JVTA NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2026
A few words from Jackson
G’day JVTA families,
First up — thank you. To our players, parents, families, coaches, and the wider Surf Coast Tennis Club community: thank you for being part of what we’re building.
I hope everyone had a sensational, got a chance to recharge, and enjoyed everything that comes with an Australian summer of tennis. Even with the Australian Open now behind us, being able to experience such tennis in our own back yard is such a privilege, and a reminder how lucky we are to have tennis embedded in our local community the way we do here on the Surfcoast.
Welcome to our very first JVTA Monthly Newsletter! This newsletter is something I’ve wanted to dofor a long time. As the academy and the club have grown, there’s more happening each week than most people ever get to see — different lessons, events running, club competitions, player results, coach development, community moments, and plenty of quiet wins that deserve to be shared. The goal of this newsletter is simple: to bring the whole community closer together by helping families see what’s on offer across JVTA and the club, get to know the coaches and players beyond their usual session, warmly welcome new families, and recognise the members, volunteers, and families past and present, who have helped build this club from its earliest days, laying the foundations for the growth and development we’re proud of today, while celebrating progress - big and small - across all ages and stages.
2026 marks the beginning of our fourth year with Surfcoast Tennis Club, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. The number of juniors competing in our Junior Club Championships have quadrupled, and we have opened up more opportunities for orange and green ballers to play. We’ve expanded opportunities by running tournaments at our club bringing players from across Victoria to compete at Surfcoast while giving our own players the opportunity to compete in tournaments without travelling too far and being able to compete with players from all over in our own backyard. We’ve also loved hosting community days including Parent Child events that get more of our community out on court together. This Summer Season saw our largest ever number of junior teams, making Surfcoast Tennis Club the largest junior club in the Barwon region by teams - larger than Geelong Lawn and other larger clubs. Alongside that growth, we’ve built a strong team of qualified coaches, and our performance program is producing real outcomes — sending 3 players to the USA on a Tennis Scholarship in the last 6 months, and juniors pushing into national and international rankings. None of this happens without a committed coaching team, supportive families, and the volunteers and members who keep the club strong.
Each month, this newsletter will give you a quick snapshot of life around JVTA and the club, a short note from me, our Player of the Month, Coach’s Corner, what’s been happening lately, and a celebration of player achievements. We’ll also include a quick update from the World of Tennis, a clear “what’s coming up” calendar including events within JVTA and the Club, and finish with a little tennis trivia. In future there might be a bit of a monthly challenge everyone can get involved in, but for now, THANK YOU for being part of our community — we genuinely appreciate your trust and support. I hope you enjoy the read and pick up a few new insights along the way.
If there’s anything you’d love to see included in future editions, please let us know — we’re always open to feedback and ideas.
Best,
Jackson
Important Term 1, 2026 Dates
First Day: 28th January
Last Day: Thursday 2nd April
Club Champs: Feb 8th - Feb 22nd
Bring a Friend Week:
Our player of the month
Our Player of the Month is a segment is where the coaches choose a player we feel has consistently exhibited values and standards we hold dear at JVTA, and conduct a bit of an interview with that player.
Player of the Month isn’t about being the best player on court or winning the most points. It’s about recognising the kids who turn up with great energy, effort, and attitude — week in, week out. The ones who listen, try, learn, support others, and give things a real crack, even when it’s hard.
At JV Tennis, we care just as much about who our players are becoming as how they play. Player of the Month celebrates those values and the behaviours we want to see more of — on the court and beyond it.
Paddy joined us at the beginning of Term 4 and from day one, one thing was clear - he could never hit enough balls in a session — to the point where balls landing in his own court were almost an afterthought. Coaching on the court next to him quickly became a full-attention sport.
One thing we learnt very early on: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Paddy miss a ball. If he swings at it, he connects. Every. Single. Time. Pretty remarkable.
Within the first week, we also realised we weren’t quite sure whether Paddy was left- or right-handed. He does plenty of things right-handed… but naturally gravitated to playing tennis left-handed. So we put the idea to him: how about two forehands?
Most tennis players would jump at the opportunity to have two forehands but Paddy not having experienced the trials and tribulations of a backhand, quite nonchalantly said, "yeah, why not!" Although having two forehands might seem like pure awesomeness, it means he has to change his bottom hand over each time he alternates forehands - pretty tricky.
Now, two months in, Paddy brings an absolute ball of energy to every session. He says hello to everyone, thanks every coach, and turns up each week ready to learn, try new things, fail, laugh, and give it another crack. That willingness, that effort, and that joy for the game is exactly what we value at JV Tennis.
His coach Hazel has done an absolutely tremendous job with him and he seems to be loving every moment. As of term 1 he has transitioned to Coach Manaia as Hazel focuses much more on her own training.
He’s an absolute pleasure to have at the courts and a very deserving Player of the Month for February!
