Staff
COACHES
Euan McGinn
Facts: Inverness, Scotland, 47, Head of Tennis
Biography:
Playing Career:
Euan, a Scottish Junior International attended The University of Arkansas, USA, on a tennis scholarship from 1990-1994. Euan gained All American Doubles status in his senior year with an NCAA Division 1 career high doubles ranking of 11 and reached The NCAA Tennis Championship Quarter-Finals in 1994. A short stint on the pro tour saw Euan achieve an ATP Doubles world ranking. As a Scottish senior international in 1998, Euan continued to represent The North of Scotland County where he competed at the Division 1 level for 5 years alongside teammates including Andy and Jamie Murray and Colin Fleming.
Coaching Career:
From 1995-1997 Euan was Head Coach at Inverness and Cults Tennis Club (Aberdeen), Scotland respectively winning the Tennis Scotland Interclub Challenge Trophy with Cults Tennis Club in the process.
From 1998 to 2001 Euan was appointed Tennis Scotland National Performance Officer working alongside current GB Davis Cup Captain Leon Smith and the then National Coach Judy Murray. Euan assisted in the delivery of a high performance programme that included such players as Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Colin Fleming, Allan MacKin and Karen Paterson (Lamb)
In August 2001 Euan became Head Coach of The University of Stirling International Scholarship Programme and worked to integrate Tennis Scotland County and National Junior tennis programmes with University student tennis programmes believing that an integrated approach was the best long term method in which to develop the person and the player. During that time the programme has supported 1 Junior Grand Slam player, 5 World University Games and BNP Paribas World Team Championship players, 20 ATP/WTA world-ranked singles and doubles players, 9 Men’s and Women’s BUCS National Singles and Doubles Champions, 1 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist, 2 Grand Slam players and 1 Olympic Gold Medallist. The programme has also achieved great team successes with EUSA European Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships Winners and Medallists, BUCS National Team Champions and 2 Tennis Scotland National Interclub Challenge Cup titles.
In 2018 Euan was appointed Head of Tennis at the University of Stirling charged with the oversight of all Tennis Programmes at the University including a student workforce programme designed to help support student-athletes gain extra qualifications in preparation for the professional world. Since 2001, the programme has helped support 100’s of student-athletes further their career opportunities.
Euan also supports Tennis Scotland with the strategic development of the TS Open Tour, a National framework of competition for all yellow ball players. A concept that was developed by Euan and continues to grow giving 1000’s of players the opportunity to compete.
Contact: euan.mcginn@stir.ac.uk
Nicolas Rosenzweig
Facts: Chambery, France, 17/01/1986, High Performance Tennis Coach:
Biography:
Playing Career:
Nicolas started playing on the ATP futures tour in 2009 and by 2011 he reached his first future’s semi-final and in 2012 reached a career-high 687 on the ATP ranking list. Nicolas played and beat players who have been in the top 20, most notably Kyle Edmund and Denis Shapovalov.
Nicolas won a Futures in doubles in Antalya and reached a career-high of 870.
Nicolas attended and represented the University of Stirling between 2012,13 and 14. He achieved great success at British University level by winning the BUCS National Team Championship in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He won the BUCS National singles championships those 3 years as well as one BUCS National doubles title in 2014.
Coaching Career:
Nicolas is an LTA level 3 coach began coaching at his local club, David Lloyd, in Dundee in 2014 while playing professionally on the tour. He was appointed by the University of Stirling in 2015 as the Women’s Head Coach. In 2016, the passion and hard work resulted in the women’s team winning the BUCS National team championship for the first time in their history. They won again in 2018&19, losing in the final in 2017. They also reached the final in 2020 but were not able to play due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
In the 2019/20 season, Nicolas was appointed as High Performance Coach. He was the coach to the women's 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams and men's 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th teams. All four men's teams won their respective leagues (BUCS Scottish Divisions 1a, 2a, 3a and 4a). The 4th team also won the SSS (Scottish Student Sport) cup. The women's 2nd team won the BUCS Scottish Division 1a and have been promoted to the BUCS National Premier League for the first time in their history.
Maia Lumsden reached a career-high of 250 on the WTA tour in 2019 and two of her teammates also achieved the feat of earning a world ranking that year.
Contact: nicolas.rosenzweig@stir.ac.uk
Mark Walker
Facts: Scotland, Tennis Coach
Biography:
From 1990-1992 Mark attended PE College Dundee where he gained an HNC qualification which included coaching qualifications in Football, Disability Sport, Badminton and Basketball.
