Damian Sancilio
Damian Sancilio is the founder and director of Sancilio Tennis Academy, Richmond, Virginia’s premier tennis training program that draws players from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Damian trains players at all levels who are driven by a passion for improvement; he is currently training a top-five nationally ranked junior. Damian’s proven method has taken him around the world to work with junior, adult, WTA, and ATP players alike. He is currently a consultant for the Sheikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex in Kuwait, the Middle East’s largest tennis facility, and traveled there for a month in early 2020 to consult with and coach the Kuwait Davis Cup Team as they prepare for the upcoming season. Sancilio is committed to working with players in his hometown of Richmond, where he has been inducted into the Richmond Tennis Association Hall of Fame and the Douglas Freeman High School Hall of Fame for his achievements in tennis. Damian has also been a certified USPTA Elite Professional, the organization’s highest level, for 32 years.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Damian was a nationally ranked junior out of Richmond, VA, who went on to become a scholarship athlete at U.Va., where he played line-two singles and was elected team captain. He is also a two-time Richmond City singles champion. As a coach, Damian trained world-ranked Sabine Hack of Germany for four years, helping her move from a number 46 ranking on the WTA tour to number 13. Hack was nominated by the WTA as the most improved player on the tour after her first year of working with Damian.
Damian also coached the Kuwait Davis Cup team for six years and was the country’s national coach. Damian continues to mentor Max Schnur, a Sancilio Tennis Academy graduate and current ATP player who participated in the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, played Division I tennis at Columbia University and was the 2014 Indoor Collegiate Doubles Champion. Damian also was the private coach for Spencer Whitaker during Spencer’s formative years, ages 7-11, as he achieved a ranking of number three in the U.S. for boys 12 and under. Although Damian’s expertise in coaching enables him to work with highest echelon tennis players, Damian is just as enthusiastic about coaching the middle school player who very badly wants to make the school team. Damian’s motivation is fueled by players wanting to improve, regardless of their level.
In the past ten years, Damian has trained:
- 2 top-five, nationally-ranked 12-and-under players
- a gold ball winner national doubles champion
- a National Little Mo 8-and-under singles and
doubles champion
