PROJECT / RACQUET SPORTS
A LIFE IN RACQUET SPORTS.
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I've played it, coached it, strung racquets, sold equipment and even built products for it.
Tennis has been part of my life since I was seven.
FABER & STRATA · JAN 2026 — PRESENT
Next: Faber & Strata →
AGE 7
THE SERVE
BARCELONA
ILLINOIS
KOLLECTABALL
MELBOURNE
PERTH
THE STORY CONTINUES
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01
BARCELONA. AGE 13.
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At 13, I moved to Barcelona to train at the Sánchez-Casal Tennis Academy.
Five years of tennis, Spanish lessons and an unreasonable number of hours on court.
Ironically, I spent quite a lot of that time hating tennis.
It's a long story.
02
ILLINOIS. AGE 18.
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Tennis took me to America on a college scholarship.
Four years at Augustana College.
4× All-Conference honours.
3× First Team All-Conference.
Conference MVP — Final year.
Not a bad return for a sport I'd once hated.
03
KOLLECTABALL.
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After university, Dad and I turned a walnut collector into a tennis ball collector and called it Kollectaball.
Yes, really.
We developed it into an international racquet-sports product business.
But there was a problem.
Too many middlemen between manufacturer and customer. Sales came in, but the margins struggled.
Eventually, we sold the business.
A good product can't always overcome a bad route to market.
04
MELBOURNE. THE OTHER SIDE.
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One of my Kollectaball customers invited me to Australia to work in racquet sports.
Sales.
·
Marketing.
·
Distribution.
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Retail.
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Stringing.
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Content.
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Ball machines.
A bit of everything.
I'd now seen distribution from both sides — as a distributor and from the manufacturer's perspective.
Same problems. Different perspective.
Surely there had to be a better way.
05
PERTH. BACK ON COURT.
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With six months left in Australia, I moved to Perth to coach at Prime Tennis.
Kids. Adults. Beginners. Competitive players. Sunshine.
I loved it.
I was offered a longer-term role with visa sponsorship.
But Australia was a long way from family, and I wanted to build something of my own.
So I came home.
06
NOT THE END OF THE STORY.
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Tennis has taken me around the world, introduced me to incredible people and shaped much of who I am.
I've competed, coached, built products and worked across almost every corner of the industry.
And while I'm exploring new challenges, I know one thing for certain.
Tennis will always be part of my life.
And I've a feeling my professional story in racquet sports isn't finished either.
