Brisbane, Australia, 19 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers

Tim Low once dreamt of competing on the world stage, before discovering coaching was his calling.

“Coaching was a bit of a side job to make some money while I was playing,” he explained of how his coaching career initially began.

“I went overseas for a few months and played, then ever since I was 19, I’ve been a full-time coach.

“I lost the passion for playing myself and fell in love with coaching and seeing kids develop and improve, so I changed my focus pretty early.”

Low is now the head coach and owner of Bayside Tennis Coaching, which operates at Redland Bay Tennis Club in Brisbane.

“We’ve got eight courts and probably 700 people a week that come through our venue,” Low said. “It’s pretty busy but it’s an amazing community.

“Our youngest player is four and we’ve got a group of senior players, where one of them have just cracked their 90s. It’s a wide demographic.”

For Low, it is the community aspect of his job that brings the most joy.

“The club has been a part of my life for a long time now and it’s the people that get me out of bed every day,” he said.

“You deal with so many different backgrounds and everyone has a different story to tell. I think that was really highlighted through COVID, when people were reaching out to tell me how much tennis meant to them.”

The pandemic also provided Low with newfound perspective, especially when his business was unable to operate.

“To go from being in such a social job and being around so many people, to having no interactions with people was a bit of a shock,” he said.

“Getting up and not really having a purpose, that was pretty tough for me. I actually went and worked unpaid with a builder at our club just to get out of the house.

“It was tough, but we were pretty lucky up here in Brisbane, we only had about five weeks with nothing.”

Since tennis has returned, interest is at an all-time high.

“After COVID, our numbers nearly doubled in a short window,” Low said.

“I think people were just happy they could get out and be physical with their friends. A negative situation actually became a positive.”

When asked to share his personal highlights from a coaching career spanning almost 20 years, Low admits “there’s been a few”.

“I’ve been lucky enough to coach a couple of girls who have been 12/u and 14/u national champions, so that was pretty rewarding,” he said.

“Often, we focus on players and getting results, but seeing them on the court every day and still being involved in tennis is pretty rewarding as well.

“All of our coaching team at the moment have come through our program. We’ve got five coaches and all of them I’ve coached from five years old.”

Paving the way for the next generation 🛤️

Lara Walker is a 20-year-old coach and professional player from Queensland who is leading the #NoLimits Girls Squad at her local club. https://t.co/kivTWln0bP

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) May 1, 2024

For these young coaches, Low is proving an outstanding mentor.

He has won multiple awards throughout his career, including the Coaching Excellence – Club Award at the 2023 Queensland Tennis Awards. He was a finalist in the same category at last year’s Australian Tennis Awards.

“I don’t think any individual can achieve any sort of success without an amazing team around them and it’s no different for me,” Low said of such recognition.

“We couldn’t have achieved what we have without a solid team of people. It’s great to get the recognition, but I think it’s important to celebrate the team rather than herald an individual.

“We don’t do what we do for awards or that sort of thing.”

Low contends his biggest reward is making a positive difference within his local community.

“I want to get as many people in the community playing tennis as I can, whether that be at a local level where they want to come down for a hit, or whether they want to compete at a national or international level,” he said of his motivations.

“We’ve created a nice community at our club. I think some people come to our club not only for the tennis, but because it’s somewhere to hang out and where they can have a coffee with mates. Tennis is just the thing that connects everyone.”

Read more in our Coaching Spotlight series:
> Brad Boynton: A local leader uniting a rural community
> Brad Dyer: Embracing journey with rising star Taylah Preston
> Codie George: Inspired after learning from the best
> Alwyn Musumeci: A young leader with big dreams
> Annabel Taylor: Former Australian No.1 now guiding next generation
> Craig Tyzzer: Ash Barty’s mentor excited for new challenge
> Lara Walker: Proudly inspiring young girls

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!