founder | Coach

Meet Annessa Nguyen

Tennis Coach | Wife | Mom

Annessa Nguyen is a passionate tennis professional, community leader, and educator with over 15 years of coaching and leadership experience across all levels of the sport. She founded Love In Return, formerly known as the Annessa Taylor Tennis Academy, which she launched in 2020 before pausing to focus on family. Today, ATTA and Love In Return are being reimagined as a legacy-driven tennis and wellness movement that reflects Annessa’s purpose, passion, and deep community roots.

Born and raised in Chicago, Annessa began her coaching career early—first training and then coaching with Love To Serve, Inc., a local nonprofit tennis organization focused on youth empowerment. She competed on the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Varsity team from 2005–2009, serving as captain her junior and senior years. She later earned a B.S. in sports management from Virginia State University, where she competed for three seasons on the women’s tennis team.

Annessa’s coaching career is marked by significant achievements:

  • Early Coaching Roles: She began coaching at Love to Serve, Inc. in Chicago and later at Tennis On The Lake, where she developed foundational programs for aspiring players.

  • High School Coaching Success: In 2017, as Head Coach at Appomattox Regional High School in Petersburg, VA, Annessa led the girls’ tennis team to their first-ever Conference 41 championship.

  • Community Outreach at JTCC: From 2017 to 2020, serving as Director of Community Outreach at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC), Annessa implemented tennis programs in over 30 schools across Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C. She organized numerous community festivals, awarded scholarships to young athletes, and facilitated access to high-performance training pathways.

  • Player Development: Annessa has developed many players who have competed at national and international levels, including prestigious tournaments such as Eddie Herr, Easter Bowl, and Orange Bowl.

  • Leadership at St. John’s College High School: Since 2021, as Assistant Coach for both boys’ and girls’ tennis teams, Annessa has contributed to the girls’ team’s consecutive WCAC Championships in 2021 and 2022, and their recognition as the 2022–23 Washington Post Girls’ Program of the Year. Remarkably, she achieved these milestones while coaching and playing during both of her pregnancies.


Beyond her love and passion for coaching, Annessa took great pride in being a stay-at-home mom while continuing to coach part-time. She now looks forward to finding a sustainable balance between family life and tennis as she returns to entrepreneurship and builds the next chapter of Love In Return.

Annessa brings a balance of high-performance strategy and joyful connection to every session. Her coaching philosophy centers on inclusion, parent education, and the mental game—believing that what happens off the court is just as important as what happens on it. Whether working with beginners or elite athletes, her mission remains the same: to build confidence, create community, and give Love In Return through tennis.