Long Island Tennis Magazine November December 2013 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

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Is the Doubles Game About to Flatline?

By Luke Jensen s the tennis year rolls on, I would like to bring up a point on the 40th anniversary of the most important and impactful tennis match in history. The year was 1973, and Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in what was called “The Battle of the Sexes.” It was a very important step in the growth of tennis and gender equality in the sport. Tennis has equal prize money between the genders at all the Grand Slams, but it is not equal between the different events. This year at the U.S. Open, the singles champions Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams each earned $2.6 million and another $1 million for winning the U.S. Open

Series Bonus Pool of money. The men’s and Bronze Medals. It is equal for all comand women’s doubles winning teams split petitions and competitors. $450,000 with no U.S. Open I believe it is time, on the Series Bonus Pool option. 40th anniversary of one bat“I can only The mixed-doubles earnings tle, to begin another battle are even less. stress this very to improve the sport of tenI believe it is time for the nis. We need to put more of important pro game to really promote an emphasis on these the stars in doubles. To invest world-class players and pay point ... in the amazing game that it them like the players in the is. It is a game of thought, draw. doubles, at the singles teamwork and it is very fastIn my mind, the Grand paced. The majority of the Pro Tour level, Slams will have equal prize players on the planet play money when the doubles doubles, but at the pro level, is nearly dead.” and mixed-doubles teams it is not given the respect or split the same prize money promotion it deserves. per round that the singles players receive. At the Olympic Games, every discipline in continued on page 3 every sport receives the same Gold, Silver

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November/December 2013 Volume 5, Number 6 Long Island Tennis Magazine

1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.litennismag.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover story 16

Staff

It’s been five years since the inaugural issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine and this month, we take a look back at the beginnings of the publication to where we are today.

David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years and Gaining Momentum

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2012 • LITennisMag.com

Feature Stories 8

2013 Girls High School Counties The 2013 girls high school counties, as the Nassau and Suffolk County champions were crowned.

32 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s 2013 Tennis Travel Destinations We take a look some of the hottest tennis travel destinations.

Adam Wolfthal Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 330 • adam@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Editorial Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 314 • brianc@usptennis.com

50 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide Get some great gift ideas for the 2013 holiday season from some of the sport’s top providers.

56 2013 Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Coaches Roundtable Discussion We get the chance to sit down with the area’s top coaches and brainstorm on a variety of topics.

Emilie Katz Marketing Coordinator Beverly Bolnick National Sales Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 316 Scott Koondel Office Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Lonnie Mitchel Editorial Contributor

Michele Lehat Intern

Michael Cervantes Editorial Contributor

Sasha Lipps Intern

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To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue.

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To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.

Additional Features 4 31 46 55 55 73 76 78 85

2013 U.S. Open Recap Breaking Records in Flushing Meadows Injury Prevention: Knee Injuries By Dr. Eric Price Getting the Most Out of the High School Tennis Experience By Ed Wolfarth Add Variety to Your Training By Margie Zesinger Long Island Team Takes Part in Vegas Nationals Pressure Cooker Tips By Tina Greenbaum, LCSW Mentorship in Tennis By Miguel Cervantes III Coaching on Court During a Match Could be Disastrous By Lonnie Mitchel Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham to Host First Tennis on Campus Alumni PlayDay

Columns 1 10 12 14 27 28 36 38 41 48 71 72 74 80 82

The Jensen Zone: Is the Doubles Game About to Flatline? By Luke Jensen Ask Nick … Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Q&A Forum With Nick Bollettieri Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives College Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters By Ricky Becker Tips From the Tennis Pro By Tonny van de Pieterman Winning From Within … Key Mindsets of a Championship Team By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC The Serve: Take the Best of Your Serve for a Killer Overhead (Part III) By Lisa Dodson USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller Teaching Complex Tennis Techniques … Simply and Effectively By Steven Kaplan Dr. Tom on the Use of Humor in Tennis By Dr. Tom Ferraro Fitness and Nutrition: What and When to Eat When You Are on the Go By Irina Belfer-Lehat Literary Corner: “Tennis Inside the Zone” by Rob Polishook, MA, CPC By Jessica Stiles Long Island Tennis Club Directory Long Island Rankings & USTA/Long Island Region 2013 Tournament Schedule

the jensen zone continued from page 1 Tennis needs to evolve and grow more stars. Use the power of all the draws and components in tennis to promote our game for a lifetime. I can only stress this very important point … doubles, at the Pro Tour level, is nearly dead. The only current marketable doubles teams, the Bryan Brothers and the Williams Sisters, are the only teams fans watch in masses and on television as the ratings have proved. These two teams, however, are just a few short years from leaving the game. When this happens, doubles tennis will no longer be relevant. The Pro Tour tournament directors tried to kill doubles a few years back, and the Bryan family saved it from death row. The tournament directors will have the opportunity to cut costs and eliminate the expense of doubles players who do not sell tickets for their events. Doubles and the Pro Tours need to adapt doubles to be relevant or die. Now is the time to give all events in the Grand Slams equal prize money distribution and make the doubles stars marketable, or pro tennis will become a one draw show limited to one draw stars. Give the fans the doubles game they play at the parks and clubs around the world. Give the fans the game the fans understand … give them DOUBLES and make it IMPORTANT! Now and forever proud to be … 1984/1993 French Open Doubles Champion. Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen is head coach of the Syracuse University Women’s Tennis Team. Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. He was also a member of the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or email lbjensen@syr.edu.

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Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

2013 U.S. Open

Recap Breaking Records in Flushing Meadows

Record setting The USTA has announced a number of new milestones for the 2013 U.S. Open. Overall attendance surpassed 700,000 for the sixth time, with the final tally of 713,026 ranking as the fourth-highest U.S. Open attendance in history. The alltime combined session attendance of 62,794 was set on Sunday, Sept. 1. In a rematch of last year’s women’s singles final, television viewership of Serena Williams defeating Victoria Azarenka on CBS Sports was the highest since 2002, with 19.3 million viewers watching all or part of the match. The four-set men’s singles final, where Rafael Nadal captured his second U.S. Open title by defeating Novak Djokovic, was seen by 11.7 million viewers on CBS Sports. The 2013 U.S. Open was broadcast in more than 200 countries around the world, and aired on CBS Sports, ESPN and Tennis Channel in the U.S. The official U.S. Open digital properties experienced record setting growth across all platforms, breaking many previous records. Throughout the 15 days of the tournament, there were a record-setting 53.7 million visits, an 18 percent increase over the 2012 tournament. Additionally, more than 419 million page views were tallied creating another all-time record; surpassing the 2012 total by 29 percent. The majority of digital growth was seen across mobile platforms which rose 64 percent. The Official U.S. Open iPhone App recorded over 811,000 downloads, a 110 percent increase over 2012, and surpassed 109 million page views, a 66 percent increase over 2012. The Official Android App received over 41.1 million page views, a 330 percent increase over 2012. Additionally, the Android app was downloaded more than 300,000 times; the second highest total ever. Additionally, the U.S. Open saw 54 percent growth in tablet traffic by recording over 41.7 million page views on tablet devices. In its second year the Official U.S. Open iPad app saw unprecedented growth with over 16.9 million page views, a 118 percent increase over 2012. U.S. Open Live streaming also saw record engagement by tallying 9.3 million plays; a 12 percent increase over 2012. Over 2.9 million hours of live streaming footage was viewed across USOpen.org, tablet and mobile devices.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

2013 U.S. Open top moments Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

In front of packed house of over 25,000 fans, the second-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated the topseeded Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win his 13th Grand Slam title.

Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

James Blake called it quits on his career, retiring in front of the local crowd after losing a two-set lead and dropping a fiveset first-rounder to Ivo Karlovic.

Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

In three tough sets, top-seeded Serena Williams defeated second-seeded Victoria Azarenka for the second straight year in the finals of the U.S. Open, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-1, giving Serena her 17th Grand Slam title and her fifth U.S. Open Singles Title. Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

Stanislas Wawrinka made the semifinals of the Open, defeating the 2012 U.S. Open defending champion Andy Murray along the way. With Roger Federer falling back to the pack, Wawrinka may soon become the top Swiss player.

Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

Lleyton Hewitt, U.S. Open champ in 2001, played like he had a decade ago at times taking out the number six seed Juan Martin del Potro in the second round before losing a thrilling five-setter to Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth.

Playing in her first-ever main draw at a major, 17-year-old Victoria Duval shocked the world when she took out the 2011 U.S. Open champ and 11th-seeded Samantha Stosur in the opening round.

LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Spain’s Tommy Robredo had been 0-10 against five-time U.S. Open champ Roger Federer prior to their fourth-round encounter. But the Spaniard refused to be intimidated by either opponent or occasion here, ousting the men’s all-time Grand Slam title leader in straight sets. Proving (to paraphrase the late Vitas Gerulaitis), “Nobody beats Tommy Robredo 11 times in a row!” Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

A win at the 2013 U.S Open would have made the team of Bob & Mike Bryan the first doubles team to win a calendar year Grand Slam since 1951, but they fell to the fourthseeded team of Leander Paes & Radek Stepanek in three sets Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

Flavia Pennetta came into the 2013 U.S. Open unseeded, but took out four seeds, including fellow countrywomen Sara Errani (number four) and Roberta Vinci (number 10) in reaching her first career Slam semifinal. The 31-year-old also ousted 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in her remarkable run, which finally ended with a semifinal loss to Victoria Azarenka. Credit photo: Adam Wolfthal

Four New Yorkers competed in the U.S. Open Junior tournament. Long Island’s Noah Rubin advanced to the second round in Boys Singles. Westchester’s Jaime Loeb lost in her opening round match as did Brooklyn’s Daniel Kerznerman. Louisa Chirico from Westchester advanced to the quarterfinals before being defeated by the eventual champion

Flushing Meadows facelift on the horizon New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the signing of legislation to expand and improve the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The legislation will enable critical infrastructure repairs, allow more fans to attend major tournaments and create over 1,500 construction and full-time jobs. “As the site of the U.S. Open, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center brings thousands of fans to New York every year, boosting our tourism industry and spurring local economic activity,” Gov. 6

Cuomo said. “New York is proud to showcase the biggest players in tennis at this annual event, and I am committed to making this facility the best it can be to attract and host more events like the U.S. Open. Today’s legislation will help make that possible, by allowing the expansion and improvement of this sports complex, while also creating more than 1,500 jobs for the community. From CitiField to Yankee Stadium to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York offers the best venues for sports and entertainment in the country.” The signing will provide for a nearly one acre boundary expansion of the entire complex and a return to the New York Department of Parks of 1.56 acres of land for public recreational use. The planned improvements include a new row of tennis courts, the addition of a fenced and landscaped border area to improve spectator safety and circulation, and new positioning for the grandstand stadium. Additionally, out-of date infrastructure will be repaired and upgraded, and public plazas and promenades will be expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 additional fans per day during U.S. Open tournaments. Expansion of the complex is expected to create approximately 800 construction jobs and an additional 776 full-time jobs for Queens residents over a 10-year period. “Approval of this bill will pave the way for an historic expansion of the USTA’s National Tennis Center, which will create new jobs and opportunities for economic growth in and around the New York City area,” said New York State Senate Co-Leader Dean G. Skelos. “In addition, this expansion will ensure New York will play host to the country’s premier tennis tournament for years to come, and our residents can continue to experience world class men’s and women’s tennis right in their own backyard.” The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is the largest public tennis facility in the world. It is operated by USTA for the City of New York, on land leased from the City in Flushing MeadowsCorona Park, in Queens. The complex hosts the U.S. Open Tennis Championship, one of the premier sporting events in the world. In 2010, the U.S. Open generated an estimated $756 million in positive economic impact for New York City, an increase from $420 million in 2001 and $145 million in 1991. The U.S. Open also creates 6,000 seasonal jobs annually, with 85 percent of employees from New York City and 41 percent from Queens, specifically. These jobs generate approximately $40 million in employee compensation. “The USTA is proud of its rich history in New York, which dates back to 1915,” said Dave Haggerty, USTA chairman of the board and president. “As the world’s largest annual sporting event, the U.S. Open is proud to bring worldwide attention to the city and state that it calls home, and is pleased that this legislation will allow the longstanding tradition to continue.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

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2013 Long Island Tennis Magazine

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL COUNTIES Top Singles and Doubles Seeds Win Suffolk Championships or two days, the top girls high school players battled for the 2013 Suffolk County Championship in both singles and doubles, but in the end, it was the top seeds who fought through to win their respective championships. In singles, the top seed was Senior Aimee Manfredo from Shoreham-Wading River, a finalist a year ago, looking to take the next step in her last opportunity. In the Finals this year, eighth grader Jackie Bukzin from Eastport-South Manor stood in her way. The two battled from the baseline throughout, but experience was too much for youth, as the Senior Manfredo was able to defeat Bukzin in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Manfredo is off to Bradley next year to play tennis on a full scholarship. Both Manfredo and Bukzin train at Bethpage Park Tennis Center with coach Keith Kambourian who said, “Both are very hard workers. They are the type of girls you really root for as they have certainly earned their success. They have a real passion for the game. Their love for playing will enable them to continue to develop their games each year.” The top three finishers in the Suffolk County tournament all advance to the New York State High School Tournament in Latham, N.Y. in November. The three Suffolk County representatives in singles will be Manfredo, Bukzin and Ester Chikvashvilli of Half Hollow East (lost to Bukzin 3-6, 4-6 in the semifinals) who won her consolation match to finish third. In Suffolk doubles, the top seeds were Alli Huber & Vanessa Scott of Half Hollow Hills East, who cruised throughout the tournament, and in the finals, were able to capture the title in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3,

defeating Floyd’s Kelsey Henn & Lisa Linn. The victory gives Huber back-to-back Suffolk County Championships, as last year, she won Counties playing with the sincegraduated Amanda Luper. While Huber graduates with consecutive titles, Scott will return next year for her senior season. Finishing in third place in the doubles draw was Danah Han & Lauren Salzano of Half Hollow Hills West. They join Huber & Scott and Henn & Linn in heading up to States. The top four finishers in both singles and doubles are named All-State selections.

Taylor Cosme of Herricks Takes Singles Crown, While Port Washington’s Linder & Kallenberg Win Nassau County Doubles Title By Michelle Lehat & Brian Coleman he 2013 Nassau County Girls High School Tennis Individual Championships saw finalists Taylor Cosme of Herricks and Nicole Koskovolis of Manhasset do battle for the Singles Championship. The unpleasantly cold fall day did not stop the number one-seeded Koskovolis (senior) and number two seed Cosme (junior) from playing high-quality tennis. Cosme won the hard-fought match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Both Cosme and Koskovolis showed great athleticism, persistence and a strong competitive nature during their grueling match, making it enjoyable to watch for their many spectators at this year’s tournament site at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y. Cosme’s ability to dictate the points with her effective low-angled forehands and net game was the key compo-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

nent in the match. As Cosme produced angle after angle, Koskovolis stood strong, responding with effective and penetrating deep shots. Each long and intense point epitomized the competitiveness within the match, but in the end, Cosme was able to do enough to earn the win. In the first set, after an extremely long and critical sixth game, Cosme broke Koskovolis for the second time in the set securing her a 5-2 lead. In the next game, she held serve to close out the set. Cosme showed a lot of intensity in the second set and jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Koskovolis’ showed she could fight back getting to within 3-4 and Koskovolis used her aggressive and persistent baseline game, to hold her serve making it 4-5 and she put the pressure on Cosme to serve out the match. Cosme rose to the challenge in the final game as she had throughout the match and it resulted in two forehand winners to close out the match. She came off the court feeling “shocked and happy” as she already started making goals for the upcoming NYSPHSAA. “I’m excited that the New York High School State Championships takes place indoors, as playing outside today in 50 degree weather was not easy. My new and improved forehand and more effective backhand really helped me win my match.” Taylor reminisced about what helped her win the tough match, admitting to being nervous during the tight match, but being proud she was able to pull through. Runner-up Koskovolis will join Cosme at the NYSPHSAA High School Tennis Championships in Latham, N.Y. She is looking forward to states, saying “I just want to play as best as I can at States and advance as far as possible.” In the consolation match, third-seeded

2013 Long Island Tennis Magazine

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL COUNTIES Aimee Manfredo from Shoreham-Wading River, with runner-up, eighth grader Jackie Bukzin from EastportSouth Manor, was crowned 2013 Suffolk County Girls Champion

Eighth grader Jackie Bukzin (center) from EastportSouth Manor Junior High made history for her school by being the only tennis player that has made it to States and placing second in Counties. Pictured with Jackie (on the right) is Varsity Coach Sharon Klune and on the left, JV coach Susan Claudio

(photo credit: Suzanne Bukzin)

Nassau County 2013 Doubles Champions Allie Linder (left) and Liz Kallenberg (right) from Port Washington are congratulated by Coach Stan Makover (photo credit: Brian Coleman)

The top four singles from Nassau County, including Nicole Koskovolis, Alex Koniaev, Ashley Lessen and 2013 champion Taylor Cosme, qualified for States in Latham, N.Y. (photo credit: Michele Lehat)

Alex Koniev of Locust Valley, and Ashley Lessen of Wheatley battled, and in the end, it was Koniev who beat Lessen, 6-3, 6-2. Koniev is the first player ever to advance to the State Championships in the history of Locust Valley tennis. The top four finishers all qualify for AllState recognition. The 2013 Nassau County Girls Tennis Championships came to a close as the third-seeded doubles team of Ally Linder & Liz Kallenberg of Port Washington defeated the top seeds from Syosset, Rhea Malhotra & Katie Cirella in the doubles final. The match was tighter than the score indicated, but Linder & Kallenberg were able to win in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, to capture the 2013 Nassau County Doubles Championship.

Early on in the match, it was evident why these two pairs were in the County Championship. Each point consisted of long, well-played rallies, few mistakes and hardearned points. In the first set, the teams exchanged the opening six games. At 3-3, Port Washington was able to break serve and eventually win the set 6-4.The girls from Port seemed to seize control of the match in the second set. After the Syosset pair went up 2-1 following an overhead from Malhotra, Port Washington took control of the net and won the final five games to secure the victory. “I think we played really well,” said Linder. “We were consistent and mixed up our shots well.” Both teams qualified for the New York

State Tournament. Garden City’s Brittany Burke & Hannah Eilbeck defeated Suzanne Silecchia & Nikki Huhulea of South Side in the third-place match and will also be heading upstate. Burke and Eilbeck won a hard fought match in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5. As for the goal for the three teams up at States, it’s pretty simple according to Kallenberg, “Our goal is to go up there and beat whoever we play!” In all respects, the 2013 Nassau County Championships enjoyed a great weekend as the players demonstrated good sportsmanship, and high-quality tennis across the board. Michelle Lehat and Brian Coleman are interns with Long Island Tennis Magazine.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Q&A Forum With Nick Bollettieri

ach issue, Long Island Tennis Magazine has the unique opportunity to pose questions from our readers to tennis coaching legend Nick Bollettieri. Nick has coached 10 world number ones, including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Marcelo Rios, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Venus and Serena Williams, as well as a host of other world-class players, including Tommy Haas, Anna Kournikova, Jimmy Arias and Nicole Vaidisova, to name a few. This month, we posed the same questions to Nick that we asked Long Island’s top coaches during our Coaches Round-

table Discussion Panel (see page 56). If you want to ask Nick questions in a future issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, e-mail info@usptennis.com with the Subject Line “Ask Nick.” Is it easier to teach a highly ranked player or a beginner/lower end player? Why? Nick Bollettieri: I have been teaching tennis for nearly 60 years, and throughout that time, I have taught all levels of play. To be honest, I cannot say that one level is easier or more difficult than another. The true teacher of the game must know how to reach tennis players and make a difference

not only in their game, but also teaching them to compete. What parts of the game have evolved and what parts have grown worse or have disappeared over the past decade? Nick Bollettieri: Yes, the game of tennis has experienced changes the same way that automobiles have. Keep in mind that most people would be able to outrun the first cars. There are a few parts of the game that are far less common in today’s game: l The serve and volley, like Stefan Edberg, Patrick Rafter, Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova used to use.

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ask nick …

l Seldom do we see long rallies from the baseline, including players driving the ball, top spin balls, change of pace, etc. l Players seldom practice together, especially in the women’s game. Players now have hitting partners, physical trainers and coaches. The parts of the game that have evolved include: l A majority of players will try to hit their forehands from any and all positions on the court. l Two of the biggest weapons today are the swinging volley and the drop shot. l Players stand much closer to the baseline to return serve. Who are the greatest players of all-time on each surface? Nick Bollettieri: It is unfair to put down the

greatest players of all-time because of different equipment, training schedules, and tournament prize money, and numerous other factors. I will go out on a limb and say that Rafael Nadal is the best clay court player and Serena Williams is the best allcourt player. I plead the fifth on naming anyone else. No matter who I name, some will agree and others will disagree. What does American tennis need to do to develop top professional players? Nick Bollettieri: The first factor that I will start out with is this … back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the majority of players came from six to eight countries. Today, the entire world is playing. The USA is very deep in the women’s game, but we are a bit behind with the men. I am sure that Pat McEnroe will find a way to get our men on top.

What role should a parent have in their child’s tennis development? Nick Bollettieri: If I were able to come up with one answer about the role a parent should have in their children’s development, I would be able to pay off the national debt! What traits must a top player possess, mentally and physically, to set them apart? Nick Bollettieri: Today’s game is divided into three main factors: Technique, mental and physical. It would be difficult to say how much time you should spend on either one, and that will vary by player. I will tell you that 99.9 percent of all players spend hours upon hours in the gym. Keep in mind that you can have techniques and also be physically fit, but if you lack the right mindset on how to react, you will not win very often.

Former Wimbledon Winner John Austin Lends a Hand at Point Set ohn Austin, Wimbledon mixeddoubles winner in 1980 along with his sister Tracy, recently stopped by Point Set Indoor Racquet Club to take part in a clinic for tennis players who suffer with MS. Before passing away three years ago, Dan Dwyer, Point Set’s former managing partner, started a weekly clinic for people with MS. After Dan passed away, Point Set’s Tonny Van de Pieterman along with fellow pro Nadia Johnston, continued the program. Austin visited Point Set to offer tips during the clinic and to talk to these players who have to deal with the daily challenges related to MS.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

L O N G

I S L A N D

charitabl Shelter Rock Tennis Club Hosts Breast Cancer Charity Event

As the tennis world gathered in Flushing for the opening of the 2013 U.S. Open, a few miles to the East, Shelter Rock Tennis Club in Manhasset, hosted a charity tennis day, to raise funds for the “Play for Pink” organization. Play for Pink, is an organization that supports research to help find a cure for breast cancer. This was the most successful tennis event that Play for Pink has had, and the 20 Har-Tru courts at Shelter Rock were filled with activity all afternoon. More than 150 players participated in the men’s doubles, ladies doubles and mixed-doubles events, along with Zumba classes and dinner, raising $40,000 towards the fight against breast cancer and all of it went to research. This past winter, Shelter Rock Head Pro Robin Deitch Nogrady, wife of Dean Nogrady of the Engineers Club, was diagnosed with

breast cancer. Robin, a former topranked national player, stand out star on the University of South Carolina Women’s Tennis team, and former satellite player, has been recovering from surgery. Shelter Rock Director of Tennis Rick Liebman, Monica Liebman, and teaching pro Alex Zarek joined together with Robin and the members of Shelter Rock who organized raffles, vendor displays, and sold banners to raise money for Play for Pink. It was a tremendous day for tennis, for the charity and for everyone at Shelter Rock Tennis Club who participated in making this such a rousing success. This is expected to be an annual event to be held on the Sunday before the Open starts and it was a great way to begin the two weeks of world-class tennis in our own backyard.

Suffolk County Girls Play for Pink The Suffolk County Tennis Coaches Association held The Play for Pink tennis tournament for breast cancer awareness. Schools from all over Suffolk County formed doubles teams with girls in the varsity and junior varsity high school tennis programs. It was a friendly round-robin tournament where the girls got to play a lot of tennis and have a lot of fun! More than 30 12

total teams participated at two sites (The Hamlet Country Club in Commack and Center Moriches High School). In the end, more than $1,000 was raised for charity and it will all be donated to the Susan Komen Foundation. It was a great event and the Suffolk County Tennis Coaches Association helped teach many young athletes the importance of giving back to the community.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

T E N N I S

M A G A Z I N E ’ S

le initiatives Suffolk County Girls Play for Pink

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

MYTHBUSTERS:

School is Here ... Time to Take the Mythbusters College Quiz! (Part II) By Ricky Becker chool is back in full swing, so I’m sure everyone is in the mindset for the second half of the Mythbusters Quiz. Last issue, we took a factoid from the last five articles. The second half of the quiz will focus on the five previously published articles. This quiz should help give you some insight into college tennis and the recruiting process. The answers are at the bottom of the article.

1. What is important for a family of a child who is starting his sophomore year in high school to do?

A. Contact any school that your child may be interested in attending to set up a visit. B. Make a college video. C. Sit back and wait until junior year. D. Educate yourself on different tennis and academic thresholds for colleges and plan your schedules on how to hit schools you may be interested in. 2. What is not a benefit of playing club tennis instead of varsity tennis in college? (The incorrect answers here are benefits of playing club.) A. Some college’s club teams make Nationals where the varsity team does not.

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B. Many club teams at big schools are better than varsity teams at smaller schools. C. The commitment to the team is really what the student/athlete wants it to be. D. You can get a scholarship for being a star on a club team. 3. What is not a negative of playing club tennis instead of varsity tennis in college? (The incorrect answers here are negatives of playing club tennis.) A. Playing club tennis doesn’t hold the same cache as varsity tennis with job interviews after college. B. There is never as much team camaraderie on club teams.

