New York Tennis Magazine - January/February 2013 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

Also inside this issue: Guide to Where to Get Fit for Tennis

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

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January/February 2013 Volume 3, Number 1 New York Tennis Magazine 1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.nytennismag.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover story Cover photo credit: Rebecca Taylor/MSG Photos

Staff David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com

On March 4, Madison Square Garden will host the Sixth Annual BNP Paribas Showdown featuring Rafael Nadal taking on Juan Martin del Potro and on the women’s side, Serena Williams taking on Victoria Azarenka.

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 Jon Blake Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • jonb@usptennis.com

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2012 • New York Tennis Magazine

Also inside this issue: Guide to Where to Get Fit for Tennis

Brent Shearer Editorial Contributor

Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com.

Article Submissions/Press Releases 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.

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

2013 Australian Open Preview The Australian Open kicks off the 2013 Grand Slam season … the men, the women, the contenders, the sleepers and pretenders all vying for Grand Slam glory in Melbourne.

New York Tennis Magazine’s 2013 Gym Guide Need to supplement your on-court workout? Look no further as we present the top conditioning centers geared toward taking your tennis game and off the court fitness to the next level.

Scott Koondel Administrative Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Beverly Koondel Office Administrator (516) 409-4444, ext. 316

NY Tennis Community Cleans Up the Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy By Adam Wolfthal Superstorm Sandy swept through the area and left in its wake, several local tennis facilities who were left to deal with its destruction … here is their story on rebuilding and rebounding.

Emilie Katz Marketing Coordinator Tara Cook Billing Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 324

Feature Stories

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

Big Apple Braces for Big Stars on the Court

Additional Features 3 4 16 23 25 26 36 38 46 47 48

Reality & Fantasy: Don’t Overplay … Playing Your Game is the Best Bet By Rohan Goetzke Junior Player Spotlight: Jennifer Bright By Adam Wolfthal Is NYC Tennis History in Jeopardy? By Richard Thater Looking to Fix Technique? Examine Your Movement By Tim Mayotte Ten and Under Tennis By Lesley Rosenthal Warning: Improper Use of This String May be Hazardous to Your Health! By Fritz Buehning Fix Your Toss and Get More Power on the Serve By Lisa Dodson A Look Back at the 2012 Tennis Season Keep the Fun in the Game By Xavier Luna Seems My Kid Likes Tennis … Now What? By Mike Silverman The Balance Between Practice and Playing Tournaments By Gilad Bloom

Columns 6 10 24 28 29 31 32 50 50 52 55

Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz The Jensen Zone By Luke Jensen College Tennis Spotlight: The Five Myths of College Recruiting By Eric Rebhuhn Adult League Recap: USTA Leagues Update By Deborah-Rose Andrews Tips From the Tennis Pro: Tennis the Opposite Hand By Bill Longua USTA Eastern Metro Region Update Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs Upcoming Events New York Tennis Club Directory New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2013 Tournament Schedule

Reality& Fantasy Don’t overplay … playing your game is the best bet

By Rohan Goetzke Being a tennis coach necessitates a unique ability to connect with the player. Tennis is a game of skill, strength and strategy. As a coach, the challenge is to guide a player to perform their best in all of those aspects and then come back the next day reaching for more. As in any sport, there is that elite group of athletes at the top that we are inspired by. Those players, whose names are all too familiar, impress and amaze us with their talent and passion for the sport. They are, if not heroes of the sport, symbolic of what can be achieved. In a tennis training center, from technically fine-tuning a swing, to tweaking a serve, to inspiring a player’s game strategy, one of the most pressing issues for coaches is balancing a player’s expectation of what they are capable of doing at that moment and what they would love to be able to do. If you have been around the game long enough, it is evident how the top professional players are influencing the game style for the rest of us. From the powerful ground shots, to exceptional movement, penetrating serves, and the return of serve, watching a match is often a truly inspiring event. Now consider that junior player who just saw an astonishing match and decides to try that spectacular first serve or to make every shot a winner. What’s the big deal? Well, the big deal is that junior player we is trying to hit the same balls as the professionals and forgetting what they are physically, if not emotionally, capable of. And the result is often trying to hit too hard, trying for too many winners, which often results in unforced errors. They often attempt to serve too hard or possess too great a sense of urgency to end the point rather than work the point. Allthe-while, the player is only 5’4”, they are playing entirely the wrong style of game, and so they become negative and begin a downward spiral. We all know working on fundamentals is

critical for development and that the more solid and developed the mechanics, the lower the chances are that things will fall apart under pressure. It is also important to factor in that players progress and mature physically and emotionally at different rates and at different stages in their training. While many coaches focus on an all-court game, young players need to work more on their serve and also their return of serve. I personally believe that these elements are often overlooked and under-trained. Achieving a higher percentage of first serves, and in the return game, trying to make as many first serve returns and do more with the second serve return, are elements that need more attention. Learning how to work the point—when to rally, open the court up or hit the ball deep or deep and down the middle, and not always going for winners— needs to be a training priority. The professionals play long points and shifting to that mindset can help a young player progress. In today’s world of tennis, coaching needs to focus even more on balancing the expectations of players with their own personal reality, addressing with players and parents how to formulate clear goals that take into account the age and physical capabilities of the player, all while accepting that there is a learning curve. While watch-

ing other players or professional matches are useful training tools, each player needs to stay true to himself and his own game. Those flashy shots that younger players are trying to emulate won’t win the match, but a commitment to playing a point properly and competing hard will. It might be a cliché, but there really aren’t any short cuts to the top, so train hard and don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Rohan Goetzke is the IMG Academy Director of Bollettieri Tennis. As director, Rohan oversees all aspects of the tennis program and ensures delivery of the optimal training and highest level of development to each male and female tennis athlete at the junior, high school, postgraduate, collegiate and professional levels. A native of Australia, Goetzke joined IMG Academy from the Dutch Tennis Federation, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of the nation’s tennis program from the junior through professional ranks. Prior to joining the Dutch Tennis Federation as technical director, Goetzke served as the national head coach of the Federation, working with top professionals including Robin Haase, Michaella Krajicek, Thiemo De Bakker and Arantxa Rus. For more information, visit imgperformance.com.

Online Tennis Training with Bill Longua USPTA To purchase Bill's book, "Winning Tennis Strokes", please go to http://onlinetennistraining.com. Receive Bill's book FREE by working online with Bill to improve your game for ONLY $14.99/YEAR. YOUR OWN PERSONAL PRO! Go to http://onlinetennistraining.com/members for details. E-mail Bill at bill@onlinetennistraining.com for more info. NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Jennifer Bright By Adam Wolfthal

rom the moment you meet Jennifer Bright, it is obvious that she is not like most others her age. She knows her skills, sets her goals high, and does what it takes to achieve them. Whether it’s spending an extra 10 minutes at the end of a tennis practice working on her down the line backhand, or putting in the maximum of necessary five to eight recommendations for one of the most prestigious awards in academia. Growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, it is generally difficult to stand out with so much greatness on every corner. Be it the Julliard School of Music, Central Park or the American Museum of Natural History, it is known that to make a name for yourself in this area, you have to be special, sophisticated and maybe a little bit lucky. As a young girl, Jenny was involved in many sports, including basketball, softball and soccer, but eventually tennis won out as her primary sport due to its combination of team and individual aspect. Jenny began playing tennis at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (RIRC) at the age of seven, and spent her first few years learning the basics from Aston Lawson. She was chosen to be on the varsity team at Trinity High School, while still in eighth grade, and anchored the team at first singles for five years. “Sports is a funny thing, tennis is very different from other situations, you are on a friendly field of competition, and two people are put together with a set of rules and told to just play,” said Jenny. “The rigidity of sports, the repetition and the mental toughness that you gain from sports helps you out

in all aspects of life, especially handling stress.” While on the high school team, she switched coaches at RIRC to the club’s director of tennis, Jason Spiers, who remains her coach to this day. “It was obvious from the beginning that she had a great deal of potential,” said Spiers. “All she needed was better management on court to be able to use her smarts in the game, and once she got a handle of how to think on the court, everyone knew she would make it at Yale.” And make it she did. Jenny became engrossed in academics and put her all into realizing her goal of learning all she could about urban development and planning. Focusing her studies on ethics, politics and

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

economics with a concentration on urban health, Jenny also interned for the past three summers working in urban health policy in New York City. In her junior fall semester at Yale, the tennis team held open tryouts and Jenny could have been on the team, but she was not able to take on the commitment to the full extent that she wanted to. She declined the spot, but became a supporter of the team. Instead, she focused her attention on other, albeit, less demanding, intramural competitions. Whether it was touch football, pingpong, or soccer, Jenny helped lead her slump-ridden Davenport College to its first successful intramural season in decades. Jenny is the former president of the Yale Urban Collective and the editor-in-chief of the Yale Undergraduate Law Review. If she decided to cruise to her graduation and come home with a degree, it would have been considered an overwhelming success and an outstanding college career, but that’s just not Jenny. She began the long and arduous process of applying for a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford to study public policy and urban health. The characteristics sought out for the Rhodes are physical vigor, selflessness, literary and scholastic achievements, and leadership abilities. These attributes were the beginning of a procedure that included obtaining eight letters of recommendation, getting an endorsement from Yale, writing a personal statement, and interviewing with a group from her district, New York State. “On a different day, it might have been another person going to Oxford, but it happened to be my day,” said Jenny … the first of many days that will be hers.

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Tweets from the tennis pros Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): I’m so excited its snowing!! @mcilroyrory snowball fight coming up!! I would watch my back;) Jesse Levine @jesselevine7: You know its going to be a rough day in fantasy football when your kicker puts up more points than your #1 overall! HAHA! Shahar Peer @shaharpeer: Master Chef!!! Love this show :-)

Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): Early morning hoops at UCLA, great way to start the day!

Laura Robson @laurarobson5: Cannot stop watching Criminal Minds. On my 5th straight episode.

Amer Delic @AmerDelic: Last time I was at the Orange Bowl, I watched Federer, Lopez, Robredo, etc. On my way there now. Let’s see what this class has to offer. Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92): Having a great off season so far! Lots of work, but so ready to get back at it next year. Enjoying some great home cooking for a change :) Serena Williams (@serenawilliams): I could be the moodiest person alive.

Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Really enjoyed my time here in Aspen, but now bags are packed and Brazil here I come :) Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): Sitting between @kanyewest and @andyroddick on flight from Miami-LAX. Tough for me to accept third alpha male status on flight :(

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Wedding bells Mike Bryan has married Lucille Williams in California. American ATP stars and personalities in attendance at Mike‘s wedding included his twin brother Bob Bryan, Mardy Fish and Justin Gimelstob. Mike himself and James Valentine from rock band Maroon 5 (fresh off of a Saturday Night Live stint) played songs on guitar for guests a half-hour before the ceremony began. Former world number four James Blake married Emily Snider in California. ATP stars in attendance included Andy Roddick, John Isner, Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri, among other sports and entertainment notables. The joys of marriage keep coming for ATP players, as Aussie Matt Ebden became the latest to tie the knot at the Secret Garden. Ebden is a frequent doubles partner to budding young gun, American Ryan Harrison. From the local coaching ranks, a sincere congratulations are in order for Sportime coaching legend Eric Meditz, who is well-known for his “My Opinion” columns in Long Island Tennis Magazine, on tying the knot as well. Meditz can now finally put his focus back on his writing as well as righting the ship with his fantasy baseball and hockey teams which have struggled as Meditz was busy wedding planning.

Mid-match massage Novak Djokovic was in Brazil for an exhibition match against Brazilian native Gustavo Kuerten, and during a stoppage of play, Novak noticed a group of young models standing behind his chair. That’s when the top-ranked Djokovic sprung into action by removing his shirt and received a “multi-model” massage for the ages … the video can be found online, and if Djokovic wasn’t already the idol of young tennis players throughout the world, he certainly will be now.

personal question: “If you win this week, am I going to get a really nice Christmas present?” “Have you not already got a lot of nice presents,” McIlroy responded. Rory then assured his lady that she’s going to have a memorable Christmas regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s tournament. “I have been looking, I have been looking,” McIlroy said. “But it won’t take winning this week to buy you a nice present–I’ll get you a nice present anyway.” This back and forth brought laughs from all in attendance. McIlroy certainly won’t have any problem affording a nice gift, as he made in excess of $13 million in PGA and European Tour tournaments alone this year, let alone the millions he rakes in from endorsements.

Christmas gift

CSI

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Caroline Inter national Wozniacki Tennis Hall of snatched a miFamer Chris crophone from Evert, Olympic a reporter durGold Medalist ing boyfriend Lindsay Davenport and tennis commentaRory McIlroy’s press conference to ask a tor Justin Gimelstob will guest star in an

episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in January 2013 on the CBS Television Network. The three tennis personalities will appear as themselves when the CSI team investigates the death of a professional female tennis player. Evert, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including two Australian Opens, seven French Opens, three Wimbledons and six U.S. Opens, owns the best winning percentage (.900) in pro tennis history. She won 154 singles titles (second all-time in the Open Era). Joining Evert will be former world number one and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Davenport, who won 55 singles titles, including seven Grand Slams (two Australian Opens, three Wimbledons, two U.S. Opens) and 38 doubles titles. A former top-ranked U.S. junior and NCAA doubles champion at UCLA, Justin Gimelstob rounds out the guest stars from the professional tennis world. He reached a career-high ranking of 63rd in singles and 17th in doubles. He is also a correspondent for CBS THIS MORNING. CSI airs Wednesday nights (10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NY Tennis Community Cleans Up the Aftermath of

Superstorm Sandy

B y t was late Sunday, Oct. 28th, most New Yorkers were just beginning to think about what the Halloween costume we were going to try and rig together, on the way home from watching the game. The announcer on the radio said something about a major storm coming the following day, and most folks figured, “I hope he’s right, maybe if it’s bad enough, I’ll have off work on Tuesday …” Having weathered the effects of Hurricane Irene just over a year earlier, and being jaded to the weathermen predicting catastrophic events every other week, it was brushed off as “No big deal.” A few folks headed out to fill their cars with gas if they had a long commute, some bought water and other supplies, much to the chagrin of the masses, those preparing were deemed worrywarts. As the night went on, the winds kept picking up. Then it was calm. Overnight, calm. Even early in the day on Monday, public facilities were preemptively closed for the storm and it was a beautiful and calm. As the morning became the afternoon and the winds never gave a hint of slowing, it started to become clear that this was not an average storm

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heading our way. Reports started coming in over the television that parts of West Virginia and Virginia were being blanketed with snow. Outside, the clouds overhead were rushing by as if they were running late for a subway during peak hours. Radio stations began advising folks that they should fill up with gas and then stay in for the night. Little did anyone know how important a full tank would be over the next few days. Hardware and home improvement stores had sold out of generators. As day turned to night, the darkness outside swiftly gave way to darkness indoors, as the winds picked up and trees began falling on power lines, taking out the electricity in most neighborhoods. Once the power companies saw that poles and power stations were in harm’s way, they began preemptively shutting down the power to the bulk of the island. Then the water came … Sandy was officially only a Category One Storm, and what it lacked in force, it made up for in sheer size and more effectively, timing. Had Sandy come through during the middle of the day, in the middle of the lunar cycle, it would have been handled. But Sandy was a Superstorm, and it hit

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Credit Photos to Aaron Klipstein

New York and New Jersey at high tide, during a full moon and had a footprint of roughly 1.8 million square miles, from the Mid-Atlantic to Ohio and up into Canada. This was no ordinary, average storm. Couple the massive size and effect of the storm with the complacency that had been brewing ever since New York had “handled” Hurricane Irene just 15 months prior, and what you get is a state of shocked emergency and unprepared terror. At its peak, the new record high tide rose a full nine-feet above average, nearly threefeet higher than the previous record set in 1821. Sustained winds reached 90 miles per hour and gusted up over 110 miles per hour. Any free-standing structure was under duress and anything not tied down became a projectile. Homes and businesses near the water were especially jeopardized due to the extreme high tide pouring water into the ground floor of many buildings. Particularly susceptible were any outdoor tennis facilities that had recently raised its bubble to insulate the courts. The newly-raised tennis bubbles, with penetrable outer linings and delicate footing, were left standing in a few cases, however most

were not so fortunate, including, Sportime at Randalls Island, West Side Tennis Club and the Tennis Club of Riverdale. Once the wind jostled the bubble off its base, and with the power down, backup generators could not push the amount of air needed to keep the bubble standing. At 3:00 a.m. during the worst stretch of the storm, 100-plus mile per hour winds were pushing the inflatable structures off their foundations and most would not make it through the night. At West Side Tennis Club, one of their bubbles went down, but luckily, the larger of the two stayed up and they were able to keep programming going through the week while repairs were made. Due to the initial power outages, the influx of out of town help coming to the area and the inability for fuel tankers and trucks to get to their original destinations, fuel and particularly gas were in very low supply. Rationing began one week after the storm as gas lines grew from minutes to hours. Coordinating the rebuilding effort became increasingly difficult with a new premium on

the necessity of such a vital element as fuel. The Tennis Club of Riverdale saw this event as an opportunity to take one of the best clubs in New York and make it even better. After losing its inflatable structure in the storm, Tennis Club of Riverdale has improved their facilities with a brand new bubble structure boasting the brightest tennis courts in New York City. The Sportime complex at Randalls Island

also lost its bubble temporarily due to the high winds and tidal swells. Luckily, they have a number of other indoor facilities and were able to continue programming unhindered for the five days it took to repair the inflatable structure and get the club back to full operation. Those who were lucky enough to make it through the devastation relatively unscathed, poured out to volunteer and donate what they could. People from all over the continent flooded our streets with electric repair vans and construction trucks. Many local tennis clubs have used the devastation as an opportunity to upgrade their facilities. That sentiment is a very common one among effected communities. Although we were battered, and in some cases, broken, the strength of the New York tennis community will move forward and rebuild these impacted facilities. Adam Wolfthal is director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at adam@usptennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

I would like to salute the captains of our league teams. From coast to coast, the largest demographic of passionate and competitive tennis players in the nation are the adult league players. The unsung hero in a no-win situation is the team captain. Whenever I meet a team captain, I never fail to get a roll of the eyes when I ask them if they like to set the lineup. Being a captain and being a coach is very similar … taking many different personalities and capabilities and attempting to unite all of their strengths into one cohesive unit. Now, notice I did not say the word “WIN!” If winning is the goal, then here is my story … Entering my freshman year at the University of Southern California, I was this junior tennis player hot shot. I was the number one International Tennis Federation singles and doubles player on the planet coming out of high school. I was loaded with game and confidence. Entering my first team dual match for the USC Trojans, I was pretty set on playing number one in singles and doubles. In all my matchups with my fellow Trojans, I felt that I had earned the number one spot. I can still feel the cold steel of sitting in the bleachers as my team sat waiting for our College Hall of Fame Coach Dick Leach to run down the lineup assignments. I was convinced that I was going to play number one, but I remember saying to myself that I could see him going with an upper classman instead so that I can get my feet wet in the dual match format. Rick Leach, who ended up winning multiple Grand Slams and U.S. Davis Cup ties before he retired, was given the top spot. Yes, Rick was Coach Leach’s son, but Rick was more than worthy of being our top player, receiving All-American honors his previous two years in singles and doubles. Now, number two was going to be my spot for sure … NOPE! Jorge Lozano, a senior and 10

Davis Cup player from Mexico filled that spot. I was thinking “Come on already!” I am going to have a serious talk with Coach Leach about this crime of putting me at number three singles. So you can understand my surprise when Coach Leach named Senior Tim Pawsat at number three. Tim was an outstanding player at all levels and ended up reaching the top 10 in the ATP world doubles rankings, but I was so mad it did not matter at that point … I was ready to transfer schools! I have not hit one ball in a team dual situation in my life and I was set on leaving USC for another school as I took my gear to Court #4. My mind was not on any opponent or tactic … I was in BEAST MODE and I blew out the guppy on the other side at number four singles and number two doubles even though Jorge and I were the top doubles team in the college rankings at that point. I was not a team player the next 24 hours, but more like a Tazmanian Devil spinning through trees out of control. After playing the same positions and winning the next day with a massive chip on my shoulder, I was able schedule a meeting with Coach Leach in his office. I had not spoken to anyone for 72 hours and was beyond upset with the situation. Before the door was even closed and I was able to sit in my chair across from Coach Leach (in his office that had more trophies and All Americans on the walls than most conferences have combined), Coach asked, “What’s up?” like he had no idea why I was storming around with so much frustration. All I could get out was “Number four? Come on … number four?” It was not my best approach, but it was all I could get out at that point. Coach Leach leaned back and responded simply and calmly, “ Did we win?” I replied, “Well, yea but …” He continued to say that on the USC team, that the team winning was the most important thing. That my position was a privilege and numbers five and six, and the other players below me were not happy with their assignments either but USC won.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Coach Leach is a tremendous teacher, and for the next hour or so, he explained my role on the team as important, but no more or less important than every other player on the team. I walked out of that meeting with a new and fresh perspective that I still use today with my team at Syracuse University. No matter what level or league, team competition is about the success of the team and how the parts of the team all contribute to the team’s win. The team captains put up with so much through the season and the lineup is a tough part of it. The best teams are the ones that take responsibility for their roles. From captain to player, the little details make a big difference. Everyone being on time, attending all the team practices and functions, are things that make a team move towards their common goals. I have learned so much from my many team experiences on and off the court that made the game more fun through my years as a tennis player. Enjoy your team and wherever you play on it. It my not be where you feel you should play, but the power of many is stronger than the power of one. Crush the ball and poach more than you don’t. 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 e-mail lbjensen@syr.edu.

