Former Tennis Pro Leads Orange County Team Into 10th Season

Trevor Kronemann knows tennis like most of us know our ABCs.  

And this month the Mission Viejo resident and former tennis pro used that knowledge to lead the Orange County Breakers, of World Team Tennis, through their 10th season and into the playoffs.

World Team Tennis is a co-ed professional tennis league started by tennis star Billy Jean King in the early 70s. 

Formerly known as the Newport Beach Breakers, the team began playing in 2003, and past players have included Pete Sampras and Maria Sharapova.

This is Kronemann’s sixth and possibly last season as team coach. Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport—who also played for the Breakers in 2008—takes one of the team’s four spots on the court.

• For more information on the Breakers, click here.

Kronemann, 43, lives in Mission Viejo with his wife and three children. We caught up with him recently to talk about the season.

Mission Viejo Patch: Tell us about your involvement with World Team Tennis.

Kronemann: I was lucky enough to get my start in World Team Tennis. It gave me a kickstart into the world of professional tennis.

Patch: What do you like about World Team Tennis?

Kronemann: The thing that I like the most is the crowd interaction. There’s music playing. It’s a live atmosphere.

It’s not your typical tennis match atmosphere. We want them dancing to the music, listening to the music, being able to yell out between points.

Patch: What do you think about your team this year?

We’ve got a young team, a lot of great players.

Lindsay Davenport: Multiple Grand Slam champion.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld: Just made the quarter final of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon. I would think she’s going to add a boost to the team.

Travis Parrott: Past Grand Slam Champion in mixed doubles.

John-Patrick Smith: A young up-and-coming player.

I like the mix of the team. We’ll just have to see what we can put together.

Patch: Advice for would-be tennis players?

I’m a huge believer in setting goals and believing in the fact that you know you’re going to face some adversity along the way.

And you got to stay positive and keep working on the goals that you set for your life.

Goal setting is huge. …

Involve yourself with the best in the business. You want to attach yourself to somebody you believe in, in their philosophy and the things that they’re doing. 

Kronemann, who played professional tennis for eight years on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, also coaches the men’s tennis team at his alma mater, the University of California, Irvine, where he graduated in 1990.