Andre Sinclair has served as a Tennis Coach at New York Junior Tennis & Learning since 1997. A native of the Jamaica, he first fell in love with tennis when he was 16 years old and later pursued a career as a coach. Sinclair enjoys working with youth as they develop a love for – and expertise at – tennis.
“It gives me a chance to teach them something new or even about themselves, and at the same time I learn from them,” he says, “because every child is different. I love working with kids and with the hope of them getting into college and even going professional.”
He is a Role Model, Group Leader and Activity Specialist at the Co-op City Tennis Club, where he previously served as the Acting Site Director and Tennis Coach. Sinclair also serves as the coach of The Ursuline School Varsity Tennis team, which won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association State Championship in 2013.
He has won recognition – twice – as Coach of the Year by the Westchester Journal News in 2012 and 2013.
In his current role, he taught Christian Waldron, who recently won the Mayor’s Cup, and Brandon Torres, the recent winner of NYJTL’s Arthur Ashe Essay Contest and who is now ranked No. 1 in the Eastern 12 and Under category.
He says tennis is more than about perfecting skill on the court.
“It teaches children and youth how to develop good sportsmanship skills, how to listen and follow rules, and at the same time how to be creative both on the court and in their lives,” he says. Accordingly, he regularly imparts life lessons.
“Regardless of whether they want to pursue tennis or something else in life, they must remember that it’s not about practice making perfect,” he says. “It’s perfect practice makes perfect, and if they are on the tennis court, they should play hard but also play smart.”