C. Raising funds for trips can be more of a nuisance. D. There is sometimes a battle to find court-time. 4. Who should you play points against when assembling your 15-minute video for college coaches? A. A junior about your level. B. Your coach. C. A junior who is much stronger than you. D. A junior who is much weaker than you. 5. Dartmouth Women’s Coach Bob Dallis says that home-schooled kids are viewed by admissions with … A. Fondness B. Trepidation C. Reverence D. Disdain 6. What adjustment does JuniorTennis-

Consulting believe the NCAA should make to the Year-End National Team Championship? A. Eliminate the doubles B. Get rid of the point-penalty system C. Change the draw from 64 teams to 48 teams D. Play it all at one location 7. What should you do after your freshman year of high school? A. Familiarize yourself with the academic and tennis thresholds of different schools and see what is realistic. B. Start visiting your target schools. C. Contact any school you may conceivably be interested in attending. D. Nothing 8. On TennisRecruiting.net, of the top75 nationally-ranked graduating seniors of 2009, how many of them were

ranked worse than top-200 in 2006? A. 0 B. 1 C. 8 D. 23 In the next issue, I will provide a list of schools that have the most kids on their roster from each “Star” Level. See you soon! Ricky Becker is the founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, director of Tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and high-performance manager at Glen Head Racquet Club. Ricky was named the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and was a top-five nationallyranked junior. He can be reached by email at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

Answers: 1-D; 2-D; 3-B; 4-A; 5-B;6-C; 7-A, 8-B Centercourt Performance Tennis Center (CPTC) is a one of a kind facility dedicated to the development and performance of tennis players. After a complete renovation in 2012, CPTC has seven hard courts (five are domed in the winter) and one red clay court; state of the art strength and condition room, study area, and more. Our mission is to help every student-athlete realize his or her potential athletically, academically, and within life itself. Our players respect the game, their peers, parents, and coaches. Our curriculum features comprehensive tennis instruction as well as physical and mental conditioning. CPTC strives to get the most out of all players in our year round programs. Contact us to schedule an appointment and discover the place champions come to train.

Centercourt Performance Tennis Center 65 Columbia Road, Morristown, NJ www.centercourtclub.com

Contact Clay Bibbee: clay@centercourtclub.com LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum L o ng I s l a nd Te nn is Mag azine looks b ac k o n i t s f ir st f ive year s n the summer of 2008, United Sports Publications (USP) was formed and the idea of Long Island Tennis Magazine was set into motion. Spearheaded by Publisher David Sickmen, a vision of the best tennis coverage this area had ever seen began to take shape.

In 2008, local tennis publications around the country were dying off and print publications as a whole were floundering as the economy was in a tailspin. It seemed like a bad time to start a regional tennis magazine on Long Island, but that didn’t deter the LI Tennis Magazine staff. LI Tennis Magazine believed they had a business plan that could and would succeed if led by hard work and support from the community. At that time there was really no coverage of tennis locally, and while many people were playing the sport, the players and coaches who played and instructed, along with the businesses that supported the local game, were receiving little to no publicity or exposure. The businesses had no voice to address their clientele and potential new players who were out there were gravitating to other sports. Long Is16

land Tennis Magazine set out to change that. Tennis is a huge sport on the Island, with 40-plus indoor tennis clubs, tons of players who take the courts at local parks, many more who play at country clubs, and young players competing for high school and collegiate teams, and who are playing at a myriad of local tennis camps. Long Island Tennis Magazine started by going out into the field and speaking with people, forming relationships, asking about their interest in a regional tennis publication, what they would like to see in one and who would be interested in contributing. The local business owners really sensed a genuine support for the tennis community from the Long Island Tennis Magazine staff. The feedback was amazingly positive, and as the excitement grew, plans went into motion.

n January of 2009, the first edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine was launched. Local great Scott Lipsky graced the cover of the 40-page print publication, and copies of the magazine flew out of tennis clubs, gyms, health food stores and our other distribution locations. Readers rushed to see the feature on Lipsky, plus

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

the High School Recap, The Guide to Long Island’s Top Tennis Clubs, the interview with a very young Noah Rubin, and so much more. Any skeptics of the level of professionalism the magazine’s publishers would bring to the table were quickly squashed. Interest in Long Island Tennis Magazine quickly soared and with more supporters coming on-board, by the September/October issue, the publication nearly doubled in size and came in at 72 pages for the U.S. Open in September 2009. While the magazine was growing and enthusiasm and publicity for the sport of tennis were on the rise, one thing that was still lacking in the Long Island tennis world

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lo n g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years was camaraderie and community introducing the publication to the events that would truly bring out world of social media. The magathe players, coaches and busizine’s “Likes” and “Page Views” nesses as well as grow overall quickly grew, and the publication participation. The magazine was now able to interact with its sought to serve as an intermediary followers and fans and post phoin bringing the community totos of all the events it was covergether, and in November of 2009, ing for the community. Kids and Long Island Tennis Magazine adults were able to see themplanned and organized the First selves in albums from events Long Island Tennis Expo. The local ranging from high school matches, tennis community came out and to charity events, to programs at reinforced just how large and clubs. The pages are public and strong a community it really is. Children enjoying the QuickStart area as Long Island Ten- are seen by thousands weekly The Expo was a huge success, as nis Magazine presented the First Long Island Tennis Expo (www.facebook.com/longislandtenthe event drew 1,200-plus tennis at Farmingdale State College nis). enthusiasts from all across the Also in March, LI Tennis MagaLong Island and Metro areas to zine hosted 50 of its supporters at the completely sold out campus of Farmthe BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison into 2010 on a high note. ingdale State College. Square Garden. It was another great comn January of 2010, Long Island Tennis munity event as everyone enjoyed a night Represented at the Expo were exhibitors Magazine launched a revamped and up- out in NYC watching Serena and Venus from tennis equipment manufacturers, tennis organizations from Nassau and Suffolk dated Web site (www.longislandtennis- Williams, Kim Clijsters and Svetlana Counties, indoor tennis clubs, summer magazine.com). This allowed the Kuznetsova. This has become an annual camps, country clubs, retail stores, manu- publication to be up to date with stories on outing for the magazine to show it’s apprefacturers, college scholarship advisors, a daily basis both locally and nationally. Im- ciation to its supporters. health food and energy drinks providers, mediately, the site drew rave reviews, as loThe summer of 2010 brought LI Tennis tennis travel destinations and other retail cals signed up for accounts, started Magazine out to Sportime Randalls Island companies. At the Expo, USTA commenting on stories and began interact- for World TeamTennis. The magazine Eastern/Long Island was able to sign up ing on the site. served as the program for the event and all Two months later, LI Tennis Magazine fans entering the stadium received a free many new members, an indication of how participation was influenced by the mag- launched its Facebook and Twitter pages, copy. The summer also saw the first LI Tenazine’s event. There were tons of activities for people of all ages, including a QuickStart demonstration, Sportime’s Speed Serve competition area, a Dartfish video analysis, Glen Head Racquet Club setup a personal training area and Dave & Busters brought along assorted video games, as well as a prize wheel. Attendees not only got to participate in all of these fun and educational activities, but also walked away with many great prizes and giveaways. Adjacent to the Expo venue was an auditorium which featured presentations from some of the best and most knowledgeable speakers that the Long Island tennis community has to offer. The feeling of community and pride for local tennis was evident and Long Island’s tennis community headed

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lo n g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years the news surrounding the top stars. Exclusive interviews with some of the world’s best, including their thoughts on playing in New York highlighted the coverage. Our U.S. Open coverage has grown with full access to the Open and all the events that surround the world’s best tennis event played right here in our backyard. By 2011, LI Tennis Magazine had established Long Island Tennis Magazine launched its Web site in Jan- itself as the go-to source for local tennis informauary of 2010 tion, but it also began to really generate a great deal of support from both out of state tennis entities and local non-tennis entities. Tennis enthusiasts were sending in compliments regarding the great and diverse content that was in the publication and the attractive readership base was garnering a lot of attention from marketers. The year 2011 began with two events. First, supporters joined the magazine at the BNP Paribas Showdown, featuring legends of the game Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe for an evening at Madison Square Garden.

On March 6, the very successful Second Annual Long Island Tennis Expo was held at Farmingdale State College. More than 1,500 attendees were on hand for the daylong event, completely put together by LI Tennis Magazine, as families came in droves all day long to take part in the informative seminars, visits with reps from the area’s top clubs and facilities, and shopped for the latest tennis gear local retailers and manufacturers. A great time was had by all in the Expo Hall, featuring nearly 40 exhibitors and sponsors, and kids and adults alike enjoyed a number of games and activities. This event was the largest grassroots event ever held on the Island. The spring of 2011 saw a third straight year of Long Island Tennis Magazine producing the program and supplying the photography for the USTA Long Island’s Awards Dinner at Crest Hollow Country Club. By having the program within the magazine, the Award winners received national exposure and unmatched local press for their accomplishments. A major development took place in 2012, as LI Tennis Magazine got a teammate in its quest for growth in the New York tennis world as United Sports Publications began printing New York Tennis Magazine bi-monthly in addition to LI Tennis Magazine. New York Tennis Magazine started out with a 25,000-plus

The first LI Tennis Magazine Summer Challenge Beach Tennis event took place in the summer of 2010 nis Magazine Summer Challenge, where the magazine sponsored five Beach Tennis tournaments in Long Beach, N.Y. This was the first of two years the challenge series took place. Magazine supporters and many locals came out to play, watch and enjoy the entertainment created by these events. With the magazine marketing the event, participation and viewership soared. In September, the publication covered its first U.S. Open. Our writers and photographers presented 21 consecutive days of coverage, featuring the local players in the junior draw and the pro draw, as well as all 18

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Pete Sampras and John McEnroe address the media during the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lon g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years

More than 1,500 attendees were on hand for the Second Annual Long Island Tennis Expo at Farmingdale State College print readership base, in addition to tremendous online support via its Web site, www.newyorktennismagazine.com. The growth in United Sports Publications led to more event coverage, more brand awareness and a larger voice for the magazines supporters. The year 2012 also saw LI Tennis Magazine host a holiday party for magazine supporters while communicating on how all of our multimedia capabilities can benefit our clients and encouraging them to take advantage of them. It was a great way to end a successful year on and off the court in Long Island tennis. In April of 2013, LI Tennis Magazine hosted its third major expo and this one was even bigger than the first two. Like the first two expo events, the event was free to all attendees. The First New York Tennis Expo was held at New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis mecca, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center due to the anticipated crowd. This beautiful spring afternoon in April was not about professional tennis, it was about the local tennis movement and it brought out the largest crowd ever for a grassroots tennis event in New York, with just shy of 3,000 attendees on hand for the event. There were amazing raffles where people could win trips to famous resorts such as Van Der Meer and Sea Colony, along with chances for U.S. Open tickets just by signing up. There were also tours of

world renowned coaches, celebrities, and top mental training experts. The first session was â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Road to College Scholarships,â&#x20AC;? headlined by world renowned coach Nick Bollettieri and Fox News political commenter Sean Hannity as emcee and moderator. Among those on the panel were former world top 10 Tim Mayotte, along with expert coaches Chuck Kriese, Cory Parr, Jay Harris, Whitney Kraft and Clay Bibbee. The second session, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taking Your Game to the Next Level,â&#x20AC;? again headlined by Nick Bollettieri discussing both the mental and physical sides of tennis. Panelists included Tim Mayotte, Lawrence Kleger, Steve Kaplan, Tom Clear, Tina Greenbaum and Dr. Tom Ferraro. At the end of the sessions, many flocked to the front of the room for autographs and pictures with the speakers. On the second level of the National Tennis Center was where the fun continued. The three indoor courts were crowded all day, as kids and adults alike took part in activities such as 10 & Under TenPhoto credit: Nicole Guglielmo The packed attendee registration area during the nis, a Speed Serve Booth, First New York Tennis Expo at the USTA Billie Jean and a Hit for Prizes Court. DJ CMNY was spinning music King National Tennis Center

Arthur Ashe Stadium Court and the U.S. Open locker rooms where participants had a once-in-a-lifetime behind the scenes look at the National Tennis Center. Down the main hallway of the National Tennis Center were 50 top exhibitors displaying everything from tennis apparel, to training aids, sunglasses, sports memorabilia, to rackets. Clubs were getting sign-ups, camps were filling up spots for the summer season and many of the exhibitors were raffling off an array of prizes. At the end of hallway, 600 people took part in two informative sessions featuring

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Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lo n g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years

Photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo

Sean Hannity (far right) emcees the “Taking Your Game to the Next Level” panel discussion during the New York Tennis Expo, featuring speakers Tim Mayotte (left) and Nick Bollettieri (center) on-court, while Sportimes mascot Tennis the Menace introduced himself to all the young ones and took photos. Also up on the second level was the Kids Zone where kids could have their faces painted, get glitter tattoos and have balloon animals made. The smiling and laughing faces were plentiful. With the gorgeous weather, another major highlight was the outside play area. The newly opened Sports Deck Area at the National Tennis Center allowed for open

play on mini-courts between kids and parents. Also on the deck, New York Tennis Magazine had a photographer shooting mock Magazine cover photos. Down the stairs from the deck, the world famous Stadium Court 17 featured the St. John’s University men’s and women’s tennis teams running a “Beat the College Player” contest. This event turned a spotlight on grassroots growth. Businesses came from all over the country to participate and we have

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

received phone calls from people looking for our assistance to put more of these events on in other areas. The May/June 2013 edition of LI Tennis Magazine launched the new and improved print version of the magazine. The publication went fully glossy, and with this new look to go along with 72-80 pages of local and national stories the publication really took a giant step forwards. The Expo and the new glossy look along with all of the promotion in print and Web ads, across social networks, on radio shows, via e-mail blasts, and most importantly, via word-of-mouth to the area’s kids, families, coaches and businesses that support the local tennis community really energized tennis in the LI area to a higher level. Companies from across the country were coming in to New York and respected coaches were flying in to speak with our junior players from Florida, Maryland, California, etc. The magazine began to receive supporters from other countries including Italy and Spain. Today, Long Island Tennis Magazine is the largest free tennis publication in the country. Participation and interest in the game locally has unequivocally risen from the addition of the magazine to the LI tennis world. The magazine has not only become a staple of the community, but the relationships formed between the magazine’s staff and the businesses, organizations, players and coaches are invaluable. Long Island Tennis Magazine now has a print readership exceeding 23,500 copies and is distributed at 300-plus locations across the Island. Additionally, LITM’s Web site is visited by hundreds of people daily and the social networks are immensely popular. The Daily Serve e-mail blast is seen by thousands and the overall database has grown tremendously and continues to do so. Long Island Tennis Magazine will continue to bring the tennis community together and offer the best coverage and publication it can, while growing distribution locations, events and adding to our repertoire of multimedia capabilities.

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lon g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years free copies of the magazines, so that everyone in attendance can learn about and get more information on the game we all love from the local and national coverage we supply in each edition. Below are some of the annual events we cover. In addition, we attend and cover dozens and dozens of additional events as well as make weekly visits to the tennis clubs, tennis stores and tennis environments that comprise our community.

Photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo

Attendees enjoying the outdoor sun deck during the New York Tennis Expo As 2013 is finished off with a Gourmet Brunch at Engineers Country Club thanking the magazine’s supporters, the future is bright! Heading into 2014, LI Tennis Magazine has big plans. The publication is revamping its online presence with a sleek, newly redesigned Web site to make it more user-friendly, and allowing for more video. Additions in coverage will include adding a video and radio component to our media coverage. Plans have begun to host a Second New York Tennis Expo, as well as a Summer Event Series. LI Tennis Magazine couldn’t have done all of this without the support of the local tennis community and the local tennis businesses. The publication is very appreciative of your support, and are extremely proud of our strong ties to the tennis community and all of its vast players, coaches, businesses and organizations. See you on the courts soon and THANK YOU!

Covering the Island … Long Island Tennis Magazine tries to be in as many places as possible throughout the year. Over the past five years, we have brought the local community the best tennis coverage possible, and have spotlighted the worthy individuals and organizations hosting and participating in

these great events. Once again, we completed our popular “50 Camps in 50 Days” Tour in the Long Island and New York areas this summer, attended charity events, fundraisers, tournaments, country club outings, ProAms, NY Sportimes World TeamTennis matches, every session of the 2013 U.S. Open, and tried to promote the game in as many ways as possible for our supporters and the community. Our presence helps to grow the game of tennis, and brings publicity to these events of all sizes. At each event we attend, we distribute

n Visits to over 50 tennis camps with interviews and photos of campers and tennis pros n New York Tennis Expo n USTA Eastern Long Island Region Awards Dinner n Boys and Girls High School New York State Tournament n Long Island High School Boys and Girls County Championships n Boys and Girls High School matches n Suffolk County Boys High School Awards Dinner for Boys and Girls Seasons n College Invitational Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center n Charity Outings and Pro-Ams at various Country Clubs

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lo n g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years

Kids file in to try out for the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Bethpage

Photo credit: Anthony Pastecchi

A packed house files into the National Tennis Center for the 2013 Arthur Ashe Kids Day

On the courts for the Commack High School Tennis benefit for autism awareness The Queens College Social & Tennis event featured lessons from the Queens College Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams n Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament n Stony Brook University One-on-One Doubles Outing n Exhibition to benefit Israeli Tennis

Robert Kendrick, Coach Claude Okin and Jesse Witten of the New York Sportimes pause during their World TeamTennis match against the Washington Kastles at Sportime Stadium

Center Foundation in the Hamptons n BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis at The W New York Hotel n Queens College Tennis Outing and Social

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

n Holes for Hope Autism Awareness Tennis Event at Engineers County Club n USTA Eastern Long Island Region Tennis in the Parks Day Blitz n John McEnroe Tennis Academy Tryouts at Sportime Bethpage and Sportime Kings Park n Bethpage Park High School Coaches Workshop n 2013 U.S. Open Ballperson Tryouts n Partnership for a Healthier America Tennis Initiative n U.S. Open National Playoffs n Autism Awareness event at Commack High School n All New York Sportimes WorldTeam Tennis matches played at Sportime Randall’s Island n U.S. Open Draw Ceremony n Arthur Ashe Kids Day n All sessions of the 2013 U.S. Open (qualifying rounds through the finals)

A Message From Long Island Tennis Magazine President Joel M. Berman he year is 2008. The economy is crumbling around us and businesses are scurrying to survive. I was in the publishing industry then, as I am now, and I struggled every day to exist. There were layoffs and other costsaving steps taken to make it through these tough days. Along comes David Sickmen with an idea he wanted to run by me. He told me how what he was about to suggest experienced limited success by those who had tried before and it had failed to sustain itself to date, but he had a way he thought it could succeed. His idea was to develop a multimedia publication, devoted not only to the sport of tennis, but one focused primarily on the tennis community on Long Island. His passion was infectious, and despite my never having been involved in the sport of tennis, I couldn’t resist listening to him expand upon his

concept in detail and how he envisioned Long Island Tennis Magazine becoming a foundation of the sport of tennis on Long Island. That was five years ago and that smile on his face, along with the confidence that he could overcome both the troubled economy and a road laden with failures for those that tried this before, convinced me to move forward. Armed with his plan, we assembled a team of editorial staffers, graphic artists, event interns, photographers and administrative support and launched Long Island Tennis Magazine in late 2008, a year in which publications were folding on a daily basis. Move the clock forward five years … and I find I am excited in what my partner and Publisher David has accomplished in these past five years. Armed with both his passion and knowledge of tennis, and more importantly, strong relationships within the tennis community on Long Island, he has delivered 100 percent of what he set out to do five years ago. I am

proud to have shared the opportunity to follow his lead, as he raised the bar year after year to improve the editorial content and provide a great communication tool for the tennis community on Long Island, in both print and electronic media. I approach the fifth anniversary of Long Island Tennis Magazine with a great sense of pride and accomplishment for what our team has done. However, I go back to that day five years ago where I had my doubts, and I feel if it was not for David’s foresight and leadership, the jewel that exists today for the Long Island Tennis Community, Long Island Tennis Magazine, would not have been. Happy fifth anniversary Long Island Tennis Magazine, and more importantly, thank you, my partner for thinking outside the box! Sincerely,

Joel M. Berman, President United Sports Publications Ltd., publisher of Long Island Tennis Magazine

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lo n g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years

Testimonials from the local tennis community … ong Island Tennis Magazine is proud of its strong relationships within the tennis community and has received a great deal of feedback from our readership and supporters. Here are a few of those thoughts on the impact that LITM has had on the community as a whole:

“Long Island Tennis Magazine is one of the best tennis publications in the country. Through their coverage of local tennis and the events they organize, they are building an interest in the game and encouraging participation at the grassroots level, which has long been at the core of what we do at IMG Academy. Their work on the New York Tennis Expo was extremely impressive, and I was happy to be a part of it. I am proud to support Long Island Tennis Magazine as they are exactly what our local communities need to grow the sport we all love.”—Nick Bollettieri, founder of The Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and former coach of 10 world number one players “Long Island Tennis Magazine is an invaluable resource for tennis enthusiasts in the local area. This publication is a unique voice for the Long Island tennis industry and for anyone who truly loves tennis. I cannot think of any entity that grows and enhances the local game more than these free, independent and widely-read publications. Long Island Tennis Magazine deserves our gratitude and support.”—Steve Kaplan, owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center and director of the Lacoste Academy for the New York City Parks Department “I absolutely believe that Long Island Tennis Magazine has increased interest and participation in our sport by making the publication available to an incredibly large readership. This magazine has become a must-read for every junior and adult tennis player. Every tennis club I walk into, I see kids and adults with 24

the magazine in their hands. Contributors to the magazine really seem to have their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in tennis on Long Island. It also keeps tennis enthusiasts up to speed on news and developments in the tennis world at the local, regional, national and international levels.”—Lawrence Kleger, director of tennis at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy “Over the last several years, I have been very impressed with Long Island Tennis Magazine. There was a huge void in local tennis-related news and these publications have totally come through! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next issue to find out what’s happening in both my area and on the world tours.”— Daisy Schwartz, first vice president, USTA Metro Region “Long Island Tennis Magazine has become a vital component of the local tennis community. The magazine has the largest voice of anyone in the region, and their staff does an amazing job maximizing their resources to bring the best tennis coverage the New York area has ever seen. They supply a platform for everyone in the local tennis community that would be unavailable without them. The NY area is very lucky that the largest free tennis publication in the country is in our own backyard giving our players, coaches, clubs and programs the recognition they deserve.”—Mike Kossoff, director of tennis for Sportime Syosset, and co-director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy-Bethpage “Ever since I was younger, I would always eagerly flip through each edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine to find my ranking. Now, I enjoy the magazine’s helpful tips and articles for improving my game both on court and off. Being a junior tennis player and tennis fan, I look forward to flipping through the colorful pages of the Long Island Tennis Magazine each edition.”—Michele Lehat (junior tennis player)

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

“David and his team do a terrific job of covering and reporting on both past and future local events. Their insightful articles and roundtable discussions on topics of interest in today’s evolving game of tennis are both informative and entertaining.”—Whitney Kraft, director of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center “Long Island Tennis Magazine has been one of the best things to hit the LI tennis world in a long time. It’s been a great tool in getting the latest USTA league information out to everyone in addition to great local articles in every issue. A great job by all involved!”—Kathy Miller, manager of Carefree Racquet Club and Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Eastern Long Island Region “Long Island Tennis Magazine has brought a new level of excitement to the Long Island tennis community. LITM is by far the most widely read publication around the lobby! They have shone a light on many of the great programs and stories that before, would have gone untold or unseen. It is very important that businesses have a presence in Long Island Tennis Magazine, as everyone who walks by picks up a copy and reads it. It provides great exposure. Since its inception a few years back, Long Island Tennis Magazine has done an unprecedented job of helping tennis professionals, programs, facilities, and most importantly, the growth of tennis on Long Island.”—Jason Wass, director of SportsPro Summer Camps and teaching pro at Eastern Athletic Tennis “I first approached LI Tennis Magazine as an option for affordable advertising targeted at tennis players. It’s an obvious fit for a small tennis racquet company, and we know it’s been effective, but it turns out the magazine is much more than a commerce channel. While it’s proven to be great exposure for our brand and our product, it’s also become a crucial element in our connection to the local tennis

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lon g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years community. By encouraging and fostering an open dialogue about our sport, the magazine has become an anchor of sorts for Long Island tennis players. Our relationship with LI has enabled us not only to advertise to our customers, but to communicate and interact with them as well. We know this is a necessity for our long-term survival and we’re extremely pleased to have such a perfect vehicle as Long Island Tennis Magazine.”—Brett Bothwell, founder and director of Bolt Sports LLC “I always refer to Long Island Tennis Magazine for all the latest tennis updates in the local community. It never fails to provide stirring articles about fitness, strategy, technique and much more. I learn something new every time I pick up an edition!”—Kevin Katz, college tennis player “Congrats to Long Island Tennis Magazine for your support for all forms of junior tennis over the past five years. From high school coverage to sectional events, you guys cover it all. You have become a true resource for perspective college players and your insight on sports conditioning has enlightened many players, parents and coaches. The New York Tennis Expo was incredible and the New York Tennis Academy is looking forward to continuing our relationship with this awesome publication in the future.”—Howie Arons, owner/director of Great Neck Estates Tennis Center

“The first time I picked up Long Island Tennis Magazine was when I was nine-years-old waiting to be called up for my first L1 match in Long Beach. I remember seeing my friends’ pictures scattered throughout the magazine, and then I came across my name in the newly released rankings. I was so excited to see my name published in a magazine and I am sure any nine-year-old would be! To me, LITM is not just any type of sports magazine, it is a piece of my past, present and future and it connects me with all of my friends I have created throughout the sport of tennis.”—Sasha Lipps, junior tennis player “Congratulations on your five-year anniversary. I sure have learned a lot about Long Island tennis since you have been on the scene. It has helped me, and many Long Island tennis players, keep in touch with what is happening in tennis on Long Island. Your articles have been very informative, and I have passed much of your information on to students and campers at the camp that I direct. There is really no other magazine that compares to yours. I have met many youngsters from high schools, and many adults that play in leagues on Long Island that feel like celebrities because they are mentioned or their picture appears on the pages of your magazine. I think that many people have found

places to play, leagues to join, camps available, schools with teams, places to get equipment or have rackets strung, that they would have not known of if not for you. Please keep the information coming and good luck to you in the future!”—Sunny Fishkind, assistant coach of Hofstra University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams, and college representative on the USTA Eastern/Long Island Region Board “Long Island Tennis Magazine and their staff do an amazing job of publicizing the game of tennis locally, regionally and nationally. Being a tennis camp owner in the Northeast, it is an honor to advertise my camp in such a firstclass publication that reaches the heart of tennis players and fans in Long Island!”—Ed Krass, founder and director of College Tennis Exposure Camps “I like Long Island Tennis Magazine because it allows me to keep up with all things in tennis that are happening on the Island and in New York. I found out about new places to hit and events to attend during the summer. And the U.S. Open coverage is incredible and makes it feel so close to home!”—Missy Edelbaum, college tennis player “Long Island Tennis Magazine has effectively changed the landscape of tennis on Long Is-

B E AU T I F Y YO U R G A M E “Long Island Tennis Magazine has become such an integral part of the fabric of our tennis community. It is the go-to reference guide for all aspects of local, as well as national, tennis, including stories on players, tournaments, books, human interest issues and the how to’s of tennis coaching, teaching and participation in our wonderful sport. Last, but certainly not least, the publication and its management establishing the NY Tennis Expo was an incredible feat for which New York tennis fans will so greatly appreciate for many years to come.”— Eric Rubin, father/coach of top U.S. junior player Noah Rubin

A more beautiful site for tennis simply doesn’t exist. The Seaside Tennis Club at the legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Kohala Coast, Island of Hawaii. 1.866.977.4589 MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine: Five Years in and Gaining Momentum Lon g Island Te nnis Magazine looks b ac k on its first five years land. They have preserved our long rich heritage and history, and have built on it to cover the present and future of our presence in the sport. Now, it is hard to think of what our community would be like without them.”— Miguel Cervantes, teaching pro at Carefree Racquet Club “Long Island Tennis Magazine has helped change the Long Island tennis landscape for the better. It has given a way for players, supporters, advertisers and the public to network and promote our great game. I am so proud to be a writer for the publication. Long Island tennis is in better shape than it was five years ago, due to in part of the work of Long Island Tennis Magazine. As a collegiate head coach at SUNY Oneonta where so many Long Islanders go to school, the magazine has also added additional credibility to our tennis program in upstate NY, thus proving the reach of the publication.”—Lonnie Mitchell, head tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta

“Long Island Tennis Magazine is the best. Nothing beats this sports magazine in the Eastern Section. Every kid and every parent loves to read it and enjoy the articles.”—Afzal Ali, tennis director at Deer Park Tennis Center “Long Island Tennis Magazine has been an invaluable resource to not only myself, but to all high school players and coaches over the past five years. The publicity the coaches and players receive from LITM is very important and makes the kids feel like pros. Additionally, the magazine has been kind enough to sponsor two Coach of the Year Awards and to support the high school game in every way they can. Student athletes go online to the LITM social networks to see pictures and to read the site and print edition for articles. LITM has also organized events this past year, like the New York Tennis Expo at Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Mead-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

ows, which gave me an opportunity to bring two dozen players who all found it to be a fantastic event. LI Tennis Magazine deserves the community’s support so they can continue to grow and provide our area with top notch coverage.”—Shai Fisher, BOCES Section VIII Nassau County Girls Tennis Coordinator and Syosset High School tennis coach “Long Island Tennis Magazine has been a key player in the development of our business. We started our company one year ago, and Adam Wolfthal and David Sickmen have been nothing less than inspirational and motivational. In addition, they have worked with us to introduce us to the Long Island tennis community which we hope, in turn, has benefited the community as a whole. They are an important bridge between players of all ages and abilities and the businesses that serve them.”—Tina Greenbaum and Fred Sperber, owners of Tennis to the Max

Get Into the Right Mindset for a Tennis Match By Tonny van de Pieterman n order to get into the right mindset for a tennis match, you must ask yourself or your student/son/daughter the following questions:

1. Are you prepared? How was your practice week? Answering this question can help manage expectations. If you didn’t have a lot of time to practice, it might be a good idea to start off a little bit more conservatively. If you had a phenomenal week of practice, you need to be sure to answer question number two thoroughly. Is your backup racquet in good shape? If you pop a string, it can really throw you off your game if you’re not prepared for this situation. Do you have a towel, water

and a snack? It might be a long match and it’s a good idea to always be ready for that possibility. Especially when dealing with junior players, a little checklist can come in handy. A psychologist told me that the last brain function to develop in children is organization and planning. So give youngsters a little break when it comes to this. Help them get ready for matches. I have had a junior player forget his shoes! 2. Are you ready for battle? A tennis match is usually not a walk in the park. Your opponent will be trying everything in their power to throw you off balance and you may have to deal with other elements as well. You need to be ready and willing to struggle and to be able to solve problems. The word “battle” in the question should paint the picture in the competitor’s mind.

