After gaining his coaching qualifications in the UK, James immediately set out for the US, spending a season in Massachussetts. On returning to Britain, he started out as a Club Pro at a performance academy in Surrey, rising to Head Pro within two years. James next transitioned to continental Europe, working on the clay in some of Austria's top academies.

 

Looking for a greater challenge, James then joined a colleague from the US in setting up an academy in Pune and Bangalore, India, where he worked with some of the top U14 players in the country. These included Siddhant Banthia and Adil Kalyanpur, ranked first and fourth nationally. Here James worked with two coaches from New Zealand where he went on to work for the largest regional federation, Tennis Auckland, as Head Coach of their 12 and Under Programme. 

 

James then returned to the UK, coaching across the Cambridgeshire area, working towards his Level 5 Master of Tennis Certification with the Professional Tennis Registry. He studied Sports Psychology at Loughborough University, gained a  Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy.

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Then the pandemic arrived. After enduring two lockdowns without tennis, James escaped to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a chance to coach again. He took advantage of the interruptions in the tennis world to expand his other horizons: deepening his meditation with Vipassana silent 10 day courses; furthering his yoga practice with retreats in Ibiza and Portugal; now basing himself at moos.garden in Berlin, an international residency and research lab, and working with ukrainians.family at the same location on solidarity and relief efforts.