West Orange Tennis Club

1448 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange New Jersey 

973-731-1740

Our Coaches

WOTC is proud to have a team of dedicated coaches

Michael Smookler

club manager & tennis director

  • Coaching and directing tennis since 1989
  • USPTA Elite Certified Coach since 1994
  • 2005 USPTA New England Facility Manager of the Year
  • 2006 USPTA New England Pro of the Year
  • 2017 USPTA Eastern High School Coach of the Year
  • 2019 USPTA Eastern Pro of the Year
  • USPTA Eastern Section 1st Vice President
  • Trained with retired pros Guillermo Villas, Matas Wilander, Tim Mayotte, Rod Lavor, Tom Gullikson, and many others
  • Four years of tennis for Lyndon State College and competed in three NAIA National Tournaments
  • Native of Berkeley Heights, NJ

Les Smith

High Performance Director

  • Coaching tennis since 1994
  • USPTR Certified Coach
  • Coached players in state, sectional, and national championships in singles and doubles.
  • Highly sought by elite juniors transitioning to college play
  • Co-founder of Les Smith Tennis, LLC providing consulting for prospective college tennis players
  • Former number one singles player for Western Michigan University
  • Native of Flint, Michigan

Yudy Shivkumar

Junior Development Director

  • Coaching since 1999
  • USPTA Certified Coach
  • Expertise from junior to collegiate level
  • Director of junior programs for over ten years
  • 2014-19 Head Pro at West Orange Tennis Club
  • 2014-19 Owner/Manager of  West Orange Total Tennis Summer Camp @ West Orange Tennis Club
  • Competed in Semi-Pro circuit
  • Native of Guyana, W. IndiesÂ