Gabby Hesse Appointed To USTA Wheelchair Tennis National Development Team

May 07, 2025

JTCC is proud to announce that Head of Wheelchair and Adaptive Tennis Gabby Hesse has been named to the USTA Wheelchair tennis national development team.

A testament to Hesse’s hard work, dedication, and unwavering passion for wheelchair tennis, Hesse joins three other individuals, Jason Keatseangsilp, Christopher Kelley, and Gabriel Kelly to comprise the inaugural team.

“I found out when I received an email about being selected, and it was really uplifting because it is an opportunity that hasn’t existed in my career path before,” exclaimed an exuberant Hesse. “It definitely feels validating, being recognized for contributions I have given to the space, but I’m most excited about getting exposure to other great programs, players, coaches and taking that information and bringing it back to help our players at JTCC.”

With the goal of growing Wheelchair tennis nationwide through coach and athlete development, Hesse will also lead/assist All-Comers Camps, Coach Development Workshops, Industry Presentations and Workshops, and USTA National and ITF Professional Wheelchair Tournaments.

Arriving at JTCC in 2020 during covid, Hesse has been the driving force behind developing one of the country’s leading grassroots Wheelchair/Adaptive tennis programs.

Introduced to Wheelchair tennis by her assistant college tennis coach at Florida Southern, Paul Walker, who was also a USTA National Wheelchair coach, Hesse fell in love with the sport and began working with Wheelchair tennis part-time when she began at JTCC.

Five years later, Hesse has completely revamped the program at JTCC.

Constantly growing the visibility and offerings of wheelchair and adaptive programs on a local and international stage, Hesse has transformed JTCC into becoming the only center in the country to have a full-time staff member dedicated to Adaptive tennis.

Responsible for overseeing all aspects of programming for Wheelchair and Veterans tennis, Special Olympics and Parastanding tennis, Hesse is also a Tournament Director for a USTA Level 2 Wheelchair tournament, and an ITF Level 2 tournament that now serves as a lead-in to the US Open. Additionally, Hesse organizes two national Junior and Adult Wheelchair tennis camps each year.

Still looking for ways to improve and grow the program, Hesse describes her two goals moving forward.

“JTCC is pretty much a full pathway, so the next step is looking at how we can integrate higher level players and get the appropriate training for them,” stated Hesse, describing what makes the JTCC Adaptive program unique. “We’re the only complete pathway within a tennis facility. That includes activations, regular programming, coach education, and tournaments. For us to have those offerings at JTCC is remarkable as we are a one-stop shop for anyone with a disability to find a program they can do.”

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