Coach: Catherine Krueger 

Club: Domain Tennis Centre 

Catherine Krueger is a passionate part-time tennis coach at the Domain Tennis Centre. Her journey into coaching began unexpectedly in 2017 following a hip injury. Unable to play, she reached out to her coach, Nick Martin, for an opportunity to stay involved in the tennis community. What began as a step towards remaining connected to the sport soon expanded into a fulfilling coaching career. 

Catherine relishes coaching for its outdoor setting, the creativity in lesson planning, the social aspect of meeting new people, sharing stories and showing everyone that tennis is a game for all, regardless of skill level. 

Throughout her coaching career, Catherine has been juggling a combined Arts and Law degree at UTAS as well as remaining committed to competitive tennis tournaments across Australia.  

“I spent a lot of time travelling around Australia, competing in events from juniors right through to ITF’s. Some of my highlights would be representing Tasmania several times in Bruce Cup and Pizzey Cup, and being selected four years in a row to go to Melbourne for the State Team Championships. The best part of the whole experience was making so many friends along the way, and I have so many memories from those trips – this was a big part of growing up and it has really made me the person I am today,” Coach Catherine Krueger said. 

“I grew up playing a lot of different sports, but there was always something special about tennis. You only need one other friend, a ball and a racquet, and you can practise, play games, do drills. I particularly love the scoring system – and the fact that a match is never over until the last point has been played. Unlike other sports where opponents can try to let the clock run out, tennis allows for players to comeback no matter the score line. I really love that,” she said. 

Of the tennis programs she coaches, Catherine is particularly fond of Cardio Tennis, enjoying the energy and communal aspect it brings to the sport.  

“I love Cardio tennis! Often, I wish I wasn’t running the sessions, because I would rather be taking part in it! I love playing to music, it keeps my energy up, and I think that it brings a very social aspect to tennis, as tennis can so often be perceived as an individual sport. I think cardio tennis really creates a sense of community,” she said. 

“To someone thinking about becoming a tennis coach, my biggest advice would be that you need to listen to your player. Each player is unique, and therefore thinks differently and learns differently. The hardest part about being a coach is being able to find the right words to communicate with your player. Sometimes this means you have to be flexible and come up with new strategies and ways to get the most out of your players.” 

Outside of tennis, Catherine’s interests and skills are diverse. She loves cooking a variety of cuisines, hosting poker nights, and going for walks – often three times a day as a way to relax and reset.  

Fluent in German as well as English, Catherine has studied Ancient History, Philosophy, Arts and Law at UTAS, is a former top 50 Australian ranked tennis player, has been a hitting partner for Elena Vesnina at the 2013 Hobart International and has completed the Junior Development Coaching qualification as well as a Cert III in Sport Coaching.