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2013 Australian Open Preview A NEW SEASON KICKS OFF DOWN UNDER

The 2013 Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from Jan. 14-27, the 101st edition of the Open. ATP top-ranked Novak Djokovic from Serbia will return to defend his men’s singles title for a third time, as WTA top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will defend the women’s singles title. Here is a look at this year’s contenders, pretenders and sleepers as well as an overview of what’s new this year in the land Down Under.

The men’s side of the draw The contenders … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, reigning world number one, and the favorite heading into the 2013 Australian Open. Djokovic, who defeated Rafael Nadal in an epic five-set final at this event a year ago, will look to start 2013 off on the right foot. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Last year, Roger Federer lost in the semifinals Down Under to Nadal. Federer is now 31-years-old and is no longer a lock for success, but his consistency in majors through the years is unmatched, and on the hard courts of Melbourne, he is a good bet to challenge for a championship. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

The year 2012 was the year Andy Murray finally broke through and moved into the upper echelon of the ATP Tour. Murray won both the Olympics and U.S. Open to 12

finish off the best year of his career. He will be looking to build upon that momentum in 2013. Murray‘s game is well-rounded, and after winning on the hard courts in New York, another hard court major title in Melbourne is within reach. The pretenders … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga made the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2010, but the last two years have not gone as well for him “Down Under.” In 2011, he lost in the third round and last year he fell to Kei Nishikori in the fourth round. Both defeats came in tough five setters and Tsonga will need to be in peak physical condition to fight through the Australian heat this time around. While he comes into the year’s first major ranked eighth in the world, Tsonga is a long shot to win his first major title. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Janko Tipsarevic had the best year of his career and is now a top 10 player, but that doesn’t mean he is ready to win a major. Janko lost in straight sets in the third round in Melbourne a year ago to Richard Gasquet. A similar finish is more likely than a run to the title in 2013 as well.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

The sleepers … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

John Isner is one player who, on hard courts or grass courts, strikes fear into all players. His serve can be so dominant that on his best days, even the top guys are in trouble. Isner is the best American hopeful this year, especially with Mardy Fish out of the event and Andy Roddick retired. If Isner can limit the long early round matches that have plagued him of late, he has the game to make a deep run in Melbourne. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Tomas Berdych was an Australian Open quarterfinalist a year ago, falling to Rafael Nadal in four sets. He also made a nice run in Flushing Meadows in September at the 2012 U.S. Open, reaching the semis before falling to eventual champion Andy Murray. Berdych is a big server who can beat anyone if he is on. If he can get a little lucky with the draw, expect a nice run from Berdych this year.

2013 Australian Open Preview A NEW SEASON KICKS OFF DOWN UNDER

The women’s side of the draw The contenders … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Victoria Azarenka, the defending women’s champion, is back and is playing well. The hard courts of Melbourne suit her game and she will be looking to keep her crown. Last year, Azarenka was quite impressive winning the title by defeating Maria Sharapova easily 6-3, 6-0 in the final. In her last Grand Slam (the U.S. Open), she lost to Serena Williams in a tough three-set final. Odds are, they meet again Down Under. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Regardless of her ranking at the time, Serena Williams is generally the favorite in every tour-

nament she plays. When she is focused mentally and on top of her game, she is always tough to beat. She will be looking to avenge a fourth round loss from a year ago, where she fell in straight sets to the unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia. With Azarenka, Sharapova and others looking to knock her off, it won’t be an easy road, but Serena is certainly a major contender in Australian. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Maria Sharapova lost in the finals of last year’s Australian Open to Victoria Azarenka and she will be attempting to go one step further this year and win the title. Sharapova is coming off an impressive 2012 season and will hope to build on that this year. She is one of the top threats.

The pretenders … Petra Kvitova came into Australia as the number two seed in 2012 and lost to Maria Sharapova in a tough semifinal. Her game has slipped a bit since, however, she still remains within the top 10 of the WTA Rankings. While she is still a threat, until she regains her top form, she likely will not be able to string together the six wins necessary to win the title. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Venus Williams sat out last year’s tournament with an illness, but she will return in 2013. Venus has yet to regain top form since her return to the courts and overcoming the Australian heat and the field of women may be too much for her. She is currently ranked 24th in the world. Expect an early ouster for Venus.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Credit photo to David Kenas Photography

2013 Australian Open Preview A NEW SEASON KICKS OFF DOWN UNDER

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Samantha Stosur is the hometown favorite and 2011 U.S. Open Champion. However, in the past, she has had trouble dealing with the pressure of playing in her home country. Last year, she lost in the first round in straight sets to the unseeded Sorana Cirstea. While a better result is expected this year, she is not a threat to win it all.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

A year ago, Sara Errani was unseeded and still advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before Petra Kvitova knocked her off. Since then, Errani has been on fire, and her ranking is now up to number five in the world. While this may not be her best surface, she has been playing well enough to be a threat to win on any surface. Look out for Errani in 2013.

The sleepers … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Maria Kirilenko has her ranking up to 14th in the world. She had a tough draw a year ago, losing to Petra Kvitova in the third round, but a good draw may spark a long run this year. She has been playing some of her best tennis and 2013 could be her year.

New this year at the Aussie Open Organizers of the Australian Open have increased the event’s prize money to a record $31.1 million for 2013, in response to player concerns about compensation at Grand Slam tournaments. In addition, stage one of the $360 million-plus redevelopment of

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Melbourne Park is currently underway and set for completion in 2015. “We are proud to announce this major increase in prize money,” said Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood. “We have led the world in prize money for these incredible athletes, and we want to ensure that the Australian Open continues to make a major contribution to the financial well-being of professional tennis players.” Wood noted that Tennis Australia officials would seek further input from the playing group regarding a more equitable distribution of prize money to help ensure financial viability for lower ranked players.

2013 Australian Open Preview A NEW SEASON KICKS OFF DOWN UNDER The $4 million hike is the biggest single increase in the history of the event. Other additions to the 2013 Australian Open include: I Andre Agassi to present the men’s championship trophy I Hawk-Eye to be introduced on Show Courts 2 and 3 I New practice and recovery facilities for players, including eight new clay courts in the new National Tennis Centre I An expanded Australian Open Trophy Tour throughout Australia, China and Japan

I The inaugural Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Playoff (to be held in China) I The new Edwin Flack footbridge connecting the MCG with Melbourne Park and AAMI Park I An expanded Women’s Legends event, including former Australian Open champs Amelie Mauresmo and Lindsay Davenport, along with Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova I A special Legends Lunch on the final Saturday to honor six-time Australian Open winner Roy Emerson I New multi-year deals with Rolex, ANZ,

Maxxis, Powerade and Mount Franklin I Australian legend Judy Dalton to be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame I Two new balcony areas overlooking the Grand Slam Oval on the western side I An elevated viewing deck over major practice courts I Dedicated MLC Tennis Hot Shots courts in Garden Square and Court Four so kids can experience the game, with professional coaches on hand to provide tips and advice

The Academy at Centercourt Athletic Club “Where champions come to train!”

he Academy at Centercourt Athletic Club is the northeast’s premiere High Performance Tennis Academy. Our full-time boarding academy provides players with the ideal environment to improve their tennis skills under a certified international coaching staff while also gaining an exceptional education. Our Academy players are among some of the top sectional, national, and ITF ranked players from around the world. The coaching staff of the Academy at Centercourt Athletic Club, are all top level USPTA, PTR, ITF and USTA certified High Performance coaches who possess the knowledge, leadership and mentoring skills necessary to develop players into champions.

Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham

I 20 indoor tennis courts (12 Clay, 8 Hard) I State of the art Fitness & Conditioning Center I Spacious Academy Club House (Academy/Mental Training Center)

I Full Service Pro-Shop and Luxurious Club House I Dorm residence with Full-Time live-in House Parent I College Placement Program

For further information on the Full-Time Academy at Centercourt Athletic Club or to arrange a visit to our facility please visit our website at www.centercourtclub.com or contact Clay Bibbee at 973-635-1222 / clay@centercourtclub.com.

Centercourt Athletic Club • 222 North Passaic Ave • Chatham, New Jersey 07928 NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Is NYC Tennis History in

Jeopardy? By Richard Thater

atching the television show Jeopardy recently, I wondered why my mind is crammed with seemingly useless information? And, worse, why am I proud of it? As the calendar turns into another year, it seems that more of the oral history of tennis in our city will disappear. I am a thorough researcher, but calling friends and using Internet search engines have proven disappointingly unsuccessful when tracking down tennis facts that interest me. I discovered that the Works Progress Administration built many New York City public parks during the late 1930s. But finding information about the tennis courts built in those parks was elusive—I found none. Refugees fleeing the havoc brought to Europe by the World War II found homes on these New York courts. And they brought

with them the cultivated traditions they learned in many small tennis clubs scattered Author Richard Thater (right) stringing racquets in the early on the continent. Everyone 1970s wore all white, they brought picnic baskets with them, and many of match? Stories are told that he would them spent the day. I found a welcom- even begin to completely restring a ing home among these émigrés who racket at his beloved 45 pounds of created unofficial clubs on courts built tension. Who is Beppe Merlo? He by unemployed Americans during the played off both sides with a twoGreat Depression. handed grip, and was best described Barry MacKay died this year. I had a by Rod Laver as a “real weirdie.” chance to speak briefly with him at the Rackets were strung by hand back U.S. Open a few years back. This long- then, and stringers would pluck the tenured broadcaster was very honest strings like musical instruments to dewhen he told me that the question termine the tension. most people ask when they first meet Jeopardy question two: What was him is, “How did you get into tennis, the price of a can of tennis balls in did you ever play?” Can we try to re- 1960? What is $3-$4 for a can of member that in 1959 he defeated Rod three? Plus, you had a drinking conLaver in a Davis Cup match played at tainer as a bonus—just fill the tin can the West Side Tennis Club in Forest with water from the public fountain. No Hills, N.Y.? worries about plastics seeping into Jeopardy question one: Which Ital- your drink. ian tennis star would repair the strings Pancho Gonzalez was an insightful on his racket on crossovers during a television commentator, but sometimes he missed big. I heard him criticizing Jimmy Connors on the air for putting the spare ball in his pocket during a match (Connors was one of the first two-handed players). Gonzalez’s projection was that Connors was headed for major hip problems in the future. What would Pancho have thought about all the women tucking the spare ball under their panties? Jeopardy question three: In 1960, how many balls did you hold in your tossing hand while serving? What is two? You always held two balls in your hand for the first serve, and if you missed, you were ready for the second serve without delay. You then held the ball in your non-dominant hand throughout the point.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

I managed a tennis shop during the early 1970s, a period that saw the weight of wood rackets drop significantly. I remember the thrill of finding a few 12 ¼ ounce Dunlop Maxply Forts in my deliveries. But those light frames came at a price—increased breakage, especially at the shoulders. One evening, a Snauert representative with time to kill stopped by and educated me on how the desire for lighter frames was forcing manufacturers to change. He explained that wood from the top, middle and bottom of a mountain was used in different parts of a racket, and that the newer weights used wood with less water. Manufacturers had to change their traditional techniques. As a trivia aside, I asked him how the very light and poor quality rackets being shipped from Pakistan could be labeled as “Made in England?” He told me that only the grip had to be wrapped in England in order to qualify for the label. Of course the times were quickly

changing and racket technology and names were now heralding a new age. “Autograph” and “Player’s Special” models were being replaced with numerical designations like the Tony Trabert C-6 and the Jimmy Connors T-2000. Aluminum, steel and graphite were the desired materials. I admit to another research failure … years back, winter tennis in New York was mostly a frigid exercise in devotion to the game, and only offered rare opportunities to play indoors. One year, I played in a National Guard Armory in Washington Heights, a community in uptown Manhattan. The courts were set up on a highly-polished drill floor, surrounded by two-and-a-half-ton Army trucks with their hoods open. If you were opposing a superior player, as I often did, the ball skidded at you rather than bounced. And when you missed, you sometimes had to climb up on a truck to retrieve your ball from inside the motor. After many telephone calls and Internet searches, I have to con-

clude that memories of this very unique moment in NYC tennis history are gone. One last thought about how the game and the players have changed. When the U.S. Open was played at Forest Hills during the early 1970s, it was common to see the top players get off the subway they had taken from their hotels in Manhattan, and stop at McDonald’s for takeout. If you follow the game today, you know how strange that seems. Are these the tired reminiscences of a guy nursing a drink in the corner of the clubhouse bar? Or are they part of the powerful oral history of tennis in New York City? Should we lobby Jeopardy to establish a “History of Tennis” category? In that case, Mr. Trebek … GAME ON! Richard Thater is director of 10 & Under Tennis at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills N.Y. He is PTR-certified in Junior Development. He may be reached by phone at (917) 749-3255 or e-mail richthater@aol.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

IMG Academy 5500 34th Street West Bradenton, Fla. (800) 872-6425 www.imgacademy.com Tennis is a very complex game which demands high energy output and muscular engagement. At IMG Academy, we develop a strength and conditioning routine tailored to the individual athlete that addresses these demands. With a combination of work in strength, movement, and footwork, we seek to prevent injuries, while helping to build the absolute best tennis body possible. In terms of strength, we look to produce a solid and strong body that is able to generate power and develop a lot of momentum with rotational movements. For injury prevention, scapula stabilization, hip mobilization, core strengthening, and knee and ankle proprioception, are the main focus. Lastly, footwork and movement training, which includes court drills and a variety of equipment like medicine balls, bungees, and balance boards. Our main focus is to provide better self awareness, balance, eye-to-hand and eyeto-foot coordination, and speed of reaction. All these points are very important to maintaining good technique throughout a stroke. As part of the IMG Academy training program, we take all of our athletes through our i360 sports performance tests, which give our coaches an indicator of what areas of development the individual athlete needs to work on in order to take his/her game to the next level. Within the IGNITE 360 performance training system, we continue to work on the athlete’s strengths, but spend more time on fixing the athlete’s weaknesses and improving any muscular imbalances or deficiencies. This approach grants the athlete the best opportunity to maximize their energy output and muscular engagement capabilities. Cassiano Costa is IMG’s physical conditioning coach. He completed a bachelor’s degree in sports science, a master’s degree in sports injury prevention, and specialist in tennis biomechanics. Before joining IMG Academy, Cassiano was a strength and conditioning coach for a number of professional players on the ATP and WTA Tours. 18

Manhattan Plaza Health Club 482 West 43rd Street New York, N.Y. (212) 563-7001 www.mphc.com Manhattan Plaza Health Club (MPHC) has one of the most unique facilities in all of Manhattan. Amid the hectic pace of midtown Manhattan there is an escape to a calm, peaceful environment, committed to fitness and relaxation. Professional and dedicated staff members provide you with programming that cannot be beat, as well as caring and efficient service to help you achieve your goals. MPHC has a class for just about any exercise level and our staff of trainers is second to none. MPHC takes great pride in offering one of the most diverse aerobic programs around! Take a look at the different programs we have available for the whole family and the classes we provide our members. With a swimming pool, a climbing wall, and tennis facility along with the cardio mezzanine and weight training facilities, there’s something for everyone. Want to work on your tennis game? Five indoor tennis courts on a rooftop overlooking the midtown Manhattan skyline. And they’re just waiting for you next door at Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club! Our climbing facilities cater to experienced climbers and even those who are just starting. For a more relaxed feel MPHC’s renowned 75-foot pool and roof deck offer members an oasis nestled in the heart of midtown. The retractable glass atrium roof and lush tropical plants make you feel like you are on vacation. Try lounging poolside or on our outdoor roof deck. Check our Web site at www.mphc.com for new specials and get fit the MPHC way!

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Sportime Randall’s Island, Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. (212) 427-6150 www.sportimeny.com The John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) fitness program is an integral part of Sportime’s tournament training at Randall’s Island. Each session begins with a proper warm up that correlates with the on-court JMTA curriculum developed by John McEnroe and Sportime’s Academy director. Depending on the day, students focus on lower body strength, control and power along with speed and endurance, circuit-based training. Our fitness development program also caters to each individual athlete based on a movement screening test that identifies key areas of injury and performance enhancement goals. Our fitness program encompasses sports medicine and conditioning that is designed to improve overall health while focusing on injury prevention and rehabilitation. Pilates and dance instructor Mari Mathers has had an extensive dance background, with an emphasis in modern, jazz, tap, ballet, African, and hip hop. She graduated with a BFA in dance from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee where she trained in yoga, pilates and somatics. Mari has been dancing and training since the age of four, and has been teaching for the past nine years. Mari is pilates certified. She teaches individual, semi-private and group lessons for both dance and Pilates.

