The Hamilton Southeastern girls and boys tennis team is coached by Doug Gernert, a well experienced coach who has been in the sport for over 50 years and has coached the Royals for 24 years. Coach Gernert has recently retired from his previous job at Ei Lilly as a chemist and now devotes his full time and passion to coaching and giving the team his undivided attention.

“We have a good mix of returning players, and we have a lot of brand new players” Coach Gernert said when asked about the state of the team this year, “We have one of the biggest freshman classes we’ve had in a long time”

This year, Coach Gernert is very excited about the composition of the team with some returning players and a very large freshman class with much to prove. With 15 freshmen coming onto the team, they have a lot to learn from their upperclassman and will be eager to contribute to the team immediately. Coach Gernert is very pleased with the number of upcoming players within the program and with time this team will become a very competitive team in the state of Indiana.

Coach Gernert’s main coaching philosophy is centered around the ideology of constant improvement every day. He wants his players to get at least 1% better every day because he believes that every player on the team, regardless of their skill level, has the potential to become great with the right dedication and work ethic. Coach Gernert also believes in positive reinforcement for his players.

“You can always find something they are doing right and that they can improve on to make them a better player”

Coach Gernert uses this form of encouragement so when his players are performing on the biggest stages, they will be able to succeed.

With a passionate coach at the helm of this young Hamilton Southeastern girls tennis team, the Royals will be in good hands for many years to come.