New York Tennis Magazine January February 2014 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

January/February 2014 Volume 4, 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 18

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

On Monday, March 3, the new Madison Square Garden will host the Seventh Annual BNP Paribas Showdown featuring Novak Djokovic taking on Andy Murray and the team of Bob & Mike Bryan taking on John & Patrick McEnroe.

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

Feature Stories 8

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

Michele Lehat Intern

Sasha Lipps Intern

A Look Back at the Year That Was 2013 The champs and award winners from 2013 are all recapped in our annual look back at the year that was 2013 on the men’s and women’s pro tour. By Emilie Katz

Brian Coleman Editorial Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 314 • brianc@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Marketing Coordinator

2014 Australian Open Preview The first Grand Slam of 2014 gets underway in January as the sport’s top stars take to the court. We take a closer look at the year’s contenders, pretenders and sleepers as they vie for glory Down Under.

Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Adam Wolfthal Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 330 • adam@usptennis.com

Newly Revamped MSG Set to Host the Biggest Stars in Tennis

Additional Features 4 6 20 25 33 46 50 58

Locals Shine at USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships NYJTL Honors Tennis Channel Chairman Ken Solomon at Annual Luncheon In Search of … a Good Tennis Partner By Richard Thater Why Playing Scared Means Playing to Lose By Xavier Luna One-on-One Doubles Tournaments to Return in 2014 Have Your Nose Up in the Air About D3 Tennis? By Lonnie Mitchel Queens College Tennis Players Association Serves Up for Charity The Stars of Tomorrow Shine at 2013 Metropolia Orange Bowl

Columns 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.

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College Player Spotlight: Max Schnur of Columbia University The Game of Tennis Has Changed … Have Your Teaching Methods Evolved? By Gilad Bloom USTA Eastern Metro Region Update Winning! A New Year’s Resolution By Dan Schaefer, Ph.D. The Jensen Zone: Shaping Your Game Through Practice Preparation By Luke Jensen New York Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz College Tennis Spotlight By Ricky Becker An Athlete’s Guide to Dealing With a Tough Loss By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Adult League Recap: USTA Leagues Update By Deborah-Rose Andrews Tennis Footwork: Start & Stop By Bill Longua The Serve: A Foolproof Way to the Continental Grip on the Serve By Lisa Dodson New York Tennis Club Directory Upcoming Events New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2014 Tournament Schedule

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

The National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship trophies

Jamie Loeb and Robin Anderson after a hard-fought match

The tea Colum

Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal

Locals Shine at USTA/ITA Nat Freshman Jamie Loeb Crowned National Indoor Intercollegiate Champ

Freshman Jamie Loeb of North Carolina was crowned 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Women’s Champion

Columbia’s Ashok Narayana & Max Schnur, winners of the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship Doubles title

Freshman Jamie Loeb of North Carolina won her second-straight college tennis major title at the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and hosted by Columbia University. Loeb, from Ossining, N.Y., faced Robin Anderson of UCLA in a repeat of their Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships matchup, which Loeb won 6-4, 6-0. In their rematch in Flushing, Loeb struck first early, breaking Anderson two straight times to take a 4-1 lead. Anderson fought back and recovered one break, but served to stay in the first set at 3-5. An ace took her to game point, but she followed that up with a double fault and then netted a forehand to give Loeb a set point. After a long hard-fought point, Loeb won the first set 6-3. In the second set, Anderson kept fighting to defend her title. She broke Loeb for the early lead, only to be broken twice in a row and trailed 4-1 as Loeb proved too powerful and steady from every part of the court. Both women held serve for 5-2, putting all the pressure on Anderson’s shoulders to hold, but the Tar Heel broke again to capture the title, 6-3, 6-2. In facing Anderson again for the secondstraight major, Loeb said she thought her opponent played a lot better. “When we played at All-Americans, I

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

think she was a little more nervous, especially at the beginning of the match,” she said. “She wasn’t serving as well; I think today she served a lot better. Overall, I think both matches were really great.” Loeb did not drop a set throughout the tournament and she now boasts a 19-1 start to her collegiate career. When talking about her successful fall, Loeb said she’s been improving in practice and working very hard. “During matches, I’m more confident now and I believe more in my shots and in myself,” Loeb said. “I’m using my legs more on my serve, making my first serve a weapon, but also consistent. I’m just mixing it up with my placement and using more variety with my shots in general.”

Columbia’s Narayana and Schnur Win National Indoor Title At the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Men’s Championship doubles final, it was Ashok Narayana & Max Schnur of Columbia thrilling the local fans by defeating the top seeds and ITA preseason number one-ranked team of Mikelis Libietis & Hunter Reese of Tennessee. Narayana & Schnur had a boisterous section of teammates, family, friends and alumni cheering them on, as they captured their program’s first national title with a 6-3, 6-2 win. The match turned at 3-3 in the first set, when Narayana hit two backhand volleys to help break Reese’s serve for the 4-3 lead. From there, the Lions kept up their

am of Mikelis Libietis & Hunter Reese from Tennessee congratulates Ashok Narayana & Max Schnur of bia after the finals match

Columbia’s Ashok Narayana en route to the doubles title

ional Indoor Intercollegiate Championships clean play, and they broke Libietis’ serve to take the first set, 6-3. In the second set, the vocal Lions fans were in full effect and Narayana & Schnur would win six straight games to take a 3-0 lead in set two. The Lions never relented and they closed out the win 6-3, 6-2. “I’m so proud of our guys, they personify what it means to prepare, to be focused and persevere through obstacles and chal-

lenges,” said Columbia Men’s Tennis Coach Howard Endelman. “Our guys deserve the trophy for all the extra work they’ve put in.” After the win, the Columbia pair said all the home team support definitely helped them. “I think we have some of the best fans in nation. I was a little surprised that it got this loud for this specific match,” Narayana said. “But I think that was a mistake on my

part—I should have expected this.” Schnur added, “Once we won the first set, the chants started coming ... ‘Let’s go Lions!’ I think we fed off that really well and it was a really great atmosphere for us. We knew we had to play well and play smart. They’re great players and I think we did a good job mixing it up and strategized to make them uncomfortable, and then obviously fed off our crowd.”

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal

It was a packed house for the 2013 New York

NYJTL Honors Tennis Channel Chairma

NYJTL Achievement Award winner Amanda Rivera (right), who attends Our World Charter School in Queens, is congratulated by Justin Gimelstob (left)

Principal of the Year Ed Tom (right), founder of Bron Center for Science and Mathematics High School in South Bronx, accepts his honor

Ken Solomon (right) and his father Steve (left) during his introduction by Nick Bollettieri

Ken Solomon (right), 2013 NYJTLMagazine Leadership Award New York Tennis â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com 6 Winner, accepts his award from legendary coach Nick Bollettieri (left)

Master of Ceremonies for the event, Bill Macatee of Tennis Channel

k Junior Tennis & Learning Leadership Awards at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City

Justin Gimelstob presents the 2013 Irwin Askenase Sportsmanship Award to 12-year-old Chris Tham, who attends Adrien Block IS 25 in Queens

an Ken Solomon at Annual Luncheon N

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ew York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) recently honored Tennis Channel Chairman & CEO Ken Solomon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. NYJTL is a provider of tennis and education programs, serving more than 75,000 children in 26 schools and 68 community-based sites in the five boroughs. The Leadership Awards Luncheon is NYJTL’s major annual fundraiser, drawing 400 guests annually to the sold out event that has been underwritten by the Lawrence B. and Frances Benenson Family Foundation since its inception in 1986. The 2013 Luncheon may be the best attended to date. Luncheon co-chairs are Lawrence Benenson, Peter Malkin, and Polly Scott. Honorary Chairs include Jeanne Moutoussamy Ashe, former Mayor David Dinkins, and USTA President David Haggerty. “The Tennis Channel is being honored in 2013 because it represents excellence in presenting all the benefits of playing tennis from the highest levels of the professional game to

the joys of the every day player, “ said Dr. Deborah Antoine, NYJTL President & CEO. “Ken Solomon has been the driving force behind the growth of the Tennis Channel into more than 35 million homes nationwide.” Legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who recently provided hands on instruction to more than 600 NYJTL participants at the Fall Tennis Festival, introduced Solomon. Recent past honorees have included Bill Ackman, Clay Hamlin, Billie Jean King, Howard Lutnick and John McEnroe. “The Support at this event is terrific” said Chairman of the NYJTL Board of Directors, Martin Goldberg. “The Board of Directors of the NYJTL thanks all who came out for the event and would especially like to recognize Principal Ed Tom for his great work.” “This is the best time for this organization in a number of years” said Senior Director of Tennis and Program Operations at NYJTL Ron Nano. “The organization is very strong programmatically and with its infrastructure of very talented staff. The support

in the room is amazing and we are all very proud and hope it will continue.” In addition to honoring Tennis Channel, NYJTL presented the following awards: l NYJTL Achievement Award: Amanda Rivera, 9, who attends Our World Charter School in Queens. l Irwin Askenase Sportsmanship Award: Chris Tham, 12, who attends Adrien Block IS 25 in Queens. l Principal of the Year: Ed Tom, who is the founder of Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics High School in the South Bronx.

Sports broadcaster Bill Macatee served as the event’s master of ceremonies, and ATP Player Council representative and Tennis Channel broadcaster Justin Gimelstob conducted the live auction of two VIP Grand Slam packages to the French Open, donated by Tennis Channel, and to the US Open, donated by the USTA.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

2014 AUSTRALIAN

NEW YEAR BEGINS DOWN UND

he 2014 Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from Jan. 13-26. ATP top-ranked Rafael Nadal will look to unseat reigning champion Novak Djokovic on the men’s side of the draw, while world number one Serena Williams looks to take the title from Victoria Azarenka, 2013’s defending women’s champ. 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.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Juan Martin Del Potro is one of only a handful of players in the draw with a major title (U.S. Open) and an Olympic Medal (Bronze Medal). After his 2013 Aussie Open quarterfinal loss, Del Potro will be one to look out for in this upcoming Grand Slam as he has the weapons to compete with anyone. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The men’s side of the draw The contenders … Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

As a recordbreaking threetime defending champion of the Australian Open men’s singles title, Novak Djokovic is motivated to preserve his streak. Djokovic had his career breakthrough in 2011, winning three Grand Slam titles (U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open) and having an extraordinary record of 70 wins and just six losses. Having a winning record against the current top five players of the world, Djokovic remains a favorite going into the Aussie Open. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Currently holding the number one ranking in the world and coming off the 2013 U.S. Open championship, Rafael Nadal is Djokovic’s biggest threat at the Aussie Open this year. Nadal was a finalist in 2012, losing a heartbreaking final to Djokovic in five sets. Rafa is filled with confidence and is healthy heading into 2014 and looks to avenge his 2012 finals loss to Djokovic. 8

Tomas Berydch is currently ranked seventh in the world and holds eight career titles. He has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the past three years, and is ready to surpass his previous results and take the next step this January. The pretenders … Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

After losing five Grand Slam finals, Andy Murray got the proverbial monkey off his back at the 2012 U.S. Open. Last year, he finished runner-up in his third Australian Open final, beating Roger Federer in five sets in the semis and losing to Djokovic in a four-set finals match. This year, however, Murray is a pretender, coming off an injury and not yet in top form. He will be hard-pressed to win seven matches and an Aussie title with the rust he will inevitably have to shake off. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

David Ferrer is currently ranked third in the world. He is a tough player and fights in every match. Ferrer historically beats the

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

guys below him, but cannot defeat the Big Four. He simply doesn’t have the major weapons needed to defeat them. He has a losing record against Djokovic, Murray, Nadal and Federer. This won’t be the major he breaks through for his first Grand Slam. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been one to keep an eye on in this tournament in the past as he has played well Down Under. He lost to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open. However, Tsonga has recently returned from injury, and that’s not his only obstacle. He must also make sure his conditioning has returned as the Aussie heat will offer little sanctity. The sleepers … In 2013, Jerzy Janowicz reached his highest ranking of 14th in the world, and has shown he can play with the big boys. After many disappointing early round losses in majors, Janowicz was able to get to the semifinals of Wimbledon and showed everyone what he was capable of. At the upcoming Aussie Open, the 6’8” Pole will have the chance to continue his breakthrough. A good draw could mean we see Janowicz deep into Week Two. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Being one of the tallest tennis players and known for his blistering serve, American John Isner is currently ranked 14th in the world. He hasn’t broken through at a major yet, but despite his inconsistent result, Isner has what it takes

N OPEN PREVIEW

DER WITH FIRST GRAND SLAM to win any match he plays. Maybe this is his year. American tennis could use it.

The women’s side of the draw

Currently ranked 20th in the world, Kevin Anderson is looking to take the next step in his career development. With no Grand Slam results passed the fourth round, the next step is clear ... a quarterfinal or better in a major. Anderson is bound to break through in one of the 2014 Grand slams, and this could be the one.

The contenders …

Being the youngest tennis player inside the top 20, Milos Raonic, is currently ranked 11th in the world, and continues to prove his strength and skill in every match he competes in. With his incredible height and strength, the 2014 Australian Open is the ideal setting for Raonic to be able to have the results he is looking for.

in Melbourne. Azarenka is clearly the biggest challenge to Serena, and as the two-time champion, can be considered a co-favorite.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The world’s number one player, Serena Williams is the clear Aussie Open favorite as she looks for her sixth Australian Open title. The 32-year-old, five-time Australian Open champion was crowned 2013 U.S. Open Champion. Serena will also be motivated and looking to avenge her 2013 Australian Open quarterfinal loss to 19-year-old Sloane Stephens 6-3, 5-7, 4-6 Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Victoria Azarenka is the two-time defending Aussie Open champion, and is back looking for a three-peat. Azarenka defeated American Sloane Stephens, and ultimately battled through yet another tough match against Na Li to win last year’s title

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Na Li had quite a successful 2013 and became the first Chinese player to reach the U.S. Open semifinals. Earlier in the year, Li also reached the finals at the Aussie Open, as she lost to Azarenka in a grueling match, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. A two-time Australian Open finalist, Li has great potential to take the next step this year. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Currently ranked number four in the world, Russian Maria Sharapova had an impressive run during last year’s Australian Open. En route to the semifinals against Li Na, Sharapova gave up only nine games during her preceding five matches.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

2014 AUSTRALIAN

NEW YEAR BEGINS DOWN UND

Sharapova dominated in straight-set wins over Russian Ekaterina Makarova at 6-2, 6-2; Venus Williams at 6-1, 6-3; and Belgian Kristen Flipkens at 6-0, 6-1. She was upset by Li in the semis, but as a semifinalist in 2013, Aussie Open finalist in 2012, and a champion in 2008, she is a strong contender for the 2014 title. The pretenders … Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

With the crowd on her side, Australian Samantha Stosur looks to pose a serious threat to pocketing the Open’s trophy for the first time. However, she frequently tends to play poorly on home soil. Last year’s Aussie Open saw Stosur throw away a lead in an

upset loss to China’s Zheng Jie in the second round. Stosur tends to melt in the Australian heat and this year may be more of the same. Jelena Jankovic has only once reached the semis at the Australian Open and that was in 2008. Last year’s results saw a third round 5-7, 3-6 loss to Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic is playing well, but isn’t in the form that once had her at number one in the world. A deep run at the Aussie Open isn’t on the menu in 2014. Roberta Vinci had fought her way to the quarters of the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Open Championships, so she has proven some hard court success at a major in singles ac-

tion. However, she cannot seem to push her way past the third round of the Aussie Open, Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal and while she may do so this year for the first time in her career, a jump to the semis or finals seems unlikely. The sleepers … Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The year 2013 was an eventful and successful one for the rising Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard, as the 19-year-old already pushed through the first few rounds

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

18 GOODFRIEND DRIVE E A S T H A M P TO N , N Y

N OPEN PREVIEW

DER WITH FIRST GRAND SLAM of each of the four Grand Slams. Martina Navratilova describes Bouchard as “a potential Grand Slam champion.” Watch out for the talented star to move deep into the 2014 Australian Open. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Tw e n t y - y e a r- o l d American Sloane Stephens may be the future of American women’s tennis. Last year in Australia, she pulled the tournament’s biggest upset, knocking off Serena Williams in the quarters and almost knocked off Azarenka in the semis as well. She also reached the Wimbledon quarters before losing to eventual champion Marion Bartoli. You can expect to see good things from Sloane in Melbourne. Twenty-three-yearold Jamie Hampton looks to be a prime candidate to make a good run at this year’s Australian Open. Last year’s Aussie Open saw the young rising star take her deepest run in a Grand Slam, advancing to the third round before falling to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in three sets. The close loss and her rise in the rankings since, make her a “sleeper” in Melbourne this year. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

People are raving about 18-year-old American Madison Keys’ potential. Keys pushed hard to reach the third round of the 2013 Australian Open and Wimbledon. Keys is famously known for her stunning win against Serena Williams in a World TeamTennis match when she was just 14. Keys is expected to set career records this year, so keep on the lookout for the American. A breakthrough at a major is coming, is this the one?

New at the 2014 Australian Open The most visible change to the event in 2014 will be the new look Margaret Court Arena (MCA). The scene of many stunning Australian Open battles, MCA is undergoing a massive transformation as part of the Victorian Government’s $366 million redevelopment and will sport a dramatic new look including: l A distinctive new roof that will be fixed in an open position for Australian Open and fully retractable for the event in 2015. l More than 3,200-square meters of shade, 360-degrees around the MCA concourse level.

l l l l

l l l

l Also new for the Australian Open in 2014: l Roger Federer signs up as Ambassador for Kids’ Tennis Day and will join fellow players and Nickelodeon characters at a special Rod Laver Arena show on Jan. 11. l Expanded Australian Open Trophy Tour

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through Asia, with first-time visits to Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. The launch of Australia’s largest ever tennis participation drive, the AO Blitz. A special recognition of Brad Drewett and his contribution to the sport. Kerry Melville Reid to be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. A Legends Lunch on the final Saturday of the event to honor Mervyn Rose and celebrate members of the 1957 Australian Davis Cup team. A new public steakhouse-style restaurant, Grass ‘N’ Grain on the River Terrace. An elegant new contemporary Australian dining option, Zest, overlooking Garden Square. Major sponsor Kia Motors has extended its long-running sponsorship until 2018, while associate sponsor Jacob’s Creek has signed on for another five years. International electronics brand Hisense joins the Australian Open as official supplier of TVs, providing more than 1,000 onsite during the 2014 Australian Open. Pete Sampras to return to Melbourne 20 years after winning the first of his two Australian Open men’s singles championships.

