Building a coaching career to produce future champions
- The First Serve
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago

In professional tennis, long-term progress is rarely accidental. It is shaped by clear structure, informed planning, and the ability to manage the realities of life on tour.
Samuel Guarin built his coaching career around those principles, working internationally across the ATP, WTA, and ITF circuits while supporting players through the technical, tactical, and organisational demands of modern professional tennis.
Over the years, Guarin has accumulated extensive international coaching experience, working with players ranked inside the Top 300 on the ATP and WTA Tours and Top 100 ITF juniors. His coaching portfolio includes athletes such as Isabella Shinikova (career-high 133 WTA), Dominik Palan (280 ATP), Jorge Martinez (552 ATP), and Rezart Cungu (career-high 578 ATP and NCAA Division I Champion with Wake Forest University). He has also worked closely with rising juniors and specialist doubles players, including Juan José Bianchi (198 ATP Doubles) and Brandon Perez (374 ATP Doubles).
In addition, Guarin has contributed to training sessions and training weeks alongside players competing at the highest levels of the sport, including Elina Avanesyan (Top 60 WTA), Dominick Mosejczuk (ITF Junior No.22), and Julieta Pareja (ITF World Junior No.1).
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His work has taken him across the international tournament circuit, where he has been responsible not only for on-court development, but also for extensive match analysis, calendar planning, and performance optimisation throughout long competitive seasons- "Over 30 weeks of travel was my most demanding year" Guarin shared.
From 2021 to 2023, Guarin served as High Performance Program Lead Coach at Arena Tennis Competition in Alicante, one of Spain’s most competitive development hubs. There, he directed international programs, supervised touring professionals, and played a key role in structuring competition schedules, training blocks, and individualised developmental and performance plans.
He later continued his tour-based work with Barcelona Total Tennis Academy, the respected tennis academy from Francis Roig (Rafael Nadal's ex-coach). There, he managed individual professional projects across the ATP, WTA, and ITF circuits before establishing himself as an independent coach and consultant in late 2024, while also pursuing an MBA in Sports Management.
Now he operates as a private tour coach and advisor, supporting professional players and academies with holistic development models that extend beyond the court—covering preseason planning, performance efficiency, career strategy, and structural optimisation.
Education, Credentials, and a Modern Coaching Perspective
Guarin holds an MBA in Sports Management from Unisport Management Business School, complementing his coaching expertise with formal education in leadership, organisational development, and sports business strategy. He is also an ATP Certified International Coach Level B (Silver) through the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA). Based in Barcelona, Guarin operates comfortably across cultures and tennis systems—an increasingly vital skill set in today’s global game.
A Holistic Vision for High-Performance Tennis
What distinguishes Samuel Guarin is not only the level of players he has coached, but the scope of responsibility he assumes. His work consistently blends technical and tactical development with scheduling efficiency, player management, communication, and long-term career planning, always prioritising the sustainable development of the athlete—an approach that has become increasingly rare in modern tennis.
In a sport where small details often determine outcomes, Guarin’s work reflects a clear understanding of what high performance truly requires. His approach prioritises structure, clarity, and shared understanding between coach and athlete, ensuring that decisions made on and off the court serve a long-term purpose.
Rather than chasing short-term results, Guarin focuses on sustainable development—helping players build careers that can withstand the physical, mental, and logistical pressures of the professional tour.
It is this balanced, methodical approach, grounded in both competitive experience and formal education, that continues to shape his passion and influence within international tennis.
The Kooyong Classic returns to the spiritual home of Australian tennis from January 13-15, 2026.
Each year, the Kooyong Classic features the world’s best players in their final preparation for the Australian Open.Â
The 2026 event will feature Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Nick Kyrgios, Karen Khachanov, Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien, Matteo Berrettini, Hubert Hurkacz, Marin Čilić and Zhang Zhizhen, alongside Donna Vekić Priscilla Hon and a special guest appearance Daniela Hantuchová.
Tickets on sale now through www.kooyongclassic.com.au
Hospitality packages can be viewed on the Kooyong Classic websiteÂ
Contact:Â info@kooyongclassic.com.au.










