Meet the CTA Team
The coaches responsible for making the Chira Tennis Academy what it is
Catalin Chira
Tennis Director/Owner
BA in Sports and Physical Education/Specialty Tennis
PTR - Professional
USPTA - Elite Professional
RTF - Professional International Level
USPTA – 2012 Coach of the Year
USTA San Diego District - 2017 Male Pro of the Year
Catalin has been a certified tennis professional for the past 30 years; proficient in high performance coaching, developing training programs for top sectional, national and international players. During this time Catalin was Head Tennis Professional and Tennis Director for several clubs in Europe, Canada, and the United States, where he developed and worked with players from beginners to the ITF level. Many of his students reached top sectionals (Ontario, NorCal, SoCal Boys&Girls 10-18 Numerous #1 Rankings & Top 10), national rankings (Canada B18’s ranked #3, USTA B18’s ranked #4), competed and won in ITF tournaments and received full tennis scholarships at top Division I schools.
For the last 13 years Catalin has operated as Director and Owner at Chira Tennis Academy.
Catalin has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education & Sports – Specialty Tennis, Certified Professional by Romanian Tennis Federation (International Level), PTR-Certified Professional, USPTA Certified Elite Professional, Etcheberry Certified (Strength, Conditioning & Movement in Tennis), Certified Mental Toughness Specialist by Human Performance Institute, Attended Numerous International Tennis Symposiums and Courses where he achieved certifications in all aspects of the game.
To contact Coach Catalin for lessons please call 559-623-1430
Dimitry Hunter
Tennis Coach
CTA Tournament Director for USTA, UTR, and SSV
PTR-Professional
Dimitry comes to Chira Tennis Academy from Russia and has 10 years' experience as a tennis coach. He started playing tennis when he was 14 and has a diploma in Tourism and Sports from Kuban University, Russia. He taught tennis at Armavir Sport Club in Russia for 3 years, Children and Junior Tennis School for 5 years, worked as a tennis coach in various summer camps. The past 6 years he has been coaching at CTA working with all levels of players from beginner to national. At CTA Dimitry manages the programs for the younger players: Le Petit and Quick Start.
To contact Coach Dimitry for lessons please call 858-735-5871
Juan Reyes
BA Kinesiology
Net Generation Professional
Safe Play
CPR
Juan was born and raised in Mazatlan Mexico, where he started playing tennis at the age of 5. After moving to the U.S. he played number 1 for Grossmont College. Juan comes to us from Barnes Tennis Center where he coached their beginner program and competitive younger and older high performance players. He has coached several Junior Tennis Teams (JTT) to regionals. Juan also enjoys coaching adults from beginners to competitive players.
To contact Coach Juan for lessons please call 619-770-2833
Jakob Karnopp
Safe Play
CPR
Jakob, a native of San Diego comes to CTA after having coached tennis at Barnes Tennis Center for 7 years. As a junior player, Jakob was the #86 recruit nationally in the class of 2012, per tennisrecruiting.net. In addition he was the San Diego Union Tribune All-American Team Captain in 2012. Jakob played his college career at San Diego State University. Coaching, Jakob has worked with players of all ages and ability levels from beginner adults and juniors to national competing adults as well as internationally competing juniors.
To contact Coach Jakob for lessons please call 858-248-0358
Luda Makarova
Director of Junior Development
USPTR Certified Professional
Certified L4 National Coach, Canada
3 time Excellence Award Coach of the Year
Bachelor's Degrees in Physical Education & Sports, Recovery & Rehabilitation
USTA Mental Toughness Certificate
Luda studied Physical Education & Sports and Recovery & Rehabilitation during her undergraduate studies specifically focusing on tennis. Her focus includes; sports science, the basis of sports biomechanics, technical, physical, and mental skills in sports, sports nutrition for peak performance, program development from beginner to national level, as well as sports development in children. She is very dedicated to all aspects of the game and has attended numerous national and international tennis symposiums and conferences where she has completed many additional certifications.
As a player, Luda was ranked #1 in Russia in all divisions and represented Russia in the FedCup. She has played and won many tournaments around the world in both singles and doubles. As coach, she has worked with many players and herself developed 8 junior national champions from beginner stages to the top. Luda has extensive traveling experience working as a national coach for tournaments like Les Petit As in France, Orange Bowl, and Team World Championships. Further, she has worked with and consulted with many top national and international players like Anna Kournikova, Marat Safin, Sofia Kenin, Karen Khachanov, Andrey Roublev. In her prior position, she was the creator and director of the High Performance Program, where 4 of her players qualified to compete in Junior Grand Slams.