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Open May – November The New Rochelle Tennis Club: 114 Valley Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804 Phone: (914) 633-3388 • Fax: (914-636-1136) Email: nr10sc@aol.com Website: newrochelletennisclub.com NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

COLLEGE PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Max Schnur of Columbia University ax Schnur is currently in his junior year at Columbia University and a third year player for the Lions men’s tennis team. New York Tennis Magazine caught up with Max following his championship victory at the 2013 National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He was first exposed to the sport of tennis at a the early age of four as his mother took lessons regularly and he would stand in the backcourt and hit balls around. It was these experiences and the passion he began to develop for the sport that translated into Max’s unabashed love for tennis. Max entered his first competitive tournament at the age of nine. Max’s father was a soccer player who came up with a great drill which helped his son develop a great passing shot. His dad was a soccer goalie, so he would stand at the net with a racquet and dare Max to try and hit the ball by him as hard as he could, while he tried to get a racquet on the ball. He once hit his dad right in the stomach. It was the last time they practiced that particular drill, but to this day, Max feels no intimidation standing in the backcourt blasting shots at approaching players on the other side of the net. “Sometimes, its good to know that when an opponent is approaching the net, the best place to hit the ball is right at him,” said Max. “You may hit them, which is not the intention, but either way, you will prob-

Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal

ably win the point.” Max claims that his National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship was the highlight of his career up to this point. He was on his high school team (Collegiate School in Richmond, Va.) since seventh grade, and led the team to their first ever league and state championships. Max notes that this was the first time he felt the joy of being victorious as a team and enjoyed the feel-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

ing of “team success.” He was also successful as an individual player, making the finals of Winter Nationals in the Boys 16s. Max enjoyed doubles more than singles because, as he describes, “You had someone who went through the experiences with you and to share victory with.” Schnur made his way to Columbia after visiting quite a few schools. What set Columbia apart is the family atmosphere on the team, where he immediately felt a camaraderie from the moment he met the captains. During the offseason, the team puts in tremendous amounts of work, having captains practice which is attended by almost all team members. They focus on improving during their time off so they can stay concentrated on the tasks at hand during the season. A vital part of the culture on the team is to maximize potential and focus on improving at all times. Columbia Lions Tennis Associate Head Coach Howard Endelman said, “Don’t limit your potential, don’t set limits for yourself and create a ceiling on how good you can be, that is the worst thing you can do. If you put limitations on yourself and you exceed them in a match, the moment may become to big for you” Max grew up a fan of Roger Federer, taking a cue from his grandmother, who is a diehard fan of “The Maestro.” Schnur recently adapted his game to a serve-and-volley style and tries to keep in his mindset like the play

of Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter for their great serve and net ability, respectively. “In the heat of the battle, its tough to be nervous,” said Max. “If you prepare in practice, in the weight room and during your conditioning, you think about your strategy before the match and when you step on court, you just play. The match is won before play begins. It is won in the weeks and months leading up to the match during your preparation.” According to Max, it is easy to work hard when you are on court with the Columbia Lions because of the inspiration coming from the other courts. Columbia tennis teammate Winston Lin is, as described by Max, “Like a machine on the practice court, impressing his astounding work ethic on everyone around him.” Having great teammates and imparting a stellar work ethic on one another helped Max and his doubles partner, Ashok Narayana, to their 2013 National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship victory. “Ashok and I have put so much time in,” said Max. “You either put in the work and maybe you win and maybe you lose, or you don’t put in the work and you lose.” Ever the humble champion, Max insisted that his doubles partner and better half deserves more credit for the win than he did, and that without Ashok it would not have been possible. After the victory, Coach Endelman said of his champions, “I’m so proud of our guys, they personify what it means to prepare, to be focused and persevere through obstacles and challenges. Our guys deserve the trophy for all the extra work they’ve put in.” For Max, it isn’t always all about tennis. He frequently beat boxes and enjoys taking advantage of his school’s location and checking out some of the restaurants and comedy clubs around New York City. Schnur’s favorite comic is Louis CK, but his true passion remains the sport of tennis. Schnur says that tennis is unique in that it “involves every component of athleticism. Your on the move, coordinating every part of your body and hitting shots from every position. You can never get a substitution, its just you out there, and if you pull it out and win your match it is your win! You deserve the credit. In tennis, unlike some team sports, the outcome is entirely up to you.”

Members of the Columbia Lions come on the court to celebrate the 2013 National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship victory by Max Schnur & Ashok Narayana

Columbia’s Max Schnur drills a backhand return

Ashok Narayana & Max Schnur pose with their 2013 National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship trophies NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Game of Tennis Has Changed … Have Your Teaching Methods Evolved? By Gilad Bloom here has been a great deal written in recent years about how the game of tennis has changed. The game has seen bigger, lighter and more powerful racquets, along with slower surfaces, extreme grips and many other aspects of the sport have changed. The many changes in the game have had a huge impact on the way that a tennis teacher approaches a student nowadays. When I was growing up during the 1970s, it was the end of the wooden racquet era, and my coach grew up hitting all of his strokes with a continental grip in what they used to call an all-court game. I grew up learning that the best way to win a point is to keep the ball deep with patience, wait for a short ball, and then come to the net with a slice approach shot and finish the point with a good solid volley. By the time I turned pro in 1983, the game was rapidly evolving to the type of tennis we have seen on the ATP Tour in recent years. The first two players to take the game to the “Rafa Nadal” style of play were Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas who relied less on their serve or net game, and more on their ability to cover the court perfectly, rarely

making any errors from the baseline, and hitting with a lot of heavy topspin. In the mid 1980s, it was Ivan Lendl who took the game to the next level by adding a huge first serve to his flawless baseline game and amazing fitness. Players like Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Patrick Rafter were still successful with the old school serve and volley game until the mid/late 1990s, but they were the last of the Mohicans. Over the last decade, it seems that everyone on the tour adopted the “Bjorn Borg” school of thought. It seems like we will never experience a different style of play other than the one we are seeing now on the tour—best described as a “slug fest” between two hard-hitting individuals until one makes an error or hits a winner from the baseline. Of course there was, and still is, Roger Federer who is a “One Man Era.” His game is still based on the classic all-court game, mixing up paces and more net approaches than most. Federer remains the link between the two schools of thought. He managed to outclass the sluggers of his generation, but results in recent years have shown that the physical game of Nadal and Djokovic is the style that will rule the near future of pro tennis. The strongest evidence to support that theory is how the number of “Rafa Clones” ex-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

ceeds the number of “Federer Clones.” It’s hard enough to find anyone who will hit a one-handed backhand to begin with, and from that simple fact stems a whole different style of play. When I retired from the pro tour and became a coach, I had to alter my ways of thinking as a teacher and adjust my methods to the changes that were taking place in the game. With the new, lighter racquets and extreme grips that everyone is using, the balls travel with more pace and spin, and shots that were not possible for me when I was younger are relatively easy for the new generation. In fact, now at the age of 46, I think I can serve bigger than when I was in my prime, simply because the racquet and strings I use are that much more powerful. The heavy topspin and high pace that can be generated with today’s equipment changed the strategy of the game forever. In the past, it was almost impossible to win strictly from the baseline, you needed a variety of shots, a slice, a volley, being one dimensional was a minus. In today’s game, it doesn’t really pay to go to the net, the passing shots that you will face are more powerful, and therefore, most players today don’t really know how to volley correctly, as many top players on the pro tour have mediocre volleys at best.

Many coaches today are practical and recognize that it is really all about the baseline game. They primarily teach ground strokes, choosing to neglect teaching the slice, the volley or any sort of transition game. The problem I see with this approach is that almost everybody plays the same way today and this style of play can get predictable and relatively easy to throw off with a mixture of paces and spin that having a variety of shots allowed. My approach is a fusion of the “old school” and the “new style.” I realize that today you need a huge weapon off the ground and that most of the points take place in the back court. Therefore, a big part of my sessions are dedicated to consistency drills and creating heavy, deep shots from the baseline, running around the backhand a lot, hitting with mostly an open or semi-open stance, and clearing the net by a lot to achieve depth and safety. I also make sure that they work on their serve more than any other shot, that is a given. However, I still insist on teaching my kids the “all-court” game. I make them hit for a few minutes a day with one hand (conti-

nental grip) so they can get a better and more natural feel of the ball (99 percent of the kids play with two hands). I work on their volley constantly and daily, and also teach the slice, drop shot and dedicate time to their transition game, encouraging them to sneak into the net behind good quality shots instead of wasting a good shot. The kids need to be forced to work on those areas of their game because when you let them play on their own, they will never come to the net or use a slice. Most kids do what they are used to and in a real match, they are too scared or lack the confidence to try anything new. It can get a bit ugly in the beginning, especially trying to have them use the continental grip at the net and having them use one hand on the backhand volley and the backhand slice. It will take months of tedious repetition drills and specific games that force them to come in until they can implement it in a match, but I found that the slice and the volley are relatively easy to teach if you start it early on and stick to it. In reality, you don’t really need to have a “John McEnroe Volley” in today’s game. All

that is needed is to be good enough to be able to put away the easy volley after coming to the net behind a very good deep approach shot. Many who have a really good baseline game, but no net game at all, have to work much harder to win points. They need to hit a clean winner to win the point because they don’t trust their net game. The same goes for the backhand slice. I still play the “old school” way with a onehanded backhand and due to my “old” age, I use the slice a lot. I find it very effective against the younger generation … they hate it! It makes them bend low on their knees which most of them don’t do very well and it throws off their timing because they are not used to the different spin. Having a backhand slice can come in very handy in today’s game. It can be used to mix up your game, take pace off the ball and for defensive shots. Most players don’t have it, which gives you an edge if you do have the ability to use it in a real match situation. Tactically, today’s game is a bit less sophisticated than 30 years ago. From a continued on page 16

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

the game of tennis has changed continued from page 15 coaching perspective, it boils down to perfecting court coverage (good old footwork), a lot of inside out drills, and many baskets of serves. The ability to have solid ground strokes is a given, the techniques and methods of teaching are almost scientific and most players don’t have too many holes in their baseline game. There are many top players with perfect shots to imitate. When I look at the top players in the game, even Rafa Nadal, the “King of Baseline,” I see them constantly adding variety to their game as they evolve as players. Rafa, adding a one-handed slice to his game, comes to mind. He also added the ability to come to the net and cut the points short later in his career … something that helped him regain the number one spot and will probably prolong his career. In fact, I see more players on the tour utilizing the slice as a surprise tactic, mixing up their game and trying to think a little outside the

box. This will no doubt make the game more interesting to watch. I think that serve and volley as a pure style of game, like the McEnroes and Edbergs of the past, will not come back since it’s not practical because the returns are too big in today’s game. But there is certainly reason to believe that coming to the net more often will make a mini-comeback. The serve and volley game can become predictable if used every point, but it can be a great “Plan B” when things go wrong, or when you are tired and in need of a quick point, or as an element of surprise in a big point when you want to put pressure on your opponent. The difference in level at the top of the game is so small that any little edge can help win a match. The evolution of tennis has proved in the past that there is a reaction to every style of play. The top players of this generation have definitely perfected the way a ground stroke is being hit, but can you imagine a player that will possess the tech-

nical soundness of Djokovic, the court coverage of Rafa, the variety of shots of Federer, and the volley technique of John McEnroe? We still have yet to witness that phenomenon. The closest to ever play the game to perfection with a combination of old school tennis plus the style of the new era was Federer at his peak, but when Rafa’s game ripened and proved to overpower Federer’s more flashy game. The question remains: “Will the next evolution of tennis bring players back to the net or will we be doomed to watch baseline slugfests forever?” You can guess what I’m hoping will happen! 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.

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Newly Revamped MSG Set to H

7th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown

he 7th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown is set for Monday, March 3 at Madison Square Garden. The event will provide an unbelievable night of tennis when some of the biggest names in the game take to the court in

T 18

the World’s Most Famous Arena. The event will feature tennis’ number one rivalry, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, as well as, for the first time in its history, a unique brothers doubles match with John & Patrick McEnroe teaming up to take on Bob & Mike Bryan, arguably the best doubles team of all-time. The doubles match,

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

which begins at 7:00 p.m., will be an eightgame pro set followed by a best-of-three sets for the singles match. The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and StarGames. The 7th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown, which consistently attracts the biggest names in tennis, will follow the likes of Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Ivan Lendl, Juan Martin del Potro, Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic, all who took part in previous Showdowns providing unforgettable memories for New York tennis fans. “I am looking forward to coming to Madison Square Garden,” said Djokovic. “I have heard nothing but great things about this event and it should be a big night for tennis in New York, one of my favorite places to play.” “I’m excited about coming to the Garden next year,” said Murray. “Ivan [Lendl] has told me plenty of stories about matches and other events that have taken place there. There is so much history attached to the venue and it should be a great night for both Novak and me.” Once again, the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden will headline a full day of nationwide activities as part of “Tennis Night in America” and “World Tennis Day,” a global tennis participation effort. Both events promote tailoring the game to players 10 & Under with smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring.

Host the Biggest Stars in Tennis

n coming to the Big Apple March 3 The tale of the tape F I R ST MAT CH Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Perhaps the best doubles team of all-time, Bob & Mike Bryan are the current world number one doubles team. The duo notched their 15th Grand Slam title after winning the 2013 Wimbledon finals, simultaneously becoming the first team in tennis history to have all four majors plus an Olympic Gold Medal all at the same time. The American pair recently broke John Newcombe & Tony Roche’s record of 12 Grand Slams after winning their sixth Australian Open in January.

vs.

John McEnroe has been dubbed one of the best doubles players of all time. The U.S. native holds 17 major titles: nine in doubles, seven in singles, and one in mixed. He formed a powerful team with doubles partner Peter Fleming, with whom he won seven out of his nine major titles. McEnroe finished his career with an 875-198 overall record, and 77 titles. He reached the world number one rank on March 3, 1980.His younger brother, Patrick McEnroe, reached a career-high ranking of 28 on Sept. 11, 1995. He finished his career with a 140-163 singles record, and recorded a Grand Slam doubles championship win along the way. In 1989, the younger McEnroe paired with Jim Grabb to capture the French Open title.

S E C OND MAT CH Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Novak Djokovic is one of the most decorated players in the sport, and is the current world number two player. The Serbian-born Djokovic won his sixth Grand Slam title this year at the 2013 Australian Open after defeating Murray in four sets. With the win, he joined the likes of Andre Agassi and Roger Federer as four-time Australian Open winners. In 2011 Djokovic captured both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles as well. On June 1, he became the 40th man to win 500 matches in ATP World Tour history.

vs. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Andy Murray rose to his current ranking of fourth in the world after teaming up with tennis legend, Ivan Lendl. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 U.S. Open, defeating Djokovic in a marathon five-set match. Murray also made it as far as the finals in the 2013 Australian Open, defeating Roger Federer in the semifinals and eventually falling to Djokovic in the finals. On July 7, 2013 Murray became the first Brit to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, where he defeated Djokovic in three sets to claim the crown.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

In Search of … a Good Tennis Partner By Richard Thater o you make a distinction between your tennis partners and opponents? Are you happy with your

choices? Many recreational players find themselves on court with people who are available at a given time on a given day. So, in essence, your personal schedule determines whom you play with. But a little thought about your choices can improve your tennis experience. If you are a regular tournament player, you cannot choose your opponents. Hopefully you are working on the weaker points of your game and are concerned with your opponent’s skills. But competi20

tors can present behavior issues as well. There are players who enjoy playing games within the game. They believe they have the right, and even the obligation, to bend and twist the rules. I have played men who stall between points to catch their breath. Or, have you met the guy who makes bad calls just to disrupt your rhythm? I lost to a man in a regional tournament who answered his phone during a changeover and spent two minutes discussing travel arrangements with his wife. I often walk away from these matches feeling as if I had bathed in raw sewage. Responding to this type of gamesmanship requires a different set of skills, a skill set which you may choose not to develop. No, hitting your opponent instead

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

of the ball with your racket is not a recommended skill. So, sanctioned tournaments might not be for you. Recreational tennis matches are not necessarily free of these behaviors either, but since the stakes are different and your response is less governed by the rules, your experience can still be rewarding. If you don’t cave in to the local court bully, he may be the one to go home feeling unfulfilled. Choosing a practice partner sets up a different set of expectations. Before starting your session, you should establish what you both hope to accomplish during the next few hours. Beware of players who think it is your job to feed them balls so they can practice their shots. My worst example of this was the

man who insisted I feed him balls up the middle so he could “zing” his forehand away into the corner. You may have practiced with a man who expresses his displeasure every time you do not feed a ball into his wheelhouse. Formulate a practice plan, and if your partner won’t stick to it, then change partners. Recreational players play more doubles than singles. You should try to choose a partner who plays tennis for the same reasons as you do. Do you know why you play tennis? Striking a ball is not always at the top of my list. I enjoy the exaggerated breathing, and the fluidity I sometimes feel as I move around a tennis court. I have very few self-delusional moments when I dream of standing in Arthur Ashe Stadium holding up a trophy. Practicing and playing often merge for me. During a long rally, I may decide to change the pace or direction of my shot to see if I can produce a creative winner. I do not partner well with people who believe that “Up the middle solves the riddle”

is the answer to every tennis problem. Try to play with a partner whose ethics are similar to yours. A long-time partner did not speak to me for months because I admitted to touching the net before a point was over. One of the most important rules for enjoyable play is that if there is a disagreement between partners about whether a ball was in or out, the ball was out. No amount of salesmanship by a partner can change the fact that there was a disagreement. Avoid playing with the unacknowledged expert who brings their coaching and disparaging comments about your performance to the partnership. I admit there have been times when I played with someone when I have deliberately missed a point because it was more satisfying to me to see them fret and stew than it was to win the point. While watching professional doubles on television, I question the purpose of the constant fist bumping and high-fiving between points. Yet these gestures are simple ways to move forward, and

continuously reinforce the bonds of teamwork and common goals. They are the opposite of criticism, about which the Bryan Brothers have been quoted as saying “You never criticize your partner, EVER.” An often-quoted story about American 1950s great Art Larsen has him playing in the finals of a doubles tournament in France. At match point, he volleyed a winner with the butt cap of his racket rather than using the strings. He had such great talent, and was so well-liked, that this point almost defined him. How would you react if your partner hotdogged it this way? Having written and re-read this article I now ask myself, “Am I a good partner?” How about you? 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.

