See what it takes to be a professional tennis player on the WTA Tour!

 

Watch the Kazakh girls training with Mark!

Joey Frank has confirmed that he will be attending Dickinson College this fall as part of their prestigious tennis program. Joey has been working with mark for several years and has continued to improve his tennis through hard work, perseverance and dedication. Mark said 'It is great for Joey to have an opportunity to attend such a well renowned school and be able to combine his tennis endeavors with his academics. Working with Joey was immensely satisfying and I am sure he will be a great addition to the team'.

 

Good Luck Joey!

 

Kamila Kerimbayeva (KAZ) advanced to the finals of the G4 ITF in Monterrey, Mexico this week before succumbing to Mexican Camila Fuentes 6-1, 7-5. Kamila will now see her junior ranking reach a career high and will be hoping to go one round further this coming week in Saint Augustine.

 

Good Luck Kamila!

Zalina Khairudinova captured her first ITF pro circuit title today as she beat Anna Morgina 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. The match was played in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees and lasted just under 3 hours at the Jolie Ville Hotel and Resort in Egypt. Khairudinova will now see her ranking improve several hundred spots in singles and collected the runners up trophy in the doubles event partnering fellow countrywoman Kamila Kerimbayeva.

Click the read more link below to see the T.V. interview with Zalina after the match.

 

Melinda Czink defeated Joanna Larsson 6-0, 6-2 in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships.

Watch two elite players from Kazakhstan endure some hard training.......

Enjoy!

Mark has rejoined team 'Czink' for the European grass court season and their work has already yielded immediate results. On a cloudy day in Birmingham Melinda Czink downed world number 24 Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets 7-5, 7-6 to earn a spot in the last 16 of the prestigious Aegon Classic.

Mark is delighted to announce that he has agreed to terms with the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. Kazakhstan is a rapidly growing tennis nation and they have entrusted Mark to work with and develop some of their top junior tennis players. Mark is excited and honored about the opportunity to assist the Kazakhs with their quest for national tennis success.

"I am proud and honored to be able to represent such a great tennis nation and I look forward to developing a long term relationship with Kazakhstan"

Mark Gellard

Watch this video to learn more about the exciting new product that Mark has co-created to help tennis players facilitate improvement.

Below you can watch a video or Mark discussing the importance of tennis coaches being familiar with the necessary strength and conditioning needed to compete at all levels of the game. One of the certifications considered within the industry as the 'gold standard' is the NSCA-CSCS which provides in depth analysis on all areas of an athlete's life including; Nutrition, Periodization, Aerobic and Anaerobic conditioning, Scheduling, Plyometircs, Weight lifting and psychology.

Tennis has become a more physical sport in the last decade and the importance of not only being a good ball striker but becoming a better athlete has become key. Many tennis players, whether recreational or professional, neglect the importance of finding a tennis specific fitness program that will allow for the greatest benefits. Currently professional players such as Novak Djokovic and Samantha Stosur are 'raising the bar' in terms of the physical attributes required to thrive at the elite levels of the game, and there hard work on and off the court has allowed the game to evolve in to the exciting and dynamic game that it has become.

Listen to WTA player Melinda Czink talking about the advantages of being a left handed player.

 

Mark was fortunate enough to have a popular British newspaper write an article on his time in America and his coaching career so far. Click on the link below to read the full article in the 'Henley Standard'.

 

Mark Gellard in the Henley Standard

 

Last week Mark travelled to Greece where he assisted the Austrian Tennis Federation with their up and coming players at 2 Junior ITF events on the islands of Corfu and preveza. Both players had successful tournaments earning their first ITF points and gaining a World ranking at the junior level.

 

Mark Gellard is proud to announce that he is now able to offer a revolutionary new service that allows you to compare your strokes with those of the best players in the World.

Click on the video below to see Mark and Melinda at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.

 

Melinda Czink recorded one of the biggest wins of her career by beating A.Yakimova at Wimbledon to reach the 3rd round and earn the opportunity to play either Peng Shaui or Elena Baltacha.

It was an amazing day at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships as Melinda Czink (currently working with Mark Gellard) defeated World #10 and Australian number 1 Samantha Stosur in straight sets 6-3,6-4 to progress to the second round.

Last weekend Mark was privileged to be part of the Ballenisles 'Fantasy Camp' that was held in Palm Beach Gardens. Mark was invited to be part of the prestigious event that was comprised of a round robin tournament, on court coaching and a Davis cup style exhibition match that was comprised of some past champions including; Jimmy Arias, Gigi Fernandez, Alina Jidkova, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Aaron Krickstein and Van Winitsky. Click the read more button below to see more pictures!

