Mario

Spark Director & Head Coach 
“For me, coaching is not a job – it is my passion.”

Mario is an enthusiastic, dedicated and knowledgeable coach who brings a wealth of passion, knowledge and experience playing on the professional tennis tour. He lives and breathes tennis, thriving on developing his student’s skills that will forge a strong foundation for the rest of their lives, both on and off the court.

As a 17-year-old, Mario was invited to train at the prestigious Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris. There, he had the honour of hitting with the likes of Serena Williams, as well as many of the world’s Top 100 ATP ranked players.

Over his 18-year playing career, Mario achieved an Australian ranking of 72 and has won 10 AMT tournaments that included more than 20 Junior titles. Having travelled all over the world from Europe to Asia and Africa, Mario has competed in many ITF and ATP tournaments both locally and internationally and has completed his Club Professional qualification with Tennis Australia.

To date, Mario has committed his life to playing tennis, with his long-term goal of achieving professional status, a feat he accomplished in 2015.

In 2017, Mario became an accredited Tennis Australia Coach; holding both Junior Development and Club Professional Accreditation, thereby opening up a new chapter in his tennis career.

Today, Mario remains 100% committed to enhancing the lives of his students by promoting diversity, encouraging active participation and empowering them to not only succeed on the tennis court, but in life too. It is for this reason Mario has exceptional retention and has created an environment that is supportive, educational and highly valued within the local community.

His success also extends to the South Gisbourne Tennis Club and its mission to expand and prosper as a tight-knit rural club with the local community, family, growth and fun at the core of its values.

In addition to his myriad of accomplishments, Mario is also bilingual and can speak, read and write in both English and Croatian. His unique ability to communicate with people from varying cultures and backgrounds is what makes Mario a leader both on and off the tennis court.