The Club of Riverdale 2600 Netherland Avenue Riverdale, N.Y. (718) 796-9099 www.tcr-nyc.com Residing in the heart of Riverdale is one of the Bronx’s best-kept secrets: The Club of Riverdale (TCR), a full-service health club that provides its members with a vast array of health, fitness, and recreational options to help them achieve their fitness goals, improve their tennis game, or just have a fun day at the pool with the kids. The Club’s reinvented Fitness Center features brand new, state-of-the-art equipment that is both effective and easy-touse. Upon entry into the gym, one cannot help but notice the vast number of cardio options the gym offers. You will also find an extensive weight training area and 25-yard swimming pool. Group classes are run daily, with everything from Zumba to Boot Camps in the group exercise studio. TCR also features a Personal Training Area, where Certified Personal Trainers work with their clients. The trainers at TCR have the ability, knowledge and experience to work with a wide variety of clients, including those who participate in TCR’s famed tennis and golf programs. When players come off any one of the six indoor courts at this amazing club, or from the cutting edge virtual golf course, they can either head to the spa for a steam or sauna, or to the fitness center to improve their bodies and improve their games. For any members looking to work with a trainer, but perhaps not ready for one-on-one training, the Club also offers Small Group Training Packages. One would be hard-pressed to find any club that offers the level of amenities and customer service found at TCR. During good weather in the summertime, TCR has even held early morning yoga classes on the sundeck, allowing members to be at peace with an amazing view of the City. And since they offer a transport option as well, TCR is a health club that even with so much to offer, is constantly striving toward excellence.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Big Apple Braces for Big Stars of the Court

Sixth Annual BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden ew York area tennis fans are in for another great night of tennis with some of the world’s top players scheduled to appear at the Sixth Annual BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden on Monday, March 4. Current world number one-ranked Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 Australian Open champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist, will get the night started against Wimbledon champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Serena Williams. Following the women, Argentine Davis Cup star, 2009 U.S. Open champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Juan Martin del Potro will step onto the Garden court against one of the game’s all-time greats, former world number one and 11-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal. Here are what the starts are feeling as they head to the Big Apple for a night of tennis in the World’s Most Famous Arena …

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

“While I am disappointed to have missed the trip to New York fo r t h e U . S . Open, I am happy to announce that I will be coming to New York to play at Madison Square Garden on March 4. New York has many great memories for me and I am really looking forward to playing against Juan Martin in front of all of the New York tennis fans that night.” —Rafael Nadal 20

“New York and the New York fans represent something special for me as I had my first Grand Slam win here. It will be great to come to Madison Square Garden and play in a world famous arena against Rafa which should bring out a lot of flags from Spain and Argentina, making it an exciting night of entertaining tennis. I am really looking forward to playing in the Showdown.” —Juan Martin del Potro Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

“I always love playing in New York and at Madison Square Garden. The last time I played there, I won the Billie Jean King Cup which was a huge honor for me. It will be exciting to be back at the Showdown with the other great players. I am sure it will be another fantastic night.” —Serena Williams Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

“I have heard from some of the other players how exciting it is to play in the Showdown at Madison Square Garden so I am really looking forward to being part of the event. It should be a great night for tennis.” —Victoria Azarenka

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Tale of the Tape: Nadal vs. Del Potro

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Rafael Nadal Former world number one, Rafael Nadal is currently ranked fourth in the world. “The King of Clay,” Nadal has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including an all-time record seven French Open titles, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal in Singles, a record 21 ATP World Master 1000 tournaments and was also part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 U.S. Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest of four in the Open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the Career Grand Slam and the Olympic gold medal) after Andre Agassi. Nadal has at least two Grand Slam titles on each of the three surfaces (hard court, grass, and clay), the second player to achieve this feat after Mats Wilander. By winning the 2012 French Open, he became one of three mens players to win any Grand Slam tournament seven times (Pete Sampras’s and Roger Federer’s seven Wimbledon titles). Nadal was ranked world number two, behind Federer, for a record

Nadal vs. Del Potro: Head to Head

Rafael Nadal vs. Juan Martin del Potro 26 (06.03.86) Manacor, Mallorca, Spain Manacor, Mallorca, Spain 6’1” 188 lbs. Left-handed 2001 42-6 4 583-122 50 $50,061,827 160 consecutive weeks before earning the top spot, which he held from Aug. 18, 2008-July 5, 2009. He regained the world number one ranking on June 7, 2010, after winning his fifth French Open title. He held it until July 3, 2011, when Novak Djokovic replaced him as world number one. Nadal has held the number two ranking for an ATP record 241 weeks (as of July 9, 2012).

Age Birthplace Residence Height Weight Plays Turned Pro YTD Won/Lost YTD Titles Career Record Career Titles Career Prize Money

in ATP history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments. He also completed the second-longest winning streak in 2008, and the second longest by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Nadal—with his winning streak spanning 23 matches over five tournaments. Del Potro captured his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 U.S. Open, defeating Nadal in the semifinals and Roger Federer in the finals—the first man to defeat them both in

24 (09.23.88) Tandil, Argentina Tandil, Argentina 6’6” 214 lbs. Right-handed 2005 65-17 4 254-107 13 $10,853,349 the same Grand Slam tournament. Del Potro is the only player other than the “Big Four” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to have won a men’s Grand Slam singles title since 2005. He became the second Argentine and the fifth-youngest man to win the U.S. Open title in the Open Era. Del Potro also won the bronze medal in men’s singles at the London Olympics in 2012.

Juan Martin del Potro Juan Martin del Potro is currently the highest-ranked Argentine and the seventh-ranked player in the world. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking for the first time on Oct. 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of number four in the world. Soon after attaining this ranking, del Potro had to withdraw from most tournaments in 2010 due to a wrist injury. In 2008, he became the first player NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Tale of the Tape: Azarenka vs. Serena

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Victoria Azarenka Twenty-three-year-old Victoria Azarenka is the current world number one. She won the 2012 Australian Open singles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning the Bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, two mixed-doubles Grand Slam titles—the 2007 U.S. Open with Max Mirnyi, the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan—and the Gold Medal in mixed-doubles at the 2012 Summer Olympics with Max Mirnyi.

ber one in singles on five separate occasions. She became world number one for the first time on July 8, 2002, and regained this ranking for the fifth time on Nov. 2, 2009. She is the only female player to have won over $40 million in prize money. Already regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, her 30 Grand Slam titles ties her for eighth on the all-time list: 15 in singles, 13 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed-doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously (20022003) and only the fifth woman ever to do so. Her total of 15 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list, and fourth in the Open Era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles), Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). Among active players, male or female, she holds the most major titles amid singles, doubles, and mixeddoubles. She won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus Williams and the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam finals. Serena is also a three-time winner of the WTA Tour Championships. Williams has won four Olympic Gold Medals, one in women’s singles and three in women’s doubles.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Azarenka vs. Serena: Head to Head

Serena Williams Serena Williams has been the world num-

Serena and Azarenka have met a total of 12 times, including seven times in Grand

Slams, with Serena leading their headto-head series with an overwhelming 11–1 record and is a perfect 7-0 in Grand Slams. Their first meeting was at the 2008 Australian Open, with Serena winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Their next meeting would also be at the Australian Open, in the fourth round in 2009, and again, Serena was victorious when Azarenka was forced to retire due to illness, having won the first set 6-3, but was trailing 2-4 in the second. Two-anda-half months later, Azarenka would achieve her first victory over Serena, defeating the American in straight sets in the final of the Miami Masters. Serena later won a quarterfinal match between the pair at Wimbledon on her way to winning that championship. Once again, the pair met at the Australian Open, in the 2010 quarterfinals. Azarenka had won the first set 6-4 and was leading 40 in the second set before Serena came back to win the three-set match, 4-6, 76(7-4), 6-2, once again on her way to winning the title for the second consecutive year. Serena’s dominance over the Belarusian continued at the 2011 U.S. Open, when the 28th seed, whose ranking plummeted to 175th after Wimbledon, defeated the fourth-seeded Azarenka in the third round in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6(7-5), on her way to reaching the final. The rivalry reached its peak in 2012 with the pair meeting five times, as Serena was victorious on each occasion.

• All instructors are full time professionals with years of experience • 10 Indoor Har-Tru courts with excellent lighting and heat • All ages (4-18) • All levels (Quickstart, Beginners, Academy, Tournament Team)

Go!Tennis welcomes MARVIN DENT to our Tournament Team Staff!

Session 2: January 21 - April 21 GEORGE GARLAND, DIRECTOR OF TENNIS • MARIA ALIVENTI, GENERAL MANAGER 22

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Looking to Fix Technique? Examine Your Movement By Tim Mayotte Early in my coaching career, the following scenario would take place with me and my students repeatedly … I would work long and hard with a player and achieve a smooth, efficient stroke, only to see the shape of the swing fall apart when the player moved more than one step to the ball. I also noticed that technique would often deteriorate further with each shot in a rally. Perhaps one of the single most valuable and exciting insights I was ever given as a teacher came from my colleague Lee Hurst. He showed me that technique and movement to and from the ball are inexorably interwoven. One day at the USTA Training Center, one of our top players was not able to achieve a efficient shape on his forehand and could not accelerate the racquet equal to his backhand. I focused on the racquet in an attempt to isolate and fix the problem. Lee took a different approach. He suggested that the path to the ball of the loading steps was incorrect.

When the player took a better path to the ball, he was able to load better, clear his hips and the technical and acceleration issues were cleaned up right away. Also, I was excited to see the player recovered much more easily for the next shot. To help break this process down into manageable pieces, Hurst argues that each stroke has seven stages: I I I I I I I

The split-step Unit turn Racquet preparation Loading (steps) Unloading Contact Recovery

This very helpful framework looks at movement and racquet together. The unit-turn is the easiest to see. A good turn serves to rotate the shoulders and pivot the hips (movement), but it also prepares the racquet (technique) or what we used to call in the old days “getting the racquet back.” Great tech-

nical coaching involves getting to know the complex elements of each of these stages of the stroke and how one should flow into the other. No easy task. This framework divides up a shot in a useful way that allows intermediate coaches to more easily identify the root of a problem. I hope you will find, as I have, fixing the movement often leads to immediately fixing the shape of a swing, while not needing to address your student’s racquet technique. Tim Mayotte was one of the nation’s best tennis players during the 1980s. Twice during the 80s, he finished the year ranked in the world’s top 10. Besides reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open, he also won a Silver Medal in the Olympics and represented his nation in Davis Cup action. For the last decade, Tim has shifted his focus to developing top American players and is currently running 360 Tennis at the Cunningham Tennis Center with his partners, Lee Hurst and Carl Thorsen. He may be reached by phone at (917) 596-0746 or visit 360Tennis.net.

COMING IN MARCH 2013 Distribution scheduled for 03/01/13

This edition will feature: • NYTM’s guide to The Top Tennis Camps • New York Tennis Expo Preview • Guide to New York’s Top Court Builders & Suppliers • Australian Open Recap

Distribution across the New York Metro area at 300+ locations: • Country clubs • Tennis camps

• Retail stores • Gyms

• Indoor tennis clubs • Supermarkets and more!

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine March/April 2013 Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by February 1, 2013.

For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@NYTennisMag.com. NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Five Myths of College Recruiting By Eric Rebhuhn 1. Junior players should write long e-mails to college coaches. From the player’s perspective, he/she wants to introduce themselves to their prospective coach, and nowadays, it seems that e-mail is the easiest way to communicate with coaches. Long e-mails are considered more than three paragraphs, The reality is that coaches are extremely busy, therefore, a short introductory e-mail is best with pertinent information, including name, rankings, GPA and SAT scores. After a month or so, then follow up with another e-mail. Then wait and see if you get a response. Keep in mind that many coaches are receiving in upwards of 50 e-mails per week from potential recruits. 2. Junior players need to focus on their rankings more than developing an all-court game Many times, the top juniors focus so much of their energy attaining rankings believing the college coach is always looking for the highest ranked player. The truth is that coaches want players who are able to win in singles as well as doubles. Most college coaches want players who can play the net and have the ability to serve and volley. But most personal coaches, parents and players are too focused on the “win now” mentality, believing that the college coach only uses rankings as an indicator. Overall, college 24

coaches take many variables into account when deciding on who they want to recruit.

of rankings are used by the college coach in the recruiting process.

3. Receiving a scholarship does not always indicate a full scholarship Many times, juniors hear that a particular player received a scholarship to a particular university and the assumption is that it is a full scholarship. For Men’s Division I, the scholarship allotment is 4.5, which means that the coach usually divides that amount amongst the players on the team. But since there are usually eight players, each player receives a different amount; usually based on the number they play on the team. For Women’s Division I with eight full scholarships, the scholarships cannot be divided!

5. Junior players should not play on their high school team if there are conflicts with sectional, national or international tournaments. College coaches like players to play for their high school team to understand how the team dynamic works. Tennis is an individual sport, but in college, the team is where a player spends the most time and teams that come together are more likely to succeed than a bunch of individuals. When the match is on the line, you want your teammate to fight for that point just as much as you would. The camaraderie that is established in a team environment is essential for all players to learn as early as possible. If a conflict occurs, try to work it out with the school so that not only is the player helping the team, but the school is helping the player succeed off the court.

4. The most important ranking criteria is the USTA ranking, Tennis Recruiting, or ITF ranking? One of the most important parts of the recruiting process is the ranking. Obviously, the ranking serves as a baseline measurement to a players ability. But is one ranking more important than another? When evaluating a player, the most valuable area is who the player beat and when they beat them. Some players play great locally but struggle nationally, while others thrive when they are playing away from home. All of these factors are taken into consideration when recruiting a certain player. In addition, players who play in ITF events will give the coach another variable that will help in the recruiting process. Overall, all three types

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

With more than 100 career wins and the 2011 Big East Coach of the Year Award under his belt, head men’s tennis coach Eric Rebhuhn has solidified himself as one of the most successful coaches in St. John’s tennis history. Last season, Rebhuhn’s squad finished with a 17-9 record, while peaking at number 50 in the national polls during the season, the highest ranking in school history. He may be reached by phone at (718) 990-5549 or e-mail rebhuhne@stjohns.edu.

ten By Lesley Rosenthal

ennis is a fun and enjoyable sport for all ages. Students 10 years of age and younger are most likely in the beginning stages of their tennis careers. As an instructor, it is essential to ensure that students in this age bracket start learning important fundamentals of the game. By following a 10 and under curriculum and learning the fundamentals of tennis, this will greatly benefit the next generation of young tennis players. There are many benefits to players starting in the 10 and under age bracket. Some of these advantages include smaller tennis nets and modified tennis balls, which are lighter and softer moving through the air. Smaller nets and modified balls allow players to become comfortable on the tennis court, while learning how to control the ball. In addition, 10 and under players learn on a smaller court, which accelerates footwork development and confidence. Most tennis programs use modified balls because they are lighter and travel more

AND UNDER TENNIS

slowly through the air. This allows the student to work on their strokes at a slower pace and really gain necessary hand-eye coordination needed in tennis. Smaller racquets are also used in ten and under tennis. Using smaller racquets at the beginning of one’s tennis career allows students to become comfortable using the equipment, and allows them to create a grip favorable to them and their individual game. As students get older, their games will progress and, with that, the size of the court they play on and the racquets they use should change as well. Ten and under tennis can be learned and played anywhere recreationally. You can set up cones in a gym, or garbage cans in a driveway, or you can simply work on your strokes and hit a tennis ball against the wall. Setting up caution tape and using that as a barrier is also a good way to learn. There are many recreational ways that young players can begin to learn and practice tennis. Tennis is great exercise for smaller kids, as it teaches them good hand-eye coordination, balance, and sportsmanship. It is also a great cardiovascular workout as kids are running constantly.

Tennis is a sport that allows students to stay in shape, gain confidence, learn many aspects of the game and have a great time. To be a great tennis player takes hard work and continued dedication, though the main ingredient in my experience is to have fun and enjoy the game. The student that has fun and enjoys learning the game is always a winner. The 10 and under format is a great new way of teaching the game providing our youngest players with a strong foundation accelerating skill development in a fun and supportive environment. Lesley Rosenthal is a PTR certified tennis director at Gotham Tennis Academy and Stadium Tennis Center, where she teaches all age groups and all skill levels. She was raised in Queens, New York where she trained at the Port Washington Tennis Academy. Lesley was a top ranked player and graduated from Temple University, in Philadelphia where she received a full athletic scholarship for tennis and played first singles and doubles for four years. She can be reached by e-mail at lesley@gothamtennis.com.

PLAY ON RED CLAY

at this fabulous, public 10-court facility in Riverside Park along the Hudson River Greenway, maintained by the Riverside Clay Tennis Association. Present a NYC Parks Department tennis permit, or pay $15 at the gate to play on these courts. • The RCTA oﬀers clinics, tournaments, ladders and “speed tennis” meets. • FREE CONCERTS Saturday nights at 7pm throughout the summer!

Photo: Joe Josephs

Get more information about the RCTA and its programs at at www.rcta.info. Find out about the GreenOutlook, the RCTA’s plan to provide New Yorkers with the greenest buildings in the city at www.greenoutlook.info.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Warning: Improper Use of This String May be Hazardous to Your Health!

