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Sam’s shot of a lifetime  

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Jess Liddy, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Sam Clayson is acing achievements off the court. 

The regional South Australia tennis coach, formerly of Wallaroo, has been selected to go on a Tennis Australia coaching tour around the US. 

Mr Clayson is one of seven coaches who has been given the opportunity to take his career to the next level, and the only one from SA. 

He said he was excited to be given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

“Professional development opportunities like this don’t come around very often and this is the first tour of its kind,” he says. 

“The tour starts in North Carolina, and I’ll be going to Winston-Salem, which is a lead-up tournament for the US Open. 

“Whilst there I’ll be going to some tennis clubs and universities to see how their participation and performance programs are run. 

“I then go to New York, where I’ll be going to some universities and country clubs in the Hamptons to see how they grow their talent. 

“I finish up at the US Open, where I get to spend a few days networking with high-performance coaches and players.” 

Spending time in New York is something Mr Clayson is most excited about, while being among world-class players in a tournament environment. 

He has been playing tennis since he was a junior and began his coaching business, Clayson Tennis Academy, 10 years ago, which is based out of Clare. 

“The last couple of years have really accelerated my development,” he says. 

“I love tennis. I love that as a player you are entirely responsible for the outcome, you can’t blame your teammates. 

“It’s tactically a very difficult game and, as coaches, we can make such a big impact on the outcome of a match.” 

A Tennis Australia spokesperson said qualified Club Professional, Master Club Professional or Performance Coaches were given the opportunity to express their interest earlier this year. 

“Seven coaches from around Australia have been selected to take part in this tour and we are pleased to have Sam on board representing SA,” they says. 

“Tennis Australia has offered a number of coach tours over the past few years, most often performance-based tours to Europe and the USA. 

“This USA tour is designed to be more participation-focused, creating opportunities for Australian club coaches.”

Yorke Peninsula Country Times 16 July 2024

This article appeared in the  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 16 July 2024.

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