focus on the individual player
Our Mission
Here at CITA, we emphasize an individualized approach to the tennis learning experience that caters to each of our students' needs. We take great pride in producing the best tennis players that we can in a fun and nurturing environment which is not only instructive but facilitates a long-lasting love of the game.
Development for All Skill Levels
With tailored technical instruction and exposure to live-ball point play and drills, we embrace all skill levels and the opportunity to take our students' game to the next level.
CITA News
Summer 2021 - Former USTA National Coach Andy Gerst joins CITA!
We are excited to announce the addition of Andy Gerst as the new Head Pro and Co-Director of CITA!
Most recently, Andy worked for the USTA out of the National Campus in Orlando, Florida. His position as Head of the Team USA women’s program was tasked with helping our young, promising female pros make the critical leap into the top 100 of the WTA world rankings. Along with getting to work with dozens of our top American players, he received both the USTA High Performance and USPTA Elite Professional coaching certifications.
Along with his stint as a National Coach, Andy has experience coaching at virtually every level of the game. He’s traveled on the WTA Tour as a private coach with a number of players, most notably Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova back in 2017 when they were the #1 ranked doubles team in the world. He’s helped manage junior development programs in both California and Florida and has spent time serving as an assistant coach for NCAA Division I tennis programs.
Additionally, you may recognize Andy as the host of the tennis podcast Everything About Tennis or from his time working at Tennis Warehouse as one of their gear experts. He has hundreds of videos on YouTube reviewing tennis equipment, providing gear advice and offering coaching tips. He has even graced the television screen on the Tennis Channel with his Gear Up segments.
On top of all his coaching experience, I am confident that you all will really appreciate the positivity and enthusiasm that Andy brings to the court on a daily basis. His energy and passion for the game is going to be an amazing asset to the CITA team!
4/16/2018 - Zachary Lim Reaches Top Five in Country (US Boys 16s)
When you think about where the top junior players in the nation are being developed, your first guess wouldn’t be Fairfield, CA . But you would be wrong. Last week was a big week for Marcus McDaniel from Vacaville and Zach Lim from Fairfield. Marcus McDaniel saw his ranking move up 2 spots and is now the #1 ranked Boy’s 16 and under player in the nation! Marcus becomes the first player from Solano County to hold a #1 USTA National Ranking in any age division. At the same time, Zach Lim was winning the USTA Boys 16’s International Spring Championships, played at the USTA West Coast National Training Center in Carson, California. Zach, seeded #3 in the event, won six matches without dropping a set. That win pushed Zach B16’s ranking to #5 in the country. So not one, but two players from Solano County ranked in the top in ten in the nation! Both players have trained from an early age with Norcal Hall of Fame coaching legend, Phil Cello at the Cello International Tennis Academy. Cello, who also runs the $100,000 NorthBay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championships, October 6-14, 2018 said “I’m really excited to for both Marcus and Zach. Who knows? If they continue on the track they’re on, we could be seeing them at the NorthBay Healthcare Challenger!”
Zach Lim will be representing Norcal at the Maze Cup, a team match between Norcal and Socal’s top junior players this weekend at the Berkeley Tennis Club. At the same time, Marcus McDaniel will be playing in a qualifying tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL for the opportunity to be on the USTA Summer Traveling Team.
For information about the Cello Tennis Academy, located at Solano Community College go to www.cellotennis.com
For information about the $100,000 NorthBay Heathcare Men’s Pro Championship go to www.fairfieldprotennis.com
5/15/2017 - CITA student Marcus McDaniel makes Team USA National Junior Squad
Click here to view an article published in the Vacaville Reporter about our very own Marcus McDaniel and his rise to prominence in the junior rankings!