New York Tennis Magazine - July/August 2013 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

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ask nick …

New York Tennis Magazine’s Q&A Forum With Nick Bollettieri

eginning this issue, New York Tennis Magazine has the unique opportunity to pose questions from our readers to tennis coaching legend Nick Bollettieri. Nick has coached 10 world number ones, including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Marcelo Rios, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Venus and Serena Williams, as well as a host of other worldclass players, including Tommy Haas, Anna Kournikova, Jimmy Arias and Nicole Vaidisova, to name a few. If you want to ask Nick questions in a future issue of New York Tennis Magazine, email info@usptennis.com with the Subject Line “Ask Nick.”

for one, am particularly concerned about tennis elbow (tendinitis). Nick Bollettieri: The warm-up and daily stretches are important. Before you play, make a routine. I also suggest using an exercise ball. I lay on one for a minute in the morning and afternoon. After playing, be sure to shower down very quickly and change the wet clothes.

Question from Hemel Cosme … How do you get kids to stop choking the racquet, release the death grip and have softer hands? Nick Bollettieri: First of all, if you breathe, you maintain flexibility. If you don’t breathe, your whole body becomes tense. Play the mini-game with the green ball inside the service line. This will help with softening the drop Question from Donna Barasch … Many of us who have been playing club shots and slices. tennis for years have the ensuing aches and pains that seem to follow. Are there Question From Kevin Mouffok … any exercises or stretches that you rec- If a player begins training in their teens, is it too ommends to keep us fit and active? I, late for them to ever become a pro tennis player?

Nick Bollettieri: In order to be a pro, you need to be ranked in the top 70 to make any money. Set your sights on a good college scholarship and education. There are always extreme cases. Question from Daniel Weitz … What is the breakdown of time you should spend on the mental, physical and technical aspects of tennis? Nick Bollettieri: Everyone is different. However, it is imperative that you do a little bit of each. Your coach needs to determine what you need to spend the most time on based on where you are at in each aspect. Question from Michael Weitz … How much time during practice do u spend on playing points and sets? Nick Bollettieri: No one can give you a specific answer. Each person reacts to what they need at the time. Your coach has to decide what practice consists of.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

July/August 2013 Volume 5, Number 4

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 4

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

Father Time has nothing on these tennis pros as they continue to defy age and continue to rack up wins and play well into their 30s. This month, we take a closer look at who continues to make waves in the sport beyond what was once unchartered territory.

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

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Feature Stories

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

Adam Wolfthal Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 330 • adam@usptennis.com

Daisy Schwartz Editorial Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 314 • daisy@usptennis.com

Emilie Katz Marketing Coordinator

Brent Shearer Editorial Contributor

Kristina Hyland Intern

Michael Cervantes Editorial Contributor

Gary Simeone Intern Erin Brown Intern

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

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.

The Dog Days of Summer New York Tennis Magazine will be on hand across the Metro area all summer.

2013 Boys High School Recap A look back at the 2013 boys high school campaign.

NY Tennis Magazine Hosts Largest Grassroots Tennis Event Ever In New York On April 28, the First Annual New York Tennis Expo took place as 2,911 attended.

NY Sportimes Gear Up for 2013 Campaign A preview of the 2013 New York Sportimes of Mylan World TeamTennis.

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

Pro Tennis: Is 30 the New 20? By Adam Wolfthal

Additional Features 6 7 8 12 15 32 34 42 43 46 48

NYJTL Breaks Ground on the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning in Crotona Park The Wall of Silence: Learning From an Unbeatable Opponent By Xavier Luna Reasons Why College Players Look to Transfer By Eric Rebhuhn Sweaty Palms, Cold Feet … Who’s Playing This Match Anyway? By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC A Closer Look at the Split-Step: Take Two By Lee Hurst Mind Over Matches By Daniel Kresh U.S. Open National Playoffs Field Narrows in Flushing Meadows By Erin Brown Recovery and Percentage Tennis: Times Have Changed By Tom Clear Playing to Win or Playing Not to Lose … That’s the Question By Fred Sperber The Serve: Take the Best of Your Serve for a Killer Overhead (Part I) By Lisa Dodson If the Shoe Fits By Richard Thater

Columns 1 16 17 24 28 38 39 40 44 51 52 55

Ask Nick … New York Tennis Magazine’s Q&A Forum With Nick Bollettieri The Jensen Zone: Turning the Point By Luke Jensen New York Tennis Magazine’s Player Spotlight: Sabrina Xiong By Adam Wolfthal USTA Metro Region Update Literary Corner By Brent Shearer Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs CTA Spotlight: Riverside Clay Tennis Association The Biofile: Billie Jean King By Scoop Malinowski Adult League Recap: USTA Leagues Update By Deborah-Rose Andrews New York Tennis Club Directory New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2013 Tournament Schedule

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NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

ProTennis:Is 3 BY ADAM WOLFTHAL

FERRER t’s no secret that, in order to compete at the top levels of any professional sport, you need to be in exquisite physical condition. Tennis is a sport in which a single match can require running 10 miles of sprints. The top pros are playing six or seven matches over the span of two weeks at a major event or a match every other day. Imagine running sprints for five hours in the heat of the Australian summer, only to get back out on the court and do it all over again two days later. Throw in the fact that you are traveling to new cities every other week and outside of the competitive matches, need to train and work on your game to remain competitive, it’s no surprise that the career expectancy of many professional tennis players is less than 10 years total. When you start to look at some of the players who are able to stay consistently on top of the game for a dozen or more years, it’s truly an impressive career accomplishment. At this year’s French Open, half of the men’s singles players who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros Grand Slam were over the age of 30 (Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Tommy Haas). While many claim that clay courts are the most advantageous for players of advanced age, it doesn’t make the feat any less remarkable. Of course, everyone knows that Roger Federer is one of the greatest players to ever pick up a racquet, so it may not be to shocking to see that he has continued his success into his 30s, but he is not alone. David Ferrer is a relentless

NA journeyman who has been competing at a top level for over a decade. At the 2013 French Open, he ended his streak of 42 Grand Slams before making a final, for him, 10-and-a-half years of never advancing to a Grand Slam final. He has been ranked in the top 10 since 2006, with the exception of a short period following an injury in 2009. Ferrer fought back from the injury and has now achieved a career-high ranking of number four in the world. Robredo came out with a bang in his first year on tour, ending the season as the second youngest player in the top 30 rankings to Andy Roddick. That was 13 years ago. Today, he is still in the top 30, and Roddick has since retired. At the age of 35, Germany’s Tommy Haas is one of the most unique players currently on ATP Tour. Haas is the only player in ATP history to win comeback player of the year twice in 2004 and again in 2012. After seeing Boris Becker win Wimbledon in 1985, he knew he wanted his life to be that of an international tennis star, and told his parents. A few short years later, he was on a plane en route to the United States to move into the boarding houses at Nick Bollittieri’s famed Tennis Academy in Florida. Haas became like a son to Nick, eventually moving out of the boarding house and into Nick’s personal home. Tommy lives up to Nick’s motto of not sweating the small stuff and always having fun. Haas has come back from two major injuries in his career and through three decades, has continued to stun top-ranked players with his great play, beating 11 top

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

YOUZHNY

VINCI

10 players since turning 30. He attributes part of his successful comebacks to his varying regiments in the gym. Whether its weight training, yoga or Pilates, Haas isn’t afraid to try something new to get back into shape after an injury. Both yoga and Pilates strengthen your core and keep your strength well-rounded as it is impossible to keep Yoga poses for long periods with any weak spots. Pilates replaces these weaknesses with strengths over time and creates a well-rounded strong athlete who is ready to compete for long periods of time. He also believes in a great deal of massage therapy to keep the muscles supple and relaxed. Since turning 30, Haas has a winning percentage on the ATP tour of 66 percent, a rate nearly five percent better than it was when he was 29 and younger. One third of Haas’ prize money has come from winnings in his post-30 era. Of his four Grand Slam semifinals appearances, two were beyond 30 (2007 Australian Open and 2009 Wimbledon). With a current ranking of 13th in the world, he is showing no signs of slowing down. It is not just the men who are seeing this phenomenon of lengthened careers. The WTA has four players in the top 16 who have reached the 30-year mark. Serena Williams, current world number one, Na Li, number six in the world, Roberta Vinci in the 11th position, and Nadia Petrova ranked 16th in the world. Na Li is the only major championship winner from Asia, and she won her French Open title at the age of 29, coming seemingly from nowhere to excel in the pro ranks after age 28. She

30 the New 20? ROBREDO

PETROVA

made two Australian Open finals, at 28 and 30, and shows no signs of slowing down at 31. Most of her career victories have come in the past few years. Vinci has reached the highest ranking of her career, 11 in the world, at the age of 30. In 2012, Vinci won doubles Grand Slam titles with her partner Sara Errani at the French Open and U.S. Open, and in 2013 at the Australian Open. Vinci & Errani are currently ranked number one in the world in the WTA Women’s Doubles Rankings. Nadia Petrova turned pro in 1999 after winning the Girls French Open title the year before. Her highest singles ranking was sixth in the world in 2006, but she has consistently been a contender in all the majors and won the UNICEF Open in 2012, bringing her back inside the top 20 in the world rankings. At Wimbledon in 1998, Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam title, but it was a junior title as he was competing in the boys division. Another famous tennis superstar of today won their first title at this same tournament … Serena Williams. Only Serena’s was in the main draw of Mixed-Doubles with partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus. For the past 15 years, Serena has been the world’s best female tennis player, seemingly unopposed, except on the rare occasion when she faces her sister Venus. Serena came on tour with a flourish of victories and had a stellar career before an injury in 2005 that dropped her out of the top 100. She fought back, training hard and had four more years of great success before the 2010 season in which she injured her foot forcing her to miss the U.S. Open

HAAS and drop in rankings once again. For many players, this foot injury would have been career-ending. After 13 years at the top of the game, many other competitors would look to hang up the racquet and bask in the glory of a career considered by many to be one of the best in the history of the sport … but not Serena. She fought back, working out harder, adding yoga and Pilates to her regiment to increase muscle flexibility, strength and core stability. Watching her play now, its hard to imagine that she had injuries at all, she looks to be at the top of her game, playing better at the age of 31 than she did at 21. Since she came on the scene, the game has changed, what fans and commentators call “The Williams Effect.” WTA players are constantly working on getting their serves bigger and groundstrokes harder to keep up with Serena and her sister. How-

ever, Serena has stepped up her game and as everyone around her has gotten better, she has improved faster and has become a fixture atop Grand Slam podiums. Is there a single magic item or regiment that is helping tennis players sustain peak condition into their 30s? Although he is a youngster, Novak Djokovic brought a great deal of attention to nutrition as a component of peak physical performance after having what many refer to as the best season in the history of the sport in 2011, after removing gluten from his diet. Many of the top players have been easing up on their competitive schedule in the interest of a lengthened career. Roger Federer is scheduled to play 19 weeks of tournament tennis in 2013, down from 26 in 2008 and 30 in 2003.The top players have been adding specialists to their traveling entourages for years, including nutritionists, conditioning specialists and injury prevention specialists. The combination of improved physical training regiments, as well as advances in nutrition, and injury prevention techniques help to keep athletes at peak condition for longer periods of time, extending careers. Maybe if the trend continues, we will see Sloane Stephens or Ryan Harrison competing into their 40s.

ATP-Ranked Top 30 Players Over 30-Years-Old #3 ........Roger Federer (SUI) ................................31 #4 ........David Ferrer(ESP) ....................................31 #13 ........Tommy Haas (GER) ................................35 #26 ......Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) ............................31 #29 ......Tommy Robredo (ESP) ............................31

WTA-Ranked Top 30 Players Over 30-Years-Old #1 ..........Serena Williams (USA)..............................31 #6 ........Na Li (CHI) ..............................................31 #11 ........Roberta Vinci (ITA) ..................................30 #16 ........Nadia Petrova (RUS) ................................31 NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

The groundbreaking ceremony of the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in Crotona Park

NYJTL Breaks Ground on the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning in Crotona Park ew York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) has broken ground on building the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in Crotona Park in the heart of the South Bronx. The Center will house a two-story, 12,000-square-foot clubhouse and educational facility, offering young people and their families a wide range of after-school academic support, such as tutoring, homework help, SAT and Regents test preparation, project-based learning, and college readiness programming. There are 30,000 children in schools directly surrounding Crotona Park and many more thousands of young people attending schools within a onemile radius. Cary Leeds (1958–2003) was a worldranked professional tennis player and Wimbledon mixed-doubles semifinalist. Cary understood how tennis could change lives and loved coaching young players, many

of whom compete professionally today. The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning was designed as a tribute to Cary’s passion for the sport and an inspiration for generations to come. The facility will include: l Two exhibition courts with spectator viewing An artist’s rendition of the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning for 1,000 two-story, 12,000-square-foot clubhouse and educational facility l 20 adjacent tennis courts (10 outdoor and 10 covered for year-round play) teaches so well, such as sportsmanship, l Two-story, 12,000-square-foot club- discipline and respect. The experience and house for tennis players, youth educa- culture of tennis, together with other services provided at the Cary Leeds Center, will tion and community activities help young people improve their performFor more than 40 years, NYJTL has ance in school and raise their aspirations helped children learn the values tennis and self-expectations.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

THE WALL OF SILENCE

LEARNING FROM AN UNBEATABLE OPPONENT By Xavier Luna hen you have a real passion for a particular sport or game, you’ll find a variety of unconventional ways to practice and improve. Take tennis, for example. It can be played with nothing more than a racquet, a tennis ball and a wall. The wall acts as the unforgiving competitor. Players work to hone their footwork, forehand and backhand strokes, while the unmoving opponent returns their serves and strikes. To zero in on accuracy, the tennis lover can easily paint or draw a target on the wall. Just playing against the wall for a few hours each week can quickly lead to noticeable improvement.

Some free education It doesn’t cost a dime to practice against a wall and learn the lessons it offers. In fact, it’s how many of the tennis greats sharpened their skills. Unquestionably, proper coaching is essential in

helping tennis players mature and advance, but not all lessons take place on the court. When you play against the wall, you take what you’ve learned from your coaches and apply it on your own. You’re arguably playing against the best tennis player in the world because the wall is undefeated. You can never beat the wall—nobody can! All you can do is practice, and then practice some more. To practice effectively, you need a ball paced to your playing abilities. If you are a beginner, you will find that a yellow tennis ball moves too fast and bounces too high to allow you to focus on technique. I recommend starting with a rally progression game in order to move from foam to green. Preparation to be your best With practice, you can improve your concentration, desire, determination and discipline. Using the wall helps to build muscle memory and improve the speed at which you play. And the practice you put in with the wall will show as you step on to the court to compete against

The Academy at Centercourt Athletic Club is the Northeast’s premiere High Performance Tennis Academy. As a USTA Certified Regional Training Center, we embrace our role as a member of the USTA coaching team and the mission to develop top student athletes. We offer a junior player pathway that can satisfy the high performance needs of nationally ranked juniors. The Academy offers an afterschool program, high performance summer programs, full-time homeschooling program and an Academy travel team.

an actual player. The other essential tool for tennis success is “The Three Ds,” a trio of crucial attributes for any rising tennis player. l Desire: The fuel to become the best player you can be. l Determination: The degree of effort that you’re willing to put in to accomplish this goal. l Discipline: Having the mental concentration and will to stay on track toward your tennis goals. So get started. Use the wall … go to the wall … hit the wall, and beat your own best expectations. 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.

The Centercourt Academy Summer Tennis Camp Why choose the Centercourt Tennis Academy:

! Train in a world class environment with high performance level coaching ! Achieve significant individual improvement in all facets of your game; technically, physically, and mentally ! We are dedicated to meeting the individual needs of each and every one of our students ! Our Academy players are among some of the top section, national, and ITF ranked players from around the world ! We put the needs of the player first, in a developmentfocused model of training ! Each camp will be tailored to the skill level and goals of all players; featuring small group training, match play, individualized fitness plans, mental coaching and video analysis ! Tournament coaching and travel ! Players who commit to our training will see themselves develop life skills that will enable them to become champions on and off the court

The Centercourt Academy Summer Tennis Camp offers three distinct levels: Academy I, Academy II, and Centercourt Advantage. The Camp also features an Overnight Camp option for those interested in the complete summer camp experience. For more information, contact Clay Bibbee at clay@centercourtclub.com. NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Reasons Why College Players

Look to Transfer By Eric Rebhuhn

1. Coach: Many players are recruited for a period of time and decide on going to a particular university based on the coach. The coach has spent time calling them, watching them play at tournaments, meeting their parents, as well as ultimately making them an offer to come and play for their team. But most things change once the player has come to the university, gets settled in, and shows up to day one of practice. At that moment, the player who has gotten all of this attention looks around at the team and realizes that they are just one of the players. The attention the player was receiving in the recruiting process is long gone, as the coach’s focus is getting the team ready for the season and it’s on to the next player. This change often has a huge impact on whether a player looks to transfer.

