Christian Gallan
‘Christian is our family coach . . . and my children really enjoy lessons. His enthusiasm is infectious and the fun he brings to junior (and adult) sessions is balanced with a focus on listening and learning.’ – Alison Rust
‘The LOVEtennis “family” is so important to me. It’s always such a kick to have people come up in the street, someone who perhaps I haven’t seen for 10 years, and they say: “Hey Christian, remember me, you coached me when I was a kid.” And they have really happy memories – that means the world.’
Christian Gallan must get stopped often. He has become a familiar, popular face on local courts and, since 2010, he and his team of coaches have built a successful business, LOVEtennis. ‘First and foremost, we create a friendly atmosphere at every session, whether that’s adults, juniors or a school holiday camp,’ explains Christian.
‘Everyone is made to feel welcome and we develop strong bonds between players, parents and coaches; we’re lucky enough to be doing what we love, and we want our students to feel that same joy.
‘Our approach is very simple: put everything in – no short cuts and maximum effort – and make it dynamic and fun. There’s no right or wrong; we adapt to every age, ability and experience and we all follow a consistent style, using the same language and session structure. I’d rather run a smaller programme and be sure that, as coaches, we fit 100% with the LOVEtennis philosophy.’
Born in Germany, Christian moved to Australia with his family when he was eight. ‘For me, tennis started with Boris Becker. It must have been my German heritage, and I loved his all-action style. I played with my Dad on public courts, joined a club, entered tournaments, and reached a ranking of 15 in the Australian Juniors.
‘At that point, I realised that the professional dream wasn’t ever going to happen for me. That hurt. But I recalibrated, studied Economics at university and I never thought, I’ve wasted all that time training. The beauty of tennis at every level is that you learn life lessons, such as discipline, respect and how to deal with disappointment and success.’ While still in Australia, Christian was asked to assist with coaching sessions for junior groups. ‘I enjoyed it – I loved helping players get better. Of course, I didn’t think of it as a career, but it proved to be the spark.’
LOVEtennis operates at Chiswick Tennis Club, Hartswood Tennis Club and Westminster Sports Grounds. If you’re not a member, you simply sign up on a termly basis for a LOVEtennis coaching membership and that becomes your pass to join Christian’s sessions at that club (Chiswick and Hartswood have floodlights, so it’s a year-round programme).
‘Of course, our aim is to teach tennis well and get results,’ says Christian. ‘But we’re also using the game as a vehicle; it’s so rewarding to see a kid who has hung back suddenly become more confident.
‘Equally, we strongly believe in making a wider contribution, hence we run fundraising tournaments for the Upper Room and Good Going Out Chiswick, support the Shepherd’s Bush Family Project and assist with funding to teach tennis to thousands of young children in Malawi.
‘Everyone deserves top quality coaching every single time they step on the court and, beyond that, we want to make a positive impact on our clients’ lives and the community. Nothing makes us happier than making a difference!’
Christian Gallan’s LOVEtennis
info@love-tennis.co.uk
https://www.love-tennis.co.uk
https://instagram.com/thelovetenniscommunity
https://www.facebook.com/ChristianGallan/
https://twitter.com/gallantennis