Currently, Luda runs the junior development program at CTA. With the help and support of the owner Catalin and the very dedicated team of great coaches, she strongly believes that we can develop the next future of tennis and that each player can maximize their potential here at CTA! She is excited to share her love of tennis and knowledge!
To contact Coach Luda for lessons please call 858-349-4033
Marcelo Hernandez-Gamez
Chira Tennis Academy Professional
XFS Fitness Specialist
M.S., Sports Performance
Marcelo, a native to the San Diego, Tijuana region, was a top junior in San Diego. He graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology, Exercise & Sports Science in 2019. Marcelo then completed his Master’s of Science in Kinesiology, Sports Performance, '21, also at PLNU. He had his thesis published, which specialized in the tennis serve, back rehab and how to create a healthy program for overhead athletes and their shoulder mobility. He also authored other papers on how to create and perform a fitness program for tennis.
Marcelo also works for the United States Tennis Association, SouthernCalifornia, as the Junior Coordinator. His area of focus is player development, which encompasses leading national camps for top juniors, organizing tournaments, helping incoming juniors develop their game from a very young age, and many other responsibilities. Marcelo is a certified EXOS fitness specialist, EMS, and an NSCA member. Marcelo comes to us from Barnes Tennis Center, where he grew up playing and worked for 8 years coaching beginner juniors and competitive juniors to their high performance. He also enjoys coaching adults of all levels.
To contact Coach Marcelo for lessons please call 619-792-3343
Rafael Lanz
Rafael comes to Chira Tennis Academy from Brazil and has been playing since the age of 5. He has played several tournaments throughout his life, including competing at the state level in Brazil.
After graduating with a B.A. in International Business from the University of Unisinos, Brazil, he moved to San Diego and started coaching adults and children in private courts.
Rafael is passionate for the sport of tennis and enjoys coaching at all levels. He is available for private lessons.
To contact Coach Rafa please call 619-379-8308
Ernie Blando
USPTA Tennis Professional
B.S., Indiana University
US Army Veteran
USPTA: 2016 Coach of the year (San Diego Division)
USTA JTT 2014 Coach of the year (San Diego Division)
High School Coach: Westview HS
Mt. Carmel HS
Rancho Bernardo HS
Ernie is originally from Gary, Indiana and has been teaching tennis in San Diego for many years, including being the first head coach at Westview High School and volunteering for 10 years to the famous San Diego Tennis Fest. The best part of his tennis experience is managing and coordinating over 10 years of San Diego Junior Team Tennis competition with local coaches to grow the game within the surrounding communities.
To contact Coach Ernie for lessons, call or test 858-382-6217
Solomon Liu
USPTA Certified Professional since 2009
Director on Board of SDDTA - Liaison to USPTA
Solomon is a developmental coach and footwork expert with a solid track record of success. Solomon has special expertise focusing on Etcheberry and Spanish footwork systems. In 2013, Solomon coached RPTC Team Top Gun in the 14 & under Advanced division of USTA Junior Team Tennis and won the national championship.
From 2016 to 2021 he has been successful in developing a number of players to be ranked in the top 20 in SoCal and many others to play high school and college tennis.
He still actively competes in leagues and tournaments and is highly active in the USPTA. He is also an experienced USTA official, tournament director and referee and currently serves on the boards of both RPTC and the SDDTA.
To contact Coach Solomon for lessons please call 858-229-5570
Leo Cabrera
Leo was born and raised in San Diego and has been teaching tennis for over 20 years. After living in Hawaii for some time playing in competitive tournaments and high-level leagues, he moved back to San Diego where he married his wife, Tammy Redondo, another local tennis pro. The Redondo family is well-known for raising some of San Diego’s best tennis players.
Leo's teaching methods highlight the importance of technique, footwork and having fun! He believes that focusing on these three simple things will help each student get the most out of this sport. Tennis is hard work if you want to be competitive, but also have FUN during the whole process.
To contact Coach Leo for lessons please call 619-823-1713
Kodi Logan
USPTA Certified
CPR
Safe Play
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kodi started playing tennis when he was 7 years old. During high school he moved to San Diego and played tennis at Rancho Bernardo High School. He has passion for teaching tennis and sharing his love for the game with others. Interested in working with students of all ages and skill levels.