3. I am curious how you’re going to do, aren’t you? The word “curious” is the magic word here. It can instantly release energy that is held back by anxiety or fear. When you are curious, you understand that the outcome is unknown, and that your choices and actions will play a great part in that. These questions are great conversation starters to encourage mental preparation. Remember, everyone has the will to win, but only elite performers have the will to prepare to win. Tonny van de Pieterman is director of tennis at Point Set Indoor Racquet Club. He was recently named USTA Tennis Professional of the Year for the USTA/EasternLong Island Region and helped the Eastern Section win this year’s Talbert Cup. He may be reached by phone at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail tonny@pointsettennis.com.

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www.juniortennisconsulting.com LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Winning From Within ... Key Mindsets of a Championship Team: Players, Parents and Coaches By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC hink back to the last Grand Slam final you saw â&#x20AC;Ś Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray raise the microphone and always shout out to their team thanking them for their support, patience and direction. In order for any athlete to reach the highest level of performance, there are a set of underlying principles which must serve as a guide for the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;athletes, parents and coachâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;during the journey. Metaphorically, these principles act as the rudder that helps the player and team stay on course, achieve goals, and play with purpose and intention. We all know that hard work is imperative for success. Many of us are familiar with the adage that in order to achieve mastery you must put 10,000 hours into a task. While this idea has been debated by many, one thing has notâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the training needs to be directed and purposeful. In fact, we can think of

things this way: Building technical, strategic and physical skill sets is much like building a sturdy foundation of a house, one floor at a time, each new skill resting on the previous. In order to understand the mental component, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use a sailboat as an analogy. It is obvious that everyone sees the sail of the boat when it is gracefully gliding on the water. Similarly, we see the graceful physicality of a player. However, far less obvious, yet more important, is the rudder. This determines what direction the boat travels. If it is not pointing in the right direction, the boat

will veer off course. Because the rudder is below the surface, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unknown to most. However, this all-important rudder is the metaphorical equivalent of the mindset, beliefs and assumptions of the player, coaches and parents. Without the proper mental mindset, the player and team cannot steadily travel in the proper direction, and the boat goes adrift. So whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a key mindset for the player, parent and coach to embrace in order to create a champion? The remainder of this article will identify the key mindset which I believe is imperative in developing a player that embraces competition, thrives under adversity and ultimately puts themselves in a position to rise to the highest levels in their sport. Players: Focus on competing vs. winning Junior players are too caught up in winning! Yes, I understand this is the goal, but it should be known that winning is a consequence of taking disciplined, purposeful ac-

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Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ LITennisMag.com

tion over time. The key question which must be asked is, “What does it take to win?” This question presupposes that there is a process to winning and encourages the player to identify these actions and attributes, such as preparation, discipline, effort, focus on things within the players control, etc. Winning is not something that a player can directly control, but they can control their process towards this outcome. Juniors need to change their singular focus to the process and get comfortable with the word “competeology,” that is, “The art of competing.” We all know that the player who competes better is usually the player that wins. Attributes of what it means to compete include: Maintaining high energy, a positive attitude, bouncing back from adversity, adjusting and adapting to match situations, staying in the present moment, taking nothing for granted, beginning each point in a centered, calm place, accepting yourself and your process, and giving an all-out effort. All of these attributes are within the control of any player at any level and are necessary steps to win on the court, and succeed in life.

Parents: Focus on the process vs. the outcome Parents are often caught up in the outcome, worrying about what a loss means to their child’s ability to play at a high level years down the road. This thinking places the focus away from the step-by-step process and progression. Additionally, this focus inevitably takes the child’s mindset away from the present and focuses them on the future. Yet more destructive, it places thoughts on parental expectations rather than the moment in front of them. One of my clients once said to me, “When I’m on the court, I think about what my dad is thinking.” Clearly this is not where child or parent wants the athlete’s mind to be during the match, yet a focus on the expectations of victory leads to such results. Parents need to be patient with the process, and understand there are no such things as bad losses—unless no one learns from it. All competitive experiences are learning opportunities and practice for the next match. The goal of any junior player is to continue making progress, and losses hold answers for improvement that lead to future victories. A keen eye must be focused on

how a player is using their strategy, how they are making adjustments to obstacles, and how they are letting go of the past, and competing to the best of their ability. When these things are happening, improvement, rankings and rewards will follow as a result. Coaches: Focus on the person, not the athlete Many coaches and academies often have pre-conceived notions of what a player should look and play like as they progress to certain stages. This takes the emphasis off the person and their unique qualities (i.e., Rafael Nadal’s fire, Roger Federer’s calm, David Ferrer’s patience, Fabrice Santoro’s creativity). The key is non-judgmentally recognizing these intangibles, while identifying and building on them as a strength, knowing that each player’s journey is going to be unique to the person. Athletes want people to “get them,” to understand “what they are going through” and to appreciate and respect their journey as a person and not just a player. Embracing this mindset is a far quicker launching pad to success than trying continued on page 30

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winning from within ... to mold a player towards some sort of prototype which you expected them to fit into but does not necessarily work with the innate strengths they already possess. As a coach, a key facet toward reaching peak performance is realizing how to tap into a person’s unique skills, personal attributes and motivations. Truly understanding the person and their story, and the story behind the story, will lead to increased trust and loyalty, and ultimately serve as a launching pad to unleashing the player within. Preliminary questions to ask your player may include: What’s your “big why” for playing? What motivates you? What do you like and dislike about the game? What are your goals? What did it take to get to this point (obstacles and successes)? How do you deal with adversity? What’s something about yourself that doesn’t necessarily make you better or worse than others, but makes you individually who you are? Understanding these answers will better enable you to understand where your player is now, and how to moti-

continued from page 29

vate them. Additionally, they will feel you understand them and give a full effort from the inside out. In summary, in all performance-related endeavors, we need to understand that the performer starts off as a person. When a player walks through the court gates, they bring the same strengths, weaknesses, confidence and insecurities that they feel off the court. The job of the player is to focus on what they can control, that is to focus on competing, not winning. Paradoxically, this focus will provide the best chance to win. The job of a parent is to support their child’s process, and understand to reach the goal they need to take different steps, much like climbing a mountain, some up, some across and even some down to reset for more climbing ahead. Obstacles, setbacks and failure must be viewed as part of the process, and something to learn from. The job of a coach is to recognize their player is a person first, and

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

strive to bring out their individual qualities which make them and their game unique as opposed to making the student fit into a preconceived model of what they think is a champion. In fact, champions come in all shapes and sizes. Just look at John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Nadal and Federer. Some of those personalities could not be more different from one another, yet each has been able to feed off unique personality traits to create their own winning brand. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes and teams in all sports and levels, helping them to gain the mental edge. He has spoken nationally and internationally and has been quoted by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and other major media publications. His new book, Tennis Inside the Zone has just been released. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail rob@insidethezone or visit www.insidethezone.com.

Injury Prevention: Knee Injuries By Dr. Eric Price meniscus is a cartilage structure that provides shock absorption and cushioning in the knee joint. There are two menisci. They are located in between the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia). Meniscus tears are very common among tennis players. They are often the result of a twisting injury. When a patient has a torn meniscus, he or she usually complains about sharp pain in the knee. A torn meniscus is similar to a hangnail. The same way that a hangnail can catch and cause discomfort, a torn meniscus can catch and get pinched between the bones in the knee during regular activities causing pain. Torn menisci can occur as a result of a singular traumatic event, such as an abrupt twist of the knee, or as the result of many years of wear and tear. To diagnose a meniscus tear, a doctor will take a history and perform a physical examination. X-rays and an MRI are usually ordered. X-rays show the bones of the knee but do not show the meniscus. The MRI shows the meniscus and any possible tears. Other causes of knee pain in addition to meniscus tears include ligament tears, such as a torn ACL, sprains and arthritis. These are elucidated by the X-rays, exam and MRI, and are treated differently than meniscus tears. The majority of meniscus tears do not heal on their own. Therefore, surgery is often recommended. Surgery for a torn meniscus is performed arthroscopically. Arthroscopic surgery uses small incisions and small tools, about the size of a pencil, to perform the procedure. All the work is visualized with a small camera, the arthroscope. The surgeon sees inside the knee with the arthroscope and its images are projected on a video screen. The torn meniscus fragment is removed and the remaining meniscus is

trimmed. Occasionally, the meniscus is torn in such a way that it can be sewn back in place and will heal if stitches are placed across the tear. However, the majority of meniscus tears are treated by removing the torn fragment. Even though a portion of the meniscus is removed in these procedures, a significant portion of a normal intact meniscus is left behind. While it does not function in the way that it did prior to the injury, a significant amount of its function is still retained. Recovery after meniscus surgery depends upon whether a repair or a partial meniscus removal was performed. If a partial meniscus removal is performed, then a patient can usually resume his or her normal activities within several weeks of surgery. If a repair is performed, weight-bearing restrictions may apply and crutches may be needed. Additionally, the patient may be restricted from returning to sports until appropriate healing has taken place. Rehabilitation with physical therapy may be necessary, and if so, it will be prescribed by the surgeon. Dr. Eric Price is a boardcertified, fellowshiptrained sports medicine specialist with Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group. He takes care of all types of athletes, from pee-wee league players to pros and from weekend warriors to triathletes. As an athlete himself, he understands the need to get people back in their game. Dr. Priceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expertise includes shoulder arthroscopy for repair of rotator cuff tears, dislocations, knee arthroscopy, including ACL and meniscus surgery. He also teaches shoulder arthroscopy as an Associate Master Instructor for the Arthroscopy Association of North America and as a Laboratory Instructor at several shoulder surgery conferences. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (516) 536-2800 or visit www.orlincohen.com or scan the QR Code.

Casa de Campo

Costa del Tennis

Casa de Campo is a world-renowned, 7,000acre Caribbean resort offering supreme experiences “under one roof” including choice accommodations in hotel rooms and suites or spacious villa homes; the acclaimed The Beach Club by Le Cirque and La Caña by Il Circo, along with dozens of other restaurants, bars and lounges throughout the property. Discover The Sporting Life experiences with 90 holes of Pete Dye designed golf courses: the Teeth of the Dog, Links, La Romana Country Club and Dye Fore; Tennis Club, Shooting Center, Equestrian Center, Polo Club, Marina/Yacht Club and well-appointed beaches. Culture abounds at the shops, museums, church and galleries of Altos de Chavon, the 16th century replica Mediterranean village including the 5,000-seat Grecian style amphitheater, a site of international touring concerts. La Terraza Tennis Club is located overlooking the entire resort and Caribbean Sea called the “Wimbledon of the Caribbean,” it features 13 fast-dry Har-Tru courts, 10 of which are lighted for night play. Thirty-two ball boys in crisp white tennis attire chase errant shots not only making guests’ matches more pleasant, but help local Dominican children learn the game and look forward to a brighter future. A former ball boy rose up in ranks at La Terraza to become a junior pro, then pro and is now representing the Dominican Republic in the race for the Davis Cup. In the fall of 2014, La Terraza will host the 37th Annual International Tennis Open an event that attracts 300-plus players from Latin America, USA and Europe.

Costa del Tennis provides a unique tennis experience for Travel Teams on the Mediterranean coastline of Spain. Spain is not only a top tourist destination in the world, but a place where tennis represents an international example of excellence. It’s important for tennis players to master match play! Win or lose, that’s what it’s all about. For American players, it’s an opportunity to experience international match play through different playing styles before meeting competitors in college competition. It’s a win-win for coaches, players and overall, a great life experience! The Barcelona camp, Team Training or Mallorca camp, and High Performance, have hand selected coaches who’ve played on the pro tour. It’s quickly and clearly represented in their mastery and techniques of the mental game being one of the most valuable elements players develop. Court ratios are kept small at 1: 3-4, while coaches zone in on specific pattern play for singles and doubles developing footwork and consistency necessary for an all court—any surface game! The coolest part of it all? Tennis isn’t simply another sport in Spain but a lifestyle … The benefits of travel team holidays? n Personalized program per group for both coaching sessions and match play. n Trips are chaperoned. Lessons are in English and match play is structured. n Accommodations are modern and quiet for peak on-court daily performance. n Daily transportation to and from the Academy is included. n Breakfast is included and half-board is available. It’s the cultural experience of a player’s lifetime …

For more information, visit www.casadecampo.com.do.

For more information, visit www.costa-del-tennis.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

IMG Academy

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Located in Bradenton, Fla., IMG Academy is home to the Bollettieri Tennis program. Under the guiding principles of founder, Nick Bollettieri, and the leadership and direction of Rohan Goetzke, the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis program sets the standard by which all tennis academies are measured. Many of the world’s top professionals have trained at IMG Academy, including Maria Sharapova, Kei Nishikori, Sabine Lisicki, Ryan Harrison and Andre Agassi, just to name a few. Its student-athletes and alumni have won 939 singles titles, 441 doubles titles, 86 Grand Slam singles titles, 49 Grand Slam doubles titles, and 12 Olympic Gold Medals. Ten IMG-Academy trained tennis players have reached number one in the world in singles and four have reached number one in the world in doubles! With more than 50 tennis courts, all students and trainees receive multiple hours of on-court training per day that includes match-simulation drills and match play, delivered by a dedicated full-time coaching staff with extensive collegiate and professional playing and coaching experience. Off the court, players may take in physical and mental conditioning, speed and movement, leadership, vision training, and nutrition specialists to ensure a wellrounded game. In addition to our preparatory school program, IMG Academy offers: Five-week, three-week and weekly camps with education add-ons like ESL/TOEFL and SAT preparation; holiday/spring break camps; adult training programs; collegiate and professional training programs; and team training. With programs available year-round for all ages and ability levels, IMG Academy has a program to help you reach your performance goals!

What makes Mauna Kea a “Top Tennis Destination?” The legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an architectural icon designed to coexist beautifully with the unforgettable landscape of the Kohala Coast is located on a silky whitesand crescent beach, Kauna’oa Bay. Escape to paradise where you will find 258 luxurious guest rooms, Laurance S. Rockefeller’s private collection of Asian and Pacific artwork, impeccable service, one of the world’s finest golf courses and tennis club plus tantalizing cuisine with unforgettable settings. The 11-court Seaside Tennis Club is one of the largest and most sought-after tennis experiences in Hawaii. Each one of the 11 courts offer an incredible view of the Pacific blue ocean and on a clear day, you can see Maui in the background. Craig Pautler and his team serve up some of the most thoughtful touches available at the best private luxury tennis clubs. Recent accolades include Top 25 Tennis Resorts and World’s Top 100 Resorts. Facilities and services include 11 ocean side tennis courts, a pro shop offering equipment and apparel, equipment rentals, men and women locker rooms, video instruction service, individual game-matching, customized special events, tennis clinics, round robin tournaments, private and group lessons. Enjoy the many other amenities offered at the resort like the weekly Lu’au and Clambake, 2,500-square-foot fitness room and spa just to mention a few. Enjoy some private time at this worldclass resort, improve your tennis game while taking in some of the most incredible views in the world and create memories that will be treasured for a lifetime.

For more information, visit www.imgacademy.com or call (800) 872-6425.

The club is open 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. daily, and can be reached at (808) 882-5420 or by visiting www.maunakeabeachhotel.com.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis Fantasies with John Newcombe and The Legends Enjoy the best tennis vacation of your life! Tennis Fantasies with John Newcombe and the Legends, the Original Tennis Fantasy Camp, is your chance to play tennis and rub shoulders with the all-time greats of the game. Join host three-time Wimbledon Champion, John Newcombe and his “mates” at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas for this most memorable tennis event. The legendary staff will include International Tennis Hall of Fame Members John Newcombe, Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, Owen Davidson, Mark Woodforde and Charlie Pasarell, as well as Grand Slam winners Ross Case, Marty Riessen, Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Rick Leach, and Murphy Jensen. Together, more than 150 Grand Slam titles and hundreds of other major championships! Learn, play and mingle with tennis royalty. Tennis Fantasies 2014 offers two great programs: n March 6-9, 2014—Tennis Fantasies for Men and Women n October 19-24, 2014—Tennis Fantasies, Men Only On-court activities include clinics, team competition, and “fantasy” pro-am matches. After tennis, guests will enjoy the “Aussiestyle” hospitality of the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch. The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch is located just outside of New Braunfels in the rolling Hill Country of central Texas, 30 minutes from the San Antonio airport. The crystal clear water of Canyon Lake is just minutes from the Ranch. Accommodations at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch are one or two bedroom condominiums or a court-side room. The Ranch has 28 deco-turf and four Har-Tru courts, eight lighted and four all-weather covered courts. For more information, visit www.tennisfantasies.net or contact Steve Contardi at (800) 874-7788 or e-mail stevec@towneproperties.com. 34

Tennis Mom/Sailing Dad After the successful launch of its junior program last spring, Tennis Mom/Sailing Dad is proud to introduce its new program, Tournaments Among Friends (TAF), which offers luxury, all-inclusive vacation packages for adults. TAF offers exclusive, full-service travel packages designed around sporting events. The “Tourna-cation” division offers vacations that follow the ATP Tour. Ring in the 2014 with the “Down Under” package, which includes a stop in New Zealand for the Heineken Open, complete with a chance to see the country. Then, hop over to Australia for some incredible sightseeing and a visit to the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open. Celebrate spring with our incredible “Jetsetter” Package. Included is a trip to The Nice Open, The Monte Carlo Grand Prix and the French Open, with optional Ferrari rentals for an overnight to Portofino, Italy from Monte Carlo. The “Tennis-cation” Division offers accommodations and tennis training, along with tournament play amongst your friends at the David Ferrer Training Academy. TAF is not just limited to tennis. TAF offers Ski-cations, Sailcations and Golf-cations. All include training, competition and desired event packages. Personally tailored customized vacations, private villa, destination of your choice fully researched & planned by TAF. Optional services such as guided excursions and spa services are available. Grab seven friends to go with you and you can go free (sans airfare)!

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

For more information, visit www.tennismomsailingdad.com.

Travels With Soha: Grand Slam Tennis Vacations San Franciscobased Travels With Soha has been crafting trips to the French and Australian Open since 1999. But these trips are not your ordinary “pack-em-into-the-tourist bus” excursions. For Soha, it is all about the personal touch, so she tailors each trip to the wants/needs of the group. The trips are very exclusive and always include the best Center Court lower level tickets. Soha, who speaks four languages, makes her clients feel at home in Paris, London and Melbourne, guiding them on exclusive wine tastings, themed walking tours and sightseeing sojourns. In 2014, Travels With Soha will head Down Under first for the Australian Open in Melbourne (a city Soha knows intimately). Accompanying the small group will be former ATP Tour players Lan Bale and Andrew Kratzmann who will conduct exceptional tennis clinics at the prestigious Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Also, on tap are a wine-tasting lunch, a private tour of the National Gallery, walking tours, Sydney Opera performances, optional trip extensions to the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand. As an Australian Open Official Agent, Soha offers front row Rod Laver and Hisense shaded corporate tennis tickets with accommodations and handles all airline booking, and visas.

Happy Holidays

& Safe Travels from all of us at

Long Island Tennis Magazine For more information, visit www.travelswithsoha.com or call 415-933-6612. LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

: e v r e Se

hT Take

f o t s e B e th

d a e h r e v O r e l l i K a r o f e v r e S r u Yo

By Lisa Dodson e’re finally at the finish of the three part series about understanding the major differences and similarities between the serve and overhead. Part I dealt with cleaning up movement, balance and preparation. Part II helped to find a great contact point for power and the ability to hit down on the ball. If you made the time to do the practical homework then your overhead and serve should both have improved by leaps and bounds. Part III will now put the finishing touches on your ability to hit a killer overhead. Once again, let’s review the major similarities and differences between the serve and the overhead.

al) n i F I II (Part

Similarities l Sideways set-up with Continental grip l Relaxed arms and legs l Use a “throwing” action with the hit arm l Power attained through use of legs, trunk, shoulders, rotation and pronation l Power is achieved by forward contact point l Potentially a power shot Differences Serve A. Stationary shot B. Drop toss and hit arms C. Contact hitting “up” D. Contact point varies E. Accurate, versatile, high percentage shot with a potential for power F. Drive up off front or both legs G. Follow through is longer

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

It’s time to concentrate on two things: How to use your legs properly to drive up and how to get a real pop at contact (Points F & G). Leg Drive These days, when serving, there are several really good options for how to use your legs. These options are dependent upon the stance that you choose to begin with. Typically, players choose one of two stances: Platform or Pinpoint Stance. Of course there are variations within these stances that we won’t be concerned with right now. The common denominator is and always will be upward drive to the ball with powerful legs.

Overhead Movement shot Raise non-dominant and hit arms Contact hitting “down” Contact point needs to be the same Overpowering shot for power

Drive up off front, both or back leg Follow through is short

With the Platform Stance, the feet are spaced anywhere between four-inches to one-foot (approximately) depending upon the size of the player and personal preference. The back foot stays put. Drive UP to the ball comes more from the front leg than the back leg. The back leg is more responsible for driving the back hip FORWARD than up although it is still a driving force (see photo below) Jason Beardslee, a USPTA Pro 1, uses a platform stance The Pinpoint Stance is very different. Players begin with their feet spaced at various distances and in different configurations. Generally, after the ball toss is initiated, the back foot steps up or is pulled up to the front foot. Now the feet are close together which potentially creates more combined driving force with both legs. When hitting an overhead, we are faced with a number of problems. First, we have to get “behind” the ball. Remember, an overhead is not really a shot that we want to contact OVER our head, but in front of our head where our eyes can see. The ideal situation is to be turned, flexed, prepared and visually tuned in. The ball is out in front of us so that we can drive up with the legs for a powerful hit. It is really much like the leg use of a Platform Stance, feet spaced for balance and a drive up more from the front leg. I have never seen anyone intentionally hit a Pinpoint Stance overhead. This would most likely end with the player unintentionally on the ground. Nowhere in the two common serve stance types did we say anything about driving up off of the back foot and leg. This is precisely what is needed on a large number of overhead hits simply because often the ball is traveling way over us and out of reach. This is a movement that needs to be learned and practiced often without hitting a ball. In this situation, the objective is to “jump back” to the hit in order to keep the ball forward of the head (at best) or to reach behind the head (often in desperation). Simply stated, when going back for a good lob, jump off the back leg (take off foot) in a backward direction. The swing directly

have more time to prepare for the return from the opposite baseline.

follows the jump and is in conjunction with body rotation. Land on the opposite foot (landing foot) which now has become the back foot through rotation. You will travel back anywhere from one to four feet in common situations. This is a must have footwork pattern for good overhead coverage (see photo below).

Lisa Dodson demonstrates a typical serve finish On the overhead, we’re looking for a true pop, a short set and snap at the ball. We want to get that racket head moving quickly by pulling the nondominant hand and arm into the body, using extreme pronation with the hit arm. The followthrough will be short and abrupt as we are creating power. We also need to be ready to volley in case the ball comes back. A short finish will accomplish all that is necessary.

