Homegrowing Champions

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., December 2, 2008 -- The USTA announced today that Kathy Rinaldi and Andres Pedroso have been hired as USTA Player Development National Coaches. Pedroso and Rinaldi will work at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., and will report to Jay Berger and Ola Malmqvist, Heads of Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Player Development. Rinaldi started December 1, while Pedroso will join the coaching staff January 5.

“We’re delighted to have Andres and Kathy join our team,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, Elite Player Development. “In addition to being an outstanding player herself, Kathy has worked with some of the top players in the country through her work with the U.S. Fed Cup team. Andres has experience working with top young talent. We know he has a lot to contribute to our program as well.”

Rinaldi, 41, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world and is a former Top 10 player in both singles and doubles. She won three singles titles and two doubles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA tour. Rinaldi served as coach of the U.S. Fed Cup team under Captain Zina Garrison in 2006 and 2008, and has served as the Touring Pro at the Breakers of Palm Beach, Fla., for 10 years. Rinaldi had an illustrious junior career as well, winning eight USTA national junior titles as well as the Girls’ 18s title at the Orange Bowl International Junior Championships in 1981 at age 14.

Pedroso, 29, of Coconut Grove, Fla., entered the coaching ranks in 2006 after six years on the pro tour and an outstanding college career at Duke. He was a teaching pro at the Biltmore Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla., before serving as the personal coach to top American junior Rhyne Williams, who reached No. 10 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and won a USTA Futures in Pittsburgh at the age of 16 (the youngest player ever to win a USTA Pro Circuit men’s event) under Pedroso’s tutelage. As a pro, Pedroso was ranked as high as No. 271 in the world. He was a two-time All-American at Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to four consecutive ACC Championships.

The new USTA Player Development unit has been created to identify and develop the next generation of American champions by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need to reach their maximum potential.