Jake Zerman

Jake Zerman is the General Manager of Futures Tennis Academy, playing a key role in the day-to-day operation, development and continued growth of one of Melbourne’s established tennis academies.

In his role, Jake oversees a broad range of areas across Futures Tennis Academy, including coaching and program delivery, staff development, school and club partnerships, marketing, digital systems, competitions, tournaments and the overall experience provided to players and families across the academy’s venues.

Alongside his background in tennis, Jake brings extensive experience in event coordination and operations, having spent a number of years working across large-scale events and Melbourne’s hospitality and entertainment industry. Through these roles, he developed significant experience in event planning, staffing, logistics, customer experience, venue operations and coordinating large numbers of people in fast-paced environments. This experience has translated strongly into his work at Futures Tennis Academy, particularly in the delivery of tournaments, events, programs and the broader operational management of the academy.

A Tennis Australia Development qualified coach, Jake has been involved in tennis from a young age and comes from a strong tennis family background, with relatives having competed at Grand Slam level. During his own junior development, Jake trained under a number of highly regarded coaches and was exposed to strong performance environments that helped shape both his playing and coaching philosophies.

Jake represented Wesley College Firsts as the team’s No. 1 player and developed significant experience in competitive tennis before increasingly turning his attention towards coaching, player development and the broader management of tennis programs.

His coaching experience spans players across a wide range of ages and standards, with a particular interest in junior development and creating pathways that allow players to progress from their introduction to the sport through to competition and performance tennis.

Jake has also gained international coaching experience through Futures Tennis Academy, travelling to Sri Lanka and working with leading junior players in a high-performance training environment. The experience provided further exposure to international player development and different approaches to training, competition and athlete preparation.

As General Manager, Jake works closely with Futures Tennis Academy’s senior coaches and performance team to continually develop the academy’s coaching structure and player pathway. He is heavily involved in creating and implementing new programs, supporting coaches, developing relationships with clubs and schools and identifying opportunities for the academy to expand its reach.

In recognition of his contribution to tennis coaching and the broader industry, Jake was awarded the TCA Rising Star – Coach of the Year in 2022.

Through his combination of coaching experience, operational leadership and passion for growing the game, Jake continues to play a central role in shaping the direction of Futures Tennis Academy and supporting its coaches, players and programs across Melbourne.