2. Financial: Players are looking for scholarship if they have spent many years traveling around playing national and international tournaments in addition to spending thousands of dollars on private coaching. Based on this, the player feels that a scholarship is the fruit of their labor. Players and parents are often looking for the best deal; therefore not looking at location of the university, coach and team reputation, and ultimately, if the university is a good fit all-around. 3. Team: Tennis is an individual sport and players often have a hard time adjusting to a team concept. Certain players bond with other players based on many factors that might include coming from the same country, the same state, are close in age, etc. The team usually has a captain who is responsible for helping new players make the adjustment as a freshman to the collegiate level of play. This concept seems like it would work, but many times, new players have an adjustment period that sometimes never ends.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

4. University: Making a decision on where to go to a university sometimes takes years, but in other cases, it takes just a few minutes. Depending on the situation, players make the best decision for that particular time. After one or two years of taking classes, living on campus, traveling with the team and making new friends, a player will know if they are at the right school. Unfortunately, many things occur and the university is not as exciting as it once was, and factors may come into play which will cause a player to transfer. With more than 100 career wins and the 2011 Big East Coach of the Year Award under his belt, head men’s tennis coach Eric Rebhuhn has solidified himself as one of the most successful coaches in St. John’s tennis history. Last season, Rebhuhn’s squad finished with a 17-9 record, while peaking at number 50 in the national polls during the season, the highest ranking in school history. He may be reached by phone at (718) 990-5549 or email rebhuhne@stjohns.edu.

SPORTIME RANDALL’S ISLAND

SUMMER CAMPS Photo credits: Adam Wolfthal

Offered Weekly: June 10th - August 30th With transportation available from Manhattan, SPORTIME Randall’s Island Summer Camps feature tennis pros from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, and caring coaches and counselors who deliver an unforgettable experience to every camper! 2013 EXCEL Camp, for tennis players ages 7-16, features four hours of intensive coaching from the John McEnroe Academy professionals and two hours of fitness and cross-training. SPORTIME 2013 Tennis & Sports Camp, for kids 5-15, provides two hours of tennis and four hours of other sports, including basketball, softball, and soccer; plus an activity tent, slip n slide and more!

212/427-6150 SportimeNY.com/Manhattan

Photo credits: Adam Wolfthal

REGISTER TODAY! For more information email Camp Director Greg Evans at CampsRI@SportimeNY.com, call 212-427-6150, or log onto www.SPORTIMENY.com/Manhattan/Camps

SAVE THE DATE! The John McEnroe Tennis Academy will be holding Tryouts for the upcoming 2013-2014 Season on Saturday, July 20th at SPORTIME Bethpage! Go to www.SportimeNY.com/JMTAScholarship for more information!

If you’re traveling east, check out our summer camp offerings at SPORTIME clubs in the Hamptons: SPORTIME Amagansett, 320 Abrahams Path, 631/267-3460, SportimeNY.com/Amagansett SPORTIME Quogue, Route 104,NYTennisMag.com 631/653-6767,• July/August SportimeNY.com/Quogue 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Dog Days of

Summer A stellar lineup of events fills New York’s summer of 2013 calendar n the aftermath of the highly successful First Annual New York Tennis Expo, New York Tennis Magazine is very excited about the summer season that is upon us. With the sun shining, events have sprouted all over the metro New York area, and we are a part of everything we can be. Since the start of June, we have already attended and covered the:

l l l l l l

High School State Championships Jana Hunsaker Wheelchair Tournament U.S. Open National Playoffs Harlem Junior Tennis League Pro-Am 2013 Mayors Cup HSBC’s New York City Wimbledon Experience l Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence Event at the National Tennis Center

The Harlem Junior Tennis League hosted a Pro-Am event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in late June

l U.S. Open Ballpersons Tryouts l Ribbon cutting ceremony on the new outdoor deck of the National Tennis Center l And much more!!!! July will be equally as actionpacked as the New York Open will debut in Queens at the West Side Tennis Club with a four-day tennis festival from July 4-July 7 which will include: l New York Open–The Tennis Championships of New York City at West Side Tennis Club. l Mayor David Dinkins–Honoring an extraordinary leader who has been the most influential voice in New York City tennis for years. l New York Open Family Fun Fest–A fun family experience on the July 4th weekend. l New York Open Jazz Fest–The first major music event to return to the stadium where the Beatles and Rolling Stones once played. l New York Open Film Fest–The only outdoor film festival of its kind in the City. l New York Open Book Fest–A celebration of authors in New York City. Mylan World TeamTennis returns to

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Sportime Stadium at Randall’s Island with two home matches on July 22 and July 23. John McEnroe will take on Jim Courier on July 22 and former world number one Martina Hingis will make her return to Sportime Stadium as a member of the Washington Kastles on July 23. Also in July/August, New York Tennis Magazine will make its camp visits, visiting more than 50 camps in the area as we take pictures, interview kids/coaches and record video of the area’s top summer camps. We will then use our growing multimedia platform to showcase these kids/coaches and programs, giving them the attention they deserve. Of course, the summer will conclude with the world’s premier tennis event that we are fortunate to have in our backyard … the U.S. Open. This year’s Open will run from Aug. 26-Sept. 9. The Qualifying Tourna-

The 2013 Mayor’s Cup crowd gears up for action at the National Tennis Center

Prospective ballpersons vie for a shot at taking part in the 2013 U.S. Open ment begins Tuesday, Aug. 20 and runs through Friday, Aug. 23. Arthur Ashe Kids Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 24. New York Tennis Magazine will be on-hand every day at the U.S. Open to bring you up to the minute coverage of our local players, as well as everything associated with the U.S. Open and free copies of New York Tennis Magazine will be available at the event. Our distribution grows in the summer, as

we donate magazines to charity outings, increase our distribution in the Hamptons, distribute the magazine at dozens of country clubs, and print bonus magazines for all of these visits and events. Kids and adults all over New York will experience tennis through the country’s largest free tennis magazine, which is now fully glossy. We have tons of special announcements coming soon, including information on

events we will be hosting. Many more events will continue to be announced during the summer of 2013 and you can find event listings, as well as recaps and photos on our Web site, www.newyorktennismagazine.com, as well as by visiting the New York Tennis Magazine Facebook Page and Twitter Feed. We look forward to seeing everyone on the courts this summer! The 2013 Battle of the Boroughs at the National Tennis Center

Action at the 2013 Jana Hunsaker Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in June Nick Bollettieri gives some tips during the First Annual New York Tennis Expo

Kids pause for a photo during the “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” event at the National Tennis Center The ribbon-cutting and official grand opening of the new outdoor deck at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Sweaty Palms, Cold Feet … Who’s Playing This Match Anyway? How to stay calm and empower your kids while watching By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC magine the scenario: You are watching your child play, and it feels like you’re the one playing. Your palms are sweaty and your feet are tapping with the immediacy of how Rafael Nadal awaits the coin toss. You look across the way and see your opponent’s parents pacing up and down, burning a hole in the ground. Now think about the emotions you have while watching the match, anything from happiness to helplessness, enthusiasm to embarrassment, poise to protectionism, and everything else in between. You might even wonder why you put yourself through this emotional roller coaster tournament after tournament. We all have immediate reactions when watching a loved one play a match. Think about the time your daughter’s opponent made what you perceived to be a bad call, and then it happened again, and again.

What was going through your head? Possibly something like, “How could that kid make a call like that?” or “My daughter works so hard, this isn’t right.” Then your thoughts may change to ways to rectify the situation: “When is she going to call a line judge?” and “Why doesn’t she stand up for herself?” Ultimately, you may feel a bit helpless because behind the fence you’re unable to change, do, or fix anything. These are all natural reactions, but remember, it’s not about how you are experiencing the situation, but about how your child is. Often, young players will look over toward their parents during the match and may detect general displeasure from the body language about how things are playing out on the court. They may feel judged or that they are not living up to the parent’s expectations. Other times it’s not a matter of even needing to detect that something is wrong, because the parent is outwardly waving their hands and mouthing instructions in the direction of their child. How can

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

this be helpful to the child? Obviously it can’t. The immediate reaction of the child is for their focus to leave the court and focus on the parent’s reactions. Once the player begins to think about what the parent is thinking, they are no longer focused on the match. What’s important is to become aware of your reaction, stay calm, and then choose the appropriate response that will be helpful to your child. Certainly this is easy to say, the bigger question becomes: How can you stay calm? What actions are appropriate? And most importantly, how can you be most helpful to your child? The following is a self- reflection questioning technique that I suggest parents can use when watching a match. I recommend writing these couple of questions on an index card, much like your child may refer to their cue card during changeovers in a match. When things get tense, pull out the card. These questions will help you examine your emotions, stay calm, and most importantly, empower your children.

Question #1: What happened and how are you thinking about it? Simply, replay what happened, only the facts: Maybe your child got a bad call, or someone threw a racket. Then just be curious to the story you are telling yourself aside from the event. For example, the opponent hooked my child because they lack sportsmanship, they must be blind! My child is being taken advantage of … I wish he would do something. Question #2: What thoughts or feelings does the situation bring up for you? Simply be aware of your emotions without reacting to them or judging them. Emotions and feelings like anger, helplessness, and frustration. You may also become aware of where in your body you’re holding the tension. Notice that and then take a few breaths. Question #3: How do you think your child sees the situation? Be aware that what you see and feel from watching off the court is probably not the same as what your child is experiencing. They will usually have a different view and perspective. They are on the court, on the

front line—in other words, their story is not the same as yours. Question #4: How can you help yourself, honor their process, and best deal with the situation? Since you are not the one playing, and you can’t do anything to help your child while they are on the court, what is your best option? How about trusting that what your child does at this time is the right thing for them in their development, and in their journey at this moment? Also acknowledge that they may handle the situation differently than you may have, but know that their confidence will increase each time they are in a difficult situation. Remember that even difficult on-court experiences and negative results are part of developing as a player and person. By putting him or herself “out there” and entering a tournament, your child has taken an opportunity to learn from the variety of situations which may develop. Let your child process these situations in their own way, provide your support, and you may be surprised at how much your child may grow from even a negative on-court situation.

While these questions cannot change or fix a situation, they will hopefully help you stay calm instead of quickly reacting to a situation. In return, your child will feel your trust in allowing them to work through a difficult situation, and be able to focus on the match instead of getting distracted by concerns of what you or others might be thinking. In fact, demonstrating trust in your child despite difficult circumstances will only inspire them to increase confidence in themselves on the court. 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 of all levels. His work focuses on helping athletes gain the mental edge and letting go of blocks which get in the way of peak performance. He is a USTA Zonal Coach and has spoken and been published for the USTA, USPTA and ITA. Additionally, he has conducted workshops nationally and internationally in India and Israel. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email rob@insidethezone or visit www.insidethezone.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Nearly 400 Try Out for U.S. Open Ballperson Positions

he world’s focus on the players during the Grand Slam events makes it easy to forget all of the strenuous, behind-the-scenes organization and preparation that takes place months, or even years, in advance of a major tennis event. With the 2013 U.S. Open looming in our midst, one of the things that needs to be taken care is who will be the ball-persons. On June 20, approximately 400 participants ages 14 and over arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with hopes of becoming part of the world’s biggest tennis event, the U.S. Open. Only 80 spots were available, as candidates were judged on their running, throwing, catching and listening skills. “It is really fun, and even if I don’t make it, I had a good time,” said 16-year-old Rob. After a greeting from Ballperson Director Tina Taps, the already-experienced ballpersons conducted a demonstration for the entrants where they showed the basic movements that would need to be mastered. The testing drills included throwing and catching down the line and crosscourt balls, as well as running the length of the net while retrieving rolling balls. “I’ve been coming and trying out since I was 12,” said 40-year-old Rob. “Tennis is very different now from how it was in the 80s, but I still come tryout every year.” This competitive process does not stop after this round of tryouts. There will be a second round of tryouts where the 100 chosen from this round will be reduced to around 50. After that, there are still the qualifying rounds of the 2013 U.S. Open where ballperson numbers will be further minimized. “This is my first time trying out and I think my best advantage is my speed,” said 16-year-old Sebastion. The 2013 U.S. Open qualifying draw will be held Tuesday, Aug. 20 through Friday, Aug. 23. The 2013 U.S. Open Main Draw will be held Monday, Aug. 26 through Monday, Sept. 9.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

A Closer Look at the Split-Step: Take Two By Lee Hurst n the last issue of New York Tennis Magazine, Coach Tim Mayotte of 360 Tennis spoke about the importance of the split-step and its three components in his article, “Wow … What a Great Split-Step.” They were:

1. Width of base and posture 2. Timing of the split 3. The height of the split At 360 Tennis in Cunningham Park, we do a lot of work on this “first” movement to the ball with our Sectional, National and Professional players. We use a number of different drill progressions to encourage and teach our players to work on, feel and consistently reproduce an effective split during match play. The following “360 Box” drill would be a great place for coaches, parents

and players to begin or improve the split-step technique. l We take the top piece of an aerobics step and place it on the court (let’s begin at the service line here). Then, we place a cone on each sideline. Next, we have the student step off the box, and upon landing, call out left or right, and the student sprints to touch the cone. We perform a set of 10 repetitions and watch carefully the players landing and initial steps. l Next, the coach or parent moves to the other side of the net and gently racket feeds (bounce, hit) the student 10 shots which they time off the step and move to catch the ball in the air. Once the student has successfully completed the drill, correctly timing the landing with the feeders contact they will have a good feel for the movement and will be fully warmed up for the practice session ahead. We now ask the player to have this

focus/theme throughout the following practice session and give feedback as necessary. Always looking to encourage and reinforce the correctly performed “split” and with an understanding that one or two good splits is a good beginning. Over time using this method, the player will become very efficient in this movement and should perform it before almost every stroke. In future articles, Coach Tim Mayotte and I will further discuss this topic of movement and cover topics from first steps, to deceleration steps to recovery steps. Lee Hurst is recognized as one of the top developmental coaches in the U.S. today. His students have become champions at every level, having developed such top players as Kristi Ahn, Nicole Hickey, RJ Fresen and others. He and Tim Mayotte run the Mayotte Hurst Academy at the Cunningham Park Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y. Lee may be reached by phone at (973) 626-5236 or e-mail leroyah@gmail.com.

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www.TennisBalanceBoard.com NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Turning the Point

By Luke Jensen he game of tennis played by the pros of today is explosive and exciting to watch. Back when I played on the ATP Tour in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, not many players could, what I call, “Turn a Point.” What I mean is to take a defensive situation like being put on the run or pulled off balance, and with one swing, turn it into immediate offense and take control of the point. Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and the Williams Sisters are players who would hurt you with this kind of play. The big four these days—Fed, Djoker, Rafa and Murray—all have different stroke

techniques, but can burn you with amazing swings from all areas of the court. How can this tactic work for you at your level of play? I believe that a mindset to hit down the line can be a big difference in your results. Nothing can turn the momentum in your favor like a few quick groundies down the line for winners. Most players do not use this play because it is over the high part of the net or they lose confidence when missed. I’m a big believer in hitting down the line. Try it next time you are on the court and “turn it” on your opponent. I am sure you will enjoy watching them as the ball goes past them for a winner! Use the tactics of the pros and win more when it counts!

Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen is head coach of the Syracuse University Women’s Tennis Team. Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. He was also a member of the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail lbjensen@syr.edu.

