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.

[email protected] | 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.

[email protected] | 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 & Spa team. He is a PPR certified pickleball professional and PTR certified. 

[email protected] | 904.432.1485

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, INDIA AMPAW

Originally from London, England, India is excited to join the coaching team at Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa - having previously worked full-time Cliff Drysdale’s Southampton location. A recent graduate with a master’s degree, India enjoyed six years of Division 1 tennis across three different colleges. India began playing at the age of 3 and competed in several ITF tournaments after breaking into the top 50 in the UK. Her passion for coaching began at 16, and she has since gained extensive experience chaperoning and coaching top national players at international ITF events. A fun highlight of India’s career includes serving on the traveling team for an ATP player at the French Open. India is passionate about sharing her love for the game with players of all ages and skill levels. She brings a positive and energetic approach to every session, aiming to help each player reach their full potential while enjoying the process.

RACQUETS PROFESSIONAL, GREGOR BRYDON

Gregor Brydon, originally from Oban, Scotland, has been involved in tennis his whole life and competed at Stirling University in one of the toughest leagues in the nation. Gregor brings over 10 years of coaching experience, including serving as the Co-Director of Adult Tennis Programming at the acclaimed John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas. He is also an LTA-certified coach. During his time in Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Gregor has held positions at Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa as well as Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont. Most recently Gregor has been the Director of Racquets at The Club at Castlewood in California where he has been running the program for the past 2 years. Gregor loves being on court with all ages and abilities; he is well known for his on-court enthusiasm and charisma!