MEET OUR PROS

Director of Tennis

A native of Australia and a USPTA Elite Professional, Bryce Cunningham brings prestigious international experience as a player, coach, and in tennis management to The Club at La Costa and Cliff Drysdale Tennis. Bryce joined Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management in 2008 and since has worked at several world renowned tennis resorts across the county including the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne in Florida. In 2013, Bryce was named USPTA Pro of the Year for the Florida panhandle and in 2016, the Omni La Costa Tennis Center was named USPTA Club of The Year for the San Diego Division under his management.

Norman comes to Cliff Drysdale Tennis after most recently serving as the Assistant Program Coordinator at New Rochelle Racquet Club in New York and Tennis Director at the Christmas Cove Improvement Association in South Bristol, ME. Hailing from Boston, MA, Norm brings experience in working with a wide range of students, spanning from 10-and-under to adults, as well as high-performance players. After earning a master’s degree in sports management, Norm knew coaching was his passion, and he built his coaching philosophy around developing strong habits and building confidence for his students. His career began with coaching high school teams, running local summer tennis programming, and serving as the Assistant Coach for the Men's and Women's Tennis teams at Williams College and he’s thrilled to now be in California as a member of the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Team.

Program Director

Brought to us by the small town of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, Daniel is a recent graduate of the 12 month PTU Program offered through Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management. Daniel played four years of varsity high school tennis, then turned around and coached that same team for two years. Daniel’s favorite shot is his backhand and likes to hit a tweener from time to time. Daniel loves to work with and teach players of all different ages and ability levels... and whether you like high energy or high performance, Daniel does it all! If you see Daniel around, never hesitate to say hello. Before joining the team at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Daniel was most recently a teaching professional tennis at one of our sister clubs, the Omni Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Florida.

Tennis Professional
USPTA certified and USRSA stringing

Brian has been teaching at the resort since 2005. Brian attended the University of Rhode Island and played two years of division 1 tennis singles and doubles - making all rookie his freshman year. He works with adults and children and is available for lessons and clinics.

Tennis Professional

David was born and raised in Czech Republic and started playing tennis with his dad and his brothers at the age of 6. As a junior player, David played high level domestic and international junior tournaments throughout Europe. David achieved #2 ranking in Czech and won the national championship in doubles. David was also ranked top 40 in Europe in boys 14’s. David came to the U.S. in 2019 to study and play college tennis at Northwood University in Michigan, a Division II school. David played #2 singles and #2 doubles on the tennis team all four years. After graduating, David worked as a tennis professional at Wheaton Sport Center near Chicago, IL before relocating to Carlsbad. David is excited to share his passion for the game and knowledge with players of all ages and skill levels at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

Sean has been a member of the USPTA since 1984 and has a Pro-1 rating. He attended UC Berkeley and was a member of one of the nation’s top-ranked collegiate men’s tennis teams. Sean has a passion for tennis and enjoys teaching, whether it is fundamentals, tactics or strategy you want to work on; Sean is knowledgeable in all facets of the game.

Tennis Professional 

Valentin Bertin was born and raised in Pontoise, France a small suburb near Paris. His love of Tennis started at age 11 with his younger brother and
at this young age he joined the TENNIS CLUB DU VEXIN-THELLE in France where he played in Tennis Tournaments for 10 years and later worked as an instructor and coached tennis for 7 years. The Club was instrumental in building Valentin’s unique style of teaching adults and children. Every year Valentin would travel to Nantes, a city near western France with 10 kids for a 2 week high intensity coaching camp.

Valentin moved to America in early 2022 and joined Cliff Drysdale Management at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa as a full time tennis professional.
Valentin enjoys the California weather and strives to be a Tennis Director one day. He speaks 2 languages and has always been passionate about sports, particularity football and tennis. Valentine is available for lessons and clinics daily.

Pickleball Professional  

Gee Gee is a natural gifted athlete who started playing tennis at age 6, and never stopped playing. She was a top 10 ranked junior tennis player in Southern California in all age categories, nationally ranked player, and achieved the honor of Player of the Year. With all her success on the tennis court, led her to earning innumerable number of scholarships to Division I universities all over the United States.
 
Gee Gee has over 25 years coaching experience as a professional tennis coach, college coach, high school coach, and a private coach. After college, Gee Gee competed in a few WTA pro events, USTA National Level I tournaments winning many national titles. She represented the USA Suzanne Lenglen Team as a member, and as a Captain internationally. Gee Gee has a world title winning the ITF World Championship in doubles.

Then Gee Gee, who loves sports found another passion, the sport of pickleball. The first time Gee Gee picked up a pickleball paddle was in a local tournament after hearing about the game from a friend a week before. Gee Gee’s pickleball playing achievements including winning several pickleball titles and medaling at pro level events which include Tournament of Champions, Hawaii Open, So Cal Classic, Las Vegas Open, 2 time US Open Gold medalist, Canadian National Champion, USAP National multiple medalist. Her highest ranking has been in the top 10. She still competes, but has been spending more time teaching and promoting the game of pickleball to all ages and levels.

Tennis Professional 

Alessandro Cadena, a tennis coach from Quito, Ecuador, brings passion and expertise to La Costa. A former U18 #1 player in Ecuador, Alessandro has competed in professional and ITF tournaments, building a strong foundation of competitive experience. In college, he went undefeated in singles during his freshman year at the University of Saint Katherine, achieving a top-10 doubles ranking in the West Region. Later, he competed at the Division 2 level with Biola University while earning a business degree and receiving multiple athletic and academic awards. Alessandro discovered his love for coaching at 16, teaching at his father’s academy in Ecuador while pursuing his own professional and junior tennis career. Now, he helps players of all ages and skill levels grow their game, focusing on personalized strategies and building confidence.

Tennis Professional 

Elijah was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. He grew up with a passion for tennis and at the age of 16 became PTR Certified and began teaching tennis. Elijah went on to play NCAA tennis at Allegheny College for three semesters at #5 singles and #3 doubles. Elijah graduated with a bachelor’s in science in Environmental Science from Berry College where he played #2 singles, #1 doubles and #3 doubles. Elijah’s junior year of college he began his teaching career with Cliff Drysdale Tennis Management at our Rome, Georgia location before relocating across the county to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in the spring of 2024.