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Tennis Pro
Ray Sahag, Director of Tennis
USPTA, PTR, USTA High Performance Certified
Ray has over 22 years of teaching and coaching experience at all levels in the Tennis Industry. He has worked under the 2 greatest names in the game, Nick Bollettieri and Dennis Van der Meer. Starting as a pro in the academy at Bollettieri's he moved up to be the Head Pro of the Adult program. This was followed by 16 years directing and managing tennis programs and clubs in Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi. As an instructor his Adult teams have enjoyed great success at all levels. His junior programs have produced multiple players with #1 national rankings, collegiate All American's and last year's US Open Boys Finalist, Devin Britton.
His #1 passion is people but tennis is a close 2nd. Ray has been married to Walker for 20 years after meeting when they were both pros at Bollettieri's. They have a 15 year old Golden Retriever named Ginny.
"We are blessed to be here at Franco's. We love the staff and membership. The potential in all areas is limitless which is so exciting to us. We both look forward to becoming a big part of the community." |
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Walker Sahag, Academy Director
PTR and USTA High Performance Certified
Walker comes to Franco's from Hilton Head Island where she was the Director of the Van der Meer World Class Tennis Academy. Walker has coached and taught at every level of the game. She was Director of High Tech at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and lectured to students and coaches from around the globe. She has worked closely for a number of years with Jim Loehr, the world's #1 sports psychologist. As a speaker and presenter at every major conference in the U. S., Walker has spoken on a wide variety of topics. Her articles have appeared in Tennis, World Tennis magazine to name a few and she has been seen on national TV as well as international TV.
Walker has traveled and been the personal coach for players on both the ATP and WTA tours including upcoming Hall of Fame inductee Monica Seles. Her junior programs have always produced players who have won at the highest levels both nationally and internationally. National Champions, All Americans and ITF winners have all come from her programs.
Walker has been married to Ray for 20 years and has a 15 year old Golden Retriever named Ginny.
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John Ballard, Head Tennis Pro
U.S.P.T.A. Certified, Tennis Pro
John comes to Franco's from Windyke Country Club in Germantown, TN. During his time there he directed a highly successful Quickstart and Junior program along with his other teaching duties. He was recognized for his excellence as a teacher by being selected the USPTA Southern Section Rookie of the Year. This is a great accomplishment since it is chosen from all the pros in the 9 southern states. As a player, John represented his home state of Ms. In numerous junior competitions. He played #1 singles and doubles during his time at Belhaven College, and continues to compete in USTA league and tournaments. As a 5.0 player, John and his team won the 2008 Southern Sectional and competed for a national title in Palm Springs CA.
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Bobby Barton, Assistant Tennis Pro
USPTA Certified, PTR Certified
Bobby comes to us from Petersburg Racquet Club in Augusta Georgia where he worked with one of the country's most highly respected QuickStart pioneer's, Craig Jones. He helped coordinate and instruct every level and age group of the game, specializing in QuickStart tennis and early athletic development. Bobby has a tremendous passion for growing the game and reaching out to new players. He is highly involved with Junior Team Tennis, USTA adult league programs, cardio, Adult QuickStart, and has served as mixed doubles league coordinator in Rome, GA. In addition, he has trained and developed a variety of tournament players and continues to compete himself through USTA league and tournaments.
Bobby has been a guitarist for over 10 years and enjoys to record/edit/produce music in his free time. Check it out on Youtube!!!
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Maru Brito, Assistant Tennis Pro
PTR Certified
Maru Brito is a native of Mexico. She was both an All American and a 3 time All ACC selection while at Clemson University. On the WTA tour she reached a career high of 500 in singles and 480 in doubles. After graduating from Clemson she worked as an academy pro at the Van Der Meer World Class Academy in Hilton Head Island. She spent 2 years as the assistant men's and women's tennis coach for Auburn University - Montgomery. While there she helped lead both teams to the NAIA National Championships. The women in '08 - '09 and the men in '09 - '10. Maru is both an outstanding coach and teacher and is a magnificent addition to the Franco's Family!
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