Beka Tennis Academy
Top Tennis Training at Vista Indoor Tennis
Of Court & Character
Photography: Dutch Doscher
Beka Sikharulidze is a renowned tennis coach - who moved his Beka Tennis Academy to Vista Indoor Tennis at 451 Oakridge Drive in South Salem, about five years ago. He trains approximately 70 boys and girls ages 8 to 18 - most of whom are playing competitive tennis and on their school and club teams, and a majority of whom intend to play tennis in college, and about two dozen adults who are serious about improving their game.
Beka is intense and engaging, and has a no-nonsense approach in coaching his students - but promises quick and appreciable results for anyone committed to his program. “I give 100% to everything I do, and I’m always completely honest,” Beka proclaims, “...and I expect the same from each one of my students. I have one of the best coaching and training techniques and instruction methods and get the best out of anyone who wants to apply themselves to getting better. My method is to give completely individual attention to each student, and to then give that student the specific improvements and programming they need to achieve their best tennis.”
Beka is proud to talk in particular about a group of four boys enrolled in the Under12 age bracket who are already showing particular promise - one of whom has already won a prestigious ‘L5’ junior tennis tournament. And to boast about some of the great college tennis team placements he’s accomplished after only five years at Vista, Beka points to Beka Tennis Academy student Nishanth Yamani, who played Division I at U.C.L.A. …But Beka is quick to point out that he welcomes beginners and players of all levels - just so long as they’re seriously interested in their tennis and not just looking for something to do after school. “For admission, I do a one-on-one evaluation of each student,” he says. “Tennis is not a fixed system to be taught… it’s a set of principles that have to be adapted, player by player. I tell them the truth and I don’t joke around. I explain what they need, show them an example, and set out what they’re going to have to do in order to achieve rapid improvement. I have a very structural approach to the technique of the game, starting with achieving the perfect grip for that player, moving methodically to the player’s ideal backswing, and then working through how the player can achieve his or her most efficient and powerful swing at all types of shots.”
On court, Beka’s unmistakably urgent tone requires immediate attention. There’s very little excess. No long speeches, no generic instruction. He studies each player for a few minutes, then begins to make adjustments. A grip shifts slightly. A contact point moves forward. The changes are small, but they tend to produce quick results. And that ability to diagnose inefficiencies and correct them without overcomplicating the process is what defines Beka’s technique. “I have a clear emphasis on discipline - on doing things correctly, repeatedly, and until they become automatic. I’m passionate about coaching. And I’ve really studied the craft and researched what works and what works fastest!” Beka says. “For newer players, it’s about establishing a foundation that feels natural enough to hold-up over time. For high-performance juniors, we’re eliminating unnecessary movement, sharpening decision-making, and building consistency under match conditions. We’re not rebuilding their game from scratch. We’re unlocking the next level. …Tennis is a vehicle for developing focus, resilience, and confidence. …A missed shot isn’t just corrected mechanically… it’s observed for what comes after. Does the player rush to the next point? Do they hesitate? Do they lose poise? How do they react under pressure? How do they adjust when something isn’t working? …Over time, those patterns matter as much as the strokes themselves. …We have to teach a long-term view - in a sport that often rewards short-term results.”
“…And, while the exercise is for students to be constantly repeating the correct technique, my real job is to inspire my students,” Beka commits.
“…Beyond the court, we work on the physical, mental, and emotional components. ‘What is the player thinking out on the court?’, ‘What’s standing in the way of winning?’, ‘How can the player accentuate their strengths and minimize their weaknesses?’, ‘What clarity does the student need in order to break through to the next level?’ …And, beyond the tennis itself, I can guarantee that each Beka Tennis Academy graduate will look you straight in the eye, say hello, goodbye, please, and thank you, and understand the direct connection between hard work and achievement!”
Beka Tennis Academy has private, semi-private, and group lessons for juniors, with programs ranging from one to seven days a week. For adults, private and semi-private lessons are available but, as a reflection of Beka’s insistence that it be about serious tennis, no adult groups are available. Beka has two teaching professionals working under him, but is on-court himself almost all the time. “I’m always looking for that little thing that will make that player’s swing more effortless,” Beka campaigns.
“Federer was perfection!” Beka proclaims. “I’m not trying to mold each player’s form to mimic Federer’s play and persona exactly…but, maybe with the exception of the one-handed backhand, the closer each player I can get each player to Federer’s ease and gracefulness - the better!”
