Head Coach, Andrew Slade: Varsity Boys Tennis

Andrew Slade enters his first season as head coach of Peddie varsity boys tennis.

Growing up in New England, Slade played many different sports with his brother and their friends, ranging from football, soccer, hockey, golf, baseball to tennis.

“I was athletic, but maybe never the best player on the team growing up, so I honestly never saw myself as a future coach when I was younger,” he said. “But it is something I really enjoy as part of my day and allows me to see students in a different light.”

While attending Deerfield Academy, Slade played football, golf and hockey, which was a wonderful experience to learn how to be a good teammate, he said.

After graduating from Davidson College in North Carolina, Slade taught Latin and history and coached a variety of sports at independent schools in Baltimore and Boston including football, hockey, tennis, squash, golf and soccer. After completing his Masters in Classics from Boston College, he knew that he wanted to lead a Latin program, but also be a positive influence in students’ lives beyond the classroom.

“I was drawn to Peddie by the opportunity to be a part of the boarding school experience where you can engage with students in the classroom, the dormitory, as well as the sports field at a high level,” he said.

The most rewarding aspect for him as a coach is seeing players work together and learn how to support each other.

“I have found that often it is the small things, such as cheering for your teammates or including others, that make a big difference in creating a positive culture,” Slade said. “By the end of the season, the players are often doing these things and more on their own, which is the goal.”

Slade is inspired by the Peddie varsity girls tennis program, which set a high bar this past fall with an undefeated season. He is looking forward to building on that momentum and creating a strong culture for his boys team.

Though technical skills and ability are important and necessary, Slade is fascinated with sports that focus heavily on developing the mental game, such as tennis and golf. Some of his favorite books include The Inner Game and Golf in the Kingdom, both of which dive into topics such as how to focus on the task or shot at-hand, rather than get weighed down by winning or hitting the perfect shot.

“We all want to win, but sometimes that desire to win can counterintuitively get in the way of serving, hitting a volley, or simply returning a ball that we have no problem with in practice,” he explained. “This skill, which can take a lifetime to master, is applicable to lots of things in life beyond just tennis.”

Slade is an avid golfer and is often at the Peddie Golf Club, still playing golf as well as tennis competitively. He is a Philadelphia sports fan, and one of his goals for 2025 is to go to at least three Phillies games.