Lisa Dodson is just about to take off her back/right foot to jump back, hit and land on left foot Getting that POP There is a real misconception about the finish on the serve. Players often think that the racket hand should travel all the way to the opposite hip for finish. A longer finish does not give more power. Remember that one creates racket head speed by allowing the racket head to go free. The racket head needs to travel faster than the hand. So, on the serve, we have a couple of things to remember. The racket HAND will come to a full stop (decelerate) somewhere in front of the opposite side hip. The toss hand will be somewhere behind the hip and the racket head tip will be pointing back to the back fence. Because of the toss element, the swing will naturally be a little longer than an overhead, but substantially shorter than what is commonly practiced. Players also

To sum it all up If you already love your serve, then you have the potential to love your overhead. Knowing the similarities and differences between the two strokes will give you a leg up on everyone else and allow your shots to develop naturally. In order to truly improve, you have to be willing to make changes. No one gets better simply by wanting it. Take some time to work on the parts that will create a great whole and before you know it you will have a killer overhead. Lisa Dodson is owner of The Total Serve, a USPTA Pro 1, and a formerly WTA worldranked player. She may be reached by email at ldodson57@yahoo.com or visit www.thetotalserve.com.

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

LI Region Teaches at Local Street Fairs; Offers T-Shirts to Long Island Tennis Magazine Readers Members of the USTA Eastern Long Island Region offered tennis lessons to hundreds of youngsters at the Merrick Street Fair and Bellmore Family Festival, as part of the Region’s initiative to grow the game, especially among children. USTA volunteers, including local tennis pros and high school varsity players, came out to work with children ages 10 and under. Special thanks to Syosset High

School, Calhoun High School, Grand Avenue Middle School, Carefree Racquet Club and Long Beach Tennis Center for making their pros and players available to help. If you see your picture on these pages, e-mail your name, address and t-shirt size to ustaonlongisland@gmail.com and the USTA Eastern LI Region will send you an “I Love LI Tennis” t-shirt!

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

LI Region Teaches at Local Street Fairs; Offers T-Shirts to Long Island Tennis Magazine Readers

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION

USTA Long Island Region Web Site Offers Location-Based Service New functionality on the USTA Long Island Region Web site (www.longisland.usta.com) makes it easy for online visitors to find tennis clubs and facilities with the click of a mouse. Users can now look at a map of Long Island and identify the USTA member organizations with tennis courts closest to their home or work, or to any zip code they choose. They can also get driving directions and complete contact information for each member organization, including address, phone number, Web site and more. To access the new mapping feature, please visit www.longisland.usta.com and click on “Getting Started” in the left-hand column. Then, scroll down to “Long Island Member Organizations” and click. There you’ll see a map of Nassau and Suffolk Counties with blue dots indicating Nassau facilities and red dots showing courts in Suffolk. This new Web feature is part of the LI Region’s efforts to make its site as user-friendly and comprehensive as possible, while providing all the information that local tennis enthusiasts need in one easy-to-use place. Additional information available on the LI Region’s Web site includes: l Long Island tennis news l Photos from local tennis clubs, events and activities

l Calendar of upcoming events l Application for grants that are available to fund a wide range of tennis programming l High school tennis scores and information l Tournament registration through TennisLink For more information on the USTA Long Island Region, please e-mail ustaonlongisland@gmail.com.

High School Girls Raise Breast Cancer Awareness

Participants in the Oceanside/East Meadow match wore pink Varsity and junior varsity tennis players from across Nassau County dedicated many of their October matches to breast cancer awareness thanks to an initiative of the Nassau County high 40

Oceanside High School JV girls wore their pink breast cancer awareness t-shirts during all October matches school girls coaches. Student athletes from many of the teams wore pink t-shirts and other pink clothing to show their support for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

B Y K AT H Y M I L L E R

The USTA Tri-Level League Bids Rockville Racquet a Fond Farewell he men’s Tri-Level League had six teams which played a round-robin format the weekend of Oct. 4, with the women’s five teams also playing a roundrobin format the weekend of Oct. 11. With all the court time needed for the event, I called the owners of the “closed” Rockville Racquet asking if we could rent the facility for one last hurrah at the club. They happily obliged, and we were happy to be able to play on the blue, light-buzzing courts one last time! The matches were very competitive and a great time was had by all. The winning teams will advance to a Sectional event to represent the Long Island Region over the Martin Luther King Day weekend in January. Captain Ian Shapiro led his team to victory by winning all five of their matches. Ian’s team consists of 3.5 players Josh Levin, Ravi Lam, Jemal Creary and Jody Gerber, 4.0 players Ian Shapiro, Gabe Moreira, Jeff Kee, Dan Derosalia, Vishal Lalchand, and the 4.5 players Wyn Mintz, Allan Rozner, Frank Schiraldi, Andrew Ross and David Block. It was a great team effort to go undefeated! The winning women’s team was also undefeated and came down to a nail biter in the last match with the deciding court being the 3.5 court played by Dayna Coulter and Michele Bergman winning 76, 7-5. The team is captained by Debbie Cichon who did a great job in leading her team to victory! Dayna and Michele played 3.5, along with Linda Sweeney, while Kara Parker, Cindy Gomez, Janine Buss and Monika Malgorzatta Maiellano played the 4.0 courts. Captain Debbie Cichon, Jenn Sussman and Jill Cohen

The winning TriLevel Men’s team, captained by Ian Shapiro, will advance to a Sectional event in January

The winning Tri-Level Women’s team, captained by Debbie Cichon

played the 4.5 court. Good luck to both teams at the Sectional Championship! I want to take this opportunity to thank Rockville Racquet for all the wonderful years of tennis! Over the years, they hosted many USTA adult and senior teams with many of those teams advancing to the Sectional Championship and some to the National Championship. We were happy to be able to have one last event at the facility which will be sorely missed! The Mixed-Doubles League began midOctober at the combined levels of 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0. The deadline to add to the roster is Dec. 15. The 40 & Over League will begin the first week in May and run until the beginning of

July with the 18 & Over League beginning the first week of June and running until mid-August. There will be a just a fourweek period of the leagues overlapping. We continue to try different options with the leagues to find what will work best on Long Island with the new format. All captains will be contacted by the end of January with registration information. Anyone looking to captain a new team, please let me know. Again, good luck to our Tri-Level teams as we look forward to a successful mixed season! Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Happy 70th Billie Jean Billie Jean King got a jump start on celebrating her 70th birthday (Nov. 22) recently at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with her close friends Elton John, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among the 200 attendees. Also in attendance were her partner Ilana Kloss, as well Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, Rosie Casals, Pam Shriver, Bud Collins, Mary Carillo, WTA CEO Stacey Allaster, former WTA Chief and now Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, and ABC’s “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts.

Djokovic Foundation hosts NYC event

E M I L I E

KAT Z

Campbell, Camila Alves, Goldie Hawn and Nicky Hilton. A bevy of Victoria’s Secret models, like Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Toni Garrn and Karlie Kloss were also in attendance. Anna Wintour and designer Donna Karan also took a break from their busy schedules at New York Fashion Week to round out the guest list for the charitable evening.

Stephens takes part in NY Fashion Week Sloane Stephens stepped out on the New York Fashion Week runway in support of brand Boy Meets Girl. Stephens, in a flirty purple skirt, joined actress Brittany Snow and designer Stacy Igel for the style bonanza.

Celebs at the 2013 U.S. Open Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The Novak Djokovic Foundation gala had the models mingling the day after the conclusion of the 2013 U.S. Open in New York City. Man of the hour Novak Djokovic had his fiancee Jelena Ristic by his side to host the dinner honoring his foundation, which aims to provide sports activities, nutrition and better education to the youth of his native Serbia. Despite losing the U.S. Open title to Rafael Nadal in the men’s finals a day earlier, the event was a celebratory occasion for Novak, who had the support of a good-looking cast, which included Naomi 42

The U.S. Open always brings out tons of celebrities from all genres of the entertainment world. Here is a list of some of the celebrities who were seen at this year’s installment of the Open: Henrik Lundquist, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Spike Lee, Ralph Macchio, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, David Schwimmer, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, Zachary Levi, Olivia

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Munn, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Robin Roberts, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Sean Connery, Sally Field, Judd Hirsch, Chuck Scarborough, Juliana Margulies, Kate Upton, The Iceman, Liev Schreiber, Fisher Stevens, David Duchovny, Josh Henderson, Paul Simon, Jason Biggs, Roger Goodell, Dylan McDermott, Naomi Campbell, Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Amanda Seyfried.

Gulbis calls out Djokovic Ernests Gulbis and Novak Djokovic used to be friends; Ernests once even said Novak inspired him to work harder. The two used to hang out as juniors. Not anymore according to an interview Gulbis gave to a French TV station. “I don’t like Djokovic that much. We know each other since I’m 12. He was a normal guy then, but since his first big success he changed, his eyes changed. We never fought, but I felt he changed because of success. And I don’t like people like that. I like strong characters that don’t change because of success or money. That’s why I be careful not to change myself”.

Sharapova live on Larry King Asked whether she is engaged she said: “No, not that I know of,” Maria Sharapova said on “Larry King Now.” “Not that I know of. No, I’m not engaged.

Photo credit: Kenneth Goldberg

I am dating him. He is a good player. I’ve known him for many years on the tour. I’m not engaged, no.” Sharapova discussed many other interesting topics during the interview. She said she avoids locker room friendships because she competes against the players and wants to have that edge against them. She also said she thinks she’s won a lot of matches because of her mental toughness. And what about the rivalry with Serena Williams that seemed to flare up around Wimbledon? Sharapova says there is no grudge between them and that the media has overplayed things. King also asked Sharapova about what happened with Jimmy Connors. Sharapova abruptly fired Connors as her coach after just two matches together, days after praising the legend. ”It was just not the right fit, wrong timing with my injury with everything going on,” said Sharapova. “It was just not the right time for it.”

Murray has back flare up Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Andy Murray decided to have a minor operation to sort out a disc problem in his lower back that has been bothering him for most of this year. That means it is unlikely he will play again this year missing the last four tournaments of the season in Asia, Paris and the World Tour Finals in London. Instead, he will aim to regain full fitness in time to begin his preparations for next year at his Miami base in early November. After the surgery Murray posted on Twitter: “Thanks for all the well wishes, means a lot to me...” alongside the photo of him lying in a hospital bed with both thumbs up. The 26-year-old added: “First thing I said when I came round was “did I win?” #somethingsneverchange.” Providing all has run smoothly with his surgery, Murray should be back on court

and targeting the Australian Open in January, before returning to Davis Cup duty at the end of the month when Leon Smith’s Great Britain team faces the United States.

Tweets from the pros l Serena Williams (@serenawilliams): On my way to the Dolphins game. Let’s go Miami!! l Novak Djokovic (@djokernole): So grateful to have such a great team behind me all these years! And thank you #NoleFam for love and support! HAPPY l Sabine Lisicki (@sabinelisicki): I simply have the best friends & fans!!! Got calls & messages from all over the world today! Thx for all the birthday wishes!! :-) l Daniela Hantuchova (@dhantuchova): I always have great memories especially playing doubles with one of my best friend Ai Sugiyama in her last tournament on the tour! :)) l Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): Who is ready to watch football??! l Petra Kvitova (@petra_kvitova): With the one and only Li Na in Istanbul :) l Jesse Levine (@jesselevine7): Having a blast here in Toronto helping raise money for the kids of the @IsraelTC in Israel. Always great to #giveback. l Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Not good for your confidence when you

l l

go from being a small to an extra-large overnight! #japanesesizes #asia Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): Watching tennis channel ... Why do some coaches take their racket w them to the players box to watch a match? Maria Kirilenko (@mkirilenko): Moscow!!! I’m at home!!! Happy!!! Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova): I am not a fan of cold weather, but training in the middle of the forest with yellow and orange leaves all around, it’s breathtaking!#Sweden Roger Federer (@rogerfederer): Switzerland made it to the World Cup, how happy am I on a scale 1-10? About a 25. Great effort and congratulations. Victoria Azarenka (@vika7): My warm up is your work out … Training! ;) Milos Raonic (@milosraonic): I am happy to see Mason Raymond doing well. He’s a great player but from what I have learned the last 2 years, even better person! #GoLeafs Eugenie Bouchard (@geniebouchard): Hey @justinbieber I'm in Beijing too! Sloane Stephens (@sloanetweets): My grandparents love to watch me play tennis, but I think they love watching me do yard work at their house more.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

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Manhattan/Randall’s Island - 212/427-6150 LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine 45 Westchester/Lake Isle - 914/777-5151

Getting the Most Out of the Hi By Ed Wolfarth With the high school tennis season underway and having been a high school coach, I feel eminently qualified to discuss a few salient points. In 2002, I had the distinct opportunity to coach both a boy’s team (Roslyn) and a girl’s team (Cold Spring Harbor) to County Championships in the same year. First, let’s discuss the similarities.

rankings and singles tournaments that even the most skilled players need to be taught effective doubles play and proper positioning. I’m always on the lookout for good aggressive athletes who might turn out to be effective doubles players. Many of our players have had coaches, were ranked juniors and continued to play in tournaments. They were our singles players. Everyone else vied for doubles positions. This was the case for both girls and boys.

1. Nobody knows how to play doubles! I’ve always spent the majority of practice sessions teaching the intricacies of doubles tennis. Formations, shot selection and teamwork are the keys to successful doubles play. Most of these athletes have little experience playing competitive doubles. They become so overly concerned with

2. A team sport or an individual sport? While tennis, for the most part, is a sole endeavor, it is my contention that it’s best enjoyed as a team sport. I try to make everyone feel part of a team. Practices are often team competitions with unique scoring … anything to make it fun. Players not participating in a match (alternates or any-

body not playing at a specific time) are required to watch a match and root. No homework! No watching other sporting events that might be taking place simultaneously. No player is allowed to leave a match until the results are final. We try to travel to and from matches as a team. It’s a common practice for parents to pick up their offspring after a match because of other extracurricular activities, but I tried to discourage this. We always have a team dinner after the season where we give out fun awards (most improved, best partner or best attitude) that are voted on by the players. 3. Attitude and effort! As a coach, I only require a few things of all my student-athletes—a positive attitude while competing, or better yet, no negativity. Negative energy is self-destructive and often fuels the opponent.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

igh School Tennis Experience There is the rare case when a negative attitude or behavior can be helpful. It’s often easy to accept an inevitable loss than to fight to the very last point. This is easy to monitor and I’m always on the lookout for someone who is about to quit. Down 2-6, 0-3, you’ll see it all the time. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I’m going to lose anyway, so why fight it,” the player may think. It’s all about effort and attitude … much harder to do than learn a spin-serve or effective backhand, but in the end, much more valuable. 4. Keeping everyone involved. This is a tough one. Often, alternates or anyone not playing in a match, feel left out and isolated. I always try to give everyone specific tasks. Charting a match is my favorite. A great deal can be learned by watching someone else play and objectively keeping track of unforced

errors, first serve percentages, points won at net, etc. It helps the player and the statistician as well. We have a userfriendly chart that I introduce at the beginning of the season that we all can use. After each match, I allow the player being charted and the person observing and charting, to consult. This can be very fruitful and educational. In the end, the quality of the experience for all determines if you have run a successful program or not. The wins and losses, the championships and individual honors are all just the icing on the cake. They’re nice and make you feel good, but are still secondary and transient. Of course this brings up the obvious question as to what you can learn from losing, or more importantly, how can you have a positive experience from, what seemingly appears to be a negative situation … and

there lies the problem in a nutshell! It’s so easy and seems so obvious, to associate success with enjoyment. I mean after all, don’t we all feel better and more fulfilled after we win a tennis match? Losing sucks, right? But I digress, and this can lead to another discussion. Ed Wolfarth is the director of tennis at the Meadowbrook Pointe Club in Westbury, N.Y. Besides being an active member of the USPTA Eastern Division, he is also on the regional board of the USTA Eastern Section. He holds national senior rankings in both singles and doubles, and has been USPTA High School Coach of the Year, as well as USTA Senior Player of the Year. When he’s not on the tennis court, Wolfarth is a professor of physical education and sport sciences at both Hofstra University and Queens College. He may be reached by e-mail at wolfarthe@msn.com.

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Teaching Complex Tennis Techniques … Simply and Effectively By Steve Kaplan ike many developing tennis players, you are limited by poor court movement and struggle with elbows that fly across your body. Since you’d like to correct your running mechanics, you seek professional help. You first visit a poorly-trained coach who recognizes your mistake and tells you “just stop doing that with your elbows,” followed by an inexperienced coach who gives you a series of disorganized and impossibly complex instructions. Finally, you find a truly proficient coach who instructs an effective and simple corrective cue such as, “Reach your hands in your pockets and then give a thumps up” which pulls your arms to a functionally sound position. The most effective instruction is often the simplest, and last month, Richard Thater who writes insightful and intelligent

articles for New York Tennis Magazine, wrote a piece questioning if instructors should teach “Technique or People.” While this is not a mutually exclusive choice, Richard poses provocative questions about how technical tennis professionals should teach technique and it’s a worthwhile topic to explore. The need for sound information to be effective In his piece, Richard recognizes that “a solid technical knowledge is essential to a teaching professional, but may not be useful to the people they teach.” Nevertheless, we shouldn’t forget that a solid technical knowledge is essential to a teaching professional in order to be useful to the people we teach. The most skillful teachers are trained to convey clear and appropriate advice. Complex topics of course, should be discussed off the court in the classroom or other educational forum. Last April at the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

New York Tennis Expo, thousands of astute tennis enthusiasts came together to learn more about every aspect of the sport. Gatherings like these have given me, as well as many other coaches, the desire to deepen our technical ability to simplify our on-court instruction. Some teachers with a technical background are too rigid in imposing techniques that might be fundamentally sound, but not suitable for every student, Richard points out very astutely. I’ve seen this disconnect in instructors with limited experience. However, teachers with solid educational backgrounds are information filters with the ability to adapt a message to the specific learning style of each student. The need for ongoing education to be relevant Richard reported that, at The New York Tennis Expo, famed coach Nick Bollettieri, after witnessing the technical focus of the

previous presenters, said, “The best teachers tell their students to just hit the damn ball.” I guess even the most experienced coaches can be skeptical of educational explanations that are misunderstood as models for coaching on the tennis court. Indeed, while simplified directions given at just the right time to the right student might inspire them to great performance heights, we should recognize the diversity of learning styles. For example, visual learners like to see the stroke, while kinesthetic learners like to feel the stroke. Clearly, simplicity in instruction is not quite as simple as “just hit the damn ball.” The need for education to gain wisdom Education promotes the effective and appropriate understanding of complex

down is easier or more convenient. Now, getting back to the question asked at the beginning of this discussion … just how technical should tennis professionals’ teach technique? I think Albert Einstein said it best when he said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

ideas, and ultimately, knowledge and wisdom are complimentary values. The goal is to gain wisdom through education so that we can reduce complex ideas to simpler ones. We shouldn’t confuse “simple” with “brief” and compromise the integrity of what we teach just because dumbing it

Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 34 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $8 million in college scholarship money. He may be reached by e-mail at stevenjkaplan@aol.com.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

BOLT

Lorow

BOLT is offering a special offer for the 2013 holiday season. This year, get a BOLT Racquet Bag (6-pack) for just $32 ($39 retail) or a 12-pack for just $40 ($49 retail). BOLT’s Racquet Bag is made of heavy-duty nylon construction, with a thermal racquet compartment and padded backpack straps. BOLT began in the age of modern, high-performance athletics, with the understanding that the increasing speed and power of modern sports demands more capable equipment. If cutting-edge tools and materials are employed creatively, BOLT can, and should, expect far better performance over existing products. If there’s a way to improve equipment so that athletes can train, play, and win more—all in good health—BOLT will find it.

Wish to surprise your family and friends this holiday season? Lorow allows you to do it through its range of So Crazy About frames: Design, original and sleek. Choose between different models, colors and sizes: The 33x14 ($249) or 42x17 ($299). Made of high-quality Plexiglass material, each visual, wherever displayed at home or at work, will show off your passion for tennis. For the Holiday season, Lorow offers the option of receiving your order in a nice Christmas gift box, including a Christmas card. You can also have it directly delivered to the person who you wish to offer it to. Do you wish to offer an innovative and performing tennis player partner? think TENSGO! The TENSGO allows to instantly test your racquet string tension to make sure you play in the best conditions! TENSGO is an electronic, easy-to-use device and works with right or lefthand use. Available in six fashion colors, TENSGO is a trendy tennis accessory. The TENSGO ($89.99) will be available end of January 2014 for shipment but pre-orders can be placed as of December. And if you decide to offer the TENSGO for Christmas, we will provide you a TENSGO Christmas card. Are you are a tennis club? Do not hesitate to contact us, we will be able to display the name of your club with the objects of your choices.

Go to www.boltadvance.com and use Discount Code: JINGLEBOLTMETRO.

For more information and to order, please visit www.lorow.com or e-mail info@lorow.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Pocket Radar

ServeMaster

Pocket Radar is the revolutionary training tool designed to help increase power and develop consistency on the court every day. An affordable radar gun the size of a cellphone, the Pocket Radar is the convenient and accurate tool to discreetly measure the speeds of serves, groundstrokes and volleys. Need to work on quickness attacking the net? The Pocket Radar even measures sprinting speed and acceleration. Obtain instant results-driven feedback of all the hard work you put in during practice. Help identify mechanical issues you may have with your backhand or forehand by receiving speed based results. The Pocket Radar is the training tool of choice for athletes worldwide looking to improve and find their ideal techniques through accurate measured data. The ability to easily measure before and after results provides invaluable knowledge to help raise your speed and game. The Pocket Radar provides unbiased biomechanical feedback of your performance to help build the muscle memory needed to succeed. Find the perfect balance between serve speeds to disrupt your opponent’s comfort zone. By getting a feel for how fast you should swing racquet-head speed wise, you will be able to mix speeds throughout the match and keep your opponent off their game. The Pocket Radar is accurate to +/- 1 MPH and will provide over 10,000 speed readings on a single set of AAA batteries (included). Regularly priced at $199.99, enter promo code “TMHG” at store.pocketradar.com to receive a special Holiday Gift Guide 10 percent off discount.

Why use ServeMaster? Janko Tipsarevic, ATP world ranked player says: “Acing your opponent is the quickest & most intimidating way to win a point on the pro tour. Training with ServeMaster helps me maintain a dominant serve as my biggest weapon in the game.” ServeMaster is a revolutionary new tennis tool developed primarily for mastering the serve and overhead shots. It acts as a completely flexible “racket” that gives immediate feedback on serve and stroke technique. It simply and easily teaches players of all levels efficient serve technique for power, spin and control. And best of all, ServeMaster can be used away from the court for extra practice.

For more information, visit www.pocketradar.com or e-mail info@pocketradar.com.

How does it work? It’s simple! Hold the Continental grip on the 3/8 grip provided and go slowly through your entire service motion. If you are able to keep the ServeMaster moving smoothly throughout the entire swing then you’re on the right track for good serve technique. Since it is completely flexible, flaws such as stops, erratic rhythm, inconsistent timing & poor technique will cause ServeMaster to “breakdown” and stop. With help of the online videos and instruction included, you’ll soon have a rhythmic and flowing service motion. The ServeMaster is available in three sizes for adults to 10 & under players. Academy packages and pro discounts are available. Get started today! Start training with the ServeMaster to improve your serve and ultimately your game; or better yet give one to all your tennis friends this holiday season. The ServeMaster is the perfect gift for all tennis fanatics! For more information, visit www.thetotalserve.com.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

SmashGal

Pojie—Performance Extensions

For 13 years, SmashGal has been selling ladies tennis apparel on its Web site, www.smashgal.com. Our skirts and tops are designed to flatter just about any body type. We are known for our cute print skirts, which are available with or without built-in shorts. Our sleeveless and shortsleeve tops are available in a looser and a more fitted cut. The tops coordinate with more than one skirt, so you can mix and match your outfits. We are very popular with teams because our sizes run XS through 2X. Our clothes are in-stock and affordable, and our shipping is a flat $6.95 for online orders. Shop SmashGal.com today and you’ll be looking “smashing” on the court!

Pojie performance extensions are proven to increase spin, improve control and simultaneously absorb impact for greater comfort. The Pojie’s are installed at the throat of the racquet and provide a larger sweet spot with more control and pop, and the lightweight design only adds 1.8 grams to your racquet! If you are a … n Competitive 4.5+ player, using full poly and/or a stiff racquet, complaining of a tender, tired arm? n Senior player, top-10 in the state in your age division. Want to regain a little of the power you have lost over the years? n Serious 4.0 player looking to increase your topspin. Taking lessons and have the right grips for spin, but want to get more? n 3.0–3.5 who plays five days a week in three different leagues. Tennis elbow forcing you to curtail your favorite activity? Then $15.95 for Pojie maybe exactly what you need. “The racquet is more forgiving. With Pojie, a ball hit slightly off center still goes where it should, without the device it would be a miss hit. There is definitely a ‘feel’ of more control,” said Carlos (tennis coach). “Best of all, the reduction in impact has allowed me to play the entire year injury-free for the first time in 10 years. I have tendonitis in my elbow and shoulder. But since playing with this Pojie, I have none! I’m actually hitting first serves again,” said Michael (avid tennis player). Use Promo Code “TENMAG” to receive FREE shipping when you buy two or more!

For more information, visit www.smashgal.com. 52

For more information, visit www.pojieperformance.com or e-mail support@stringadvantage.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Tennis Balance Board We hear it all the time ... the finest tennis players in the world are those who have great “balance.” However, it’s not as simple as looking at it as just “balance,” it’s a bit more complex than that. As an expert in the field of physical therapy and sports biomechanics, David Lipetz, who serves as a consultant to the sports medicine division of the USA Olympic Committee, set out to develop a product that will have a profound effect on a tennis player’s balance by manipulating their central nervous system. The Tennis Balance board, unlike other balance systems, will force the central nervous system to react specifically to the sport of tennis during the load phase of ground strokes. Once the athlete’s brain is able to “feel” the correct weight distribution through their foot, there will be an instantaneous mind body connection. Ultimately, the athlete will be able to transfer this feeling to on-court technique and notice a dramatic improvement in balance, thereby creating a more powerful, efficient stroke. For those elite players, the Tennis Balance Board is the most effective strengthening tool available to them by utilizing single limb body weight exercises while on the board. This is truly the most sports-specific approach to training the lower extremity musculature for ground strokes. The Tennis Balance Board is for every level player and is a training aid that no player should be without.

For more information, visit www.tennisbalanceboard.com.