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

P L AY E R S P O T L I G H T BY ADAM WOLFTHAL

SABRINA XIONG abrina Xiong is a student of the Sportime John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at Randalls Island. Year after year, Sabrina has raised her ranking with consistency, and is currently ranked in the top 50 recruits in the country and the number two ranked recruit in New York State according to TennisRecruiting.net. Her first year on her high school team, as a freshman, she went an undefeated 7-0 as the lead singles player for Cardozo and went on to win the Girls Singles PSAL Tournament. In 2010, when John McEnroe teamed up with Sportime to open up JMTA, nearly 200 players tried out for the chance to study under the tutelage of one of the game’s greatest players and biggest personalities. When Sabrina made the first cut and was among the final 25 players invited, she was thrilled. When she made the final six, she had the chance to play in front of Johnny Mac for a spot in the academy. When the field of six was narrowed even further and she got the chance to hit with John, she was accepted on a full scholarship to the program, and the experience has become an inspiration for her moving forward as JMTA at

Randalls Island has become her second home. Playing at JMTA has fine-tuned Sabrina’s game and has helped take her game to the next level. “Tennis provides you with discipline, and the coaches at Randalls make you work hard and you learn to never give up,” said Sabrina. She appreciates the open lines of communication between the players and

coaches and especially Johnny Mac at JMTA. Sabrina admits that being on the court with John is “intense, but great” and that he “makes it seem so easy.” The coaches at JMTA demand a high level of work during practice, but it pays off in competitions. Sabrina admits that the feeling of winning and overcoming your opponent on the court is one of the best feelings in the world. Aside from being an all-star up-and-coming player, Sabrina is very well respected by everyone who meets her. In 2012, she was recognized by the USTA with the Lawrence A. Miller Girls 16 Sportsmanship Award. Sabrina knows that all of her hard work has paid off and recommends that all young juniors looking to raise their game to the next level need to put in hard work. Sabrina plans to play tennis in college and see where it takes her, but for now, she is focused on helping the Cardozo Girls Tennis Team to another PSAL championship. Adam Wolfthal is director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at adam@usptennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

2013 Boys High School

SEASON RECAP BY ADAM WOLFTHAL

Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal

Players Battle Through The Heat at 2013 Boys State Championships

ond round before having to overcome his Beacon High School teammate Artemie Amari in the quarterfinals. On the doubles side of the draw, it was the team of Maxwell Smith & Lucas Pickering from Beacon High School in New York City who found themselves in the match to determine the New York State Doubles Champions once again, the duo’s second straight trip to the State finals. Unfortunately, they once again couldn’t take that final step and fell in straight sets to Matt & Maxwell Smith & Lucas Pickering from Beacon High School in their Colin Nardella from Championship Doubles Match against Matt & Colin Nardella from Christian Brothers Christian Brothers Academy Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., 6-4, 6-4. The Nardella Brothers took out another New York City team, Marcus Smith & Matt Balilo of Cardozo, in the quarterfinals. Brooklyn Tech’s Cole Gittens & William Trang faced the eventual third place finishers Dylan Brittis-Tannenbaum & Nick Simon of Fox Matt & Colin Nardella of Christian Brothers Academy, 2013 NY State Doubles Champions Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y. in the secfter three days of playing under the ond round, taking them to three sets, 6-4, blazing sun at the USTA Billie Jean 5-7, 6-3. King National Tennis Center, the 2013 NYSPHSAA Boys Tennis Championships came to an end. In a battle of Westchester’s top seeds, Shawn Hadavi of Dobbs More Than 600 Take Ferry, N.Y. won the 2013 Boys Singles Part in 26th Annual State Championship defeating Taiyo Hamanaka of Eastchester, N.Y. in a close Mayor’s Cup he 26th Annual Mayor’s Cup hosted by match, 6-4, 7-5. On his way to the chamthe New York Junior Tennis & Learning pionship, Hadavi was victorious over PSAL Champion Justin Fields of Beacon High (NYJTL), came to a close on June 9 as School in the semifinals. Fields defeated more than 600 students competed in the Tyler Hoffman of Sayville, N.Y. in the sec- nine-day tournament. The Mayor’s Cup All-

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Girls Middle School Champion Michelle Sorokko stretches for a ball Scholastic Tennis Championships, is the largest interscholastic tennis event in the United States and it brings players from New York City’s public, private and parochial schools. The tournament attracts some of the best players from the New York City metropolitan area competing in different categories for boys and girls in middle school and high school. The finals were held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and showcased some great tennis. The Girls Varsity Singles tournament was a tight battle where top-seeded Brianna Williams of Brooklyn was a three-set winner, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, over Yuka Lin from Mary Louis Academy. The Boys Varsity singles winner was top-seeded Justin Fields from New York, N.Y. who won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, over eighth-seeded Jordan Jordan of Astoria, N.Y. The number one seeds won the Boys Varsity Doubles Division, as Andrew Arnaboldi & Daniel Elkind won their final match in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 over second-seeded Douglas Nover & Anthony Santino of St. Francis Prep. The Girls Varsity Doubles winners were a team of sisters as Alexus & Isis Gill of Beacon High School won 6-3, 6-3 over Julia Gokhberg & Dina Levy-Lambert of Stuyvesant High School. The sisters were enthusiastic about their win. “We pulled through, and we played much better than we did against them

2013 Boys High School

SEASON RECAP BY ADAM WOLFTHAL

previous times,” said Alexus Gill. Third-seeded Igor Maslov of Brooklyn dropped the first set before coming back to win 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 over seventhseeded Alexander Chiu of MS 167 in the Boys Middle School Singles Division. Michelle Sorokko of Little Neck proved why she was the top-seed in the Girls Middle School Division, winning her final match in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 over the second-seeded Shelly Yaloz also of Little Neck. Sorokko was happy to be the champion and somewhat surprised it didn’t go three sets. “I mean we played many matches against each other before and we always split sets, so this was not as challenging as it usually is,” said Sorokko. The culmination of the tournament coin-

Participants filled Stadium Court 7 for the Awards Ceremony cided with a parade through Flushing Meadow Park of the participating schools, each proudly displaying banners made for the tournament. The parade led from the park onto the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and on to

Stadium Court 7 where the tournament festivities finished off with an impressive awards ceremony emceed by Ron Nano of NYJTL and Jeannette Josue of Marble Play. Scholarships were awarded by Marion Javits to participants in the Mayors Cup tournament. Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion and NYJTL program alumni, Arvind Mahankali, was among the honored guests for the awards ceremony, and former NBA great Earl “The Pearl” Monroe helped congratulate all of the winners and posed for photos with each champion. Adam Wolfthal is director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at adam@usptennis.com.

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New York Tennis Magazine Hosts Largest Grassroots Tennis Event Ever in New York 2,911 attend the First Annual New York Tennis Expo Credit all photos to Nicole Guglielmo

ll eyes were on the area’s kids, families, USTA Billie Jean coaches and businesses King National Tennis that support the local tennis Center on April 28, site of community. the First Annual New When the day of the Expo York Tennis Expo. As arrived, everyone was ready, cars lined the streets and and even Mother Nature cothe parking lots filled up, operated with temperatures shuttle buses escorted in the upper 60s. The doors patrons inside the Naopened and people flocked tional Tennis Center as in. The event had something droves of people came for everyone. There were over from the trains/sub- Attendees take a break from the day’s amazing raffles where peo- Attendees check in prior to entering the Expo Hall way and it looked like the events to check out the latest issue of ple could win trips to famous Long Island Tennis Magazine U.S. Open was in town. resorts such as Van Der the exhibitors were raffling off an array of This beautiful spring afternoon was not Meer and Sea Colony, along with U.S. prizes. about professional tennis though … it Open tickets just by signing up. There were At the end of the hallway, 600 people was about the local tennis movement and also tours of Arthur Ashe Stadium Court took part in two informative sessions feait brought out the largest crowd ever for a and the U.S. Open locker rooms where par- turing world renowned coaches and some grassroots tennis event in New York with ticipants had a once-in-a-lifetime behind of the area’s top talent. The first session just shy of 3,000 attendees coming out. the scenes look at the National Tennis Cen- was “The Road to College Scholarships,” The best part was that event hosts Long ter. Down the main hallway of the National headlined by world renowned coach Nick Island Tennis Magazine and New York Tennis Center were 50 top exhibitors dis- Bollettieri and Fox News political comTennis Magazine put the entire event on playing everything from tennis apparel, to menter Sean Hannity as emcee and modfor FREE! training aids, to sunglasses, to sports erator. Among those on the panel were The buzz for the First Annual New York memorabilia, and racquets. Clubs were former world top 10 Tim Mayotte, along Tennis Expo began a few months prior. getting sign-ups, camps were filling up with expert coaches Chuck Kriese, Cory Long Island Tennis Magazine and New York spots for the summer season and many of Parr, Jay Harris, Whitney Kraft and Clay Tennis Magazine utilized all their resources in their efforts to publicize this event both locally and nationally. It was a chance to create a greater platform for the businesses that support the publications and a chance to grow participation in the sport of tennis. The marketing was done across all mediums, as the event was promoted in print and Web ads, across social networks, on radio shows, via e-mail blasts, and most importantly, via word-of-mouth to the Marble Play interviews attendees of the New York Tennis Expo

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Credit all photos to Nicole Guglielmo

Attendees are greeted by Tennis the Menace, mascot of the New York Sportimes of World TeamTennis

Bibbee. The second session, “Taking Your Game to the Next Level,” again headlined by Nick Bollettieri discussing both the mental and physical sides of tennis. Panelists included Tim Mayotte, Lawrence Kleger, Steve Kaplan, Tom Clear, Tina Greenbaum and Dr. Tom Ferraro. At the end of the sessions, many flocked to the front of the room for autographs and pictures with the speakers. On the second level of the National Tennis Center was where the real fun was. The three indoor courts were Robert Kendrick of the crowded all day, as New York Sportimes of kids and adults alike World TeamTennis tries took part in activities his hand at ping-pong such as 10 & Under Tennis, a Speed Serve Booth, and a Hit for Prizes Court. DJ CMNY was spinning music on-court, while Sportimes mascot Tennis the Menace introduced himself to all the young ones and took photos. Also up on the second level was the Kids Zone where kids could have their faces painted, get glitter tattoos and have balloon animals made. The smiling faces were plentiful. With the gorgeous weather, another major highlight was the outside play area. The new Sports Deck Area at the National

Emcee Sean Hannity (far right) welcomes the panel of speakers

Tennis Center allowed for open play on mini-courts between kids and parents. Also on the deck, New York Tennis Magazine had a photographer shooting mock Magazine cover photos. Down the stairs from the deck, the world famous Stadium Court 17 featured the St. John’s University men’s and women’s tennis teams running a “Beat the College Player” contest. This event has turned a spotlight on grassroots growth. Businesses came from all over the country to participate and we have received phone calls from people looking for our assistance to put more of these events on in other areas. Grassroots tennis and grassroots publications are the backbone of tennis growth. What better event could there ever be to grow participation than one like this that was free and where everyone left happy. The First Annual New York Tennis Expo is just the beginning of ways that Long Island Tennis Magazine and New York Tennis Magazine will use its expanding platform and strong bonded relationships within the tennis community to help supporters reach the masses with their messages. These publications will continue to grow the game and will continue to partner with those who support our goals and vision as well. The turnout at the First Annual New York Tennis Expo shows that the tennis community wants more media and more events, and Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines will continue to provide that as tennis

grows. Plans are underway for a Second Annual New York Tennis Expo and preliminary details will be announced for this event in the coming months.

The new Sports Deck Area at the National Tennis Center

New York Tennis Expo Raffle Winners Congratulations to the following raffle prize winners who were selected at the First Annual New York Tennis Expo: l Weekend with Tennis Clinic at Sea Colony—Simon Kashfi l Weekend with Clinic at Van Der Meer—Larry Lefcort l Free Week at Joel Ross Tennis & Golf Camp—Rachel Zhang

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Scenes From the First Annual New York Tennis Expo April 28 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Credit all photos to Nicole Guglielmo

Members of the St. John’s Tennis team on Court 17

Some comments from those in attendance … “This was no small achievement. I run a free high school coaches clinic every spring and it is a high-quality event. I am lucky to get 15-20 coaches to attend. The First Annual New York Tennis Expo had nearly 3,000 people come out. This event was a massive undertaking and a huge risk as so many things had to come together and they did.” —Steve Kaplan (tennis coach) “I came here all the way from Florida for this event and it has been an outstanding and high-quality event. Would definitely return for a second year and more.” —Ches Gibson (IMG Academy) “This was the first time I have been really able to reach out to the tennis community to demo my product. To have an audience like this at the New York Tennis Expo has been incredible.” —Dave Lipetz (Tennis Balance Board)

DJCM kept the hits coming while the kids enjoyed the indoor activities

“I really enjoyed the event and my bag of prizes. Had a great time and it was very crowded. I had a very good time at the Kids Zone and am glad I came.” —Tyler D’Alessandro (8-years-old) “It was a great opportunity for us to showcase what we have to offer to the tennis community.” —Sharon Rappaport (Sportime)

The future of New York tennis was on hand for the First Annual New York Tennis Expo

“Great crowd, lots of info gathered on some of the area’s great programs and an amazing turnout by the local tennis community.” —Neil Samuels (attendee) “I never picked up a racquet before, but was so inspired by the speeches and activities at the Expo that I can’t wait for next year’s event. I will now be playing tennis full-time thanks to my experience here today.” —Ruhima Hajang (attendee) “My family had a blast. What an event!” —Steve Gold (tennis parent)

Tina Greenbaum, Steve Kaplan, Tom Clear and Lawrence Kleger were among the panelists at the “Taking Your Game to the Next Level” session

“This event was a great opportunity to get my club’s info out to the entire local tennis community. I would definitely return for another year.” —Amandine LeGoupil-Mair (Long Beach Tennis Center) “I learned a lot from the drills and coaches. What a fun time for me and my family.” —Hailey Stewart (junior player)

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

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USTA METRO REGION

A Message From USTA Eastern Metro Region President Jackie Clark ind yourself in the game! The warm weather is finally here, and right now is the best time to pick up your racquet and get out and hit the ball. Whether you are a beginner, play a couple of times a week, or want to get back into playing the greatest sport in the world … now is the time! We are so fortunate to have so many places to play all across the five boroughs of New York. Why not meet up with some friends on the courts at one of the many beautiful NYC parks or work on your game through the many tennis programs being run all throughout the city? Many of the local high schools have tennis courts that are available to play on as well. The USTA Metro Region is committed to growing the game and through many events and programs, like the Battle of the Boroughs, Junior Team Tennis, 10 & Under Tennis, and the many Community Tennis Associations (CTAs) and USTA Eastern Metro Leagues, tournaments and programs there is something for every individual at every level and age. So, if not now, when? We want to help you find yourself in the game! For more information, visit www.metroregion.usta.com.

Appointed in 2013, Jackie Clark is currently president of the USTA Eastern Metro Region and is also an executive board member of the USTA Eastern Section. Clark has been a school counselor at Commack High School for the last 15 years and has coached the varsity boys and junior varsity girls tennis teams. She has also been a strong advocate of parks and recreation programs and has directed the Smithtown Parks tennis program for the last 12 years.

Tennis Center and the Harlem Armory. Each JTT match consisted of five individual matches: Boys & Girls Singles, and Boys, Girls and MixedDoubles. The season was filled with many competitive team and individual matches as teammates, parents, friends and USTA volunteers viewed and cheered the players on. The Junior Team Tennis Metro Region Championships were held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on April 21. Players showcased great play, while having fun with friends and displaying a high level of sportsmanship. The winning teams from each division went on to compete in the Sectional Tournament in Albany on June 15-16. Next up is the Junior Team Tennis All-Star match on Friday, July 5 at West Side Tennis Club. The Metro Region JTT All-Star team will challenge players from New Jersey. Matches will take place during the New York Open from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Come on out and support some of the area’s future tennis stars. If you have any questions and/or an interest in Junior Team Tennis, visit http://eastern.usta.com/jrteamtennis.

USTA Eastern Metro Helps Expand Knickerbocker Field Club’s 10 & Under Program By Patricia Lowry

Friends, Fitness and Fun: Winter 2013 Junior Team Tennis (Intermediate) ith more than 120 players for 21 teams in four different age groups (10 & Under, 12 & Under, 14 & Under and 18 & Under), the USTA Metro Region hosted a successful Winter 2013 season for Junior Team Tennis (JTT), Intermediate. Players from all over the Metro Region participated in JTT matches hosted each Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National

hanks to past grant money received from the USTA Eastern Metro Region, Knickerbocker Field Club in Brooklyn, N.Y. able to purchase Quick Start equipment and court supplies needed to divide instructional courts, which in turn increased the number of younger children who were introduced to tennis through this free program. Past funding also covered the expense of hiring additional teenage

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staff assistants (recruited from past program participants) who were needed to help the teaching pros set up and break down equipment as well as supervise children during instruction. With the extra equipment and staff support, we were able to: 1. Expand enrollment to 60 children per day. 2. Greatly increase participation and success in the younger groups aged five through 12. 3. Increase the number of children interested in our scholarship program. Our latest grant from the USTA Eastern Metro Region helped fund our Knickerbocker Junior Tennis Scholarship Program at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. This year, our goal was to raise enough money so that 10 children would be able to continue their tennis education throughout the indoor season. The grant available from USTA Metro was instrumental in helping Knickerbocker meet its goal. The grant helped us fund three children for a one-hour tennis lesson for eight weeks. All scholarship applicants are: 1. Active participants in the summer program held at the Knickerbocker. 2. Range in age from six- to 15-years-old. 3. Come from a variety of ethnic and family backgrounds.

Riverside Park Conservancy, Summer Sports Camp ennis in the Parks is getting a big push this summer, as the Riverside Park Conservancy is including tennis on the menu of its new multi-sport camp, alongside baseball, basketball and soccer, on the ball fields and playgrounds of Riverside Park in Manhattan. “The USTA played an important role in making this happen,” said Mark McIntyre, executive director of the Riverside Clay Tennis Association, the organization providing the tennis portion of the multi-sport camp. “First, the National Office of Community Development and Facilities was responsible for putting down blended lines for two 36’ and two 60’ courts on the existing volleyball and basketball courts on the playground. Then, USTA Eastern and the Metro Region came along and gave us some grants to buy all the ten-and-under equipment. Now tennis is competing side by side with other sports. We are right in between the soccer and baseball fields and the kids playing those sports can see how much fun the kids playing tennis are having. They are already part of the same camp so it will be easy for them to sign up and give our sport a try.”

Courts Resurfaced for Fort Greene Tennis Association Photo credits: Amanda Woods

aisy Schwartz, first vice president of the USTA Metro Region, has reported that the courts at the Fort Greene Tennis Association (FGTA) in Brooklyn, N.Y. have been resurfaced. Daisy asked Dr. Michael Brownstein, president of the Fort Greene Tennis Association, a few questions about the newly revamped courts. Michael mentioned that he “loves playing tennis in Ft. Greene Park. It’s my absolute favorite place to play. The best part about it is undoubtedly the community of local tennis players.” Read on to hear more about the exciting things happening with Fort Greene Tennis.

