St. James is proud to have a team of passionate and certified tennis coaches, each bringing some valuable teaching experience to the court. They’re here to help you improve your skills, build confidence, and enjoy the game. Our head coaches “Jackson and Tarek” are also available for private lessons. You’ll find their contact information below, so feel free to reach out directly to book a session. Get to know the coaches who are dedicated to supporting your growth on court.

Jackson Hemphill Head Pro - Director of Tennis

Jackson Hemphill grew up playing at St.James Club, attending camps as a junior and playing in some of the tournaments the club had to offer. After completing his instructor certificate in 2015, Jackson began to instruct at St. James. He quickly grew to become a very enthusiastic, passionate and organized tennis instructor. In total, Jackson has taught for 5 years at St. James, while also teaching at Carleton Tennis Centre, and he continues to teach in the winter at the Rideau Sports Centre. Jackson’s friendly face combined with his energy and helpfulness make him a natural fit to be leading the club team this year. Jackson is a Club Pro 1 certified by Tennis Canada. Please send him an email <hemphill.jackson@gmail.com > with any questions regarding group, private, and junior lessons or any other inquiries you might have. 

Tarek Samhan Tennis Professional

Tarek has been playing tennis since he was 7. He signed up for his first U10 tournament two years later and has never looked back. Since then, he has competed in local, national, and international tournaments where he has honed his tennis skills. Last year, he made it to the semi-finals of the Barrhaven and City View tennis tournaments, even winning two whole games (almost 3) from the reigning city champion. Tarek has been coaching since 2020 at Rideau Sports Center and St James. He is a certified instructor by Tennis Canada. He loves teaching the sport and watching people grow as players. His most rewarding experience is watching new players fall in love with a sport that is so near and dear to him. During business hours, Tarek works at the Bank of Canada where he brings up tennis far too often when clearly, nobody cares about his tennis skills.

Please reach out to him at <tsamhan@gmail.com> for any tennis inquiries.

Aidan Fennimore Tennis Instructor

Aidan was introduced to tennis at the age of 5, and 15 years later has yet to grow tired of it. He has been teaching tennis for 4 years, all at St. James where he grew up attending summer camps that helped him fall in love with the sport. He won the 2023 High School Doubles Provincial Championship and currently captains the Acadia University Men’s Tennis Team, where they finished another season as a top 4 team in the AUTL. Aidan’s favourite part of teaching is watching players improve in real time and take up a passion in a new sport that he’s spent so long enjoying. He specializes in honing the skills of more experienced players as well as teaching beginners the proper technique to help build a strong fundamental base. Aidan is currently in his 3rd year of university pursuing a degree in finance as well as doing his best to convince his uninterested friends to join the drop in tennis sessions he hosts throughout the school year. Aidan is available during the day and evening during the week for private, semi private and group lessons and can be reached through the contacts below.


Email: aidanrfennimore@gmail.com
Phone number: 613-400-3589