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Contact Clay Bibbee: clay@centercourtclub.com NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA METRO REGION

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USTA METRO REGION

M e t r o Year in Rev iew

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA METRO REGION

C OM M UN I T Y 24

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WHY

PLAYING SCARED MEANS PLAYING TO LOSE By Xavier Luna ear. It’s a noun—an unpleasant emotion created by the belief something is dangerous or likely to cause pain—and a verb. We “fear” the unknown, danger, failure and more. No matter how you define it, one thing is certain. When it comes to tennis, fear is never helpful to a player’s game. In tennis, fear means being afraid to lose, being afraid to make a mistake or being afraid of how you’ll be looked at by your parents, coaches and peers if you lose the big match. Fear typically increases right along with the importance of your matches. And here’s the most frightening part of playing with fear: It clouds your concentration, saps your confidence, tenses up your muscles, spoils your rhythm, causes indecision and overall sloppy play. Almost always, playing scared sets you up for a loss.

The difference between fear and nervousness Fear and nervousness are not the same thing. Fear is a mental state that hurts your game. Nervousness, on the other hand, is a physical state where common symptoms

are elevated heart rate, sweating and anxiety. Unlike playing with fear, playing nervous can actually elevate your game. That’s because it can provide you with the energy and increased concentration to boost your play. Embrace nervousness— a winning tactic The famous Czech-American tennis player Martina Navratilova claims to have always been nervous playing tennis. You could argue that—as a winner of 18 Grand Slams—nervousness is one of her competitive advantages! The same can be said about golf icon Jack Nicklaus—he once stated that he did not know how to play great golf when he wasn’t nervous. Eighteen career major championships speak for themselves. “The Golden Bear” must have been nervous a lot over the course of his career. Take control of your fear instead of letting it control you Getting fear under control will be more of a work in progress than an overnight cure. Before you can completely kick fear, it’s important to understand it. Fear is a result of your own expectations, so combating it begins with fine-tuning your on-court performance.

Here’s how: l Forget about everyone else. Don’t think about your parents, your coach or how your peers might view you. It’s all about you and how you feel about yourself. l Prepare to win. Play to win. And expect to win. l Remember the good times and the times when your play was at its best. Conversely, when it comes to bad play, forget about it and move on. Everyone is bound to have an off match, it’s how you handle it that matters most. l Focus on your goal and the task at hand. l Play aggressive and not tentative. Tennis players are at their best when they are playing with poise, confidence and trust in their abilities. You may not always win, but if you can learn to manage your fear, you are already on the right track to a successful course in tennis. See you on the courts! 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.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the Y BY EMILIE KATZ

2013 Grand Slam Champions

Wimbledon

ATP Year-End Award Winners

Australian Open

l Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeated Andy Murray (Great Britain) 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 l Men’s Doubles: Bob & Mike Bryan (USA) defeated Robin Haase (Netherlands) & Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) 6-3, 6-4 l Women’s Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) defeated Li Na (China) 4-6, 64, 6-3 l Women’s Doubles: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci (Italy) defeated Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellaqua (Australia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 l Mixed-Doubles: Jarmilla Gajdosova & Matthew Ebden (Austrailia) defeated Lucie Hradecka & Frantisek Cermak (Czech Republic) 6-3, 7-5

l Men’s Singles: Andy Murray (Great Britain) defeated Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 l Men’s Doubles: Bob & Mike Bryan (USA) defeated Ivan Dodig (Croatia) & Marcelo Melo (Brazil) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 l Women’s Singles: Marion Bartoli (France) defeated Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-1, 6-4 l Women’s Doubles: Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) & Peng Shuai (China) defeated Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellaqua (Australia) 7-6, 6-1 l Mixed-Doubles: Kristina Mladenovic (France) & Daniel Nestor (Canada) defeated Lisa Raymond (USA) & Bruno Soares (Brazil) 5-7, 6-2, 8-6

French Open

U.S. Open

l Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal (Spain) defeated David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 l Men’s Doubles: Bob & Mike Bryan (USA) defeated Michael Llorda & Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 l Women’s Singles: Serena Williams (USA) defeated Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-4, 6-4 l Women’s Doubles: Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina (Russia) defeated Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-2 l Mixed-Doubles: Lucie Hradecka & Frantisek Cermak (Czech Republic) defeated Kristina Mladenovic (France) & Daniel Nestor (Canada) 1-6, 6-4, 10-6

l Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal (Spain) defeated Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 l Men’s Doubles: Leander Paes (India) & Radek Stepanek (Czech) defeated Alexander Peya (Austria) & Bruno Soares (Brazil) 6-1, 6-3. l Women’s Singles: Serena Williams (USA) defeated Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 l Women’s Doubles: Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) defeated Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 l Mixed-Doubles: Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) & Max Mirnyi (Russia) defeated Abigail Spears (USA) & Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) 7-6, 6-3

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

l ATP Year End Number 1: Rafael Nadal secured the year end number one ranking with a successful season in which he won the last three Grand Slam titles (French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open). l ATP Number 1 Doubles Team: Bob & Mike Bryan win for a fifth consecutive year and record ninth overall. The 35year-old American twins guaranteed their year-end number one ranking on Aug. 19, the earliest ever by a doubles team. They won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, making them the first team to hold all four majors and the Olympic Gold Medal at the same time. l ATP Star of Tomorrow Award: Jiri Vesely was the youngest player to finish in the top 100 rankings. Vesely, who began the season ranked outside the top 250, broke into the top 100 in July, two days before his 20th birthday and reached a career high of 78 by August. The Czech made his tour level maindraw debut as a qualifier at the French Open and also won three ATP Challenger Tour titles. l Most Improved Player of the Year: Pablo Carreno Busta climbed from a year-end number 715 last season to a career high number 66 in 2013. He won 35 straight matches and seven titles on the Future’s Circuit. He made his Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros this year. l ATP Comeback Player of the Year: After being sidelined for seven months with a knee injury, Rafael Nadal made his return in February to claim 10 titles, including an eighth French Open title, a

Year That Was 2013 l

second U.S. Open championship and a record-tying fifth Masters Trophy. Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Roger Federer was the 2013 Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award winner, as voted on by his fellow players on the ATP Tour. This year marked the ninth time Federer has won the award and the third year in a row he won the honor. Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year: Roger Federer has been named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year for a second time in recognition of his Foundation’s support of children in Africa and Switzerland. The Roger Federer Foundation was established in 2003. ATPWorldTour.com Fans Favorite Singles: Roger Federer was named ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite Singles Player of the Year for the 11th consecutive year. Federer received 56 percent of the vote. ATPWorldTour.com Fans Favorite Doubles: Bob & Mike Bryan received 43 percent of votes to win this award for a record ninth time. Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award: Bendou Zhang, the Shanghaibased Zhang is the tennis writer for Titan Sports, China’s most successful sports newspaper. Zhang has been a journalist for more than 20 years, two years ago.

WTA Year-End Award Winners

l WTA Player of the Year: Serena Williams didn’t just have the best season of anyone in 2013, she put together one of the best seasons in the history

of women’s tennis. Serena won 11 WTA titles, accumulating 78 match wins. She only lost four matches in 2013 and pushed all of them to three sets. This is the fifth time in her career that Serena has won the WTA Player of the Year Award. l WTA Doubles Team of the Year: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci of Italy were named the 2013 WTA’s Doubles Team of the Year. This duo won the Australian Open and held the number ranking all year long. l Most Improved Player of the Year: Simona Halep of Romania has been named the most improved player of 2013. It all started with an incredible run in Rome. She reached the semifinals as a qualifier beating four highly ranked players along the way before falling to Serena. Following this tournament, Halep went 43-8 in her last 14 WTA main draws of the year. She won her first 6 WTA titles and finished the year with a number 11 ranking. l Comeback Player of the Year: Alisa Kleybanova beat Hodgkins Lymphoma, built her game back up on the ITF Women’s Circuit, and is now playing on

WTA Tour again. Kleybanova is very deservedly the WTA’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. l Newcomer of the Year: Eugenie Bouchard burst into the international spotlight in 2012 by winning junior Wimbledon and becoming the first Canadian, male or female, ever to win a Grand Slam title in singles. But sometimes the transition from the juniors to the pros is a difficult one. The talent is evident but players need some time to develop the “complete package.” But when it comes to this year’s WTA Newcomer of the Year, it didn’t take long at all for Eugenie to succeed. Bouchard reached a career high ranking of 32nd in the world which not only makes her the top-ranked Canadian, but makes her the highest ranked teenager in the world. l WTA Fan Favorite Award: Agnieszka Radwanska has been voted by her fans as fan favorite singles player in 2013 for the third straight year. She finished the season ranked number five in the world. continued on page 28

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the year that was 2013 continued from page 27 l WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team: Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina were chosen as the fan favorite 2013 doubles team.

Players who retired in 2013 ATP Tour James Blake’s professional tennis career came to an end at this year’s U.S. Open. Blake, who attended Harvard University before turning pro in 1999, reached a career-high ranking of number four in 2006. He won 10 singles titles in his career. At Grand Slam tournaments, he reached the quarterfinals on three occasions. Blake was ranked 100th on the ATP Tour at the time of his retirement.

Xavier Malisse retired after 15 years on the ATP Tour. The 33-year-old from Belgium had a career high ranking of 19th in the world and won three ATP titles. His best Grand Slam result was the Wimbledon semifinals in 2002, when he lost a five-set match to David Nalbandian. Nicolas Massu announced his retirement from professional tennis in 2013. The 33 year-old from Chile had a career high ranking of ninth on the ATP Tour. He won six Tour titles, but the highlight of his career was winning Olympic Gold Medals in both singles and doubles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. WTA Tour

David Nalbandian spent 13 years on the ATP Tour, reaching a career high of number three in the rankings in 2006 and spending five consecutive years in the top 10. He reached at least the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments, as well as playing at the Wimbledon finals. Nalbandian won a total of 11 singles titles in his career.

Marion Bartoli of France shocked the tennis world with her decision to quit the sport just six weeks after winning Wimbledon. This was the first Grand Slam title of her career. In addition to her prestigious Wimbledon victory, the 29 year old won seven other WTA singles titles earning her more than $11 million in prize money during her career.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

Anne Keothavong announced her retirement after a string of injuries and disappointing results. The 29-year-old never won a WTA singles title, but did claim 20 titles on the ITF circuit. In 2009, Keothavong broke a 16-year absence of British women in the top 50 by reaching her career high ranking of 48. At the age of 24, nine years into her pro career, Hungarian Agnes Szavay announced her retirement from the sport. She was suffering from chronic back pain that required a risky surgery that Agnes chose not to undergo. Szavay won five WTA singles titles and her career high ranking was number 13 in 2008. Anna Chakvetadze officially announced her retirement from tennis this year due to injury. Russian born Chakvetadze is just 26-years-old and made her WTA Tour debut in 2004. She won her first tour event in 2006 in Moscow. Her career high ranking was number five in the world. Esther Vergeer announced her retirement from wheelchair tennis bringing an end to the most dominant career the sport has ever seen. The 31-year-old Dutch star, who celebrated 10 years without a defeat on the international wheelchair circuit has been the face of the sport for more than a decade. Vergeer’s dominance of wheelchair tennis started when she became world number one for the first time in 1999. She has been named ITF wheelchair champion for the last 13 years, winning 169 titles and ends her career on a winning streak of 470 matches. In Grand Slam tournaments, Vergeer won every singles event she entered, racking up an amazing 21 singles titles and 23 doubles titles at the majors. She also won eight Paralympic medals during her career.

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Winning! A New Year’s Resolution

By Dan Schaefer, Ph.D. ell here we go! Last month, we looked at an extensive “Wish List” (http://goo.gl/Xr1DmO) developed by professional athletes to narrow their focus. Knowing what you want is the first step to getting it. The CLICK! System defies conventional wisdom in supporting you to establish your target and greet the skepticism that usually accompanies using new strategies to get to your goal. Skepticism has the potential to derail and shut you down if you let it control you. On the other hand, it can really work to your advantage when you control it. You can decide to implement some of the following strategies and become skeptical in April. First, identify what everything looks like, sounds like and feels like when you are playing at your best—during practice or a key match. You may discover that by paying attention to this peak performance zone when you are in it, it will help you quickly identify when you are not. A hockey goalie described it this way, “I do not hear the crowds, the puck is the size of a dinner plate and the game moves very slowly. When any part of that awareness changes, I know I am losing my concentration and that I need to get ‘back in’ fast.” A squash player, playing in Grand Central Terminal, said that the glass enclosure seemed to darken as if no one was watching when she was totally in her zone. So, what do you look for? You can begin by noticing what distracts you. Decide what you are focusing on, then notice every single time, you are drawn out of the present. The more often you can do this, the better you will get at the process … like any other discipline. There is something else that will begin to happen … this process will give your unconscious mind instructions that are important to it. Your unconscious mind must act out every thought, image or idea you put into it, so just watch what happens. For a professional athlete whose livelihood depends on their performance, it takes about four months until a technique transitions from conscious application to unconscious implementation. This all takes place automatically.

Where do you begin to look? Ask yourself, “Have I brought anything onto 30

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the court that just doesn’t belong there?” Personal issues, emotions, the last match with this particular opponent, professional and non-professional comments or media statements may be some of the baggage you carry with you. I’m sure you can expand the list. You can control what you see, hear or feel. How do you keep your head clear? Use a TRUNK CARD? Before you go on the court, take an index card and list everything that is going on in your life that will get in the way of your game. Place it in the trunk of your car and SLAM the trunk. If a distracting thought enters your mind during the match say “Trunk” or snap your fingers … see what happens. With practice, you will begin to notice that your mind displaces distraction on its own. How about worry? Worry is a major distraction. I’m certain that you see this going way beyond tennis, but controlling worry is a great place to practice. Here is a strategy … select a time near the end of the day say…4:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m. Decide to do nothing in that time period, but worry. When you notice yourself worrying

about something at other times during the day, just say “4:00 p.m.” This strategy works as long as you show up at 4:00 p.m. every day to worry. You will be surprised to notice that you will be able to move the distraction to a time that will prevent it from contaminating your performance. This works well with a bad shot or volley during a match. Let’s look to the pros … what do they want to have happen and quickly? 1. Learn instant stress reduction 2. Discover intense and quick focus 3. Learn four keys to a competitive edge 4. Learn to identify and control distraction 5. Identify and control negative self-talk 6. How to prepare mentally for competition 7. Utilize power communication 8. Recover quickly 9. Make better use of professional instruction In short, the objective is to get new strategies and techniques into your unconscious mind so you respond quickly without thinking about them. I’m sure you have seen this in your own play. Remember making a shot and wondering afterwards,

“Where did that come from?” “How did I ever make that”? Enter SPORTS HYPNOSIS … “I first worked with Dr. Dan in 2005 after a shoulder injury. At that point, we used hypnosis and some other techniques to control my self-talk, restore my confidence and help me get back in the game. The techniques that Dan and I have worked on over the past six years have truly helped me keep my craft at the center.” —Chad Pennington NFL QB (Jets & Dolphins) Until the next time … catch distractions faster and play well in 2014. Dan Schaefer, Ph.D., CEO of Peak Performance, offers a place to start asking questions. Dr. Dan is dedicated to assisting individuals and companies win quickly through enhancing both personal and business performance. For more information, call (917) 880-6758, e-mail dan@danschaeferphd.com or visit www.danschaeferphd.com.

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WWW.GOTHAMTENNIS.COM NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

Shaping Your Game Through Practice Preparation

By Luke Jensen s we head into another year of opportunity, a proper mind set is critical towards your enjoyment and improvement in our great game of tennis. I would really like to stress having a plan towards your tennis. If you are a competitive player at any level, you will know what parts of your game are letting you down and what parts of your game are winning pressure points for you. Having balance with your approach to your practice sessions will help you prepare for success in your competitions. I like to start most workouts with serving drills. Serves are the most important part of the game because it is the one shot that be-

gins every point of the match. The serve is usually the shot worked on the very least and at the very end of practice what I call garbage time when the coaches are just trying to kill time and serving practice becomes all too social. I like to make serving drills competitive, by including targets and result-based scenarios where the players are serving under pressure. After serving, I get right into transition tennis drills that stress the improvement and confidence in the approach shot volley area of the game. It is another area that is very important, but rarely done well or worked on. Approach shot drills and volley drills for singles and doubles really improve your results in matches. By this time, groundies take over between consistency and power â&#x20AC;Ś lots of

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balls hit here. Most points played in singles and doubles today are played with players hitting from the baseline and the winners usually have the best ground strokes. I finish with volleys and overheads to work on my front court attack game. This part of my game helps close out points with confidence and beat players who outplay you from the baseline. Make sure your sessions are played with a ton of positive energy to duplicate the intensity of a match. As a coach, I am responsible for a sound practice plan and raising the passion of a positive practice. I really try to make sure the sessions are fresh and fun. Boring practice plans produce bored players that are not ready for the game speed of a match. Make sure you bring new ideas to your

pro next time you have a private or group lesson. Let the pro know what is working for you and letting you down in matches. This will give the pro some hints how to shape a more productive practice. Finally, if you are a player who gets nervous under the pressure of match play, change your mental approach from a practice mindset to a rehearsal mindset. A rehearsal approach is directed to the urgency faced in a match. Using the word “practice” is too casual for me, and often results

in casual sessions. Rehearsing with the right intensity and mental approach will help with nerves in tough match situations. You will be ready to play and ready to win! Have a great winning new year! Go for the lines! 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 sin-

gles 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.