Tennis Elbow Grease Do you have tennis elbow (scientifically referred to as epicondylitis), or carpal tunnel syndrome? Do you know anyone with tennis elbow? Now there is finally some relief for this debilitating problem. Recently introduced at the First Annual New York Tennis Expo at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., Tennis Elbow Grease is now available in retail stores across the country and online at www.eliminatetenniselbow.com. When applied to the affected area three times a day, pain relief can finally be experienced. Tennis Elbow Grease is formulated as a topical analgesic to address the symptoms of tennis elbow, as well as to aid in healing the long term underlying problems of arm and elbow pain. Utilizing a unique delivery system, the active ingredients in the TEG formula are distributed through the sub-dermal layers of the skin, where they can penetrate the affected muscles, tendons and skeletal areas. Essentially, the active ingredients in TEG target those areas in need of relief, ultimately reducing inflammation and pain. Unlike many other topical analgesics currently on the market, TEG incorporates a variety of ingredients that have been successfully proven to minimize or eliminate muscle, tendon and nerve pain. These include Glucosamine, MSM, Capsaicin, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, Camphor, Menthol, Arnica and DMSO (to aid delivery and speed the healing process). Consequently, TEG eliminates the need to buy and use multiple, less effective products. It offers efficacy, convenience and cost savings. Give Tennis Elbow Grease a try, or buy it for someone who is hoping to return to the tennis court sooner rather than later. Go to www.eliminatetenniselbow.com for more information and to shop now.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis Inside the Zone-Mental Training Workouts for Champions! By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC What if one book could change everything? It can! What if you could improve without picking up a racket? You can! What if your mental game was your best shot? Game. Changer! Tennis Inside the Zone-Mental Training Workouts for Champions includes 32 unique and fun mental skill workouts. It is an interactive journaling workbook designed to help players gain the mental edge, often the difference between winning and losing. Each workout includes quotes from the pros, key principals, mental training skills and strategy, and an experiential journal workout. Have you ever asked yourself? n How do I get the mental edge? n Why can’t I play matches like practice? n How can I play in the moment? n How can I focus better on what matters? n How can I let go of past mistakes and setbacks? n How can I learn from a big match victory or loss? If so … this book is for you! It was written for the competitive junior tennis player to provide answers and insights to real situations they encounter in competition. The book is also a must-read for adult weekend warriors, parents of players, and coaches who want to teach the mental game and are looking for rainy day chalk talk content. To order the book or get more information about how to gain the mental edge, visit www.insidethezone.com or e-mail rob@insidethezone 54

The Ace Bag Most people probably don’t think too hard about the bag they choose for their tennis gear. After all, an old backpack can do the job. But when you have a quality place to store all of your equipment, it really can improve your tennis experience. The Ace Tennis Bag is squarely aimed at recreational players and their unique needs. It aims to fill the gap between the large bulky ‘professional’ bags and, well, your old backpack. The Ace is versatile enough to keep all of your tennis equipment, as well as some personal preferences. It has six different pockets ranging in sizes and usage. We especially liked the ‘quick’ tech pocket for … you guessed it, your cell phone. It is smartly located on the carrying strap for quick and easy access. In addition, we found the bag comfortable, and for the few hours on court, we could fit all we wanted comfortably (a couple of racquets, extra can of balls, energy drink, a wallet and more room to spare). Aner Fust, the owner and creator of the bag, told us that he designed the bag out of his personal frustration. “I looked long for a bag for my needs, and could not find one,” said Fust. “Larger brands offered bags only for the pros. I’m not a pro, just a huge tennis fan who needed to carry my racket and a few extras.” After spending a day with the Ace, we were pleased with it, and think the bag does fill a gap for club players. The company is currently running a holiday promotion for the bag: 10 percent off, a free can of balls and free shipping. Use Promo Code “Holidays13” at checkout. For more information, and to purchase the Ace visit www.acetennisbag.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Add Variety to Your Training

Mixing up your practice partners for optimal results By Margie Zesinger

hat is the ideal training environment for a tennis player? An obvious response would be the ideal environment is one that offers the most individual attention and one-on-one coaching. Individual training is important, but it is only a piece of the puzzle. The optimal training atmosphere should also include a variety of players to spar with and compete against on a daily basis. From junior tennis players through the professional ranks, the ability to choose amongst a variety of peers for live ball hit-

ting sessions or practice matches is a priceless asset. My instructional tip Learn how to handle different types of balls (varying speeds and spins) by hitting with a variety of players. Mix it up and compete in practice matches against players who are better than you, at your level or below your level from day to day. At IMG Academy, it is a goal for the player to establish a 3:1 win/loss ratio in practice. The wins give the player necessary confidence, while the loss challenges them to improve specific areas of their game.

On the ATP or WTA Tour, there is often one tennis coach sitting in the player’s box. Although not visible in the box, bear in mind how many other people helped the top professionals along their journey through the endless hitting sessions and practice matches it took to get the player to the highest level of the game. Margie Zesinger has been coaching tennis at IMG Academy since 2004. Prior to joining IMG, Margie played tennis for James Madison University where she was the number one player at her school. She may be reached by e-mail at margie.zesinger@imgworld.com.

Long Island Team Takes Part in Vegas Nationals O

ver 300 open-level players from across the country competed for National Team Championships in four divisions this fall at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas. The draws were comprised of talented teams from around the nation. Up for grabs were the Men’s Open National Team Championship, the Women’s National Open Team Championship, the Men’s National 5.5 Team Championship and for the first time, the National 40 & over Open National Team Championship. The new 40 & Over Division also included a team captained by former National Open Champion Russell Heier from Long Island. “I am so thankful for two of my former National Championship team members, Tonny Van de Pieterman and Ritush Venugopal, for making the trip,” said Russell Heier, team captain. “One of the most special moments for me was

The team of Tonny Van de Pieterman, John Moorin, Mark Woldmoe, Doug Bank, Gary Antenberg, Donald Wall, Captain Russell Heier and Ritush Venugopal at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas watching Gary Antenberg and Doug Bank grind out a key straight-set victory over Texas. While serving out the match, Doug managed to show incredible heart fighting

a major back injury yet willing his team to a victory. We did not win the event, but for me, that was a special moral victory representing what our team is all about!”

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion T

he Long Island tennis community has some of the sport’s best facilities, both indoor and outdoor, and best coaches in the world. With this wealth of talent available right in our own backyard, Long Island Tennis Magazine recently took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these top coaches. What you will find below are some of the sport’s top instructors sharing their ideas and strategies from coaching those new to the game to skilled juniors, the state of tennis on Long Island, the role of the parent in a player’s development, and much more. Even the best coach can always learn an extra tip or two, and the following article will provide all players and coaches with a chance to learn from the cream of the area’s crop.

Meet the participants … Afzal Ali Deer Park Tennis & Fitness Afzal Ali is director of Deer Park Tennis & Fitness and comes from a famous tennis family in India. He has been teaching tennis for 30 years and has produced many top players such as, Leander Paes and Zeeshan Ali, as well as many top juniors from Long Island. Afzal has had the privilege to work under Harry Hopman and Dennis Van Der Meer. Howie Arons Great Neck Estates Tennis Center Howie Arons is the owner/director of Great Neck Estates Tennis Center as well as the Boys Tennis Coach of BN Cardozo High School in Bayside, N.Y. Howie has coached Cardozo for 36 years, and has the most tennis wins in New York State history with 584 wins. He was USTA Coach of the Year in 1988 and USPTA Coach of the Year in 2007. Carl Barnett Glen Head Racquet Club, Home of the Early Hit Training Center This is the 11th season of Carl Barnett’s Early Hit Training Center at Glen Head Racquet Club. Early Hit is dedicated to providing lessons, groups and 56

training in its comprehensive ALPS program. Pat Etcheberry has worked with Carl as an advisor with the ALPS training program. Carl has concluded that students learn faster when they have core fitness, flexibility and explosive strength. Early Hit not only serves juniors as the program features nationally-ranked players in the USTA Open, 40s, 60s and 70s divisions.

Ron D’Alessandro Carefree Racquet Club Ron D’Alessandro is the head pro and director of tennis at Carefree Racquet Club. Ron has more than 20 years of teaching experience, and is USPTA/USPTR Certified, specializing in teaching Cardio Tennis.

Ricky Becker Pine Hollow Country Club Ricky Becker is the director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club, High Performance Manager at Glen Head Racquet Club and founder of JuniorTennisConsulting Inc. He has coached the USTA/Eastern Boys 18’s National Team, as well as numerous top Eastern and nationally-ranked juniors. As a player, Ricky was the MVP of both the Stanford University and Roslyn High School tennis teams.

Tracie Forsythe World Gym Bay Shore Tracie Forsythe is the director of tennis at World Gym Bay Shore and has been the head tennis pro there for eight years. She was a top 10 nationally-ranked junior and after being sidelined by an injury, went on to play number one for her high school boy’s varsity tennis team. Tracie enjoyed playing for NCAA Division I Hofstra before becoming a full-time instructor. She now dedicates her time to helping her students prepare for all levels of play and assists them with preparing for their college careers.

Weylu Chang IMG Academy Weylu Chang is one of IMG Academy’s senior coaches and has been coaching at IMG since 2011. He was also a former student of IMG Academy who played on the ATP Tour for three years.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Jay Harris Sportime Jay Harris is the regional manager of Sportime Syosset and Bethpage. Jay was the head men’s coach at Brown University for eight years prior to moving to

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion New York. He left Brown in 2010 as the most successful coach in the 100-plus year history of that school’s program, having led the team to its highest national ranking ever (33), to two straight Ivy League Titles, and to seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2005, Harris was named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the National Coach of the Year Award. Jay coached five singles players and 15 different doubles teams to the national rankings, including one All-American team. One of his players recently advanced to his second consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance, having been ranked in the top 50 on the ATP Tour. Before Brown, Harris coached at Bowling Green State University, where one of his players was Sportime’s own Regional Director of Tennis Mike Kossoff. At Bowling Green, Harris was named the 2002 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year after leading his squad to MAC Titles in 2000 and 2002. A former successful collegiate player at the University of Cincinnati, Jay moved to Miami University where he was an assistant women’s tennis coach, while earning his master’s degree in 1996 with a concentration in sports psychology. In addition to coaching many of the nation’s top tennis players, Jay has also worked with many athletes as a Peak Performance Consultant to enhance psychological skills, such as visual imagery, anxiety regulation, self-talk and goal-setting. Steven Kaplan Bethpage Park Tennis Center Steven Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 35 years, Steve has been the long-time coach of more than 600 nationally-

ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division I Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $8 million in college scholarship money. Whitney Kraft USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Since 2007, Whitney Kraft has been the director of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. and director of player operations for the U.S. Open. Previously, he was director of tennis for the City of Fort Lauderdale Park & Recreation Department (1998-2007). He was a 1983 Singles AllAmerican for Florida Atlantic University, and inducted into their inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class in 2006. He is a National 10 & Under Trainer, a USPPTA Platform Tennis instructor, member of the Beach Tennis USA Board of Advisors, as well as a member of the National Cardio Tennis Speakers Team. A USPTA member

since 1983, Whitney served as district director for Broward County, Florida and as president of the local CTA, Broward Tennis Association. Whitney has been the tournament director for many prestigious events, including the National Public Parks Tennis Championships (2007), ITF World Championships (2002), the inaugural U.S. Open National Sectional Playoffs (2010), USTA Boys 14 National Clay Court Championships (2000-2007) and the USTA National Open Clay Court and Indoor Championships (1998-present). Ed Krass College Tennis Exposure Camps Ed Krass coached the Harvard Women’s Tennis Team to four consecutive Ivy League titles from 19861090. Ed is the founder and director of the 25th Annual College Tennis Exposure Camps, which are taught exclusively by all Head College Coaches for high school-aged players (1518). Ed is also the founder of One-On-One Doubles tournaments, which have been played at USTA, ATP, ITA and USPTA national events.

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2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion Lauren Rothstein Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham Lauren Rothstein is a tennis professional at Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham. Lauren has played tennis her entire life and attended Indiana University where she was captain of club tennis team, increasing team participation by more than 350 percent. Lauren led her Indiana University team to national tournaments in North Carolina and Arizona. Butch Seewagen CATS—Children’s Athletic Training School/Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy Butch Seewagen is owner of CATS—Children’s Athletic Training School and Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy in Rockville Centre, N.Y. He is a former U.S. Amateur Champion, coach of Ivy League Champion Columbia University, and a top 70 in the world competitor, having played the U.S. Open 13X reaching the semifinals

of doubles and was among the last 32 in singles. Tonny van de Pieterman Point Set Tennis Tonny van de Pieterman is director of tennis operations for Point Set Tennis. He has been at Point Set for three years and is the coordinator of Point Set’s flagship competitive junior program, TTP. He has been coaching top juniors and adult players alike on Long Island’s south shore for the past 10 years. Previously, he coached at the famous Harry Hopman Tennis Academy in Saddlebrook, Fla. before taking residence in Long Beach, N.Y. Jay Wass SportsPro Summer Camps & Eastern Athletic Club Jason Wass is a USPTA Professional Certified Instructor, with experience coaching all ages and levels. A graduate of the USTA High Performance Player Development program, Jay’s strengths lie

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

in working with players in developmental stages of the game, building player’s technique and strategy from the ground up. Jason’s versatility as a tennis coach is demonstrated by his list of students that range from total beginner to nationally-ranked. Named the 2010 USTA Long Island Tennis Professional of the Year, Jay is the director of tennis for SportsPro Summer Camps and Head Professional at Eastern Athletic Club in Dix Hills. He can be reached by e-mail at jwass@sportsprocamps.com or by phone at (516) 972-9036. Phillip Williamson Ross School Tennis Academy Phil Williamson, a Mount Vernon, N.Y. native, has been a veteran tennis pro for the past 15 years. After a stellar junior playing record in the USTA Eastern Section and the National American Tennis Association (ATA), he moved onto a historical record at Columbia University (capturing their first Ivy title in 12 years, then again before graduating in 1987). After several years on the ATP Tour, Grand Slams and Davis Cup play, Phil has used these experiences, coupled with a P1 USTA Certification and High Performance training, to offer the best tennis information and education to our youth. With former directorships at Westchester and NYC clubs (Hastings on the Hudson and Tennis Club of Riverdale, respectively), Phil taught another eight years at the Grand Slam Tennis Center in Bedford, N.Y. (an Ivan Lendl facility) before landing his present position as the head coach of the Ross School Tennis Academy in East Hampton, N.Y.

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion The roundtable ...

Question: What role should a parent play in their child’s tennis development? Afzal Ali: The parent should encourage their child’s tennis game whether their child plays well or not, whether they’re having a good day or a bad day. Emotional support is the key for a child’s development. Howie Arons: The key word in this question is “parent.” A parent should always, above all else, be there for their children. As a child progresses in tennis and begins to compete more, the role of a parent also changes. Children have to get to tennis lessons and tournaments and need help with planning their time and balancing school schedules, this requires lots of time on the part of parents. Tournaments are always on weekends and traveling becomes a major consideration. As a tennis coach and parent, the best advice that I was ever given was “Do not coach your own child, be the parent.” Well, I listened to that advice and got the best coaches I could for my two sons, and both became Division I players in college. As a child progresses in the world of junior tennis, lots of pressure is created by the juniors themselves, they don’t need a parent telling them what they need to do in order to improve their game. That type of coaching should be in the hands of their coach. We want our kids to love tennis, the

more the junior loves to play the better player they will become. We want our kids to love to play tennis and good positive parental support will help create that passion. Be there for your children as a parent, treat winning and losing the same. Do not hype out on rankings, numbers or other players. Focus on your child as a person and you are there to totally support that person. The risk of getting too involved with your child’s tennis is not worth it. I can’t tell you how many juniors just quit or don’t progress because of negative parental interaction. Enjoy being a parent and let the coaches take care of the coaching.

Ron D’Allesandro: I think parents should have a very active role. More parents should watch the progression of their child’s tennis development, and keep an open line of communication with their pro as to how they can maximize their child’s potential. I always try and encourage parents to, at the very least, come and watch their child’s lessons, so they can see the hard work that goes into every hour on the court. Butch Seewagen: A book of considerable size could be written on this very subject. I have experienced parents at total

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion opposite ends of the involvement spectrum. I had parents of a player I coached at Columbia who never watched their son play even though he was good enough to be ranked number one in the East. I also knew parents who were involved 24/7, totally living vicariously through their son’s achievements. Surprisingly, both players went on to play professionally. Neither approach would be recommended. Somewhere in the middle is our goal—parents who are supportive with tennis, yet always keeping in mind the bigger role of parenting. Parents play the most important role in any child’s life. Perhaps, the biggest help a parent can be is in choosing the right coach for their child. Parents should invest in a good amount of time on research before making this important decision. The coach is the linchpin for this team. Once a coach is selected, the parents should step aside and let the coach be the quarterback. Now, the parents are the ones who give unconditional support making sure the growth process is fun. Pressure is taken off the athlete by prioritizing long term improvement over short term wins and losses Phillip Williamson: My personal belief is

that parents should be a major support group. I understand that there are so many different cultures and parent/child relationships and that one size cannot fit all. But my first thought is that parents (if in a fairly “normal” relationship with their kids–love them and have the child’s best interests at heart) can be the most influential role models in a young player’s life. I prefer to get to know that relationship between them first and work with it to the betterment of the player before I question a parent’s role. If it doesn’t work out, then and I have no problems deciding to ask them to take a step back if necessary or get involved more if needed. Question: What are the biggest positives and negatives about the current state of tennis on Long Island? Ricky Becker: I think the biggest positive is that there are more good coaches coming to the Long Island area than leaving. It’s great for everyone. I think the biggest negative though is that too many people now have multiple coaches which limits development. Jay Harris: One of the biggest positives driving the future of Long Island tennis is

the current state of 10 & Under tennis. I just watched a great commercial put out by the ITF comparing tennis and other sports such as baseball, soccer, and basketball making small children look rather silly in big stadiums and arenas, making the point that other sports don’t make small children play like adults, so why does tennis. Clubs all across Long Island are upgrading equipment and facilities, and thus, their ability to develop young children in environments where they can have fun and learn proper techniques early on. I recently heard John McEnroe think out loud stating that if kids played on these courts at younger ages, they would undoubtedly develop better volleying and all-court skills instead of learn early on that tennis is played far behind the baseline. Ten & Under Tennis not only drives the future of tennis, but it also drives the tennis business and as more clubs become aware of the importance of this, more clubs will run great programs. And that will be great for Long Island kids! As these kids become skilled in these experiences, they will develop toward tournament tennis and there are many great environments on Long Island to

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion keep the building process going. I admittedly am a little biased here as my favorite player growing up was John McEnroe, but the fact that he is now out on long island working with junior players is just incredible. I have had the opportunity to be on court with John, working with kids, and I would never have imagined how good he really is working with kids of all levels. He of course is a tennis genius, one of the greatest players of all time and the best commentator on TV right now for sure, but he also just loves the game. Working with the likes of Noah Rubin and Jamie Loeb in his new Academy has been great to watch, as have been his efforts to build the ties to the inner city areas and other pipelines to attract the top American talent. Having the likes of the McEnroe Academy right in the backyard of Long Islanders brings up another issue. Like the struggle in the U.S. to get different academies to work together, Long Island faces the same conflict. There is intense competition amongst clubs for the top kids, which of course doesn’t allow the top kids to train together. This hurts the dayto-day development of our kids and puts us at a disadvantage. Overcoming this is no small feat, but for now, Long Islanders do have the ability to play USTA sectional tournaments pretty much right down the street (as compared to my friends in my Midwestern hometown!). This allows these top players to grapple from time to time, and this competition remains very important in their development.

facilities, top programs and dedicated players. The spotlight of the tennis universe is nearby at the U.S. Open for two weeks every year, and that is an incredible opportunity for Long Islanders. Long Island and New York Tennis Magazine presented the First Annual New York Tennis Expo last spring (which I hope will be an annual event), and it is events like this that helps to drive increased interest in the sport. QuickStart programs are giving very young players the chance to see tennis as fun at an early age and that is important for the sport to grow. On the negative side, the economic crunch has impacted tennis participation on much of Long Island. Unemployment, rising healthcare and ridiculously inflated college costs, have reduced Long Islander’s discretionary incomes. While many indoor facilities deliver great value with top programs, operational costs are rising quickly. It’s a challenging economy for everyone. New York City has extensive programs like City Parks Foundation and NYJTL which address the need to create opportunities for players based first, on economic need.

Many Long Island clubs provide scholarships to players based primarily on ability as a marketing tool. This is terrific for the players and their families, but it shifts resources more than it creates needed new opportunities to grow the game. Jay Wass: I think the biggest positive about Long Island is the amount of great people who are involved in all aspects of the game. We have world-class coaches, talented players, dedicated parents, loyal volunteers and a passion that creates many memorable moments throughout the Island. Long Island Tennis Magazine has brought a new level of excitement to the Long Island tennis community. They have shined a light on many of the great programs and stories that before, would have gone untold or unseen. Since its inception a few years back, Long Island Tennis Magazine has done an unprecedented job of helping tennis professionals, programs, facilities, and most importantly, the growth of tennis on Long Island. Negatively, passion can bring about controversy and ill will. However, in the long run, the more the tennis community works together, the better off we all will be.

Steven Kaplan: I’m cautiously optimistic about the state of tennis on Long Island. On the positive side, tennis is ingrained in Long Island culture, as people love and appreciate the value of the sport. Tennis is a part of the overall educational experience for many children and a strong core of adults see the health and fitness benefits. We have a high concentration of LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion Question: What does American tennis need to do to develop top professional players? Carl Barnett: We need to start by developing more top juniors with college first in mind. Then, natural selection will separate the pro level prospects from the college players. It didn’t hurt that number 14 John Isner, the highest ranked American, went to the University of Georgia. The reality that we have only two of the top 80 ranked men in the world is a result of the fact that less than half of our college scholarships go Americans. It’s ironic a very large portion of foreign scholarship students didn’t make it as pros only to turn to our colleges. Many may also spend a short period in college to leave with greater maturity like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Jay Harris: I think one has to start with the USTA and how they operate and are seen by current pros, by professional coaches, and by junior parents and players. Jose Higueras, USTA national coach, was recently quoted explaining his confusion as to why the USTA is hated so much. It’s a great question of course, and it’s also a big problem. I spent a lot of time this past

U.S. Open around John McEnroe Academy member Noah Rubin, around Rhode Island native Jared Donaldson, and around my former Brown University player and current member of the ATP Council, Jamie Cerretani. In that time, one thing rang true … the USTA is not seen as an organization that is great to work with. They haven’t been clear with their vision, they don’t communicate well with “non-USTA” coaches across the country, and they don’t really go out and help a majority of current U.S. professional players. This has to change if the major developmental center of American tennis talent is going to achieve what other countries are doing. We have to act at least like we like each other here in America to give us a chance to work together and build talent. There are some great tennis organizations and minds in this country. If they come together a bit more, great things can be done, but if they continue to compete, then American tennis will continue to be at a disadvantage. Weylu Chang: I think American tennis has lost its hunger. Tennis is a rigorous game and you have to be very strong physically and mentally. I think the younger gen-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

eration of Americans feel more entitled these days. You see the kids from other countries, some of them come from less and they work incredibly hard for everything. That work ethic translates to their oncourt lifestyle, too. They never quit and never stop reaching for the next goal, because the goal they’re reaching for comes with their lifestyle. So what young American players need in their development is greater motivation. Through all levels, as coaches, we need to keep then motivated. We need to help them strive for more and teach them that this race is a marathon; not a sprint. The work, struggle and obstacles are great, but so is the reward. Question: Is it easier to teach a highly-ranked player or a beginner/lower-end player? Steve Kaplan: The conversation has always been that the best coaches ascend to coach the best players, and if you coach top players, then you must be a top coach. In reality, while the skills are different, teaching a beginner well requires as much knowledge and skill as teaching a top player. Beginners require more information in-

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion tensive instruction and they are often limited by their athletic skill and functional mobility. Teaching a beginner safely and skillfully requires a knowledgeable and patient instructor. Sadly, because many beginners lack the experience to judge the quality of their instruction, some instructors are more “personality” than skill driven. Top players need facilitation and coaching. They develop with court time opportunities, motivation, competition, technical, tactical, emotional skill development, and fitness and conditioning. Very often, the most important factor in the development of top players is the creation of an environment and culture of hard work, dedication and performance excellence. One of the greatest challenges the sport faces to grow is providing top quality and professional instruction to players of every level. Whitney Kraft: Both provide exciting challenges. A particular coach’s skill set may best answer this question. A High Performance-certified coach would feel more adept with an advanced player, but may feel ill-equipped with a beginner if they haven’t worked recently with this demographic. The toughest lesson is the player with entrenched muscle memory of poor technique that has to be re-tooled. Conveying the fact to this student that they must first get worse to get better and not worry about short-term results will aid in the process of their improvement. Ed Krass: It is easier to teach an experienced Tournament player only if he is open to receiving feedback and he/she trusts you and likes your style and delivery of teaching the finer points of the game. This player will need more work on the higher levels of strategy (shot selection, shot placement and anticipation pointers). For most coaches, it may be easier to teach a less experienced player because that player’s learning curve will be that much

greater. In other words, they will have a lot more to learn in regards to footwork and shot-making techniques. Lauren Rothstein: Above all, the easiest player to teach is one who has a real desire to listen, learn and improve. However, strong points can be presented for both answers. The benefit of teaching a beginner is that the student’s game is completely raw, so teaching proper technique and fundamentals can be easier. The benefit of teaching a highly ranked player is that a coach is usually just refining skills that have already been successfully developed. The rate of success when teaching new skills is also quicker for the more advanced player. Butch Seewagen: Having coached several players who eventually reached top 50 in the world and hundreds of beginners, I can confidently state that it is easier to teach beginners. The simple reason is that we are starting with a blank slate—no bad habits or opinions to change. It’s funny, but most people assume it is more fun to teach the gifted player. However, I find that the player who is most responsive to improving gives me the most satisfaction. Pros

who have big egos and who live vicariously through their students will choose the ranked player, but for me, the most important thing is the player who loves the game, wants to improve, and trusts me, the coach. Question: Who are the greatest players of all-time on each surface (clay, hard, and grass courts)? Afzal Ali: The greatest players of all time on each surface I feel are Rod Laver on grass, Roger Federer on a hard court, and Rafael Nadal on clay. Howie Arons: All of the pros on our staff had fun with this question. Unquestionably, the answer is very easy for clay courts: Rafael Nadal. On hard courts and grass courts, the answer is not as transparent. Both Sampras and Federer have each won seven Wimbledon titles and five U.S. Opens. The difference is that Federer also won two more Australian Opens. Let’s give Federer the edge and call him the best ever on hard courts; however, Sampras is a very close second. On grass, they are also microscopically close. After much debate, I feel that Pete Sampras was the best ever

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion on grass. The difference was the heaviness of the Sampras serve, clearly the best. Ron D’Allesandro: On clay, I would say Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert. On grass, it would have to be Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova. And on hard courts, I would give it to Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf. Tracie Forsythe: Statistically, the greatest hard court singles players would be Serena Williams and Roger Federer. Serena has a combined 10 championships on hard surfaces and Federer has a total of nine championships. Chris Evert and Rafael Nadal would be obvious choices for clay. Nadal has won the French Open eight times and Evert has won it a total of seven times. For Wimbledon’s grass surface, the players with the most singles titles are Martina Navratilova with nine, and Pete Sampras and Roger Federer tied with seven titles each. If I had to pick an overall great though, I would have to go with Navratilova. She has had a career that has spanned over the course of three decades, with a combined win total of all the Slams in singles, doubles and mixed-doubles of 59 titles.

