Our Coaches
We are extremely proud of our coaches. Tennis NWT has a wonderful team of qualified coaches who share their love of tennis with children and adults. The coaching team is made up of experienced and qualified coaches all specializing in specific areas to ensure we are able to offer a diverse programme to players.
Joan started by being self taught in her early 30’s by playing games with her husband Dennis and other players in Fort Smith at the single tennis court. A group of friends started a tennis club in Fort Smith and have had club tournaments for over 38 years. Joan has been a recreational tennis coach for children and youth for over 20 years in Fort Smith. She is a certified Tennis Canada Instructor. Joan and her husband have participated in the Canada 55+ games in tennis several times, and successfully achieved a bronze medal. Joan has participated in tournaments in Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Fort McMurray and even Jamaica.
Anna started playing tennis from a young age in the UK, and has loved it ever since. She especially enjoys working with the young beginners in their first adventures with a tennis racket, and also with the more mature players who want to develop tennis fundamentals. Outside of tennis, Anna loves to spend time outdoors with her huskies and in her work as a a hydrologist.
Anna is excited to enter her second year coaching tennis this summer. She is an avid player, and participated in the 2025 Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland with the team. She always loves being outside and is looking forward to seeing everyone on the court!
Ofira Duru was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT. She has participated in both Western and Canada Summer games for tennis. She has been playing tennis in Yellowknife for around 11 years now. This is her third summer coaching clinics and she is thrilled to continue contributing to the tennis community..
Hi, I’m Oleta! I’ve been a part of the YK tennis community for about 10 years, having first picked up a racquet when I was 10 years old. I have a diverse background coaching a variety of sports, and I’m thrilled to officially add tennis coaching to that list as of last year. I can’t wait to welcome our new members, reconnect with familiar faces, and work with everyone on the court this year!
Orlee Duru was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT.
Nikhilesh Gohil was born and raised in Yellowknife. He began playing tennis when he was 11 years old after watching Roger Federer, the GOAT, win Wimbledon in 2017. Since then, he has represented Team NT in tennis at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games and the 2022 Canada Summer Games and in 2023 Nikhilesh became a certified tennis instructor. He is very much looking forward to another great tennis season this summer!
Thorsten has been around sports all his life. Starting with Tennis at 6 years old, a slight detour to Table Tennis and a taking a break from Tennis for many years, he is now back trying to bring this great sport back into the communities of the Northwest Territories.
Nikola exuberates enthusiasm on the tennis court. He has an absolute passion for tennis. He has been instrumental in the growth of the tennis in Yellowknife.
Tamara Jovic was born and raised in Yellowknife and began playing tennis at age five with her dad and coach, Nik. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Calgary, where she played on the Dinos varsity tennis team.
Tamara has represented the North at multiple events and is actively involved in coaching. She was the Head Coach for Team NWT at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland and Assistant Coach at the 2022 Games in Niagara. She is a certified Club Pro 1 and is working toward Club Pro 2. She is also the Game, Set, Equity Regional Ambassador for the Northwest Territories, supporting gender equity in tennis.
Beyond tennis, Tamara enjoys staying active through other sports and fitness, as well as playing piano. She completed her Grade 10 Royal Conservatory of Music in 2019. Her multi-sport background includes competing at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in swimming, the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in table tennis, and the 2017 Canada Summer Games in tennis.
She looks forward to another great season on the courts.!
Teresa is a certified Tennis Canada Club Pro 1 Coach, and she competes for the Dalhousie University Tennis Team at the provincial and national level. At Dalhousie University, she is completing her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Teresa has also represented the NWT at the 2022 Canada Summer Games as a doubles and singles competitor. Aside from tennis, she also enjoys playing and teaching piano, and in 2023, she finished her Grade 10 Royal Conservatory of Music certification. Teresa is very excited for the upcoming tennis season!
Will was born and raised in Yellowknife. He is a racquet enthusiast. He has represented NWT at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in tennis. Will trains with the High-Performance tennis, squash, and ski teams in Yellowknife and is very excited to be joining the tennis coaching team for his third season!.
Hi, I’m Karthik! I picked up a racket back in 2021 and completely fell in love with the game—honestly, I haven’t been able to stay off the court since. I eventually decided to take that passion a step further and became a Tennis Professional Association (TPA) certified coach so I could help others enjoy the sport just as much as I do.
For me, tennis is all about building confidence, getting a great workout, and having fun. Whether you’re working on nailing down your basic fundamentals or trying to sharpen your court strategy, I’m excited to help you level up your game.
I am available for private lessons this season if you’re looking for some one-on-one coaching. Feel free to reach out to me at karthik22294@gmail.com to chat about rates and availability.
Can’t wait to see you all out on the courts!
Adam is into his 23rd year of tennis coaching, player development, and community programming. He began his tennis journey as a teenager at his local community club in the east end of Toronto (Port Union), which led to a lifelong passion for teaching and growing the game. Throughout his career, Adam has taught and facilitated competition for thousands of players of all ages in partnership with school boards, community tennis clubs, and non-profit organizations. Adam has also volunteered extensively in tennis leadership roles, serving as Director of Junior Player Development at multiple clubs and with the Scarborough Tennis Federation over the past decade. He is a TPA Club Professional 1 Certified Coach, with certifications in Wheelchair Tennis, Progressive (Junior) Tennis, and Pickleball. Adam is looking forward to working with players of all ages and skill levels and to exploring the beautiful landscape of our community.
View Coaching Resources provided by the TPA