One-On-One Doubles Tournaments to Return in 2014 ne-On-One Doubles Tournaments will return to Florida in its music filled format. The three-hour tournaments will be played at The Kiwi Tennis Club, in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. on Friday, March 7 and at Hawks Landing Tennis Club in Plantation, Fla. on Saturday, April 5. Both Men’s Open tournaments will offer $3,000 in prize money and are piloted by USTA/Florida. This unique tennis event integrates rockin’ blues music throughout the three-hour event. A live rockin’ blues concert and a dinner party for the tournament players, club members, event sponsors and guests will immediately follow the tournament. This event has been hosted two times at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in 2009 and 2010. Jared Palmer, 2001 Wimbledon Doubles Champion, won the 2009 tournament in New York. One-On-One Doubles, endorsed by the USTA, is a half-court, serve-and-volley singles game played on the doubles court. It brings the full arsenal of tennis shots into a new fast-paced, spectator-friendly sport. Having been played at USTA, USPTA, ATP and ITA national tournaments, One-on-One Doubles is making a name for itself as the third game of tennis. Since 2005, One-OnOne Doubles Tournaments have been hosted at the annual ITA National College Coaches Convention. In the summer of 2012, Tennis Channel aired a Professional One-On-One Doubles Tournament, hosted by the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, that was won by Michael Pernfors, 1986 French Open Singles finalist. The game’s founder, Ed Krass, is also

the director of the College Tennis Exposure Camps. “The tournaments will consist of some of the state’s and nation’s top players going after the One-On-One Doubles titles,” said Krass. “This will surely be a great mix of tennis and music to entertain the fans.” The National One-On-One Doubles Championships is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2014 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. One of the Florida tournament winners will earn an all-expense

paid trip to compete in the National event in November “One-On-One Doubles events are a blast,” said Krass. “Customizable and team format-friendly, it’s a natural addition to any tennis clubs’ schedule both for regular play and special events.” Any tennis club director interested in hosting the Electric Tennis and Rockin’ Blues Event featuring One-On-One Doubles Prize Money tournaments can contact Ed Krass at oneononedoubles@yahoo.com or call (813) 684-9031. All players can register, starting mid-January, online at www.florida.usta.com/tournaments/adult. For more information about One-On-One Doubles Tournaments, visit www.oneononedoubles.com.

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James Blake Foundation in Continued Effort to Raise Revenue

Credit photos to aguyandagirlphotography.com

Andy Roddick, Boris Kodjoe, James Blake and John Isner pause for a John Isner and Andy Roddick take part in the event photo at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan

By Dave Suskin A star-studded lineup was on hand at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan to join hometown favorite James Blake in support of Serving for a Cure, Blake’s annual tennis exhibition and fundraising event benefiting early detection cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Blake, a former world number four and USA Davis Cup Gold Medalist, was joined by tennis stars Andy Roddick and John Isner, along with actor Boris Kodjoe for a few friendly singles and doubles matches to raise awareness for a cause Blake has shown significant commitment to since the loss of his father, Thomas Blake Sr., to gastric cancer in 2004. Hosted by former tour player and Tennis Channel Commentator Justin Gimelstob, the fundraising event included a courtside dinner and cocktails along with a live auction featuring high profile lots ranging from rare tennis and celebrity memorabilia to VIP packages like the 34

IMG Academy Ultimate Tennis Experience and Party With The Stars on Grammy Night. Participation and product demonstrations from event sponsors Manhattan Automotive Company and Sherry–Lehmann Wine and Spirits were also featured in a highly festive atmosphere. But ultimately, the night was about giving, with the event raising nearly $200,000 for the cause. Blake established the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund in 2005 to support early detection cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where the quality of his father’s treatment highlighted the critical role researchers can play in identifying difficult to detect forms of cancer to save more lives. New York Tennis Magazine caught up with James to talk with him about the cause and the importance of giving back. Do you feel you have an obligation to leverage your celebrity and personal

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

James Blake and actor Boris Ko and Andy Roddick

story of being affected by cancer to raise awareness of the cause and early diagnosis/treatment? Blake: I do feel a bit of an obligation to leverage my story for a positive impact on society. I have been lucky enough to have a platform given to me by my success on the tennis court. Then my family was affected by cancer and I want to do everything in my power to help that tragedy from affecting other families. I want the story of cancer destroying families to become a thing of the past. These events that I do are a small, but necessary step to achieving that goal. Given your New York roots, it must be redeeming to see the ongoing support of local individuals and institutions like Memorial Sloan-Kettering. What are your thoughts on this? Blake: I feel very lucky to have the support of so many local people and organizations that make a difference in the event. Memorial Sloan Kettering was so kind to my fa-

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n Hosts Tennis Exhibition and Awareness for Cancer Research

odjoe shake hands post-match with John Isner

Model Brooklyn Decker, wife of Andy James Blake and Andy Roddick pause for a post-match Roddick, came out to support James photo at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan Blake’s Serving for a Cure

ther and they are on the cutting edge of research. It is my honor to work with them on projects like this. Following his retirement from the pro tour at the 2013 U.S. Open, Blake has continued to make philanthropy an integral part of his

life, giving back through his foundation’s initiatives as well as remaining active locally through organizations such as the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program (HJTEP), where Blake learned to play. For more information, visit www.jamesblakefoundation.com.

James Blake’s Serving for a Cure helped raise nearly $200,000 for cancer research

Dave Suskin is a freelance writer and tennis instructor based in Manhattan. An avid player and passionate advocate for grassroots tennis, Dave can often be found on the city’s public courts. He may be reached by e-mail at dave.suskin@gmail.com.

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Justin Gimelstob Raises $300,000-Plus for Credit photos to Adam Wolfthal

Andy Roddick helped the Justin Gimelstob Foundation raise $300,000plus for children’s charities

Centercourt players take part in the pre-exhibition clinic

For the sixth time, New Jersey native and former tennis phenom Justin Gimelstob hosted a tennis exhibition to raise money for a variety of children’s charities, including The Valerie Fund, a non-profit organization supporting healthcare services for children with cancer and blood disorders. This year’s event, held at Centercourt Athletic Club in Chatham, N.J., was a huge success and raised more than $300,000. Gimelstob, who is now a broadcaster and player representative on the ATP World Tour Board of Directors, was joined by former world number one and U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick; former world number four James Blake; current top American player John Isner; and former world number 33 and New Jersey resident Alex Bogomolov. Also joining in the activities was Gimelstob’s friends and tennis enthusiasts, Golden Globe Award winner David Duchovny; internationally-acclaimed model Anne Vyalitsyna; New York Mets allstar pitcher Matt Harvey; former Villanova and New Jersey Nets basketball star Kerry Kittles; and Bobbi Brown, founder and CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. The players began the event by taking part in clinics for junior players at 4:00 36

Actor David Duchovny celebrates a winner

p.m. and then signing autographs for the kids afterwards. Then it was time for the main exhibition where Roddick would team with Duchovny to face the team of Isner & Blake (along with Gimelstob who was subbing in for Isner at the midway point of the pro-set) in doubles. Prior to taking the court, the good-natured trash talk was already underway as Roddick said, “I look forward to expanding my undefeated record against Justin, as well as supporting The Valerie Fund!” The first match was highly entertaining, and in the end, the trio of Isner, Blake & Gimelstob came out on top. The second match-up was a Roddick versus Isner singles pro-set in which Roddick earned the win, showing he still “has it,” even after retirement. The players and celebrities were all happy to be part of such an entertaining event for a great cause. “When you have a friend like Justin, you will do whatever you can to help him,” said Blake. “For me, it means a lot to help out a hospital where children are treated because I have one young daughter and another on the way. It has much more of a special meaning now. I wouldn’t know how I would handle it if my daughter was sick seeing

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

New York Mets pitcher Matt Justi Harvey serves as a guest of th official Tenn

how much joy she brings to me.” “It’s a good cause and it’s something Anne [Vyalitsyna] and I are very interested in,” said Harvey. “Any time there is a good cause around New York or something we can support, we go. Obviously, I am a huge sports fan so something like this event that involves sports and giving back is very important to me. It’s an honor to be able to come to events like these and help out. It is very important that you take a little bit of time as an athlete to give back.” “Justin has been a good friend of mine for a very long time,” said Isner. “He has done such an unbelievable job with his foundation and it is great to know that not only am I helping a good friend, but I am helping and giving back to others.” “What brings me out here tonight is the foundation is a way of giving back,” said Dolgopolov. “I’ve known Justin for a long time, and when I first came onto tour, he was very encouraging and friendly, and I think he does a tremendous job for his foundation and on the tour for us as players.” “The most obvious reason is my friend, Justin,” said Roddick. “He and his family have been huge supporters of my own foundation, and I trust his efforts. I am

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Credit photo to Sasha Lipps

in Gimelstob with a copy Andy Roddick and John Isner he latest issue of New York during their post-match nis Magazine handshake

happy to lend my support.” It was also great to see how the American players were so tight-knit and supporting one another. The many jokes at each others expense was a prime example at how close and comfortable they all are with one another. “I am fortunate to be part of the generation where Andy and I got along,” said Blake. “We played Davis Cup together and really felt like teammates and friends. We heard stories that years ago, the players did not get along as well and we felt sorry for them because it does get lonely out there and you feel isolated. You’re on the court by yourself and it makes life so much easier when you have friends. I was lucky to have all these guys as my friends then and now.” Isner added, “Six years ago when I was first coming up James [Blake], Andy [Roddick], Mardy [Fish], Sam [Querrey] and I would always stick together and go out to dinner and that’s how it always has been. So it’s not just for show, we all are really good friends.” Roddick made sure to point out that despite the friendships, they were all professionals who, when they took to the courts,

Andy Roddick, Justin Gimelstob, John Isner James Blake gets in some practice and James Blake sign autographs prior to swings before the exhibition the exhibition

needed to win. “Sticking together, not sticking together ... whatever as long as you’re working hard and still wanting to beat each other up,” noted Roddick. “That’s what I like to see.” The Justin Gimelstob Children’s Fund was established in 1998 with the mission to provide financial support to a variety of children’s charities and related causes in the

Brooklyn Decker, Madison McKinley, Rosa Sinnott, Carol Smith and Cary Sinnott pause for a photo

Northern New Jersey and the Metropolitan New York area “When we started this event and my Foundation 15 years ago, I could never have imagined it would have grown into what it is today,” said Gimelstob. “It brings me so much pleasure to come back home and bring world-class tennis with me ... all for a great cause.”

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

he Metro Corporate Tennis League, presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs is a joint initiative of the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association (MCTA) and USTA/Eastern–Metro Region. Our League is divided into three levels of play, Intermediate (3.0-3.5), Advanced Intermediate (4.0) and Advanced (4.5+). We also offer an Advanced Beginner Clinic program for teams that are not ready to compete. We are delighted to announce that we just finished playing the finals for the Fall 2013 season. We would like to congratulate the winners of our leagues, HBO (Intermediate Division), Credit Agricole (Advanced Intermediate Division) and Deloitte (Advanced Division). Our finals and end-of-season parties took place at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. To help culminate the Fall 2013 season we rented the entire Club for all guests to enjoy a tennis round-robin, buffet dinner and an open bar!

While we are excited that the Fall 2013 season is behind us, we are just as excited to start taking teams for the Winter 2014 season. We are expecting to have more than 50 corporate teams. The season will run from February to April. For more information regarding the League, please contact Luis Espinoza by e-mail at luis@metrotennis.com. 2014 Winter Season set to launch The 2014 Winter Metro Corporate Tennis League will begin late January and run through April and includes a minimum of six matches. Each match is played for two hours on two courts, and tennis balls are provided. The 2014 Winter Season will conclude with an end-of-season party where all League participants will enjoy a buffet dinner and open bar, tennis, dancing, and other activities. The winners of all divisions advance to the semifinals or finals for their League. Play format for each match consists of

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six individual matches played as regular “no-ad” sets: l l l l l

One women’s singles One men’s singles One women’s doubles One men’s doubles Two mixed-doubles

Levels of play are Advanced, Advanced Intermediate, Intermediate and Advanced Beginner (which consists of four matches and two teaching clinics.) Games won are totaled cumulatively throughout the season. The winners of all divisions (except the Advanced Beginner) advance to playoffs at the end-of-season party. In case of a tie, the head-to-head scores will be the tie-breaker. Coaching and player substitutions are permitted during the match. This allows for more players to get involved and creates a fun atmosphere. All League Champions have the opportunity to advance to the National WTT playoffs.

The Corporate League emphasizes networking and social occasions, as well as opportunities to improve your tennis game. Each League night, refreshments are served after the matches, including hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Special group tennis lessons are also available for teams at an additional fee at the Advantage Tennis Clubs—Manhattan Plaza, New York Tennis Club and Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. Matches for the 2014 Winter League will

be held weekday evenings at the following locations: CityView Racquet Club 43-34 32nd Place, Penthouse Long Island City, N.Y. (718) 389-6252 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 The fee is $2,100 per team for the season. Each team 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 would like. For more information, please visit www.metrotennis.com/corporate/main.html.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

Off the court and into the Octagon

bian basketball player, had been dating for around three months.

Vania King had an unforgettable few days at a recent UFC event in Las Vegas. It all started on a Friday as she watched the weigh-ins, did a backstage tour and took a few photos in the Octagon and the following day, the American two-time Grand Slam doubles champion watched the fights, even sitting Octagon-side for the action with Dana White, president of the UFC.

A new surface

Break point

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have added another chapter to the “crazy tennis exhibition match” file. The world’s top two players were in Argentina for the retirement festivities for David Nalbandian and found time to play their first ever matches against each other on the South American continent—albeit matches that won’t officially count. The match took place on a barge with Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier serving as an unforgettable backdrop.

Coaching carousel

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Ana Ivanovic and new boyfriend Ivan Paunic have already broken up, less than a week after the Serbian press publicized their relationship. There is speculation that the way Paunic spoke about the relationship publicly was a major turnoff to the Serbian tennis player. Ivanovic and Paunic, a Ser42

Maria Sharapova has announced that she has hired a new coach for the upcoming tennis season. The 26-year-old will be

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

working with Sven Groeneveld who has a reputation for helping to train and coach some of the top female players over the past two decades. “I’m happy to announce my official partnership with Sven Groeneveld,” Sharapova wrote on Facebook. “We’ve been working together since I got back on the court and after seeing him on the opposing side for so many years, I’m excited to have him become a part of my team. It has been a very seamless transition and I have had a lot of fun with the hard work we have put in so far. Looking forward to the year ahead.” Groeneveld recently served as a coach and consultant at the Adidas Player Development Program. He most notably has coached Monica Seles, Mary Pierce and Ana Ivanovic. Former top five player Daniel Hantuchova has named veteran Ricardo Sanchez as her new coach. The 30-year-old Hantuchova has worked with a slew of coaches over the years, most recently, with Eduardo Nicolas. Sanchez has worked with several players, including Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic. “We have known each other for years, so the transition has been very natural,” Hantuchova said on Facebook. “I’m looking forward to all the hard work and excited about the work we have already done last week in Spain!”

l Sloane Stephens (@sloanetweets): 13 years later and still baking bread with grandpa … some things will never Happy Thanksgiving! Happy holiday tweets l change! Ana Ivanovic (@anaivanovic): There is from the stars! something special about this time of year and all Xmas decorations … #faml Andrea Petkovic (@andreapetkovic): ilytime I just heard “Last Christmas” for the first time this year. Everything goes downhill l Victoria Azarenka (@vika7): Christmas gift ideas floating around … from here. l Angelique Kerber (@angeliquekerber): Happy #thanksgiving to all my American fans and friends!!! What do tennis stars l Chris Evert (@chrissieevert): I feel so do off the court?! fat today...:)))) #toomanyhelpings l Sorana Cirstea (@sorana_cirstea): l Shahar Peer (@shaharpeer): ShopDecember tradition ... #HomeAlone ping in NYC has just started! l Jimmy Connors (@jimmyconnors): It’s l Marion Bartoli (@bartoli_marion): Got Turkey Day & a lot to be thankful for. the amazing honor to meet Mr. Tommy Wishing all a great day. For those we Hilfiger in NYC ! What an experience! love who are with us & those we love l Maria Kirilenko (@mkirilenko): Lets go who are not. Caps!!! @washcaps Well done boys!?? l Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): I was almost on the ice today LOL! Happy Thanksgiving to all my American l Ana Ivanovic (@anaivanovic): Who friends! says it’s not good to eat ice cream in l Petra Kvitova (@petra_kvitova): winter time?! I say it’s still very yummy!!! Happy Holidays! Stastne a Vesele! #happyhappy :)

l Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): Lots of @UCLAFootball pride right now! Go Bruins! l Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): Hahahaha!! This J Kidd “fake spill” thing is hilarious. Zero chance it was an accident. He leaned into the guy while pretending to look away. l Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92): Anyone else get talked into going to watch the Hunger Games during the second half of the Iron Bowl? Guess it was just me. l Eugenie Bouchard (@geniebouchard): Wow! What an honor to be named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. Thank you @WTA and everyone who voted for me.