Jay Harris: On clay … most today would think this is a slam dunk question and would immediately anoint Rafael Nadal as the greatest clay courter ever, having won seven French Open Championships in seven trips to the finals. But let’s not forget Bjorn Borg who won six French Opens in six trips to the finals, and we will never know how many more he would have won had he not retired at the age of 26. He was 49-2 at the French Open, and at one point, actually won 41 straight sets on the red clay. Not even Rafa has done that. But two facts remain … Borg did retire early and Rafa still has more years to come. Nadal is now 52-1 at the French and also essentially dominates every other clay court event as well. On grass … again, many will be quick to choose the easy route and go with Roger Federer, but we have to dig a little deeper and make sure we look on the women’s side here for the greatest grass court performers, and we will find a great debate. Martina Navratilova and her record nine Wimbledon Titles is impressive, but what may be more impressive is Steffi Graf’s seven titles in nine years over the likes of Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and

Monica Seles. Having said that, I have to go with my heart and still pick Pete Sampras and his seven titles and 57-1 record in a nine-year span as the greatest grass court player ever. On a hard court … if you ask me who the most fun to watch are I would have to go with John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. But looking at overall results, I have to give it to Federer. He has won nine Grand Slam titles on hard court and has dominated many summers of hard court tennis. Whitney Kraft: On clay, Bjorn Borg was the best, with his simple seldom miss strategy of hitting heavy topspin balls crosscourt and then occasionally hitting down the “middle” and Chris Evert with pin-point accuracy and immense patience and mental focus. On hard courts, I would have to say Andre Agassi with his directional patterns and clean ball striking and Steffi Graf with her super slice backhand, big forehand and competitive spirit. On grass, I give it to Pete Sampras with his great serve and running forehand combined with impeccable volleys and Martina Navratilova with the “automatic” lefty add point and her ahead of her time physicality. Question: What traits must a top player possess, mentally and physically, to set them apart? Carl Barnett: The number one quality of an elite player is focus. Everything starts between the ears. Focus on one sport as a junior. Focus learning strokes, focus on footwork, on playing dynamics, in practice, diet and rest. Focus in the training room. This will develop an unrelenting self-belief that will carry them through their toughest competition. Ricky Becker: A top-player must believe they are better than anyone they play. Respect everyone and fear no one. They must feel they are better physically and work harder than their opponent, and therefore,

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2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion deserve to win! A top-player must be able, quick and flexible enough to defend. Matches are won/lost on forced and unforced errors. Weylu Chang: I have been fortunate enough to have grown up and work near players that have made it to the top. Of course, there are a multitude of characteristics that contribute to why someone reaches the highest level. Those characteristics include a strong work ethic, positive attitude, responding positively to adversity, great physical gifts, strength, speed and power. A player doesn’t have to possess all of those attributes, however they need to have more than one of them to succeed. But the one universal quality that I see all successful professionals possess is a sense of priority. A true professional has one priority; being a professional. For the successful pro, all of their decision-making relative to tennis revolves around not jeopardizing their immediate or longterm goals. It’s more than just showing up to train each day, it’s a lifestyle that influences their decision making on and off the court.

Ed Krass: A player must possess the body language of a champion, whether winning or losing, a fighter’s mentality to win the long-ball rallies, and be able to anticipate and be quick around the court. A player can stick-out in the process by their ability to play successful, first-strike Tennis … and compete to win rather than play not to lose … and this is the noticeable difference in how a player can ultimately prepare for a successful junior and college tennis career. A player should not fear getting passed when attacking the net on the “right” balls, as a forcing transition game is often missing in today’s competitive game of singles. In doubles, to truly stick out and separate yourself from the pack, a junior needs to learn how to play serve-and-volley doubles and also learn to close to the midcourt after returning … this takes energy, confidence, practice and execution … this is the highest (and most exciting) level of playing competitive doubles, whether you are male or female! Lauren Rothstein: Top tennis players must be willing to make sacrifices. They need to be focused and commit to a long journey of highs and lows. Great players

must constantly strive for success but be able to accept losses. They must thrive on a challenge. Successful players understand the importance of mental strength. They know that the difference in winning and losing may be in their head, and that they must always stay positive and mentally tough. Top players focus on their effort, not their outcome because they know that they will be successful in the long run with that attitude. They have developed a high level of self-confidence that sets them apart from their less successful peers. Phillip Williamson: The traits start to differ as you get into the top 50 and above. Suffice it to say we all should have the traits of the top 100. There is nothing bad about having the traits needed to be there. Determination, focus, commitment, perseverance, heart, grit … these all seem like required traits. It starts becoming a job at some point (past the top 30) and you have to sacrifice more of your life (a pretty good one at that) for a small incremental increase in rankings; money. Many think the money is worth it and sometimes don’t do well because that’s the motivation. Others may do well because it money is the motivation.

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion There is no one silver bullet. Again, one size does not fit all. But on the men’s Tour, you have to want to kill lots of little Indians to get to be chief just for the day. And do it all over again the next day/week. Some can stomach the bloodshed, but for so long before expecting the some major spoils. Sometimes money is not an issue. It’s just the lifestyle after a while. There are easier ways to make the same money; legally and illegally (Wall Street). It all depends on why you play. That’s a different answer for some many different people all over the world. Physically, it almost seems easier to play. We talk about how physical the game is; and it is for the top 30. But because more players run more and train more than in the past makes that the norm. So everyone is already more health conscious than in the past, so being in better shape than in the past is no feet. To set oneself apart physically has to start with the willingness mentally to play that way. The body cannot go where the head won’t! So the physical achievements are not so great considering the courts are larger and the surfaces are slower. That being said, to set oneself apart physically, a player takes on a determination not to far from the Lance Armstrong’s

and Alex Rodriguez’s (on the physical level). They would have to work as hard as they want to win; or hate to lose. Not many are willing to do that; go through that much pain for the money or the pride of victory. So we seem to marvel at those that do. But the question remains, would they go through the same hurdles if the prize money and endorsements were not there; like with their predecessors? Question: What parts of the game have evolved and what parts have grown worse or have disappeared entirely over the past decade? Ricky Becker: There is no doubt that tennis continually gets more physical as time goes on and being in great shape is a prerequisite for reaching one’s potential. However, with the increased use of super tie-breakers instead of third sets, the importance of stamina has unfortunately been diminished. Agility, speed and power training is now more important. With people coming to the net less frequently there are definitely less players comfortable at the net. Whitney Kraft: Aggressive baseline groundstrokes and return of serves have

evolved, while serve and volley singles tennis has virtually disappeared. As well, overall volley skills (particularly touch and angle) have regressed. Ed Krass: Over the past decade, I would say that most competitive juniors are not finishing enough points at the net during their singles matches as most of them are way too one-dimensional from the baseline. I like to train junior players how to volley the midcourt ball and make them get better feeling “uncomfortable” with plenty of repetitions in their half-court, serve-and-volley singles drills and games (One-on-One Doubles). This way, the junior players will have game plan “B” and “C” when needed against players who are a bit steadier than them off the groundstroke exchanges. You are seeing too many balls that bounce around the middle of the court, go “unattacked” where no approach shot was even attempted. This type of conservative play doesn’t develop our players for all-court college tennis. Jay Wass: The baseline game and the overall physicality of the game have evolved tremendously over the last decade. The combination of power and

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion consistency is staggering, but it makes for long, entertaining points. Contrary to that, the serve and volley game that was prominent while Pete Sampras was playing, has all but disappeared. Therefore, the general importance of the volley has taken a bit of a step back as of late, at all levels of the game. Question: How prevalent do you think performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are in professional tennis and what do you feel should be done about them? Steve Kaplan: Advances in sports athleticism are evolutionary by nature and credit goes to progress in cultural resources, training methods, nutrition, sports science and equipment technology. When performance revolutions happen, the last 50 years tells us PEDs are lurking in the shadows. The Soviets said that their new domination of the Olympics starting in the late 60s were the result of plyometric training, and many Eastern bloc Olympic female power lifting records at the height of the steroid craze in the 80s still stand today. Barry Bonds said that he hit 75 home runs while his head swelled to the size of a melon by “just training hard.” They lied. The latest vogue explanation for the rise of tennis ultra athletes are “gluten free” diets and racket technology. Sorry, but cutting out bread does not make you a superhero and doesn’t improve performance unless you have clinical Celiac disease. Powerful rackets do not create the incredible speed, strength, endurance, recovery and lean muscle mass of today’s male and female players possess. So how are tennis players getting away with doing PEDs? Consider that Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France races while running the most sophisticated drug program in the history of sports and is “most tested” athlete in the history of sports, yet he has never tested positive for steroids. The cheaters are always ahead of the testers. James Blake agrees. “In tennis, I think I’m sure there are guys who are doing it and

getting away with it and getting ahead of the testers,” said Blake. Many players believe that tennis protects its stars. Former Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash said, “Suspicion among the other players had long been a riff that Agassi may have used some substances to help him become one of the fittest and strongest guys around.” Cash later calls Agassi’s “wrist injury” before the 2002 Australian Open “suspicious.” The talk has long been that tennis polices its own with silent suspensions and it’s being said by some very knowledgeable former players like Yannick Noah. On the subject of suspicious, I wonder how Rafa hurt his knee badly enough to be out for nine months, yet he didn’t go under the knife like every other athlete with a significant knee injury. He proceeds to come back to dominate on hard courts with newly rehabilitate knees? At almost the same time Marion Bartoli mysteriously “retires” after winning Wimbledon? Nick Bollettieri is quoted as saying, “If I said tennis is totally clean, I would be kidding myself. I would say there are certainly some short cuts being taken. Not that many but it would be crazy to think differently. John McEnroe admitted in his book that he used steroids “unknowingly” for many years

and had this to say “you can tell when someone has been on steroids, when a guy bulks up, has a new body and never gets tired. You see these guys or girls who come on to the tour talking about their training programs and their diets, where they eat this or that new thing, but they’ll never tell you about the drugs they took.” Christophe Rochus summed it up PED use on tour when he said, “There’s a lot of cheating. Simply people don’t like to talk about it … I simply would like to stop pretending. The hypocrisy is exasperating.” Lauren Rothstein: With scheduled and random drug tests on the professional tour, tennis fans are lead to believe that PEDs are not very relevant. However, there has been a lot of criticism about the loopholes and transparency in the minimal testing for a physically demanding 11-month sport. Multiple top players have publically voiced their support for increased testing. It is very conceivable to believe that players have been working with doctors to pass drug tests while still injecting their bodies with strength enhancement and recovery drugs. More drug tests and stricter rules would help prevent players from getting away with what could be going on behind the

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion scenes of every tournament now. If drug tests were a higher priority in the sport, this could solve the potential loopholes and transparency of testing to maximize the fairness and integrity of tennis. Butch Seewagen: Sorry, I have no knowledge or experience with performance enhancing drugs in tennis. Tonny van de Pieterman: I am afraid that PED’s are more prevalent in professional tennis than thus far has come to light. Every “big money sport” has their fallen heroes, and I suspect tennis will be no different. Since tennis has become so much more of a physical test, the temptation is definitely present. However, I hope I am wrong. As far as what to do about it … more education on the negative effects of PEDs will hopefully scare junior players from going down that path. Also, the punishments that guilty players receive should include forfeiting prize money over a period of time. I hope these “dirty” athletes will get sued by companies for endorsement money as well. Phillip Williamson: It’s impossible to know for sure how prevalent they are in the sport

unless you are on inside the locker rooms to see the players before and after matches. You need to see the player preform over a period of time and see their ups and downs; their normal recovery rates of the past compared to present ones before coming to a fair conclusion. However, for those of you that will believe a celebrity player talk about this very subject in another venue (his own club), let me say this: Having worked for Ivan Lendl at his Grand Slam Tennis Club for over eight years, it was a pleasant surprise to see him chair periodic staff meetings at the beginning of this year when previously I had seen him at his club but twice in seven years. Maybe Andy Murray had something to do with that. The staff had the opportunity to ask him a variety of questions and the topic of PEDs came up. It was not surprising that Lendl (in his normally straight-forward and dry manner) expressed no surprise that the lower ranked players (which he didn’t really describe who that is) most definitely will do whatever they can to get an edge and it’s maybe even worth the risk financially since not many are noticing them since they are ranked lower. He paused and then said he is not sure if the top players (again not identifying anyone but alluding to

the top five or even three would take such a risk since they are jeopardizing so much more money and future careers. He thinks they would be foolish to take such risks. I would agree with the first part of Mr. Lendl’s statement. But pertaining to the latter, we thought it was foolish for someone like Lance Armstrong to do what he did also. But he did. How many are there out there that thing like him that we don’t know about? Hmmmmm? It seems the Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez got caught with his hand in the cookie jar a second time! So why do we think tennis is any different? It’s not about tennis. It’s about the money! As long as the financial gain is there, there will be those that will win at all costs, because for some, winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. With that mantra going around there will be doctor’s that need to make money at any cost and “athletes” that do whatever it takes for what they think is success at any cost. So it’s not just the athletes. The doctor’s allow this to happen and there would be no PEDs with the doctors’ complicity. So let’s question why doctors! As long as the sport is marketed as a business (which is a bottom line approach) then there will be PEDs. The only thing to do about it is to penalize those that violate the rules severely. Punished severely means a life ban. Life bans maybe the only way to diminish the use of these things. But the industry will not allow that since there is still too much to gain financially from a player retiring early (due to a drug violation) and then coming back (out of retirement) to create more of a profit potential for the sport; especially if they were a marquee player. Everyone loves a comeback! Question: What are some of the positives and negatives of 10 & Under Tennis? Carl Barnett: The positives are that kids can start playing tennis much younger than 10 years old. It is easy for administrators to sell parents at an earlier age. The drawback is it isn’t necessary for really talented kids ages

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion seven and up who can play full-court already. Ron D’Allesandro: The positives are that the children are having success hitting the ball much quicker and at an earlier age with the low compression balls. They are learning to rally and play games at a faster rate, than they would with a standard tennis ball. Negatives are trying to convince the parents that using the low compression balls is not a step backwards, if their children have used a regular tennis ball prior to participating in the 10 & Under program. After a few lessons, they are usually convinced that it is a fantastic program. Tracie Forsythe: I personally love most of the concepts that 10 & Under tennis uses. The age appropriate racquets and balls can really be a great option for younger players who are experiencing the game as beginners. The games and ideas for lesson plans that the USTA has created, as well as a number of teachers who post great things for the program on the Internet have made it possible to keep things fun and exciting, while still teaching children the important skills necessary for the game. I do feel however, that it is important to recognize the youngsters that show the skill and ability to play with regulation balls and use a full court. There are many kids I’ve come across in my 15-year career teaching that show a great talent for the sport and have been fully capable of using the regular balls. I think it’s crucial to make sure these kids are exposed to the equipment they will be using in their futures as junior tennis players as early as possible.

cess with the red balls for a year or so. At age seven, they will briefly play with the orange ball and are ready for the green dot ball very quickly. I am not a big fan of the orange ball, but I find the green dot ball excellent. We are using it even with the 11-12 year old beginners. For the better nine- and 10-year-old children who can manage regular balls and a full court, a great disservice has been delivered by the USTA’s hard line on green dot ball tournaments. They are missing out on their own tournaments now and are trying to compete in the 12 and under events. If they lose too much there, we might lose a generation to the effects of early and often failure. Question: How can we grow tennis participation on Long Island? Afzal Ali: To grow tennis participation on Long Island, we have to make private and group lessons more affordable. Every three months or so, the Island’s tennis clubs should give a free clinic to non-club members, only for an hour or two, and the general public will appreciate it. Howie Arons: Tennis is growing on Long Island, and we can see that growth at the various tennis facilities in Nassau and Suffolk.

Businesses and organizations should take advantage of Long Island Tennis Magazine as I do. They have the largest voice in the tennis world on Long Island, and we as businesses and organizations should not take for granted how their expos, events and publication can help us all grow participation. QuickStart is a great program which is really bringing many new, young players and families into the game. Children playing with the correct equipment for young children and smaller courts if certainly making a difference. At our club, New York Tennis at Great Neck Estates, we are seeing a bump in our junior business because of QuickStart. In addition, junior programs must capitalize on the growth of scholastic tennis. The key to expanding tennis on Long Island is capturing the scholastic market. Think about all the juniors that play middle school, JV and varsity tennis on Long Island. These juniors should be in your programs also and not just stop playing when the season is over. This is a ready-made market and tennis clubs need to find pros who can attract and motivate these juniors to want to continue playing all-year round. Network with high school coaches to attract these juniors. The high cost of tennis is restricting and clubs need to be more creative

Tonny van de Pieterman: The customized equipment for young players and the USTA marketing efforts have resulted in a great influx of young people enjoying the game of tennis. Tennis is more fun for beginning players now, which is great. However, I believe that the USTA has made an error in judgment with the ages. It should have been eight and under tennis. The kids developing in our program at PointSet ages 4, 5 or 6 are having great sucLITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2013 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion in their pricing. Why not lower costs a lot by having groups of five or players, as opposed to four on a court. A good pro can do just as well with six players and reduce costs by almost 50 percent. Lower prices will enable parents to better afford tennis for their children. Tennis is growing in Long Island and with these suggestions it can continue to grow. Tracie Forsythe: Seriously? The cost! Long Island has a very diverse economic community. There are some people who can afford the hundreds of dollars it costs to start your child out in the game, but for many, there are few options, and some of those options don’t seem to be of a high quality. Tennis should be a sport that is accessible to anyone who chooses to play. How are we supposed to find our next Serena or Roddick if the only people who can afford to be that

good, are only 30 percent of our population? There has to be a way to make sure all kids have a shot at taking lessons and getting a good foundation. If there is a child who is showing an interest and really likes to play, then there should be a way to help these players. Sacrifice shouldn’t be a word that parents should have to associate with their child’s tennis lessons. Tonny van de Pieterman: I think Daniel Burgess and his USTA Eastern Long Island Region crew are doing a great job as far as promoting tennis and working together with the individual clubs to make tennis a great option for potential players. I also think that Long Island Tennis Magazine has helped create great excitement for the sport on Long Island. Jay Wass: It is easy to forget how many

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

sports, activities and other time constraints we are competing with as we attempt to grow the game locally and beyond. I believe that beginner level programs (for all ages) need to be reassessed so that tennis becomes an easier sport to access from an entry level. Kids getting involved early and falling in love with the game, as well as encouraging parents to play and learn WITH their children so that tennis becomes a sport for the entire family. Unlike other sports, tennis has the opportunity to bridge the gap and create an environment where a family can exercise and have fun together. I participated in the New York Tennis Expo, as well as both Long Island Tennis Expos. These events are the perfect example of family involvement and new participation. If given the financial support, Long Island Tennis Magazine can help make our tennis community a family affair.

Dr. Tom on the Use of Humor in Tennis BY TOM FERRARO, PH.D.

rofessional athletes will sometimes use humor to relax themselves and to relieve stress. In this year’s President’s Cup in golf, the international team lightened up the proceedings on the first tee when Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen showed up in wigs. Not to be outdone in the humor department, Tiger Woods decided to use the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air handshake with Matt Kuchar every time they won a hole … pretty funny stuff. Competitive sports are filled with tension, anxiety and frustration in nearly every match. Sigmund Freud once said that the use of humor is one of the human’s highest defense mechanisms, and I can see why. Laughter shows that when a person is laughing. They are, in fact surmounting the pain in the situation they are experiencing. And tennis offers up much that is painful. John McEnroe seemed to be in constant pain and turmoil when the played. Now I do not consider myself to be terribly funny, but I did do my dissertation on humor so I am an expert of sorts. Using humor in a tough situation shows your opponent that you are rising above it all. Here are a few ways you can use humor to cut the tension and to create a winning attitude. l Carry a joke with you on the way to the next match you are in and read it to yourself. It may help cut the tension.

l I recommend you ask yourself between every game: “Am I having fun?” This forces you to be aware of your mood, and if the answer is no, then try to make an immediate attitude adjustment. A happy and relaxed player is a good player. l If you are a coach, try to think of something funny to tell your player before the match. The art of the pep talk ought to include some levity in it to cut the tension. When your player enters the court with a smile, this says lots about their mental state. l Try to laugh a few times either at yourself, with your partner, or even with your opponent. And I do not mean a laugh of contempt, but one of happiness. This also says to your opponent that you are relaxed and feel good about yourself and your chances today. You can always tell a winning jockey in the paddock before a

race because he is usually the one who has a smile on his face. So, bring a joke to the match, remind yourself to have fun, and enter the court with a smile. Laughter lowers blood pressure, gives you some endorphins to play with and can even relieve pain. Yes there are lots of reasons to use humor before and during matches. After all, tennis is a game that was made to be enjoyed, not suffered through. And oh yea, I almost forgot. Did you ever hear the one about the tennis player and the duck? It will do you some good to think of a good punchline for that one and then use in in the next match. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail drtferraro@aol.com or visit www.drtomferraro.com.

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www.LongIslandTennisMagazine.com LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

What and When to Eat When You Are on the Go By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN

ery often, most of us will find ourselves running around all day and forgetting to eat or drink. This cannot be easy for most busy people, but if you are a tennis enthusiast and add a tennis drill or match to the equation, the result can be catastrophic. Many of my clients complain that on such busy days, they feel fatigued on the court, and later, they indulge in binging on too many calories and then feel guilty. This is very common

for most ill-prepared busy parents and kids. Cutting calories and skipping meals during the day will always result in overeating later. What goes in, must come out. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better to eat small frequent meals during the day and let your active day burn them out, rather than run on empty only to fill up at night. Following a few easy tips, I can help you to be better prepared and have all the needed energy for your busy day and tennis. l Invest in a really well-insulated lunch bag and always keep it in your

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office or car, fully stacked with snacks and liquids that are nutritionally dense. Good snacks to always keep around are: Apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, raisins, dry apricots and dry dates. These fruits and vegetables donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spoil too fast and are full of electrolytes and good complex carbohydrates to keep you energized. Snack bars with more than five grams of protein and more than three grams of fiber are an excellent source of energy and protein as well. Peanuts, walnuts and pre-packaged peanut butter are a great source of protein, and good fats and will keep you satisfied until dinner time. Water, original Gatorade and pure coconut water will keep you hydrated.

Remember, it is very important to snack every two to three hours and drink eight ounces of fluids every hour for your body to function at its best. Your energy, your weight, and most importantly, your tennis game, will improve! Please make an appointment for your personal meal plan. Irina Belfer-Lehat is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. She may be reached by phone at (917) 769-8031 or e-mail irinalehat@gmail.com.

Pressure Cooker Tips By Tina Greenbaum, LCSW

n my last article, I spoke about the necessity to redefine “pressure” so that you can begin to experience it as something normal and to even welcome it. It’s been said that the best players, under pressure, rise to the occasion and begin to play even better, whereas players with lesser mental toughness, fall apart when the going gets rough. So, what are some of the skills that you need to learn and practice, so that you can be one of those competitors who forces your opponent to truly earn every point? A great competitor is a flexible thinker That means that the player can adjust very quickly to a changing environment of the game. As you know, with every point you win or lose, your emotions have the capacity to change as quickly as the score. This tendency can play havoc both with your mind and your performance. Many players understand that they need to continuously re-focus their attention and calm their nerves. The problem is that they don’t know how to do it. It’s important for each individual to have their own, what I call, “Home Base.” That means you have developed a word, a phrase, a sensation or ritual that immediately brings to mind a calm feeling and a clear mind. You’ve seen players bounce the ball several times, turn around in between points, or pluck their strings. They are gathering themselves and getting ready for the next point. Once you have established what that will be for you,

you need to practice it over and over again, just like any other skill you want to master. This concept of repetition and practice leads us to the next important tip. Challenge yourself at the edge of your ability There is a certain spot where you learn best. It could be called your “sweet spot.” If we don’t ask anything of ourselves, we never improve. If we ask too much of ourselves, we get frustrated and overwhelmed and are likely to quit. So you want to find that place where you’re “stretching,” but know that the skill you are working on is within your reach. I had a coach who once said to me, “We can never go any faster than our nervous system will allow.” So if you are one of those folks who pushes yourself and ends up angry because you’re not succeeding, remember that you might be setting yourself up for failure.

In his book, The Peaceful Warrior, author Daniel Millman talks about “The Law of Accommodation.” This universal law says, “If you ask of yourself a little bit more than you are comfortable with every day, then your ‘body/mind’ will accommodate to the new level.” So, rest assured that if you follow these two tips, you will be on your way to becoming calm, cool and collected on the court … and a force to be reckoned with! Tina Greenbaum, LCSW is a sport psychology consultant. She, along with her partner Fred Sperber is co-owner of Tennis to the Max, a program that combines the technical elements of the game with the allimportant mental side to ensure maximum performance. She may be reached by email at tina@tennistothemax.com or visit www.tennistothemax.com.

