is looking forward to building teams in our Pro Shops that serve as ambassadors for the SPORTIME and JMTA brands. Jill lives in Oyster Bay, NY and will be ensuring we exceed our players and members needs in all of our locations. She is also very much looking forward to tuning up her tennis game in the fall, and seeing what the sport of pickleball has to offer!