 | The Breakers Palm Beach has assembled one of the finest and most experienced international teams of tennis coaches of any resort in the country: | |
|  Ken Thompson, director of tennis, is responsible for putting together a stellar group of tennis professionals. Since joining The Breakers in 1987, his goal has been to create tennis programs that would help educate and develop players of all ages and skill level. Thompson’s unwavering commitment to this goal has been recognized by one of the sport’s foremost authorities, Tennis Magazine. For 16 straight years, since 1990, it has voted The Breakers one of the world’s “top 50 tennis resorts.” Tennis Magazine also distinguished The Breakers for being among the “top 5 resorts in instruction and game matching.”The United States Tennis Association has also accredited Thompson’s efforts by designating The Breakers as a Local Excellence Center, and even more rare, an Area Training Center (one of only two in Florida).
Thompson has reached out extensively to the community through many philanthropic channels. He is Vice President of the Palm Beach Area Tennis Patrons Foundation, which provides tennis instruction to over 500 socio-economically disadvantaged children in Palm Beach County. Also, as an insulin-dependent diabetic, he is committed to the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and hosts an annual pro-am tournament at The Breakers that consistently raises over $100,000 for research.
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|  Kathy Rinaldi is The Breakers’ touring professional.Her accomplishments started at the very young age of 14, when she was the youngest player to have ever won a match at Wimbledon. After that achievement, she rapidly became a player to be reckoned with and earned rankings in the world’s Top Ten for singles and doubles – as high as number six in singles and number one in doubles. Rinaldi has recorded wins over Chris Evert, Stefi Graf, Martina Navratilova among others, holds over 20 singles and doubles titles, and reached the semi-final round in four grand slam events in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. She also has the esteemed distinction of being a Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champion at The Masters Level; she won the Wimbledon over-35 doubles championship in 2003. Most recently, Rinaldi was selected as Assistant Coach for United States Federation Cup Team (April 2006, Germany), the ladies version of the Davis Cup, leading a line-up of top tier women players in tandem with Head Coach Zina Garrison. In addition to her rigorous instruction and touring schedule, Kathy is a wife and mother and resides in the Palm Beaches. | |
|  Jim Ahearn, tennis professional, has been a member of The Breakers Tennis Team since 1991.He is credited with starting The Breakers Junior Tennis Academy in 1990 and acted as its Director until 1996. Throughout his tenure he has learned to balance a busy schedule of coaching and writing assignments for national tennis publications. Certified as a Professional-1 by the USPTA, Jim has helped develop and refine the skills of a lengthy and loyal roster of tennis students. During the summer, Jim serves as the Director of Tennis Operations at several clubs in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. | |
|  Vessie Willwerth is in her seventh year as a tennis instructor at The Breakers. Born in Bulgaria, she was introduced to tennis at an early age and quickly developed into a top junior player, competing in hundreds of National and European tournaments. Twice she won the Bulgarian Junior National Championship. A USPTR teaching professional, Willwerth has had more than 10 years experience as a tennis instructor. | |
|  Simo Alami began tennis instruction as a young child in France, which ultimately grew into a lifelong passion for the game.He joined The Breakers Tennis Academy in 1991. Alami was an ATP Tour Coach for eight years and is presently coaching the number one 12-year-old female in the nation. | |
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