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC By Jessica Stiles

have a question: What percentage of tennis do you think is mental? I always thought it was a minimum of 50 percent and a maximum of 99 percent, depending on whom you play, the tournament and match score. As a junior USTA player and collegiate Division I player, I often wonder why most players don’t pay more attention to the mental game. I have to believe that it’s because there is no easy and accessible way to work on your mental game. The mental game sometimes comes across as mystery, and the players are looking for the key. Now, thanks to Rob Polishook, founder of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group, help is on the way. He is changing the way we mentally prepare and play matches with his new book, Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. After reviewing his book, I hope and believe it will encourage and inspire players of all levels to spend more time on their mental game. Tennis Inside the Zone is a game changer! The workbook will enable all players to dedicate real time to their mental game just like they do with oncourt tennis training and fitness training. It’s a fun purposeful guide to help take your game to the next level. Players will learn how to make simple, yet critical, adjustments off-court, before, during and after matches. The workbook is organized into four sections: Off 74

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Court, Pre-Match, Match and Post Match. As I reviewed the book, I found each workout (32 in total) to be an eye-opener! Working through the experiential questions, combined with quotes, principles for improvement, and articles gave me great insight to my own mental tendencies and how I can personally improve. For the purpose of this review, I immediately chose to complete one workout in each section. I started off with the “Competeology-The Keys to Winning” workout. It helped me identify mental behaviors which professionals at the highest level demonstrate. Then, I worked through: “OMG … I’m Nervous!” which helped me to accept and reframe my nerves instead of fighting them. I then went to “I Suck … How to Tame Negative SelfTalk.” This helped me understand the triggers to some of my non-productive self-talk. Lastly, I chose, “I’m Better … How Could I Lose?” which made me aware of where my focus has been during matches and how to change it. Tennis Inside the Zone is targeted towards junior players, as well as weekend warriors of all levels who want to improve their overall mental game both on and off the court. In addition, I would recommend the book to coaches who want to teach their teams how to compete and to parents as an easy tool to encourage their kids to work on their mental game. I have known Rob for many years, and his caring and passion for people and the game is truly special. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have. Jessica Stiles plays number one singles for the University of Kentucky Tennis Team and a former writer for Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines.

LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

mentorship By Miguel Cervantes III The positive growth of tennis in America requires the community to engage in mentorship at every level of the game. Whether as a coach, a meet up group, a player or parent, mentorship can make a huge difference not just in the rate of growth of our sport, but more importantly, the positive growth of our sport. There is a difference between the competitive player and casual player, but the growth of both of these groups does not necessarily

mean that tennis is being grown in a positive way. Juniors can grow up loving the competitive side of the game and lose track of sportsmanship and the sheer love of the art of sport. Programs that promote tennis can grow its numbers, yet fizzle out years later from an absence of leadership and direction. Mentorship in every facet of the game helps to

promote and develop our sport in a positive way and should be practiced more often. Mentorship involves giving back to tennis by helping others especially when they are in a position that you were earlier. The practice of “mentorship” helps the mentor because it helps to ground that person and remind them where they came from and what they went through. It helps the mentee as they benefit from the experience and wisdom of someone who was in their shoes. If it weren’t for my mentor Daniel Burgess, I would not have been able

“Advanced juniors should be involved in the mentorship of other players that are just beginning.” 76

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

p in tennis to be successful as a tennis instructor. This is one area I believe is exceptionally neglected. Tennis instructors come from all walks of life. Some are former players, some are former teachers, and some come from a professional background. Regardless of where they come from, being able to play the game is a necessary skill to have, but being able to communicate and teach is even more important. Mentorship between experienced instructors and new instructors should be far more prolific if we wish to advance our teaching methods. Mentorship should happen at the player level as well. I have been very fortunate to work with some excellent juniors, but it has often been the case that amazing juniors become complacent and/or cocky. Advanced juniors should be involved in the mentorship of other players that are just beginning. It serves to remind them where they came from and it helps them to add another dimension

to how they think of the game. Most players learn through repetition until their bodies internalize it and it becomes muscle memory. The advanced junior adds the dimension of understanding to their repertoire when they teach the beginner since they must articulate to them in a concise and concrete way. One example is to use the assistance of players in the junior development program to help in a PAL or community-based program. Grassroots and other tennis programs must also move towards a trend of mentorship. Programs that help get people into tennis are usually led by the passion of one or a few individuals. That passion can rarely survive the hardships that come with the thankless job of running that type of program. It is a lot to ask of a person to run a tennis meet up or grassroots program for years upon years and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where mentorship can take over. Everyone has multiple commitments, in-

cluding family, work and social obligations. Mentoring someone helps spark their passion and can help alleviate some of the burden of carrying the flag of tennis. Everyone pitching in means a sharing of responsibilities and results in a positive cycle. For tennis to successfully grow in a positive way, mentorship will be necessary at every level of the game. Sharing our passion is great, but going beyond that to nurture that passion in others is what will have a compound effect and bring us the next generation of tennis superstars, players, instructors and organizers alike. Miguel Cervantes III now teaches at Carefree Racquet Club and privately outdoors. Miguel specializes in teaching beginners, training juniors and coaching doubles. He may be reached by e-mail at understandingtennis@gmail.com.

LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Coaching on Court During a Match Could be Disastrous By Lonnie Mitchel

van Lendl coaches Andy Murray. Lendl, while watching Murray, remains stoic and focused on his pupil’s athletic performance … all the way to the Wimbledon Championship. Coaching is not allowed by rule during a match, but does it really help? Ivan Lendl was physically present for support, but Murray won Wimbledon on his own. Lendl prepared him for battle and did everything that needed to be done to prepare his pupil for competition. I understand how hard it is to sit and watch matches where I really want “my player” to win. It can be a roller coaster of emotions. The player can perform brilliantly, executing every shot. The other side of the equation is that you can also see the player struggle with basic shots, double fault all day long and end up losing to a player unworthy of victory. Taking over a collegiate tennis program two years ago, I was going down the wrong path to prove just how much I

“Get to know your players and predict that you cannot be everything to everybody all the time … let them battle and learn.” know. I would speak to players during changeovers, going against my instinct and was too verbose and it made little difference. I was also battling my urge to help the players on court all the time, thereby succumbing to the needless chit-chat and false belief that if I say something in particular, it will get them to win. In looking back at a variety of

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

matches, anything I said or did not say during match play ended in the proper result. To communicate in a match during changeovers is usually a distraction to both players. Tennis is like boxing in that it pits the wits and skill of individuals directly against each other. When I watch, I see a product of whatever thinking (or lack of thinking) is going on inside a player’s head. I have come to this conclusion that I do not have any way of knowing the process the player is going through to arrive at their solution. To blurt out some random suggestion, no matter how well-intended or truthful, it could do more harm than good. What if the player seems to always be hitting to the opponent’s strength instead of their weakness? That might seem stupid to you, but what if your player has a logical reason for doing so? Hitting to strength, if successful, can give a much needed boost of confidence at a time when perhaps it is most needed. If a shot is hit to the opponent’s strength over and over, it might mean they can make any shot and

win! Likewise, from the opponent’s perspective, “If a player loses a point even when hitting the best shot, they might be in trouble.” As coaches we just don’t know. Some of my players know now that if they are in a zone and I succumb to the over-coaching urge, they have permission to say something to me. Get to know your players and predict that you cannot be everything to everybody all the time … let them battle and learn. A coach should observe and work on what needs attention in practices. To coach players is to figure out what they need and communicate to them in different ways; to realize which players you can relate to better during competition and to accept them as an individual person with their own needs. Tennis is a game of muscle memory and instinct. Repetition is another reason we shouldn’t say anything to players. Have you ever competed and played tennis in discomfort from an ailment? The competition has now progressed deep into the third set, and you really have not thought about the dis-

comfort because you’re focused on the ball and next point. That’s called “The Zone,” and a difficult place mentally to reach. Now, I am screaming “bend those knees, don’t swing at those volleys,” while the players are in the zone. That’s going to snap the player right out If I did not prepare my players properly there is very little that can be said to change the outcome of the match. Rather, I can suggest to a player to bring notes on the court with them as little reminders that can be read in their own voice in the sanctuary of a court change. A player has their own ways of dealing with pressure. Some people become silent and introspective when faced with a challenge. Others get animated and aggressive. On a tennis court in the middle of a match when the pressure is really on, there is not a player in the world who doesn’t have a completely unique thought process to manage all of it. It changes on a daily basis, your backhand is great one day and not so good the second day. The mental approach is

practiced much like a stroke and you get better at it in time. However, like a stroke, it cannot be great every day. Like life, tennis ranges from euphoriainducing highs to crushing lows. You get hit, you hit back, and in the end you might have learned something about yourself, your opponent and what you can and cannot control. Tennis is awesome in that you usually get a second chance to hit a shot or perhaps get another crack at an opponent. As a player, remember you get out what you put into it. With the right coach and mentor at your side, you can be a better player. However, tennis has had the most success with the players competing on their own with the support of the right coach before and after matches. Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 4147202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG ISLAND TENNIS CLUB

directory Bethpage Park Tennis Center Andrea Pappas—Manager 99 Quaker Meeting House Road #1 Farmingdale, NY 11735 (516) 777-1358 • bptcenter@aol.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center @ Glen Cove Stephen Alcala—Managing Partner 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, NY 11542 (516) 759-0505 • www.rwtt.com

SPORTIME Massapequa Chris Leahy—General Manager 5600 Old Sunrise Highway • Massapequa, NY 11758 (516) 799-3550 • cleahy@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/massapequa

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ Rockville Centre CATS Jami Madison—Director 188 Maple Avenue • Rockville Centre, NY 11570 (516) 763-1299, ext. 10 • catsrvc@gmail.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center @ Glenwood Landing Adrian Chirici—Director of Tennis 142 Glenwood Landing Road • Glenwood Landing, NY 11547 (516) 676-9107 • www.rwtt.com

SPORTIME Quogue Will Van Rensburg—Director of Tennis 2571 Quogue-Riverhead East Quogue, NY 11959 (631) 653-6767 • tdhamptons@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/quogue

Carefree Racquet Club Kathy Miller—Manager 1414 Jerusalem Avenue • Merrick, NY 11566 (516) 489-9005 • carefreetennis@aol.com

Rockville Racquet Club Colleen Woods—Manager 80 North Centre Avenue • Rockville Center, NY 11570 (516) 764-5350 • rockvilletennis@optonline.net

Deer Park Tennis Club Afzal Ali—Director of Tennis 30 Burt Drive • Deer Park, NY 11729 (631) 667-3476 • www.deerparktennis.com

Ross School Holly Li—Manager 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, NY 11937 (631) 907-5162 • hli@Ross.org • www.ross.org/tennis

Eastern Athletic Club Cira Jones—Manager 9 Montauk Highway #A • Blue Point, NY 11715 (631) 363-2882 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club Betsy Johnson—Manager 854 Jericho Turnpike • Huntington Station, NY 11746 (631) 271-6616 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club Gary Jones—Manager 100 Ruland Road • Melville, NY 11747 (631) 753-3696 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Glen Head Racquet Club Home of Early Hit Training Center 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, NY 11545 Carl Barnett: (516) 455-1225 • earlyhit@optonline.net Stephanie Leo: (516) 676-9849 • glenheadrc@verizon.net New York Tennis Academy at Great Neck Estates Howie Arons—Director of Junior Tennis Program 12 Shore Drive • Great Neck, NY 11021 (516) 233-2790 • bightennis@aol.com Point Set Indoor Tennis Tonny vandePieterman—Director of Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, NY 11572 (516) 536-2323 • tonny@pointsettennis.com www.pointsettennis.com Port Washington Tennis Academy Manny Iqbal—Director of Tennis 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, NY 11050 (516) 883-6425 • tennis@pwta.com • www.pwta.com

Shinnecock Tennis Club 125 Sandy Hollow Road • Southhampton, NY 11968 (631) 283-3422 www.shinnecocktennisclub.com

SPORTIME Randall’s Island Manhattan Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Felix Alvarado—Assistant Director of Tennis One Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 • falvarado@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/manhattan SPORTIME Roslyn Jay Harris—Regional Director Landing Road, PO Box 1 • Roslyn, NY 11576 (516) 484-9222 • jharris@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/roslyn

SPORTIME Amagansett Sue de Lara—General Manager 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930 (631) 267-3460 • amagansett@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/amagansett

SPORTIME Syosset Tennis & Multi-Sport Robert Kendrick—Director of Tennis 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, NY 11791 (516) 364-2727 • rkendrick@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/syosset-tennis

SPORTIME Bethpage Tennis Long Island Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Mike Kossoff—Director of Tennis 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, NY 11714 (516) 933-8500 • mkossoff@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-tennis

SPORTIME Lake Isle Westchester Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Brian Inglis—General Manager 660 White Plains Road • Eastchester, NY 10709 (914) 777-5151 • binglis@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/lake-isle

SPORTIME Bethpage Multi-Sport Randy Louie—General Manager 4105 Hempstead Turnpike • Bethpage, NY 11714 (516) 731-4432 • rlouie@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-multi-sport

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park • Flushing, NY 11568 (718) 760-6200 • www.usta.com

SPORTIME Kings Park Claudio Yamus—Director of Tennis 275 Old Indian Head Road • Kings Park, NY 11754 (631) 269-6300 cyamus@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/kings-park SPORTIME Lynbrook Jeff Morys—Director of Tennis 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, NY 11563 (516) 887-1330 • jmorys@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/lynbrook

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

World Gym Bay Shore Tracie Forsythe—Director of Tennis 225 Howells Road • Bay Shore, NY 11706 (631) 456-0994 • tracieforsythe@yahoo.com www.worldgymbayshore.com

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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 10/16/13)

BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Luke Karniewich ................Glen Head, N.Y. 2 ........Timothy Lewis Chiu ..........Holtsville, N.Y. 3 ........Sohrob Yavari ....................Syosset, N.Y. 4 ........Kian Louis Ghazvini ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 5 ........Robert Steven Bellino........Huntington, N.Y. 6 ........Aryan Kumar Sethi ............Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Alexander Hom ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 8 ........Louie Kotler ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 9 ........Justin Benjamin Oresky ....Syosset, N.Y. 10 ......Gunnar S. Overstrom ........Locust Valley, N.Y. 11 ......Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 12 ......Michael Wexler ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 13 ......Bradford J. Lin....................Great Neck, N.Y. 14 ......Henry Bilicic........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 15 ......Mark Ryan Taranov............Valley Stream, N.Y. 16 ......Tommy George Srisuro......Garden City, N.Y. 17 ......Michael Hayden Singer ....Greenlawn, N.Y. 18 ......Arin Siriamonthep ..............Greenvale, N.Y. 19 ......Amani Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 20 ......Adrian Kristofer Tsui ..........Roslyn Heights, N. Y. 21 ......Max Daniel Safir ................Old Westbury, N. Y. 22 ......Abhinav Raj Srivastava......Melville, N.Y. 23 ......Jared M. Phillips ................Plainview, N.Y. 24 ......Torin Suner Bograd............Huntington, N.Y 25 ......Lazar Ivan Markovic ..........Lattingtown, N.Y. 26 ......Justin McMackin................North Baldwin, N.Y. 27 ......Yoel Andre Yamus..............Deer Park, N.Y. 28 ......Richard James Kelly ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 29 ......Jared Lake..........................Hewlett, N.Y. 30 ......Avi Anand ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 31 ......Brandon Zhu ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 32 ......Brandon Lee ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 33 ......Rohan Gaddam Reddy ....Glen Head, N.Y. 34 ......Michael Weitz ....................Roslyn, N.Y. 35 ......Ravi MacGurn ....................Amagansett, N.Y. 36 ......Jack Flores ........................Huntington, N.Y. 37 ......Christopher Lall..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 38 ......Jacob Buchbinder ............Roslyn, N.Y. 39 ......Sol Yoon..............................Commack, N.Y. 40 ......Jack Louchheim ................Sagaponack, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Tyler London ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 2 ........Alexander Roti....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 3 ........Justin Ullman..........................Huntington Station, N.Y. 4 ........Rohan Mathur ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 5 ........Jack Cameron Goldman ..Old Westbury, N.Y. 6 ........Connor Leaf........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Simar Sawhney..................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 8 ........Adam Bradley Wilck ..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 9 ........Samir Singh........................Syosset, N.Y. 10 ......Nicholas Gajda ..................Smithtown, N.Y. 11 ......Serge Ushkevich-Zezulin ..Sands Point, N.Y. 12 ......Evan Kirsh ..........................Roslyn, N.Y. 13 ......Peter Yu ..............................Smithtown, N.Y. 14 ......Saiteja Damineni ................Albertson, N.Y. 15 ......Matthew Terlovsky ............Merrick, N.Y. 16 ......Lynus Arevalo Fortaleza ....North Babylon, N.Y. 17 ......Ian Mitchell Capell..............Woodbury, N.Y. 18 ......Curran Varma ....................Manhasset, N.Y.

ISLAND

19 ......Matthew Reid Zapken ......Roslyn, N.Y. 20 ......Jagger Gillman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 21 ......Carl Grant ..........................Water Mill, N.Y. 22 ......Matthew Lee Catton..........Woodbury, N.Y. 23 ......Marco Ammirati..................Halesite, N.Y. 24 ......Peter Leonard Fahy ..........Huntington, N.Y. 25 ......Tyler Neirman......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 26 ......George Kaslow ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 27 ......Sangjin, Song ....................Rosyln Heights, N.Y. 28 ......Michael Wexler ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 29 ......Luke Sandoval ..................Garden City, N.Y. 30 ......Jeffrey M. McDonnell ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 31 ......Josh Antell..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 32 ......Zachary Ian Khazzam........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 33 ......Daniel Hyunjae Chang ......Manhasset, N.Y. 34 ......Aditya Dave ........................Syosset, N.Y. 35 ......Justin Lempert ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 36 ......Aaron Askowitz ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 37 ......Spencer Kirschman ..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 38 ......Matthew Kolkhorst ............Sea Cliff, N.Y. 39 ......Ian Bank..............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 40 ......Cameron Klepper ..............Dix Hills, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Simar Deep Sawhney........New Hyde Park, N.Y. 2 ........Jay Burkett ........................Syosset, N.Y. 3 ........Nick John Stamatos ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 4 ........Kenneth Francis Chiu ........Holtsville, N.Y. 5 ........Nicholas Troiano ................Oakdale, N.Y. 6 ........Drew Greenberg ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Oliver Jaskowski ................Malverne, N.Y. 8 ........Patrick Sean Lombardi......Halesite, N.Y. 9 ........Faran Nazir ........................Deer Park, N.Y. 10 ......Vincent Tozzi ......................North Babylon, N.Y. 11 ......Saiteja Damineni ................Albertson, N.Y. 12 ......Nicholas Gajda ..................Smithtown, N.Y. 13 ......Jake Sandler ......................Lynbrook, N.Y. 14 ......Harris Durkovic ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 15 ......Kenneth Edward Fox ........Smithtown, N.Y. 16 ......Zane Siddiqui ....................Long Beach, N.Y. 17 ......George Robert Muller ........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 18 ......Benjamin Craddock ..........Stony Brook, N.Y. 19 ......Joonho Ko..........................Huntington, N.Y. 20 ......Jordan Diamond ................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 21 ......Evan Nierman ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 22 ......George Carmi ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 23 ......Jack Cameron Goldman ..Old Westbury, N.Y. 24 ......Jason Gerber......................Commack, N.Y. 25 ......Curran Varma ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 26 ......Kevin Alec Kowalsky..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 27 ......Jonathan Eisenson ............Saint James, N.Y. 28 ......Arnav Raj Srivastava..........Melville, N.Y. 29 ......Mitchell Reid Berger ..........Lake Grove, N.Y. 30 ......Jack Aaron Briamonte ......Great Neck, N.Y. 31 ......Joshua Samuel Simoncic..Glen Head, N.Y. 32 ......Austin Egna ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 33 ......Jake Parker Cohen ............Oceanside, N.Y. 34 ......Spencer Lowitt ..................Syosset, N.Y. 35 ......Julian Thomas MacGurn ..Amagansett, N.Y. 36 ......Robert Sangirardi ..............Lynbrook, N.Y. 37 ......Aaron Askowitz ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 38 ......George Kaslow ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 39 ......Christopher McGorty ........Bellmore, N.Y. 40 ......Spencer Kirschman ..........Dix Hills, N.Y.

RANKINGS

Long Island Boys 18 Singles

Long Island Girls 14 Singles

Rank Name..................................City

1 ........Matthew Bahar ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 2 ........Nick John Stamatos ..........Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 3 ........Cory Seltman......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 4 ........Florimond Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y. 5 ........Sebastian Alvarez ..............Mastic Beach, N.Y. 6 ........Chirag A. Doshi ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 7 ........Pete Siozios ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 8 ........Joshua Sydney ..................East Northport, N.Y. 9 ........Adam Diaz..........................Bellerose Village, N.Y. 10 ......Connor Gould ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11 ......Jonathon Ochoa ................Hicksville, N.Y. 12 ......Faran Nazir ........................Deer Park, N.Y. 13 ......Vincent Thompson ............Massapequa, N.Y. 14 ......David Henry Reinharz........Rockville Center, N.Y. 15 ......Cole Laffitte ........................East Setauket, N.Y. 16 ......Joseph James D’orazio ....Saint James, N.Y. 17 ......Tyler Grosse........................Bayport, N.Y. 18 ......Rajan Jai Vohra ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 19 ......Henry Tell ............................Woodbury, N.Y. 20 ......Troy Michael Haas..................Huntington Station, N.Y. 21 ......Timothy Sorenson..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 22 ......Max E. Huffman ................Bayport, N.Y. 23 ......Evan Nierman ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 24 ......Chris Buckley ....................Bohemia, N.Y. 25 ......Cameron Posillico..............Bayville, N.Y. 26 ......Nasser Abdel Ghaffar ........Massapequa, N.Y. 27 ......Michael Liebman................Roslyn, N.Y. 28 ......Michael Brian LeMonda ....Garden City, NY 29 ......Vinny Ma Sciortino ............Merrick, N.Y. 30 ......Antonio Michael Grillo........Melville, N.Y.

1 ........Samantha Lena Galu ........Jericho, N.Y. 2 ........Madeline A. Clinton............Manhasset, N.Y. 3 ........Emily Rose Fernandez ......Shirley, N.Y. 4 ........Christina Lorraine Jud........Glen Head, N.Y. 5 ........Michelle Roitgarts ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 6 ........Julieta Eulau ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 7 ........Kaitlyn Byrnes ....................Massapequa, N.Y. 8 ........Brooke Emila Digia ............Manhasset, N.Y. 9 ........Stephanie Margaret Cole ..Manhasset, N.Y. 10 ......Evangelia Maria Frankis ....Manhasset, N.Y. 11 ......Victoria Anna Bialczak ......New Hyde Park, N.Y. 12 ......Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 13 ......Rachel Flynn Collins ..........Port Jefferson, N.Y. 14 ......Lauren Gold........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 15 ......Riley Elizabeth Katzman....Halesite, N.Y. 16 ......Carly Menker......................Great Neck, N.Y. 17 ......Rachel Hirschheimer..........Jericho, N.Y. 18 ......Erica Forrest ......................Jericho, N.Y. 19 ......Ariana Lynn Fixon-Owoo ..Lynbrook, N.Y. 20 ......Isabelle Policarpio..............Rocky Point, N.Y. 21 ......Olivia Faulhaber..................Saint James, N.Y. 22 ......Mina Sarcevic ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 23 ......Stephanie Zelenetz ............Sea Cliff, N.Y. 24 ......Danah Han..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 25 ......Lucia Hu..............................Roslyn, N.Y. 26 ......Trinity Chow........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 27 ......Haley Raphael....................Great Neck, N.Y. 28 ......Jacqueline Guidice ............East Northport, N.Y. 29 ......Jade Fixon-Owoo ..............Lynbrook, N.Y. 30 ......Olivia Rose Scordo ............Glen Head, N.Y. 31 ......Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 32 ......Julia Gentile........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 33 ......Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 34 ......Julia Kielan..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 35 ......Elinor Simek........................Glen Head, N.Y.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 2 ........Alexis Madison Huber ......Melville, N.Y. 3 ........Julia Gentile........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 4 ........Madeline A. Clinton............Manhasset, N.Y. 5 ........Madeline Richmond ..........Syosset, N.Y. 6 ........Alina Rebeca Lyakhov ......Great Neck, N.Y. 7 ........Madelyn Kay Germano......Islip, N.Y. 8 ........Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 9 ........Gabriela Sciarrotta ............Woodmere, N.Y. 10 ......Ally Friedman......................East Hampton, N.Y. 11 ......Jill Olga Lawrence..............Hauppauge, N.Y. 12 ......Lauren Hutton ....................Huntington, N.Y. 13 ......Lucia Hu..............................Roslyn, N.Y. 14 ......Brooke Ann Fernandez......Shirley, N.Y. 15 ......Margaret Esther Haykin ....Great Neck, N.Y. 16 ......Brianna Loeffler ..................Syosset, N.Y. 17 ......Kaya Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 18 ......Hannah Vinod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y. 19 ......Julia Kielan..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 20 ......Julianna Marie Romeo ......Massapequa, N.Y. 21 ......Daniela J. Benigno ............Shoreham, N.Y. 22 ......Sofia Rose Anzalone..........Center Moriches, N.Y. 23 ......Kavina Amin ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 24 ......Kristina Pali ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 25 ......Janae Fouche ....................Freeport, N.Y. 26 ......Morena DeVito ..................Syosset, N.Y. 27 ......Hannah Niggemeier ..........Sayville, N.Y. 28 ......Lauren Zola ........................Rockville Center, N.Y. 29 ......Grace Isabel Riviezzo ........Syosset, N.Y. 30 ......Rebecca Kuperschmid......East Hampton, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Danielle Mirabella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 2 ........Katherine Changtroraleke..Greenvale, N.Y. 3 ........Michelle Carnovale ............Massapequa, N.Y. 4 ........Emily Kate Shutman ..........Huntington, N.Y. 5 ........Sabrina Ferretti ..................Setauket, N.Y. 6 ........Rebecca Elizabeth Stern ..Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Noa Alexandra Dubin ........Southampton, N.Y. 8 ........Elena Nitsa Nastasi............Bayville, N.Y. 9 ........Laura Jean Halsey ............Westhampton, N.Y. 10 ......Adele Sukhov ....................Westbury, N.Y. 11 ......Rachel Weiss......................Great Neck, N.Y. 12 ......Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 13 ......Rini Halder ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 14 ......Courtney Connors ............Manhasset, N.Y. 15 ......Courtney Kowalski ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 16 ......Sarah Seeman....................Port Washington, N.Y. 17 ......Victoria Makulik..................Medford, N.Y. 18 ......Julia Khan ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 19 ......Lindsay Jane Haley............Hicksville, N.Y. 20 ......Caitlin Falvey ......................Setauket, N.Y. 21 ......Rachel Flynn Collins ..........Port Jefferson, N.Y. 22 ......Grace Graham....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 23 ......Emily Rose Fernandez ......Shirley, N.Y. 24 ......Rosa LaCorte ....................Merrick, N.Y. 25 ......Brooke Emily Digia ............Manhassett, N.Y 26 ......Nia Gilliam ..........................Central Islip, N.Y. 27 ......Victoria Evelyn Villalba ......Oyster Bay, N.Y. 28 ......Elizabeth Sossan................Valley Stream, N.Y. 29 ......Ellen Nicole Huhulea..........Rockville Centre, N.Y. 30 ......Sophie Grace Wilson ........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

