Tennis News & Events
Trevor Sands: Courting success in the world of tennis
Trevor Sands has come a long way from his meager beginnings in the Bahamas, paddling worn balls with wooden sticks.
As a boy growing up on the island of Eleuthera, Sands would knock balls against a deteriorated back board at an abandoned tennis court near his parents’ home. Today, the tennis pro uses some of the best equipment and coaches some of the most prominent players as Director of Tennis at the Beverly Hills Country Club.
“I would have probably still been on the island if it had not been for tennis. I’ve come a long way,” said Sands.
He started playing tennis when he was 12. His first big break came four years later, when a professional tennis instructor at the Windemere Island Club in the Bahamas discovered Sands and got him a job as an assistant head coach.
A natural, Sands quickly became one of the top tennis players in the Bahamas. “I would play everyday after school,” recalls Sands. “I just love the sport.”
But Sands had no formal training. All American Sports paid for Sands to attend Deerfield Tennis Academy in Boston, MA, for one year of professional training.
Sands said the academy helped to crystallize his skills. He learned “tennis techniques and management skills” that later helped him move up in the tennis world. “I always had a dream and I knew I would leave the Bahamas,” Sands said. “I began to live my dream.”
Sands has worked at nearly a dozen tennis clubs throughout the world where he has coached prominent players like Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. Fluent in both English and French, Sands has worked at Club Med’s Boucaniers in Martinique, West Indies; Club Med’s Chearting in Malaise; Club Med’s Cancun in Mexico City, Mexico; Club Med’s Paradise Island in the Bahamas; Club Med’s Boucaniers in Port au France; Windemere Island Club in the Bahamas; Deerfield Tennis Academy in Boston, MA; and Rancho Park Tennis Center in Los Angeles.
Sands natural athletic ability does not stop on the court. He is also proficient in a variety of water sports including water skiing, boating, windsurfing, snorkeling and scuba diving.
The tennis pro has been Director of Tennis programs at the Beverly Hills Country Club for nearly 9 years. Sands manages 8 tennis instructors, oversees events, programs and tennis tournaments.
A private, full-service club, the Beverly Hills Country Club offers facilities to both competitive and recreational tennis players. It has 10 lighted surface championship courts, ball machines and ball sweeps, spring water coolers on every court, as well as private professional instruction and clinics from USPTA professionals. The Club also sponsors tournaments, league play, ladders and exhibition matches featuring top professional and celebrity players.
The club was established in 1926 by the late Elmer Griffin, uncle of celebrity businessman Merv Griffin. Its Board of Governors include Los Angeles Country Supervisor Yvonne Burke, champion tennis player Jimmy Connors, baseball legend Tommy Lasorda and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck.
“Tennis has opened a lot of doors for me,” notes Sands. He continues to show his gratitude by giving back to his native Bahamas by volunteering and organizing tournaments on the island. He also volunteers as a trainer with Los Angeles inner-city children.
“I believe in tennis. It’s an international language,” Sands said. “It’s something I will do the rest of my life.”
Excerpts from PACESETTERS MAGAZINE/October 2000 article by Shante Morgan