Meet the Pros

SENIOR DIRECTOR, ROB WRIGHT

Wright, originally from Hertfordshire England, is an LTA certified pro with over 15 years of coaching experience. Rob played tennis for Oxford Brookes University with a major in Sport and Exercise Science. Since joining Cliff Drysdale Tennis in early 2016, Rob has held key leadership roles at luxury resorts in California, Maryland, Wisconsin and Florida. He is PTR certified.

rob.wright@omnihotels.com | 904.277.5151

ADULT PROGRAM DIRECTOR, THIEN NGUYEN

Ngyuen, originally from Vietnam, first started playing tennis at the age of 8. Within his first 6 months of playing, he was the champion at the U12 Asian Championships. This victory put him on the radar of IMG who offered him a full scholarship to train and compete. Nguyen, moved to Florida at 9 years old and 4 years later was the Orange Bowl U14 Champion. At 15-year-old Thien earned his first ATP point and has a career high singles ranking inside the top 400. After touring the world on the ATP tour Thien was recruited by Loyola Marymount University, a division 1 tennis school in California where he represented their tennis team and graduated with a masters in entrepreneurship. Thien is incredibly passionate about coaching tennis and using his experiences to improve players of all ages and abilities. Other fun facts about Thien, he has singles victories against Nick Kyrgios, Daniil Medvedev, Cameron Norrie and many other currently top ranked players in the world! He is PTR certified.

thien.nguyen@omnihotels.com | 904.277.5131

PICKLEBALL PROGRAM DIRECTOR, BRYAN GABB

Bryan Gabb, originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana, began playing competitive tennis at a young age. While studying at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he worked four summers at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas. At the ranch, Bryan spent one summer as a tennis pro and three as an on-court director for the junior summer camp program, while maintaining a key role on the adult program. From January to August of 2022, Bryan was a teaching pro at Lake Charles Racquet club before joining the Omni Amelia Island Resort team. He is a PPR certified pickleball professional and PTR certified. 

bryan.gabb@omnihotels.com | 904.432.1485

RACQUETS PROFESSIONAL, ELLIOT MUTH

Originally from New York City, Elliot Muth is USPTA-certified teaching professional. He grew up playing competitive tennis in the greater New York and Philadelphia areas. He was recruited to play tennis at Lake Forest College in Illinois where he finished his major in Economics. Elliot also grew up playing at Columbia University where he received his Master of Sciences in Sports Management. Elliot joins Cliff Drysdale with an extensive background in junior development and adult league play. His coaching background has taken him to places such as Naples, FL, Napa Valley, CA, Buck Hill Falls, PA, and Manhattan, New York City. He is PTR certified.

RACQUETS PROFESSIONAL, XAVIER DE VREESE

De Vreese, originally from Nice, France first started playing tennis at the age of 4. As a talented junior, he joined the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy at the age of 12 to further his development into an elite junior player. Throughout his 6 years at the academy, he qualified for France junior nationals and travelled Europe for tournaments. At 18, De Vreese was recruited by William Carey University, MS. While playing college tennis, De Vreese also graduated with a master’s degree in Sports Management. De Vreese was the teaching assistant for the women’s team at William Carey University and joins the team at the Omni Amelia Island Resort with extensive knowledge in player development. He is PTR certified.

RACQUETS PROFESSIONAL, JAY SMITH

Jay, originally from Southampton England, is an LTA certified tennis professional. He studied at University of Chichester playing as number one on the tennis team and making the semifinals of the BUCKS nationals league. Since arriving in the states, Jay has been an essential member of the Cliff Drysdale Team, working as a Tour Professional. This position saw him working at 22 signature events all over America in 2023 including Ladies Retreats, Doubles Bootcamps, Pickleball Camps and much more! Outside of touring, Jay has worked as a full time Racquets Professional at the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne and Southampton Racquet Club in New York. He is PTR certified.

RACQUETS PROFESSIONAL, HASSAN BADRAN

Hassan is originally from Cairo, Egypt, where he started playing tennis at the age of 6. He competed and maintained top junior national ranking in Egypt and represented his country in many local and international championships, most notably the Junior World Davis Cup Final held in Czech Republic in 2015. Hassan recently graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a double concentration in Management and Computer Science at Emmanuel University (GA), where he was a part of the men's tennis team and was captain his senior year. His coaching journey began in Cairo in 2018, but he kicked off his U.S. experience at John Newcombe Country Club, Cliff Drysdale Tennis' head quarters in New Braunfels, Texas. He has had the privilege of coaching in Athens, GA, Long Island, NY, and most recently Osterville, MA, where he served as an Assistant Head Professional at Wianno Club, before rejoining CDT at Amelia Island in September. He is PTR certified.