Arvin’s goal is to produce a Sukma player and an ITF player in five to 10 years.
KUCHING: When Arvin Tabil Jurao took up the Sarawak State Sports Council’s offer as head coach of the state tennis players, his aspiration did not just stop at leading the team to Sukma success.
The 45-year-old coach from Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines is also very keen to produce new Sukma players.
“Sarawak has many potential players and the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association, under the able leadership of its president Dato Patrick Liew, has done a good job in running the junior development programme.
“I came here because my nephew Al Michael Jurao Madrid is a coach here and he told me that Sarawak needed a new head coach as the previous coach had left,” he told The Borneo Post.
Saying that he loved coaching and tennis is his passion, Arvin wants to develop new elite players for Sarawak who can compete in Sukma and even ITF competitions.
“I really like the young kids here who are very committed and have good attitude and discipline during training. My goal is to produce a Sukma player and an ITF player in five to 10 years,” he declared.
About 30 junior players turn up regularly for the training programme although most have stopped coming in the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
Arvin said he could only train players who are in Kuching.
“It is a big challenge to get the elite players for centralised training because some are studying in universities overseas while the rest are in Sibu, Miri and Bintulu,” he revealed.
However, he is impressed with tennis facilities at the SLTA Tennis Centre and says the weather is similar to the Philippines.
“We need more coaches and l have discussed with Dato (Liew) who has agreed that we wait for the pandemic to get over before we get more coaches.
Arvin obtained his USPTA licence in 2014 after completing his college education and started coaching tennis when he was 16 years old.
He was assistant coach of the University of San Jose varsity team in Cebu City from Oct 2003 to Dec 2005 and part-time coach with the Intercontinental Hotel Doha in Qatar from Oct 15, 2011 to May 31 2013.
He was the instructor for the MRO Tennis Club youth summer tennis clinic from 1999 to 2000 and the San Miguel Tennis Club youth summer clinic in 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009 in Iligan City.
During his playing career, Arvin was mixed doubles champion and men’s doubles finalist in the QTF & Intercontinental Hotel Tennis Open, doubles champion in 23rd NBK Ramadan Tennis Tournament, doubles finalist in the 4th Smash Tennis Academy Championship in 2012 and champion in the team event in QTF Nation’s Cup in 2013,