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MYTHBUSTERS:

Is It Possible to Make a Comprehensive College Tennis List on My Own? By Ricky Becker any people feel overwhelmed when trying to create a list of tennis schools for their child. I have spoken with many who fear that they are missing out on a â&#x20AC;&#x153;diamond in the roughâ&#x20AC;? college. There is a misconception out there that you need to hire a full-fledged recruiting service with all the add-ons to simply make a top-notch college list. Fortunately, this is not the case. Over the last 10 years, JuniorTennisConsulting has gone through the college rosters of every Division I, II and III school and recorded the junior ranking of every freshman player on the roster. These hours of data have been

put into a spreadsheet alongside average SAT/ACT score of the school, amount of international players, location of the school and a direct link to the team home page. This spreadsheet is known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;JTC Recruiting Pages.â&#x20AC;? People often ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What ranking do you need for this school?â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;How high does my ranking have be for Division I?â&#x20AC;? I have included a table below of different ranking groupings sometimes known as different â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star levelsâ&#x20AC;? on tennisrecruiting.net. What you see here are what three colleges in Division I, II and III that have had the most freshman players in each junior ranking tier over the last 10 years. In a few cases, schools are listed in more than one category. This means a lot

of players are on the team. It is also safe to say, these schools â&#x20AC;&#x153;wantâ&#x20AC;? the higher ranking but will settle for the lower one if necessary. The hours upon hours of research make the JTC Recruiting Pages a very worthy investment. Happy hunting! Ricky Becker is the founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, director of Tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and high-performance manager at Glen Head Racquet Club. Ricky was named the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and was a top-five nationally-ranked junior. He can be reached by e-mail at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

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UIF &BTUFrO U.S.

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t AfUFr TDIPPM BOE SBUVrEBZ DMBTTFT

Division I Junior National Ranking of Male Freshman

Schools with the Most in Each Category

Junior National Ranking of Female Freshman

1-10

Texas A&M (9), Virginia (8) Florida/Stanford (7)

1-10

UCLA (14), Stanford (12) USC (10)

11-25

Harvard (7), Illinois (6), Florida State (6), Stanford (6)

11-25

North Carolina (12), Arizona State (7), Michigan (6), Princeton (6), Notre Dame (6), Tennessee (6)

26-75

UPenn (12), Illinois (12) Notre Dame (11)

26-75

Boston College (11), Brown (11) Michigan (10), Penn (10), Yale (10), Syracuse (10)

76-200

Cornell (16), Furman (14) Navy (14)

76-200

Cornell (17), Brown (14) Dartmouth/Army (13)

201-350

Wofford (12), Furman (11) Bucknell (11)

201-350

Army (13), Rhode Island (10) Air Force/Presbyterian (9)

351-525

Creighton (9), Lafayette (8) IUPUI (8)

351-525

Army (11), Bradley (9) Presbyterian (9)

Foreign Players

Farleigh Dickinson (25) Troy (21), Tennessee Tech (19)

Foreign Players

Schools With the Most in Each Category

Sacramento State (23) Sam Houston State (17) Four Schools With 16

Division II 1-100

Rollins (3), Cal-San Diego (2) Eight Schools With One

1-100

101-225

Cal-San Diego (7) Florida Gulf-Coast (5)

101-225

Grand Valley State (5) Kennesaw State (4), St. Edwards (4)

226-350

Cal-San Diego (9) Abilene Christian (5) S. Illinois-Edwardsville (5)

226-350

Cal-San Diego (11), Erskine (8) Three Schools With Six

Foreign Players

Lynn (20), Augusta State (19) Northwood (19)

Foreign Players

Abilene Christian (4), Lynn (2) Incarnate Word (2)

Augusta State (17), California of PA (16), Delta State (16)

Division III 1-75

Emory (3) Claremont-Mudd Scripps (3) Wash U./Amherst (2)

1-75

76-200

Emory (14), Middlebury (12) Williams (11)

76-200

Williams (13), Amherst (12) Johns Hopkins (10)

201-350

Wash U.-St. Louis (15) Claremont-Mudd Scripps (14) Redlands (13)

201-350

Johns Hopkins (12), Amherst (12) Emory/Trinity (TX) 11

Foreign Players

Wesleyan (NC) (23), Averett (12) NYU/Suffolk (MA) (8)

Foreign Players

Amherst (3), Emory (1) Washington and Lee/Moravian (1)

CUNY-Baruch (11), Mount Union (10) Averett (10) NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine 45

HAVE YOUR NOSE UP IN TH You will be humbled very quickly! By Lonnie Mitchel iscover, develop and dedicate! How about completive excellence, having a player who will be a four-year impact player and maintain a GPA above the student body average? Do these attributes resonate with you at all? I should hope so as these are fantastic qualities when reinforced throughout the collegiate journey. Qualities like these almost always produce a graduate to send off in the competitive world of life giving students a solid foundation. These are the qualities I look for in student athletes. I am the head coach of the flagship Division III men’s tennis program in the SUNY System, as well as one of the top three women’s tennis teams in the State University of New York Conference. This is not a personal testimonial about SUNY Oneonta where I coach, but rather, a celebration of Division III tennis. I travel the state going to many USTA Tournaments and tennis academies to recruit players. Quite frankly, I am a little put off when parents or a potential student ask this first question. What kind of athletic scholarship can I expect from the institution? I give the honest answer and very quickly that family has crossed SUNY Oneonta and the Division III student/athlete experience off their short list before knowing the real facts. I infer they are waiting for that full scholarship to be given to that potential student athlete. I

have even felt this attitude from a variety of tennis academies directly where their business model is based on the fact that they “send players on full scholarship to Division I schools.” I am going to give you some hard facts to digest. Only about two percent of high school seniors win sports scholarships every year to NCAA institutions. The average athletic scholarship is less than $11,000. Being an athlete, however, can boost a teenager’s admission chances because all schools, regardless of whether they offer scholarships, desire strong sports programs. You do not have to be a superstar athlete to increase your chance of admission. You do not need to capture a sports scholarship to ultimately make the college tab more affordable. In reality, athletic scholarships are often not as generous as regular financial aid or merit scholarships that tennis players can earn for their academics and other talents. Do you still have your nose in the air about Division III athletics where sports are well-balanced with the more important academic rigors? Competitive collegiate tennis can augment a student athlete’s education with a valuable experience providing tools that are used every day in the real world. I think it probably safe to say that you are not knocking off Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams in the Wimbledon finals anytime soon unless you can beat the billion to one odds! Buy a lottery ticket; you have a better chance of winning that than winning Wimbledon.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

Last year, I sent graduating players from my team off to get great jobs at places like JP Morgan, one got a job at a top eight accounting firm, one ran for political office and all graduating seniors are working in the career fields they prepared for while at college. So to all the snobs out there, get your priorities in order! In Division III, you will play a high level of tennis, get a great education and get prepared for life. You will get coaches who support you in your studies, encourage players to make an impact, both on and off the court. Do you still want to play tennis at a Division I or II school? Great! Just know this … you will disproportionality work on your tennis and perhaps studies potentially could take a back seat. You have to be careful in se-

HE AIR ABOUT D3 TENNIS? lecting the school you want. Rest assured though, you are not going to win the U.S. Open the year after you graduate. You will have to look for work or go to graduate school. Will you be prepared? One final thought for you dreamers out there ... consider this: John Isner, a successful American playing professionally on the ATP Tour, played NCAA tennis for Division I University of Georgia and lost in the finals of the individual NCAA Championships singles tournament and achieved a career-best number nine in the world. Really impressive and indeed world class … no Wimbledon

or U.S. Open Title though! Can you accomplish this? Maybe, but right now there are only six American men in the top 100 ATP World Rankings and eight women in the WTA World Rankings. You might consider a better path to success, and that is to Discover, Develop and Dedicate at the Division III Level, I’ll bet heavily on your success! Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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An Athlete’s Guide to Dealing with a Tough Loss Five Steps to Handling Disappointment By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC magine this … you are playing in front of 200 spectators, grinding it out on the hard courts under the hot sun. The first set you’ve won 7-5. Then, in a tight second set, you narrowly lose 6-7 and that was after holding two match points! You are now in the third set tie-breaker and the score is 5-6. Your opponent hits a let court which trickles over the net. You hear an echo in your head … game, set, match. It’s another disappointing loss, 7-5, 6-7, 6-7. But this one hurts even more as you had two match points in the second set and opportunities to break in the third. Slowly, you walk up to the net and shake your opponent’s hand. Your hand feels limp and your body feels like the energy has been sucked out by a vacuum. Your legs are wobbly and your eyes are glazed over. You

simply cannot believe what has happened. So what’s a player to do? How can you get over this disappointment? Your parents and friends tell you it’s nothing, and to just move on. You’ll do better next time, they say. Don’t you just hate that phrase?! However, still cov-

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

ered in sweat and feeling partially paralyzed, you hear them but can barely say anything. You feel as if you have lockjaw, unable to mutter a word. In your mind, you are still replaying the points that you feel you should have won, holding onto the advantages with dear life. So let me repeat … what’s a player to do? How do you cope with the disappointment? How do you bounce back from such painful defeat? First off, let’s acknowledge, it’s not easy and it hurts! However, at some point, when the pain starts lessening, anywhere from a few hours to a day or so, it becomes imperative to view the match through another lens. That is, how do you begin to pick the pieces up? And what must you do next time to get better? How will you take advantage of certain situations and continually put yourself in a position to get over the hump? The following are five steps to help you, the broken player, experience and move past a disappointing performance. Equally so, this list is great for parents, coaches and friends as they try to support the player during the process of disappointment, release and rebounding. 1. You have the right to be disappointed You’ve earned the right to be disappointed. Let’s face it, after putting it all on the line, competing with all your heart, it is practically impossible to put on a smiling face and just forget things after a close loss. Give yourself some time. Disappointment is a natural emotion, it even hurts, and that’s okay too. It’s not something that needs to be fixed. It is time that usually heals the disappointment. 2. One step closer Believe it or not, you are actually one step closer to your goals! The great Babe Ruth used to say every time he struck out, “I’m one

step closer to hitting a home run!” Babe would learn from being up at bat, and change his strategies every time he stepped up to the plate. You can do the same. It took Rafael Nadal two years to gain the number one ranking. Each time he lost during this period, he wondered how he could improve and do better the next time out. It’s obvious that he learned a lot after beating Federer on grass and hard courts. Don’t forget, slumps fit in here too. It may look like you’re going nowhere, even backwards, but keep on plugging away and learning. Maybe the competition is getting stronger or the match-up is not as favorable. That slump may be a major learning curve that just needs to be ridden out, much like a wave. And just beyond the wave is smooth sailing … just hang on. 3. Failure provides feedback If you listen, you become aware. Failures, setbacks and obstacles always throw us for a loop, but it’s the true champion who can readjust and glean valuable feedback. Feedback should be viewed without judgment and as a learning opportunity in which you can make changes and adapt, adjusting to the sit-

uation next time. Think about it … was there ever a great champion, individual or team, that didn’t learn from failures, setbacks and obstacles? All great champions know why they are competing and use this big “Why” to get themselves back on track. How long did fans judge Federer during his early days? They said he was all hype. He used failure as feedback en route to his rise. 4. Reframe it! Simply stated, after you have decompressed, ask yourself the basic questions. What’s another way to look at this loss or situation? How can I find something positive from it? What’s the lesson here? Even though you lost, what can you learn? And don’t forget, at some point; give yourself some credit for showing up and putting yourself on the line. How many others are competing with such a heart as yours? 5. Focus on the process, not the outcome This is probably one of the most important points and a major one that all other points can probably be folded into. While you lost this performance, it is another

step toward your ultimate goal. The match gave you valuable experience and exposed you to the situational pressure of match play. This is highly valuable and cannot be duplicated in practice. Remember, all great champions have to pay their dues and earn their experience. There was a time when people were saying Rafael Nadal would be the best number two player in the history of the game. Now, people are saying this guy may win more Grand Slams than Roger Federer. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes and teams in all sports and levels, helping them to gain the mental edge. He has spoken nationally and internationally and has been quoted by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and other major media publications. His new book, Tennis Inside the Zone has just been released. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail rob@insidethezone or visit www.insidethezone.com.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

Queens College Tennis Players Association Serves Up for Charity he Queens College Tennis Players Association (QCTPA) held their inaugural charity tournament at the Queens College Indoor Tennis Center in November. David Rand and Sara Just-Michael, founders of the QCTPA, organized a round robin doubles tournament, comprised of 20 teams of Queens College students. Not only was the attendance high, but all participants were excited to play and showed interest in similar events in the future. The event was held as a fundraiser for USTA Serves, which works to support,

monitor and promote programs that enhance the lives of at-risk children and individuals with disabilities through the integration of tennis and education. Each participant was given a complimentary copy of Novak Djokovic’s book, Serve to Win, along with other memorabilia from USTA Serves for supporting their cause. QCTPA also received a generous donation of tennis balls to be used at the tournament from the National Tennis Center in Flushing, home of the U.S. Open.

“This event would not have been possible without the help of the USTA and Queens College Athletic Department,” said David Rand. “Special thanks to Wayne Martin, head men’s tennis coach and Merlin Thompson, Associate Athletic Director of Campus and Community Recreation towards helping us facilitate the event from start to finish,” said Sara Just-Michael. “We look forward to working with them to host another charitable tennis tournament in the New Year.”

2013-2014 Queens College Men’s Tennis Schedule All home matches played at Queens College, located at 65-30 Kissena Boulevard in Queens, N.Y. For more information, visit www.queensknights.com. All home matches in italics *Denotes conference game

Date

Opponent

Time

Friday, Feb. 28

Fordham

Noon

Saturday, March 8

Philadelphia U.

6:00 p.m.

Friday, March 14

Post

11:00 a.m.

Saturday, March 15

at Chestnut Hill

Friday, March 21

Bloomfield

Sunday, March 23

Stonehill

Friday, March 28

at St. Thomas Aquinas*

Saturday, March 29

Merrimack

Noon

Sunday, March 30

University of the Sciences

Noon

Wednesday, April 2

at NYIT*

3:00 p.m.

Friday, April 4

Adelphi

Noon

Saturday, April 5

Dowling*

Noon

Friday, April 11

Daemen*

3:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 12

Roberts Wesleyan*

Wednesday, April 16

at Caldwell

Friday, April 18

at District of Columbia*

Noon

Friday, April 25

ECC Championship Day 1, Hosted by Queens College

TBA

Saturday, April 26

ECC Championship Day 2 Hosted by Queens College

TBA

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

Noon 3:00 p.m. Noon 3:00 p.m.

Noon 3:30 p.m.

COMING IN MARCH 2014

Distribution scheduled for 03/01/14 This edition will feature: • Guide to New York’s Top Tennis Camps • 2014 New York Tennis Expo Announcements • Australian Open Recap • Guide to New York’s Top Court Builders and Manufacturers

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USTA Leagues Update BY DEBORAH-ROSE ANDREWS

he 2014 USTA league season started in October with the Manhattan Mixed League. Our Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn Leagues started in January and February. Mixed-Doubles is played with three doubles courts. The Level is based on the players combined rating (i.e. two 4.0 players would play 8.0 mixed). After a successful introduction last year, Metro will be running the 40 & Over League again starting in February. The 40 & Over League is run at the 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5+ Levels. This League is a Metro League, meaning that matches are played in multiple boroughs. The 18 & Over Men & Women’s season is a Spring/Summer League. Manhattan will begin in April, with the outer boroughs following in late May. The 18 & Over League is played with five courts: Two singles courts and three doubles courts and is run at the 3.0, 3.5. 4.0, 4.5

and 5.0+ Levels. Players must play at their NTRP Rating, or may play one Level above (i.e., a 3.5 player may play at the 3.5 and 4.0 Levels only). The 55 & Over League is also a Metro League. This format is now three courts of doubles play at the 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 or 9.0 Levels. Levels are based on the players’ combined ratings. USTA’s Flex League Do you want to work on your singles game, without affecting your USTA rating? Does your schedule make it difficult to play on a USTA League team? Flex League may be for you. Flex Leagues allows you to play when it’s convenient for you. You decide the match day, time and location with your opponent. Court costs, if any, are split. Registration is completed online at www.ustaflex.com. Once registration is

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closed, a schedule will be generated. You will receive a list of opponents and suggested play by dates. Once the match is played, the scores are recorded online. USTA’s Flex Leagues are in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. All players registered for the Flex League are entered into the USTA Flex League Sweepstakes where the grand prize is a trip for two to the 2014 U.S. Open. Spring registration for USTA’s Flex League is now open until Friday, April 4, and play begins Thursday, April 15. For more information, e-mail flexleague@live.com. Are you ready to play League Tennis? If you know your rating, you can contact the appropriate Level Coordinator through the www.metrotennis.com Web site. Click on “USTA Leagues,” click the appropriate borough on the left, and then click on “Coordinators.” Fill out the form completely, which will be sent on to the Level Coordinator. If you are unsure of your rating, please email info@metrotennis.com with your full name, current age, area you wish to play in and tennis background. If you played college tennis, please include the college name, the number of years played and position(s) played. A coordinator will get back to you. You can also go to TennisLink, complete the self-rating, and then contact the appropriate Level Coordinator.

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

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.