How did you get involved with The Fort Greene Tennis Association? I became involved with FGTA because I lived in the neighborhood and played tennis there regularly. A group of local players decided to get together to fix up the courts. How long have the courts been in need of repair? Ever since I have been playing on them, which was around 2004. They were last repaired in 1994. How were USTA Eastern and Jocelyn Cruz involved with the resurfacing of the courts? Jocelyn Cruz was one of the original members of the FGTA. She helped to get our organization going. The USTA provided a couple grants over the years, totaling about $5,000. What do you hope to accomplish now that the courts are resurfaced? We hope to take better care of the courts. In particular, we aim to prune the trees which are very overgrown, to build a shed for maintenance tools, install windscreens, and to clean and repair the courts in the future. The repairs we completed by fixing the existing cracks, leveling the depressions, and repainting. So, longer term, we hope to rebuild the courts properly one day. Do you have any events coming up you would like to us about? Our Fifth Annual Addison Steadman Memorial Championships are set for July 20-21 and 27-28.

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Jocelyn Cruz, tennis service representative of the New Jersey Region, USTA Eastern shared her thoughts as well: The Fort Greene Tennis Association was formed by neighbors. Ft. Greeners gathered together to discuss the courts that needed much repair in the summer of 2008. I asked tennis friends from the park to participate in a meeting to brainstorm ideas on how to move forward. It began with a few tennis enthusiasts that played frequently at the park with a meeting with council woman Leticia James in December 2009. After I moved to New Jersey, Michael [Brownstein] continued the efforts in the neighborhood. I am proud of the individuals that are volunteering their time to show progress to the efforts in Fort Greene tennis. It is just the beginning since it is going to need continuous maintenance. I’ve worn two hats: The first one is the hat of a neighbor who loved Ft. Greene Park tennis and friends. The second was one who brought in my professional network at USTA to achieve the vision of FGTA.

New York City Players Advance at Little Mo Tournament By Radhi Majmudar he “Little Mo” Tournament is a prestigious tournament named after Maureen Connolly, who in 1953, at the age of 18, won the Grand Slam of tennis, being the first woman to ever capture this elusive crown by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open in one calendar year. The Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation, which is spearheaded by Maureen Connolly’s daughter, organizes a series of tournaments, national and international throughout the year for the younger age groups. The Little Mo Eastern divisions were held at the Armonk Tennis Club in Armonk, N.Y. on May 31, June 1 and June 2. There will be eight players in each age group that will advance to the Little Mo National Regionals on July 12, July 13, and July 14. Congratulations to the Little Mo players who are advancing from New York City!

119th Street Tennis Association Holds Second Annual Spring Festival he threat of rain didn’t deter members of the 119th Street Tennis Association (119TA) from coming to the Second Annual Spring Tennis Festival on May 18. Attendees gathered around the

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membership table in the morning to join and renew membership, register for tournaments and purchase raffle tickets. The coveted prize in the raffle included tickets to the 2013 U.S. Open Women’s Semifinals. The event was supported by USTA Eastern, Riverside Park Conservancy, local businesses and 119TA volunteers. The 119TA is seeking to raise $60,000 to get the courts repaired and resurfaced. At the May picnic, $3,000 was raised to support the maintenance of the courts and tennis programming. One of the highlights of the day was the generous and scrumptious picnic buffet featuring savory foods provided by nearby restaurants including Bettolona, Henry’s, Indian Café, 107 West, Pisticci and Symposium. Gift certificates to Community Food and Vareli and tennis lessons with the resident pros were featured items in the popular raffle. Priscilla Li was coming off the courts from her morning tennis and stopped by the membership desk to check out the picnic event. She quickly decided to join 119TA and enter the raffle; lo and behold, she was the winner of the U.S. Open tickets! Plans were in place for a full afternoon of tennis activities featuring “Play with the Pro” sessions for adults and “10 & Under Tennis” for kids with resident pros Jaime Bravo and Dawn Fox. The Women’s Doubles Tournament was also scheduled, but the rain came just as the raffle concluded and all afternoon tennis activities had to be canceled. “Although the rain halted some of the fun planned for the day, the final event tally saw increased membership and significant dollars raised for a good cause,” said Liz Hydes, 119TA president. The Women’s Doubles Tournament was postponed, but concluded a few weeks later, extending the glow of the Tennis Festival success! A full roster of tournament competition for 119TA Members continues throughout the summer. The 119th Street Tennis Association is a non-profit organization operating under the auspices of Riverside Park Conservancy in New York City. Supported by more than 160 members, 119TA is dedicated to improving the quality of the tennis facility in Riverside Park at 119th Street. It organizes tournaments, clinics and related tennis activities. For information on membership, tournaments and events, visit www.119TA.net.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

HJTEP Hosts Pro-Am Event at National Tennis Center

aliVai Washington, Gigi Fernandez, Bea Bielik, Lori McNeil and Chanda Rubin were among the field of celebrities paired with the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program’s (HJTEP) amateur participants at a tennis pro-am tournament. The finals were played inside famed Arthur Ashe Stadium on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. New York Tennis Magazine spoke to the executive director of Harlem Junior Tennis League, Katrina Adams who said, “The HJTL is a non-profit, grassroots or-

ganization. The program starts from putting a racket in a kid’s hand to a possible college scholarship. Around 85 percent of the kids in the program are from the Harlem community. The program offers many things from tennis, tutoring, mentoring, life skills and college prep.” HJTEP is a NJTL chapter and has operated continuously in Harlem since its inception and now serves more than 1,000 youth each year. The mission is to bring the values learned through tennis to youth from high risk, low income innercity neighborhoods and to offer opportu-

nities for self- development, while highlighting education and a positive code of behavior. Speaking on the future of the program Adams added, “Tennis can be a vehicle to a college scholarship. Programs like this helps kids build self confidence and helps boost their self esteem. Tennis is a life sport and all ages can play it. Kids can go to college and play club tennis, and not do something as competitive as varsity tennis. Our goal for this program is to expand and one day have a bigger facility. We have been housed in the armory since 1972.”

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“The Outsider” By Jimmy Connors BY BRENT SHEARER f you think the main job of a sports memoir is to tell the athlete’s story in his own voice, and that’s a reasonable thesis, then you have to credit Jimmy Connors’ book, The Outsider with accomplishing that. In the 416 pages of the book, the tennis fan is taken on a ride through the tumultuous post-Open era from the perspective of one of our sport’s greatest players. One oddity of the book is the way Connors, in his direct quotes, seems to call everybody “son.” Still, there are plenty of tidbits for the fan in the book. Connors discusses his struggle with OCD and his complicated relationship with his mother and grandmother. He also, very controversially, outs his former girlfriend, Chris Evert, for having had an abortion. Well, nobody ever accused Connors of being a gentleman. If I said that Connors’ voice in the book, the public man, apparently, is crass, vulgar, self-centered, one of the most narcissistic divas of his time, easily rivaling that other self-impressed champion, Martina Navratilova, whose self-concern makes Beyonce seem like Mother Theresa, there would be no sense arguing about it. Connors admits as much and has no problem with it. In one passage, he says he didn’t get the memo about not grabbing his crotch during matches. Okay … I guess? This is the world of sports, and when you deliver the goods, eight Grand Slam singles titles, it proves what Connors says his grandmother told him, “You can get away with anything if you win.” Reading The Outsider is like listening to the Nixon tapes in that the principal is paranoid, obsessed, has a narrow view of the world and an extreme us-versus-them mentality, though the former president never had a run like Connors did at the 1991 U.S. Open.

From Connors’ perspective, all of this vitriol is justified by his back-story about being a battler from the wrong side of tracks, first from East St. Louis, Ill., then Belleville, Ill. The East St. Louis part of the myth is important because it really is a poor town. Belleville, while no Beverly Hills, isn’t. Connors takes care to point out that the tennis court in the backyard of his family’s house in Belleville was homemade. He also mentions that it was only put in so his mother could give lessons to supplement the family’s income. There is a picture of the teenage Connors playing on that court. The center line and the service line look faint. Apparently, that just motivated Connors to beat all the rich kids whose backyard courts had lines on them that stood out. If you remember or have studied the arcana of men’s pro tennis in the 1970s and 1980s, Connors’ take on the personalities of his era will be engaging. Who knew that Jimmy Arias acted badly in the overall debacle that was the 1984 U.S.-Sweden Davis Cup tie? And, again, Connors stays in his public character, or caricature, as he takes swipes at nearly everybody who crossed his path. There’s no making nice with John McEnroe. Brad Gilbert gets a beat down from the author (it isn’t clear who wrote The Outsider, as David Hirshey is credited as the editor), tennis executive Ray Benton and former ATP tour umpire Jeremy Shales all are dissed. Andre Agassi takes a nasty drubbing as well. Agassi can defend himself, but I have to object to the portrait of British umpire Jeremy Shales. The ATP hired Shales to try to control Connors and McEnroe in the 1980s. When he did his job, in part by defaulting Connors at the Miami event in 1986, the tour fired him. The tennis personality who must be a saint to have escaped the

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wrath of Connors is Andy Roddick, whom he coached for over a year. Illie Nastase and Vitas Gerulaitis also don’t get any criticism, but you can understand why they escaped being placed on Connors’ enemies list. What we get in The Outsider is the public record of Connors, the public man. If you are a Connors fan, you’ll enjoy the book. Jimmy Connors’ antics and performances touched a lot of people in a positive way. He won 10 Grand Slams counting doubles. He is the only man to win the U.S. Open on all three surfaces. Let’s not forget what Arthur Ashe was quoted as saying when somebody asked him if Connors was an expletive? Ashe

supposedly said, “Yes, but he’s our expletive.” Connors invented his “outsider” ethos, and he certainly hasn’t wavered in living up to it. You have to give credit where credit is due. If all of those Caesars Palace “winner take all” matches weren’t really “winner take all,” screw the newspapers who made a fuss about it. The portrait of the champion that emerges from The Outsider isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Still, you have to admire, with reservations, the lion in winter who is still snarling after all his hip replacements. The Outsider is well worth reading if you are a Jimmy Connors fan. They cannot take that away from you, son.

“Salomon’s Tennis Wisdom: A Practical Guide to Better Tennis” By Salomon Levy Bromet ong Island tennis coach Salomon Levy Bromet’s guide to playing tennis is a well-designed booklet that uses a series of visual analogies to guide players to better performance. With clear images and pithy text, Salomon compares each shot to activities in other areas. For example, the volley is compared to catching butterflies with the racquet as the net. The kick serve is likened to hitting the ball up and over a wall. Salomon has given players a well-designed work that can be absorbed without reading a great deal of text. The visuals do

the job, leaving more time for on-court practice. Salomon’s instructional guide will fill the gap on tennis players’ bookshelves and will fit into racquet bags much more easily than weightier tomes on the game. There is no arguing with Levy when he says, “What you visualize, you can realize.” To order this book you can contact Salomon directly at zenmaster18@hotmail.com or you can find it on iTunes. Brent Shearer may be reached by e-mail at bbshearer@gmail.com.

www.gothamtennis.com

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Del Potro Meets the Pope

Juan Martin del Potro took in a Mass at the Vatican and also shared a meet-and-greet with the recently elected leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, during the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Del Potro presented the Pope, a fellow Argentine, with one of the racquets he used to defeat Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open. The Pope actually picked out del Potro in a crowd. “There was a very nice moment when he was talking to all of us, all of his audience, and he turned his face, saw me, and raised his thumb,” said del Potro. “He recognized me and that surprised me. We talked for a few seconds. He told me that he knew I was playing at the tournament in Rome, he blessed me and wished me the best. I congratulated him and thanked him for the opportunity to talk to him.” Benoit Paire, the unseeded Frenchman, defeated the seventh-seeded del Potro 64, 7-6(3) in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

ken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia,” Stephens said. “And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter.” Days later, the two made up, as Stephens backpedaled via a tweet a few days later: “Guilty of being naive. Much respect 4 @serenawilliams , a champ & the GOAT. We spoke, we’re good. ONWARD! #lifelessons.”

Tomic’s father in trouble John Tomic, coach and father of world number 64 Bernard Tomic, was reported in the Australian media as being arrested for assaulting Thomas Drouet and will face a Madrid court. He was barred from attending the French Open or other events governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Sloane vs. Serena

Relationship between Evert and Connors exposed

World number 17 Sloane Stephens was not happy with top-ranked Serena Williams and she made that public. “She’s not said one word to me, not spo-

Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors were the tennis world’s golden couple in the 1970s, but suddenly called off their wedding in 1974. Connors, in an excerpt from his new

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memoir, The Outsider, has now shed light on the split. “An issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion, and a decision had to be made as a couple. Chrissie called to say she was taking care of the ‘issue,’” he says in the book. “I was happy to let nature take its course. It was a horrible feeling, but I knew it was over. Getting married wasn’t going to be good for us.” Evert responded saying, “In his book, Jimmy Connors has written about a time in our relationship that was very personal and emotionally painful. I am extremely disappointed that he used the book to misrepresent a private matter that took place 40 years ago and made it public, without my knowledge. I hope everyone can understand that I have no further comment.” Connors, who won five U.S. Open titles, and Evert, who won six, captured the nation’s hearts when they dated in the 1970s, particularly after they both won the Wimbledon singles title in 1974. It was the same year the then 22-year-old bad boy of tennis and the 19-year-old “America’s Sweetheart” planned to get married. But the 60-year-old writes in The Outsider about the situation that arose just weeks before their planned wedding. Evert was just 19 at the time, and though she was raised as a Catholic, Connors claims it was her idea. “Chrissie, however, had already made up her mind that the timing was bad and too much was riding on her future. She

asked me to handle the details.” He wrote that his response was: “Well thanks for letting me know. Since I don’t have any say in the matter, then I guess I am just here to help.” When he told her they were too young and should take a step back, her reply was: “Okay, if that’s what you think. I’ve got a match tomorrow. Not a problem.” And, according to Connors, that was it. He said though he loved Evert, he knew both their ambitions would ultimately get in the way of them having a future together.

Tweets from the tennis pros …

What do tennis stars do off the court? They watch TV of course: l Andy Murray (@andy_murray): Sherlock Holmes is my idol! l Serena Williams (@serenawilliams): I’m obsessed with the TV show Arrow! l Laura Robson (@laurarobson5): This week’s Game of Thrones is a corker. l Melanie Oudin (@melanie_oudin): Officially a Game of Thrones fan now! Sharapova l Jesse Levine (@jesselevine7): In need of a new show to start watching over dating Dimitrov here in Europe … Suits, Breaking Bad, Maria Sharapova was Dexter, Justified all checked off the list, rumored to be dating suggestions? fellow tennis player Grigor Dimitrov for months, but neither party They connect with their fans via social ever confirmed the media: relationship. It wasn’t until the two were l Roger Federer @rogerfederer): A little (blue) bird told me that the place to be photographed by the paparazzi after is @twitter, so here I am! Dimitrov’s upset win over Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open that she finally confirmed the two were an item … and They play and watch other sports: l Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob): she did so in a great way. Fun morning playing hoops at my alma After beating Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4 at the mater, even got some tips from new Madrid Open, Sharapova went to sign a tel@UCLAMBB coach afterwards! evision camera as is customary for the winl Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): ner. Instead of signing her name, Lets go @MiamiHEAT!! Sharapova wrote a funny message inl Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): Good tended for the paparazzi: “How did you TV day ... Queens tennis final, US Open catch us?”

golf, checking on fantasy baseball team and NBA finals. l Mardy Fish (@mardyfish): I love the handshakes after a playoff hockey series is over. Lotta respect there ... They relax at the spa and go to sporting events: l Maria Kirilenko (@mkirilenko): Spa time #red door spa … relax before the Caps game tonight, I deserved it! They enjoy meals with friends: l Jack Sock (@jacksock): Look who I ran into at Chipotle, tennis players just love it @Bryanbros @Bryanbrothers @MicaelaBryan @ChipotleTweets. l Svetlana Kuznetsova (@svetlanaK27): I’m waiting for @flavia_pennetta to come back to hotel and txt me ... So we go for dinner … Anyone knows where is Flavia at? l Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki): Enjoyed a nice lunch on the beach with friends and family! Only missing @McIlroyRory! l Rhyne Williams (@rhynewilliams): Chipotle near Wimbledon... This is too good to be true! #nom l Kim Clijsters (@clijsterskim): At Jamba Juice getting our wheatgrass shot in. Great to see @venuseswilliams being a role model for healthy food!