LONG 31 ......Lauren Difazio ....................Greenlawn, N.Y. 32 ......Cameron Leigh Moskol ....Wantagh, N.Y 33 ......Mara Danielle Stewart........Oceanside, N.Y. 34 ......Fiona Stocks-Lyons ..........Glen Cove, N.Y. 35 ......Emma Rosenberg..............Port Washington, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Suzanne Silecchia..............Rockville Centre, N.Y. 2 ........Julia Khan ..........................Port Washington, N.Y 3 ........Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 4 ........Katherine Changtroraleke..Greenvale, N.Y. 5 ........Brini Kontaki ......................West Islip, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 10/16/13)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 3 ........Ronald P. Hohmann ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 4 ........Cannon Kingsley................Northport, N.Y. 5 ........Spencer Brachman............Commack, N.Y. 8 ........Billy G. Suarez....................Huntington, N.Y. 10 ......Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y. 21 ......Logan Paik Chang ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 22 ......Niles Ghaffar ......................Massapequa, N.Y. 23 ......Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 24 ......Jack Flores ........................Huntington, N.Y. 29 ......Maxwell Moadel ................Brookville, N.Y. 41 ......Oliver Worth........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 49 ......Aman K. Sharma................Glen Head, N.Y. 59 ......Jack Louchheim ................Sagaponack, N.Y. 60 ......Karan K. Amin ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 62 ......Jeffrey M. McDonnell ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 65 ......Tommy George Srisuro......Garden City, N.Y. 75 ......Richard James Kelly ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 76 ......Rohan Gaddam Reddy ....Glen Head, N.Y. 81 ......Daniel Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 85 ......Luke Louchheim ................Sagaponack, N.Y. 87 ......Luke Torel Karniewich........Glen Head, N.Y. 95 ......Amani Siddiqui ..................West Babylon, N.Y. 96 ......Kian Louis Ghazvini ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 102....Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 103....Sam Reichbach..................Syosset, N.Y. 113....Aryan Kumar Sethi ............Dix Hills, N.Y. 114....Valentine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y. 120....Kristofer Adrian Tsul ..........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 122....Sohrob Yavari ....................Syosset, N.Y. 131....Justin Benjamin Oresky ....Syosset, N.Y. 135....Michael Weitz ....................Roslyn, N.Y. 141....Adam Lammers ................Central Islip, N.Y. 147....Robert Steven Bellino........Huntington, N.Y. 150....Louie Kotler ........................Roslyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 5 ........Finbar Talcott......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 6 ........Brian Shi ............................Jericho, N.Y. 7 ........Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 10 ......Alan Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 14 ......Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y. 18 ......Cannon Kingsley................Northport, N.Y. 23 ......Keegan James Morris........Franklin Square, N.Y. 27 ......Gardner Howe....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 29 ......Rajan Vohra ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

ISLAND

30 ......Daniel Weitz........................Roslyn, N.Y. 33 ......Steven Well Sun ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 34 ......Patrick Maloney ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 35 ......Yuval Solomon ..................Plainview, N.Y. 37 ......Pete Siozios........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 40 ......Michael Medvedev ............Oceanside, N.Y. 41 ......Ronald Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 45 ......Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 54 ......Matthew Porges ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 59 ......Ben Snow ..........................Water Mill, N.Y. 64 ......Benjamin Grossman ..........Sands Point, N.Y. 100....Maxwell Moadel ................Brookville, N.Y. 111....Abinhav Srivastavas ..........Melville, N.Y. 116....Daniel Meinster ..................South Setauket, N.Y. 119....Alexander Roti....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 125....Daniel Hyunjae Chang ......Manhasset, N.Y. 129....Xin Eric Yu ..........................Manhasset, N.Y. 132....Spencer Brachman............Commack, N.Y. 134....Jack Cameron Goldman ..Old Westbury, N.Y. 136....Adam Bradley Wilick..........Dix Hills, N.Y. 138....Nicolas DeMaria ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 141....Matthew Terlovsky ............Merrick, N.Y. 142....Sangjin Song......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 144....Matthew T. Roberts............Setauket, N.Y. 145....George Kaslow ..................Port Washington, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 2 ........Alexander Lebedev............Island Park, N.Y. 12 ......Sean Mullins ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 13 ......Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 19 ......Jesse Levitin ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 22 ......Bryant Born ........................Manhasset, N.Y. 25 ......Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 26 ......Athell Patrick Bennett ........Valley Stream, N.Y. 32 ......Travis Leaf ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 38 ......Colin Francis Sacco ..........Brightwaters, N.Y. 41 ......Sean Patrick ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 45 ......Stephen Gruppuso ............Bayport, N.Y. 46 ......Palmer Clare ......................North Bellmore, N.Y. 48 ......Finbar Talcott......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 50 ......Michael James DeNigris....Islip, N.Y. 53 ......Brian Hoffarth ....................Fort Salonga, N.Y. 55 ......Dylan Granat ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 57 ......Aziz Rashidzada ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 64 ......Yuval Solomon ..................Plainview, N.Y. 82 ......Duane Davis ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 83 ......Nasser Abdel Ghaffar ........Massapequa, N.Y. 84 ......Pete Siozios........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 85 ......David Henry Reinharz........Rockville Centre, N.Y. 86 ......Mark Julian Baker ..............North Baldwin, N.Y. 90 ......Joseph James D’Orazio....Saint James, N.Y. 92 ......Daniel Shleimovich ............Syosset, N.Y. 94 ......Kyle Hudson Gower ..........Oceanside, N.Y. 95 ......Dylan Davis ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 100....Chris Kuhnle ......................Shoreham, N.Y. 102....Rajan Vohra ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 108....Alex Grossman ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 111....Noah Reisch ......................Floral Park, N.Y. 112....Nicholas Kevin Fox ............Commack, N.Y. 117....Ross Reiffman....................Melville, N.Y. 121....Del Schunk ........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 132....William Bader ....................Water Mill, N.Y. 134....Connor Dove......................Baldwin, N.Y. 136....Nikhil Raj ............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 141....Jake Sandler ......................Lynbrook, N.Y. 144....Matt Holweger....................Manhassett, N.Y. 149....Faran Nazir ........................Deer Park, N.Y.

RANKINGS

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 2 ........Daniel Grunberger..............Great Neck, N.Y. 8 ........Josh Silverstein ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 10 ......Noah Rubin ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 22 ......Conor Mullins ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 24 ......Vihar Shah ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 26 ......Alexander Lebedev............Island Park, N.Y. 30 ......Samuel Lam ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 32 ......Ethan Bogard ....................Lido Beach, N.Y. 41 ......Jonathan Paris ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 47 ......Zain Ali ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 49 ......Dylan Appel ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 50 ......Justin Park..........................Huntington, N.Y. 58 ......Brendan Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 59 ......Alex Sacher ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 61 ......Kyle Alper ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 69 ......Bryant J. Born ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 70 ......Aidan Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 72 ......Jared R. Halstrom ..............Bellmore, N.Y. 74 ......Benjamin Rosen ................Port Washington, N.Y. 75 ......Fernando de Filho..............East Hampton, N.Y. 80 ......Cory Seltman......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 85 ......Cooper Lacertera ..............Speonk, N.Y. 86 ......Tyler J. Hoffman ................Sayville, N.Y. 87 ......Kevin Cino ..........................East Quogue, N.Y. 95 ......James Edward Heaney ....Locust Valley, N.Y. 96 ......Henry Tell ............................Woodbury, N.Y. 99 ......Joseph James D’Orazio....Saint James, N.Y. 103....Matthew Bahar ..................Woodbury, N.Y. 105....Dennis Uspensky ..............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 107....Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 109....Pete Sciozios......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 116....Mike Nelson........................Manhassett, N.Y. 120....Douglas Notaris..................Wantagh, N.Y. 121....William Bader ....................Water Mill, N.Y. 125....Chirag A. Doshi ..................Sands Point, N.Y. 131....Cole Lafitte ........................East Setauket, N.Y. 133....Zachary A. Lessen ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 134....Brandon Stone ..................Melville, N.Y. 139....John D’Alessandro ............Northport, N.Y. 141....Alex Brebenel ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 142....Stephen Grappuso ............Bayport, N.Y. 143....Ankur Kerjiwal ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 147....Philip Daniel Antohi............Glen Head, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 4 ........Lea Ma................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 12 ......Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 14 ......Alexa Susan Goetz ............Greenlawn, N.Y. 20 ......Maryam Beshir Ahmad......Albertson, N.Y. 21 ......Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 22 ......Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 35 ......Amy Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 41 ......Madison Jane Williams......Glen Cove, N.Y. 44 ......Julia Kielan..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 47 ......Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 50 ......Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 74 ......Calista Sha ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 84 ......Gabriela Sciarrotta ............Woodmere, N.Y. 85 ......Lucia Hu..............................Roslyn, N.Y. 87 ......Jade Fixon-Owoo ..............Lynbrook, N.Y. 91 ......Julia Gentile........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 97 ......Alina Rebeca Lyakhov ......Great Neck, N.Y. 100....Alexis Madison Huber ......Melville, N.Y. 107....Madeline ichmond ............Syosset, N.Y.

109....Hannah Vinod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y. 121....Ally Friedman......................East Hampton, N.Y. 124....Lauren Hutton ....................Huntington, N.Y. 128....Madelyn Kay Germano......Islip, N.Y. 131....Kimberly Liao......................Commack, N.Y. 138....Rebecca E. Suarez ............Huntington, N.Y. 148....Rebecca Kuperschmid......East Hampton, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 10 ......Jasmine Olivia Abidi ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 15 ......Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y. 19 ......Ashley Lessen ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 21 ......Claire Handa ......................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 40 ......Lea Ma................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 47 ......Stephanie Chikvashvili ......Melville, N.Y. 51 ......Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 56 ......Olivia Rose Scordo ............Glen Head, N.Y. 58 ......Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 65 ......Courtney Kowalsky............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 70 ......Stephanie Anne Petras......Manhasset, N.Y. 72 ......Julia Kielan..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 80 ......Trinity Chow........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 82 ......Risha Malhotra ..................Syosset, N.Y. 92 ......Dasha Dlin ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 95 ......Ariana Lynn Fixon-Owoo ..Lynbrook, N.Y. 96 ......Evangelina Maria Frankis ..Manhasset, N.Y. 97 ......Mina Sarcevic ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 99 ......Julieta Eulau ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 105....Samantha Lena Galu ........Jericho, N.Y. 107....Emily Rose Fernandez ......Shirley, N.Y. 109....Kaitlyn Byrnes ....................Massapequa, N.Y. 124....Michelle Roitgarts ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 128....Madeline Clinton ................Manhasset, N.Y. 131....Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 138....Christina Lorraine Jud........Glen Head, N.Y. 140....Olivia Faulhaber..................St. James, N.Y. 145....Nicole Rezak ......................Merrick, N.Y. 149....Lucia Hu..............................Roslyn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Region Rank Name..................................City 1 ........Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y. 6 ........Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 11 ......Amber Policare ..................East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 17 ......Taylor Cosme ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 26 ......Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 42 ......Celeste Rose Matute ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 43 ......Michele Sheila Lehat..........Great Neck, N.Y. 47 ......Esther Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 52 ......Stephanie Nakash..............Great Neck, N.Y. 58 ......Katie Jane Cirella ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 60 ......Vanessa Scott ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 77 ......Sarah Seeman....................Port Washington, N.Y. 78 ......Courtney B. Kowalsky ......Oyster Bay, N.Y. 79 ......Dominique Woinarowski....Syosset, N.Y. 80 ......Ashley Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 82 ......Abigail Claire Okin..............Amagansett, N.Y. 85 ......Amanda Allison Foo ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 90 ......Lea Ma................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 92 ......Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 100....Katherine Changtroraleke..Greenvale, N.Y. 103....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y. 104....Rini Halder ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 107....Danielle Mirabella ..............Wantagh, N.Y. 115....Mara Danielle Stewart........Oceanside, N.Y. 116....Noa Alexandra Dubin ........Southampton, N.Y.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

BOYS

National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ............................City

Rank Name ............................City

Rank Name ............................City 253....Ashley Lessen ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 276....Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 375....Jasmine Olivia Abidi ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 449....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y. 559....Lea Ma................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 822....Nicole Keilan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 1071..Stephanie Chikvashvili ......Melville, N.Y. 1278..Stephanie Anne Petras......Manhasset, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ............................City 27 ......Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y. 86 ......Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 234....Taylor S. Cosme ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 283....Amber Policare ..................East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 368....Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 729....Vanessa L. Scott ................Dix Hills, N.Y. 816....Rhea Malhotra....................Syosset, N.Y. 850....Esther Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 928....Celeste Rose Matute ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 1009..Stephanie Nakash..............Great Neck, N.Y. 1124..Dominique Woinarowski....Syosset, N.Y. 1185..Katie Jane Cirella ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 1475..Michele Sheila Lehat..........Great Neck, N.Y.

Uni

ted Sports

USP

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

•

ions, Lt

11 ......Noah B. Rubin....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 80 ......Daniel Grundberger............Great Neck, N.Y. 166....Josh Silverstein ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 200....Alexander Lebedev............Island Park, N.Y. 231....Dennis Uspensky ..............Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 260....Lamar Remy ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 327....Samuel Lam ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 501....Ethan Bogard ....................Lido Beach, N.Y. 511....Vihar Shah ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 520....Conor Mullins ....................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 637....Branden Volk......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players

licat

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ............................City 10 ......Lea Ma................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 87 ......Alexa Goetz........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 96 ......Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 150....Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 199....Maryam Beshir Ahmad......Albertson, N.Y. 248....Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 419....Madison Jane Williams......Glen Cove, N.Y. 485....Rebecca Suarez ................Huntington, N.Y. 624....Denise Lai ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 793....Amy Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 795....Julia Kielan..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 922....Ivanna Nikolic ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 1206..Kimberly Liao......................Commack, N.Y.

2........Steven Well Sun ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 7 ........Cannon Kingsley................Northport, N.Y. 11 ......Ronald P. Hohmann ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 26 ......Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 41 ......Billy Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 46 ......Spencer Brachman............Commack, N.Y. 83 ......Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y. 117....Logan Paik Chang ............Old Westbury, N.Y. 220....Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 251....Niles Ghaffar ......................Massapequa, N.Y. 287....Jack Flores ........................Huntington, N.Y. 372....Karan Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 466....Maxwell Moadel ................Brookville, N.Y. 580....Richard James Kelly ..........Manhasset, N.Y. 644....Oliver Worth........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 734....Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 773....Jeff McDonnell ..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 939....Aman Sharma ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 1255..Daniel Chikvashvili ............Melville, N.Y. 1307..Rohan Reddy ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 1317..Brad Lin ..............................Great Neck, N.Y. 1348..Sam Reichbach..................Syosset, N.Y.

National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players

(as of 10/17/13)

Rank Name ............................City 15 ......Alexander Lebedev............Island Park, N.Y. 44 ......Brenden Andrew Volk........Dix Hills, N.Y. 145....Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y. 194....Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 198....Bryant Born ........................Manhasset, N.Y. 288....Jesse Levitin ......................Manhasset, N.Y. 293....Sean Mullins ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 299....Athell Patrick Bennett ........Valley Stream, N.Y. 453....Finbar Talcott......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 500....Sean Patrick ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 594....Travis Leaf ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 784....Palmer Clare ......................North Bellmore, N.Y. 791....Colin Francis Sacco ..........Brightwaters, N.Y. 797....Dylan Granat ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 827....Brian Shi ............................Jericho, N.Y. 841....Michael James DeNigris....Islip, N.Y. 1035..Yuval Soloman ..................Plainview, N.Y. 1201..Brian Hoffarth ....................Fort Salonga, N.Y. 1280..Daniel Shleimovich ............Syosset, N.Y. 1312..Nasser Abdel Ghaffar ........Massapequa, N.Y. 1358..Dylan Davis ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 1375..Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 1415..Stephen Grappusso ..........Bayport, N.Y.

Rank Name ............................City 161....Aleksandra Mally................Franklin Square, N.Y. 377....Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y. 412....Amber Nicole Policare ......East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 438....Sunaina Vohra ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 504....Aimee Manfredo ................Shoreham, N.Y. 505....Sophie Barnard ..................Mill Neck, N.Y. 539....Vivian Cheng ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 626....Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 749....Nicole Koskovolis ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 798....Paulina Tafler ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 820....Taylor S. Cosme ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 1117..Rithika Reddy ....................Syosset, N.Y. 1243..Bridget Elaine Harding ......Northport, N.Y. 1277..Lauren Ann Livingston ......Sands Point, N.Y.

ions, Lt

Boys & Girls National Rankings

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players

GIRLS

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players

licat

Rank Name..................................City 4 ........Aleksandra Mally................Franklin Square, N.Y. 23 ......Sophie Barnard ..................Mill Neck, N.Y. 27 ......Aimee Manfredo ................Shoreham, N.Y. 29 ......Sunaina Vohra ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 32 ......Amber Nicole Policare ......East Atlantic Beach, N.Y. 33 ......Bridget Elaine Harding ......Northport, N.Y. 34 ......Paulina Tafler ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 38 ......Madison Battaglia..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 41 ......Claudia Ruiz ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 51 ......Nicole Koskovolis ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 56 ......Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 63 ......Lauren Ann Livingston ......Sands Points, N.Y. 71 ......Alexandra Linder................Sands Point, N.Y. 72 ......Vivian Cheng ......................Woodbury, N.Y. 73 ......Emma Brezel......................Port Washington, N.Y. 81 ......Brittany Burke ....................Garden City, N.Y. 82 ......Michele Sheila Lehat..........Great Neck, N.Y. 83 ......Cameron Leigh Moskol ....Wantagh, N.Y. 88 ......Bridget Connors ................East Quogue, N.Y. 93 ......Allison Gabrielle Huber ......Melville, N.Y. 95 ......Stephanie Nakash..............Great Neck, N.Y. 98 ......Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y. 113....Taylor S. Cosme ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 114....Sara Finger ........................Saint James, N.Y. 121....Katie Jane Cirella ..............Woodbury, N.Y. 127....Rithika Reddy ....................Syosset, N.Y. 135....Lauren Elizabeth DiFazio ..Greenlawn, N.Y. 145....Danielle Gianetti ................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Rank Name ............................City 39 ......Brian Shi ............................Jericho, N.Y. 58 ......Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 108....Finbar Talcott......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 166....Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y. 171....Sean Patrick ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 203....Alan Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 217....Steven Well Sun ................Glen Cove, N.Y. 225....Keegan James Morris........Franklin Square, N.Y. 234....Patrick Maloney ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 286....Rajan Jai Vohra ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 334....Cannon Kingsley................Northport, N.Y. 350....Yuval Solomon ..................Plainview, N.Y. 362....Daniel Weitz........................Roslyn, N.Y. 401....Ronald P. Hohmann ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 407....Gardner Howe....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 462....Pete Siozios........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 479....Michael Medvedev ............Oceanside, N.Y. 560....Matthew Franklin Porges ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 653....Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 883....Nicolas Demaria ................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 1063..James Kyrkanides ............Stony Brook, N.Y. 1221..Daniel Meinster ..................South Setauket, N.Y. 1429..Ben Snow ..........................Water Mill, N.Y. 1473..Benjamin Grossman ..........Sands Point, N.Y.

722....Aidan Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 723....Jonathan Paris ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 735....Philip Daniel Antohi............Glen Head, N.Y. 807....Benjamin Rosen ................Port Washington, N.Y. 833....Dylan Hobbs Appel............Locust Valley, N.Y. 859....Alex Sacher ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 907....Kyle Alper ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 1006..Eric Wagner........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 1043..John P. D’Alessandro ........Northport, N.Y. 1076..Jared Halstrom ..................Bellmore, N.Y. 1095..Julian Zlobinski ..................Greenvale, N.Y. 1263..Zain Ali ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 1324..Douglas Notaris..................Wantagh, N.Y. 1354..Zach Lessen ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 1453..Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Region

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players

RANKINGS

nited Sports P

118....Elena Nitsa Maria Nastasi..Bayville, N.Y. 124....Michelle Carnovale ............Massapequa, N.Y. 131....Ellen Nicole Huhulea..........Rockville Centre, N.Y. 133....Adele Sukhov ....................Westbury, N.Y. 136....Rachel Weiss......................Great Neck, N.Y. 138....Rebecca Elizabeth Stern ..Dix Hills, N.Y. 147....Sabrina Ferretti ..................Setauket, N.Y.

ISLAND

•U

LONG

USTA/Long Island Region 2013

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. NOVEMBER 2013 Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 L3 Lynbrook Sportime Eastern UPS Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330. Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 L1 Sportime Kings Park November Championships Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 25 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 L2O Sportime Massapequa November Open Sportime Massapequa 5600 Old Sunrise Highway Massapequa, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-16)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 22) For more information, call (516) 799-3550.

Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 L2O Sportime Syosset November Open Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 22) For more information, call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 L3 Sportime Lynbrook Eastern UPS Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(16)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 L2O EAC November Open Eastern Athletic Clubs 9 Montauk Highway, Unit A Blue Point, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 27) For more information, call (631) 363-2882.

Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 L3 Sportime Kings Park’s Eastern UPS Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR; Quick Start BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, November 1-3 & November 8-10 L1B Glen Head Fall Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 25) For more information, call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 L2O Sportime Syosset November Open Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 364-2727.

Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham to Host First Tennis on Campus Alumni PlayDay Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham, N.J. has announced that it is hosting its first “Tennis on Campus Alumni PlayDay” on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 from 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. The event, designed for former club tennis and college tennis players, is the first event of its kind to be held in the USTA Eastern Section. This fun and competitive co-ed event is for 20 to 30-something former club tennis players or college tennis players, and their friends who are competitive players. The event will use the World TeamTennis (WTT) scoring format. “We are thrilled to be hosting this Tennis on Campus Alumni PlayDay at Centercourt Athletic Club,” said Clay Bibbee, man-

aging partner of Centercourt Athletic Club. “With so many of our juniors going on to competitive college play, our facility is the perfect place for former college players to reconnect and revive their passion for tennis.” Registration and participation fee, which includes light food, snacks and beverages, is $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. The event is limited to the first 40 players, and the deadline for registration is Thursday, Nov. 7. For more information or to register, call (973) 635-1222, email Lauren Rothstein at lauren@centercourtclub.com or visit www.centercourtclub.com.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2013

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 L1B Cherry Pie Classic Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18-16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 L2O LBTC November Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(18-14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 & November 15-17 L2O Glen Head Racquet Club Fall Open Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(14)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov.1) For more information, call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 L1B Sportime Lynbrook November Challenger Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

Saturday, November 9 L3 Sportime Massapequa November UPS Sportime Massapequa 5600 Old Sunrise Highway Massapequa, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 799-3550.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 L1B Sportime Kings Park November Challenger Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 8 at 2:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 & November 22-24 +L1 Sportime Bethpage Eastern Designated Closed Championships Level 5 FIC Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(16)s, FIC Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $38.13 per player For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 L3 RWTT at Glenwood Landing Eastern UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 81 Round Hill Road Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, November 15-17 & November 22-24 L1B Glen Head Racquet Club Fall Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 8 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, November 22-24 L2O Lynbrook Sportime Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18,12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, November 22-24 L3 Kings Park Sportime Eastern UPS Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR; Quick Start BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, November 22-24 L2R Sportime Bethpage November Regional Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(16-14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500. Saturday, November 23 L3 10U & 8U Sportime Syosset UPS Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Quick Start BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball]) ,8 [36’Court/Red Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 364-2727. Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 & December 6-8 L1 Huntington Winter Championships Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Street • Huntington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(12)sd, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 421-0040. Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L1 Sportime Syosset November Championships Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 364-2727.

USTA/Long Island Region 2013

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 HLIT L1B Winter Challenger Advantage Tennis Strategies LLC Hempstead Lake Indoor Tennis 525 Eagle Avenue West Hempstead, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L1 Glen Head Racquet Club Thanksgiving Championships Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(14)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 22 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 676-9849.

Saturday, November 30 L3 Sportime Bethpage Eastern UPS Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L1 RSTA Thanksgiving Championships Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(16)sd, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 907-5162.

DECEMBER 2013 Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 L2O Kings Park Sportime December Open Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 L2O LBTC December Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(16)sd, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 L2R Sportime Bethpage December Regional Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: G(14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 & December 13-15 L1 Glen Head Winter Championships Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(18)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Dec. 1 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 L2O Eastern Athletic Club BP Open Eastern Athletic Clubs 9 Montauk Highway, Unit A • Blue Point, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-14)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Nov. 30 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (631) 363-2882.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 & December 13-15 L1 RWTTC December Championships Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 81 Round Hill Road Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 25 at 8:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L1B RWTTC Thanksgiving Classic Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L1 Sportime Kings Park November Championships Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, FRLC Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, November 29-December 1 L2O LBTC Winter Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 L3 RWTT at Glenwood Landing Eastern UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 81 Round Hill Road • Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(14-12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 L2R Sportime Lynbrook December Regional Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18,14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2013 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2013

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 L1B Kings Park December Challenger Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Quick Start BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 L1B Sportime Bethpage Challenger Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(16,12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 & December 20-21 L2O Glen Head Racquet Club Winter Open Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 26 at 10:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 676-9849. Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 HLIT L2O Winter Open Advantage Tennis Strategies LLC Hempstead Lake Indoor Tennis 525 Eagle Avenue West Hempstead, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 9 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, December 20-22 L3 Sportime Kings Park Winter UPS Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(16-12)s, RR; QuickStart BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 484-9222. Friday-Sunday, December 20-22 HLIT L1B Holiday Challenger Advantage Tennis Strategies LLC Hempstead Lake Indoor Tennis 525 Eagle Avenue West Hempstead, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 16 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505. Sunday-Thursday, December 22-26 L1B LBTC Holiday Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18,14)sd, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060. Thursday-Sunday, December 26-29 L1B LBTC Holiday Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18-14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, December 20-22 L2O Sportime Lynbrook December Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(16,12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 887-1330.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2013 • LITennisMag.com

Thursday-Tuesday, December 26-31 L2O Robbie Wagner’s Holiday Open Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 for one event; $51 for two events (deadline for entries is Thursday, Dec. 19 at 11:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, December 27-29 HLIT L1B Challenger Advantage Tennis Strategies LLC Hempstead Lake Indoor Tennis 525 Eagle Avenue West Hempstead, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 23 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (516) 759-0505.

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