Tennis Footwork: Start & Stop By Bill Longua roper footwork moving toward oncoming shots is essential for balance and power in the sport of tennis. But it is the movement between your shots that is just as important to allow you the quickest response for the next shot. If you hit a shot and remain flat-footed, that full second to restart yourself may be the difference between reaching or not reaching the ball. In singles play, footwork between shots is more natural because after most of your shots, a return to the center of the court is needed. Pay close attention to yourself after you hit the ball from the center of the court. That’s a time when you might relax and wait flat-footed, so keep your feet moving slightly back and forth. When you are returning serve, there is a time to start and stop. Make sure to set yourself up

about a foot behind where you intend to hit your return. When the opponent begins their upward motion to strike the serve, split-step forward and stop balanced on the balls of your feet which will allow you to return the serve early. Remember to shorten your backswing and finish with a complete follow-through. All too often, a player gets a short ball, moves in and hits a great approach shot, only forced to hit a tough low volley. Do you know why? There is a tendency to watch your shot and then move forward to net, which is too late. If you watch your shot you have given up the offensive position by not moving. Your new guideline after hitting an approach shot is to begin moving forward before your shot has bounced on the opposite side of the court. Now you will be closer to the net and the oncoming volley will be high enough for an easy put away. This brings you to the time to stop before hitting that volley. Just like on the return of serve, you need to watch the op-

ponent. When the opponent begins their forward motion to hit the forehand or backhand passing shot you will need to split-step. Again, landing on the balls of your feet for balance and the fastest reaction time to move to either side for the volley. Learn all the shots from my book, Winning Tennis Strokes. Purchase the paperback and download for one price (http://onlinetennistraining.com/ and click the book up top). Good luck and have fun! 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.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

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p l o o AF

C e h t o t y a W f o o r

By Lisa Dodson just returned from a great “teaching vacation” in Mexico with a large group of players, some whom I have known and worked with for many years. I always learn a lot every time I walk onto the court to teach, but this time was really striking. These people really love to play tennis … I mean really love it, and it was fun trying to tune up some of the major parts of their games. So, we worked a lot on the serve and the biggest obstacle was, of course, the grip. By far the most common misunderstanding, difficulty and hurdle with the

t n e n ont i

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serve is feeling OK with the Continental grip (see left). It’s really not that difficult, simply different than the grip most people hold. The problem starts when players initially start serving with the forehand grip. The forehand grip sets a full racket face forward to contact point so there is a high success rate of over the net and in the box. This addresses the first practical goal of the serve and the first big step towards playing a point. The problem is that the longer we serve with the wrong grip the harder it is to change. Eventually attempting to hit spin, speed and variety becomes hopeless.

A few observations Here are several tips for teaching pros,

e v r e the S

coaches and good players trying to help others: 1. We show players what to do. Don’t overestimate the ability of our students to copy or to see what we are trying to show them. Unless you have an exceptional athlete on the court, showing a nuance or move (for example, dropping the racket down the back or a hit hand opening in back) does not help a player to be able to do it. They may get it intellectually, but this rarely leads to the physical ability to produce the motion. This is especially true when showing pronation. You need to get them to feel and experience what you are trying to get across 2. We tell players what to do. People can only concentrate on one thing at a time. When trying to string together movements to create an effective motion, we just clog them up with too much information. Yes, it’s important that they have a concept of what they are trying to achieve, but let them feel success before you move on. Even if they have some other glaring flaws, achieve one thing at a time. Again, feeling is the key to real understanding and success 3. In summary, with the serve we show the grip (necessary) and then we get way too detailed with showing how the hand moves and pronates and we tell players what they should be doing. Faster and more understandable results will happen if we just put the racket in the hand and let them feel what they are attempting. Let the body, not the brain, do the work. Players … set yourself up for success by hitting a slice-serve Understand that if you are going to be making a grip change on your serve, you are no longer hitting the same serve as you were before. So, don’t expect the same sound, feel and result. With a fore-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

hand grip on the serve, you can only hit flat. With a Continental grip, you are now going to hit the ball with a specific spin (a slice-serve). We’re going to keep this really simple. Remember, you cannot think of 17 things at once. You can really only concentrate on one thing at a time. If you allow the small successes to move you forward, you will improve significantly very quickly. These are the initial signs leading to success with the Continental grip on the serve: l The grip feels different, awkward and difficult l When you strike the ball, it feels powerless and sounds funny l The ball often doesn’t reach the net and curves off sharply to the left (for right handed servers and to the right for lefties) It sounds unbelievable that these symptoms should be positive signs considering they are common reasons players quickly abandon doing the right thing. If you stay with the grip for 25, 50, 80 balls, you’ll start to get it and see some light at the end of the tunnel. Most players expect results immediately and when they don’t get them they quit. Understand this … when you are learning and changing, you have to get worse to get a lot better. Doing anything differently the first time is a challenge so we have to be willing to work through the tough parts for the rewards.

The foolproof drill The Foolproof Drill (see left) will allow you to feel all of the things you have been shown and told. The goal of the drill is to hit the left side fence on the opposite side of the net (for righty, reverse all for lefty) 1. With a loose Continental grip, stand about 10-feet from the net on the right side of the court. If you are on a single court with surrounding fences, this is ideal. If not, move a bench or large object as a target to the opposite side of the net, wide of the alley and service box (in the picture above, the ball cart to the left is the target) 2. Begin with your racket in an abbreviated position, hand closed behind your head. Toss your ball up, forward and to the right (as you are looking at the net) so that it is in front of your hitting shoulder when it comes around to square with the net (see picture above).

3. Let the edge of your racket lead to the ball (see pic left). The correct grip will set the edge forward so be sure to leave it that way. This will cause your ball to curve sharply from right to left giving you success in hitting your target. The reason: This is the direction that the ball will travel naturally so let it go there. Do not attempt to flatten your hand or to “pronate” to get the ball to travel in a straight line. Keep doing this from the same place well after you are having success with the drill and are consistently hitting the side fence, wall or bench. You need to accept that this is the correct feel and sound for the serve. Your hand, wrist, elbow and upper arm will begin to naturally do the right thing. The hit will get stronger later. 4. Gradually move back to the service line, then step back three paces at a time until you reach the baseline. Continue hitting the serve into the side fence. The ball should be hitting the same target point each time. Now you have worked your way back to the baseline with a curving slice serve. continued on page 56

Public Relations and Social Media Interns Description: United Sports Publications, Ltd. is seeking Public Relations and Social Media interns who will assist our staff in promoting the Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines, the largest regional tennis magazines in the United States. If you are looking for an internship with a sports publication that will give you hands-on, real world business experience that affords you a level of responsibility unsurpassed in most internships, then this position is for you. Requirements: • Background and knowledge of tennis • Excellent social, verbal and writing skills • Be able to work independently and as part of a team • Provide links to 1-3 social networking profiles to demonstrate interest and knowledge Responsibilities: • Cover local weekend tennis matches and events including taking pictures and writing recaps

• Conversing with players, coaches and attendees at events • Assist in online marketing and advertising campaigns • Collaborate with Editorial and Sales Department on projects, and report directly to Executive Staff Hours: In Office: Flexible hours scheduled Monday-Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tennis Matches and Events: Friday-Sunday, hours will vary based on schedule of matches. There may be weekday evening tennis matches or events that you will be offered to cover. Compensation: Reimbursement of expenses and limited compensation available for interns. We do provide academic credit if your educational institution supports you applying for internships directly. We will gladly complete any forms in support of that process. How to Apply: Please e-mail resume to joel@usptennis.com, or fax resume to 516-409-6666. Please make subject line of e-mail “Public Relations and Social Media Interns”

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

the serve continued from page 55 The trick part: Fool your brain You’re getting really good at hitting the fence now, right? So how do we get the ball to go into the service box? It is really quite easy but first you have to understand something pretty simple. Previously with a forehand or flat grip, you hit a ball that traveled in a straight line to the target point because the strings were all heading directly towards the ball. Your brain accepted this fact and thought that the ball would always travel in a straight line. Now, with the Continental grip, the front edge of the racket is heading towards the ball. You are surprised when it curves (and consequently think it’s wrong) because normally you ball travels straight. Understand this … if you are righthanded, now your (slice) serve will always curve from right to left. If you are lefthanded, your slice serve will always curve from left to right. So, if you aim in a

straight line you will fail to hit the service box. Do this Put a cone or target in the center of the deuce service box across the net from you. Take a towel and hang it on the net to the right and midway between the center net strap and the inside alley line (see pic left). Hold your Continental grip and prepare to hit the ball with the same technique you hit into the side fence. In your “mind’s eye,” serve to

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

the towel (which is about 15-feet to the right of the target). Your ball should curve and land somewhere in or near the correct service box. Now you will begin to get the idea of how to aim a curving ball. The key Give yourself time to start feeling what it is that will give you great results. Don’t quit because it’s not going perfectly right away. Do this drill several days in a row if possible to start making some headway. With a little persistence, you will finally understand what everyone is talking about when it comes to the Continental grip. What once seemed impossible will now be your strength and you’ll have room to grow into a bigger and better game. Lisa Dodson is owner of Servemaster at The Total Serve, a USPTA Elite Pro, a formerly world ranked player and radio show host. She may be reached by e-mail at lisa@thetotalserve.com or visitwww.thetotalserve.com.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB

DIRECTORY Centercourt Athletic Club Clay Bibbee—Managing Partner and Academy Founder 222 N. Passaic Avenue Chatham, NJ 07928 (973) 635-1222 clay@centercourtclub.com www.centercourtclub.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 www.gotennisprograms.com Gotham Tennis Academy Eric Faro—Director of Tennis 358 W. End Ave #3A New York, NY 10024 (646) 524-7069 info@gothamtennis.com www.gothamtennis.com Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club Gertrud Wilhelm—General Manager 450 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 594-0554 gwilhelm@advantagetennisclubs.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

Midtown Tennis Club Jennifer Brown—Director 341 8th Avenue • New York, NY 10001 (212) 989-8572 midtowntennisnyc@gmail.com www.midtowntennis.com New York Tennis Club Lauren Hartman—General Manager 3081 Harding Avenue • Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 239-7916 lhartman.nytci@gmail.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com Prospect Park Tennis Center Paul Campbell—Director of Tennis 50 Parkside Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11226 (718) 436-2500, ext. 300 pcampbell@prospectpark.org www.prospectpark.org/visit/activities/tennis Queens College Tennis Club Wayne Martin—Head Pro 65-30 Kissena Boulevard Queens, NY 11367 (718) 997-2795 athleticsinfo@qc.cuny.edu www.athletics.qc.cuny.edu/communityrec/tennis Roosevelt Island Racquet Club Tom Manhart—Membership Director 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212) 935-0250 tmanhart@rirctennis.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

SPORTIME Harbor Island Carlos Campo—Director of Tennis In Harbor Island Park Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 777-5050 ccampo@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/harbor-island

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

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

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

SPORTIME Randall’s Island Manhattan Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Allison Hodgkins —Director of Tennis Central One Randall’s Island New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 ahodgkins@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/manhattan SPORTIME Schenectady Jed Murray—General Manager 2699 Curry Road Schenectady, NY 12303 (518) 356-0100 jmurray@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/schenectady

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

UPCOMING

EVENTS

JANUARY 2014 Fridays, January 10, 17, 24 & 31 Friday Night Round Robins (for Doubles 3.5-5.0) Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For more information, call (212) 989-8572.

FEBRUARY 2014 Fridays, February 7, 14, 21 & 28 Friday Night Round Robins (for Doubles 3.5-5.0) Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue New York, N.Y. 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. • $45 per person For more information, call (212) 989-8572.

MARCH 2014 Monday, March 3 BNP Paribas Showdown 2014 Madison Square Garden 7th Avenue & 32nd Street New York, N.Y. For more information, call (781) 224-9655 or visit www.stargamesinc.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Stars of Tomorro 2013 Metropolia Or

t was a celebration that fit the achievement. Francis Tiafoe slammed his racket down and shouted up to the sky in elation. The 15-year-old Tiafoe won the Boys 18s Singles Title at the 2013 Metropolia Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, and in the process, became the youngest player to win the title in the tournament in 67 years. Tiafoe defeated Stefan Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-3, in the first all-American Orange Bowl Boys

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Final since 2004. It was also the first time two 15-year olds had played for the 18s Championship. Tiafoe turns 16 on Jan. 20 and Kozlov on Feb. 1. “Before serving, I was like, ‘I’m just going to hit it as hard as I can down the T. It doesn’t matter where it goes.’ I hit it as hard as I can, and it was probably the best serve I hit the whole match. It was unbelievable,” Tiafoe said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was too excited. I, like, slammed it. I never slammed a racket from excitement before.”

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

Tiafoe, seeded 13th, defeated three of the tournament’s top five seeds en route to joining the likes of John McEnroe, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg and Andy Roddick as Orange Bowl champions. The only other 15-year old to win the Boys 18s Title is Sweden’s Kent Carlsson, who was 16 days older than Tiafoe when he won it in 1983. Tiafoe battled from being down, 4-1, in the first set to claim it in a tie-break. The pivotal moment came in the sixth game, on a fortunate mis-hit from Tiafoe that bal-

ow Shine at range Bowl looned up to the sky and fell in. Shortly after, he won the rally, won the game then broke the fourth-seeded Kozlov to get back on serve. “I came out really slow,” said Tiafoe, who trains out of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. “I was really tight. I was over-thinking the moment. He’s played a Grade A final before. He was looking pretty comfortable there. Even if I went down the first set, I kind of knew I would eventually get myself into it. He coughed up a couple of errors, and I felt pretty confident and ended up squeezing out that tiebreak.” As Tiafoe put it, he “went cold” in the second set, and Kozlov took advantage. In the third, though, Tiafoe’s superior conditioning wore down Kozlov, the topranked American junior, who will end the year at number five in the world junior rankings, two spots ahead of Tiafoe, who projects to jump from number 35 to seventh. “I’ve had a really tough week, played some long matches. My body’s obviously not fully grown yet, and that’s going to be a huge role the next time you guys see me. I’m going to be a lot stronger, and this won’t happen again,” said Kozlov, of nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla. “He’s in really good shape. I think if I played someone else, we would have been both dying. I don’t mind losing to him, because he’s a great player. But I’ll get some revenge later.” In an entertaining Boys 18s Doubles Championship, number two Filippo Baldi of Italy & Lucas Miedler of Austria beat the top-seeded pair of Alexander Zverev of Germany & Andrey Rublev of Russia, 6-3, 6-7(6) [10-8]. The pair also won the Eddie Herr International Championships. The Girls 18s final saw the top-seeded Varvara Flink of Russia a victor over the second-seeded Ivana Jorovic of Serbia, 61, 2-6, 6-4. With Jorovic serving at matchpoint down, Flink hit her return into the net

but pointed out to the chair umpire that the ball had torn open. By rule, the point was replayed, and Flink won the do-over. “I was lucky with it, but that’s why I missed the ball, because I felt that it was broken. If the rally is done but the ball is broken, you replay the point,” said Flink, who will finish the year ranked third in the world among juniors. “It’s an unbelievable feeling, because I was really fighting for this match. My opponent was great and congrats to her for the final.” Tornado Alicia Black from Boca Raton, Fla. & Naiktha Bains of Australia won the Girls 18s Doubles Title, beating Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Fla. & Kaitlyn McCarthy of Cary, N.C., 6-0, 6-1. Black projects to jump to fifth in the world junior rankings to become the top-ranked American junior girl with the doubles title, won with a partner she’d never before played doubles with. “It feels amazing to win an Orange Bowl title,” Black said. “We get along really well.” “Yeah, we do,” Bains said. “And that really helps on the court. We have good teamwork, and we work together really well.” Locals fare well at the Orange Bowl Robert Levine, of Bedford, N.Y. was able to win three straight-set matches (defeated William Tutecky 7-5, 6-2; Andrew Heller 75, 6-3; and Eero Vasa 6-3, 6-4) en route to his quarterfinal meeting with number one seed and eventual champion of the Boys 16s, Yunseong Chung, who edged out Levine, 6-3, 6-2. Madison Appel of Locust Valley, N.Y. started the Girls 16 Singles tournament in very impressive fashion, dropping only one game in her opening win over Sofia Ayuso, 6-0, 6-1. She struggled through her second round match, edging out number three seed Jenna Friedel, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to meet defeat at the hands of Jada Hart, 7-6(6), 60 in the Round of 16. Tyler Schick of Short Hills, N.J. competed in the Boys 16s making it to the Round of 16 with wins over Evan Zhu and Harrison Scott, 6-2,6-2 and 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, respectively. Schick was ultimately edged out by eighth-seed Soon Woo Kwon, 6-2, 6-1. Jessica Golovin of New York, N.Y. won her first round match of the Girls 18s in ex-

citing fashion, taking out Anastasiya Rychagova 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Unfortunately, she ran into Isabella Wallace in the second round who defeated Golovin 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Golovin also competed in the Doubles Draw with Emily Arbuthnott of Great Britain, making an early exit in the first round. Matthew Gamble of Webster, N.Y. made the second round of the Boys 16s with a win over Kyryll Kryvchun, 7-5, 6-1, meeting a tough Alfredo Perez in the second round for a 6-3, 6-3 defeat. Daniel Kerzerman of Brooklyn, N.Y. made the second round of the Boys 18s with a win over Julian Cash in the first round 5-7, 6-4 1-0 (retired), but came up against a tough opponent in the second round in Kamil Majchrzak, losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Alexander (Sasha) Lebedev competed in the Boys 16s defeating Mateo Maldonado 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. Lebedev ran into Soon Woo Kwon in round two and was defeated 6-3, 6-2. Jessica Livianu of Brooklyn, N.Y. made the second round of the Girls 16s with a win over Katarina Kozarov in the first, 6-3, 6-2. Livianu was overtaken by Elene Tsokilauri 7-6(2), 6-0 in round two. Nathan Perrone of Mount Laurel, N.J. was able to win his first match at in the Boys 16s taking Arshak Ghazaryan 6-2, 64 before a tough loss to Tadas Babelis 76(5), 6-4. Gabriella Pollner of Scarsdale, N.Y. competed in the Girls 16s making it to round two by defeating Marjorie Antohi, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. She then came up against the four seed, Lisa Ponomar, and lost a tough 6-1, 6-1 match. Also participating in this year’s Orange Bowl tournament from the area were: l l l l l l l l l l

