Greg Sansonetti

Greg has been teaching tennis for twenty years. Greg is currently Co–Director of Stratford, Easton, Newtown, Fairfield, Orange and Wilton Parks and Recreation tennis programs which includes both adult and junior instruction. Greg also runs tennis programs through Bethel Parks & Recreation, Monroe Parks & Recreation, and Redding Park & Recreation.

Greg’s competitive tennis experience began at Bunnell High School where he earned Conference MVP status and was Class M State Champion. Greg continued his winning streak in Trumbull’s USTA League Tennis 5.0 Team as the team’s top singles player. Greg’s team advanced to the finals in the 1998 USTA New England Sectional Championships. Greg also finished as a finalist in the New England Men’s Open tournament in Wellsley, MA and as a semifinalist in the Men’s Open in Madison, CT. Greg has taught at various clubs throughout Fairfield County including Weston Racquet Club, New Canaan Racquet Club,Westport Tennis Club and Sylvan Tennis Club.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Performance/Sport Science and personal training certification through the American Council on Exercise, Greg has a special interest in sports-specific training for competitive tennis. Greg also carries USTA Sport-Science certification and is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Registry.

In 2009 Greg won 4 New England Open Men's Doubles Tournaments and is ranked 3 in New England.

Greg and his wife, Courtney, won the First Niagara Family Classic Tournament Husband/Wife division in August of 2011.  The couple was awarded their trophy by Caroline Wozniacki on stadium court at the New Haven Open at Yale.

Dave Kardas

Dave has been teaching tennis for over fifteen years and is also the Director of Tennis with Westport Parks and Recreation and the Tennis Director of Milford Recreation. 

A member of the USPTA and USPTR since 1998, Dave has taught at several local clubs including Madison Racquet Club, Sylvan Tennis Club, Tennis Club of Trumbull, Westport Tennis Club, Tennis Central, Roton Point, and New Canaan Racquet Club. Dave has also coached the Boys and Girls teams at Joseph A. Foran High School in Milford.

In addition to local tennis clubs, Dave has taught at several resorts in the Caribbean including Coral Reef in Barbados, Coyaba in Jamaica, and Sandals St. Lucia, and several other resorts.  Dave has also taught with former APT Pro, Tom Gullikson as well as Tim Mayotte in workshops. 

Dave has written articles for New England Tennis magazine and received an award for “Public Tennis Facility” in 2002 from the Fairfield County Advocate

Dave continues to run sanctioned tennis tournaments, charity, and social events.

Jacob Kreimer

Jacob is a native of Brazil with over 40 years of experience in the tennis industry. Jacob has served as an international junior, college and satellite level pro. He has also designed and developed Tiny Tots, a program that has proven to be effective in developing motor coordination, the fundamentals of tennis, and the love for the game in children ranging from 3 to 7 years in age.

Since 1982, Jacob has coached both juniors and adults at various locations in New York and Connecticut. Jacob has worked with top world class professionals like Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl. As a player, Jacob has won the 1996 National 5.0 League and he was a finalist at the National Doubles 35’s Grass Court. Additionally, Jacob worked as an announcer for ESPN International where he covered the tennis world for 13 years.

Jacob is looking forward to working with children, men and women of all levels of play, helping to develop a fun and healthy atmosphere at the parks and recreation grounds.

John Barbaria

John played high school tennis, both doubles and singles.  He played doubles in the state tournament both as a Junior and Senior on the varsity team.

As an adult, John began his teaching career for Norwalk Parks and Recreation from 1971-1973 teaching youth and adult lessons. In addition he organized end of summer tournaments.  During the summer of 1974 John was the assistant to the head pro at Camp Berkshire.  The camp participants traveled to other area camps for match play.  In 1974 John became the Assistant Pro at Trumbull Racquet Club (at the time the head pro was his high school tennis coach).  In the summer of 2004 John, along side Colin Lea, worked for Milford Recreation teaching youth tennis lessons.  John has been with Greg and Dave (now FCT) since 2004 working in many towns, and has been the Head pro at the Wilton Summer Camp for the past 5 summers.  In addition to working at FCT, John will return for his fifth summer at Longshore Club Park teaching youth tennis in the afternoons. In the spring and fall John also provides instruction to children and adults in Fairfield, Stratford and Orange.  For the fall and winter months, John teaches at Sylvan Tennis Club in Westport. 

Being able to teach a game he is passionate about to everyone who wants to learn and allow them to have fun while improving their skills is something he will always cherish and never take for granted. This is central to John’s philosophy as a tennis instructor and coach.

Pat DeNigris

Pat, a member of United States Professional Tennis Registry, has been playing tennis for 38 years. As a player, Pat has won several local tennis tournaments. From 1980 to 1992, Pat not only played tennis but worked with many stars, directors, and producers in the motion picture and Broadway theatrical industry from New York to Hollywood.

