Tennis Headcoach Da-Lai Wu
Lehman’s Athletics Department has named Da-lai Wu head coach of its men’s and women’s tennis teams. Wu has more than thirty years of experience, coaching competitively at the sectional, national, and international junior levels, and at the professional level as both an individual coach and a head team coach.
“The Lehman Athletics Department is pleased to add Da-lai to an already top-notch coaching staff,” said Lehman Athletic Director Dr. Martin L. Zwiren. “Da-lai will be an invaluable asset to the Lehman tennis programs as they strive to compete at the top of the City University of New York Athletic Conference.”
Coach Wu’s experience includes stints at several local institutions, including the College of Mount St. Vincent, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and SUNY College at Old Westbury. In addition, he has held coaching positions at Roslyn H.S. On Long Island, Friends Seminary, and the Fieldston School.
While at Fairleigh Dickinson, he coached the Division I men’s team to the Northeast Conference Championship title and the program’s first and only NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament berth in 1999. In addition, his men’s team won the ECAC Division I “Highest GPA” Award and the women’s team won the University’s Athletic Department’s GPA award as well.
“I strive to teach my players to understand the process of success, and I believe strongly in the mentoring aspect of coaching,” said Coach Wu. “I encourage them, as scholar-athletes, to excel both on and off the court. I also impress upon them that the sense of accomplishment, the competitiveness, and the discipline that is used on the court should continue throughout all of their intellectual pursuits.”
From 1994 to 2001, Wu managed or coached at least one player who competed at the U.S. Open, either in qualifying or the main draw. He currently serves as the CEO/Director of Player Management for RUSH-N-CRUSH, a tennis coaching and management firm in which he has been instrumental in helping ranked juniors gain acceptance into the elite colleges of their choice. He is also responsible for developing and guiding these players as they make the transition from collegiate competition to playing on the professional circuit.
A native New Yorker, Wu played tennis at Bridgeport from 1976 to 1979. He later competed internationally on the ITF and USTA Pro Circuit, then with the Chinese National Team as a player/coach, and was a member of China’s 1987 Davis Cup team as a practice partner.
