Our Mission
Founded by three UC Berkeley roommates, Free Racquet Club is an organization dedicated to making the sport of tennis accessible to youth in the Berkeley area. We believe that tennis is one of many sports that inspires teamwork, sportsmanship, and perseverance in a fun and healthy way. It is because of this belief that FRC focuses soley upon providing free tennis lessons, equipment, and a place to play to anyone interested in learning and meeting other players. Through ongoing racquet collection drives and various donations from charity organizations, we make it a goal of ours to gather all the resources necessary to connect with as many communities as possible. Our hope is to provide youth with opportunities to learn and enjoy tennis in a reinforcing environment and most importantly, have fun while doing so.
Founded by three UC Berkeley roommates, Free Racquet Club is an organization dedicated to making the sport of tennis accessible to youth in the Berkeley area. We believe that tennis is one of many sports that inspires teamwork, sportsmanship, and perseverance in a fun and healthy way. It is because of this belief that FRC focuses soley upon providing free tennis lessons, equipment, and a place to play to anyone interested in learning and meeting other players. Through ongoing racquet collection drives and various donations from charity organizations, we make it a goal of ours to gather all the resources necessary to connect with as many communities as possible. Our hope is to provide youth with opportunities to learn and enjoy tennis in a reinforcing environment and most importantly, have fun while doing so.
Current Members
Christian Erazo
President
Hey there! I am a third year student at Cal and I have been playing tennis for about 6 years now. I have grown really fond of this sport after playing it for so long, that is why I am really looking forward to sharing my experience with others. Other passions of mine are music (mostly electronic) and trying new food. So if you know of any good songs or places to eat, please let me know! See you on the courts!
President
Hey there! I am a third year student at Cal and I have been playing tennis for about 6 years now. I have grown really fond of this sport after playing it for so long, that is why I am really looking forward to sharing my experience with others. Other passions of mine are music (mostly electronic) and trying new food. So if you know of any good songs or places to eat, please let me know! See you on the courts!
Byron Mui
Vice President & Co-Founder
Hey guys! My name is Byron, and I'm a fourth year, pre-med student at UC Berkeley. I started playing tennis at the age of five, and I almost immediately fell in love with the sport. Tennis has always been a great activity to play with family and friends, and I've met so many amazing people through it. This sport has definitely become an integral part of my experiences so far. My passion for tennis and everything it has to offer are reasons why I feel so strongly about creating opportunities for others who are also interested in this sport. I encourage anyone with even the slightest interest in tennis to give it a try through FRC. Maybe it'll become something important to you also.
Vice President & Co-Founder
Hey guys! My name is Byron, and I'm a fourth year, pre-med student at UC Berkeley. I started playing tennis at the age of five, and I almost immediately fell in love with the sport. Tennis has always been a great activity to play with family and friends, and I've met so many amazing people through it. This sport has definitely become an integral part of my experiences so far. My passion for tennis and everything it has to offer are reasons why I feel so strongly about creating opportunities for others who are also interested in this sport. I encourage anyone with even the slightest interest in tennis to give it a try through FRC. Maybe it'll become something important to you also.
Andy Jan
Practice Head & Co-Founder
Hi everyone! My name is Andy and I'm going to be your practice head this semester. I'm a fourth year Integrative Biology major looking to pursue medicine in the future. I'm originally from Saratoga, California, where I played tennis all four years of high school. When I first started in middle school, I had difficulty affording coaching lessons on top of expensive tennis equipment, which is why I decided to start this organization to help make the sport of tennis more accessible to interested youth. I really look forward to meeting each and everyone of you. See you on the courts :)
Practice Head & Co-Founder
Hi everyone! My name is Andy and I'm going to be your practice head this semester. I'm a fourth year Integrative Biology major looking to pursue medicine in the future. I'm originally from Saratoga, California, where I played tennis all four years of high school. When I first started in middle school, I had difficulty affording coaching lessons on top of expensive tennis equipment, which is why I decided to start this organization to help make the sport of tennis more accessible to interested youth. I really look forward to meeting each and everyone of you. See you on the courts :)
Navsharan (Navi) Singh
Public Relations Chair
My name is Navsharan (Navi) Singh and I am a Junior, intending to major in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Neurobiology. Having tutored in only the academic field for the past few years, I decided to take my teaching skills into tennis coaching. My goal is to foster as much passion for the game as I have in all the members! I am very excited to join Free Racquet Club at Berkeley, and hopefully, we can all learn a little bit from each other, whether it's tennis or general life lessons!