On Sunday May 8th 2011 Melinda Czink completed a great month of competition after defeating Alison Riske in the final of the Indian Harbor $50,000 event. Melinda fought back from a set down to claim her second ITF title in the last 3 weeks, and will now see here ranking climb back up in to thr top 300 in the World despite not having competed for over a year after being sidelined with an injury. Check out the video to see Melinda receiving her trophy and prize money after the victory. Remember to keep checking back to www.markgellard.com for more updates!

Ex Pro player Neha Uberoi  sat down to answer some questions with Mark Gellard about life on the pro tour. Neha Uberoi was ranked as high as 196 in the World and now attends Princeton University. Click the 'read more' link below to find out what Neha had to say about being a professional tennis player on the WTA/ITF tennis tours.

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday April 24th Melinda Czink won her first title of the year beating Stephanie Foretz-Gacon 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Dothan Pro Classic. Mark has been assisting Melinda in her quest to rejoin the World's elite players as she was once ranked 37 in the World on the official WTA rankings. After the match Melinda commented “It gives me a lot of confidence to know I’m able to play physically and mentally through eight matches, this is something I can build on.

Mark is fortunate enough to be working with World number 37 Melinda Czink from Budapest, Hungary while she prepares to play in the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. In 2009 Melinda won the 2009 WTA Challenge Bell in Quebec City and has won numerous ITF events across the World. Mark had this to say "working with players such as Melinda who are the ultimate professionals is always a pleasure and is not only an opportunity for me to try and help her but also a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from one of the World's best".

Mark touched down in Sao Paulo Brazil, on February 6th after an 8 hour direct flight from Miami. Mark will be staying in Brazil for just over a month training professional WTA tour player Lara Rafful, before she heads off to begin her 2011 campaign. Lara is currently ranked 690 on the WTA rankings list, and hopes to improve her ranking during the next few months so she can move inside of the top 500. While in Brazil Mark also had the opportunity to run a small coaches workshop for the local pros, see Mark in action by watching the video! Click on the read more article below to see pictures of Mark at a soccer game in Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Mark Gellard would like to announce that he is currently available on a part-time and full-time basis for travelling and coaching players of all ages and abilities.  Mark has experience with numerous high performance tennis players (about me) and has a proven track record of success with all players he has worked with.

Whether you are a seasoned professional, an aspiring college player or simply a beginner wishing to learn the fundamentals of this great game, contact me to learn more information.

Mark Gellard would like to announce that he and Christine Kandler have parted terms and ended their professional relationship. Mark would like to Thank Christine and her family for all their support and belief, and wishes them all success as they embrace the next chapter of her career.

Mark had this to say, " I really enjoyed our time together and hope that Christine will have good memories of our experiences, and hope that she will remember me as a person who had a positive influence on her life both on and off the court, she will undoubtedly be a great tennis player"

Christine Kandler capped off a great week in Atlanta beating Brooke Austin 0-6,7-5,7-6, to win the Grade 4 ITF tournament at the Racquet Club Of The South.

Kandler has been working under the guidance of Mark Gellard for almost a year and has seen her ranking skyrocket to 588 WTA and will now be ranked inside the top 250 ITF, moving her closer to a spot in the upcoming Australian Open Junior Grand-Slam. After the successful week Mark had this to say;

"Christine has worked very hard on and off the court with her physical conditioning, and this has really helped to create a feeling of belief and confidence that she has not had before. This is one of this first times I have seen her be able to successfully put together high level matches back to back".

Mark Gellard recently had the pleasure to travel to the newly opened World Tennis Academy in Cancun, Mexico, that is directed by Alejandro Vial. The World tennis academy is a world class tennis facility that has recently opened its doors to players of all ages and abilities.

 

Check out the latest video of Mark in Austria with his player, Christine Kandler. The video interview was filmed for a national news broadcast in Christine's home country!

The Austrian Junior Fed-Cup team finished third in Turkey after beating Croatia on the final day of the competition. After a long week of practice and match-play the Austrian tennis team represented by Christine Kandler, Denise Maxl and Anna-Mari Heil fought hard against a strong Croatian team, to end the tournament finishing third behind Germany and the Czech Republic. On day 1 Austria were given a tough first round test against Slovenia, but strong play from Christine Kandler in the #1 singles position and from Denise Maxl at the #2 position gave them an unassailable lead heading in to the doubles. Anna-Maria Heil and Denise Maxl teamed up to win a tough three set doubles match to finish the day, and win 3-0 against the Slovenians.

 

Please see the videos below of Christine Kandler at the 2010 WTA event in Bad Gastein. After Tina had the biggest win of her career she teamed up with German, Janina Toljan in the doubles.