By Fritz Buehning Let me go on record … I think every package of polyester string needs to come with this warning label due to improper usage by the general public. Is this a pretty bold statement? I believe so. Why is it a bold statement? In my opinion, the improper use of polyester string is responsible for the bulk of tennis-related arm injuries. I hear about more arm injuries now than ever before— wrist, shoulder and elbow (tennis elbow and the newer golfer’s elbow). Since I predominantly work with children, I’m talking about, not just nagging, but potentially long-term serious and damaging injuries to your children. Do I dislike polyester? Not necessarily. Do I think it should be used by children? In general, no … and by children, I mean 95 percent or more of kids that are age 14 and younger. I do not believe that many of these kids really can tell or know when the poly string needs to be replaced, namely, when their strings are dead. Dead strings mean they have lost their elasticity or resiliency and tension. Remember, just because they don’t “break” doesn’t mean they are still good! Why am I passionate about this? Because for the last few years, I am seeing and hearing about arm issues, and in almost every case, the player or parent does not understand the nuances and dangers of playing with poly strings. Most people know that there are a wide variety of string manufacturers with hundreds of different types of string on the market, all claiming theirs is the best, the most durable, creates the most spin and now is the softest, 26

from the names we know like Luxilon, Wilson, Technifibre, Dunlop, Solinco, Head, Babolat, Mantis, Prince, Donnay, etc. Tennis strings fall into five categories: I Natural Gut: The most expensive type of string that used to be the string of choice for the vast majority of the pros before polyester was developed. It holds tension well and is considered the softest of all the strings. I Nylons: Generally known as “synthetic gut” and “multi-filaments.” These are considered comfort strings, not as soft as gut, but these strings fray and then break before they go dead. They were designed as a cheaper solution to Natural Gut. Most hold tension well and have been around for many years. I Polyester: Generally considered durable strings. A newer technology that has gained in popularity over the last five to 10 years in the U.S. and worldwide, the poly is the choice for many pros due to its ability to produce extra power and spin. However, Poly is also considered a stiffer type of string. There are two other lesser used and known types of strings. Aramid (Kevlar), which is more durable than polyester, however, in my opinion, I don’t want to be hitting tennis balls with a material that stops bullets. Another is, Zyex, a newer product I am not yet familiar with. My first experience with polyester string was about six years ago. My son was given

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

some free packs of “great, new string” out at the U.S. Open. We strung up one of his racquets with it, and after two to three hours of play, our balls started flying. The string and racquet looked fine, so how can strings go dead after two to three hours? I spoke to the manufacturer’s rep, and it turned out that this was the first generation of poly strings, and he told me to just re-string the racquet! While the strings played well, it made no sense to me to use them if I would only have to cut them out and restring after just a couple hours of play. Fast-forward a couple of years … my teenage son who now lives and plays in Florida, started mentioning some shoulder pain. I found out he had switched to using poly strings for “durability” (he was tired of the restringing costs). I knew he was leaving them in the racquet too long, that they were “dead,” and he admitted to leaving them in far too long, sometimes up to two months while playing around three hours per day. I wanted more specific info on these strings, so I turned to my stringer, Larry Hackney. Larry has a small tennis shop in New Jersey, is a certified master stringer, and suffice it to say that Larry knows more about string than anyone else I know. I started to pick Larry’s brain and listened more attentively to the nuances of polyester strings, in particular, the specs, playing life, his reviews and play tests of particular poly strings. After several conversations with my son, he agreed to rest his arm and go back to playing with a multifilament string. Shoulder problem resolved. Interestingly enough, a couple of months later, he reported that he attended a seminar with some racquet and

string customization experts and guess what? All the info that I gave him about poly was 100 percent on point … guess dad does know what he’s talking about! How do we know if we’re potentially injured? Well, it usually hurts and there is pain! And the “hurt” is different from the muscle fatigue we feel from a good workout, where something is “aching.” So why am I so concerned about potential injuries? I’m the guy whose pro career was cut short at age 27 by playing on an injured foot for six months before having it looked at. I failed to recognize the difference between “ache” and “pain.” I see it almost every day, children in pain on the tennis court, forced to determine whether they can “play through” the pain of some minor injury. In my case, it turned out to be a career-ending injury so when it comes to the pain of any injury—me, you, my kid, your kid—I prefer to err on the safe side rather than the sorry side. The most important thing I have learned and you should know is that polyester has a “playing life” in your racquet. Although we are now in who knows what generation of polyester strings—the life of any particular poly string falls between four and 20 hours—depending on different factors. Another fact is that polyester string will lose tension, even if the racquet is not being used. So think of it like a cell phone battery … there is “life” and “talk life.” But let’s remember there is also the elasticity and resiliency issue. What happens when poly string loses its elasticity? The strings become elongated and reach their elasticity threshold, become hard, and to your arm, it’s like hitting the ball with a board. Unfortunately, visually, the strings look the same, but your arm is now absorbing more of the impact. Injuries now may occur because the player has to swing harder to achieve the same amount of power and spin that they are used to generating with fresh strings. With the string life over, the player must now cut out the strings and restring their racket. Top junior players (16U) will break their poly before it goes dead, but for most of the younger kids, they don’t hit hard enough to break them! There is no doubt that polyester strings have hugely impacted the pro game. The amount of power and spin players can now generate is unprecedented. So why do all the kids want to use a poly string? Because the

pros use it. The polyester string was designed for professional players. Initially made popular by clay courters because of the clay “grit” that also adhered to strings and added to strings being broken, pros wanted something more durable. To a pro, durability means playing for nine games or a full set or one to three hours in practice. Remember, pros use multiple racquets during a match and will freshly string six or more racquets before they walk out on the court. On top of that, the top pros will cut out all their strings from all their racquets–used and unused– after each match. Pros correctly understand and use the technology. In this case, durable does not mean forever or until it breaks. Polyester is considered, and quite frankly is, a “stiffer” type of string, which is tough on the arm to begin with. Now we hear the manufacturers are coming out with “softer” polyesters. Are they developing better and “softer” poly? Yes. Have they significantly improved playing life? No. Do I think it still needs a warning label? Yes. Do I think there is a correlation between the use of poly and more arm injuries? Yes. And what I find most disturbing of all–when you purchase certain 25-inch or 26-inch junior racquets, they come pre-strung from the manufacturer with poly! I don’t even know how you attempt to justify this practice! Reality check … how often do most kids under the age of 11 break strings? Since we don’t know how long a racquet has been sitting in a warehouse or on a shelf, it’s very possible you’re already giving your kid a racquet with dead strings. Please, check your child’s racquet and restring immediately if it has poly! In the July 2012 issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine, there is an editorial entitled “We Need a ‘Restring’ Campaign” by Editorial Director Peter Fancesconi. Although he doesn’t mention any types of strings specifically, reading between the lines, I think he’s talking about polyester when he states, “We need to make sure consumers know they should restring their racquets more frequently” and “Playing with dead strings may actually hurt the player too.” Interestingly, in the same issue, there is an interview and Q&A with Lucien Nogues, one of Babolat’s top stringing experts where he discusses the necessity of changing strings more often and that pros are stringing at lower tensions. And my personal favorite snippet in the Industry News was an ad for new orthopedic braces

being developed for sports injuries, including a photo for a new elbow brace! I have used gut, full polyester, various hybrids of poly/multifilament, synthetic gut and multifilament. What do I use? I use a 16gauge full multifilament that holds tension well, frays like gut, is easy on my arm and breaks before the strings go dead. My string of choice is Technifibre NRG2. What do I suggest you do? Educate yourself. Do your due diligence when your kid asks for the latest and greatest strings. Find a certified master stringer who keeps abreast of the industry, pick their brain, and then string accordingly. And watch the TENSION! Did you know it is recommended to string poly at least 10 percent lower than a multi or gut? Did you know that humidity and temperature can impact your string? So don’t leave it in the car or trunk, especially during the winter or summer. Did I mention that strings lose tension even if they sit in your closet? If you are breaking strings too frequently, try a thicker gauge string or a hybrid stringing configuration. Still want to use full poly? Then track both the number of playing hours and the amount of time that the racquet has been “strung.” Get the string checked by a certified master stringer if you are not sure and cut out appropriately. And if your child’s arm starts bothering them, ice, rest, change to either natural gut, multifilament or synthetic gut strings. If the pain becomes worse, see an orthopedist before any real damage can happen … its better to be safe than to be sorry! Lastly, let’s get after those string manufacturers to add a warning label, tell us about string “life” specifications and give us stiffness info on their strings. To me, it’s a winwin situation—good for the player’s health and with players restringing more often, it creates more of a demand for string from the manufacturers! Fritz Buehning is associate director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Randall’s Island. A New Jersey native, Fritz has had a long and distinguished tennis career, from top junior, to successful ATP Tour professional, achieving a career-high ranking of 21st in singles and fourth in doubles before suffering a career ending foot injury at the age of 25. He may be reached by phone at (212) 427-6150 or e-mail tcri@sportimeny.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTAByLeagues Update Deborah-Rose Andrews urricane Sandy interrupted the start of our Manhattan Mixed-Doubles season. Players and clubs had damage and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still suffering. The Queens Mixed-Doubles season kicked off on Jan. 2. The Bronx and Brooklyn Mixed-Doubles Leagues will start in early February. If you are still looking for a team or are looking to captain a team, please contact one of the following league coordinators immediately (Brooklyn, Joe Miano at joemiano@metrotennis.com or the Bronx, Lauren Kende at laurenkende@yahoo.com). The new 40 & Over League for men and women will begin in February. This league will not be borough-specific, as matches will be held at Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx clubs. The format is the same as the regular 18 & Over League,

with five courts for 3.0-4.5 Levels and three courts for 2.5 and 5.0 Levels. We will need two independent teams in order to run any level. Our 18 & Over League (the “old” league format) will start in Manhattan in late March and the outer boroughs in May. Additional information will be posted on our Web site (www.metrotennis.com) and our Facebook page (Metro Tennis League Page) as it becomes available. Are you ready to play League Tennis? If you know your rating, you can contact the appropriate level coordinator through our Web site (www.metrotennis.com). Click on USTA Leagues, click the appropriate borough on the left, and then “Coordinators.” Fill out the form completely, which will be sent on to the level coordinator.

If you do not know your rating, please e-mail info@metrotennis.com with your full name, current age, area you wish to play in and tennis background. If you played collegiate tennis, please include the college name, years played and position(s) played. A coordinator will get back to you. You can also go to TennisLink (www.tennislink.usta.com), complete your self-rating in advance of the league and then contact the appropriate level coordinator. Deborah-Rose Andrews is the Local League Coordinator for the Metro Region. She is also vice chair of the Adult League Committee and a member of the Metro Region board of directors. She may be reached by e-mail info@metrotennis.com.

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Tennis the Opposite Hand By Bill Longua he higher you are on the ability chart, the more you will be aware of how important your opposite hand and arm plays in hitting your strokes correctly. If you are just beginning or have only been playing a little while, you probably do not, but should. If you are in the intermediate levels, pay more attention to it to help improve more quickly. Let’s go over some areas.

On the forehand the opposite arm should be extended out from the body about the same distance the hitting arm is in preparation on your backswing to maintain an equal balance of the weight and body. If you hit a two hand backhand, the opposite hand is the power hand on the shot. That is the hand that will snap up the backside of the ball, thus creating power and spin. When preparing to hit either the one hand backhand topspin or slice, the opposite hand is holding the throat of the racquet to maintain the proper angle between forearm, wrist and racquet shaft. The topspin preparation has the head and handle of the racquet parallel, while the head is above the handle when preparing

for the slice backhand. The hand stays on the throat until you step forward to hit, this will maintain proper form. The opposite arm on the overhead must go up when you bring the racquet back behind your head. Some players like to point at the oncoming lob to help track it, which is fine, but the real reason you need it up there is for shoulder balance. The serve is pretty self-explanatory, because it is the opposite hand and probably is not used to doing a whole lot, practicing your toss is a must to develop a consistent toss for a consistent serve. The opposite hand on the volley is very important in two areas. First, the hand is on the throat of the racquet when in the ready

position and helps to keep the head of the racquet above the handle forming the correct angle. Just like on the one hand backhand, it stays on the throat until your forward step, if you volley with two hands, the opposite hand reaches forward to make contact with the ball. So, both hands are needed to play good tennis. Bill Longua is the tennis director/head pro at Palm Island Resort in Cape Haze, Fla. Bill is a member of the USPTA, has been teaching tennis for more than 35 years, and is the author of Winning Tennis Strokes. Bill also enjoys teaching tennis on his Web site, http://onlinetennistraining.com. To purchase Bill’s book, visit http://onlinetennistraining.com. He may be reached by e-mail at bill@onlinetennistraining.com.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA METRO REGION

USTA Eastern to Recognize Local Section Accomplishments USTA Eastern will honor more than 35 juniors, adults and organizations on Jan. 26, 2013, as the section holds its Annual Awards Luncheon and Dinner at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains, N.Y. At the Luncheon, eight juniors will be recognized for the outstanding sportsmanship they showed in USTA-sanctioned tournaments in 2012. The Section will also give out awards for parent sportsmanship, tournament director of the year, and present the Henry Benisch Award, a scholarship given to a top junior player who has exemplified good sportsmanship. The adults and organizations at the Annual Dinner will be recognized for the many ways in which they helped grow tennis in the Eastern Section, from developing and coaching teams at local schools, to organizing programs for children with special needs. The following Metro juniors and adults will be recognized: 2012 Junior Awards I Edith Martin Girls’ 14 Sportsmanship Award: Brianna Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) I Lawrence A. Miller Boys’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Felipe Osses-Konig (Rego Park, N.Y.) I Lawrence A. Miller Girls’ 16 Sportsmanship Award: Sabrina Xiong (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) 2012 Adult Awards I Family of the Year: Spigner Family (New York, N.Y.) I Club Service Award: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (Queens, N.Y.) I Regional Volunteer of the Year (Metro Region): Greg Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) I Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Ryland (New York, N.Y.) I USTA League Award: Deb-Rose Andrews (Queens, N.Y.)

USTA Metro President Summerlin Among 16 USTA Multicultural Grants Recipients The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) have announced the 16 recipients of the 2012 USTA Multicultural Grants. These $1,000 grants will assist coaches in covering the cost of attendance at the ITA Coaches Convention, held at the Waldorf Astoria in Naples, Fla.

While in Naples, the group of beneficiaries will participate in a series of clinics and events to assist them in their profession, including the Multicultural Coaching Education Symposium presented by USTA Player Development. This training session will provide college coaches with insight into the teaching and coaching philosophy of USTA National Coaches, while also serving as a forum for strategies to increase the number of multicultural tennis coaches and players. Among the 16 Multicultural Grant recipients is Carl Lynn Summerlin Sr., women’s tennis coach of the Long Island University CW Post team and 2011-2012 president of the USTA Eastern Metro Region. The honorees are African-American, Hispanic-American and AsianAmerican coaches of teams competing in NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as NAIA and JUCO. First-year and veteran head coaches, in addition to one assistant coach, were selected as recipients. In asking coaches how attending the ITA Convention, through the help of this grant program, would benefit them, some felt it would be a great networking opportunity while others looked forward to participating in clinics to grow their skills and knowledge as a coach. “This is my second year of coaching tennis and I am still learning the nuances of Division II coaching,” said Summerlin. “Attending this convention would allow me to network with other coaches and attend helpful seminars. Participating in group settings allows a variety of information to be passed and disseminated which would allow me to enhance my program.” Appointed in 2011, Summerlin is currently the president of USTA Metro and is also an Executive Board Member of the USTA Eastern Region. From 2008-2010, Carl was the executive vice president for the USPTA Metro where he assisted the Metro president at board meetings and monitored Grant dispersals. During a 13-year period spanning from 1997-2010, Summerlin was also a Multicultural Representative for the USTA Eastern. Prior to this appointment, USTA recognized him with the Eastern Volunteer of the Year (1996). Summerlin began a career in law enforcement back in 1974, where he served up until June 2008 as a police officer for the NYPD. Also up to 2008, beginning in 1993 he served as on the Joint Terrorist Taskforce for the NYS Police Department and FBI. Coach Summerlin also worked on various cases as a lead investigator for incidents such as the East Africa Bombings and the second World Trade Center bombing. During his time as an investigator, Carl was awarded with the Investigator of the Year NYSP in 1998 and 2002. In 2007, Summerlin became the CEO of SummTennis LLC, as the company provides tennis services for adults and tournament level players. He also earned in 2007 the role of president and CEO of the Queens Long Island Junior Tennis League Inc. Summerlin has also spent time as a hitting instructor, practice partner, site director and head coach for many locations a part of the New York City tennis scene. He also assisted St. Johns University’s women’s tennis squad as a volunteer assistant coach for one season in 2004-2005.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

PRESENTED BY ADVANTAGE TENNIS CLUBS

2012 Fall Season Winners Crowned

he 2012 Fall Metro Corporate Tennis League, presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs, came to an end in December. The Metro Corporate Tennis League is a joint initiative of the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association (MCTA) and the USTA Eastern Metro Region. In the Advanced Division, for the second consecutive year, the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) team got past Goldman Sachs in the first round of the playoffs to advance to the finals where they defeated the team from Thomson Reuters. The final regular season points leaders in the Advanced Division are as follows:

2012 Fall Advanced Division Team Points NYJTL ..................................................190 Thomson Reuters ................................178 PwC......................................................178 Goldman Sachs ..................................155 In the Advanced Intermediate Division, Fall 2012 champs the Deloitte Aces opened the first round of the playoffs with a win over Bloomberg (Boris). Advanced Intermediate runners-up Cleary defeated Mitsubishi in opening round action and advanced to the finals where they faced eventual champs, the Deloitte Aces. The final regular season 32

points leaders in the Advanced Intermediate Division are as follows: 2012 Fall Advanced Intermediate Division I Team Points Deloitte Aces ......................................194 Mitsubishi............................................183 2012 Fall Advanced Intermediate Division II Team Points Cleary..................................................200 Bloomberg (Boris) ..............................194 In the 2012 Fall Intermediate League, eight teams entered the playoffs, and in the end, the team from HBO II was crowned 2012 Fall League Intermediate Champs. They defeated Nielsen in round one action, TWC in the second round and clinched the title with a win over Bloomberg (Arthur) in the finals. The final regular season points leaders in the Intermediate Division are as follows: 2012 Fall Intermediate Division (First Place) Team Points Deutsche ............................................206 Nielsen ................................................195 Paul Weiss ..........................................181 TWC ....................................................167

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

2012 Fall Intermediate Division (Second Place) Team Points Akin ....................................................178 Barclays ..............................................173 HBO II..................................................167 Bloomberg ..........................................166

2013 Winter Season set to launch he 2013 Winter Metro Corporate Tennis League will begin late January/early February and includes a minimum of six matches. Each match is played for two hours on two courts, and tennis balls are provided. The 2013 Winter Season will conclude with an awards party and includes trophies, t-shirts and networking opportunities as well. Teaching clinics are also available for an additional cost. All league champions have the right to advance to the National WTT Championships. Each team entering play requires a minimum of four players, two women and two men to play an entire match, but you can carry as many players as you like. Play format for each match consists of six “no-ad” sets:

I One women’s singles I One men’s singles

I One women’s doubles I One men’s doubles I Two mixed-doubles The total games won for each of the six sets are recorded and totaled at the end of the evening. Total games won are tallied throughout the season, with playoffs at the end of season party. Coaching and player substitutions are permitted during the match, and allows for more players to get involved and creates a fun atmosphere!

The entry fee is $2,100 per team for the season. For more information on the 2013 Fall Metro Corporate Tennis League, call Debra Leffe at (914) 482-8471 or visit MetroTennis.com under the “Corporate” tab. Matches for the 2013 Winter League will be held weekday evenings at the following locations:

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, N.Y. (212) 935-0250 West Side Tennis Club 1 Tennis Place Forest Hills, N.Y. (718) 268-2300

CityView Racquet Club 43-34 32nd Place, Penthouse Long Island City, N.Y. (718) 389-6252 NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

METRO Corporate Tennis League presented by

The largest corporate league in the country! Team format with refreshments every night afterwards, and opportunities for exclusive tennis clinics.

EASTERN METRO

“All kinds of tennis programs for all kinds of players.”

PLAY TENNIS NEW YORK

Low cost adult beginner group tennis lessons throughout New York City-April thru September.

Singles and doubles competition in a team format by ability levels-fun and competitive! We'll ﬁnd you a team, or bring your own team!