Katrine Steffensen of Scarsdale, N.Y. Jacqueline Urbinati of Harrison, N.Y. Jack Van Slyke of Skaneateles, N.Y. Julian Zlobinsky of Greenvale, N.Y. Dennis Uspensky, Atlantic Beach, N.Y. Christina Rosca of Princeton, N.J. Alexandra Sabe of Rye, N.Y. Aleksandar Kovacevic of New York, N.Y. Myles Schalet, Montvale, N.J. Sabrina Faybyshev Morganville, N.J.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 12/23/13)

BOYS Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Igor Maslov ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ......David Krasner ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 3 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 ......Anthony Cataldo ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ......Jonathan Glinsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ......Blake Frank ......................New York, N.Y. 7 ......Eitan Trantz ......................Bronx, N.Y. 8 ......Michael Gechka ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ......Joakim Duffy ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ....Noah Eisenberg................New York, N.Y. 11 ....Sachin Palta ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 12 ....Brandon Torres ................Bronx, N.Y. 13 ....Kemal Aziz........................Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ....Bradley Bennett ..............New York, N.Y. 15 ....Jasper August Hunt ........New York, N.Y. 16 ....John-Tomas Bilski............New York, N.Y. 17 ....Dylan Lachmanen............Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ....Daniel Leon Maseyev ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ....Rudolph Merlin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ....Christian Rabinowitz........Bayside, N.Y. 21 ....Oliver Wetherill Tockman Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ....Donovan Brown ..............New York, N.Y. 23 ....David Alan Khaimov ........Jamaica, N.Y. 24 ....Kevin Daniel Golub ..........New York, N.Y. 25 ....Jeffrey Yu..........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 26 ....Wesley Zhang ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 27 ....Daniel Galisteo Gordon ..New York, N.Y. 28 ....Derrick Mu........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 29 ....Winter Forest Fagerberg..New York, N.Y. 30 ....Sidharth Chawla ..............New York, N.Y. 31 ....Michael Cooper................Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ....Charles William Phillips....New York, N.Y. 33 ....Matthias Frijs-Djurhuus....New York, N.Y. 34 ....Isaac Lennon....................New York, N.Y. 35 ....Cooper Williams ..............New York, N.Y. 36 ....Donovan Spigner ............New York, N.Y. 37 ....Joseph Wilkanowski........Long Island City, N.Y. 38 ....Joshua Jackson ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 39 ....Marcos Souza Lee ..........New York, N.Y. 40 ....Jace K. Alexander............New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Derek Lung ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ......Henry Hochfelder ............New York, N.Y. 4 ......Andrew Zucker ................New York, N.Y. 5 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ........New York, N.Y. 6 ......Christopher Tham............Flushing, N.Y. 7 ......Wiley Schubert Reed ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ......Daniel Davis......................New York, N.Y. 9 ......Max Schindel ..................New York, N.Y. 10 ....Jeffrey McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ....Igor Maslov ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ....Shawn Jackson................Staten Island, N.Y. 13 ....Kermal Aziz ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ....Teddy Friedman ..............New York, N.Y. 15 ....Leonidas Vrailas ..............New York, N.Y. 16 ....Jonathan Glinsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ....Zachary Portnoy ..............New York, N.Y. 18 ....Tanner Ross Bhonslay ....New York, N.Y. 19 ....Dominick Pajor ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ....Alex Portnoy ....................New York, N.Y.

YORK

21 ....David Moldovan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ....Richard Wickman ............Bayside, N.Y. 23 ....Daniel Corona ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 24 ....Leaf Fagerberg ................New York, N.Y. 25 ....Mitchell Mu ......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 26 ....Tyler Kats..........................New York, N.Y. 27 ....Blake Frank ......................New York, N.Y. 28 ....Neil Agarwal ....................New York, N.Y. 29 ....Ethan Finley......................New York, N.Y. 30 ....Robbie F. Werdiger ..........New York, N.Y. 31 ....James Gilbert Baumann..New York, N.Y. 32 ....Christopher Toub ............New York, N.Y. 33 ....Daniel Ertel ......................New York, N.Y. 34 ....David Kressner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 35 ....Isaac Lennon....................New York, N.Y. 36 ....David Dylan Pines............New York, N.Y. 37 ....Ben Warren ......................New York, N.Y. 38 ....Barak Harari ....................Hollis, N.Y. 39 ....Benjamin Goldstein..........New York, N.Y. 40 ....Robert Freitag ..................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Leonard Margolis ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ......Andrew Zucker ................New York, N.Y. 3 ......Adam Lane Bernstein......New York, N.Y. 4 ......Leonardo Escudero ........Ozone Park, N.Y. 5 ......Jordan Rey-Anatole ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ......Steven Serras ..................Queens Village, N.Y. 7 ......Oliver Mai..........................Flushing, N.Y. 8 ......Horia Negru......................Middle Village, N.Y. 9 ......Jonathan L. Molfetta........Howard Beach, N.Y. 10 ....Dan Ion Negru..................Middle Village, N.Y. 11 ....Jacob Daly ......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 12 ....Sam Krevlin ......................New York, N.Y. 13 ....Kevin Yan..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ....Justin Belnavis ................Jamaica, N.Y. 15 ....Adam Borak ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ....Kyran Luke Somar ..........Bronx, N.Y. 17 ....Nicholas Pustilnik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ....Stephen Mai ....................Flushing, N.Y. 19 ....Daniel Ertel ......................New York, N.Y. 20 ....Tanner Ross Bhonslay ....New York, N.Y. 21 ....Samuel Caloras................Little Neck, N.Y. 22 ....Douglas Nover ................Bayside, N.Y. 23 ....Kristjan Tomasson............New York, N.Y. 24 ....Oliver Jevtovic..................Astoria, N.Y. 25 ....Benjamin Thier ................New York, N.Y. 26 ....Andreja Radevic ..............New York, N.Y. 27 ....Gabriel Sifuentes..............Flushing, N.Y. 28 ....Avery Bicks ......................New York, N.Y. 29 ....Robert Millman ................New York, N.Y. 30 ....Shawn Jackson................Staten Island, N.Y. 31 ....Dylan Friedman................Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ....Igor Maslov ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 33 ....Xavier Pacthod ................New York, N.Y. 34 ....Lantis Wang......................New York, N.Y. 35 ....Nate Newhouse ..............New York, N.Y. 36 ....Daniel Enrique Corona ....Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 37 ....Michael Dozortsev ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ....Peter Coulombe ..............New York, N.Y. 39 ....Neil Agarwal ....................New York, N.Y. 40 ....Lamar Hurt ......................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Joshua Freud ..................New York, N.Y.

2 ......Kumeil Hosain..................New York, N.Y. 3 ......Stefan Radevic ................New York, N.Y. 4 ......Sam Krevlin ......................New York, N.Y. 5 ......Stephen William Fields ....Bronx, N.Y.

RANKINGS 6 ......Kristan Tomasson ............New York, N.Y. 7 ......Anthony Santino ..............Douglaston, N.Y.

GIRLS Metro Girls 12 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Karolina Lankamer ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ......Nadejda Maslova ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ......Amy Kaplan......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 ......Natalie Eordekian ............Woodside, N.Y. 5 ......Shakima Hotaki................Flushing, N.Y. 6 ......Daniella Benabraham ......New York, N.Y. 7 ......Maryna Bohdanovska......Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ......Rachel Zhang ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 9 ......Alyssa An..........................New York, N.Y. 10 ....Rachel Rubenzahl............New York, N.Y. 11 ....Isabella Sinclair Cooper ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ....Isabella Hartman..............New York, N.Y. 13 ....Naomi Park ......................New York, N.Y. 14 ....Miriam Aziz ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ....Nathalie Williams..............New York, N.Y. 16 ....Khyanna Singh ................Queens Village, N.Y. 17 ....Maxine Zaretsky ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ....Julia Dementyev ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ....Katherine Krieger ............New York, N.Y. 20 ....Rebecca Sitkovetsky ......Staten Island, N.Y. 21 ....Sarah Lucy Youngberg ....New York, N.Y. 22 ....Guiliana Rosa Gibson......Bayside, N.Y. 23 ....Emily Moczulski ..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 24 ....Caroline Kantor ................New York, N.Y. 25 ....Emma Abels Eisenberg ..New York, N.Y. 26 ....Lena Kovacevic................New York, N.Y. 27 ....Rebecca Izyayeva............Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ....Josephine Kimball............New York, N.Y. 29 ....Nadzeya Fliaha ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ....Gabriella Kashulsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ....Bella Kaplan ....................New York, N.Y. 32 ....Shawnte Beale ................Bronx, N.Y. 33 ....Rebecca Fisch ................New York, N.Y. 34 ....Ksenia Kulakova ..............New York, N.Y. 35 ....Isabel Mays Stern ............New York, N.Y. 36 ....Taylor Simone Williams....New York, N.Y. 37 ....Michelle Kleynerman ......Staten Island, N.Y. 38 ....Anna Regina Kroner ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 39 ....Elisabeth Schlossel..........New York, N.Y. 40 ....Gabriella Eitkis..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Elizabeth Khusid ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 ......Veronika Semenova ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ......Maryna Bohdanovska......Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 ......Jenelle Downer ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ......Amalia Parrish ..................Queens Village, N.Y. 6 ......Olivia Simone Morris........Floral Park, N.Y. 7 ......Autumn Greco..................Staten Island, N.Y. 8 ......Diana Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ......Marie Ivantechenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ....Theodora Vrailas ..............New York, N.Y. 11 ....Yuhan Wang ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 12 ....Alice Soares Pinho ..........Woodside, N.Y. 13 ....Miriam Aziz ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ....Sarah Anne Fassberg ......New York, N.Y. 15 ....Kiara Rose........................New York, N.Y. 16 ....Sofie Kate Levine ............New York, N.Y. 17 ....Isabella Sinclair Cooper ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ....Gianna Gaudio ................Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ....Mia Simone Parrish..........Queens Village, N.Y. 20 ....Tiana Fernandez ..............Bronx, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

21 ....Liana Weitzman................Whitestone, N.Y. 22 ....Donna Marie Episcopio ..Bayside, N.Y. 23 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 24 ....Maxine Zaretsky ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ....Kayla Schumacher ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ....Anastasya Menshikova....Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ....Johnniesha Joy Breiten ..Bronx, N.Y. 28 ....Isabella Tushaj..................Bronx, N.Y. 29 ....Caroline Paige Kantor......New York, N.Y. 30 ....Grace Caroline Feagin ....New York, N.Y. 31 ....Giuliana Rose Gibson......Bayside, N.Y. 32 ....Rachel Okin......................New York, N.Y. 33 ....Karolina Lankamer ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ....Amy Kaplan......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ....Michelle Gao ....................Sunnyside, N.Y. 36 ....Bri’Yonna Porterfield ........Bronx, N.Y. 37 ....Emma Gray ......................New York, N.Y. 38 ....Nadejda Maslova ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ....Emma Montana Wrazej ..New York, N.Y. 40 ....Gabriella Etkins ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Electra Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y.

2 ......Keri Anne Picciochi..........Flushing, N.Y. 3 ......Alesssandra Ricciardi ......Howard Beach, N.Y. 4 ......Jenna Borenstein ............New York, N.Y. 5 ......Lindsay Shan Jadow ......New York, N.Y. 6 ......Victoria Zezula..................Ridgewood, N.Y. 7 ......Gaelle Conille ..................New York, N.Y. 8 ......Emi Lewis ........................New York, N.Y. 9 ......Ashley DelMissier ............Forest Hills, N.Y. 10 ....Sarah Hirschfield..............New York, N.Y. 11 ....Annie Reiner ....................New York, N.Y. 12 ....Anna Maite Kaplan ..........New York, N.Y. 13 ....Alexandra Sanford ..........New York, N.Y. 14 ....Jennifer Reiss ..................New York, N.Y. 15 ....Amanda Solecki ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ....Jennifer Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 17 ....Nicole Schnabel ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 18 ....Katie Pazz ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ....Kiara Rose........................New York, N.Y. 20 ....Maria Kogarova................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ....Liana I. Weitzman ............Whitestone, N.Y. 22 ....Monique Magyar..............New York, N.Y. 23 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 24 ....Donna Episcopio..............Bayside, N.Y. 25 ....Stefana Vujinovic..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ....Kayla Schumacher ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ....Noa E. Haninovich ..........New York, N.Y. 28 ....Liza Levison......................New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles Rank..Name ........................................City 1 ......Gaelle Conille ..................New York, N.Y.

2 ......Briel Biggs ........................Bronx, N.Y. 3 ......Emi Lewis ........................New York, N.Y. 4 ......Jenna B. Borenstein ........New York, N.Y. 5 ......Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 6 ......Emily Sham ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

NEW Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 12/19/13)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 3 ......Ethan Leon ......................Woodhaven, N.Y. 6 ......Shand Stephens ..............New York, N.Y. 8 ......Derek Raskopf ................New York, N.Y. 9 ......Steven Daniel Nazaroff ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ....Jeffrey Fradkin..................New York, N.Y. 16 ....Noah Edelman ................New York, N.Y. 17 ....Robbie Werdiger ..............New York, N.Y. 28 ....Harry Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 29 ....Alexander Petrov..............Middle Village, N.Y. 33 ....Alexander Nielsen ............New York, N.Y. 34 ....Brandon T. Cohen............New York, N.Y. 38 ....Aleksa Pljakic ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 40 ....Kai Yuminaga ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 41 ....David Weiner ....................Rego Park, N.Y. 43 ....Christopher Tham............Flushing, N.Y. 51 ....Oliver Obeid ....................New York, N.Y. 52 ....Alex Portnoy ....................New York, N.Y. 53 ....Jeffrey McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 63 ....Maxwell Igor Kachkarov ..Flushing, N.Y. 64 ....Scott Fischer ....................New York, N.Y. 65 ....David Krasner ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 66 ....Joseph Wilkanowski........Long Island City, N.Y. 68 ....Wesley Zhang ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 69 ....Ryan McCook ..................St. Albans, N.Y. 71 ....Eitan Khromchenko ........Staten Island, N.Y. 81 ....Marcos Souza Lee ..........New York, N.Y. 85 ....Derrick Mu........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 86 ....John-Thomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 87 ....Nash Crofoot Johnson ....New York, N.Y. 90 ....Michael Cooper................Brooklyn, N.Y. 91 ....Jonathan Glinsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 94 ....Garrett Chao ....................New York, N.Y. 98 ....Sidharth Chawla ..............New York, N.Y. 103 ..Donovan Brown ..............New York, N.Y. 104 ..Zachary Portnoy ..............New York, N.Y. 110 ..Teddy Brodsky ................New York, N.Y. 112 ..Tristan Taylor ....................New York, N.Y. 113 ..Jace Alexander ................New York, N.Y. 114 ..Simon Camacho ..............New York, N.Y. 115 ..Mitchel Pertsovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 116 ..Anthony Cataldo ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 122 ..Eitan Trantz ......................Bronx, N.Y. 126 ..Charles William Phillips....New York, N.Y. 129 ..Blake Frank ......................New York, N.Y. 131 ..Michael Gechka ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 137 ..Jeffrey Yu..........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 140 ..Brandon Torres ................Bronx, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 6 ......Sumit Sarkar .................... New York, N.Y. 22 ....Gary Fishkin ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 34 ....Zachary Jordan Lieb........New York, N.Y. 47 ....Allan Ethan Magid............Brooklyn, N.Y. 54 ....Oliver Jevtovic..................Astoria, N.Y. 56 ....David Mizrahi....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 65 ....Ethan Leon ......................Woodhaven, N.Y. 66 ....Christopher Kolesnik ......Staten Island, N.Y. 71 ....Sam Vagner......................Staten Island, N.Y. 74 ....Igor Maslov ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 80 ....Max Prohorov ..................Rego Park, N.Y.

YORK

83 ....Emil Nadyrbekov..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 86 ....Nicholas Pustilnik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 87 ....Gabriel Sifuentes..............Flushing, N.Y. 88 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 89 ....Shawn Jackson................Staten Island, N.Y. 91 ....Henry Hochfelder ............New York, N.Y. 94 ....Nicholas Rudman ............New York, N.Y. 113 ..Philip Belmatch ................Staten Island, N.Y. 114 ..Lantis Wang......................New York, N.Y. 118 ..Alexander Chiu ................New York, N.Y. 121 ..Ameer Hosain ..................New York, N.Y. 131 ..Alfi von Auersperg............New York, N.Y. 132 ..Wiley Schubert Reed ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 137 ..Mitchell Mu ......................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 138 ..David Moldovan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 144 ..Dylan Friedman................Brooklyn, N.Y. 150 ..Gregory Thomas Coe ......New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 4 ......Oliver Sec ........................New York, N.Y. 6 ......Felipe Osses-Konig ........Rego Park, N.Y. 12 ....Victor Miglo ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 19 ....Ananth Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 20 ....Marcus Smith ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 22 ....Christopher Paul Auteri....Staten Island, N.Y. 27 ....Edan Lee Sossen ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 28 ....James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 31 ....Jack Haroche ..................New York, N.Y. 33 ....Gal Matthew Sossen ......Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 35 ....Cole Gittens......................New York, N.Y. 39 ....Ethan Nittolo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 51 ....Alexander Thrane ............New York, N.Y. 54 ....Aleksandar Kovacevic ....New York, N.Y. 64 ....Jordan D. Jordan ............Astoria, N.Y. 77 ....Alex Chao ........................New York, N.Y. 78 ....Noah Kyle Agarwal ..........New York, N.Y. 80 ....Mitchell Ostrovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 87 ....Faris Nathoo ....................New York, N.Y. 89 ....William Trang....................Staten Island, N.Y. 116 ..Calvin Chung....................Bronx, N.Y. 124 ..Xavier Pacthod ................New York, N.Y. 126 ..Christian Gloria ................Queens Village, N.Y. 127 ..Avery Bricks ....................New York, N.Y. 132 ..Leonardo Escudero ........Ozone Park, N.Y. 136 ..Ethan Moszkowski ..........New York, N.Y. 137 ..Leonard Margolis ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 141 ..Bojidar Todorov................Rego Park, N.Y. 143 ..Adam Bryan Borak ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 147 ..Kevin T. Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 3 ......Daniel Kerznerman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ......Oliver Sec ........................New York, N.Y. 15 ....Win Smith ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ....Lucas Pickering................Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ....Artemie Amari ..................New York, N.Y. 21 ....Justin Fields ....................New York, N.Y. 24 ....Richard Sec......................New York, N.Y. 30 ....Christopher Paul Auteri....Staten Island, N.Y. 32 ....Steven Koulouris..............Long Island City, N.Y. 34 ....Sachin Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 38 ....Courtney Murphy ............Bronx, N.Y. 50 ....Ethan Nittolo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 61 ....Victor Miglo ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 63 ....Felipe Osses-Konig ........Rego Park, N.Y. 71 ....Marcus T. Smith ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 76 ....Maurice Russo ................New York, N.Y.

