TENNIS PROS
Private & Semi-Private Lessons
Our Tennis Pros are available for private & semi-private tennis lessons for adults and juniors. Courts are open from 6:00am - 9:00pm on weekdays and 7:00am - 7:00pm on weekends. Please contact Front Desk to connect you with a tennis pro.
*Rates may vary. Tennis Pros are independent contractors and charge their own rates.
Ben Brunkow
Tennis Director
Ben Brunkow is a 2-time USTA National Champion. He has been playing tennis for over 45 years and teaching for 35. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Ben spent two years playing pro Team Tennis for a team in Bremen, Germany.
Ben has two sons who are nationally ranked tennis players, one who is a scholarship athlete at UCSB. He loves teaching tennis as much as he loves playing and especially enjoys being Director of Tennis in that he gets to plan and run tourneys, arrange matches for Members, coach USTA teams, and work with players of all levels and ages.
Eric Schroeder
Head Pro
Eric Schroeder was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona where he played junior tennis growing up and eventually played collegiate tennis at Grand Canyon University where he was both #1 singles and #1 doubles on the team. After college tennis, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a teaching professional. He has taught Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Cardio tennis at TLTFC along with coaching every age group in the junior program. In addition to the junior teams he has also helped coach both Men’s and Women’s 4.0 teams at the club. Whether you are an adult looking to pick up tennis from the beginning or a high performance junior player preparing for college tennis, Eric is your guy to help you along your tennis journey!
Christian Straka
As a professional coach and athlete for over 30 years, Christian has been working with World Champions across different sports. He is working as the Global Mindset Coach for Adidas Runners and is also the Co-Founder of Mindsize Sports LLC, Maverick Community LLC, and Maverick Forward, a 501(c)(3) initiative. Christian is the former doubles partner of Roger Federer and has played with Andy Roddick, Leyton Hewitt, Boris Becker, Mardy Fish, the Bryan Brothers and more. Christian spent the first 10 years of his coaching career as the Head Pro at one of Europe’s premier tennis academies and was the personal coach of Victoria Azarenka and Andrea Petkovic, he also coached the German Fed Cup Team and National Junior Team. More recently he was the mental performance coach for Mike Bryan during his win at the 2018 ATP World Championships, of the Adidas Runners global team breaking the world record of the Speed Project running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and the FC Bayern Munich women's team. CONTACT: christian@straka.la 323-955-5669 www.straka.la
Winston Rice
Having played tennis since he was seven years old, Winston has a firm grasp and passion for the sport. He trained at Brookhaven Tennis Academy in Dallas, Texas and traveled and competed throughout Texas into his college years. He graduated from SMU with a business degree, then moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2013 to pursue a writing career. He found his home away from home at Toluca Lake Tennis & Fitness Club and has been teaching since 2018. Through a private lesson or a hitting session, he hopes to help you learn the fundamentals of the game while still enjoying the process.
Kika Cicmanec
As an experienced high-level athlete and mental coach, Kika shines light on the strengths and talents her clients hold within themselves -- elevating their potential to create a lasting change in their performance and mindset. Kika is a former Division 1 athlete of the University of Nebraska -Lincoln who played Pro Team Tennis in Germany. Loving the game, Kika found interest in the mental challenges athletes face and added mindfulness coaching to her expertise. In addition, Kika is currently pursuing her Master's in Psychology. Kika believes tennis should be fun and enjoys sharing her knowledge with anyone who wants to get out on the court of any age or tennis level. CONTACT: kikaperformance@gmail.com 310.774.1421
Andrew Skorsis
Andrew Skorsis is a professional tennis coach from Melbourne, Australia. He played on the junior and ITF Satellite circuit. Andrew competed in the Australian Open junior qualifying in 1997 and 1998, then competed throughout Europe on the ITF satellite tour. Andrew learnt from some of the best master coaches in the world where he attended the Bob Brett Tennis Academy in Lugano, Switzerland. If you want to improve your game whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player Andrew is your man.
Carlos Sanz
Carlos Sanz was born and raised in Alicante Spain, one of the biggest tennis regions in Spain. From very young, he dreamed very big and tennis was his way to prove it. At the age of 14 he moved to Barcelona to pursue his dream of becoming a professional tennis player. After four hard years of work on the court and off the court at the prestigious Sanchez-Casal Academy, he achieved a world ranking as a junior player and then decided to accept a scholarship and move to the United States, eventually landing in Florida. He completed his studies at Lynn University and Florida Atlantic University. After a few years coaching in Miami, he decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue his second dream, becoming an actor in Hollywood. Six years later, Carlos has served as a coach for some of the biggest high schools in California like Harvard Westlake (Named best private school in the nation in 2022) and Marlborough high school. Carlos joined the team at Toluca Lake in January 2022 bringing his own brand of high energy tennis, a deep focus on body dynamics and technique all while bringing a fun and competitive environment to every class. If you look to improve fast and become a better athlete, Carlos is here to help you bring some Spanish flavor to your tennis. “When tennis is played the right way, it feels like meditating” - Carlos Sanz
Adam Casanova
Adam Casanova was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout his Junior Career, Adam consistently achieved high rankings placing top 20 consistently in his USTA region (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas). Adam then pursued his higher education at Saint Louis University where he joined the Division 1 Men’s Roster for his freshman year securing a top 6 roster spot. More recently, the past two years he took on the role as Tennis Professional at the highest ranked country club in the St. Louis Region. In July 2022, Adam moved to Los Angeles and joined Toluca Lake where he plans to pursue his lifelong dream of succeeding as a music artist. He’s worked with all levels and ages from beginner to college level style, and is able to adapt to whatever is needed to bring your skills to the next level.
Darius Mackenzie
Darius Mackenzie grew up here in Southern California playing at the national and international Junior level. After high school, he went off to play Division I tennis at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Since graduation he has coached in Portland, OR, Santa Barbara, CA, and is now back coaching in his home town of LA. Darius has trained with the best coaches and players of the game and knows what is needed to help his students improve. He is most interested in crafting a unique lesson plan to fit the needs and goals of each of his students. Players of all ages and levels are welcome.
Shauna Morgan
Born in Las Vegas, Shauna was introduced to tennis by her mom at the age of ten. Showing immediate and immense promise, her competitive drive helped establish herself as a fixture on the Junior Circuit. Known for her wicked backhand, she quickly ascended the ranking ladder, ultimately reaching top five in Nevada and amongst the elite 100 nationally. Her accomplishments at the junior level earned her a full ride scholarship to Division 1 Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Following graduation, Shauna accepted a Pro position at prestigious Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa where she became the Director of Junior Tennis. Shauna has been teaching beginner to advanced levels for 10+ years and over the past year has fallen in love with teaching and playing pickleball.
Johan Fuzellier
Chris Thompson
