ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS CENTER
Coaches
Ross School’s Tennis coaches are experienced, professional players representing a number of different countries, including Brazil, Portugal, and Italy.
Founding Director of RSTC Vinicius Carmo finished among the top five in Brazil’s 1996 Junior National Ranking and attended the University of Tennessee on a full tennis scholarship. He directed prestigious tennis programs in the Hamptons before coming to Ross, where he now develops events, tournaments, and competitive training techniques for players of all ages. His NCAA experience and connection to college coaches have helped several Ross graduates obtain university scholarships.
Marcelo Reda—Originally from Brazil, Marcelo has been a tennis professional with Ross School Tennis Center since June 2017. Prior to coming to Ross, he was tennis director and general manager of the Future Stars Southampton Tennis Club for several years and worked at the Meadow Club of Southampton. He is PTR Certified (Professional Level) for both junior and adult development. Marcelo also serves as Tennis Camp Director for Ross Summer and is looking forward to another summer of fun!
Edoardo Tessaro—Edoardo was born and raised in Italy, where he was a top 30 junior under 12, 14, and 16. He also competed internationally before attending Virginia Tech on a full scholarship, where he played two full seasons of varsity tennis. He graduated in 2016 with an MS in nutrition and exercise. He reached the 46th position of the ITA ranking, led his team to their best ranking in the tennis program’s history (12th in the country), and was awarded ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) third team. Edoardo played on the professional tour, obtaining the ranking of 1400 ATP and competing in international events, including the ATP 250 in Florida. He previously worked as a sparring partner for top 600 WTA Italian player Martina Colmegna, as well as coaching many top junior players there.
Lucas Freitas—Lucas comes from a tennis family. His dad was a professional tennis player in Brazil who had the opportunity to play alongside players such as John Mcenroe, Thomas Koch, and Givaldo Barbosa. At age 14, Lucas was ranked #2 in Brazil in singles, and at the age of 16, he won the National Championship in Doubles for the 18–25 age group. He went on to achieve six ATP points in doubles and passed the qualifier rounds in singles. He played in some international main draws before coming to the United States to pursue a college degree. He attended Cowley County Community College, where he completed his associate's degree in Business Administration. He then completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at Middle Georgia State University. Lucas is currently working towards his Master's of Science in Information Technology while coaching at the Ross School Tennis Center. Previously, Lucas worked as an assistant coach at Academia Tenis & Cia in São Paulo; as a hitting coach for tennis pro and former ATP player Gabriel Mattos in Orlando, Florida; at the Tennis Academy at John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon, Georgia, as a coach for their high school program; at Camp Vega summer camp for their tennis director; and at Future Stars Tennis Club in Southampton as a senior pro for their junior development program.
Maria Martinez—Maria started playing tennis when she was four years old and started competing at the age of 10 in Bogotá, Colombia. She played at Club Distrital and Club Serrezvela and was top 10 in the nation for ages 14, 16, and 18. She first started coaching at Liga de Tennis in Bogotá. Maria attended Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, where she studied Health and Physical Education and Recreation. She played Division 1 tennis and was recognized as the best student-athlete in 2019. She transferred to Shorter University in 2020 to play Division 2 tennis and pursue a degree in Business Administration with a focus in Sports Management. Maria taught private lessons throughout school, has coached kids 5–16 and adults at the Brunswick Hills Tennis Center and Coosa Country Club, and was a coach for Ross School’s summer tennis program for three years.
Rafaela Santos—Rafaela grew up in Brazil and started playing tennis at the age of six. Her father, who has more than 38 years of coaching experience, began coaching her at the family-owned club Academia Tenis & Cia in São Paulo. Rafaela has ten years of experience on the junior tour and five on the professional tour. At 15 years old, she made her first WTA point and reached the WTA singles and doubles ranking at 18 years old. Rafaela was ranked #1 in Brazil in Girls 16's and 18's. She played two years of college tennis at Winthrop University, where she participated in the Big South Conference Championship Team. In her first year, she was awarded freshman of the week twice and was first-team singles and second-team doubles (All-Big South Conference). She participated in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. In her sophomore year, she was number two in singles and number one in doubles. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages. Rafaela has more than fifteen years of tennis experience and has coached at her family's tennis academy, and was an assistant tennis coach at the Nike Tennis Camp in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Renato Santos—Renato joined the Seward Saints in 2016 from his hometown of Seixal, Portugal, where he was ranked in the top 20 for the country in the under-18 rankings. He also made the top 1000 of the international rankings at ages 14 and 16, checking in at #828 and #728, respectfully. Renato also made the Fall and Spring Athletic Directors Honor Roll, appeared in 10 matches during his freshman season, posted a record of 3-1 in singles play while playing on courts three, four, five, and six, and posted a 6-0 record in doubles play while playing in the number one and three spots. In 2018, he joined the tennis team at Kutztown University, and as a senior, his singles and doubles record was 8-7. Renato majored in Business Administration. He has 15 years of playing experience and five years of coaching experience in country clubs and junior camps. He has been coaching tennis at Ross for three years.