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

Mind Over Matches By Daniel Kresh ost anyone who has ever played a tennis match has some appreciation for how mentally challenging this sport can be in addition to the physical aspect of the game. One mistake, at an inopportune time, can turn a match around 180-degrees. If maintaining focus is difficult (hint: it is!), then regaining it after a lull is even tougher. Just like any other part of your game, focus can be practiced and understanding that a switch in tactics can allow you to hang on and can keep you competitive in matches that might be slipping away. The bad news is there’s no one surefire way to get out of a slump, but the fantastic news is the best way to get better at reversing poor play is by experimenting and finding what works for you. When things are not going your way in a match, it is important to keep your head up, literally and figuratively. Poor body language will only exacerbate problems and give more confidence to your opponents. Ironically the first place to “look” when things go south is your feet, tennis shots are complicated, but they are hit from the

ground up and sometimes subtle errors in footwork go unnoticed and players wonder why their consistency is all of a sudden eluding them. I suggest using mantras or phrases to repeat in your head. Some options that have worked for me include: On your toes, eyes on the ball, happy feet, quick steps, always be closing, move forward, stand your ground, one more shot). Not only can they remind you of the simple things, but they can help you switch gears mentally, repeating a short phrase over and over in your mind can help reduce the over thinking we all get plagued by on court. There’s a famous quote by Albert Einstein on insanity, defining it as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This applies to tennis. If your out wide serve in the deuce court isn’t as effective as usual, maybe you should hit more serves into the body or down the T. Another option is to take pace of your first serve and improve your percentage. Many times, the first response a player might have when a shot is off is to keep going for it. That strategy is good for practice, but mid-match you may just have to go with Plan B. I am hard-pressed to think of examples

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where stubbornly staying the course has turned matches around for players … it’s just not likely to happen. Having a second game plan can be imperative, altering your pace or style can make it very difficult for your opponent(s) to maintain the momentum your less than stellar play has allowed them to build up. Sometimes, a change can be as simple as a change of clothing, a fresh shirt, hat or sweatband could actually be enough to regain focus. In new clothes, it may be easier to execute a new game plan, again everyone’s different, but some players can benefit greatly from something this simple, so why not try it? It is never fun to lose, however, every loss has an opportunity for learning in there somewhere. If you crumble and say “not today,” and go through the motions playing the same game that got you in a hole in the first place, you are not likely to have learned much of anything. If you try something else, whether it works or not, your ability to implement a new plan under pressure should at least make you feel like a tougher competitor and will ideally expand the comfortable patterns you have, thus effectively increasing the capacity of your proverbial “bag of tricks.”

As a young junior, I hated (as many do) to play counter punchers. I used to have a one-dimensional game with a strike first attitude, and when my forehand or serve let me down, or if my opponent dared to return a shot, my entire mental game could collapse in seconds. At that point in time, rather than trying to be more consistent, I stubbornly decided that I should just hit harder. This often resulted in more errors, and erratic play which is exactly what counterpunchers love to face. Over time, I realized that maybe this whole consistency thing was valuable and I learned how to counterpunch myself. I would not consider my current style of play to be that of a counterpuncher, working at it has added depth to my game and has made it easier to deal with counterpunchers across the net. This is just one example from my personal experiences and the takeaway here is two-fold. If you don’t make a change in your game, you won’t likely make a change in the score. But if you try something different, even if you fail, you are more likely to gain useful in-

formation to implement in the future. Some tips are as follows: 1. Put yourself in your opponents’ shoes. If you were in your opponent’s shoes, what shots would you not want to deal with? Make them hit those shots. 2. If someone is good on the stretch out wide (fast, tall or a combination of both), see how they are moving up and back or away from the ball. Try drawing them in, hitting down the middle to force them to create angles or keeping the ball low, particularly if they are tall. 3. When someone plays far behind the baseline, they are telling you they like more time … so move forward! They get extra time by increasing the distance between the two of you, if you move forward as they move back, this advantage shrinks and the often high deep balls these players tend to hit may be makeable volleys that put you on offense.

4. It can never hurt to try and play more consistently. Every shot you hit in gives your opponent an opportunity to miss. Any style of play needs some basis in consistency, so working on this is universally beneficial. 5. As I have said in other articles, there is a difference between losing a match and being beaten. Losing is demoralizing, but being beaten builds character and teaches lessons that will help you to beat other players and get beaten less. If a match isn’t going your way, work hard to make your opponent earn it by mixing things up! Daniel Kresh is a USPTA-certified tennis professional who recently accepted the positions of director of junior tennis and assistant tennis professional at the Three Village Tennis Club in Setauket, N.Y. He is also the assistant professional at The Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills. He may be reached by e-mail at dankreshtennis@gmail.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

U.S. Open National Playoffs Field By Erin Brown he U.S. Open National Playoffs is a sequence of tournaments which gives players, the chance to live out their tennis dreams and qualify for the U.S. Open Grand Slam event. Between April 1July 4, 13 sections of the USTA run a Sectional Qualifying Tournament with men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed-doubles matches. The winners of each sectional tournament move on to the U.S. Open National Playoffs Championships. This championship will happen in New Haven, Conn. during the New Haven Open, part of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. The winner of the men’s and women’s singles events will earn a wild card entry to be able to compete in the qualifying tournament for the 2013 U.S. Open. The mixed-doubles winners will receive a wild card entry to compete in the main draw of the 2013 U.S. Open MixedDoubles event. In the men’s final of the 2013 U.S. Open National Playoffs at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Damon Gooch of Maryland defeated Richard Del Nunzio of Forest Hills, 6-3, 6-0. Finalist Del Nunzio, who is headed to St. Johns in the fall to play for Coach Eric Rebhuhn, was disappointed with his loss, but he still believes this is a great tournament. “The tournament is a fun one to play and it is very well run. I didn’t play my best, but you have to deal with what you have,” said Del Nunzio after his match. Del Nunzio defeated Aidan Talcott of Sea Cliff, N.Y. in a tough three set semifinal. Damon Gooch was a gracious winner and is looking forward to the next step after this tournament. He said he took some time off this year, but is grateful for the supportive group he has around him. “Thank you for everyone around me for standing by me,” Gooch said. Gooch was upbeat and positive after his match and talked to spectators about his game and they wished him luck in his upcoming matches.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

d Narrows in Flushing Meadows The women’s final featured Alanna Wolff from Perth Amboy, N.J. and Magda Okruashvili from Brooklyn, N.Y. This match was similar to the men’s final in that it was fairly one-sided. Okruashvili won in straight sets 6-0, 6-4, to move on to the next step in qualifying for the 2013 U.S. Open. Afterwards, Wolff talked about her match and her strategy. “My opponent took everything early, and I tried to get her out of her rhythm,” Wolff said about Okruashvili. While Wolff was not able to come through with a win, she will be playing tennis for Princeton in the fall. Okruashvili spoke after the tournament about her future tennis career plans. “As a kid, I dreamed of making it as far as I could. One day, I hope to make it to the U.S. Open,” said Okruashvili. Okruashvili looked poised and said she never gets nervous before a big match, which could explain why she has won this tournament two years in a row. She now heads to New Haven for the next step of the qualifying stage. In this year’s mixed-doubles final, the team of Tarakaa Bertrand (Jamaica, N.Y.) & Sam Sweeney (New York, N.Y.) defeated last year’s

winners Alison Adamski (Great Neck, N.Y.) & Keith Kessler (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 105. It was a tough match, and finalists Adamski & Kessler were disappointed with the loss. “Our opponents played well, and we tried our best. We won last year, so this is a tough loss for us,” said Kessler after the match. The winning team of Bertrand & Sweeney were all smiles after their win and couldn’t stop taking pictures on the court. Sweeney said they were coincidental partners when she found out her and her partner Bertrand were both going to be in the same area, so they decided to enter the tournament. Both players said how special it is to play on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center courts, and were excited that this win could come on these grounds. Bertrand & Sweeney will now have some additional practice time to prepare for New Haven, Conn. Erin Brown is an intern at New York Tennis Magazine. She graduated from George Washington University with a degree in English, where she was also a member of the Club Tennis team. She may be reached by e-mail at erinb@litennismag.com.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Damon Gooch of Maryland (pictured here) defeated Richard Del Nunzio of Forest Hills, 6-3, 6-0 in the U.S. Open National Playoffs at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

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NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NY Sportimes Gear Up for 2013 Campaign

MCENROE TO MEET COURIER ON JULY 22ND AT SPORTIME STADIUM

his season, the New York Sportimes will split their 2013 Mylan World TeamTennis season between two New York home courts, Sportime Stadium at Randall’s Island and the SEFCU Arena at University at Albany, N.Y. The two home matches at Sportime Stadium will be played July 22 as the Sportimes face the Texas Wild, and the following night on July 23 as the Sportimes face the Washington Kastles led by former Sportimes star, Martina Hingis. On Monday, July 22, former world number ones, Davis Cup standouts and International Tennis Hall of Famers John McEnroe and Jim Courier will battle it out on the Sportime Stadium hard court on as the Sportimes take on the Texas Wild. The annual night benefiting the Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) will also feature fellow Hall of Famer and Mylan WTT Co-Founder Billie Jean King in celebration of the 40th anniversary year of her historic matchup with Bobby Riggs in the famed “Battle of the Sexes.” “Jim Courier has meant so much to American tennis, and we couldn’t be more pleased that he and the Texas Wild will be the opponent for this special night,” said Sportime Clubs and New York Sportimes CEO Claude Okin. “To have two of our country’s all-time premier players and tennis ambassadors in Jim and in our own Captain and leader, John McEnroe, will make for a very competitive and entertaining evening, but most importantly will ultimately help so many children in New York.” JMTP scholarship recipients attend the

John McEnroe Tennis Academy, which is completing its third year at Sportime Randall’s Island. “The JMTP Benefit night is a highlight of the year for me and for the Johnny Mac Tennis Project,” said McEnroe. “My commitment is stronger than ever to the youth of New York, and just as Bjorn and Andre helped make the evening special in years past, getting to compete against Jim again will, I

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

hope, pump people up about American tennis past and future.” The night will also be part of a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the “Battle of the Sexes” match between King and Riggs, which took place in Houston on Sept. 20, 1973. The spectacle, won by King in straight sets, is often cited as a turning point towards females earning equality in many aspects of American life. “I am honored and excited to be participating in this benefit, and to help John do what he is doing in his home town of New York City,” said Courier. “I live in NYC and I practice at Sportime so I see what John and his Academy are accomplishing there. I wanted to do my part to support John’s efforts in furthering the development of American tennis and young players in NYC.” Ticket prices for the July 22 match will be $75, $150 and $300, with additional special VIP packages also available; please consult your tax advisor concerning the tax deductibility of ticket and package purchases. Tickets for the JMTP benefit night on July 22 and for the NY Sportimes home match vs. the Washington Kastles at Randall’s Island on July 23 can be purchased by calling (888) WTT-NYC1 or by visitingwww.nysportimes.com. The July 23 match is also benefiting JMTP and features former Sportime, and soon-to-be enshrined International Hall of Fame inductee, Martina Hingis, playing for Washington. Those purchasing tickets to the July 22 match may elect to receive a ticket to the following night’s match for $1.

NY Sportimes Gear Up for 2013 Campaign

MCENROE TO MEET COURIER ON JULY 22ND AT SPORTIME STADIUM

MEET THE 2013 NEW YORK SPORTIMES Coach Claude Okin Claude Okin serves as chief executive officer of Sportime Clubs. Claude provides leadership and vision for all Sportime corporate directives by supervising the director of operations and executive management team, while managing relationships with Sportime’s partners and funding sources. This season he will lead the New York Sportimes during their 2013 World TeamTennis campaign. John McEnroe John McEnroe is a former world number one who won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at Wimbledon and four at the U.S. Open), nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed-doubles title. McEnroe also won a record eight season ending championships, comprising five WCT Finals titles and three Masters Grand Prix titles from 12 final appearances at those two events, a record he shares with Ivan Lendl. Additionally, McEnroe is a former junior Grand Slam champion. During his career, McEnroe is listed to have won 77 singles titles by the ATP.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld Anna-Lena Groenefeld is a former top-15 singles player currently ranked 19th in the world in doubles. The Sportimes acquired the rights to Groenefeld, who played for Orange County last year, then selected her in the third round. She ranked as high as 14th in the world in singles in 2006, finishing the year at 19th and winning a championship at Acapulco. In her career, Groenefeld has had two semifinal and five quarterfinal singles appearances. Groenefeld has won 11 WTA doubles crowns and has reached 14 other finals, including three in 2012. She has one career Grand Slam win, in mixed-doubles at Wimbledon in 2009 with Mark Knowles. Kveta Peschke Kveta Peschke, who served as a substitute for the Sportimes in last year’s WTT finals weekend, has won 23 career WTA doubles titles and was a member of the 2011 Fed Cup team representing her native Czech Republic. Her most recent doubles championship was at Sydney in 2012. She has one

Grand Slam title, taking the 2011 doubles at Wimbledon with partner Katarina Srebotnik, and has one career WTA singles crown at Makarska, Croatia in 1998. Robert Kendrick American Robert Kendrick will be competing for the Sportimes for the sixth year since 2002. He was a member of the Sportimes’ WTT championship team in 2005 and was protected by New York in the first round of the draft. Kendrick has been ranked as high as 69th on the ATP World Tour. Jesse Witten Jesse Witten is playing his seventh consecutive year with the Sportimes, and was the team’s secondround selection in the 2013 WTT Draft. Witten, a five-time All American at the University of Kentucky, is in his seventh year on the ATP Tour and has been ranked as high as 163rd in singles, reaching the third round of the U.S. Open in 2009. Witten was WTT Rookie of the Year in 2007.

For more information, call (212) 427-6150 or visit www.nysportimes.com. NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • 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. The League is divided into three levels of play, Intermediate (3.0-3.5), Advanced Intermediate (4.0) and Advanced (4.5+). The Metro Corporate Tennis League also offers an Advanced Beginner Clinic program for teams that are not ready to compete. However, during the summer season, the League can only accommodate 22-plus teams. The following is the roster for the season:

Advanced Division 1. Bloomberg (Amit) 2. Bloomberg (Huy) 3. Bloomberg (Vighnesh) 4. BNP Paribas (Thibaud) 5. Cleary Gottlieb 6. Ernst & Young 7. Horizon Media 8. Patterson Intermediate Division I 1. Deutsche (Elena) 2. Sullivan 3. Ipreo 4. D.E. Shaw 5. Barclays 6. Freshfields 7. Moody’s 8. Cleary Gottlieb 38

Intermediate Division II 1. Bloomberg (Ankur) 2. Bank of Tokyo 3. Nielsen 4. MSCI 5. Deutsche (Tony) 6. Google

Division Champions Ernst & Young, and Advanced Division Champions Bloomberg.

Advanced Beginner Clinic 1. Bloomberg (Peggy) The season will run from June 3Aug. 15, culminating with an end-ofseason party at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. The Metro Corporate Tennis League would also like to congratulate Winter 2013 Intermediate Division Champions Opera Solutions, Advanced Intermediate

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

For more information on the Metro Corporate Tennis League, visit www.metrotennis.com under the “Corporate” tab.

CTASpotlight R I V E R S I D E C L AY T E N N I S A S S O C I AT I O N ew York City tennis players are lucky. They have access to one of the few public red clay tennis facilities in the United States thanks to the Riverside Clay Tennis Association (RCTA) which maintains and manages 10 beautiful red clay courts along the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Riverside Park near 96th Street. Anyone with a Parks Department season tennis permit can sign up for a court. Those without a permit can pay $15. Why play on red clay? “Well, first of all it’s just a lot of fun,” said RCTA Executive Director Mark McIntyre. “Second of all, for those of over, say, 40, it’s a lot easier on the legs, especially the joints, than playing on hard courts. Clay also rewards patience and somewhat diminishes the power of big hitters. On clay, the ball bounces at a steeper angle—more straight up—which has the effect of slowing it down and gives you a little more time to get to it.” The reason there aren’t more public clay courts—there are only about four others in the nation, according to McIntyre—is that they are very expensive to maintain because of the labor involved. The RCTA raises more than $400,000 annually to maintain and operate the facility. They employ two full-time groundskeepers. They also staff the gate with employees or volunteers and contribute half the salary for the sole Parks employee assigned to the facility. Founded in 1984, the RCTA was initially formed to lobby against New York City’s plans to pave over the derelict courts

after years of neglect. “We formed a group,” said Harry Homa, one of the founders who still plays there several times a week and volunteers at the gate on Thursday afternoons. “We went to the local community board to protest. A lot of the senior players can’t play on hard courts. We decided to organize, hold tournaments, raise funds and eventually the Parks Department recognized us as responsible partners who could maintain the courts.” With improvement came popularity. “We’re pretty busy,” said McIntyre. “We fill up most hours. But since we don’t take reservations, you can always get a court if you’re willing to wait your turn. It’s about an hour wait on weekdays and can get up to two or three hours on

the weekend. But here by the river, it’s not a bad place to wait.” The RCTA is not done improving. Because the area was created on landfill in the 1930s when the West Side Highway was built, there is no nearby connection to the sewer system. The lack of proper bathrooms has long plagued tennis players and other park users. The RCTA is in the process of raising $6 million in public and private funds to transform an abandoned parking lot into a landscaped overlook of the river that will include green, sustainable public restrooms using composting toilets and solar power. For more information about this effort visit, www.greenoutlook.info. For more information about RCTA programs and public red clay courts, visit www.rcta.info.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

the biofile: By Scoop Malinowski

Status: Hall of Fame tennis legend. DOB: Nov. 22, 1943 in Long Beach, Calif. First tennis memory: That’s actually one of my questions when I’m coaching. That’s fantastic. That’s the first time somebody’s asked me that. My first memory in tennis … well, I’ll tell you how I got into tennis. Susan Williams, in fifth grade, said to me, ‘Do you want to play tennis?’ And I said, ‘What’s tennis?’ So that’s the first time I ever heard the word. I went out with her to hit. And I really liked it. It was fun. And then the second time I ever played was at the public parks pre-instruction group clinic. That’s when I decided, at the end of that day, to be number one in the world … I wanted to be number one in the world. I’m sure I whiffed a lot with my friend Susan at her club, it was a country club. We played on the same softball team too and our coach said that there was free instruction every Tuesday at Helton Park. So that’s where I decided to be number one … at Helton Park. I was really lucky, the stars were aligned. Susan asked me to play and

it was Long Beach, Calif. Where there was good weather and a great public parks system. We also had a great instructor in Clyde Walker who I absolutely adored from day one. He was an older guy at the time at 61years-old and I just loved him. He made it fun, so he was really important. I had really positive memories, even from the first time I played tennis. Tennis inspirations: When I started to play, right from the beginning, I went to the library and checked out all three books. In those days, I read everything I could about the history of the sport. I was inspired by all of the champions that I read about as a child. Because I read about them right away. I mean, it was like the first week that I was hitting balls at the park and I just loved the sport. I remember Tennis With Doris Hart … she was a great champion. Within that book, she talked about all the

