FOUNDER
First Strike Tennis was founded in 2013 by renowned tennis coach Mark Gellard, who has spent the last 15+ years training the world’s most elite tennis players. Mark has provided his services to both the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation (KTF) and the prestigious ‘Star River Team’ in China, as well as working with some of the most successful players in the world including Martina Hingis, Kristina Kucova, Melinda Czink, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Zarina Diyas, Danka Kovinic, Panna Udvardy, Shelby Rogers, and Magda Linette.
Mark obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama where he played NCAA division 1 tennis, and has subsequently become one of the few professional tennis coaches in the world to also become a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA. He currently sits as a member on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) CPAC where he works to improve the status of the professional tour through a multitude of projects.