Mandy Grunfeld Rosenfield
Founder & Owner
Mandy is a former professional and leading British tennis player. She was ranked as high as No.3 in Great Britain and in the low 100’s in the world. She played for her country in the Federation Cup, Wightman Cup and competed at Grand Slams around the world, including playing against the legendary Martina Navratilova and Lori McNeil at Wimbledon. She competed in all the grand slams and was known as one of the fittest and toughest tennis players of her era. When injury curtailed her playing career, she earned a place at Manchester University studying for three years and received a First-Class Honors degree in Physical Therapy. She has a tremendous amount of experiences in the physiology, stresses, and strains of tennis.
David Pace
Director of Operations & Owner
David has been with the Orlando Tennis Academy for over 10 years, bringing extensive experience and dedication to the program. Prior to this, he served as an instructor at the Ocoee Tennis Academy. In addition to his coaching background, David has a strong foundation in creative marketing. He is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where he earned a degree in Communications with a minor in Business Administration. David currently oversees the day-to-day operations of the academy.
Angela Vargas
Assistant Tennis Director
Angela Vargas is a standout tennis player who competed at the 6A level in high school, winning the district championship four consecutive years starting her freshman year. She went on to have a successful collegiate career at St. Mary’s University, earning honors such as Freshman of the Year, All-Conference First Team, and Tournament MVP. After graduating, Angela took on dual roles at St. Mary’s as assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams and contributed to the administrative side, supporting team operations and player development and recruitment. She was recognized as the South Central Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year during her tenure. Angela has also taught at clubs and camps across Texas and the Northeast, working with players of all levels and overseeing summer programs for kids. She combines her coaching expertise, organizational skills, and bilingual background to support families and players throughout their tennis journey. Angela is especially passionate about player development and helping international athletes.
Howard Jones
Director of Instruction
Howard is originally from Great Britain and has over 25 years of experience in the tennis coaching business. He has personally developed numerous players from age 10 and up, at all levels, many of whom have won junior titles at national and international levels. Some of these players have gone on to achieve rankings and win titles on the ATP/WTA tours, while others have obtained scholarships with NCAA Division 1 teams.
Howard has worked as a traveling coach for Great Britain junior teams at various tournaments, including ITFs and Tennis Europe events. He has also held the role of Director of Performance at the National Training Centre in the UK. He is a PTR Certified Professional, an LTA Master Professional in the United Kingdom, and has won the Performance Coaches Award. Recently, Howard was appointed to spearhead our instruction, curriculum, and training to ensure best practices for our athletes and team of coaches.
Mark Belkin
Academy Coach
Mark Belkin, a Miami, Florida native, boasts an extensive tennis background since childhood, achieving a Top 10 ranking in Florida from 10 and under to 14 and under. Mark’s passion for the sport led him to participate in numerous USTA tournaments across Florida and even in Ecuador, honing his skills and gaining invaluable experiences. With a decade of coaching experience, he has mentored players aged 4 to 18 and has excelled in High Performance and Junior Development and enjoys passing on his expertise to all age groups, making him well-versed in instructing both young children and adults. Beyond tennis, he finds enjoyment in relaxing at home and watching sports. Fluent in English and Spanish, Mark’s passion, skill, and adaptability make him an invaluable asset for any tennis program or institution.
Joseph LeBlanc
Academy Coach
Joseph was born in Houston, Texas and has been a tennis professional for 7 years. Joseph started teaching tennis at Bentwater Country Club near Houston. He then attended Tyler Junior College where he earned an associates in professional Tennis Management and his professional teaching certification with the USPTA. Joseph then attended the University of Texas at Tyler and earned his bachelor’s in business Occupations. While completing his schooling he coached All Saints Episcopal High School team to State before working as a Tennis Professional for Cliff Drysdale tennis in Tyler, Texas. After two and a half years of growing programs there, Joseph moved to Puako, Hawaii to coach at the Mauna Lani hotel, a five-star hotel located on the Kohala coast. He has coached and run junior and adult programs at both facilities, including all levels.
Fernando Valdajos
Elite Tennis and Academy Coach
Fernando is a Former ATP and WTA Tour Coach with a tremendous experience of coaching players of all levels. He worked more than 20 years, coaching ATP and WTA players and has also coached 2 Top 50 ATP players and 5 Top 100 players including 2012 French Open Finalist and 2012 US Open Doubles Champion Sara Errani. He is a PTR Professional and a National Trainer (Spanish Federation) and has been a Full-Time coach on the ATP and WTA tours for 8 years. Fernando has worked with Sara Errani (Italy) : Nª 5 WTA. Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo (Spain): Nª33 WTA.Arantxa Parra (Spain): N 46 WTA and Dudi Sella No29 ATP. Fluent in Spanish and French and has now worked with OTA for over 10 years.
Chris Grossi
Academy Coach
Chris Grossi was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and has been teaching tennis for 9 years. He graduated with a B.S degree in Sports Management from Niagara University in 2018. While at school, he was on the Division I Men’s Tennis team. Chris has taught players of all ages and levels. When Chris is not teaching or playing tennis, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.
Maddy Stone-Wheatley
Academy Coach
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Maddy Stone-Wheatley brings 8 years of tennis coaching experience to our team, working with players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced competitors. Her passion for coaching ignited at 16 when she started teaching at local courts. Since then, Maddy has become a Level 1 PTR Certified Professional and has taught at the Schwartz Tennis Center at Purdue University and Elite Sports Clubs in Brookfield, Wisconsin.