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Billie Jean King women’s champions of her era. I learned all about them. And then there was Use Your Head in Tennis by Bob Harmon … one of the first instructional books that I read. I love that book. And there was a book that had champions from each U.S. Open. So I just read about the history of the sport all the time. I was very fortunate to grow up in Southern California where we had so many champions. I ended up getting to meet Darlene Hard and she hit with me. Everybody in Southern California plays in the parks and were pretty casual. We would go to clubs and then the club people would play at the parks, and we would go back to play at the country clubs. It wasn’t as elitist as it is probably in other parts of the country, so that was helpful. Greatest sports moment: I never think about my tennis career. I think about what we, a group of us, tried to do off the court. There’s many moments … fighting for professional tennis in the 1960s and the sad times when the males didn’t want us to be part of their association. I really wanted us to be together, because as amateurs, the men and women were always together. That was a very hurtful time … it was a very tough time. There were nine of us called the Original Nine who signed the contract with Gladys Heldman in Houston, Texas in 1970 at a tournament. That was really the birth of women’s tennis … the way we know it today. It was a very important moment. I have accomplished a lot of really great things, but I really don’t think about my time on the tennis courts being the greatest. The stuff I have done off the court, to me that’s lasting. Performing is very temporary. So if I can connect the generations and have each generation pass the baton on to the next generation, we will continue to shape the future of the sport. That’s what makes me happy … when I connect the generations. My greatest moments continue to this day. I don’t have to be a tennis player to keep helping the sport or helping equality.

I think one of my greatest moments is when they named the National Tennis Center after me. It was Aug. 28, 2006 and everybody was so kind to me. It was a great evening … like a culmination. You have to understand, we didn’t get along in the old days, and here they are naming a facility after me. I mean, they’re almost suspending me at one point in my career, and years later, they’re naming their facility after me! But that’s what’s really important … always forgive and keep moving on. I never held any bitterness, and obviously, we have new management all the time. This is my generation of people, so they understood how the game changed in the 1960s, a lot of things changed in the 60s. Sports is a microcosm of society, and our sport changed a lot then too. There was a lot of chaos and upheaval, just like the rest of the world. We really reflected that in our sport, by the big changes we had in the 60s and the 70s. I really like to continue to just improve our situation and have all the generations really work together and help each other. Most painful moment: When the guys didn’t want us to be with the association … that was and still is a very painful time when I think about it. Those were my friends, the guys I ate dinner with and went dancing with. I still love them very much, but we could have lived even better when we’re always together. I just think when people work together, both men and women, we always have more strength, more ideas, more adversity, and all the things that equal creativity. If we would have been together in 1970, it would have been revolutionary, because it would have been a sport that’s actually co-ed … together as a professional sport. Even today, if we would do it, it would be almost ground-breaking as well. And this is what now? Forty years later? So it’s amazing how we could have been just eons ahead of everybody else.

up twitches and he’s always looking in the audience, and I’m just the opposite. We really mixed well. There were always funny things happening. We won a mixed-doubles at Wimbledon because we mishit! We were going to lose and I had a chance to win three titles that year and we were losing to this team that we should have killed! I won’t go into the names because that’s not fair, but they were killing us. They were playing much better than we were. He finally hit something off the frame up at the net. I mean, it just barely touched the frame and just bounced over. And that was a turning point. You look back and wonder how that was possible? There’s always funny times. Like when people forgot their pants or were always borrowing things. We were always laughing. I must say, we always had a good sense of humor. I think that’s what got us through everything. Everybody had a different personality which I think made the game exciting. What was your favorite tournament: I love team tennis the best [smiles]. I love team sports. It’s the best, as far as women’s doubles and singles, I grew up thinking that Wimbledon was it. You have to understand that in my day, that was head and shoulders above the other Grand Slams. Then, when we were trying to change the game, we didn’t care about winning Grand Slams because our mission was more about taking tennis to the people. Like the Virginia Slims Tour … when we

started women’s professional tennis— that’s what was really important to us … taking tennis to these cities, making it the most important thing in their lives. I felt that every day and every tournament was important. But Wimbledon was the most important … just because of the way I grew up … what I read … the culture at that time. In my younger days, if you won Wimbledon, you were considered number one in the world. It was very different than it is now. If I grew up today, I may not have the same perception. It’s very elegant. There’s something about Wimbledon I really like. I like keeping great traditions and getting rid of the ones that don’t help the sport. There are some traditions that I think are good sometimes, but most people who want to change history have a great respect for history. Who are your favorite players to watch: Oh my God, all of them. I wish I could hit one ball like that. I think Federer and Nadal are a cut above the rest. Now, Djokovic and Murray … I think Andy Murray is unreal. And on the women’s side … if Serena can stay dedicated and remain injury-free, she has the potential to be the greatest player that ever lived. Scoop Malinowski is the co-owner of Tennis-prose.com. His book, Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew, is available at Amazon.com. He may be reached by email at mrbiofile@aol.com.

Funniest tennis memory: Always in doubles and mixed … oh my God it’s your partner who makes it fun! Like Owen Davidson, my mixed-doubles partner from Australia. Davis Cup player, lefty, Mr. Twitch. He and Andy Roddick could match NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

ears ago, coaches would tell their students to recover to the middle. Nowadays, whatever shot you hit, you should recover slightly cross-court to that. If you hit to the center of the court, you should recover to the center as well. That is ideal, however, I was interested in what the professionals were doing, and I noticed something slightly different. A player may not have the time to recover to the ideal position. The reason is due to the speed of the game. The game is simply too fast to recover to the suggested position. Players will stop when their opponent is hitting the ball, to split step, for the most part, no matter where they are on the court. More importantly, you must understand the effectiveness of your shot and the tendencies of your opponents as well as their range. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have great down the line (DTL) backhands, and if you were playing either of them, you would be weary of their DTL backhand and would have to learn to recover appropriately.

Times Have Changed

Recovery and Percentage Tennis

By Tom Clear

Let’s talk percentages Years ago, 80 percent of professional shots would be cross-court (CC) as the net is lower in the middle, there is more distance CC than DTL, and it’s easier to hit back from where the ball came from rather than change direction. It was the higher percentage shot. However, racquet and string technology, as well as elite physical fitness, has changed percentage tennis which, in turn, effects recovery position as we touched on above. There are now three basic directions—DTL, CC and Angle. That’s due to the spin that the strings of today can produce. Players today play inside and behind the baseline primarily with three shots, not just the CC. The game has become more lateral, with side-to-side movement inside and behind the baseline. The percentage of winning increases significantly with moving forward. Therefore, playing inside the baseline is still more important than moving your opponent side to side. The DTL shot is not a high risk shot. A few years back there was a study with the women that showed there was a one percent difference between DTL and CC in terms of errors. That is you might have an 86 percent chance of hitting a good CC, but an 85 percent chance of hitting the DTL in. Over many shots, it could help win the match, however, there is more reward when you do change to DTL as there was a higher percentage of winners and forced errors when going DTL simply because most players try to cover CC. In my next article, I plan to discuss directional shot more in-depth, the battle of court position, as well the cat and mouse game to use your weapons more often. Tom Clear is a director of tennis for Gotham Tennis Academy at Stadium Tennis Center. Tom brings more than 25 years of industry experience as a coach and director. Most recently, Tom served as a coach at the USTA Player Development Training Center East, working with some of America’s most talented players. He is a member of the USTA Eastern Section Coaches Commission and was a head coach for the Eastern Section 12s National Zonals Team. Tom has served as a head coach at USTA/Eastern High Performance Camps and at USTA National Talent ID Camps. Tom can be reached by e-mailing tom@gothamtennis.com or by calling Stadium Tennis Center at (718) 665-4684.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Playing to Win or Playing Not to Lose …

That’s the Question By Fred Sperber ou can imagine that, in the 28 years I have been coaching varsity high school tennis teams, I have virtually seen it all. To be a bit more clear, I have worked with players who have thrived in pressure-packed situations and others who have turned into mental “mush” when the match was on the line. Let’s assume that the players on the court are of relatively equal ability, as often happens in rated USTA matches, high school varsity tennis matches, or when players are competing recreationally. It’s a two out of three set match, and the first two sets have been split. Both players clearly want to win the match, but here’s what will most definitely impact the outcome: Player A is feeling quite relaxed and confident, enjoying his time on the court. Winning or losing the match is not something he has learned to spend a lot of time on while playing. Instead, he is focused on hitting each ball, concentrating on using angles wisely and taking advantage of short balls by hitting strong approach shots and getting into volleying position. He’s not

worried about his errors because he knows it’s part of the game. Even the very best in the world make errors, he reminds himself. He continues to concentrate on his follow through, attempting to keep the ball deep, especially to his opponent’s weaker side. Now let’s see how Player B is feeling. Keep in mind that his skill set is very similar to Player A, but here’s how they differ: He knows the match is on the line and he’s really starting to feel it. “I better not take chances,” he’ll say to himself and begins to play just to keep the ball in the court. In other words, he’ll start playing not to lose. As he worries more and more about making mistakes, he’ll begin gripping the racquet more tightly and his swings will become shorter and shorter. Quite naturally, Player A takes full advantage of the mental environment and goes on to win the match handily. Walking off the court, Player B berates himself for being “chicken,” and just cannot quite figure out why he collapses when the pressure is on. But we know why this happens all too often. Having control of one’s emotions is crucial to playing competitive tennis on a high level, or on any level for that matter. There’s a huge difference between playing defensively and playing not to lose. Rafael

Nadal is one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the game. Watch him make his opponent hit ball after ball until he gets an opportunity to turn defense into offense and hit winners. Watching him play Novak Djokovic in the recently completed French Open was a wonderful example of that. Nadal was patient and knew that the slower surface of Roland Garros would allow him to get to run down almost any ball. Here’s the bottom line: The successful tennis player knows that the game has its ups and downs, and all players make unforced errors. But, it’s the more successful player who knows that controlling one’s emotions and staying focused will more often than not make the difference in winning and losing. So, the next time you get on the court, especially when practicing, play to win and not to just keep from losing. Fred Sperber is currently on staff at Eastern Athletic Club in Melville, N.Y. He coaches the Varsity Women’s Tennis team at Oyster Bay High School and is co-founder of Tennis to the Max with his partner Tina Greenbaum, LCSW, Sport Psychology Consultant. He may be reached by phone at (516) 768-3860, e-mail info@tennistothemax.com or visit www.tennistothemax.com.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Leagues Update BY DEBORAH-ROSE ANDREWS

he 40 & Over Metro League is now finished. This year, we had 26 teams competing in this new league type, an inter-borough league with matches played in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. The teams advancing to the Sectional Championships in August are:

l l l l

3.0 Women: Terry/McDonald 3.5 Women: Chin/Wood 4.0 Women: Schaffer 4.5+ Women: Urban/Reiner

l 3.5 Men: Brown/Tallia l 4.0 Men: Khine/Zhang l 4.5+ Men: Katz Our 18 & Over Mixed-Doubles Season has also wrapped. The regional was held on May 5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Our 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0 teams competed for the opportunity to advance to the Section Championships. The Mixed-Doubles Sectional Championships were held May 31-June 2 at Central Park in Schenectady, N.Y. The conditions were difficult as the players battled the heat and humid. It was very difficult for the teams–as no one was prepared for this type of weather. Our 10.0 team (DeVries/Jeffrey) won both matches on Saturday afternoon to secure their trip to the National Championships. On Sunday, the excitement started. Our 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 teams all faced tough matches and were all in contention to win. Our 8.0 and 9.0 teams 44

captured the titles. Our 6.0 and 7.0 teams had very tough matches and finished as finalists. It was a terrific showing for the USTA Metro Region, as we sent three teams to Nationals and had two teams as finalists. Congratulations to all the teams that participated! Our 18 & Over Men & Women’s season is currently underway in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Regional Playoffs are scheduled for Aug. 2-4. The 55 & Over League will start in July. This league type will use combined ratings at the 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 Levels. The combined NTRP Rating of the partners cannot exceed the team NTRP Rating and the difference between partners shall not exceed one point. For example, at the 8.0 Level, you can have a 3.5 and 4.5 pairing, but cannot have a 3.0 and 5.0 pairing. In order to run any level, we require two independent teams. Additional information will be posted on our Web site (www.metrotennis.com) as it becomes available. Please be sure to “Like” us on Facebook at the Metrotennis League page. Enjoy the season! 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.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

The 9.0 Mixed-Doubles Sectional Championships celebrate their victory

The 6.0 Mixed Finalists after their match at Central Park in Schenectady, N.Y.

The 8.0 Mixed-Doubles Sectional Champions gather for a post-match team photo

HSBC Brings the Wimbledon Experience to Manhattan BY ADAM WOLFTHAL

Attendees play on grass courts in the middle of NYC as HSBC brought the Wimbledon experience to Manhattan ew York Tennis Magazine was on the scene as HSBC brought the feel and atmosphere of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club to the streets of New York City for Wimbledon 2013. In Flatiron Plaza at Broadway, between 22nd and 23rd, HSBC set up a grass court where attendees had the opportunity to play with their friends or try their hand at beating a tennis pro from Gotham Tennis Academy, for the chance to win a Babolat racquet. Whomever won the most points against the Gotham Tennis pro, out of eight points, each day of the exhibit, wins their choice of a new Babolat racquet. To open the event, Jim Courier and Monica Seles, both of whom have a multitude of Wimbledon experience under their respective belts, were on hand to share in the activities and played a match on the makeshift grass court. Also available at the HSBC-sponsored Wimbledon exhibit was a photo booth complete with props to provide a memorable photo from “the grounds of Wimbledon.” It wouldn’t be Wimbledon without a Henman Hill or Murray Mound, so in honor of that great tradition, a big screen was set up showing live coverage

Credit all photos to Adam Wolfthal

HSBC reps decked out in their all-white Wimbledon gear

New Yorkers soak in the Wimbledon experience in downtown Manhattan

from the Grand Slam tournament, complete with a small grass hill where spectators sat and enjoyed the matches, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan. Samples of the classic Wimbledon treat, strawberries and cream, were also handed out courtesy of California Giant Berry Farms. Adam Wolfthal is director of business development for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at adam@usptennis.com.

Attendees take in live Wimbledon action on a makeshift Henman Hill in the Flatiron District of New York City

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

: e v r e Se

hT h t e k Ta

u o Y f o t s e eB

SERVE OVERHEAD A. Stationary shot.............................................................................Movement shot B. Drop toss and hit arms....................................................Raise toss and hit arms C. Contact hitting “up” .........................................................Contact hitting “down” D. Always drive up off front .................Drive up off of front or back leg or both legs E. Contact point can vary ................................Contact point needs to be the same F. Follow through is longer....................................................Follow through is short G. Accurate, versatile, high percentage shot..............................Overpowering shot

By Lisa Dodson o you love your serve? I certainly hope so because it is the most important shot in the game of tennis. It would make sense that anyone who loves the serve should love the overhead as well, but that’s not necessarily true. One thing that is certain … if you don’t love your serve, you will definitely not love your overhead. No tennis player can afford this. It’s important to understand that the serve and overhead are not the same in many ways. Yes, there are similar qualities, but there are also some major differences. Understanding the difference(s) is a critical

r o f e v r e S r

O r e l l a Ki

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step towards a successful overhead. If you attempt to hit your overhead like a serve, you will be spitting into the wind. One of the biggest problems with the overhead is in the name: “OVERhead.” Exactly what we do not want is for the ball to be over our head, we want it “FORWARD” of our head. Nor Cal Master Pro Rosie Bareis uses the word “ForwardHead,” … what a smart idea. Take a few minutes to consider the major differences between the serve and overhead. When someone advises you to hit

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your overhead just like your serve, keep these points above in mind: There are a significant amount of core similarities. The key is to be able to choose the correct combination of movements and factors off of the shopping list. Serve and Overhead A. Sideways set-up with Continental grip B. Relaxed arms and legs C. Pronation of forearm, wrist and hand for “throwing” action D. Power gained through efficient use of legs, trunk, shoulders, rotation and pronation E. Contact is forward (except for kick and topspin serve) F. Potentially a power shot This is a tremendous amount of information. Concentrate on Part I of this article and clean up the first moves in your overhead. You will find immediate improvement.