Beka is also a successful screenwriter and director, and an actor…with a remarkable tale and an inspiring message! “I grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but still very much under Russian influence,” Beka recalls. “My dad, Givi, is a famous writer, actor, and choreographer in Georgia, and I became a professional dancer as a young boy, actually touring as a lead dancer with the Georgia National Folk Dancing Company. …And, with the National Company, I was lucky enough to travel extensively - and, most importantly, outside the ‘Red Zone’ of Communist countries.”
“When I was 13 I started to focus on tennis, and when I was 15 I won Georgia’s Singles and Doubles National Championships,” Beka recalls. “I started to teach and coach others immediately, and by the time I was 16, I had 28 students, including the American and Iranian Ambassadors to Georgia and a bunch of Italian businessmen and their families. At 17, I got the job as Assistant Head Coach at the best tennis club in Georgia. …And then I changed direction and became a professional fighter!
In 1998, when I was 19, I earned a Black Belt in Goju-Ryu, a full-contact karate style, and started competing in professional Full-Contact Karate and KickBoxing competitions.”
“I got to the World Championship in Full Contact Karate, and seized the opportunity to stay and settle in California. “I got a call from an old Georgian friend who was living in San Jose asking me to come up and visit, and play tennis against a couple of the best players in his tennis club while I was up there. …I didn’t learn until late in the second match that he’d placed a substantial bet with the owner of the club that I’d beat anyone the guy could throw at me! …And that led to two years working as the Head Pro at that club in San Jose, and then another in Mountain View.”
“In 2000, I moved back to Los Angeles and opened the Beka Tennis Academy, in Studio City, which I operated for 15 years,” Beka chronicles. “I had over 250 juniors each season, and a lot of famous actors, producers and L.A. who’s who. And it was during this period that I coached Irakli Labadze, who rose to be the #42 ATP Professional, made it to the Semi-Finals of Indian Wells, and earned wins against Andre Agassi, Carlos Moya, and James Blake, among other tennis greats. But I felt I had to make a decision between having the Beka Tennis Academy or coaching tennis professionals…and I’ve never looked back. I like the constancy of having a school-full of students over the uncertainty of betting my business career on the effort, achievement, and potential injury of just one or two touring professionals.”
“I’ve been a member of SAG/ AFTRA since 2004, and have appeared in films, both in Hollywood and Europe, including the internationally acclaimed French film, L’héritage (The Legacy - 2006), which won the Sundance Special Jury Award, and the most recent Steven Soderberg’s film, KIMI,” Beka relays. “...But then I got it in my head that I wanted to be a screenwriter and a director! I wanted to use film to express what bothers me about what’s happening around the world. I wrote and directed a short film titled Grandpa’s Debtor, that won seven film festival awards, including Best Short European Drama from the Manhattan Film Festival - which has since been purchased by Eurochannel and aired in eighty-six countries. And with that success under my belt, my wife and I did the craziest thing…We sold our house in L.A. and our ski condo in Europe in order to finance the feature-length film From Life To Life that I wrote and directed. It’s set in 1990s Georgia, and it’s about a surgical doctor who performs free surgeries for those in need, navigating a society plagued by corruption and injustice. The film is about family values, love, relations between Georgian Jews and Georgian non-Jews, and more.
…And I’m happy to say that the film has earned twelve international film festival awards and received another nine nominations. It was also honored with a special invitation for a screening at the Vatican. And it’s got Five Stars on Amazon.”
“My wife Maia and I have two boys, Givi who’s 10 and Luka who’s 8. We moved to New Canaan five years ago, and I jumped at the chance to re-establish my Beka Tennis Academy at Vista Indoor Tennis in South Salem. We love living here, the public schools are excellent, and working in South Salem means I can race back to New Canaan to be around for their games and events. Luka has some talent in tennis, while Givi seems to be more interested in architecture and technology than anything else…and they each speak three languages, including Chinese, and are both pretty good at chess!”
Beka smiles with a sense of real satisfaction and says, “After three decades of coaching tennis and five years of hosting the Beka Tennis Academy at Vista Indoor Tennis, I’m still just watching closely, adjusting precisely, and helping players understand their own game a little more clearly each time they step on court.”
In 2024, Beka was honored with both a Congressional Proclamation and a New York City Mayor’s Citation for his achievements in Sports and the Arts.