OUR STAFF
MEET THE HEART OF OUR TEAM
T.J. Middleton, General Manager
T.J. Middleton is a former professional tennis player from the United States. T.J. attended the University of Georgia where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1987 National Championship. He was the 1990 SEC Doubles Champion. He turned professional in 1990 and had a career that spanned 10 years before his retirement at the end of 2000. T.J. achieved a career high singles ranking of world No. 221, defeating ATP World #6 Tomas Muster, and his highest doubles ranking was world No. 63. He has competed in 15 Wimbledon Championships making the finals of mixed doubles in 1994 with top 10 WTA player Lori McNeil and capturing the Wimbledon Senior Championships with ATP top 10 player David Wheaton in 2004. David and T.J. also reached the Senior finals in 2005 and 2006. He has coached top ten ATP player Paradorn Srichiphan and several top 20 players. T.J. has also worked with many of the top WTA players. T.J. is well versed in running club establishments and will be working with the FLRC staff to provide the utmost in service and club offerings.
T.J. and his wife, Courtenay Chapman Middleton (Hall of Fame standout at the University of Mississippi, three time All-American, and WTA professional player), have a 14 year old daughter named Lyla, who was the #1 ranked junior in the nation in 14’s division. Currently she is #2 in the nation in the 16’s singles and #1 in doubles. In 2023 she won three gold balls including both singles and doubles at the USTA National Hardcourt Championships in Rome, GA. In 2024 she won two gold balls including the National Hardcourt Doubles in San Diego, California.
Brian MacPhie, Director of Racquets
Brian resides in Steiner Ranch, Austin, Texas. He had a distinguished tennis career on the ATP Tour from 1993 to 2005, reaching a career-high singles ranking of #126 with notable wins over top-15 players like Jim Courier, Patrick Rafter, and David Wheaton. In doubles, Brian excelled, reaching the world #1 ranking with partner Mark Knowles. Together, they won seven titles and finished as runners-up thirteen times. He also partnered with Rick Leach and Nenad Zimonjic, reaching the World Doubles Championships semifinals in 2001 and finishing the year as the fifth-ranked team.
Brian played college tennis at the University of Southern California from 1990 to 1993, leading the team to two NCAA Team Championships while playing #1 singles and doubles. He was named NCAA Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was an All-American in singles and doubles each year from 1991 to 1993. As a junior, he was a standout at Gunderson High School in San Jose, CA, with a 75-0 singles record and was part of the United States National Team from 1988 to 1990.
Throughout his career, Brian has supported charities like the Arthur Ashe AIDS Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. Since retiring in 2005, he has been an active coach, specializing in junior development, ladies leagues, and men's group workouts, and has coached several ATP World Tour professionals.
Klaus Dlabik, Head Racquets Professional
Originally from Graz, Austria, where he received a professional tennis teaching degree from the Federal Institute of Physical Education. Klaus assisted the Austrian Regional Junior Program, which included the young Thomas Muster, French Open Champion. Later, he worked for Sport Scheck, a German company as a Head Tennis Professional for adults and juniors in Germany, Spain and Croatia. Klaus moved to the US in 1984 and managed and directed various tennis clubs in the Atlanta area and produced successful programs for players of all ages. Klaus was the Director of Tennis at Summit Chase C.C., Snellville, Ga, and Rivermist, Lilburn, Ga. In 2003 he was the owner and promotor of Atlanta Tennis Classics, Atlanta, Ga. a professional event featuring tennis greats Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Thomas Muster and others. Klaus has been ranked in the top 10 nationally with his son Fritz in father/son doubles, was ranked #2 in the south in men’s 50’s. He won back to back titles 2012 and 2013 as the southern champion in 50’s doubles. Between 2016-2021, he was teaching tennis at the Shellaberger Tennis Center in Santa Fe, NM. He was the owner, promoter and organizer of 4 consecutive Pro-Am’s.
In 2021, he joined the tennis staff at Santa Fe Tennis & Swim Club in Santa Fe, NM.
His role at Forked Lightning Racquet Club will be the director of memberships, conducting tennis instructions to selected clients and assisting with the pickleball program.