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Stationary vs. Movement Shot and Proper Preparation for Balance and Movement When serving, you are in complete control of the situation. You can choose your grip, toss location and stance, take your time setting up and select the exact serve that you’d like to hit. This is relatively simple.

For a typical serve: 1. Stand at a 45-degree angle to the net 2. The ball toss is forward and in front of the hitting shoulder 3. The ball travels straight up and down without spin or arc 4. Weight will shift throughout serve with the feet still (except for pinpoint) by means of the ankles, knees, hips Of course all of this changes when you are hitting an overhead because you are no longer in control of the situation. You are at the mercy of where your opponent(s) sends you. Also, you are typically beginning the overhead preparation from “ready position” instead of standing sideways to the net in service preparation. Gaining this balanced, sideways position is often a challenge for most players. Let’s get started. 1. Make sure that your ready position is balanced and “light.” A good ready position is exactly that–you are physically ready to move in any direction for any ball. Your legs are flexed, your weight is forward on the front of the feet, you are holding a Continental grip (when at the net) with hands out and tip of the racket pointing towards where the ball is coming from (see above). 2. Balance is paramount to good, safe movement. Assuming the opponent is attempting to lob over you, the first move back is the most important. From ready position combine three factors in one movement in order to move back. 3. From an accurate ready position, lift both arms straight up (forming a V), turn and push back off of the left leg (for righties, right leg for lefties) to get sideways to the net. If you combine the movements efficiently you will be balanced and on your way back to the lob that is traveling to your side of the court. This way you will get a head start on

getting back to the ball. Remember, you cannot make up for lost time. Many players drop the free hand and the racket like a typical service motion. All this does is add unnecessary upper body movement and adds several degrees of difficulty in timing. Setting the arms and hands with the turn frees you up for quick traveling to the ball (see above). 4. With the nondominant hand upstretched and the hit arm prepared simply work to keep the ball between your body and the net. At this point, only your legs are moving. The head, front arm and hit arm are still. Like the serve your best results come from contact in front. Fight to keep the ball in front of you and use the upstretched hand to help guide you into the right place. Keep moving so that the ball appears to be falling into the upstretched hand. At the same time, you have achieved proper shoulder angle (see above). 5. The most common error on the overhead is letting the ball get over the head.

This is mostly due to judging a ball that is coming towards you and that has varying height, arc, spin and trajectory. You don’t have to deal with any of these factors on the serve (even with a poor ball toss) so the degree of difficulty rises exponentially. It is best to err on the side of moving too far back until you become accustomed to judging the flight of a high, arcing ball. Stay high on your feet and keep them moving to make adjustments during the entire flight of the ball. Since your upper body is prepared you are free to move wherever you need to go. Remember the first move is always the most important on the tennis court. Your quickest and most responsive movement will come from a balanced ready position. With flexed legs and a prepared grip you will begin to hit overheads that you thought were impossible. Get your hands up and your body turned at the same time so that you can begin safe, balanced movement. Use a slide or crossover step to move back. Practical homework 1. Practice these movements and the act of moving backwards without hitting a ball to produce a quick, automatic response. 2. Record yourself on video so that you can see what you actually do compared to what you think you do. It’s important to see what you are doing. Then, you can picture the changes you need to make and measure your improvement. Have fun and look for more information in Part II in the next issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine. Lisa Dodson is owner of The Total Serve, a USPTA Pro 1, and a formerly WTA worldranked player. She may be reached by email at ldodson57@yahoo.com or visit www.thetotalserve.com.

COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2013 This U.S. Open edition will feature:

Distribution scheduled for 08/26/13

• 2013 U.S. Open Preview • Guide to New York’s Top Tennis Clubs • 2013 World Team Tennis Recap • Look Back at Summer Events

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

if the shoe fits By Richard Thater o you need new tennis shoes? Maybe you are reluctant to make that purchase because of past bad experiences getting shoes that did not fit well. Maybe your shoes are so comfortable that you are willing to live with them, even if they are no longer supportive or cushioned. A few guidelines may help save you from wasted purchases. I would love to have the hundreds of dollars back I lost on poor shoe selections (and hundreds is a conservative estimate). In a recent public service presentation at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Scott Ellis discussed how we can best care for our feet. The average person’s feet carry them 70,000 miles in a lifetime and absorb 10,000 tons of force every day. He cites a study of women’s shoe use that indicates 88 percent of respondents complained of foot pain, with 76 percent showing forefoot

deformities such as bunions and hammertoes. It was not surprising to learn that 75 percent of survey participants had not had their feet measured in nearly five years. We have options today to help us get that elusive “great fit.” If you shop in a warehouse type store with no sales help, try downloading a printable foot-sizing chart from www.shoes.com. This chart is accurate and somewhat helpful in determining how your foot length compares to standard sizes. Shoe shape is often more important than length. My experience has been that there are two basic shapes to the bottom of tennis shoes: The exclamation point and the parenthesis. If the bottom of the shoes you are considering look like this “( ),” compare them to the shoe you are wearing. If they look similar, and you like your shoes, just focus on the length. But if the shoe looks like this, “! !” and your current shoe is curved, “( ),” that shoe will probably not fit well. Shoe shopping is difficult for me because my feet look like this “! /.”

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

“I would love to have the hundreds of dollars back I lost on poor shoe selections (and hundreds is a conservative estimate).” If you shop online, the options improve. In addition to using the limited foot sizing chart, you might access Shoefitr. 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.

The Tool You Have That Can Really Change the World By Lonnie Mitchel “The Leader in Sports Entertainment” is ESPN, and one of their top correspondents, Sal Palantonio, lectured at SUNY Oneonta where I coach men’s and women’s tennis. When he spoke, something he said resonated with me. He noted, “Always use the tools to be successful that are available to you.” A sports reporter from the leading sports network said such a simple thing and it truly resonated with me. I am a tennis coach, and when I listen to experts in their field who have had a high degree of success, I quickly try to take their knowledge and translate it to tennis and coaching. What can I take away from Mr. Palantonio’s lecture to morph it to a valuable relatable tennis coaching session? Well, sports, and certainly our game of tennis, is a microcosm of life isn’t it? What tools are available to us to improve as a tennis player or coach and augment a training session for added value to that student and player? How about the knowledge I have gained as tennis coach? It is a growing body of science that says, “Critical parts of the brain involved in decision-making are not fully developed until years later at age 25 or so.” Not 18 and, not 21-years-of-age because the law says so. The tool I have is that knowledge now tells me I cannot expect a young 18- or 19-year-old to think rationally when learning the game of tennis. I often asked myself why don’t young players learn the way I want them to or allow themselves to be coached by someone who not only has more experience on the tennis court, but is more experienced in life? The answer may simply be science and chemistry is not allowing these players to absorb this knowledge at a rate I would wish them to. Given the black eye that recent controversies have generated for the coaching profession, including the recent developments at Rutgers University, we, as coaches, must know a little bit about science as I have described above. Coaches need to be great teachers and not screamers or people who berate their players. When they do resort to

such tactics, it may be a cover up of the coaches’ own insecurities. It is time to understand that a coach will have players who might forget their teammates and opponents, but likely will never forget their coach. A coach most often will do things for their pupils and players who will never pay them back. However, it has been said by people wiser than me that you have never had a perfect day until you have done something for someone who will never pay you back. I try very hard to keep this in mind as I continue to develop my philosophy, my drive and my approach to my students and players. In many cases, young students/tennis players are simply not mature enough to appreciate what it is being done for them. I am not just talking about trying to teach a student the proper technique, strategy and/or mental approach to the game. I am talking about teaching them things that will lie dormant for a number of years until that player is mature enough to have that knowledge emerge as a viable tool for success in life. After all, what does tennis really teach us? It teaches us discipline, perseverance, mental discipline and fair play just to name a few which are tools that help students become better human beings. I know many people who read New York Tennis Magazine are tennis coaches and pro-

fessionals. When you read this article, please embrace the all too powerful tool that you have to make a difference in somebody’s life, young or old. Do not look for a thank you because the majority of the time, you will not get it. Here is the thanks you get … ask yourself if you made a difference today? If so, you may have changed the world a little. All done with a racquet and a tennis ball as your tools. Understand the chemistry of the young player, and it will help you understand the power you possess as a teacher. When you leave the court after teaching several hours, laying the foundation in the beginner, think that you may have just changed the world. A pretty powerful tool you have there isn’t it? Your wisdom, your experience and care used as the tools channeled in the development of the tennis player are highly influential. The players will know if you care or not, if you indeed care you will be rewarded in a very meaningful way … I promise. 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.

Brent Shearer

646.270.8371

tribecatennis@gmail.com NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2013

Distribution scheduled for 08/26/13 This 2013 U.S. Open edition will feature: • 2013 U.S. Open Preview • Guide to New York’s Top Tennis Clubs • 2013 World Team Tennis Recap • Look Back at Summer Events

Distribution across New York at 250+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Parks • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Restaurants and health food stores • Supermarkets and many more!

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2013!

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by August 1, 2013. For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com.

UPCOMING

EVENTS

JULY Saturday, July 13 RCTA Men’s and Women’s Open Doubles Riverside Park New York, N.Y. For more information, call (212) 978-0277 or visit www.rcta.info. Sunday-Saturday, July 14-20 USTA Women’s National Grass Court Championship West Side Tennis Club One Tennis Place Forest Hills, N.Y. For more information, call (718) 268-2300 or visit www.foresthillstennis.com.

Saturday, July 27 RCTA Men’s Open Singles Riverside Park New York, N.Y. For more information, call (212) 978-0277 or visit www.rcta.info. Monday-Tuesday, July 29-30 Atlantic Coast Cup Men’s USTA National Team Event West Side Tennis Club One Tennis Place Forest Hills, N.Y. For more information, call (718) 268-2300 or visit www.foresthillstennis.com.

AUGUST 2013 Saturday, August 3 RCTA Women’s Open Singles Riverside Park New York, N.Y. For more information, call (212) 978-0277 or visit www.rcta.info. Sunday-Friday, August 18-23 Little Mo International Championships West Side Tennis Club One Tennis Place Forest Hills, N.Y. For more information, call (718) 268-2300 or visit www.foresthillstennis.com.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB

DIRECTORY

360 Tennis @ Cunningham Tennis Center

Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club

Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond

Tim Mayotte—Director of 360 Tennis Cunningham Park Tennis in Queens (718) 740-6800 www.cunninghamsportscenter.com

Gertrud Wilhelm—General Manager 450 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 594-0554 gwilhelm@advantagetennisclubs.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

Tom Manhart—Membership Director 281 Main Street • Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212) 935-0250 tmanhart@rirctennis.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

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

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ CATS of 49th Street

New York Tennis Club

Geri Goetz—Director 235 East 49th Street New York, NY 10017 (212) 832-1833, ext. 222 catsturtlebay@gmail.com www.catsny.com

Lauren Hartman—General Manager 3081 Harding Avenue Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 239-7916 lhartman.nytci@gmail.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

Centercourt Athletic Club

Prospect Park Tennis Center

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

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

Manhattan Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Felix Alvarado—Assistant Director of Tennis One Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 falvarado@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/manhattan

Go! Tennis at North Shore Tennis & Racquet Club

Queens College Tennis Club

SPORTIME Lake Isle

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

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

George Garland—Director of Tennis 34-28 214th Place Flushing, NY 11361-1720 (718) 224-6303 george@gotennisprograms.com www.gotennisprograms.com

SPORTIME Harbor Island Tennis Courts in Harbor Island Park Carlos Campo—General Manager Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 777-5050 ccampo@sportimeny.com www.sportime.com/harbor-island

SPORTIME Randall’s Island

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

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

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 06/03/13)

BOYS Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Igor Maslov........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2..........Nicholas Pustilnik..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 3..........Stevan Stojkovic ..............Flushing, N.Y. 4..........Alexander Petrov ..............Middle Village, N.Y. 5..........Peter Frelinghuysen..........New York, N.Y. 6..........Wesley Zhang....................Staten Island, N.Y. 7..........Shawn Jackson ................Staten Island, N.Y. 8..........Henry Hochfelder..............New York, N.Y. 9..........David Krasner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 10 ......Blake Frank ......................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Ryan McCook ..................Saint Albans, N.Y. 12 ......David Weiner ....................Rego Park, N.Y. 13 ......Joseph Shulkin..................Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ......Jonathan Glinsky ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Christian Rabinowitz ........Bayside, N.Y. 16 ......Michael Cooper ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Brian Trantz ......................Bronx, N.Y. 18 ......Pieter Wernink ..................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Jeffrey Yu ..........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 20 ......Anthony Cataldo ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Gabriel Rissman................Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Sadi Gulcelik ....................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Joseph Wilkanowski ........Long Island City, N.Y. 24 ......John-Tomas Bilski ............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Jacob Livianu....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Brandon Torres..................Bronx, N.Y. 27 ......Sidharth Chawla................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Noah Edelman ..................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Rudolph Merlin..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Isaac Rose-Berman..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Daniel Leon Maseyev ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Bradley Bennett ................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Derrick Mu ........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 34 ......Dylan Lachmanen ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Mitchel Pertsovsky............Brooklyn, N.Y. 36 ......Winter Forest Fagerberg ..New York, N.Y. 37 ......Landon Vass......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......William Charles Phillips ....New York, N.Y. 39 ......Afi von Auersperg..............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Marcos Souza Lee............New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Derek Lung........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2..........Andrew Zucker..................New York, N.Y. 3..........Kermal Aziz........................Staten Island, N.Y. 4..........Peter Frelinghuysen..........New York, N.Y. 5..........Barak Harari ......................Hollis, N.Y. 6..........Henry Hochfelder..............New York, N.Y. 7..........David Moldovan................Brooklyn, N.Y. 8..........Nicholas Pustilnik..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 9..........Adam Bernstein ................New York, N.Y. 10 ......Robert Millman..................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Tanner Ross Bhonslay......New York, N.Y. 12 ......Mizel Stevens....................New York, N.Y. 13 ......Kevin Yan ..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ......Leaf Fagerberg..................New York, N.Y. 15 ......Leonidas Vrailas................New York, N.Y. 16 ......Emil Nadyrbekov ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Ray Fishman ....................New York, N.Y. 18 ......Joseph Shulkin..................Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ......Wiley Schubert..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Christopher Toub ..............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Ben Warren........................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Daniel Ertel ........................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Daniel Corona ..................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 24 ......Tristan Taylor......................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Christopher Tham ............Flushing, N.Y. 26 ......Jordan Rey-Anatole..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Daniel Davis ......................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Noah Solano ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Mitcehll Mu........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 30 ......Oliver Jevtovic ..................Astoria, N.Y. 31 ......Jorge Arenas ....................Bronx, N.Y. 32 ......Brandon Zhang ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

YORK

......Zachary Portnoy ..............New York, N.Y. ......Mark Karpovas..................Staten Island, N.Y. ......Teddy Friedman ................New York, N.Y. ......Nicholas Kingsley..............New York, N.Y. ......Jeffrey Yu ..........................Forest Hills, N.Y. ......Horia Negru ......................Middle Village, N.Y. ......Max Lederman..................New York, N.Y. ......Gabriel Sifuentes ..............Flushing, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Leonard Margolis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 2..........Christopher Huynh............Astoria, N.Y. 3..........Adam Borak ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 4..........Samuel Caloras ................Little Neck, N.Y. 5..........Adam Bernstein ................New York, N.Y. 6..........Michael Jasienowski ........Middle Village, N.Y. 7..........David Farina ......................New York, N.Y. 8..........Kristjan Tomasson ............New York, N.Y. 9..........Robert Millman..................New York, N.Y. 10 ......Sam Krevlin ......................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Gabriel Kramer-Garcia......New York, N.Y. 12 ......Jonathan L. Molfetta ........Howard Beach, N.Y. 13 ......William Trang ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ......Peter Sillis..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Bojidar Todorov ................Rego Park, N.Y. 16 ......Garrett Sopko....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Christopher Huynh............Astoria, N.Y. 18 ......Andrew Zucker..................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Douglas Nover ..................Bayside, N.Y. 20 ......Peter Coulombe................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Andrew Hauser ................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Massimo DeCarvalho ......Forest Hills, N.Y. 23 ......Avery Bicks........................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Mitchel Voloshin................Staten Island, N.Y. 25 ......Andreja Radevic................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Adam Chan ......................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Ray Fishman ....................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Sam Vagner ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 29 ......Leonardo Escudero ..........Ozone Park, N.Y. 30 ......Xavier Pacthod..................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Christian Gloria..................Queens Village, N.Y. 32 ......Gabriel Sifuentes ..............Flushing, N.Y. 33 ......Ira Rey-Anatole ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ......Evan Liberman ..................New York, N.Y. 35 ......Marc Betito........................Floral Park, N.Y. 36 ......Josh Charap......................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Michael Kamsky................New York, N.Y. 38 ......Michael Sklar ....................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Jonathan Tse ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 40 ......Jordan Rey-Anatole..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........David N. Zhukovsky..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 2..........Joshua Freud ....................New York, N.Y. 3..........Jonathan Cohen ..............New York, N.Y. 4..........Jordan Selig ......................New York, N.Y. 5..........Stefan Radevic..................New York, N.Y. 6..........Lorenzo Soo......................New York, N.Y. 7..........Justin Selig ........................New York, N.Y. 8..........Michael Lesser..................New York, N.Y. 9..........Jordan Jordan ..................Astoria, N.Y. 10 ......Nolan Crawford ................New York, N.Y. 11 ......Kumeil Hosain ..................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Enrique Torres ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Stephen Fields ..................Bronx, N.Y. 14 ......Anthony Santino ..............Douglaston, N.Y. 15 ......Kristan Tomasson ............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Alexander Fallone ............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Michael Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 18 ......Kevin Huynh......................Astoria, N.Y. 19 ......Christopher Huynh............Astoria, N.Y.