Pat is certified by the USPTR in Teaching Advanced Stroke Production, Growing Kids, Growing the Game, Match Play Drills for Singles and Doubles, Teaching Today’s Modern Game with a Ball Machine and Mental Game Mastery.

This is Pat’s third year with FCT. Pat is the Head Pro in Bethel for the spring, summer and fall programs. In addition to Bethel, Pat is an instructor in several other towns for both indoor and outdoor programs. During the 2008-09 season, Pat coached the USTA Westport Tennis Team.

For Pat, teaching tennis is a privilege, one that should not be taken lightly. He enjoys being entrusted to individuals of all ages who share an interest in a sport that he loves to play, and he is pleased that he can impart his knowledge of the game with others. For children, it is developing the fundamentals and a passion for the game. Drawing out the competitive spirit in teens and playing smarter tennis is his goal. And for adults, creating a game they can play and enjoy forever. For everyone, FUN!

Michael Beitman

Matt is a graduate of Andrew Warde H.S. in Fairfield, and Boston University. He recently retired from the City of Bridgeport Information Technology after 25 years of service.

Michael Beitman has been with Fairfield County Tennis for the past three years. Michael returns to Easton for this second year as head pro. Michael is a USTA member and in the process of obtaining his USPTR certification.

Michael is completing his 4th year as a part time instructor at Trumbull Racquet Club. His responsibilities include Tournament Training Center, USTA 18 and under team practice, adult/junior clinics, private lessons, USTA Quick Start Tournaments and coach for home/away USTA matches. Michael represents TRC at USTA meetings, Pilot Pen Free lesson and Kids Day event.

Michael brings to the court his expertise, enthusiasm for the sport, and his friendly demeanor to teach and encourage tennis players of all ages! 

Tim Downey

Tim is a former top ten nationally ranked men’s tennis player having reached #9 in the country in the 21 and under men’s, and top 500 on the men’s ATP computer in 1980. While playing the Satellite Tour, Tim possessed one of the fastest recorded serves in men’s tennis at 142 miles per hour. Tim has played against such great players as John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Paul Annacone, Jimmy Arias, and John James. Tim retired from pro tennis in 1988, and is currently a Physical Education teacher at Brookside Elementary School in Norwalk, CT. During the summer he teaches and coaches players of all ages, and has been a teaching pro for 35 years. 

In addition to teaching tennis here in Connecticut, Tim also leads Sports programs for the Native American children on the Crow reservation in Montana. 

Tim has been working tennis programs for Greg Sansonetti and Dave Kardas (now FCT) for the last eleven years in Easton, Bethel, and Fairfield. Last summer Fairfield County Tennis offered tennis lessons for children at the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA where Tim was the head pro for the Saturday programs.

Tim will return to the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA and looks forward to another great summer with Fairfield County Tennis.

Annie Stephenson

Annie is a native of Jamaica and grew up in a ‘tennis’ family. She began playing tennis at 10 years old and learned to love the game, and by high school, Annie was playing competitively in local tournaments. Her teaching career began in her teens when she began to teach part time while she was still in high school. 

In 2003 Annie came to the states and settled in Greenwich, CT. There she worked for Grand Slam Tennis, Ivan Lendl’s club, indoors during the winter for three years. At the same time, Annie began working for Dave and Greg’s Tennis (now FCT) during the summer months. She has been with FCT ever since.

She is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Registry as well as a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association. 

Annie enjoys teaching children which enables her to bring her love of tennis to the court and inspire children to not only enjoy the game, but develop proper techniques, skills, and sportsmanship to last a lifetime!

Shirley Avril

Shirley grew up in New Jersey where she was an all-state lacrosse player in high school. However, upon realizing that it would be difficult to find another 2 dozen or so players required for a lacrosse game, she made the switch to tennis. Shirley graduated from Connecticut College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies.

Shirley is a certified USPTR instructor with over 18 years of teaching experience. She gained recognition as a player and coach during the early 90’s through her active membership in the Lawn Tennis Association of England. As a proponent of the David Gabb “Tennis Technique”, she taught at the David Lloyd Club in Eastbourne and captained her club’s ladies tennis team in North London. She reached the singles final of the All London 35 and over and played 5.0 USTA for several years in CT.

She has taught men, women and children of all ages with various ability levels. In addition to teaching programs through Westport Parks and Recreation and Fairfield County Tennis for several years, Shirley has also taught at local clubs, including Patterson, Westport Tennis Club, and Sylvan as well as at the Sandpiper Resort in Barbados. She has coached the Greens Farms tennis team for the past 14 years and the Fairfield Town tennis team since 2007.

Whether it’s a serious competition or just socializing with friends, tennis is a sport one can enjoy for a lifetime.