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

metrotennis.com 718-639-8936

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Fix Your Toss and Get More Power on the Serve By Lisa Dodson As a veteran teaching professional, the top two questions that I am asked about the serve are: “How do I get more power”? and “How do I fix my toss?” In the real world of the serve, the toss is the most misunderstood action. Players are so focused on striking the ball and the outcome that they neglect to pay due attention to the details of the toss. The toss is the single most important vehicle to a great serve and to gaining power. Without consistency, accuracy and dependability of the toss, our serve is sunk. Simplicity in producing strokes and stroke segments is the key to success. There are numerous schools of thought as to what is the best way to produce every stroke and action in tennis. Arguably there is no best way to toss, but there are simple guidelines and principles that work for everyone. The point is to combine the actions of our strokes so that they fit efficiently and rhythmically together. It is pretty standard for players to copy what they see done on television. This must be done with caution because it can be very dangerous to your tennis game to try to copy the touring pros. For example, I just reviewed a teaching video that showed the toss motion of eight ATP players. It stressed that their toss arm moved along the baseline, all the way down between the legs, and that the ball toss is located at 12 o’clock. Most of this is very advanced stuff and if it is interpreted or produced incorrectly can have a disastrous effect on the serve and cause injury. So, let’s go with a more mainstream system that will provide a great foundation for a successful serve technique. If we break the toss action down into understandable 36

chunks then we can better focus on the parts. As I see it, there are three extremely important functions that the toss arm and hand provide. Of course there are many more details, but just for the sake of ease, we’ll concentrate on three Chunks followed by the details that make it successful. I Chunk #1: The toss arm/hand is used to place the ball precisely where it needs to be for contact. I Chunk #2: The hand and arm hold the non-dominant side of the body up in a strong manner and set shoulder angle (toss shoulder higher than hitting shoulder) I Chunk #3: The toss arm is responsible for pulling out of the way quickly enabling the hitting side to swing fire with force. The faster the toss arm pulls away, the faster the racket can come through. Let’s examine some details that make the chunks work: Chunk #1

curled around the ball) with the thumb over the top. The wrist is laid slightly down so that when the ball is released it will go forward as opposed to traveling in a forward-back arc. I The hand is at an angle to the ground not held with the top side of the hand flat to the ground. When you look at the toss hand, you will see more of the ball to the left side of the thumb than to the right side of the thumb. I The toss arm is straight at the elbow and wrist. This is one of the major difficulties with the toss. The two arms have completely different functions. The swing arm is loose and whippy, while the toss arm is straight and has no flex. Our arms like to be balanced and doing the same thing on either side of the body. The massive difference in the tension and flexibility of the arms is tough to conquer. They are connected, but have two entirely different jobs. I The toss comes from the shoulder and with weight shift and rotation. It is an entire body action not a single, standalone movement. Chunk #2

Most players just use the toss arm/hand to launch the ball up to hit and pay no attention to how they are holding the ball or to the position or direction of the toss arm. This is understandable since the main focus is on hitting the ball and getting it in the box and not on HOW it is done. I The ball is best held with a flat hand (this simply means that the fingers are not

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

The toss arm/hand must hold the body up in a strong position to help pull the chest and racket side up to contact. Typically, a

player tosses up and the hand comes down immediately. Hold it up much higher and longer than you think necessary and you will begin to understand what it feels like to hit “up” to a ball. I The toss shoulder finishes under the chin and finger tips stretched to the sky. I The toss arm and side firmly hold that side of the body up. It is the counter force to pressing the feet against the ground for “loading” of weight. I Shoulder angle is achieved. The tossing shoulder sets substantially higher than the hitting shoulder. This will enhance upward drive to the ball with the legs and chest. Chunk #3

“Pulling” the toss arm out of the way for

power is a foreign idea to most players. Typically, the toss arm just drops when it finishes launching the ball. I Upon completion of the toss and setting shoulder angle the toss elbow now needs to bend. If you keep it straight it will simply pull your body down. I Initiate toss arm action with the back of the tossing shoulder. Sharply pull your toss arm to the outside and at a downward angle by driving the elbow, triceps and bicep down. This is similar to “elbowing” someone with the intention of hurting them. You’ve probably never done this but, come on … you wanted to once or twice in your life! I With the initiation of the pulling action with the toss arm, the front leg is driving up, the back foot/leg drives the hip forward and the chest drives up to contact. The racket arm is still lagging behind. I At this point all body and racket power is heading up. The racket can now get the best results possible. A

common term for this is “slinging” the racket head. All upward and rotational forces are in action in advance of the racket head moving to the ball. In summary, great toss technique will directly affect power on the serve and add to your consistency. A powerful deliberate toss arm is key to creating racket head speed for power. You cannot create power from a racket swing alone. Start with Chunk #1 and make sure that you are producing the most basic of the toss movements. If you progress through the steps, your toss will be consistent and you will gain the fluid power that has otherwise been elusive. Start today to measurably increase the speed and power of your serve. 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.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS

By Emilie Katz

2012 Grand Slam Champions Crowned …

Wimbledon 2012 June 25-July 8, 2012 at All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon London, England

2012 Australian Open January 16-29, 2012 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia I Men’s Singles Final: Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 I Men’s Doubles Final: Leander Paes & Radek Stepanek defeated Bob & Mike Bryan 7-6, 6-2 I Women’s Singles Final: Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 I Women’s Doubles Final: Svetlana Kuznetsova & Vera Zvonareva defeated Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 I Mixed-Doubles Final: Bethanie Mattek Sands & Horia Tecau defeated Elena Vesnina & Leander Paes 6-3, 5-7, 10-3

I Men’s Singles Final: Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray 46, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 I Men’s Doubles Final: Frederik Nielsen & Jonathan Marray defeated Robert Lindstedt & Hotia Tecau 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 I Women’s Singles Final: Serena Williams defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 I Women’s Doubles Final: Serena & Venus Williams defeated Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka 7-5, 6-4 I Mixed-Doubles Final: Mike Bryan & Lisa Raymond defeated Leander Paes & Elena Vesnina 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

2012 French Open

2012 U.S. Open August 27-September 10, 2012 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

May 27-June 10, 2012 at Roland Garros in Paris France

I Men’s Singles Final: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 I Men’s Doubles Final: Daniel Nestor & Max Mirnyi defeated Bob & Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-4 I Women’s Singles Final: Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 I Women’s Doubles Final: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defeated Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 I Mixed-Doubles Final: Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi defeated Klaudia Jans-Ignacik & Santiago Gonzalez 7-6, 6-1

I Men’s Singles Final: Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 I Men’s Doubles Final: Mike & Bob Bryan defeated Leander Paes & Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 I Women’s Singles Final: Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 I Women’s Doubles Final: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defeated Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-2 I Mixed-Doubles Final: Ekaterina Makarova & Bruno Soares defeated Kveta Peschke & Marcin Matkowski 6-7, 6-1, 12-10

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS 2012 Summer Olympics July 27-August 12, 2012 in London, England

Men’s Singles I Gold Medal: Andy Murray (GBR) I Silver Medal: Roger Federer (SUI) I Bronze Medal: Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

N 2012 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships October 23-28, 2012 Sinan Erdem Arena Istanbul, Turkey

Singles Final Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3

Men’s Doubles I Gold Medal: Bob & Mike Bryan (USA) I Silver Medal: Michael Llorda & Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (FRA) I Bronze Medal: Julien Benneteau & Richard Gasquet (FRA)

Doubles Final Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova defeated Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-4

Men’s Award Winners

Women’s Singles I Gold Medal: Serena Williams (USA) I Silver Medal: Maria Sharapova (RUS) I Bronze Medal: Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Women’s Doubles I Gold Medal: Serena & Venus Williams (USA) I Silver Medal: Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka (CZE) I Bronze Medal: Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova (RUS) Mixed-Doubles I Gold Medal: Victoria Azarenka & Max Mirnyi (BLR) I Silver Medal: Laura Robson & Andy Murray (GBR) I Bronze Medal: Lisa Raymond & Mike Bryan (USA)

2012 ATP World Tour Finals November 5-12, 2012 O2 Arena London, England

Singles Final Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 7-6(6), 7-5 Doubles Final Marcel Granollers & Marc López defeated Mahesh Bhupathi & Rohan Bopanna 7-5, 3-6, 10-3

ATP World Tour Number One (determined by South African Airways ATP Rankings): Novak Djokovic—The 25year-old Serbian is the first player to clinch the year-end number one South African Airways ATP Ranking in consecutive seasons since Roger Federer achieved four straight world number one finishes from 2004-07. Djokovic successfully defended the Australian Open title and reached the final at six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, winning titles in Miami, Toronto and Shanghai. He also lifted the Beijing trophy and was a finalist at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open. ATP World Tour Number One Doubles Team (determined by ATP Doubles Team Rankings): Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan—The Americans finish as the top duo in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings for a fourth successive year and record eighth time overall (2003, ‘05-07, ‘0912). They captured seven titles–their 11th straight season of winning five or more–highlighted by a record-equaling 12th Grand

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS Slam trophy at the U.S. Open and the Gold Medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Bryans also won a pair of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Monte-Carlo and Toronto, and were runners-up at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. They have won the most doubles team titles in the Open Era with 82, and Mike Bryan broke Todd Woodbridge’s individual record when he won his 84th trophy with the twins’ victory in Beijing. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (voted by ATP players): Roger Federer—Fellow players voted the Swiss as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the eighth time and second year in a row. He had won the award six straight years from 2004-09 before Rafael Nadal broke the streak in 2011. Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro and David Ferrer were also nominated in this category. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Comeback Player of the Year (voted by ATP players): Tommy Haas—The 34-year-old German rolled back the years as he re-established himself in the Top 25 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, having started the season outside the Top 200. Haas had been sidelined for 14 months between February 2010 and May 2011 following hip surgery, but found top form once again in 2012. The former world number two defeated Roger Federer to win the Halle title, finished runner-up in Hamburg and Washington and recorded his 500th match win with victory in the Vienna second round in October. Newcomer of the year (voted by ATP players): Martin Klizan—The 23year-old has jumped 88 places in the South African Airways ATP Rankings since the start of the season to hit a career-high world number 29. The left-hander compiled a 19-15 mark, highlighted by winning his first ATP World Tour title in St. Petersburg with victory over Fabio Fognini. A few weeks earlier, the Bratislava native had knocked out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to a fourth-round showing at the U.S. Open. 40

N Most Improved Player of the Year (voted by ATP players): Marinko Matosevic—At the age of 27, Marinko Matosevic enjoyed a career-best season that saw him finish 2012 as the number one Australian with a career-high position of world 47th. The right-hander from Melbourne reached his first ATP World Tour final in Delray Beach where, as a qualifier ranked 173rd, he beat four top 80 players before finishing runner-up to Kevin Anderson. He also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles and compiled a 17-19 match record on the year. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year: Novak Djokovic—The Serb joined Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Carlos Moya, former South African president Nelson Mandela and Arthur Ashe as winners of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, recognized for his contributions through the Novak Djokovic Foundation, his role as a UNICEF ambassador and other individual ventures. His Foundation raised $1.4 million for early childhood education through its inaugural fundraising dinner in New York in September and a week later he visited the “Beneath the Linden Trees” kindergarten, a UNICEF initiative in Lesnica, Serbia, to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood education. In October, Djokovic collaborated with UNIQLO to develop and launch ‘Clothes for Smiles,’ a new program that aims to give children of all ages a chance for a better future. The program has established a $10 million fund that helps nurture the dreams of children worldwide. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite (Singles): Roger Federer—The 31-year-old Swiss has been voted ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite presented by RICOH for a record 10th straight year, receiving 57 percent of all votes cast. British number one Andy Murray finished second, just ahead of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite (Doubles) Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan—The Bryan twins received 40 percent of votes to be named the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite for a record eighth time. Michael Llodra & Nenad Zimonjic came in as the second most popular duo for a second straight year, followed closely by Leander Paes & Radek Stepanek.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS Retirements in 2012 Following is a list of notable players (winners of a main tour title, and/or part of the ATP Rankings top 100 (singles) or top 50 (doubles) for at least one week) who announced their retirement from professional tennis, became inactive (after not playing for more than 52 weeks), or were permanently banned from playing, during the 2012 season: José Acasuso (born Oct. 20, 1982 in Posadas, Argentina) turned professional in 1999, reaching career-high rankings of singles number 20 and doubles 27th, both in 2006. Mainly a clay-court specialist, the Argentine took three singles and five doubles career titles, all on the surface. Playing for Argentina, Acasuso competed in two Davis Cup finals (2006 and 2008), but helped claim one World Team Cup title in 2007. Acasuso announced his retirement in February, less than a year after his last match in the French Open qualifying in May 2011. Juan Pablo Brzezicki (born April 12, 1982 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) joined the tour in 2001, reaching a career-high ranking of singles number 94 in 2008. Winner of one doubles titles on the main circuit, Brzezicki competed for the last time in Buenos Aires in February. Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina leaves the sport of tennis with six ATP singles titles and three in doubles, all on clay. The 33-year-old announced his decision on his Twitter account (@JuanIChela). Chela reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, the French Open in 2004 and 2011, and the U.S. Open in 2007. Known as “El Flaco” or “The Skinny One,” Chela is retiring with his singles ranking at 176th and career earnings of $6.5 million. Arnaud Clément (born Dec. 17, 1977 in Aix-en-Provence, France) became a tennis professional in 1996, peaking with a singles ranking of 10th in the world in 2001, and doubles of eighth in 2008. In singles, Clément won four titles, made the quarterfinals at all majors but one (the French Open), and reached

N one Grand Slam final at the Australian Open (2001, losing to Andre Agassi). In doubles, he collected 12 titles and made two major finals with Michaël Llodra, winning one at Wimbledon and losing the other in Australia (2008). Brian Dabul (born Feb. 24, 1984 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) turned professional in 2001 and reached a career-high ranking of 86th. His highest doubles ranking was 88th. He won only one ATP titles in doubles in Viña de Mar in 2009, partnering with Pablo Cuevas. He played his last singles match in Guayaquil on Nov. 21, 2011. Juan Carlos Ferrero (born Feb. 12, 1980 in Ontinyent, Spain) joined the main circuit in 1998, and reached the world number one ranking in singles on Sept. 8, 2003, holding the spot for eight straight weeks, and finishing three straight seasons in the top 10 (2001-2003). Ferrero won 16 singles titles during his 14year career, including four Masters events, and one Grand Slam trophy at the French Open (2003). A onetime semifinalist at the Australian Open (2004) and two-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon (2007 and 2009), the Spaniard also made two additional major finals at the French (2002, lost to Costa) and the U.S. Open (2003, lost to Andy Roddick), and reached one year-end championships final (2002, lost to Lleyton Hewitt). As part of his country’s team, Ferrero took part in three victorious Davis Cup campaigns (2000, 2004, 2009). The Spaniard retired after playing in Valencia in October. Fernando González (born July 29, 1980 in Santiago, Chile) joined the main tour in 1999 and reached his best singles ranking, number five, in early 2007, finishing two seasons in the top 10 (2006-2007). A junior world number one, winner of the boys’ doubles at the U.S. Open in 1997 and the boys’ singles and doubles at the French Open in 1998, González won 11 singles and three doubles titles on the pro circuit, and gathered three medals at the Olympics: The bronze in singles and the gold in doubles (with partner Nicolás Massú) in 2004, and the silver in singles (lost the finals to Rafael Nadal) in 2008. The Chilean reached the last eight at every major, making three quarterfinals at Wimbledon (2005) and the U.S. Open (2002 and 2009), one semifinal at the

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS French (2009), and one final at the Australian Open (2007, lost to Roger Federer). Struggling with injuries for more than a year before deciding to retire, González played his last event in Miami in March. Mark Knowles (born Sept. 4, 1971 in Nassau, The Bahamas) joined the pro tour in 1992 and reached a high singles ranking of 96th in 1996. Knowles reached the doubles world number one ranking in June 2002, keeping the spot for a total of 65 weeks between 2002 and 2005. Partnering with Daniel Nestor for most of his career, and later Mahesh Bhupathi, Knowles won 55 doubles titles, including one year-end championship (2007), and three Grand Slam trophies (all with Nestor). He retired after competing in the U.S. Open doubles in August. Ivan Ljubicic (born March 19, 1979 in Banja Luka, Yugoslavia) turned professional in 1998, peaking at third in the world in singles in 2006 and ending two seasons in the top 10 (2005-2006). During his career, Ljubicic won 10 singles titles, including one Masters at Indian Wells (2010), and went past the fourth round twice in Grand Slam tournaments. Playing for his country, the Croatian partnered with Mario Ancic to win a Bronze Medal in doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics Games and took part in one successful Davis Cup campaign (2005). Ljubicic played his last tournament in Monte Carlo in April. Peter Luczak (born Aug. 31, 1979 in Warsaw, Poland) joined the main circuit in 2000, peaking at 64th in the world in singles in 2009. Competing mainly on the ITF Men’s Circuit and the ATP Challenger Tour during his career, Luczak’s best result came with a Gold Medal in doubles (with Paul Hanley) at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games. The Australian retired from the sport after losing in the second round of the Australian Open doubles last January.

N Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Andy Roddick (born Aug. 30, 1982 in the United States) turned professional in 2000 and became the sixth American player to be ranked number one in the world in singles when he reached the top spot on Nov. 3, 2003, holding it for a single spell of 13 straight weeks. Roddick finished nine seasons in the ATP Rankings singles top 10 (2002-2010), including one year as number one (2003), and also reached the 50th ranking in doubles in 2010. As a junior, Roddick took two singles Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2000, finishing the season as junior world number one. Over his 12-year pro career, Roddick collected 32 singles titles, on every surface, among which five Masters and one Grand Slam title, at the U.S. Open (2003, defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero). Roddick’s other best results in majors came with four semifinals at the Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009), three finals at Wimbledon (2004, 2005 and 2009, all lost to Roger Federer), and another final at the U.S. Open (2006, lost to Federer). In doubles, Roddick won four titles including one Masters trophy. Part of the United States Davis Cup roster for 25 ties over 10 years, Roddick helped the U.S. Davis Cup team to a final in 2004, and a title (the country’s 32nd) in 2007. The American retired in September, after losing in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Rainer Schüttler (born April 25, 1976 in Korbach, West Germany) turned professional in 1995, reaching a career-high singles rankings of fifth in 2004, and doubles ranking of 40th in 2005. Schüttler won four singles and four doubles titles during his stint on the main circuit, his best Grand Slam results coming with a final at the Australian Open (2003, lost to Andre Agassi), and a semifinal run at Wimbledon (2008). Alongside countryman Nicolas Kiefer, the German also took the Silver Medal in doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics, losing the final in five sets. Schüttler last played at the Australian Open in January.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Alexander Waske (born March 31, 1975 in Frankfurt, West Germany) turned professional in 2000 and reached a career-high ranking of 89th in singles and 84th in doubles. He won four ATP doubles titles and played his last doubles match on Oct. 15, 2012 in Vienna, partnering with Janko Tipsarevic.

