Our Coaching Team
Joan Arroyo Perez
( Head Coach and co-founder of Smash It Tennis Academy )
Joan has had a passion for tennis since he was 7 years old. He was one of the top junior players in Spain and the number 1 junior player in Catalonia.
He has played in Tennis Europe Events around Europe, won several National Spanish tournaments and played some ITF Futures tournaments.
He has victories as a Junior against world class players such as Rafa Nadal, Nicolas Almagro, Marcel Granollers and Stan Wawrinka.
Joan moved into tennis coaching in 2010 working with all ages and levels across Barcelona.
He spent 2013-2016 working in the prestigious Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy, where he was the lead coach for the under 12 performance programme, coaching and travelling with top European under 12 players in Tennis Europe Events. At Sanchez-Casal, he also had the experience of coaching in the WTA group for 6 months as well as coaching players from the French School of Barcelona.
In 2016, Joan moved to Edinburgh where he has been working at David Lloyd, Fettes College, St. Serfs & Barnton Park Lawn Tennis Club as a tennis and Padel coach, offering lessons to all ages, stages and levels.
Qualifications:
- LTA Level 4 Accredited+ coach
- RPT National Coach
- Catalan Level 1 (equivalent to LTA 3)
- Sanchez-Casal Level 1,2,3
- Padel MBA Certified Coach
Gavin Vickery
(Head Coach and co-founder of Smash Tennis Academy) 
Gavin started as a Cricket & Squash player in sunny Queensland Australia before dropping both to start tennis when he was 15 years old. After 8 years of coaching all ages & levels in one of the biggest clubs in Brisbane, he decided to move to the greener pastures of Scotland.
It was at Bridge of Allan & The Gannochy in the University of Stirling, where he really cut his teeth working with some of Scotland brightest stars; from Scotland´s all star Rugby player Finn Russel to former top 2 Junior Vincent Gillespie and everything in between.
After a brief stint working abroad on the idyllic island of Antigua, he moved back to Scotland & it´s capital city of Edinburgh. It was working at David Lloyd Newhaven for 13 years first as a coach and then as head of the junior programme that he really found the joy of coaching. He has imparted his vast knowledge and abundant energy on to loads of juniors, adults, junior county representatives and disabled children.
He has found his new home at St Serfs, Barnton Park LTC & George Heriots School where he plans to use his 30+ years of coaching experience to help the Adults & next generation of junior players learn to, not only improve as tennis players, but more importantly have fun doing so!
Qualifications:
- LTA Accredited+
- NL2 (equivalent to LTA Level 4)
- T.P.P.A Level 2 Australia