Tennis & Pickleball Management & Pros
Sylvain Malroux, Tennis & Pickleball Manager/Head Pro
Teaching Pro Sylvain Malroux is joining us again this season as the Head Pro for the Tennis & Pickleball Center, bringing with him his expertise in both sports. Sylvain recently wrapped up his seventh season as Head Coach for the UNR men’s tennis program, winning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honors while guiding the team to its first Mountain West title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Under Malroux’s guidance, the men’s team had four players earn All-Mountain West honors in 2022.
Prior to coaching the men’s team, Sylvain was the Nevada women’s tennis head coach from 2006-11, after which he spent time coaching the San José State Spartan’s women’s team from 2011-15 (taking them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever as well), before returning to coach the Wolf Pack men’s tennis team in 2015. Sylvain began his coaching career in the U.S. as an assistant coach at Clemson University (which made two Final Four appearances), and was named the ITA Division I Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He has also been coaching tennis in the French federation, running many different academies and tennis clubs in France and the U.S.
On the pickleball side, Sylvain has taught pickleball lessons for years, has guided pickleball-themed travel excursions to France, competes at the 5/5.5 level, and is finishing his Level 2 certification from the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA). Malroux now lives in Reno, but is originally from Aurillac, France, and he and his wife Adrienne have two sons, Lohan and Milo.
John Klein, Tennis & Pickleball Host/Operations
John is an avid tennis enthusiast with a deep love for the game, on and off the court. Over the years, he’s played in more than 650 USTA matches and captained 39 teams, 13 of them to championship titles. He also serves as the Varsity Head Coach for both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams at Incline High School, where he helps young athletes grow in skill, confidence, and sportsmanship. Professionally, his background is in sales, marketing, and operations. John is passionate about being active, outdoors, and part of this incredible Incline Village community. When he’s not on a tennis court, you might find him carving turns as a ski instructor at Diamond Peak.
Tennis & Pickleball Coaches/Pros
Private, semi-private, group, and clinic lessons are available on a daily basis, seven days a week. All tennis teaching professionals are USPTA certified. Please call the Tennis & Pickleball Center at 775-832-1235 for appointments and pricing information.
Billy Knight, Teaching Pro
Billy returns to the IVGID tennis staff for his 27th year of professional instruction. Billy is a USPTA Certified Elite Professional. He offers a strong technical and fundamental approach to teaching at all levels, while emphasizing and developing individual strengths and styles of play. He has worked on the ATP and WTA pro tours as a coach and racquet stringer. He has collaborated with James Blake, Jan Michael Gamble, Amelie Mauresmo, Paul Goldstein, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, Mikhail Youznhny, John Isner, Michael Russell, and many more.
Billy was born and raised in Chicago before moving west and landing in Incline Village in 1982. Billy has been married to LeAnn for 22 years and they have one son, Tyler.
Deanne Larsell, Teaching Pro
Deanne grew up in Oregon where she was a three time High School State Doubles Champion. She played college tennis at Oregon State University and went on to be a tennis professional a Tumwater Valley Racket Club in Olympia. Deanne then began her 25 year teaching career in Health and Physical Education for Portland Public Schools. She also coached tennis at Pacific University and Benson High School where she won a USTA National No Cut Coach award for the Pacific Northwest.
Deanne continues to compete at 5.0 and recently as a 4.5. She went to USTA Nationals several times with teams at the 5.0 level. For over 10 years, Deanne and her doubles partner were ranked #1 in the PNW section. Deanne has been a USPTA certified Professional for over 35 years, loves to teach and is very excited to be back at the Incline Village Tennis Center.
Dominic Morelli, Teaching Pro
Dominic has been a teaching pro at the Incline Village Tennis & Pickleball Center since 2016. He’s a USPTA Certified Level 1 Coach and teaches youth clinics, camps, tennis academy, cardio tennis and adult lessons. Dominic has been playing tennis since he was a boy and won State Champions for his high school team two years in a row. He also has been playing pickleball for several years and is available for private pickleball lessons. When he’s not on the courts, Dominic likes to surf, run, snowboard and lift weights to stay active.
Alan Guthrie, Teaching Pro 
Originally from the Fresno area, Alan Guthrie has been teaching tennis for over 45 years and pickleball for the past few seasons. As a tennis player, he won back-to-back conference championships with Fresno City College before jumping into the retail world by opening his own tennis store at age 25 and operating it for 25 years.
As a teaching pro, Alan ran the junior program at Serrano Country Club in the Eldorado Hills. And he has embraced the recent growth of pickleball and is constantly expanding his pickleball knowledge and teaching capability.
Miriam Garfinkel, Pickleball Coach
Miriam is a PPR Certified Pickleball Professional, a seasoned tournament player and instructor. She’s been teaching Pickleball for the past six years, co-founded the Pickleball program at Oakland Hills Tennis Club, and has led the Pickleball programming for Olivia Travel / Club Med. She currently teaches privately and through various cities in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Palm Springs. Miriam brings her skills as a mental health practitioner and trainer/ facilitator to her understanding of how adults learn best and loves teaching Pickleball to both new and experienced players.
A lifelong athlete, Miriam began her ”athletic career” on the streets of the Bronx before she started playing team sports well into her adult years. Miriam understands the joys and challenges of learning a new sport as an adult, whether as a recreational player or competitor.
Brad Tulenko
Brad Tulenko serves as a teaching professional at the Incline Village Tennis & Pickleball Center, in addition to his role as Assistant Coach for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack team. Before joining Nevada, Tulenko spent two seasons as the head coach at Dickinson College, where he oversaw both the men’s and women’s tennis programs. His coaching career also includes a stint as head tennis coach at his alma mater, The Covenant School. Tulenko was also the owner and director of the Hidden Palms Tennis & Swim Club in Vero Beach and led the Vero Beach High School boys’ and girls’ tennis teams, guiding both programs to the State 4A Quarterfinals. Tulenko has extensive experience working at various tennis clubs and was involved in evaluating for the USTA Player Development Program from 2010 to 2012. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Professional Tennis Management, from Methodist University.
Allie Vanalstyne
Coach Allie is a former standout at the University of Florida, where she was a six-time All-American, a three-time All-SEC selection, and the 2011 SEC Player of the Year. She helped lead the Gators to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships, then went on to a successful pro career, winning 11 ITF doubles titles and reaching world rankings of No. 98 in doubles and No. 280 in singles on the WTA Tour. We’re lucky to have her share her knowledge and experience with our players.
Connor Vanalstyne 
Before joining the Santa Clara coaching staff, Connor led both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Solano Community College, where he guided the men’s team to a conference championship and the women’s team to a regional doubles title. Two of his players even earned the prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe National Sportsmanship Award. Before that, he spent five seasons coaching at Santa Rosa Junior College, where his teams consistently excelled both on the court and in the classroom. Connor and Allie have coached side-by-side for years and bring a wealth of insight, energy, and passion to the court. We are incredibly fortunate to have them working with our high school student-athletes.