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS Women’s Award Winners

N Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

WTA Player Award Winners WTA Player Awards were voted for by the international media.

Player of the Year: Serena Williams

Comeback Player of the Year: Yaroslava Shvedova

WTA Player Awards Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award: Kim Clijsters—As voted upon by WTA tour players, this award recognizes professionalism, attitude and sense of fair play.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Newcomer of the Year: Laura Robson

Doubles Team of the Year: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci

Player Service Award: Venus Williams—As voted upon by WTA tour players, this award recognizes the player who has done the most to support fellow players through the WTA Players‘ Council and other initiatives.

Fan Favorite Awards Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Most Improved Player: Sara Errani

Fan Favorite Singles Player: Agnieszka Radwanska—Though there were 13 players to choose from, a whopping 42.8 percent of the votes went to Agnieszka Radwanska (Li Na came in second with 27 percent). Fan Favorite Doubles Team: Serena Williams & Venus Williams—There were five teams to choose from, and it was the Williams Sisters who finished first with 36 percent of

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the

2012 Tennis

SEAS the vote (Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova came in second place with 25.5 percent of the vote. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Fan Favorite Twitter: Caroline Wozniacki—There were five Twitter pages to choose from, and it was Caroline Wozniacki who finished first with 42 percent of the vote while Serena Williams came in second with 24.9 percent. Fan Favorite Facebook: Agnieszka Radwanska—There were five Facebook pages to choose from, and it was Agnieszka Radwanska who finished first with a whopping 46.5 percent of the vote, while Maria Sharapova came in second place with 24 percent of the vote. Fan Favorite Video: Agnieszka Radwanska & The Bee—There were five videos to choose from, and in the most dominant Fan Favorite victory of the day, it was Agnieszka Radwanska’s battle with a bee that won, earning 48.7 percent of the vote.

N Retirements in 2012 … Kim Clijsters (born July 8, 1983 in Bilzen, Belgium) turned professional in 1997, reaching careerhigh rankings of world number one in singles and doubles. Clijsters has won 41 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She has won four Grand Slam singles titles, three at the U.S. Open, in 2005, 2009 and 2010, and one at the Australian Open in 2011. She has also been runner-up in four Grand Slam singles tournaments, and won the WTA Tour Championships singles title in 2002, 2003 and 2010. In doubles, she won the French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2003. Clijsters has retired once before in 2007, but almost two years later, on March 26 2009, she publicly declared her intent to return to the WTA tour for the 2009 summer hard court season. In only her third tournament back, she won her second U.S. Open title, becoming the first unseeded player and wild card to win the tournament, and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. Clijsters announced in May that her second retirement would occur after the completion of the 2012 U.S. Open.

Gisela Dulko (born Jan. 30, 1985 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) turned professional in 2001, enjoying an 11-year career before announcing her retirement in November 2012. Despite A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for having a moderately sucJewish tennis players, ages 15 to 18 years old, cessful career to train, travel and compete in Israel. in singles play, Compete in an ITF Tournament. winning four titles on the WTA tour and reaching a career-high ranking of 26th in Participate in invitational tournaments. 2005; Dulko experienced more success Spend three summer weeks competing in local competitions, on the doubles tour, winning 17 titles over training and traveling in Israel. her career, including the 2011 Australian Open and the 2010 Year-End Championships, both playing with Flavia Pennetta. In addition, Dulko spent 24 weeks as the top-ranked doubles player from Nov. 1, 2010, including seven as the joint number one with Pennetta.

All Expenses Paid Trip

• • •

www.Israeli-sports-exchange.com Call Larry Seidman at (973) 952-0405 or e-mail LBSeidman@msn.com

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Keep the Fun in the Game Using motivational psychology to improve tennis play By Xavier Luna If you are serious about any sport or activity, you’re going to have to work long and hard to get to the level you want to reach. Very often, the activity that was fun when you started can become more like a grind as your practice gets more intense. It doesn’t have to be this way. Specifically with tennis, surrounding yourself with the right people and practicing in the right environment can motivate you to improve your game and keep you enjoying the sport. Sometimes training centers and instructors need to use motivational techniques to keep the game fun—while still giving students something to strive for, even when they might feel burnt out. Here are a few techniques instructors may rely on to help improve your game. Systems progression Systems progression is based on grouping students according to their skill levels (novice, intermediate, advanced and expert). By doing this, instructors are able to coach students at exactly the right level. As students progress, they are moved up to the more advanced groups. This system keeps students motivated and focused on improving their game. Think about it … if your friends move up to a more “advanced” level and you’re still in the “intermediate“ group, you will likely feel left out 46

and work harder to play at the same level as your peers. This technique is used successfully at Advantage All-City, with an addition—students wear color-coded wristbands to signify their skill level. These color levels group students based on skill set, physical conditioning and mental state. Instructors work to motivate students and set goals for them to achieve, including specific requirements for moving up in color rankings. The program is ideal for adolescents, as pre-teens often feel the need to belong and be part of a group. Incentives As students perform well and progress, they are rewarded accordingly. Just as when you perform well at your job and your boss rewards you with a bonus, tennis players also respond to incentives for good work. For instance, instructors may make students use smaller racquets when their skills are less developed. The small racquets leave less room for error, but help hone accuracy. As a student improves, the instructor can increase the racquet size so there’s more room for error and more skill is required. Gradually increasing the racquet size will likely make a student perform better, so the larger racquet is an incentive for improvement. Setting goals Setting specific short- and long-term goals are determined based on the improvements you wish to make over a given time

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

span. Arguably the most important type of motivation, setting goals is a direct challenge to boost your skills by a certain amount within a certain time. Motivational environments Working with a coach and/or teaching facility that creates a positive atmosphere. Motivation starts with the setting. If your goal is to lose weight, for example, you’re going to surround yourself with fresh, healthful foods. If you’re looking to improve at tennis, you’re going to look for a coach and/or instructional facility that enables success. This can be as simple as posting inspirational quotes around a practice area. More advanced methods might include a library of tennis instruction books or as staff that focuses on positive reinforcement techniques. Tennis is a game and games are supposed to be fun. With the right motivational psychology methods from both an instructor and a training institution, students will always view tennis in a positive light while reaching their developmental goals. Great skills, a love of the game, no burnout … who could ask for more! Xavier Luna is director of Advantage AllCity Junior Programs (Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club and New York Tennis Club). He may be reached by phone at (917) 570-9650 or visit www.advantagetennisny.com.

Seems My Kid Likes Tennis …

Now What? Buying the proper tennis equipment for a child By Mike Silverman common question that tennis instructors often hear from parents is what is the right racquet to buy for their kids. Unlike adult racquets, junior racquets come in different lengths to complement a child’s muscular development, eye/hand coordination and skill level. Choosing the right size can make it easier to hit the ball, which of course makes the game more fun! Here are a few tips if you are thinking of buying a tennis racquet for a child. Most kids under the age of 10 require a shorter racquet than the standard 27-inch length of a full-sized racquet. Starter junior racquets come in four common lengths: 19-inch, 21-inch, 23-inch and 25-inch, and are relatively inexpensive, starting at about $20. Most are made of lightweight aluminum and have the same grip size, which is fine for novices. For more experienced players, graphite and composite racquets are “cooler” and add more power to shots. These racquets are at least double the cost, however, and are generally available only in the 25-inch and 27-inch sizes.

When choosing the right size, the first consideration is the height of the child. If the height is unknown, age

is the second option. In general, tots threeto five-years-old and less than 40-inches tall should start with a lightweight, aluminum 19-inch racquet. Below are general guidelines for older children: I 21-inch racquet 41- to 44-inches in height (ages five and older) I 23-inch racquet 45- to 50-inches in height (ages seven and older) I 25-inch racquet 51- to 56-inches in height (ages eight and older) So now you think you have the right racquet for your child, how about the right tennis ball? The standard, yellow tennis ball is not the only ball you can buy any more. Thanks to national initiatives led by the USTA, ITF and the tennis industry, lowcompression tennis balls are now widely available and recommended for young players. Like racquets, these balls come in various sizes and are designed to be slower and bounce lower than standard tennis balls. The balls can be found now in many sporting goods stores and are sold in cans of three, as is the tradition in tennis. Junior tennis balls are colorcoded based on age and ability. For young children, especially kids ages five and under, we recommend starting with a foam ball, which travels the slowest and allows the most

time to track and hit. These balls are available in a standard and “grapefruit” size. The next step up is the red/yellow ball, which is the same size and feel as a tennis ball, but moves slower and travels less distance. This is a good choice for most beginners eight and under. The next stage is orange/yellow, followed by green/orange. If you are buying as a gift, a safe choice would be purchasing several types that can be used progressively as a child’s skills improve. Finally, for the kid who has everything, lightweight portable tennis nets are now available from many tennis manufacturers such as Head and Wilson that can turn a driveway or street into a temporary tennis courts in minutes. With proper supervision, this can provide a fun alternative for parents and kids who like to practice or don’t live near a public tennis court. Costs for these makeshift courts range from $60-$150. Our experience has shown that just having tennis equipment at home can make a big difference whether a child wants to take up or continue playing the “sport of a lifetime.” Good luck and hope to see you and yours in the parks next summer! Mike Silverman is the director of sports for City Parks Foundation. A widely-respected national expert in youth sports programs, Mike is a certified Level 1 USPTR tennis teaching professional. He may be reached by e-mail at msilverman@cityparksfoundation.org.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Balance Between Practice and Playing Tournaments By Gilad Bloom any parents have approached me over the years with questions about how early to start having their kids play tournaments and how often they should compete in them. Naturally, there are different views on the subject. The answer depends on how old the child is and how advanced a level player they are. With kids beginning to play at the tender age of four- or five-years-old nowadays, this question comes pretty early on, especially if the child is talented and shows great potential at an early age. In general, as soon as the child can hit a second serve in the court consistently, they can play a tournament. The mainstream thought is that it is always good to get their feet wet early on and get their competitive juices flowing because it would “make them tougher mentally.” Tournaments are fun and are “the real deal,” but is it constructive to their long-term development to play many tournaments as eight- through 12-year-olds and get caught up with the ranking hunt? Yes … to a degree, but probably not if you look at the bigger picture. The early years are all about shot development and creating good practice habits, winning is always fun and so are trophies, but the main goal should be to learn the game and to try to improve upon and learn from every match or practice. That is the correct message that should be sent to the kids from their parents and coaches. Unfortunately, it is not often enough the case. Too many times, I see parents and coaches putting too much emphasis on winning and “rankings,” which sends the wrong message and creates a scared player who will have a tougher time when it comes to making the transition from the 10-12 and under tennis to the more ag-

gressive style of game that is required today. We all know how naturally competitive most kids are which is not a bad thing at all. But many times when kids are young, they revert to playing “ugly” negative tennis in official matches, looping moon balls to the middle of the court, pushing like cowards and playing cynical defensive tennis that will win them matches, but in the long run, will not be very effective or useful. This happens because of the looming fear of losing. The transition to a higher level tennis requires constantly adding things to your game and starting to take more risk, going for shots and taking the ball earlier, staying closer to the baseline and coming in to the net more. To work on these elements, a player needs to train and repeat shots correctly, thousands of times, without the fear of missing … the primary point behind “practice.” The problem starts when there are not enough periods of “no tournament play” and there is not enough time to relax and gain the confidence to implement it in a real tournament match situation. What happens often is that the kids revert back to the old habits and become addicted to winning because they put too much importance on something that should be a low priority at the early ages. When I was a kid, my coaches kept pumping into my head that the goal is to be a complete player at the age of 18—that’s when the results will start to count. That approach helped me fulfill my potential as a player. The job of the coach and parent is to educate the child and make them realize that this is a long-term process, the tournaments played while ages 10 through 14 should be approached casually and treated simply as a learning experience, the winning part should be minor.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

The players should be complemented for the important stuff, such as having good footwork during the match, for keeping a positive attitude, or for playing smart and constructive points. Obviously, the kids are upset when they lose and happy when they win; however, both winning and losing should be downplayed, they need to know that there is a bigger picture, therefore before they go to celebrate a win or sulk over a loss, they should first try to figure out why they lost (or won) and how they can improve in the future. For me as a coach, the matches are merely a source of information on my students. I can learn a lot by watching them play real matches. I treat every one as just another match, one of many in their career. A tennis player should learn from each match, but also move on and forget about the last one because there is always the next match and the last one should be considered as ancient history five minutes after it ends (unless you win Wimbledon in which case you can celebrate a little). Often when you make adjustments to your game as a junior, it can take weeks or even months until the shot becomes automatic in a match. And during that adjustment period, the player may lose a few practice sets or even a tournament. The kids who are mature enough to understand that will usually excel. When Pete Sampras changed from a two-handed backhand to a one-handed backhand, it probably cost him a few national junior titles in the shortterm (he had zero national junior titles), but he did wind up with 14 major titles as an adult. In some European countries, they have a different approach to junior tennis. The philosophy is that kids should not really compete in events until a later age when they are already technically sound and capable of playing “the right way.” The kids will

do repetition drills for hours every day and play monitored practice matches among themselves as their coaches supervise. The volume of tournaments is much lower than the average USTA player, and in some cases, they don’t even play in a tournament until the age of 12. Let’s ask ourselves the following question: Who is going to have more solid fundamentals and footwork? I An eight- to 12-year-old who hits millions of balls the same way for hours a day and hardly played any tournaments; or I The child who plays 20-30 tournaments a year (in more than 100 matches) and who cares more about their ranking than their form? A few years back, I had a chance do my own little “Williams Sisters Experiment” on a young player that I coached. The kid was living in the Bronx, very close to my club and the parents could not take him to any tournaments at all (dad was working and mom had no car). For two years, all the child did was train in my program, working on tons of drills, hitting cross-courts and playing practice sets with my students and staff as I monitored. The child had a lot of talent and great a work ethic, but literally played zero tournaments for two years while other kids his age and level played at least one to two tournaments per month. All he did for two years was work on his game without worrying about ranking or winning … just playing the right way, stepping in, playing a form of freestyle and aggressive tennis. When he reached the age of 12, I told his mother that it was time to get him to compete. In his first tournament (to which he had to take the public bus to) in the 12s Division, he came through the qualifying and won the whole tournament without losing a set, nobody knew him and he played without pressure. That player, Andrew Adams, went on to become one of the top players in the East (ranked number one at one point in the East in the 14, 16 and 18 Divisions) and was top 15 in the nation in the 16 and 18 Divisions. He is currently playing on a full scholarship for the University of South Carolina and won Freshman of the Year in his first season,

posting a record of 28-10 in singles. There is no doubt he is on his way to having a great college career at the very least even though he is the only kid I know that played zero tournaments from the ages of 10 to 12. In the 12 years that I have been living and teaching in the U.S., I found that there is an overall general obsession with instant results and instant gratification … counterproductive to developing top players in my opinion. This is not to say that I am against competition, on the contrary, I encourage competition and a competitive nature. What Andrew Adams did was unique and quite extreme. He did well when he started competing at the age of 12, but still it took him a few years to develop the mental and strategic aspects of the game and to learn how to close out matches … that part takes experience which he didn’t have compared to the “veteran” players who competed since the day they could walk. I remember Andrew struggling against pushers and playing naive tennis at the 12 to 14 age level, having trouble closing out matches and losing confidence due to it. But after he got some matches under his belt, he figured it out, and by the time he was 18, he was one of the top players in the nation and as match tough as anyone, only less burned out than most others since he started competing late. This is no small matter, I have often seen kids waste all of their mental strength on meaningless junior matches looking for ranking points and trophies and missing the big picture, only to reach the college ranks or the Pro Tour to realize that their best tennis and mental effort was left in the junior years. They had holes in their game, holes that did not quite allow them to reach their potential. My approach is the fusion approach. I strongly believe in developing shots in the early ages and putting results as a low priority for the first few years. However, I am also a believer that children need to compete in order to be able to perform under pressure because it’s fun and ultimately the best way to learn. When I do send kids to participate in tournaments, I put it in perspective and make sure that they try to implement the things we work on in practice as much as they can and not revert to the bad habits. It can be a long process, and I certainly understand that sometimes the will to win will

overcome the discipline to do the right thing (after all, I too was once a junior player). I have been preaching this philosophy to my high performance students with sporadic success. Some parents listen to me and most just sign the kids up to as many tournament as they can thinking that getting a good ranking is insurance to being a great player. The pressure to get a good ranking or rating and to think constantly about results is making them blind to so many basic mistakes. When I was a kid, we always had periods of no tournament play during which you took the time to add new elements to your game. It seems that it is harder to find periods like this anymore and it is often smart to cut down the match play for a while in order to take it to the next level. The “Williams Sisters Approach,“ although quite extreme, certainly worked for Serena and Venus. They skipped their junior career and went straight to the Pro Tour. Now deep into their respective careers, both sisters, especially Serena, are still playing on the tour and are capable of beating anybody in the world on any given day. Their late start and the many breaks that they took during their career kept them relatively fresh compared to the other female players who may have burned out by their mid-20s. A tennis career should be looked at as a marathon … you want to pace yourself and get to the last few miles in good shape and have enough energy for the finish which is basically the last four years of college when everything is supposed to click (or when you turn pro if you just so happen to make the cut). In order to make it click at the right time, there should be a long-term game plan and a realization that when it comes to tournament play, sometimes less is more, especially in the younger age groups. Gilad Bloom is a former ATP touring professional who, at his peak, was ranked 61st in singles and 62nd in doubles in the world. Five times an Israel’s Men’s Champion, three times in singles and twice in doubles, Gilad is currently the director of tennis at The Club of Riverdale. He was the director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years, and before, that ran Gilad Bloom Tennis for nine years. He may be reached by phone at (914) 907-0041 or email bloom.gilad@gmail.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

UPCOMING FEBRUARY 2013 Friday, February 1 Round Robin Doubles Party Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For reservations, call (212) 989-8572, ext. 104. Saturday-Sunday, February 2-3 Centercourt Winter Classic: USTA Sanctioned Tournament (L1B G 10 & 12 & B16) CenterCourt Athletic Club of Mt. Olive 184 Flanders-Netcong Road Mt. Olive, N.J. For more information, call (973) 584-9322.

EVENTS

Friday, February 8 Round Robin Doubles Party Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue • New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For reservations, call (212) 989-8572, ext. 104. Friday, February 15 Round Robin Doubles Party Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue • New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For reservations, call (212) 989-8572, ext. 104. Saturday-Sunday, February 16-17 Centercourt Winter Classic: USTA Sanctioned Tournament (L1B B/G 10 & B18) CenterCourt Athletic Club of Mt. Olive 184 Flanders-Netcong Road • Mt. Olive, N.J. For more information, call (973) 584-9322.

