OUR COACHES
Jane Forman, Director of Racquet Sports
Head Tennis Professional
A former world-ranked tennis professional and Clemson Hall of Fame athlete, Jane Forman has devoted the last 33 years to developing community tennis and sports programs for children and adults of all ages and levels of ability. In 1990, Jane opened a tennis management company — The Jane Forman Tennis Academy — where she facilitated tennis programming and facility management to clubs, parks, and community centers. The Jane Forman Tennis Academy has been a staple in the Miami tennis community for decades. To date, over 10,000 children and 4,000 adults have taken part in a Jane Forman Tennis program. Jane joined forces with Rivera Prep School in 2010 as their Head coach to both Varsity and Middle School teams.
With the opening of Riviera Tennis Center, Jane will direct and implement all in-school and out-of-school programming for juniors and adults.
Jane teaches, coaches, trains, and manages all levels of play for both juniors and adults.
Career Highlights
Jane began her tennis career as a Junior Player in Providence, RI. She began competing in Rhode Island at the age of 10 and won the Rhode Island state championships every year that she lived in the state. From the ages of 10-18, Jane competed in United States Tennis Association (USTA) Junior Tournaments all throughout New England. She never dropped below a 3rd ranking in New England throughout her junior career. At the age of 18, Jane won the women’s New England championships, ranking her the number-1 women’s tennis player in New England. In 4 years of high school tennis play, Jane never lost a match; in fact, she never lost a set.
Jane attended Clemson University in 1980 on a full athletic scholarship and was named to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) All American Team for four consecutive years; she achieved the most solid record in Clemson University history, a record that still stands today. In 1980, she started her professional career as an amateur so she could continue to work towards obtaining a college degree.
In 1984, Jane became an “official” professional player and competed for 10 years on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Circuit. She also competed on the following circuits: the United States Tennis Association professional circuit; the International Tennis Federation (satellite); Grand Slam tournaments; and the Virginia Slims Circuit. Some of Jane’s notable top-ten opponents include Tracy Austin, Pam Shriver, and Andrea Jaeger. Her most memorable match was playing Martina Navratilova on Wimbledon’s Center Court in 1986.
Jane retired from competitive play in 1989 and turned her efforts and enthusiasm for the sport of tennis to teaching tennis and sports management. The Jane Forman Tennis Academy (JFTA) was conceived and founded in 1990 to bring high-quality tennis to non-club amateurs — both children and adults. The JFTA staff is comprised of retired touring tennis professionals and certified instructors who specialize in teaching children. The Academy provides classes, instruction, after-school programs, leagues, and tournaments for adults, teens, and children.
In 2002, Jane created a Miami-based sports management group — Jane Forman Sports — that consisted of: (1) The Jane Forman Tennis Academy; (2) Jane Forman Golf School; and (3) Dade County Sports. Additionally, she established the Dade County Sports Foundation, which is a not-for-profit enterprise that provides sports scholarships to any of the sports programs managed by Jane Forman Sports. Each of these companies is unique; however, they are all similar in their mission to provide recreational sports programs for all ages, demographics, and levels of ability.
Honors and Records
- Nominated by Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for Look Up Miami-Dade County Business Woman of the Year in 2008
- Named to Clemson University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003
- Named to the Top 50 Athletes in the Century in Rhode Island in 2003
- Holds the singles record with most wins in the history of Clemson University
- Named to the ALL ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Top Athletes of All Time in 1984
- Four time ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Champion; three time Most Valuable Player
- Four time NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) All-American
- Selected for Rhode Island Jewish Hall of Fame in 1987
- Named Rhode Island’s Schoolgirl Athlete-of-the-Year by Words Unlimited in 1979 and 1980
- Named Prep All-America Girl Athlete by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980
- USTA (United States Tennis Association) National Ranking: Top 10 Junior in 1979
- Never lost a match in the state of Rhode Island
- Never lost a match or set interscholastically
Völkl Tennis VIP Brand Ambassador
Recently, world renowned German company Völkl Tennis signed Jane as their VIP Brand Ambassador for the Miami Metro South area. She will be showcasing the Völkl products through her new instructional video series Völkl for the Masses. She will also be hosting Völkl Demo Days at various club locations.
SportsEdTV Contributing Coach
SportsEdTV has enlisted former WTA Top-50 professional Jane Forman to teach viewers of all levels how to play better doubles. The multi-video series covers the fundamentals of doubles play and basic doubles strategy. These beautifully filmed, informative videos can help beginners who are just learning the game or experienced players of all levels improve their doubles games.
Matt Spasic, Facility Manager
Assistant Tennis Professional
High-Performance Coach
Conditioning Instructor
USPTA Professional
Matt grew up in Miami, Florida, and has played tennis his whole life. As a Riviera Preparatory School graduate, Matt was a 3-time MVP award recipient and earned the highest honor as a student athlete for recognition in academics and tennis in 2016.
Matt played D2 tennis for Eckerd College, where he earned MVP and was named to the All Second Team Doubles in the Sunshine State Conference.
In 2020, Matt graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, with minors in both Economics and Marketing.
Matt enjoys coaching all levels of juniors and adults and is available 7 days a week for lessons, clinics, and fitness training. He always wears a smile and is ready to take you to the next level.
Max Appello
Assistant Tennis Professional
High-Performance Coach
USPTR Certified
Coach Max is a Professional Tennis Coach certified by the Professional Tennis Registry. Born in 1994, he has spent 25 years playing tennis at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels.
Born and raised in Sparta, NJ, Max played junior tennis for USTA eastern section and was number 1 in the USTA eastern, southern region. As a High School player, he played all 4 years and achieved number 1 on the squad his senior year. Max attended Wilks University in Pennsylvania, where he won the Middle Atlantic Conference Division III Singles Championships in 2014 and held the record for the most singles wins in the history of Wilkes University. He has reached a career peak of a 5.5 USTA rating and an 11 Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) and still competes.
Max has dedicated the last 10 years to sharing his passion for the sport through lessons and clinics. Over the years, he has learned to balance a fun, free spirit with discipline and focus on creating great players who love tennis.
As a full-time tennis coach for Riviera Tennis Center, Max can teach children and adults of all levels 7 days a week upon request.
Lioudmila Skavronskaia
High-Performance Co-Director
Assistant Tennis Professional
USPTR Professional
Riviera Tennis Center welcomes High-Performance Coach Lioudmila Skavronskaia. “Coach Lou” brings a wealth of experience and passion to Riviera and joins in on our team’s mission to provide the highest quality of coaching focused on individual attention.
Born and raised in the Soviet Union, Lou came through the ranks in the Russian Tennis Federation. As Junior player – #1 Jr in Russia and bronze medal European Championships. Lou played 2 years at the University of Miami as #1 singles and doubles and is a 2x All-American and 2x Big -East MVP.
Professionally, Lou turned pro in 1995 and was ranked #124 on the WTA tour. She has wins over multiple top 30 players and played in all the Grand Slams.
As a coach – Lou has trained and coached top 10 JR. boys in the US. And WTA players, including ex-top 15 (Varvara Lepchenko).
While directing The Tennis Club of Houston, Lou created an HP program with students who are now playing at D1 schools, including Harvard, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Airforce, SLU, and SMU.
Coach Lou is available for assessment and lessons for all levels of play, Juniors and adults.
Send a Message
Riviera Tennis Center
9775 SW 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33146
(305) 775 – 4727