RC_ Tennis

Oak Lawn Racquet Center Tennis Pros

Saddam Al-Zoobaidi

Saddam has been our head tennis pro at the Racquet Center since 2013. He coaches at every single level from our 10 & Under, Youth, Teen and Adult programs. All of our adult walk-on drills are led by Saddam. He works with many of our Jack Barry and USTA men’s and women’s teams. Saddam was a player on the Men’s 4.5 team in 2017 when they took home the championship title. Saddam also coached one our long time members, Bette Sacks to victory this past year (2017) as Sacks received No. 6 in the nation in the 75 & Up National Senior Women’s Tennis Association Intersectional Tournament.

United States Certified Tennis Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTR)
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) 2010-current
Teaching Essentials Certification (PTR)
(PTR) 10 & Under Tennis Professional 2010-current
Davis Cup Player 1997-2006
Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF)
International Tennis Federation Level 2 Coach (ITF)
Bachelor Degree of Physical Education, University of Baghdad (1997)

Brian Burns

United States Certified Tennis Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA)
Varsity Tennis Coach at Mother McAuley High School from 2010 - 2012
Varsity Tennis Coach at Marist High School from 2013 - 2016
Over 20 years of tennis coaching experience
Coached many players to qualify for Illinois and Indiana high school state competition and college tennis

Alex Haizel

My dad got me into tennis ever since I was able to hold a racquet and I fell in love with it right away. Growing up I spent a lot of weekends traveling to USTA tournaments around the Midwest working on my ranking. I played at Marist High School and qualified for the state tournament every year. I played collegiately at the University of St. Francis in Joliet and recorded over 125 wins for my school. Currently I play on the Men's 4.5 Jack Berry Team through the Oak Lawn Racquet Club. Tennis is a great way to stay active, have fun, meet new people and make a lot of friends in the process.

Fred Koch

Fred has been playing tennis for 50 years and has been instructing 15 years to date. He participated in local league play as well as USTA leagues for the past 35 years. Fred has had various teen students advance to state competition both in singles & doubles. He is qualified to instruct adults, teens, juniors, 10 & under, and tournament players. When instructing students Fred’s main concerns are shot mechanics, biomechanics and court positioning.

Mike Sutko

My involvement with tennis coincided with the opening of the Oak Lawn Tennis Club, now part of the Oak Lawn Park District. Teaching tennis in Oak Lawn has been and continues to be a joy. Having taught children 10 and under to adults at various proficiency levels has provided me an opportunity to not only sharpen individual tennis skills, but to share some of the rules of tennis. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences with the tennis players at the Oak Lawn Racquet and Fitness Center.

USTA Member
Chicago District Tennis Umpires Association
Association of Tennis Professional
Intercollegiate Tennis Association 1985-2016: Before retiring in 2016, Mike was honored as Chair Official of the Year Recipient of the President's Award, and selected to officiate at two U.S. Open events in New York.
United State Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR)

Brooke Zielke

My name is Brooke Zielke and I’ve been playing tennis for the past seven years. My love for tennis began at the Oak Lawn Racquet Club, and since the beginning of my lessons, I’ve been curious and excited about tennis and the various ways in which you can play it. Tennis is a sport that you always have supplement, if you love it, stay with it! I love that there is always something you can improve or change to make your game so much better!

* Not listed Jason Buegel, Terrence Gamoba, Amy Tyree.*