International tennis player, coach and administrator Jeff Player has been appointed executive director of Tennis Manitoba.

Player was born and raised in South Africa. He has an impressive background as a tennis player at Central Texas College and Virginia Polytechnical Institute in the 1980s, followed by several years on the world pro circuit, where he achieved ATP rankings of 490 in singles and 430 in doubles.

From 1998 to 2001, Player worked at the North Shore Winter Club and Hollyburn Country Club in Vancouver. As executive director of Tennis Manitoba, Player will work with Tennis Canada, other provincial associations and the tennis community across Manitoba to grow and support tennis at all levels.

He assumes his new role April 1.