Rick Conkey – A Tennis Legacy

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Early Inspiration

Rick Conkey’s passion for tennis began in childhood on the public courts of Orange County. While his parents, both schoolteachers, played recreationally, Rick would spend hours at the ball wall, developing timing, control, and imagination. The wall was a ruthless teacher — it gave him only half the time to react compared to a live opponent, demanding precision and creativity. By age 11, after his parents’ divorce, Rick, his mother, and his brother had moved to Newport Beach — a life-changing moment.

That same year, much of the Australian Davis Cup team — nicknamed the “Australian Mafia” — moved into his condominium complex at Newport Crest. Among them were Wimbledon champions Ross Case and Geoff Masters, French Open semifinalist Phil Dent, Australian Open finalist Kim Warwick, doubles specialist Sid Ball, and Ray Ruffles.

Ray Ruffles became Rick’s coach and mentor. Ruffles had reached three Australian Open semifinals (1968, 1969, 1976), the Wimbledon quarterfinals (1967), won 16 professional doubles titles (including the 1976 Australian Open Men’s Doubles), and partnered with Billie Jean King to reach mixed doubles finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open (1978). Later, Ruffles coached stars such as Pat Cash, Darren Cahill, Wally Masur, Todd Woodbridge, and helped shape the iconic doubles team of Woodbridge and Woodforde. For Rick, learning directly from Ruffles — while watching legends train just feet away — was a once-in-a-lifetime education.

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From Scholarship Player to Coach

At 17, Rick earned a scholarship to the World Junior Tennis Academy at the former Rod Laver Ranch in Ramona, CA, where he trained with international juniors, including Junior Davis Cup players. When a knee injury cut his playing career short, Rick kept his scholarship by assisting the coaching staff. That shift from student to teacher reshaped his view of the game and launched his lifelong coaching career.

Rick soon joined the Jack Kramer Tennis Club, working with elite juniors such as Bill Behrens (UCLA All-American, ATP #226) and a 14-year-old Pete Sampras, at the invitation of Pete’s father. Sampras, who would go on to become one of the greatest players in history, still inspires Rick’s approach to teaching — a reminder that even legends begin with raw potential.

He later coached at the La Cienega Tennis Center in Beverly Hills, where he created aerobic tennis clinics and developed innovative ball machine training methods. His success there led to invitations abroad.

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International Coaching Career

Rick’s reputation took him to Europe. In Sweden, he worked with nationally ranked juniors at the Gothenburg Lawn Tennis Club and Molndal Tennis Club, refining his methods alongside the Swedish Federation system.

This opened doors in Germany, where he joined the Mons Hall Tennis Academy (1992–1995). There, Rick worked with ATP and WTA professionals as well as top juniors from across Europe. Among them:

• Udo Plamberger (Austria): ATP #283 singles, #124 doubles; Davis Cup player; ATP doubles finalist at the Croatia Open (1996).

• Simon Tutzel (Germany): ATP career-high around #192.

• Kasper Cecek (Germany/Poland): ATP career-high around #160.

In 1995, Rick joined David Lloyd Raines Park in London, Europe’s largest tennis center at the time, where he coached Andrew Foster (Great Britain) — ATP #184 singles, #174 doubles — who reached the Wimbledon Round of 16 in 1993 against Sampras. The British press dubbed Rick an “American scientist” and “tennis guru” for his innovative training.

He also coached at the Royal Berkshire Racquet Club, where he helped guide the junior program, gave private lessons, and organized exhibitions across the UK.

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Building Champions in Southern California

Returning to Laguna Beach in 1996, Rick spent decades shaping some of Southern California’s top juniors, NCAA All-Americans, ATP/WTA professionals, and CIF champions.

Notable players include:

• Vincent Allegre: UCLA All-American, NCAA #3, ATP pro, top 400.

• Steve Adamson: San Diego State standout; now head coach at Barnes Tennis Center.

• Brandon Fallon: California’s #1 junior; later #1 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; now a leading Orange County coach.

• Bo Jones: Boise State All-American, WTA pro, California’s #1 women’s player.

• Kim Nguyen: California’s top junior; achieved a WTA singles ranking of #531 (2006).

• Brady Schaeflin: Led J. Serra High to the Trinity League Team Championship (2023); CIF State Doubles Champion (2025).

• Jacqueline Reed: CIF Champion at LBHS.

• Claire Reach: Helped LBHS win the CIF Southern Section Team Title (2005) and the CIF SS Individual Doubles Championship (2005); later Division I at SMU and Arizona (#2 singles, #1 doubles).

• Ella Pachl: LBHS standout; later UC San Diego’s #1 singles and doubles player.

• Sarah & Jessica McCollum: LBHS standouts; now playing for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Division I varsity team.​

Laguna Beach High School Tennis

As head coach, Rick elevated both the boys’ and girls’ programs at Laguna Beach High School from Division IV to Division I in just five years. Under his leadership, the boys’ team captured its first CIF Championship in 35 years, while the girls’ team reached the CIF finals. Both squads made consistent deep postseason runs and produced standout players who went on to success in Division I and beyond.

For these accomplishments, Rick was honored as the Laguna Beach Athlete of the Year (2022) by the Patriots Day Parade.

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Community Builder

Rick’s impact extends beyond coaching into building lasting tennis communities:

• Pacific Coast Tennis Foundation (with Vincent Allegre & Steve Adamson): Created competition opportunities across neighborhoods like Niguel Shores, Newport Coast, Spyglass Hill, and Leisure World.

• Laguna Tennis Shop (1997–2001): Built a 1,200-player database in a single year, organized by age, level, and playing interests.

• Laguna Beach Invitational: Rick founded this prize money tournament, which grew to more than 350 participants in its final year and became one of the premier regional events. It attracted top talent, including former Davis Cup star Scott Davis, who won singles, while Rick and Steve Adamson captured the doubles.

• Orange County Community Tennis Association: Founding member, expanding the sport countywide.

Playing Career & Competitive Achievements

Though Rick’s identity is rooted in coaching, his competitive career reflects the very qualities he instills in his players — courage, resilience, and joy in the game.

• He formed a partnership that mirrored their strong coach-player relationship.

• He represented Laguna Beach where the best doubles teams from Southern California cities competed. They defeated all challengers before falling in the finals.

• The same year Scott Davis captured singles.

Beyond Tennis: Arts and Culture

Rick is also the Founder of the Blue Water Music Festival and the Founder & CEO of the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center. To him, tennis and the arts complement each other: both require discipline, creativity, resilience, and vision. He often describes tennis as a microcosm of life — it rewards risk-taking, resilience, and the ability to laugh at mistakes and keep going.

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Looking Ahead

Today, Rick continues to coach in Laguna Beach, training juniors, Division I prospects, and international players. His recent work has included helping Brady Schaeflin develop his game to its full potential, along with other players willing to go for it, make mistakes, and grow from them.

With nearly four decades of experience — from hitting balls against a wall as a boy, to training alongside the Australian Davis Cup team, to coaching ATP/WTA professionals across Europe, to leading Laguna Beach High School to historic success — Rick remains devoted to passing on tennis’s greatest lessons: courage, resilience, and joy in the game.