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 * Co ...

, 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 retired American professional doubles tennis players and the most successful duo of all time. They were born on April 29, 1978, with Mike being the elder by two minutes. ...

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

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

from 1965 to 1969, he played for the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent 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 ...

tennis team as the no. 1 singles and doubles player. He is a frequent emcee of tennis charity events and clinics and was voted

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is 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 takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

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

Coaching 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 for example the U10 mandate requiring all children ten and under (regardless of ability) 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 student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

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.

Writer

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 ().

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