Jordan Butler, an attorney at Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP recently obtained approval for an O-1 Visa on behalf of British professional tennis coach Thomas Hill for the full initial validity period of three years. O-1 non-immigrant visas are issued to nationally and internationally renowned applicants with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or sports, or with extraordinary achievements in the motion picture or television industries. The holder of an O-1 visa is permitted to reside in the United States, participate in approved professional events, and receive compensation from an employer during the validity period.

About Thomas Hill:
At age 25, Thomas Hill became the youngest coach in history to hold “Gold-Level Coach” status, as recognized by the WTA. Gold Coach Status, is an exclusive membership category within the prestigious WTA Coaching Program, which is limited to the preeminent professional coaches in the sport who meet stringent requirements based on consistent, exceptional results.

Thomas Hill was a standout collegiate tennis player at Pepperdine University prior to demonstrating sustained excellence and acclaim as a coach on the WTA Tour beginning in 2017.

In the summer of 2017, Mr. Hill parlayed training sessions with Maria Sharapova into his first head coaching opportunity with rookie pro, Danielle Collins, a two-time NCAA Champion at Virginia. Undaunted, and drawing on his own experiences as a high-level player, Mr. Hill expertly combined his own exceptional playing ability and experience with an uncommon command of mental and technical tactics, stroke production, and match strategies to launch Collins’ professional career in earnest. Mr. Hill orchestrated Collins to multiple wins over Top 20 players in major tournaments and was integral to Collins’ precipitous climb in the world rankings from outside the Top 150 to the Top 40 in the world.

At Wimbledon in 2018, Mr. Hill shifted gears and took over the head coaching duties for Maria Sakkari from Greece. He quickly coached Sakkari to a WTA singles title, a top 20 world ranking, and a win over tennis legend Serena Williams.