I had the privilege of interviewing Paddy on court… here’s what he had to say.
How long have you been playing tennis for?
Paddy - A few months
J - What do you love most about tennis?
P - I love tennis! I feel I have found my sport - every time I hit the ball I feel like I have won the raffle.
J - I've heard your favourite shot is your backhand, tell me a bit more about that?
P - I don't have a backhand, I have 2 forehands.
J - Oh yeah, that's pretty interesting - what's it like having 2 forehands?
P - What do you think it's like? (questioning coach Jackson), you also have 2 forehands. (I may have convinced Paddy I also have 2 forehands - shhhh)
J - What do you like about your coach? (Hazel)
P- She's really kind and she's a really good tennis player.
J- What advice do you have for a future tennis player that wants to follow in your shoes?
P - How are they going to fit in my shoes?
Coaches Corner
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Monet Goode
FOUNDER
With a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience.
They set the tone for everything we do. -
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Emmett Marsh
SALES MANAGER
Focused, approachable, and driven by results, our sales manager is all about building strong relationships. They help connect people to the right solutions—with clarity and care. -
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Eleanor Parks
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Creative and strategic in equal measure, our marketing director brings fresh ideas to every campaign. They turn insights into action and help our message resonate with the right audience. -
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Karl Holland
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, our customer service manager ensures every interaction is a positive one. They keep communication clear, timely, and human.
JVTA PLAYER
HIGHLIGHTS
JVTA Player Highlights is where we celebrate the players across our academy who are doing the work and earning some incredible results. Some of us see the breakthroughs on the training court, others see the wins on the weekend, and others catch it all at tournaments — this section pulls it together and shines a well-earned spotlight on our players. We’re big on rewarding the positive: great attitude, consistent effort, big improvements, and strong results — because those things deserve to be noticed.
This section brings together all the wonderful successes our players are seeing in different areas of our academy for us all to celebrate.
This month will be pretty big as there’s been a hell of a lot going on recently so grab your popcorn!
In the last six months, three JVTA High Performance players have accepted athletic scholarships to colleges in the USA to compete for their university tennis programs. In the US system, colleges can award scholarship support to student-athletes, and depending on the level and program it can range from partial assistance through to a full scholarship that covers tuition (and in some cases also room, board, fees and books) — meaning it can be a cheaper pathway, or even a completely free ride depending on the level of the player.
3 JVTA High Performance Players head off to USA on Tennis Scholarships
Minami Tan has earned a full athletic scholarship (100% free tuition) to Georgia Gwinnett College in Atlanta, where she is competing for the Women’s Tennis Team and study a Bachelor’s in Nursing. The GGC program is as elite as it gets — a 10-time NAIA national champion and nine-time reigning champion.
Minami began her JVTA journey in 2023 and has been relentless — on the court, in the gym, and in the way she carries herself day-to-day. Minami’s results are the product of consistent day-to-day habits over many years.
Well done Minami — super proud of you.
Massive thanks — PROPL / Alex Jago
Massive thanks to Alex Jago (Director & Talent Consultant at PROPL) for guiding these athletes through the US college journey — helping build the plan, navigate recruiting, and match players with the right college fit. PROPL also supports the academic side of the process through Natalie Martin, their US College Academic Advisor, which is a huge part of making sure everything is done properly for eligibility and entry.
Ned Simpson has recently accepted an athletic scholarship to Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
Ned and Jackson have worked on and off over the last few years after first crossing paths through the performance program at Geelong Lawn Tennis Club. Like a lot of players, Ned didn’t have clear guidance early on around the college pathway — what to do, who to speak to, and how to actually get it moving. Ned started again with JVTA in January of 2025, committed, got aligned with the right support, and followed the process through and turned the goal into reality - August 2025 Ned left to the USA. Massive effort, Ned — super proud of you.
Gus Maibaum has earned an athletic scholarship to Wallace State in Alabama — a program that finished the 2024–25 season 8th in the nation (men) and 10th in the nation (women).
Gus started with JVTA back in 2022, as a 15-year-old hitting once a week in a group lesson. Once he understood the college pathway, he locked onto a clear target and went after it. Over three years he tripled his UTR, built a proper training base, and backed himself in. On January 1, he jumped on a plane and started his US college tennis journey.
Huge effort, Gus — you’ve earned this.
US College Pathway — why we rate it at JVTA
The US College Pathway is one of the best options out there for young athletes to use the skills they’ve developed in their respective sports over their adolescent years to receive a scholarship to a University. I’ve seen too many athletes over the years work so hard at their tennis just to leave the racket collecting cobwebs as soon as year 12 finishes - not necessarily because they want to but they didn’t know what options were out there. US College Tennis offers players an opportunity to keep training, competing and improving in a structured high-performance team environment for the next four years, while also completing a degree — the best “Plan A + Plan B” combo for most families. Scholarship support can vary from partial to full, but either way it can make university significantly more affordable, and after 4 years no HECS debt.
