UTA Partner

David Drew

David co-founded Universal Tennis Academy with Tim Noonan and David Stolle in 1996. Originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, David Played his college tennis at Vanderbilt University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Development and a Master’s Degree in Education and Marketing. David was also was a 2-time captain of the tennis team and SEC Champion. After college, David played for a few years on the ATP Tour.

Over the years, David has enjoyed working with kids of all ages and abilities. Some of the stand-out players that David has developed over the years include: Bobby Reynolds, Raian Luchici, Jordan Delass, Ross Beall, Cargill sisters, Jenkins brothers and Andrei Duarte. David’s passion continues to be helping students reach their tennis goals whether it is making the high school team, college team or just having fun with the sport.

David also co-founded the Chattahoochee Foundation with Tim Noonan and David Stolle back in 1999. They have spent nearly 20 years creating tennis opportunities for underprivileged kids in the Atlanta area. The Foundation merged in 2018 with AYTEF so that they create even more opportunities in the future. They are currently using Washington Park Tennis Center to run programs which include an After-School education/tennis/nutrition program, Serve & Connect, DreamMakers Youth Foundation and The Ron Clark Academy.

David is married to an Atlanta native M.A. Glenn and they have two daughters Sumner and Ella. When there is a little free time in the schedule, David enjoys boating, golfing, playing the guitar along with spending time with his friends and family.

Work in the Community:
– Co-founded Chattahoochee Foundation in 1999 with Tim Noonan and David Stolle
– Director of Tennis for the Special Olympics from 2013-2015
– Directed the Ron Clark Academy for the past 10 years at Washington Park Tennis Center
– Serve and Connect @ Washington Park Tennis Center

UTA Partner

Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a founder with Universal Tennis Academy. Tim is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He received his Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame where he was a four-year letterman and captain of the Notre Dame tennis team. Tim worked as an architect for five years before returning to the game of tennis.

Tim was the Director of Tennis at both Sunset Country Club and Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis before moving to Atlanta in 1996, to become the head coach for the Atlanta Thunder. Noonan led the Thunder to the World Team Tennis finals that same year. Tim is USPTA certified Tennis Professional and the 2019 Georgia USPTA Pro of the Year.

Tim and his wife Karen have a stepdaughter named Madie and three rescue dogs. When Tim isn’t on the courts he enjoys playing golf and skiing. Tim enjoys coaching students of all levels and ages.

Work in the Community:
– 396 hours and 11 years at DreamMakers
– 1,120 hours and 7 years at St Joseph Cardiac Cathy Lab
– Founder and 300 hours at St. Anne’s Catholic Church Adult Mission Ministry

Tennis Professional

Antonio Bogat

Originally from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Coach Bogat was a tennis and soccer MVP at the City University of New York. He earned an Electrical Engineering and two post-graduate degrees while attending the University of New Haven and serving as Soccer Team Captain.

Antonio has been ranked in the Top 5 in Georgia in the 30’s, 35’s, and 40’s. He has 12 years of coaching experience and is a certified USPTA Teaching Pro. He has coached at both the collegiate and ITF levels. At UTA Antonio works with all different skill levels and ages. He has created his own line of sportswear called YellowMoon (www.toyellowmoon.com). When he has spare time he enjoys walking his turtles!

Tennis Professional

Chelsea Utting Vea

Chelsea is from Peachtree City, GA and started working at Universal Tennis Academy in the fall of 2014 after graduating from Penn State. She played positions 1 and 2 in singles and doubles and was ranked #21 in the NCAA for doubles. She earned a history degree from Penn State.

Off the courts, she enjoys playing golf and running around with her dog, Loretta Lynn. She is married to Bitsy Pro, Mikaiah Vea. Chelsea enjoys teaching adult and juniors from beginners to elite level.

Tennis Professional

Emory Harris

Emory, originally from Macon, GA., is a graduate of ASU in Albany. He has been teaching tennis in Atlanta since 1995. Emory is PTR certified and has coached several ALTA teams to the city finals. Emory teaches adults and junior players of all abilities. He enjoys music and spending time with friends.

Tennis Professional

Frank Thompson

Frank is from Tallahassee, Florida and walked on to the FSU tennis team between 1989 and 1990. He earned a BA in marketing while at FSU. Frank has been teaching for 25 years and has worked with top-ranked juniors and has also led ALTA teams to city championships.

He comes to us from Cherokee Town and Country Club where he worked for eight years. While there, he was instrumental in building the platform tennis program and is now the Director of Platform Tennis at Bitsy Grant.

UTA Director

Marcelo Ferreira

Marcelo is a Brazilian native who graduated from Georgia College & State University (GCSU) in 2006 with a Physical Education degree with a minor in Health Education. He was a three-year letter winner, earning Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll status every season. After graduating from GCSU, Marcelo served as assistant coach for both Men’s and Women’s tennis programs.

Marcelo later earned his Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Exercise Science and Sports Management from Texas Tech. He spent five seasons at Texas Tech University as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach during the 2012-2013 season. He was twice named the ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Under Marcelo’s leadership, his team made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2008 to 2012 and his teams finished ranked in the ITA top 25 an unprecedented four times. Marcelo also led a double team to the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championship (2012).

Marcelo was hired in 2013 as Pepperdine Men’s Tennis Head Coach. He helped lead rising senior Alex Sarkissian (former top 150 ATP)) become the third player in program history to reach the finals of the NCAA Singles Championship (2013).

When not on the courts he enjoys spending time with his wife, Jesse. Marcelo has worked with high-level players the last 15 years but loves working with everyone and all levels!

Tennis Professional

Sydney Grant

Sydney grew up in Marietta, Georgia and went to high school at The Walker School where she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. As a junior, Sydney was consistently in the top junior rankings in the South and in Georgia. She was a 5-star recruit and was ranked top 50 in the nation. She earned a tennis scholarship to the University of Richmond and competed at top of the line up for singles and doubles. The team won 2 Atlantic Ten Conference Championships and Sydney was honored as All-Conference Second Team. She also played tennis at Georgia Southern University and graduated with an Anthropology degree.

Sydney was a Volunteer Assistant Coach for Emory University Women’s Tennis Team & participated in a team trip to Thailand. She has been coaching in the metro Atlanta area for 4 years, working primarily with young children and juniors, but enjoys teaching all ages. She is passionate about working with animal shelters, hiking, painting, and traveling.

Tennis Professional

Rick Willett

Rick has been coaching tennis with UTA at Bitsy Grant since 2009. He is a member of USPTA, GPTA, and USTA. Rick has a passion for successfully coaching ALTA and USTA teams plus helping players improve with individual lessons. In addition to coaching at Bitsy Grant, he has also taught in Chattanooga and Alpharetta.

Rick currently serves on the USPTA Georgia Board. He also actively volunteers with Dream Makers, a nonprofit organization that helps children with special needs learn how to play tennis. He is a contributor to the USPTA Southern Standard. He also provides teaching tips and strategies to One Good Idea. Rick believes staying on top as a tennis professional is through continual tennis education so he takes 12-15 hours of tennis education annually. Rick has strong ties to Bitsy Grant as his father won many tournaments here while he was growing up!

Tennis Professional

Yevgeny Silitski