Mark started out his Coaching career as a lifeguard and Tennis Coach at Crieff Hydro Hotel from 1992-1997. From there Mark was appointed Head Coach at Perth Tennis Club and Head Coach at Kinnoull Tennis Club. Mark was Tayside District Coach from 2002 to 2006 where he led the 2005 Team to an Inter-District Championship win.
A dedicated full-time coach with over 25 years’ experience Mark has worked alongside the best coaches in Britain and around the world including Louie Cayer and Judy Murray. Throughout his career, Mark has worked with many top County, National and Junior Grand Slam players including Ali Collins, Anna Brogan, Aiden Mchugh and Maia Lumsden. Many of his players have gone on to receive tennis scholarships to British University and USA College. Mark coached Jonny O’Mara as a junior who has since gone on to have a successful career on the ATP Tour achieving a singles career high of 489 and 44 in doubles.
In 2007 Mark won Tennis Scotland Coach of the year and in 2009 won Tennis Scotland Performance Coach of the year and AEGON LTA Coach of the Year. Mark captained the Scottish Home Nations team from 2009 to 2018 achieving great success.
In 2015 Mark was appointed Head Club Coach at Dunblane Sports Club leading a team of coaches delivering a full club programme for all ages and stages. Mark continues to coach top Scottish Juniors travelling with them to national and international events. Most recently Mark has been mentoring younger coaches to complete their LTA level 1 to level 4 coaching certificates. Those coaches include Ruardh Macloed (LTA Level 4 Performance) Steven Birrell (LTA level 4 Performance) Sammy Mackiney (LTA level 3), Kirsty Robertson (LTA Level 3) and Kieran Macarty (LTA Level 3)
In 2016 Mark started as University of Stirling Player Development Coach as part of the International Sports Scholarship Programme and Stirling University Tennis Club. Mark joining the team has provided invaluable support to all players within a fully integrated programme.
Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the programme and his passion for player development is clearly noticeable.
Contact: marknlwalker@aol.com
SUPPORT STAFF
Josh Walsh
Facts: England, 28, Strength and Conditioning Coach
Biography:
Contact: joshua.walsh@stir.ac.uk
John Mathers
Facts: Scottish, 54, Sports Psychologist
Biography:
Dr John Mathers is a sport psychologist at the University of Stirling. He is chartered with the British Psychological Society, accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, and is a registered practitioner with the Health and Care Professions Council. He is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport and the Programme Director of the MSc Psychology of Sport programme that provides initial training in applied sport psychology. His research interests include the impact of mental skills on sports performance and the ways in which mental skills teaching and learning can be delivered effectively when working with athletes. His main work focuses on the application and acquisition of mental skills through regular practice, a supportive environment, and a natural integration with physical training. He has extensive experience in applied work and provides sports psychology consultancy services to elite student-athletes on the University of Stirling’s Winning Students Programme and the International Sports Scholarship Programme in the flagship sports of Golf, Tennis, Swimming, Football and Triathlon. Dr Mathers has a wealth of consultancy experience with National Governing Bodies of Sport both nationally and internationally, and has delivered mental skills training programmes to elite athletes and sports officials for men's and women's national teams at major competitive events throughout the UK, Europe and beyond. He has also worked with a range of professional athletes from golf, tennis, football and motorsport and is a regular contributor to radio broadcasts and other media debates that focus on issues connected to performance in elite sport. He has written a number of sport psychology articles for peer-reviewed journals and coaching resources and participates in a wide range of sporting activities.
Contact: j.f.mathers@stir.ac.uk
George Gauntlett
Facts: England, 28, Physiotherapist
Biography:
George has an enormous passion for sport with a background playing semi-professional Rugby Union and 7s. He first developed his clinical practice as a senior physiotherapist in the NHS; specialising in injury rehabilitation, with particular focus on shoulder and knee pathologies. He made the professional transition back to sport gaining experience working with professional rugby and cricket teams. George moved up to Scotland 1 year ago to start working with our scholarship athletes here at the University of Stirling with the goal to enhance the level of care our elites level athletes receive to maximise their potential for performance.
Contact: george.gauntlett@stir.ac.uk
Ben Thorpe
Facts: Australia, 45, Mental Health Mentor/Sports Chaplain.
Biography: Ben was a grade cricket player in Australia before becoming a professional cricketer in England for 7 seasons. After retiring from cricket, Ben became a missionary in Ukraine for 5 years. Ben now lives in Stirling and works with students in the area of mental health. He helps students get through the demands and rigours of full-time study and full-time sport. Ben has a passion to see people become the best they can be.
Contact: b.m.thorpe@stir.ac.uk