Personally, my US experience was one of the best experiences of my life — team culture, competing for more than just yourself, becoming more independent, travelling (I hit saw 27 states in 4 years), building friendships with whom I played on the pro tour with after college and it gave me 4 years to decide whether I wanted to give tennis a good crack or dive into the career in line with my degree (architecture).
If you want to learn more about US college tennis scholarships, contact Jackson at admin@jvtennis.com.au.
Hazel Kadera — Nationals, Margaret Court Cup, and ITF Breakthroughs 🎾🏆
High Performance player Hazel Kadera (16) has kicked off 2026 in a big way.
In December, Hazel travelled to Launceston, Tasmania to compete in both the 16/U and 18/U Australian National Championships. Across both weeks she fought through qualifying to earn her place in the main draw, faced some seriously tough opponents, and recorded her first best-of-three sets win against a higher-ranked player — a huge milestone.
In January, Hazel backed it up by winning the Margaret Court Cup in Albury, pictured with the great Margaret Court (24 Grand Slam singles titles). And post match was interviewed by Channel 7, which can be viewed here.
Then in late January / early February, Hazel returned to Tasmania for a run of ITF tournaments, pushing through to the quarterfinals and knocking off multiple opponents ranked inside the world top 500 securing her first ever International Ranking Points — plus a standout win over an 8.5 UTR player 6-0, 6-2.
At the end of 2025 we reassessed Hazel’s 2026 targets, and will now work towards competing in the Australian Open Juniors 2027. 2026 she play a full schedule of international junior ranking events, and start testing the waters with a few Women’s Pro Tour events.
In the last 12 months her UTR has risen from 6.1 to 8.1
Super proud of you, Haze. Keep going.
George & Myra selected for
10&U Advantage Program
George Montgomery and Myra Sehajpal were selected for Term 4 (2025) as part of Tennis Australia’s 10&Under Advantage Program (linked to the Super 10s pathway) — a targeted development experience designed to accelerate promising young players through high-quality coaching, education, and support. Parents and private coaches are encouraged to be involved so everyone’s aligned on training loads, long-term goals, and the right development focus.
As part of the program, George and Myra earned a full-day experience at the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park, where they trained on-court with high-performance coach Stephen Huss (2005 Wimbledon men’s doubles champion) and were put through a structured day of technical and competitive training.
A major highlight was access to advanced performance feedback: they hit on a court fitted with Hawk-Eye style tracking, with their serve, forehand, and backhand broken down for insights like pace, spin, and accuracy. They also played a match that was filmed and analysed through SwingVision, then completed fitness testing to benchmark where they sit physically for their age group — giving them clear, measurable targets to take back into training.
AO Hot Shots Day — Melbourne Park (22 January 2026)
On Thursday 22 January, JV Tennis Academy took 10 Hot Shots players to The AO Hot Shots Day at Melbourne Park — a celebration day designed for kids and families to have the opportunity to play on the same courts as the best in the world. The Hot Shots Day also includes special moments like a parade through the Ball Park, playing on the courts of Melbourne Park just before the pros take to the courts, player interactions and opportunity to toss the coin for the match for on lucky player.
JVTA’s crew were lucky enough to step onto the Melbourne Park courts for a short Kids on Court-style experience, hitting and warming up with Coach Jackson before the day’s play began. Families were able to enjoy the Australian Open atmosphere together, with Tennis Australia providing ground passes for parents and supporters.
The highlight match that followed for our group was Rafael Jódar (University of Virginia standout) up against Jakub Menšík (ATP World No. 16) — and one of our players Junie even got to complete the coin toss, taking home the official Australian Open match coin as a keepsake.
Players on the day from Left to Right: Isaac Taylor, Spencer Martin, Bowie Bird, Raife Fuller, Leo McGrain, Ella Wood (attempting piggy back), Coach Jackson, Patrick Shears, Ollie Pearson, Mitchell Hammond, and Junie McPhan.
Arya Nori: AO 2026
Future Leaders
Aarya Nori was selected to participate in the AO 2026 Future Leaders Program at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open—an on-site leadership and learning experience delivered in partnership between Tennis Australia and Infosys.
The Future Leaders Program (powered by Infosys Springboard) brings together Year 9–11 students for a day of learning and innovation, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how technology helps power the Australian Openwhile building practical skills across leadership, inclusion, and digital capability.
Through workshops and hands-on activities in the Infosys Fan Zone, participants get exposed to the AI and digital tools used at a modern Grand Slam—then take those lessons back into their schools, clubs, and communities as confident young leaders. We’re proud of Arya for stepping into that arena and representing what it looks like to lead beyond the scoreboard.
JVTA HOT SHOTS HOT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
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