Blueprint for Success

By VERN MILLER JR.
Herald Sports Writer

        The American dream is defined by achieving success through hard work,
dedication and self-improvement. Put in the time and effort needed to produce positive results and good
things will happen. It's a blueprint that has worked for generations and is working now for
Marc Massaad, founder of Intelligent Tennis Academy and teaching guru at
the Sparta Athletic Club. "I haven't had a vacation in five years," the 33 year-old Massaad said.
"I've been working seven days a week for the last five years." Massaad currently trains 50 students and the hour-per-week he spends with each just scratches the surface of a non-stop schedule that includes
lecturing, writing, fitness-training and community-service work. He has built a stellar reputation as a personal tennis coach for some of the best players in the area, including high-school standouts Katy Mabunay and Kerry McKinley of Pope John and Michelle Hardy and Carly Mora of Sparta. Joy Johnson, the 2004 West Jersey Player of the Year
and likely repeat-winner as a junior first singles player at Pope John this season, has been a Massaad student for the last five years. She is also an unabashed fan of Massaad's coaching skills, training methods and personality, jokingly calling him "my big, annoying brother, who has become a big part of our family."
"I am very lucky to have Marc as a coach, he's helped make my game so much better," Johnson said. "He's pushed me to develop all my skills. He's always critiquing, but it's great to interact with him."
"You can tell he loves his job and he cares about his students. I would recommend him to anyone."
Massaad's credo is to "make a world of difference" to a student, not only as an on-court instructor, but also helping them with the life lessons that he has learned in his travels from his Ivory Coast birthplace to
Sussex County. "I try to not be like every other coach," he said. "I try to help my
students develop their on-court skills, but I also try to help teach them with what I've learned from my life experiences. Not like a Mom or Dad, more like a big brother. Sometimes a young person just needs someone to
talk to." Massaad's teaching method is built upon setting goals for
students after a discussion of what the player and family hope to achieve,
both on and off the court, through tennis.
       "Every player is different and there is no exact science to coaching," Massaad said. "How far does the player hope to go? What's the parent's assessment of what they hope their child can accomplish? There has to be a
synergy within the whole family." Massaad points to Johnson as "the player who represents everything the
Intelligent Tennis Academy stands for." "I gave her everything I have as a coach," he says proudly.
Acknowledging her as "the most talented player I have worked with in my five years here," he credits Johnson's parents with helping her develop into a great player by delivering the personal touch and the push that's
necessary to bring someone up to the level she's reached.
"Tennis is not a devotion for every player, where they eat, sleep and breathe it," Massaad said. "Joy was like that at first, but over the years she has made many sacrifices, both on the training, practice, fitness and
nutrition-side. Also, it's not easy to juggle the demands of tennis, school and a private life."
"You can't forget that teenagers need to have a life off the court, too."
Massaad's off-court life has been focused on the pursuit of a green card, which he is extremely proud to have attained on Sept. 1 after emigrating to the United States in 2000. The next step is full citizenship which will
then allow him to travel home to Lebanon, where he missed his brother's
wedding in 2003 and recent birth of his first nephew. "I have no relatives here, just like the first immigrants," he said. What he does have is an ever-growing fan club, built by his hard work and dedication to the sport and his community.
"Everybody knows Marc," Johnson said. "His reputation continues to grow through word of mouth around the area." Massaad works extensively with Pass-It-Along, creating Youth Servathon to teach tennis to underprivileged children, also organizing and participating in fundraisers and helping to mentor others. "It's a joy to see kids feeling a sense of advancement and accomplishment, to experience even a small level of success," he said. "I'm a firm believer in dreams."
He met Diane Taylor, the founder of Pass-It-Along, when he was representing Lebanon in a 2000 Professional Tennis Registry symposium in South Carolina. Four months later Massaad accepted an offer to become the
tennis pro at the Sparta Athletic Club. "I owe a lot to Diane, she's the one who brought me here," he said. "I
told her, whatever you need me to do, I'm there."
        Massaad has global experience as the Director of Tennis for the Lebanese Academy for Tennis Development, Junior Davis Cup assistant coach and has studied at Tennis Etudes Academy in Paris. He authored "Discover the Wonderful World of Tennis in 23 Lessons," is a certified fitness trainer, a two-time Mr. World finalist years ago when
training as a bodybuilder and has done some television, radio and magazine ad work as a model. Massaad brings the same values and passions to working with students as he's followed throughout his own life: "I teach that you should believe in yourself and what you're doing, while maintaining a winning attitude," he said. "You have to set your standards
high and create an intelligent plan for getting there."
"And have fun. It will make a difference."