Public Relations Chair
My name is Navsharan (Navi) Singh and I am a Junior, intending to major in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Neurobiology. Having tutored in only the academic field for the past few years, I decided to take my teaching skills into tennis coaching. My goal is to foster as much passion for the game as I have in all the members! I am very excited to join Free Racquet Club at Berkeley, and hopefully, we can all learn a little bit from each other, whether it's tennis or general life lessons!
Gavin Chu
Coach & Co-Founder
Hi guys! My name is Gavin, and I'm a fourth year Computer Science and Cognitive Science double major student at UC Berkeley. I am in charge of maintaining the website, specifically organizing the sign up sheets, uploading photos, and updating the calendar. I hope that this website will appeal and encourage more people to come try out FRC. I am not a tennis superstar like our coaches, Andy and Byron, but I am a fan of racket sports as I've been played badminton since 8th grade. Although I'm not teaching the tennis lessons, I'll be helping out on the courts such as feeding balls or taking pictures for our awesome website. I am great with kids, so I'll try to make our practices more enjoyable!
Coach & Co-Founder
Hi guys! My name is Gavin, and I'm a fourth year Computer Science and Cognitive Science double major student at UC Berkeley. I am in charge of maintaining the website, specifically organizing the sign up sheets, uploading photos, and updating the calendar. I hope that this website will appeal and encourage more people to come try out FRC. I am not a tennis superstar like our coaches, Andy and Byron, but I am a fan of racket sports as I've been played badminton since 8th grade. Although I'm not teaching the tennis lessons, I'll be helping out on the courts such as feeding balls or taking pictures for our awesome website. I am great with kids, so I'll try to make our practices more enjoyable!
Manraj Gill
Coach
Hi! My name is Manraj and I’m a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. I have been playing and avidly following tennis for around six years now and played for my high school team in Davis, CA. I helped with tennis instruction at the Davis Tennis Academy helping children who have just picked up the game learn the fundamentals of the game while having fun out on court! I have a passion for tennis and for continuously improving and I hope that I can pass on this passion so that the kids are motivated to keep learning. I very much look forward to the FRC practices and meeting you all out on the courts!
Coach
Hi! My name is Manraj and I’m a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. I have been playing and avidly following tennis for around six years now and played for my high school team in Davis, CA. I helped with tennis instruction at the Davis Tennis Academy helping children who have just picked up the game learn the fundamentals of the game while having fun out on court! I have a passion for tennis and for continuously improving and I hope that I can pass on this passion so that the kids are motivated to keep learning. I very much look forward to the FRC practices and meeting you all out on the courts!
Andy Cheng
Coach
Hey guys! My name's Andy and I'm a super-senior studying Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley. I started playing tennis recreationally when I was eleven years old but stopped playing once I got to college since I didn't know anyone else who played. I picked up tennis again Spring 2014 when I discovered the PE tennis classes at Berkeley! I'm excited to be a part of the Free Racquet Club at Berkeley since it gives me an opportunity to introduce the awesome sport to tennis to others. I can't wait to see y'all throughout the year!
Coach
Hey guys! My name's Andy and I'm a super-senior studying Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley. I started playing tennis recreationally when I was eleven years old but stopped playing once I got to college since I didn't know anyone else who played. I picked up tennis again Spring 2014 when I discovered the PE tennis classes at Berkeley! I'm excited to be a part of the Free Racquet Club at Berkeley since it gives me an opportunity to introduce the awesome sport to tennis to others. I can't wait to see y'all throughout the year!
Saumya Choudhary
Coach
Hi! I'm Ess :) I'm a sophomore and I'm from Bahrain (a tiny island in the Middle East). I plan to major in Economics with a minor in French. I've been playing tennis for about 10 years. My favorite player is Rafa and I'm so excited to coach at the FRC!
Coach
Hi! I'm Ess :) I'm a sophomore and I'm from Bahrain (a tiny island in the Middle East). I plan to major in Economics with a minor in French. I've been playing tennis for about 10 years. My favorite player is Rafa and I'm so excited to coach at the FRC!
Claire Dalke
Coach
Hey! My name is Claire. I'm a third year Mechanical Engineering Student at Cal from Bakersfield, California. I started playing tennis my Junior year of high school and fell in love with the sport as soon as I picked up a racket. I'm excited to start sharing the sport I love with my students. See you on the courts!
Coach
Hey! My name is Claire. I'm a third year Mechanical Engineering Student at Cal from Bakersfield, California. I started playing tennis my Junior year of high school and fell in love with the sport as soon as I picked up a racket. I'm excited to start sharing the sport I love with my students. See you on the courts!