Friday, February 22 Round Robin Doubles Party Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For reservations, call (212) 989-8572, ext. 104. Saturday-Sunday, February 23-24 Centercourt Winter Classic: USTA Sanctioned Tournament (L1B B/G 10 & B18) CenterCourt Athletic Club of Mt. Olive 184 Flanders-Netcong Road Mt. Olive, N.J. For more information, call (973) 584-9322.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB

DIRECTORY 360 Tennis @ Cunningham Tennis Center Tim Mayotte—Director of 360 Tennis Cunningham Park Tennis in Queens 718-740-6800 cunninghamsportscenter.com Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ CATS of 49th St. Geri Goetz—Director 235 East 49th Street • New York, NY 10017 (212) 832-1833, ext. 222 catsturtlebay@gmail.com CATSNY.com

Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club Gertrud Wilhelm 450 West 43rd Street • New York, NY 10036 (212) 594-0554 g.wilhelm@mprcnyc.com ManhattanPlazaRacquetClub.com or AdvantageTennis NY.com Midtown Tennis Club Jennifer Brown—Director 341 8th Avenue • New York, NY 10001 (212) 989-8572 midtowntennis@netzero.com MidtownTennis.com

Clay Bibbee—Managing Partner and Academy Founder 222 N. Passaic Avenue Chatham, NJ 07928 (973) 635-1222 • clay@centercourtclub.com

New York Tennis Club Lauren Hartman 3081 Harding Avenue • Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 239-7916 lhartman.nytci@gmail.com NewYorkTennisClub.com or AdvantageTennisNY.com

Go! Tennis at North Shore Tennis & Racquet Club George Garland—Director of Tennis 34-28 214th Place Flushing, NY 11361-1720 (718) 224-6303 george@gotennisprograms.com

Prospect Park Tennis Center Paul Campbell—Director of Tennis 50 Parkside Avenue • Brooklyn, NY 11226 (718) 436-2500, ext. 300 pcampbell@prospectpark.org ProspectPark.org/Visit/Activities/Tennis

Centercourt Athletic Club

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club Tom Manhart—Assistant General Manager 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212) 935-0250 tmanhart@rirctennis.com RIRCTennis.com or AdvantageTennis NY.com

The Country Club of Riverdale (TCR) Gilad Bloom—Director of Tennis 2600 Netherland Avenue Riverdale, NY 10463 (718) 796-9099 bloom.gilad@gmail.com TCR-NYC.com

SPORTIME Randall’s Island Ted Dimond—Director of Tennis 1 Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 randallsisland@sportimeny.com SportimeNY.com/Manhattan

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park Flushing, NY 11368 (718) 760-6200 kraft@usta.com USTA.com

Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond Joel Kassan—Tennis Director 725 Gateway Center Boulevard Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 665-4684 joel@gothamtennis.com StadiumTennisNYC.com

West Side Tennis Club Bob Ingersole—Director of Tennis 1 Tennis Place • Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 268-2300 tennisdirector@foresthillstennis.com ForestHillsTennis.com/index.html

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW

YORK

Boys & Girls Metro Rankings

16 ......Daniel Ertel......................New York, N.Y.

(as of 11/14/12)

19 ......Leaf Fagerberg ..............New York, N.Y.

BOYS Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank..Name ..........................City 1 ........Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 40 ......Eric Ryklin ......................New York, N.Y.

18 ......Jordan Rey-Anatole ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Logan Gruss ..................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Jorge Arenas ..................Bronx, N.Y. 22 ......Josh Charap ..................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Daniel Corona ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 24 ......Jack Metzger..................New York, N.Y.

33 ......Bella Kaplan....................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Gabriella Eitkis................Brooklyn, N.Y.

17 ......Andrew Hauser ..............New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name ..........................City 1 ........David N. Zhukovsky ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Jonathan Cohen ............New York, N.Y. 3 ........Jordan Selig....................New York, N.Y. 4 ........Justin Selig ....................New York, N.Y. 5 ........Benjamin Erichsen ........Bronx, N.Y.

35 ......Samantha Fischer..........New York, N.Y. 36 ......Kyra Bergmann ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 37 ......Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 38 ......Tomi Alalade ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 39 ......Rebecca Krupatkin ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Isabella Tushaj................Bronx, N.Y.

6 ........Kevin Ching ....................Bayside, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles

7 ........Lorenzo Soo ..................New York, N.Y.

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

8 ........Christopher Huynh ........Astoria, N.Y.

1 ........Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

9 ........Josh Weiner....................New York, N.Y.

2 ........Sarah Hirschfield............New York, N.Y.

10 ......Joshua Freud ................New York, N.Y.

3 ........Zorriana B. Johnson ......New York, N.Y.

11 ......Michael Lesser ..............New York, N.Y.

4 ........Victoria Zezula................Ridgewood, N.Y.

12 ......Alexander Pintilie............New York, N.Y.

5 ........Keren Khromchenko......Staten Island, N.Y.

13 ......Teddy Drucker................New York, N.Y.

6 ........Christina Huynh..............Astoria, N.Y.

14 ......Sean Solomonoff ..........New York, N.Y.

7 ........Nicole Khorosh ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

15 ......Nolan Crawford..............New York, N.Y.

8 ........Anna Maite Kaplan ........New York, N.Y.

16 ......Jordan Jordan ................Astoria, N.Y.

9 ........Marierose Apice ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

17 ......Matthew Glaser..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

10 ......Donna Marie Episcopio Bayside, N.Y.

18 ......Enrique Torres ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

11 ......Veronika Semenova ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

19 ......Jahmall Forde ................Jamaica, N.Y.

12 ......Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y.

20 ......Michael Leon..................Woodhaven, N.Y.

13 ......Olivia Morris....................Floral Park, N.Y.

21 ......Travis Arffa ......................New York, N.Y.

14 ......Sydney Lynn Katz ..........New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles

22 ......Zachary Kaplan..............New York, N.Y.

15 ......Victoria Hanuman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

23 ......Alexander Fallone ..........New York, N.Y.

16 ......Sabrina Lee Abrams ......New York, N.Y.

20 ......Logan Gruss ..................New York, N.Y.

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

24 ......Kevin Huynh ..................Astoria, N.Y.

17 ......Val Leifer ........................New York, N.Y.

21 ......Robert Shinder ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

1 ........Kevin Huynh ..................Astoria, N.Y.

25 ......Mitchell Cheung ............Woodside, N.Y.

18 ......Kayla Schumacher ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

22 ......Anthony Cataldo ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ........Jonathan Cohen ............New York, N.Y.

26 ......Mark Semerik ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

19 ......Marion Goldberg............New York, N.Y.

23 ......David Weiner ..................Rego Park, N.Y.

3 ........Christopher Huynh ........Astoria, N.Y.

24 ......Joseph Shulkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y.

4 ........Leonard Margolis ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

25 ......Christian Rabinowitz......Bayside, N.Y.

5 ........Jordan Selig....................New York, N.Y.

26 ......Noah Edelman................New York, N.Y.

6 ........Leonardo Escudero ......Ozone Park, N.Y.

27 ......Sidharth Chawla ............New York, N.Y.

7 ........David Farina....................New York, N.Y.

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

28 ......Rudolph Merlin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

8 ........Samuel Caloras..............Little Neck, N.Y.

1 ........Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y.

29 ......Isaac Rose-Berman ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

9 ........Joshua Freud ................New York, N.Y.

2 ........Miriam Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

30 ......Brandon Cohen..............New York, N.Y.

10 ......Michael Jasienowski......Middle Village, N.Y.

3 ........Dakota Fordham ............New York, N.Y.

31 ......Ameer Hosain ................New York, N.Y.

11 ......Justin Selig ....................New York, N.Y.

4 ........Christina Huynh..............Astoria, N.Y.

32 ......Jonathan Glinsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

12 ......William Trang ..................Staten Island, N.Y.

5 ........Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

33 ......Elias Rabayev ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

13 ......Garrett Sopko ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

6 ........Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y.

34 ......Jeffrey Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y.

14 ......Peter Sillis ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

7 ........Lorraine Bergmann ........Forest Hills, N.Y.

35 ......Mitchell Mu ....................Oakland, N.Y.

15 ......Michael Lesser ..............New York, N.Y.

8 ........Caroline Kantor ..............New York, N.Y.

36 ......Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y.

16 ......Teddy Drucker................New York, N.Y.

9 ........Isabella Cooper ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

37 ......Alex Huynh ....................Astoria, N.Y.

17 ......Ira Rey-Anatole ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

10 ......Sofie Levine....................New York, N.Y.

38 ......Daniel Maseyev..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

18 ......Lorenzo Soo ..................New York, N.Y.

11 ......Maryna Bohdanovska ..Brooklyn, N.Y.

39 ......Felix Levine ....................Long Island City, N.Y.

19 ......Robert Millman ..............New York, N.Y.

12 ......Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y.

40 ......Leonidas Vrailas ............New York, N.Y.

20 ......Adam Bernstein ............New York, N.Y.

13 ......Jean Soo ........................Flushing, N.Y.

21 ......Andrew Hauser ..............New York, N.Y.

14 ......Amalia Parrish ................Queens Village, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles

22 ......Jahmall Forde ................Jamaica, N.Y.

15 ......Theodora Vrailas ............New York, N.Y.

23 ......Kumiel Hosain ................New York, N.Y.

16 ......Victoria Judy Hanuman Brooklyn, N.Y.

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

24 ......Zachary Kaplan..............New York, N.Y.

17 ......Diana Sosonkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

1 ........Kermal Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

25 ......Marc Betito ....................Floral Park, N.Y.

18 ......Hanna Yip ......................New York, N.Y.

2 ........Andrew Zucker ..............New York, N.Y.

26 ......Andrew Penn..................New York, N.Y.

19 ......Karolina Lankamer ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

3 ........Adam Bernstein ............New York, N.Y.

27 ......Michael Sklar..................New York, N.Y.

20 ......Isabella Hartman ............New York, N.Y.

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

4 ........Robert Millman ..............New York, N.Y.

28 ......Josh Weiner....................New York, N.Y.

21 ......Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y.

1 ........Hediye Karabay..............Flushing, N.Y.

5 ........Kevin Yan........................Brooklyn, N.Y.

29 ......Sam Krevlin ....................New York, N.Y.

22 ......Lena Kovacevic..............New York, N.Y.

2 ........Nicole Serras..................Whitestone, N.Y.

6 ........Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

30 ......Benjamin Beruh..............Bronx, N.Y.

23 ......Sophia Weiland ..............Ridgewood, N.Y.

3 ........Vania Savic ....................Woodside, N.Y.

7 ........David Moldovan ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

31 ......Evan Liberman ..............New York, N.Y.

24 ......Tiana Fernandez ............Bronx, N.Y.

4 ........Anika Pornpitaksuk........Flushing, N.Y.

8 ........Barak Harari....................Hollis, N.Y.

32 ......Ray Fishman ..................New York, N.Y.

25 ......Amanda Solecki ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

5 ........Keren Khromchenko......Staten Island, N.Y.

9 ........Ray Fishman ..................New York, N.Y.

33 ......Christian Gloria ..............Queens Village, N.Y.

26 ......Stephanie Li....................New York, N.Y.

6 ........Emi Lewis ......................New York, N.Y.

10 ......Emil Nadyrbekov............Brooklyn, N.Y.

34 ......Alexander Newhouse ....New York, N.Y.

27 ......Najah Dawson................Rosedale, N.Y.

7 ........Zorriana Johnson ..........New York, N.Y.

11 ......Daniel Schaw ................New York, N.Y.

35 ......Massimo Costantini ......New York, N.Y.

28 ......Diana McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

8 ........ Alexus Gill......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

12 ......Horia Negru ....................Middle Village, N.Y.

36 ......Kristjan Tmoasson ........New York, N.Y.

29 ......Anna Tselikovskaya........New York, N.Y.

9 ........Keri Anne Picciochi........Flushing, N.Y.

13 ......Mizel Stevens ................New York, N.Y.

37 ......Stephen Fields ..............Bronx, N.Y.

30 ......Naomi Park ....................New York, N.Y.

10 ......Erika Tinalli......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

14 ......Noah Solano ..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

38 ......Dhruv Bhatia ..................New York, N.Y.

31 ......Rosa Aksanova ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

11 ......Dina Levy-Lambert ........New York, N.Y.

15 ......Wiley Schubert ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

39 ......Gurjot Singh....................Flushing, N.Y.

32 ......Steffi Antao ....................Briarwood, N.Y.

12 ......Annie Reiner ..................New York, N.Y.

2 ........Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Kemal Irfan Aziz..............Staten Island, N.Y. 4 ........Alexander Petrov............Middle Village, N.Y. 5 ........Stevan Stojkovic ............Flushing, N.Y. 6 ........David Dylan Pines..........New York, N.Y. 7 ........Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 8 ........Shawn Jackson..............Staten Island, N.Y. 9 ........Henry Hochfelder ..........New York, N.Y. 10 ......Mizel Stevens ................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 12 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 13 ......Scott Fischer ..................New York, N.Y. 14 ......Jacob Livianu ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Blake Frank ....................New York, N.Y. 16 ......Pieter Wernink ................New York, N.Y. 17 ......Ryan McCook ................Saint Albans, N.Y. 18 ......Brandon Torres ..............Bronx, N.Y. 19 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

25 ......Jake Laurence................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Brandon Zhang ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Dan Ion Negru ................Middle Village, N.Y. 28 ......Max Lederman ..............New York, N.Y. 29 ......Mitchell Mu ....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 30 ......Gabriel Broshy................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Robert Shinder ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Alex Huynh ....................Astoria, N.Y. 33 ......Mark Karpovas ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 34 ......Eric Ryklin ......................New York, N.Y. 35 ......Kristjan Tomasson..........New York, N.Y. 36 ......Nicholas Kingsley ..........New York, N.Y. 37 ......Jacob Daly......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 38 ......Leonidas Vrailas ............New York, N.Y. 39 ......Scott Glauber ................New York, N.Y. 40 ......Cameron Gruss..............New York, N.Y.

20 ......Electra Frelinghuysen ....New York, N.Y.

GIRLS

21 ......Brooke Jin ......................New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 12 Singles

22 ......Stephanie Li....................New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

23 ......Cecilia Sweson ..............New York, N.Y. 24 ......Rosa Aksanova ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ......Jean Soo ........................Flushing, N.Y. 26 ......Olga Drahanchuk ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Kiara Rose ......................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Alessandra Ricciardi ......Howard Beach, N.Y. 29 ......Alexandra Miasnikova....Rego Park, N.Y. 30 ......Maria Kogarova..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Anu Alalade ....................Rosedale, N.Y. 32 ......Grace Parker ..................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Amalia Parrish ................Queens Village, N.Y. 34 ......Miriam Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 35 ......Emma Gray ....................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Elizabeth Khusid ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Chloe Trang ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 38 ......Mia Simone Parrish........Queens Village, N.Y. 39 ......Hanna Yip ......................New York, N.Y. 40 ......Cheyenne Jenkins..........Bronx, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles

NEW

YORK

RANKINGS Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region

13 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

62 ......Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y.

14 ......Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y.

59 ......Kemal Irfan Aziz..............Staten Island, N.Y.

15 ......Nicole Schnabel ............Woodhaven, N.Y.

61 ......Will Coad ........................New York, N.Y.

16 ......Julia Zbarsky ..................New York, N.Y.

65 ......Lantis Wang....................New York, N.Y.

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

24 ......Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y.

17 ......Isadora Braune ..............New York, N.Y.

67 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

13 ......Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y.

31 ......Christina Huynh..............Astoria, N.Y.

18 ......Marion Goldberg............New York, N.Y.

75 ......Henry Hochfelder ..........New York, N.Y.

15 ......Win Smith ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

38 ......Stephanie Li....................New York, N.Y.

19 ......Paula Faltynowicz ..........Flushing, N.Y.

78 ......Kai Yuminaga ................Little Neck, N.Y.

16 ......James Wasserman ........New York, N.Y.

40 ......Kyra Bergmann ..............Forest Hills, N.Y.

20 ......Julia Zbarsky ..................New York, N.Y.

79 ......Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y.

19 ......Oliver Sec ......................New York, N.Y.

42 ......Rosie Gross....................New York, N.Y.

21 ......Sofia Aisiks ....................New York, N.Y.

92 ......Noah Edelman................New York, N.Y.

21 ......Cameron Daniels............Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

44 ......Marie Ivantechenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

22 ......Kiarah Williams ..............Bronx, N.Y.

95 ......Alexander Petrov............Middle Village, N.Y.

22 ......Victor Miglo ....................Kew Gardens, N.Y.

45 ......Rachel Arbitman ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

23 ......Camille Price ..................New York, N.Y.

97 ......Ethan Finley....................New York, N.Y.

24 ......Christopher Auteri..........Staten Island, N.Y.

47 ......Dakota Fordham ............New York, N.Y.

24 ......Shayna Spooner ............New York, N.Y.

98 ......Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

26 ......Richard Sec....................New York, N.Y.

53 ......Miriam Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

25 ......Anna Kaplan ..................New York, N.Y.

99 ......Derrick Mu......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

36 ......Marcus Smith ................Little Neck, N.Y.

56 ......Diana McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

26 ......Paolina Zanki..................Astoria, N.Y.

103 ....Maxwell Kachkarov........Flushing, N.Y.

37 ......Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

58 ......Amanda Solecki ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

27 ......Sara Levy-Lambert ........New York, N.Y.

105 ....Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

42 ......Edan Sossen ..................Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

60 ......Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y.

28 ......Kara Rosenblum ............New York, N.Y.

107 ....Tristan Taylor ..................New York, N.Y.

50 ......Gal Sossen ....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

62 ......Isabella Tushaj................Bronx, N.Y.

29 ......Alesssandra Ricciardi ....Howard Beach, N.Y.

110 ....Ameer Hossain ..............New York, N.Y.

53 ......Steven Koulouris............Long Island City, N.Y.

63 ......Diana Sosonkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

30 ......Savannah George ..........Bronx, N.Y.

114 ....Stevan Stojkovic ............Flushing, N.Y.

56 ......Alexander Thrane ..........New York, N.Y.

69 ......Elvina Kalieva..................Staten Island, N.Y.

31 ......Champagne Mills ..........New York, N.Y.

117 ....Tyler Kats ........................Astoria, N.Y.

64 ......Douglas Mo....................Douglaston, N.Y.

70 ......Sarah Finley....................New York, N.Y.

32 ......Yifei Wang ......................Little Neck, N.Y.

118 ....Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y.

66 ......Felipe Osses-Konig........Rego Park, N.Y.

76 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y.

33 ......Lydia Weintraub..............New York, N.Y.

126 ....Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y.

68 ......Jun Yuminaga ................Little Neck, N.Y.

80 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y.

34 ......Nicole Holloran ..............Bayside, N.Y.

127 ....Garrett Chao ..................New York, N.Y.

72 ......Maurice Russo ..............New York, N.Y.

82 ......Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y.

35 ......Brittany Biggs ................Bronx, N.Y.

130 ....Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y.

77 ......Michael Anzalone ..........Howard Beach, N.Y.

83 ......Najah Dawson................Rosedale, N.Y.

36 ......Jade Barnett-Irons ........New York, N.Y.

131 ....Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y.

78 ......Jack Haroche ................New York, N.Y.

88 ......Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y.

