New Forest Hills Tennis Coach Honored with Position

Youssef Abdelwahab, 23, of has stepped in to fill the big shoes of , the man who led the Forest Hills Tennis Program for more than two decades.

Paull recently resigned, asking Abdelwahab, his assistant, to take over for him. The new coach graduated from and later from the University of Pittsburgh. While he plans to carry on many of the traditions instituted in the program by Paull, the new coach has already begun to make his own mark on the students with new drills at practice and a new Facebook page where everyone can stay informed.

How long have you been playing tennis?
I am kind of a late starter—I got introduced to the team in 10th grade and it was the summer right before sophomore year. I have done baseball, wrestling, basketball and cross country. It kind of took over as soon as I started playing tennis and I left baseball behind. I played #2 singles at Pitt Greensburg and #1 doubles.

How long have you been coaching?
Right after I graduated high school, Mark asked me to be his assistant and I started in the summer of 2007. I did that three years in a row. Then, I was involved in trying to get internships for what I studied and got back into it this year. I also coached for Woodland Hills and was the head coach at Falk in Oakland.

What do you enjoy about the sport?
I love the game of tennis and started to love it as soon as I started at a competitive level. I also want to be a teacher and received good instruction from Mark. Tennis is the kind of sport where if you have the passion, you can work at it. I love seeing their development and I feel good about helping them out to accomplish their goals in the sport and becoming a better player. I love working with kids.

How does it feel to step in for Mark after he ran the program for so many years?
He has been around for more than two decades and I have big shoes to fill. When he called me, I was supposed to go to Egypt this summer for a program which was cancelled because of the elections and politics there—my summer plans were up in the air and I was scrambling looking for jobs and that’s when Mark gave me the call.

I was really surprised to hear that he was giving it up and it was hard to believe. I was thrilled that he would consider me for the position and i didn’t hesitate.