Ed Perez

Ed joined the staff of Fairfield County Tennis in the spring of 2010. He is a full time real estate agent for William Raveis Real Estate in Stratford. Ed has played tennis for many years. During his competitive years, he was a USTA 4.5 player. 

Ed has been teaching tennis to both children and adults for over twenty years. He enjoys being a tennis instructor and hopes that the people he encounters on the tennis court share the same enjoyment that he experiences each time he plays or teaches tennis.

Nancy Lally

Nancy grew up in northern New Jersey and played the Eastern junior circuit from 1966-1976. Coming from a tennis playing family, she took lessons from her dad, who was a part-time teaching pro. Nancy advanced in the junior rankings and began to train at the Port Washington Tennis Academy in Long Island, alongside her tennis friends, John McEnroe, Mary Carillo, Vitas Gerulaitis, the Stocktons, Peter Rennert and many other Eastern greats. Nancy was a ballboy at a few professional tournaments and worked in the pro shop at the US Open in the mid 70's. Her family housed many tennis greats on the women's circuit during the US Open from 1970-1980. Nancy continued on to play high school tennis at Saddle River Country Day School for four years, and was captain her senior year. She was then recruited in 1975 to play varsity tennis for Tulane University, where in her senior year, she won a division singles title in Texas, followed by two years of playing the USTA 21-under national circuit.

Nancy went on to pursue a career in ad sales, working in New York City for NBC from 1979-1981. Moving out to Connecticut in 1980 she became an Advertising Sales Executive for Brooks Community Newspapers for 10 years, while also teaching tennis at local clubs and on private courts. Nancy’s advertising expertise landed her a job in 2002, being named Advertising Manager for New England Tennis Magazine until 2004. Nancy also wrote racquet reviews for World Tennis Magazine from 1983-1995. From 1984-1985, Nancy coached cheerleading at Staples High School, followed by the position as head coach for the varsity girls tennis team from 1985-1993. Her teams successes included 4 Eastern Division titles, 3 FCIAC titles and 2 state championship runner up titles.

During that time, Nancy was breeding, raising and showing German Shorthaired Pointers at dog shows all over the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan region and New England including showing three times at the Westminster Dog Show, Madison Square Garden. In 1989, Nancy owned the number two female German shorthaired pointer in the United States.

Nancy has been a tennis professional for 36 years, having taught at her home in New Jersey, Norwalk Racquet Club, Four Seasons, Weston Racquet Club, Birchwood Country Club, Fairfield County Tennis and at INTENSITY. Nancy oversees the Varsity Quest Program, USTA Junior Team Tennis and teaches privates and clinics. Nancy has been a certified USPTA professional since 1986. Nancy studied martial arts for 5 years and is a green belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate.

Having been a ranked adult in New England, Nancy also competed in Fairfield County Women's League, Division I, representing Shore & Country Club. She also has represented INTENSITY as a USTA 4.5 singles player from 2006-2009. In 2009, Nancy was nationally ranked #39 in women's singles in her age group.

Nancy has two children, Meghan, 22 and Trevor, 19. Her hobbies include, fitness, nutrition, travel, photography, reading, scrap-booking, biking, spinning, zumba, raising dogs, and of course, her lifelong passion for competing and teaching the sport of a lifetime, tennis.

Chris Mayotte

Chris is a former top New England Junior and All-American collegiate tennis player. He graduated from the University of South Carolina. He played four years on the pro tour, including all 4 Grand Slam events. Chris was ranked 84th in the world. He has been teaching in the area for many years. He just finished his 8th season teaching at Vista Tennis. Chris joins Fairfield County Tennis at the Fairfield Tournament Training Camp this summer at Fairfield Woods.

Richard Stephenson

Richard joins the staff of Fairfield County Tennis in June 2011 from Boca Raton, Florida. Richard, born and raised in Jamaica, was the former Caribbean Junior Champion in both singles and doubles. Richard beat the last four national coaches in Jamaica. In the 1970’s Richard was coached by Hall of Famer, Harry Hopman. In addition, Richard also played in the United States 21 and under national circuit with Jimmy Arias and Tim Mayotte, both of whom were in the top 10 on the ATP tour.

In his more recent past, Richard was one of the club pros for the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, New York prior to moving to Boca Raton. Richard continued teaching tennis in Florida at the Woodfield Country Club and then at the Broken Sound Country Club, both in Boca Raton.

Richard will be relocating to Connecticut for the summer to spend time with family and bring his expertise to the courts in Fairfield.

Richard brings to the court over 30 years of teaching experience. Richard has his tennis instructor certificate from the United States Professional Tennis Registry. 

This summer Richard will be the head pro at the Fairfield Ludlowe Junior Tennis Camp, and will teach adults in Fairfield in the evening.

FCT is pleased to have Richard join our staff to bring his knowledge of the game to our courts for both the younger set and adults!