New Zealander Adam Gard'ner is never far from a tennis court. As a career coach, teaching the sport is a passion which has taken him around the world, including Shanghai.

It's enough to make any sports nut green with envy. Travel the world playing the game you love, meet people from all walks of life and, while you're at it, rub shoulders with the elite of your sport.

That's the enviable situation New Zealand tennis coach Adam Gard'ner finds himself in as director of tennis at the Shanghai Racquet Club and Apartments.

The affable Kiwi admits he has been lucky to make a career out of tennis, which has seen him travel the globe spreading the joy of playing a game loved by millions.

Gard'ner says teaching tennis provides many life benefits beyond the court.

"Not only are we giving people skills to play a sport for a lifetime, but we are giving them skills that they may not have thought they could develop and that really empowers them," Gard'ner says.

"People get a lot of confidence when they learn a new skill and we really see people grow. There are other things we are giving people too, like fitness opportunities."

Gard'ner and his wife Lucy settled in Shanghai eight years ago after working in the United States and Europe.

In 2000 Gard'ner received a scholarship to spend a summer coaching at Van der Meer tennis academy on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - one of the most famous tennis operations in the US.

The center had a connection with the newly formed Shanghai Racquet Club and after a brief stint in London, the couple packed up and headed to Shanghai.

Gard'ner says Huacao Town in Minhang District eight years ago was a very different place from the bustling metropolis it is today.

"There were no members when I first started, the club wasn't even built, but it is very satisfying to see where we are now," he says.