Past Members
Kevin Dao
Coach
Hi. My name is Kevin Dao and I am a fourth year integrative biology major at UC Berkeley. I am also 20 years old, of Vietnamese descent, and originally from Orange County. When I grow up, I want to become a doctor, preferably an anesthesiologist. In my free time, I really like to play volleyball, paint, and most definitely sleep. I have an older sister that is one year older than me, which makes me the baby of my family. I like to listen to Young the Giant, Foster the People, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Dashboard Confessional, and San Cisco. My favorite books would be the Harry Potter series. And a short list of my favorite movies includes: Perks of Being a Wallflower, Little Miss Sunshine, and Avatar. I am very excited to meet you and hear about all your interests. Don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation.
Coach
Hi. My name is Kevin Dao and I am a fourth year integrative biology major at UC Berkeley. I am also 20 years old, of Vietnamese descent, and originally from Orange County. When I grow up, I want to become a doctor, preferably an anesthesiologist. In my free time, I really like to play volleyball, paint, and most definitely sleep. I have an older sister that is one year older than me, which makes me the baby of my family. I like to listen to Young the Giant, Foster the People, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Dashboard Confessional, and San Cisco. My favorite books would be the Harry Potter series. And a short list of my favorite movies includes: Perks of Being a Wallflower, Little Miss Sunshine, and Avatar. I am very excited to meet you and hear about all your interests. Don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation.
Jean Ae Kim
Coach
Hi All! My name is Ruth Jean Ae Kim. I will be one of the coaches teaching for FRC this year! I'm a fourth year majoring in Integrative Biology. In the future I hope to become a pediatrician. I started playing tennis when I was 10 years old. Ever since, tennis has become an integral part of my life and I'm excited to pass on my love of the sport to my students. I really enjoy working with kids and helping them learn something new. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn and find things they are passionate about and I think FRC strives to make that possible. Feel free to come check us out! I can't wait to meet you all!
Coach
Hi All! My name is Ruth Jean Ae Kim. I will be one of the coaches teaching for FRC this year! I'm a fourth year majoring in Integrative Biology. In the future I hope to become a pediatrician. I started playing tennis when I was 10 years old. Ever since, tennis has become an integral part of my life and I'm excited to pass on my love of the sport to my students. I really enjoy working with kids and helping them learn something new. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn and find things they are passionate about and I think FRC strives to make that possible. Feel free to come check us out! I can't wait to meet you all!
Stephane Lin
Coach
Herrrro! My name is Stephane (pronounced as Stephanie, but without an “i”). I am a first year at Cal and am an intended Integrative Biology Major, on the pre-optometry track. I started playing tennis the summer of my eighth birthday because of health issues. I had suffered an asthma attack and one way to recovery was to participate in outdoor activities. My grandfather was the one who introduced me to the lovely game of tennis, which gradually improved my health. Ever since then, I have hardly gotten sick, and I have been competing nationally and locally in Northern California tournaments. I also played high school tennis. Tennis has received all of my respect and has gotten me to challenge myself every way I could. As being part of FRC, I am delighted in giving back to the community for what it has given to me all these years.
Coach
Herrrro! My name is Stephane (pronounced as Stephanie, but without an “i”). I am a first year at Cal and am an intended Integrative Biology Major, on the pre-optometry track. I started playing tennis the summer of my eighth birthday because of health issues. I had suffered an asthma attack and one way to recovery was to participate in outdoor activities. My grandfather was the one who introduced me to the lovely game of tennis, which gradually improved my health. Ever since then, I have hardly gotten sick, and I have been competing nationally and locally in Northern California tournaments. I also played high school tennis. Tennis has received all of my respect and has gotten me to challenge myself every way I could. As being part of FRC, I am delighted in giving back to the community for what it has given to me all these years.
Gates Cao
Coach
Hey guys! My name is Gates and I'm currently a second year international student at Cal from Shanghai, potentially majoring in Economics and History. I started playing tennis when I was 11 and I have been in love with this sport ever since. I played on my high school team and trained at Bollettieri Tennis Academy during the summer of 2012. Tennis is something I enjoy the most in my life and Roger Federer is my hero as well as my source of inspiration. That's why I'm super excited about bringing my passion for tennis to the kids who are interested in playing this awesome sport! I can't wait to hit some balls on courts with you guys!"
Coach
Hey guys! My name is Gates and I'm currently a second year international student at Cal from Shanghai, potentially majoring in Economics and History. I started playing tennis when I was 11 and I have been in love with this sport ever since. I played on my high school team and trained at Bollettieri Tennis Academy during the summer of 2012. Tennis is something I enjoy the most in my life and Roger Federer is my hero as well as my source of inspiration. That's why I'm super excited about bringing my passion for tennis to the kids who are interested in playing this awesome sport! I can't wait to hit some balls on courts with you guys!"