Scott Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer
smitchell@tennismemphis.org
(901) 767-2889
Scott is a USPTA Master Professional and considered an industry leader in first-class facility operations/management, junior and adult coaching, and program design and implementation. Scott was formerly the CEO for Premier Sport International providing innovative and profitable solutions for clubs/facilities and professional tournaments around the world. He has been involved in some of the largest and most prestigious facilities in the U.S. and many of the worlds’ leading professional tennis tournaments. He has been the Executive Director of Racquet Sports with over 30 years experience at private clubs, public facilities and resorts. He now shares his experiences through career development and facility operations consulting and management.
Throughout his career, Scott has overseen operations as Tournament Director of several premier professional tennis tournaments including the Dow Tennis Classic, Savannah Challenger, Central Coast Tennis Classic, as well as the U.S. Women’s Pro Clay Court Championships to name a few. Over the last several years, he has been the Director of Tennis Operations for the Dallas Open ATP250 and the Atlanta Open ATP250. During his tenure with the Dow Tennis Classic, they received four straight years of Gold Star Standard by the USTA and became the benchmark of all Pro Circuit events around the U.S. Scott also served as the Director of Competition for the USA Games Special Olympics in 2022 held at Disney World as well as the Special Olympics North American Games.
Scott’s coaching background is extensive as he has won a National Championship as an assistant coach at Georgia Perimeter College. Scott is a PTR Master of Tennis Junior Development, PTR National Tester and Clinician, a USTA Coach Youth Tennis Faculty Member, a USTA National Zonal Coach working with many of the nation’s top boys and girls, and a sought-after speaker on tennis operations, management and coaching with the USPTA, USTA, PTR, and around the world.
He is married to Ashley and they have 3 children.
Paul Goebel
Director of Tennis
pgoebel@tennismemphis.org
(901) 767-2889
Paul comes to us after 24 years with the University of Memphis tennis program and nearly two decades as the men’s head coach.
He successfully led the Tigers to nine NCAA tournament appearances, three conference championship matches and a C-USA crown in 2012. He was the two-time conference Coach of the Year and claims 242 career victories under his coaching. Paul has coached numerous players that have gone on to play tennis professionally. The most notable of which include Joe Salisbury, former world No.1 in doubles and five-time Grand slam champion. Another one of Goebel’s former players, David O’Hare, is now the coach of Joe Salisbury and his doubles partner, Rajeev Ram.
Paul is married to Shelly and they have four children.
As Director of Tennis Paul will be assisting the coaches at each of our facilities, helping to attract and coordinate events and tournaments, acting as the liaison with the University of Memphis tennis teams and assisting with the junior programs.
Chip Malone
Raleigh Tennis Center Director & Tennis Professional
cmalone@tennismemphis.org
(901) 774-7199
Prior to Tennis Memphis, Chip played tennis at an NJCAA level at Northwest Mississippi Community College where he made it to the MACCC semi-finals for two consecutive years. After transferring to Mississippi State University, he spent two years running an after-school sports program at Palmer Home in Columbus, Mississippi. This is where he discovered that he had a passion for coaching, mentoring and serving the community. Chip has helped Tennis Memphis partner with organizations across the city such as Girl’s Inc., Memphis Athletic Ministries, Emmanuel Center, Memphis Delta Prep, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis and more. He has also had the opportunity to build the Junior Development program for over 175+ children.
Jay Robillard
Wolbrecht Tennis Center Director & Tennis Professional
jrobillard@tennismemphis.org
(765) 749-9036
Hailing from Muncie, Indiana, Jay was first team all-state doubles for two consecutive years in high school before heading to Indiana University where he received his USPTA certification and coached for four years. When he isn’t playing or teaching tennis, you can find him on the golf course or watching sports.
Alvin Abston
Tennis Professional
aabston@tennismemphis.org
(901) 774-7199
Alvin started his tennis journey in the early 90s as a student at one of the organizations that would eventually become Tennis Memphis – the Tennis Association for Memphis Youth. After his career as a collegiate tennis player at LeMoyne-Owen College in 2001, he worked as the assistant director of tennis at Camp Lohikan in Lake Como, Pennsylvania for six years. Alvin has been a member of the Tennis Memphis staff since 2015, working at center front desks and stringing racquets. He is happy to join the instruction ranks alongside his fellow tennis pros and help mentor and mold players across the City of Memphis.
Joe Shidler
Tennis Professional
jshidler@tennismemphis.org
Joe has played tennis for Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a state finalist along with ranking as the 27th best player in the region of the MACCC. He also played singles and doubles on a team that ranked in the top 20 in the nation. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where Joe played college basketball for three years, he worked in the medical field serving people during the pandemic. He has been teaching tennis since high school and coaching full-time across the Mid-South.
Arnold Thompson
Director of Outreach and Community Development
athompson@tennismemphis.org
(901) 596-0637
Arnold is a certified USPTA elite teaching professional with over 20 years of teaching and coaching experience. He has been with Tennis Memphis for 10 years – serving in a number of capacities with the organization – including summer campsite director, director of programs, grant writing and strategic planning. He is currently responsible for numerous grassroots programs and developing strategies for consistently growing the game of tennis in Memphis. Arnold loves teaching tennis to all ages.