37 ......Alicia Ng..........................Howard Beach, N.Y.

133 ....Aleksa Pljakic..................Forest Hills, N.Y.

79 ......Alexander Pintilie............New York, N.Y.

92 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

38 ......Sophia Kryloff ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

134 ....Shawn Jackson..............Staten Island, N.Y.

85 ......Ethan Nittolo ..................Flushing, N.Y.

94 ......Olivia Morris....................Florak Park, N.Y.

39 ......Bria Heyward..................Brinx, N.Y.

137 ....David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y.

98 ......Jacob Frisch ..................New York, N.Y.

98 ......Amalia Parrish ................Queens Village, N.Y.

40 ......Reena Sarkar..................New York, N.Y.

139 ....David Pines ....................New York, N.Y.

133 ....Zachary Kaplan..............New York, N.Y.

102 ....Sofie Levine....................New York, N.Y.

143 ....Alexander Nielsen ..........New York, N.Y.

139 ....Alex Knaff........................New York, N.Y.

107 ....Sophia Weiland ..............Ridgewood, N.Y.

145 ....Oliver Obeid....................New York, N.Y.

141 ....Michael Pisarek..............Forest Hills, N.Y.

108 ....Rebecca Izyayeva..........Staten Island, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles

146 ....Adam Sonntag ..............New York, N.Y. 150 ....Elias Rabayev ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region

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

3 ........Joshua Yablon................New York, N.Y.

6 ........Kimberly Salkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

9 ........Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y.

9 ........Justin Fields....................New York, N.Y.

7 ........Kyra Bergmann ..............Forest Hills, N.Y.

Rank..Name ..........................City 1 ........Nicole Serras..................Whitestone, N.Y. 2 ........Hediye Karabay..............Flushing, N.Y. 3 ........Priscilla Signore..............Staten Island, N.Y. 4 ........Bianca Signore ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 5 ........Nicole Schnabel ............Woodhaven, N.Y.

2 ........Richard J. Del Nunzio ....Forest Hills, N.Y.

11 ......Jordan Jordan ................Astoria, N.Y.

15 ......Courtney Murphy ..........Bronx, N.Y.

8 ........Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

13 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

29 ......Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y.

9 ........Charlotte Camacho........New York, N.Y.

13 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 20 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 22 ......Anastasia Nicole KoniaevForest Hills, N.Y.

110 ....Caroline Kantor ..............New York, N.Y. 116 ....Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 123 ....Rebecca Fisch ..............New York, N.Y. 126 ....Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 131 ....Elisabeth Schlossel........New York, N.Y. 132 ....Lena Kovacevic..............New York, N.Y. 146 ....Isabella Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 150 ....Rosa Aksanova ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

14 ......Cole Gittens....................New York, N.Y.

36 ......Ryoma Haraguchi ..........New York, N.Y.

10 ......Michelle Khaimov ..........Jamaica, N.Y.

15 ......Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y.

42 ......Richard Sec....................New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region

11 ......Nicole Snegur ................Staten Island, N.Y.

25 ......Philip Raytburg ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

46 ......Jake Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ........Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

31 ......Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y.

53 ......Sachin Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y.

7 ........Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

32 ......Peter Lohrbach ..............Little Neck, N.Y.

64 ......Zachary Yablon ..............New York, N.Y.

14 ......Yuka Lin ..........................Kew Gardens, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings

37 ......Sumit Sarkar .................. New York, N.Y.

65 ......Eric R. Brinzenskiy ........Staten Island, N.Y.

15 ......Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

40 ......Alex Chao ......................New York, N.Y.

67 ......Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

16 ......Isis Gill ............................Brooklyn, N.Y.

60 ......Max Prohorov ................Rego Park, N.Y.

73 ......Christian Waldron ..........Bronx, N.Y.

17 ......Regina Furer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

(as of 11/15/12)

64 ......Cameron Gruss..............New York, N.Y.

85 ......Jonathan Selegean........East Elmhurst, N.Y.

20 ......Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y.

72 ......Christian Gloria ..............Queens Village, N.Y.

91 ......Oliver Sec ......................New York, N.Y.

22 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y.

79 ......David Mizrahi..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

103 ....Alexis Cai........................Woodhaven, N.Y.

25 ......Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y.

93 ......Adam Bernstein ............New York, N.Y.

126 ....Dennis Druzhinsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

31 ......Lauren Munari ................Middle Village, N.Y.

97 ......Xavier Pacthod ..............New York, N.Y.

129 ....Win Smith ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

38 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya ..Staten Island, N.Y.

104 ....Jacob Kern ....................New York, N.Y.

132 ....Mark Semerik ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

44 ......Jillian Auteri ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

110 ....James Dill ......................New York, N.Y.

140 ....Andrew Arnaboldi ..........New York, N.Y.

49 ......Michelle Khaimov ..........Jamaica, N.Y.

112 ....Allan Magid ....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

143 ....Alexander Pintilie............New York, N.Y.

51 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

116 ....Zachary Lieb ..................New York, N.Y.

148 ....Zachary Kaplan..............New York, N.Y.

54 ......Julia Fisch ......................New York, N.Y.

120 ....Ethan Moszkowski ........New York, N.Y.

149 ....Jordan Selig....................New York, N.Y.

57 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ........Gary Fishkin....................Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 18 ......Oliver Jevtovic................Astoria, N.Y. 21 ......Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Shand Stephens ............New York, N.Y.

58 ......Stephanie Li....................New York, N.Y.

122 ....Jordan Rey-Anatole ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

62 ......Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

127 ....Leonardo Escudero ......Ozone Park, N.Y.

GIRLS

129 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region

68 ......Marierose Apice ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

3 ........Dasha Kourkina..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

81 ......Sydney Katz ..................New York, N.Y.

40 ......Christopher Tham ..........Flushing, N.Y.

5 ........Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y.

83 ......Sabrina Abrams ............New York, N.Y.

44 ......Steven Daniel Nazaroff ..Brooklyn, N.Y.

8 ........Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

97 ......Anna Kaplan ..................New York, N.Y.

55 ......Robbie Werdiger ............New York, N.Y.

11 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y.

101 ....Sarah Hirschfield............New York, N.Y.

57 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

12 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Douglaston, N.Y.

108 ....Anastasia Koniaev..........Forest Hills, N.Y.

27 ......Sam Vagner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ......David Mizrahi..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Derek Raskopf................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Jeffrey Fradkin................New York, N.Y.

131 ....Kemal Irfan Aziz..............Staten Island, N.Y. 141 ....Adam Borak ..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

71 ......Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 75 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW

YORK

RANKINGS

111 ....Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y.

83 ......Anna Ulyashchenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

570 ....Cameron Gruss..............New York, N.Y.

113 ....Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y.

97 ......Augusta Conway............New York, N.Y.

766 ....Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y.

118 ....Victoria Zezula................Ridgewood, N.Y.

98 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

802 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

122 ....Kyra Bergmann ..............Forest Hills, N.Y.

103 ....Victoria Zoha ..................New York, N.Y.

925 ....Gary Fishkin....................Staten Island, N.Y.

126 ....Christina Huynh..............Astoria, N.Y.

106 ....Katie Derienzo................Douglaston, N.Y.

129 ....Isabel Balilo ....................Flushing, N.Y.

107 ....Isis Gill ............................Brooklyn, N.Y.

133 ....Amalia Parrish ................Queens Village, N.Y.

109 ....Angela Assal ..................Bronx, N.Y.

136 ....Yelizaveta Aginskaya......Brooklyn, N.Y.

110 ....Sophia Schlossel ..........New York, N.Y.

148 ....Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

111 ....Dayana Agasieva ..........Forest Hills, N.Y.1 116 ....Charlotte Camacho........New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region

119 ....Nakia Miller ....................Rosedale, N.Y.

1 ........Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y.

127 ....Loulou Revson ..............New York, N.Y.

6 ........Arnelle Sullivan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

134 ....Lisa Ventimiglia ..............Bayside, N.Y.

10 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

138 ....Sabrina Xiong ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y.

11 ......Ariana Rodriguez............Bronx, N.Y.

142 ....Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y.

13 ......Sabrina Xiong ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y.

149 ....Nicole Snegur ................Staten Island, N.Y.

19 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 30 ......Shayna Spooner ............New York, N.Y. 31 ......Anna Ulyashchenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

122 ....Arnelle Sullivan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

42 ......Christina Puccinelli ........New York, N.Y.

Rank ..Name ..........................City 20 ......Jessica Melane Livianu..Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region

51 ......Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

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

287 ....Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y.

16 ......Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

295 ....Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y.

97 ......James Wasserman ........New York, N.Y.

328 ....Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

121 ....Win Smith ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

497 ....Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y.

159 ....Oliver Sec ......................New York, N.Y.

567 ....Jillian Auteri ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

189 ....Yuka Lin ........................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 243 ....Regina Furer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

181 ....Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y.

737 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya ..Staten Island, N.Y.

243 ....Richard Sec....................New York, N.Y.

786 ....Elizabeth Munari ............Middle Village, N.Y.

266 ....Victor Miglo ....................Kew Gardens, N.Y.

787 ....Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y.

291 ....Cameron Daniels............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 356 ....Christopher Auteri..........Staten Island, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region

Boys & Girls National Rankings

477 ....Edan Sossen ..................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 718 ....Steven Koulouris............Long Island City, N.Y.

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

(as of 12/19/12)

754 ....Maurice Russo ..............New York, N.Y.

9 ........Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y.

763 ....Marcus Smith ................Little Neck, N.Y.

142 ....Arnelle Sullivan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

32 ......Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y. 40 ......Sophia Kryloff ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region

BOYS

495 ....Gal Sossen ....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

174 ....Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region

224 ....Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

50 ......Stefani Lineva ................Middle Village, N.Y.

National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region

54 ......Kimberly Salkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

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

329 ....Shayna Spooner ............New York, N.Y.

63 ......Jillian Auteri ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

34 ......Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y.

45 ......Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

403 ....Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y.

65 ......Illana Levich....................Staten Island, N.Y.

127 ....Sam V. Vagner ................Staten Island, N.Y.

125 ....Joshua Yablon................New York, N.Y.

535 ....Sophia Kryloff ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

66 ......Victoria Zoha ..................New York, N.Y.

154 ....Alexander Chiu ..............New York, N.Y.

274 ....Justin Fields....................New York, N.Y.

623 ....Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

75 ......Briel Biggs ......................Bronx, N.Y.

170 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

467 ....Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y.

661 ....Kimberly Salkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

81 ......Michelle Khaimov ..........Jamaica, N.Y.

273 ....Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y.

490 ....Courtney Murphy ..........Bronx, N.Y.

674 ....Stefani Lineva ................Middle Village, N.Y.

86 ......Augusta Conway............New York, N.Y.

283 ....Derek Raskopf................New York, N.Y.

502 ....Ryoma Haraguchi ..........New York, N.Y.

745 ....Christina Puccinelli ........New York, N.Y.

88 ......Isis Gill ............................Brooklyn, N.Y.

355 ....Henry Hochfelder ..........New York, N.Y.

530 ....Zachary Yablon ..............New York, N.Y.

860 ....Anastasiya Malinouskaya ..Staten Island, N.Y.

92 ......Julia Zbarsky ..................New York, N.Y.

374 ....Oliver Jevtovic................Astoria, N.Y.

700 ....Eric R. Brinzenskiy ........Staten Island, N.Y.

870 ....Anna Ulyashchenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

94 ......Champagne Mills ..........New York, N.Y.

491 ....David Mizrahi..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

809 ....Jonathan Selegean........East Elmhurst, N.Y.

95 ......Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

538 ....Shand Stephens ............New York, N.Y.

862 ....Jake Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y.

102 ....Sophia Schlossel ..........New York, N.Y.

578 ....Jeffrey Fradkin................New York, N.Y.

870 ....Sachin Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y.

104 ....Erika Tinalli......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

630 ....Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

105 ....Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

687 ....Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y.

GIRLS

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

107 ....Julia Fisch ......................New York, N.Y.

706 ....Steven Nazaroff..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 767 ....Kemal Aziz......................Staten Island, N.Y.

43 ......Emily Safron ..................New York, N.Y.

121 ....Tristan Lorich ..................New York, N.Y.

National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region

30 ......Denise Starr....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

119 ....Zorriana Johnson ..........New York, N.Y.

808 ....Robbie Werdiger ............New York, N.Y.

124 ....Nicole Schnabel ............Woodhaven, N.Y.

875 ....Christopher Tham ..........Flushing, N.Y.

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

151 ....Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y.

126 ....Annie Reiner ..................New York, N.Y.

879 ....Garrett Chao ..................New York, N.Y.

27 ......Dasha Kourkina..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

188 ....Ariana D. Rodriguez ......Bronx, N.Y.

128 ....Jenna Borenstein ..........New York, N.Y.

910 ....Tristan Taylor ..................New York, N.Y.

35 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y.

296 ....Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y.

134 ....Keren Khromchenko......Staten Island, N.Y.

933 ....Derrick Mu......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

49 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Douglaston, N.Y.

468 ....Nadia Smergut ..............New York, N.Y.

135 ....Vania Savic ....................Woodside, N.Y.

934 ....Alexander Petrov............Middle Village, N.Y.

50 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y.

480 ....Lily Bondy ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

981 ....Alexander Nielsen ..........New York, N.Y.

65 ......Nicole VSemenov ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

633 ....Alexa Meltzer..................New York, N.Y.

982 ....Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

78 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

904 ....Paulina Velasquez ..........Kew Gardens, N.Y. 945 ....Laura Maria Chitu ..........New York, N.Y.

45 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region

986 ....Will Coad ........................New York, N.Y.

141 ....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y.

5 ........Emily Safron ..................New York, N.Y.

987 ....Noah Edelman................New York, N.Y.

143 ....Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y.

8 ........Ariana D. Rodriguez ......Bronx, N.Y.

988 ....Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

168 ....Anastasia Koniaev..........Forest Hills, N.Y.

15 ......Samantha P. Tutelman ..New York, N.Y.

989 ....Richard Zusman ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

338 ....Christina Huynh..............Astoria, N.Y. 394 ....Marie Ivantechenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y.

16 ......Nadia Smergut ..............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 23 ......Lily Bondy ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region

480 ....Isabella Tushaj................Bronx, N.Y. 520 ....Kyra Bergmann ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 672 ....Miriam Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

35 ......Alexa Meltzer..................New York, N.Y.

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

696 ....Dakota Fordham ............New York, N.Y.

38 ......Laura Chitu ....................New York, N.Y.

105 ....Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y.

704 ....Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y.

39 ......Destiny Grunin................Brooklyn, N.Y.

106 ....Cole Gittens....................New York, N.Y.

774 ....Stephanie Li....................New York, N.Y.

42 ......Denise Starr....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

135 ....Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y.

781 ....Steffi Antao ....................Briarwood, N.Y.

47 ......Paulina Velasquez ..........Kew Gardens, N.Y.

146 ....Mitchell Ostrovsky..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

803 ....Elvina Kalieva..................Staten Island, N.Y.

49 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya Staten Island, N.Y.

155 ....Jordan D. Jordan ..........Astoria, N.Y.

804 ....Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y.

53 ......Kimberly Salkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

166 ....Philip Raytburg ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

860 ....Diana Sosonkin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

65 ......Ilana Levich ....................Staten Island, N.Y.

387 ....Christian Gloria ..............Queens Village, N.Y.

969 ....Diana McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

73 ......Kyra Silitch......................New York, N.Y.

518 ....Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

225 ....Elizabeth Tsvetkov ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 249 ....Sabrina Xiong ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region

144 ....Samantha Tutelman ......New York, N.Y.

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2013 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JANUARY 2013 Friday-Sunday, January 4-6 L1B Gotham STC January Challenger Series Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18,14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684.

Monday-Sunday, January 14-20 Cunningham Park Winter Men’s Open Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked MW(Op)s, FRLC; MW(Op)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $81.13 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Jan. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Saturday, January 25-26 L3 Sportime at Randalls Island Green Ball January UPS Sportime Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(12)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, January 4-13 Sutton East Men’s Open January Championships Sutton East Tennis Club 488 East 60th Street New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M(Op)s Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $70.38 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 751-3452.

Friday-Sunday, January 18-20 & Friday-Sunday, January 25-27 L2O Sportime RI January 2013 Open Sportime Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate B(12)s, SE; G(16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per singles player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, January 25-27 Sportime Randalls Island January 2013 Championships Sportime Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M(25,35,45,55,65)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $70.38 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, January 4-6 L2R NCT January Metro Regional Chmps North Shore Tennis–Go! Tennis 34-28 214th Place Bayside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-14)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Dec. 26 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 224-6303.

Friday-Sunday, January 18-20 LiB 10U Gotham STC January Challenger Series Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball], 8 [36’Court/Red Ball])sd, FIC Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684.

Friday-Sunday, January 25-27 L3 Alley Pond Eastern January UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Novice: BG(14-12)s, RR; BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, RR Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, January 11-20 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island January 2013 Challenger Sportime Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(16-14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, January 18-20 L1B Cunningham Park Tennis Center January Challenger Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike • Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(18,14-12)s, SE; B(18,14-12)d, SE; G(18)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, January 11-13 & Friday-Monday, January 18-21 +L1 Alley Pond Eastern Designated Closed Chmps L4 FIC Alley Pond Tennis Center 79-20 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(16)s, FIC; G(16)d, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, January 18-27 +2013 NCT Winter Senior Classic North Shore Tennis Go! Tennis 34-28 214th Place Bayside, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M(35,50-55)sd, SE; W(35)sd, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $75.75 for first singles, $75.75 for additional singles and $38.13 for first doubles, $38.13 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 11 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 224-6303.

FEBRUARY 2013 Friday-Sunday, February 1-10 +Sutton East Men’s Open February Championships Sutton East Tennis Club 488 East 60th Street New York, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked M(Op)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $65.00 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 751-3452. Friday-Sunday, February 8-10 L1B Gotham STC February Challenger Series Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(14-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2013 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, February 8-17 +2013 NCT February Classic 34-28 214th Place Bayside, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked X(Op)d, SE; M(40,50-55)sd, SE; W(35)sd, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $75.75 for first singles, $75.75 for additional singles and $38.13 for first doubles, $38.13 for additional doubles (entries open Friday, Dec. 28) For more information, call (718) 224-6303. Monday-Friday, February 11-15 Alley Pond Men’s & Women’s February Open Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Ranked MW(Op)s Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $65 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Feb. 9 at 11:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, February 15-17 L3 Staten Island Winter UPS Staten Island Community Tennis Center 2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(16-12)s, RR Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries Monday, Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 982-3355.

Saturday-Monday, February 15-17 L1B 10U NCT February Challenger North Shore Tennis Go! Tennis 34-28 214th Place Bayside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 224-6303.

Friday-Tuesday, February 15-19 L2O Alley Pond President’s Week Open Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Feb .14 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday-Monday, February 22-24 L1B Gotham STC February 10U Challenger & 8U Playday Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Open: Quick Start BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball] ,8 [36’Court/Red Ball])sd, FIC Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684.

www.gothamtennis.com

WWW.GOTHAMTENNIS.COM 56

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

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