Jana Nejedly joined Columbia Basin Racquet Club as a member of the professional tennis staff in February 2019. While she may be relatively new to CBRC, she’s no stranger to tennis. Jana played professional tennis for more than ten years, achieving a career-high ranking of 64 in the world.
ELITE COMPETITION
She played in the Australian, French, and US Opens as well as Wimbledon. She also represented Canada in the 1996 Olympics and in Fed Cup Competition.
Jana is a fierce competitor and in 1998 she played Serena Williams in the first round Roland Garros French Open.
IN-DEPTH INSTRUCTION
After playing competitively for nearly her entire life, making the move to working as an instructor seemed like a natural next step. Now she brings her talent and expertise to the courts at CBRC where she teaches private lessons, small groups, and classes. Jana also organizes the Ladies League.
One of her goals is to introduce some specialty classes and she’d also like to organize some small tournaments. What Jana loves sharing most with members is her passionate knowledge of the sport. She likes to mix up her approach and have themes for her sessions to allow for more in-depth instruction in different areas of the game.
PART OF A TEAM
While she appreciates the opportunity to be a member of the pro staff, what she prizes most is that she’s part of the team at CBRC. The social atmosphere makes her feel like she’s with family, which is a lucky and rare thing. She says, “There is a level of camaraderie that you don’t often see in other places. And I love how players of different ages and levels play together here.”
Jana is still settling into living in the Tri-Cities but has found it to be a great place to raise her family. Her daughters Hannah and Abby have made friends in a short amount of time. The entire family, including their two dogs, love the small-community feel and mild weather.
LOVE OF THE GAME
Jana looks forward to getting more involved in the community, but in the meantime, she’s finding immense satisfaction in teaching the sport she loves.
She says, “I enjoy meeting and getting to know everyone that walks on my court. It’s the best feeling when my students get excited about their overall improvement or about being able to do something they couldn’t do before.”
Whether you’re new to tennis or have been playing for years, Jana will have something to share with you.