RANKINGS 92 ....Edan Lee Sossen ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 94 ....Alexander Pintilie..............New York, N.Y. 95 ....James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 96 ....Michael Anzalone ............Howard Beach, N.Y. 97 ....Cameron Daniels ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 102 ..Benjamin Gottschalk ......New York, N.Y. 117 ..Andrew Arnaboldi ............New York, N.Y. 120 ..Ryoma Haraguchi ............New York, N.Y. 137 ..Joshua Yablon..................New York, N.Y. 141 ..Gal Matthew Sossen ......Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 1 ......Michelle Sorokko ............Douglaston, N.Y. 3 ......Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 5 ......Christina Huynh................Astoria, N.Y. 6 ......Dasha Kourkina................Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ......Rosie Garcia Gross..........New York, N.Y. 12 ....Chelsea Williams..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 20 ....Elvina Kalieva ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 21 ....Katherine Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 23 ....Najah Dawson..................Rosedale, N.Y. 25 ....Miriam Aziz ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 32 ....Perene Wang....................New York, N.Y. 34 ....Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 36 ....Steffi Antao ......................Briarwood, N.Y. 37 ....Isabella Tushaj..................Bronx, N.Y. 38 ....Nadejda Maslova ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ....Diana McCready ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 43 ....Marie Ivantechenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 45 ....Sonia Tartakovsky............New York, N.Y. 49 ....Rebecca Eliana Fisch ......New York, N.Y. 50 ....Diana Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y. 58 ....Amanda Solecki ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 60 ....Karolina Lankamer ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 61 ....Zoe Kava ..........................New York, N.Y. 62 ....Emily Moczulski ..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 64 ....Carolyn Brodsky ..............New York, N.Y. 66 ....Isabella Cooper................Brooklyn, N.Y. 71 ....Lorraine Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 74 ....Giuliana Gibson................Bayside, N.Y. 75 ....Lena Kovacevic................New York, N.Y. 76 ....Shakima Hotaki................Flushing, N.Y. 78 ....Daniella Benabraham ......New York, N.Y. 80 ....Gabriella Eitkis..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 81 ....Khyanna Singh ................Queens Village, N.Y. 89 ....Amy Kaplan......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 97 ....Natalie Eordekian ............Woodside, N.Y. 103 ..Rachel Rubenzahl............New York, N.Y. 105 ..Anastasya Chesnokova ..Staten Island, N.Y. 114 ..Maryna Bohdanovska......Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ..Anastasya Menshikova....Brooklyn, N.Y. 123 ..Alyssa An..........................New York, N.Y. 124 ..Isabella Hartman..............New York, N.Y. 133 ..Rachel Zhang ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 140 ..Naomi Park ......................New York, N.Y. 141 ..Sabrina Boada ................Woodhaven, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 6 ......Dasha Kourkina................Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ......Michelle Sorokko ............Little Neck, N.Y. 9 ......Aleksandra Bekirova........Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ....Alexus Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ....Nicole Semenov ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

21 ....Chelsea Williams..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ....Lauren Munari ..................Middle Village, N.Y. 25 ....Victoria Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 26 ....Anastasia Koniaev ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 34 ....Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 36 ....Jennifer Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 40 ....Stephanie Li ....................New York, N.Y. 45 ....Christina Huynh................Astoria, N.Y. 48 ....Sydney Katz ....................New York, N.Y. 55 ....Katelyn Walker ................New York, N.Y. 64 ....Katherine Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 72 ....Sonia Tartakovsky............New York, N.Y. 74 ....Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 77 ....Grace L. Kennedy............New York, N.Y. 78 ....Lia Kiam............................New York, N.Y. 87 ....Olga Drahanchuk ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 92 ....Isabel Balilo ......................Flushing, N.Y. 94 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 96 ....Nadejda Maslova ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 107 ..Diana Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y. 108 ..Amalia Parrish ..................Queens Village, N.Y. 114 ..Brittny Jo Ferreira ............Brooklyn,, N.Y. 115 ..Olivia Morris ....................Floral Park, N.Y. 117 ..Miriam Aziz ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 118 ..Regina Furer ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 122 ..Marie Ivantechenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 133 ..Liana Weitzman................Whitestone, N.Y. 139 ..Elvina Kalinova ................Staten Island, N.Y. 143 ..Elizabeth Khusid ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 146 ..Sarah Finley......................New York, N.Y. 147 ..Alice Soares Pinho ..........Woodside, N.Y. 149 ..Najah Love Dawson ........Rosedale, N.Y. 150 ..Amanda Solecki ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 2 ......Sabrina Xiong ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 5 ......Arnelle Sullivan ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ......Jessica Melanie Livianu ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ....Brianna Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ....Jessica Golovin................New York, N.Y. 12 ....Anna Ulyashchenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ....Alexus Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ....Isis Gill ..............................Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ....Alexandra Koniaev ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 37 ....Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 39 ....Yuka Lin............................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 49 ....Anastasiya Malinouskaya......Staten Island, N.Y. 52 ....Lauren Munari ..................Middle Village, N.Y. 55 ....Jillian Auteri ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 59 ....Sofia Anouk Aisiks ..........New York, N.Y. 67 ....Stephanie Li ....................New York, N.Y. 68 ....Julia Fisch ........................New York, N.Y. 77 ....Tristan Lorich....................New York, N.Y. 78 ....Michelle Khaimov ............Jamaica, N.Y. 79 ....Aleksandra Bekirova........Brooklyn, N.Y. 82 ....Patricia Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 84 ....Michelle Sorokko ............Little Neck, N.Y. 94 ....Victoria Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 105 ..Julia Zbarsky ....................New York, N.Y. 108 ..Keren Khromchenko........Staten Island, N.Y. 110 ..Nicole Khorosh ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 113 ..Sabrina Lee Abrams ........New York, N.Y. 119 ..Ashley Sarah DelMissier..Forest Hills, N.Y. 124 ..Marierose Apice ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 136 ..Zorriana B. Johnson ........New York, N.Y. 142 ..Lisa Marchelska ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 146 ..Jennifer Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 150 ..Anna Kaplan ....................New York, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region

YORK

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region

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

7 ......Hannah Shteyn ................Staten Island, N.Y. 8 ......Ariana D. Rodriguez ........Bronx, N.Y. 12 ....Jessica Golovin................New York, N.Y. 16 ....Nadia Smergut ................New York, N.Y. 17 ....Arnelle Sullivan ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ....Anna Ulyashchenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ....Samantha P. Tutelman ....New York, N.Y. 28 ....Christina Puccinelli ..........New York, N.Y. 30 ....Sabrina Xiong ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 52 ....Denise Starr......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 54 ....Destiny Grunin..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 61 ....Nia Rose ..........................New York, N.Y. 64 ....Alexa Meltzer....................New York, N.Y. 69 ....Isis Gill ..............................Brooklyn, N.Y. 74 ....Jessica Livianu ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 78 ....Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 79 ....Lily Bondy ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 85 ....Anastasiya Malinouskaya ....Staten Island, N.Y. 88 ....Hediye Karabay................Flushing, N.Y. 93 ....Stefani Lineva ..................Middle Village, N.Y. 94 ....Kimberly Salkin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 100 ..Yuka Lin............................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 101 ..Erika Tinalli........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 106 ..Annie Reiner ....................New York, N.Y. 117 ..Alexus Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 118 ..Paulina Velasquez............Kew Gardens, N.Y. 120 ..Julia Zbarsky ....................New York, N.Y. 126 ..Alexandra Koniaev ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 135 ..Emily Safron ....................New York, N.Y. 137 ..Emi F. Lewis......................New York, N.Y. 142 ..Sofia Anouk Alsiks ..........New York, N.Y. 145 ..Tristan Lorich....................New York, N.Y. 147 ..Vania Savic ......................Woodside, N.Y. 149 ..Daniella Roldan ................New York, N.Y.

89 ....Sumit Sarkar ....................New York, N.Y. 365 ..Gary Fishkin ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 662 ..Zachary Jordan Lieb........New York, N.Y. 688 ..Oliver Jevtovic..................Astoria, N.Y. 726 ..Ethan Leon ......................Woodhaven, N.Y. 751 ..Christopher Kolesnik ......Staten Island, N.Y. 851 ..Sam V. Vagner..................Staten Island, N.Y. 864 ..Max Prohorov ..................Rego Park, N.Y. 886 ..Igor Malsov ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 894 ..Ethan Allan Magid............Brooklyn, N.Y. 922 ..Jeffrey Gorilovsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 929 ..Michael Tyutyunik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 943 ..Nicholas Pustilnik ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 958 ..Derek Raskopf ................New York, N.Y. 969 ..Steven Nazaroff................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 12/19/13)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 9 ......Ethan Leon ......................Woodhaven, N.Y. 60 ....Jeffrey Fradkin..................New York, N.Y. 62 ....Derek Raskopf ................New York, N.Y. 80 ....Steven Nazaroff................Brooklyn, N.Y. 139 ..Shand Stephens ..............New York, N.Y. 160 ..Robbie Werdiger ..............New York, N.Y. 346 ..Noah Edelman ................New York, N.Y. 365 ..Max Katchkarov ..............Flushing, N.Y. 367 ..Alex Portnoy ....................New York, N.Y. 382 ..Harry Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 391 ..Brandon T. Cohen............New York, N.Y. 401 ..Christopher Tham............Flushing, N.Y. 544 ..Garrett Chao ....................New York, N.Y. 568 ..Alexander Nielsen ............New York, N.Y. 598 ..Aleksa Pijakic ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 613 ..Jeffrey McCready ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 700 ..Ryan McCook ..................St. Albans, N.Y. 752 ..Oliver Obeid ....................New York, N.Y. 767 ..Kai Yuminaga ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 805 ..Eitan Khromchenko ........Staten Island, N.Y. 827 ..Alex Petrov ......................Middle Village, N.Y. 884 ..Joseph Wilkanowski........Long Island City, N.Y. 977 ..Tristan Taylor ....................New York, N.Y.

RANKINGS 168 ..Miriam Irfan Aziz ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 178 ..Rosie Garcia Gross..........New York, N.Y. 185 ..Isabella Tushaj..................Bronx, N.Y. 196 ..Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 197 ..Chelsea Williams..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 263 ..Nadejda Maslova ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 302 ..Perene Wang....................New York, N.Y. 337 ..Diana McCready ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 398 ..Diana Sosonkin................Brooklyn, N.Y. 416 ..Sonia Tartakovsky............New York, N.Y. 454 ..Najah Dawson..................Rosedale, N.Y. 547 ..Amanda Solecki ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 592 ..Steffi Antao ......................Briarwood, N.Y. 652 ..Rebecca Eliana Fisch ......New York, N.Y. 715 ..Lena Kovacevic................New York, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 45 ....James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 75 ....Victor Miglo ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 92 ....Oliver Sec ........................New York, N.Y. 144 ..Felipe Osses-Konig ........Rego Park, N.Y. 192 ..Ananth Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 220 ..Edan Lee Sossen ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 330 ..Marcus Smith ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 383 ..Gal Matthew Sossen ......Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 408 ..Aleksandar Kovacevic ....New York, N.Y. 467 ..Alexander Thrane ............New York, N.Y. 657 ..William J. Trang................Staten Island, N.Y. 668 ..Ethan Nittolo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 752 ..Cole Gittens......................New York, N.Y. 938 ..Jack Haroche ..................New York, N.Y.

126 ..Aleksandra Bekirova........Brooklyn, N.Y. 161 ..Michelle Sorokko ............Little Neck, N.Y. 188 ..Dasha Kourkina................Brooklyn, N.Y. 269 ..Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 315 ..Lauren Elizabeth Munari..Middle Village, N.Y. 326 ..Nicole Semenov ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 342 ..Victoria Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 353 ..Anastasia Koniaev ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 430 ..Chelsea Williams..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 438 ..Jennifer Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 504 ..Stephanie Li ....................New York, N.Y. 551 ..Regina Furer ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 788 ..Katelyn Walker ................New York, N.Y. 969 ..Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 5 ......Daniel Kerznerman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 153 ..Artemie Amari ..................New York, N.Y. 181 ..Win Smith ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 203 ..James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 212 ..Justin Fields ....................New York, N.Y. 247 ..Oliver Sec ........................New York, N.Y. 295 ..Sachin Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 302 ..Joshua Yablon..................New York, N.Y. 400 ..Richard Sec......................New York, N.Y. 445 ..Lucas Pickering................Brooklyn, N.Y. 510 ..Courtney Murphy ............Bronx, N.Y. 729 ..Ryoma Haraguchi ............New York, N.Y. 810 ..Andrew S. Arnaboldi........New York, N.Y. 838 ..Maurice Russo ................New York, N.Y. 897 ..Ethan Nittolo ....................Flushing, N.Y. 898 ..Christopher Auteri............Staten Island, N.Y. 918 ..Steven H. Koulouris ........Long Island City, N.Y.

34 ....Sabrina Xiong ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 42 ....Jessica Livianu ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 69 ....Jessica Golovin................New York, N.Y. 143 ..Arnelle Sullivan ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 154 ..Brianna Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 265 ..Sophia Kryloff ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 315 ..Alexandra Koniaev ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 319 ..Alexus Gill ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 335 ..Isis Gill ..............................Brooklyn, N.Y. 464 ..Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 496 ..Anna Ulyashchenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 742 ..Julia Fisch ........................New York, N.Y. 869 ..Aleksandra Bekirova........Brooklyn, N.Y.

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 12 ....Dasha Kourkina................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ....Michelle Sorokko ............Little Neck, N.Y. 54 ....Christina Huynh................Astoria, N.Y. 63 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 123 ..Marie Ivantechenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 138 ..Elvina Kalieva ..................Staten Island, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 66 ....Jessica Golovin................New York, N.Y. 136 ..Denise Starr......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 146 ..Ariana D. Rodriguez ........Bronx, N.Y. 190 ..Hannah Shteyn ................Staten Island, N.Y. 343 ..Samantha Tutelman ........New York, N.Y. 369 ..Nadia Smergut ................New York, N.Y. 372 ..Arnelle Sullivan ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 374 ..Emily Safron ....................New York, N.Y. 435 ..Sabrina Xiong ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 552 ..Anna Ulyashchenko ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 613 ..Alexa Meltzer....................New York, N.Y. 649 ..Jessica Melanie Livianu ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 671 ..Lily Bondy ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 701 ..Destiny Grunin..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 778 ..Christina Puccinelli ..........New York, N.Y. 858 ..Nia Rose ..........................New York, N.Y. 988 ..Stefani Lineva ..................Middle Village, N.Y.

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2014 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JANUARY 2014 Friday-Monday, January 17-20 L1 Alley Pond January Championships Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships B(16)sd, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for singles/$28 for doubles (deadline for entries is Thursday, Jan. 9 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Saturday, January 31-February 1 L3 Sportime RI January UPS Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(12-16)s, RR Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Monday, January 17-20 & Friday-Sunday, January 24-26 L2O Sportime RI January Open Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12-14)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

FEBRUARY 2014 Friday-Sunday, February 7-9 L2O Cunningham Park Winter Open Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12-18)s, FMLC Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, January 17-19 L1B Cunningham Park Tennis Center January Challenger Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12)sd, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Jan. 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Monday, February 14-17 L1 APTC February Championships Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships G(18)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, January 24-26 L2O Stadium Tennis Center Winter Open Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12)s, FRLC Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684.

Friday-Sunday, February 14-16 & February 21-23 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island February Challenger Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(14,18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, January 24-26 & January 31-February 2 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island Winter Challenger Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(16-18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Jan. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Monday-Friday, February 17-21 L2R Metro City Parks Indoor Regional City Parks Foundation Olmstead Center Flushing Meadow Park Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12-16)s, FMLC Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6986. Friday-Monday, February 14-17 L1B Presidents Day Challenger at Stadium Tennis Center Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(12,16)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684. Friday-Sunday, February 21-23 & February 28-March 2 +L1 APTC Eastern Grand Prix Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(12)s, FICQ Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, February 28-March 2 L3 Sportime RI February UPS Sportime at 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 Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, February 14-16 L1B 10U NCT February Challenger North Shore Tennis-Go!Tennis 3428 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. 4 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 224-6303. NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2014 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2014 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. MARCH 2014 Friday-Sunday, March 7-9 L1 APTC March Championships Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships BG(16)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, March 14-16 & March 21-23 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island March Challenger Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger BG(14-18)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, March 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, March 21-23 Eastern Super Six Stadium Tennis Center (National L4) Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(12)s, FICQ Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $113.38 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 665-4684. Friday-Sunday, March 21-23 Eastern Super Six NCT (National L4) North Shore Tennis-Go!Tennis 3428 214th Place Bayside, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(18)s, FICQ Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $113.38 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 224-6303.

Saturday-Sunday, March 15-16 L3 APTC Spring UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Novice BG(12-18)s, RR Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Jan. 7) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, March 21-23 Eastern Super Six APTC (National L4) Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix G(16)s, FICQ Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $113.38 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, March 21-23 L2O Cunningham Park Tennis Center March Open Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate BG(12-18)s, FMLC; BG(12-18)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, March 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

*Photos courtesy of Getty Images. *Players subject to change.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2014 • NYTennisMag.com

CREATING HOMETOWN CHAMPIONS

e k McEnro ic r t a P d n t a rothers a See John B n a y r B vs. the 14 – in action arch 3, 20 a M n o G S M ric ht in Ame Tennis Nig Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

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