GIRLS Metro Girls 12 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Nadejda Maslova..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 2..........Isabella Cooper ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 3..........Miriam Aziz........................Staten Island, N.Y. 4..........Sabrina Boada ..................Woodhaven, N.Y. 5..........Amy Kaplan ......................Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 6..........Karolina Lankamer............Brooklyn, N.Y. 7..........Lorraine Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 8..........Daniella Benabraham ......New York, N.Y. 9..........Christina Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y. 10 ......Shakima Hotaki ................Flushing, N.Y. 11 ......Rachel Rubenzahl ............New York, N.Y. 12 ......Theodora Vrailas ..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 14 ......Guiliana Rosa Gibson ......Bayside, N.Y. 15 ......Anna Tselikovskaya ..........New York, N.Y. 16 ......Rachel Zhang....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 17 ......Maxine Zaretsky................Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Maryna Bohdanovska ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ......Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 20 ......Isabella Hartman ..............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Tiana Fernandez ..............Bronx, N.Y. 22 ......Elisabeth Schlossel ..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Gabriella Kashulsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Rebecca Fisch ..................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Lena Kovacevic ................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Natalie Eordekian..............Woodside, N.Y. 27 ......Naomi Park........................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Julia Sachman ..................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Emma Abels Eisenberg ....New York, N.Y. 30 ......Caroline Kantor ................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Isabella Tushaj ..................Bronx, N.Y. 32 ......Rebecca Sitkovetsky........Staten Island, N.Y. 33 ......Danielle Kezeli ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 34 ......Alyssa An ..........................New York, N.Y. 35 ......Bella Kaplan ......................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Zoe Kava ..........................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Diana McCready ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Maria Bykovskaya ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ......Anita Olivia Wright ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Tomi Alalade......................Rosedale, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Victoria Zezula ..................Ridgewood, N.Y. 2..........Olivia Morris ......................Floral Park, N.Y. 3..........Sarah Warman Hirschfield..New York, N.Y. 4..........Jennifer Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 5..........Donna Marie Episcopio....Bayside, N.Y. 6..........Nicole Khorosh..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 7..........Christina Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y. 8..........Marierose Apice................Brooklyn, N.Y. 9..........Alice Pinho ........................Woodside, N.Y. 10 ......Marie Ivantechenko ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 12 ......Sofie Kate Levine..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Amalia Parrish ..................Queens Village, N.Y. 14 ......Autumn Greco ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Alessandra Ricciardi ........Howard Beach, N.Y. 16 ......Veronika Semenova..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Maxine Beata Zaretsky ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Yuhan Wang......................Little Neck, N.Y. 20 ......Brooke Jin ........................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Olga Drahanchuk..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Kayla Schumacher............Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Rachel Okin ......................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Isabella Tushaj ..................Bronx, N.Y. 25 ......Isabelle Rovinski ..............New York, N.Y. 26 ......Rosie Garcia......................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Maria Kogarova ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Grace Parker ....................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Julia Sachman ..................New York, N.Y. 30 ......Miriam Aziz........................Staten Island, N.Y. 31 ......Gabriella Etkins ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Emma Gray ......................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Tiana Fernandez ..............Bronx, N.Y. 34 ......Anastasia Lukyanovich ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Mia Simone Parrish ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 36 ......Samantha Fischer ............New York, N.Y. 37 ......Sarah Finley ......................New York, N.Y. 38 ......Chloe Trang ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 39 ......Isabella Cooper ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Julia Kirsh ..........................New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Hediye Karabay ................Flushing, N.Y. 2..........Electra Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 3..........Nicole Serras ....................Whitestone, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

4..........Keri Anne Picciochi ..........Flushing, N.Y. 5..........Emi Lewis ..........................New York, N.Y. 6..........Anika Pornpitaksuk ..........Flushing, N.Y. 7..........Erika Tinalli ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 8..........Jennifer Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 9..........Zorriana Johnson..............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Victoria Zezula ..................Ridgewood, N.Y. 11 ......Nicole Schnabel................Woodhaven, N.Y. 12 ......Jenna Borenstein..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Alesssandra Ricciardi ......Howard Beach, N.Y. 14 ......Anna Kaplan......................New York, N.Y. 15 ......Keren Khromchenko ........Staten Island, N.Y. 16 ......Anna Tselikovskaya ..........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Paolina Zanki ....................Astoria, N.Y. 18 ......Sofia Aisiks........................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Vania Savic........................Woodside, N.Y. 20 ......Gaelle Conille ....................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Reena Sarkar ....................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Yifei Wang..........................Little Neck, N.Y. 23 ......Liana I. Weitzman..............Whitestone, N.Y. 24 ......Ashley DelMissier..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 25 ......Monique Magyar ..............New York, N.Y. 26 ......Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 27 ......Sarah Hirschfield ..............New York, N.Y. 28 ......Lindsay Jadow..................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Jade Barnett-Irons............New York, N.Y. 30 ......Soraya Cornille..................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Brittany Biggs....................Bronx, N.Y. 32 ......Stefana Vujinovic ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 33 ......Donna Episcopio ..............Bayside, N.Y. 34 ......Liza Levison ......................New York, N.Y. 35 ......Noa E. Haninovich ............New York, N.Y. 36 ......Bria Heyward ....................Bronx, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles Rank ..Name................................City 1..........Nicole Serras ....................Whitestone, N.Y. 2..........Hediye Karabay ................Flushing, N.Y. 3..........Priscilla Signore ................Staten Island, N.Y. 4..........Briel Biggs ........................Bronx, N.Y. 5..........Alexus Gill..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 6..........Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 7..........Champagne Mills..............New York, N.Y. 8..........Nicole Schnabel................Woodhaven, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 06/21/13)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 4..........Ethan Leon ........................Woodhaven, N.Y. 9..........Shand Stephens ..............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Igor Maslov........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Derek Raskopf ..................New York, N.Y. 15 ......Steven Daniel Nazaroff ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ......Jeffrey Fradkin ..................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Kemal Irfan Aziz ................Staten Island, N.Y. 23 ......Lantis Wang ......................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Robbie Werdiger ..............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Nicholas Pustilnik..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Will Coad ..........................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Christopher Tham ............Flushing, N.Y. 34 ......Noah Edelman ..................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Harry Portnoy....................New York, N.Y. 43 ......Shawn Jackson ................Staten Island, N.Y. 44 ......Aleksa Pljakic ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 58 ......Kai Yuminaga ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 59 ......Alexander Nielsen ............New York, N.Y. 61 ......Jeffrey McCready..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 63 ......Scott Fischer ....................New York, N.Y. 64 ......David Weiner ....................Rego Park, N.Y. 66 ......Alexander Petrov ..............Middle Village, N.Y. 70 ......Garrett Chao......................New York, N.Y. 71 ......Eitan Khromchenko ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 75 ......Brandon Cohen ................New York, N.Y. 76 ......Maxwell Kachkarov ..........Flushing, N.Y. 80 ......David Krasner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 81 ......Tristan Taylor......................New York, N.Y.

NEW 88 ......Wesley Zhang....................Staten Island, N.Y. 92 ......Joseph Wilkanowski ........Long Island City, N.Y. 95 ......Michael Cooper ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 98 ......Derrick Mu ........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 103 ....Alex Portnoy......................New York, N.Y. 108 ....Teddy Brodsky ..................New York, N.Y. 109 ....Stevan Stojkovic ..............Flushing, N.Y. 113 ....Jonathan Glinsky ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 120 ....Nash Johnson ..................New York, N.Y. 121 ....Jace Alexander ................New York, N.Y. 124 ....Joseph Shulkin..................Staten Island, N.Y. 125 ....Zachary Portnoy ..............New York, N.Y. 129 ....Oliver Obeid ......................New York, N.Y. 131 ....Mitchel Pertsovsky............Brooklyn, N.Y. 139 ....Blake Frank ......................New York, N.Y. 141 ....Richard Zusman................Brooklyn, N.Y. 143 ....Isaac Rose-Berman..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 144 ....Jeffrey Yu ..........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 146 ....Elias Rabayev....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 147 ....Daniel Maseyev ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 150 ....Jacob David Livianu ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 8..........Aleksandar Kovacevic......New York, N.Y. 10 ......Jordan Jordan ..................Astoria, N.Y. 14 ......Sumit Sarkar...................... New York, N.Y. 22 ......Calvin Chung ....................Bronx, N.Y. 52 ......Max Prohorov....................Rego Park, N.Y. 55 ......Zachary Lieb......................New York, N.Y. 63 ......Gary Fishkin ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 67 ......Jeffrey Gorilovsky..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 68 ......David Mizrahi ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Tyler Pasko ........................Staten Island, N.Y. 79 ......Ethan Leon ........................Woodhaven, N.Y. 85 ......Ethan Moszkowski............New York, N.Y. 92 ......Philip Belmatch ................Staten Island, N.Y. 99 ......Oliver Jevtovic ..................Astoria, N.Y. 105 ....Christopher Kolesnik ........Staten Island, N.Y. 109 ....Andreja Radevic................New York, N.Y. 115 ....Kemal Irfan Aziz ................Staten Island, N.Y. 118 ....Emil Nadyrbekov ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 125 ....Giacomo Eisler..................New York, N.Y. 127 ....Sam Vagner ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 129 ....Henry Hochfelder..............New York, N.Y. 139 ....Jacob Kern........................New York, N.Y. 142 ....David Moldovan................Brooklyn, N.Y. 145 ....Allan Magid........................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 6..........Artemie Amari....................New York, N.Y. 17 ......Oliver Sec ..........................New York, N.Y. 18 ......Felipe Osses-Konig ..........Rego Park, N.Y. 21 ......Cameron Daniels ..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 24 ......James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 25 ......Marcus Smith....................Little Neck, N.Y. 29 ......Christopher Paul Auteri ....Staten Island, N.Y. 32 ......Ananth Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 34 ......Edan Lee Sossen..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 35 ......Victor Miglo ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 41 ......Gal Matthew Sossen ........Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 43 ......Jack Haroche....................New York, N.Y. 45 ......Alexander Thrane..............New York, N.Y. 48 ......Ethan Nittolo......................Flushing, N.Y. 52 ......Noah James Sutter ..........New York, N.Y. 64 ......Alexander Pintilie ..............New York, N.Y. 65 ......Cole Gittens ......................New York, N.Y. 72 ......Aleksandar Kovacevic......New York, N.Y. 85 ......Zachary Kaplan ................New York, N.Y. 87 ......Jacob Frisch......................New York, N.Y. 89 ......William Trang ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 91 ......Jordan Jordan ..................Astoria, N.Y. 120 ....Maurice Russo..................New York, N.Y. 132 ....Christian Gloria..................Queens Village, N.Y. 134 ....Alex Chao..........................New York, N.Y. 136 ....Evan Liberman ..................New York, N.Y. 139 ....Leonardo Escudero ..........Ozone Park, N.Y. 140 ....Andrew Hauser ................New York, N.Y. 148 ....Antony Jippov ..................New York, N.Y.

YORK

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 6..........Artemie Amari....................New York, N.Y. 8..........Justin Fields ......................New York, N.Y. 13 ......Lucas Pickering ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Courtney Jaycen Murphy Bronx, N.Y. 19 ......Oliver Sec ..........................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Win Smith..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Richard Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Sachin Raghavan..............New York, N.Y. 44 ......Ryoma Haraguchi ............New York, N.Y. 51 ......Steven Koulouris ..............Long Island City, N.Y. 52 ......Ethan Nittolo......................Flushing, N.Y. 63 ......Michael William Anzalone Howard Beach, N.Y. 64 ......Mark Semerik....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 67 ......Benjamin Gottschalk ........New York, N.Y. 68 ......Douglas Mo ......................Douglaston, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 3..........Michelle Sorokko ..............Douglaston, N.Y. 4..........Dasha Kourkina ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 5..........Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 11 ......Christina Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y. 14 ......Chelsea Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 19 ......Rosie Garcia Gross ..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Anastasia Nicole Koniaev Forest Hills, N.Y. 24 ......Katherine Kachkarov ........Flushing, N.Y. 25 ......Miriam Aziz........................Staten Island, N.Y. 30 ......Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 32 ......Elvina Kalieva ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 34 ......Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 39 ......Isabella Tushaj ..................Bronx, N.Y. 40 ......Marie Ivantechenko ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 44 ......Sonia Tartakovsky ............New York, N.Y. 45 ......Diana McCready ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 47 ......Diana Sosonkin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 48 ......Perene Wang ....................New York, N.Y. 50 ......Najah Dawson ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 52 ......Nadejda Maslova..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 61 ......Carolyn Brodsky ..............New York, N.Y. 62 ......Steffi Antao........................Briarwood, N.Y. 65 ......Amanda Solecki................Brooklyn, N.Y. 72 ......Sabrina Boada ..................Woodhaven, N.Y. 73 ......Zoe Kava ..........................New York, N.Y. 75 ......Giuliana Gibson ................Bayside, N.Y. 76 ......Audrey Pacthod ................New York, N.Y. 78 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 87 ......Lorraine Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 89 ......Isabella Cooper ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 92 ......Shakima Hotaki ................Flushing, N.Y. 96 ......Karolina Lankamer............Brooklyn, N.Y. 102 ....Lena Kovacevic ................New York, N.Y. 104 ....Emily Moczulski ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 111 ....Rebecca Fisch ..................New York, N.Y. 114 ....Anastasya Menshikova ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Natalie Eordekian..............Woodside, N.Y. 116 ....Rachel Rubenzahl ............New York, N.Y. 121 ....Rebecca Izyayeva ............Staten Island, N.Y. 123 ....Daniella Benabraham ......New York, N.Y. 131 ....Anna Tselikovskaya ..........New York, N.Y. 135 ....Maryna Bohdanovska ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 136 ....Amy Kaplan ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 140 ....Rachel Zhang....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 142 ....Sofie Kate Levine..............New York, N.Y. 145 ....Theodora Vrailas ..............New York, N.Y. 147 ....Elisabeth Schlossel ..........New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 5..........Brianna Williams................Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Aleksandra Bekirova ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Alexus Gill..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Nicole Semenov................Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Michelle Sorokko ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 29 ......Lauren Munari ..................Middle Village, N.Y. 31 ......Dasha Kourkina ................Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 36 ......Jennifer Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 41 ......Anastasia Koniaev ............Forest Hills, N.Y. 42 ......Chelsea Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 44 ......Stephanie Li ......................New York, N.Y. 45 ......Victoria Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 52 ......Regina Furer......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 55 ......Patricia Obeid....................New York, N.Y. 61 ......Christina Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y. 62 ......Katherine Kachkarov ........Flushing, N.Y. 65 ......Lisa Marchelska ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 66 ......Sydney Katz ......................New York, N.Y. 72 ......Isabel Balilo ......................Flushing, N.Y. 80 ......Sabrina Abrams ................New York, N.Y. 90 ......Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 98 ......Olga Drahanchuk..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 99 ......Alexa Nobandegani ..........New York, N.Y. 100 ....Olivia Morris ......................Floral Park, N.Y. 102 ....Amalia Parrish ..................Queens Village, N.Y. 106 ....Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 108 ....Brittny Jo Ferreira..............Brooklyn,, N.Y. 110 ....Lia Kiam ............................New York, N.Y. 130 ....Victoria Zezula ..................Ridgewood, N.Y. 145 ....Miriam Irfan Aziz................Staten Island, N.Y. 150 ....Liana Weitzman ................Whitestone, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 4..........Sabrina Xiong....................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 6..........Jessica Golovin ................New York, N.Y. 7..........Arnelle Sullivan..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Jessica Melanie Livianu....Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Brianna Williams................Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Anna Ulyashchenko..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Stefani Lineva....................Middle Village, N.Y. 30 ......Christina Puccinelli............New York, N.Y. 33 ......Isis Gill................................Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Alexus Gill..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 45 ......Sophia Kryloff....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 48 ......Nia Rose............................New York, N.Y. 51 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya..Staten Island, N.Y. 52 ......Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 53 ......Yuka Lin ............................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 54 ......Jillian Auteri ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 57 ......Alexandra Koniaev............Forest Hills, N.Y. 63 ......Michelle Khaimov..............Jamaica, N.Y. 70 ......Illana Levich ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 74 ......Tristan Lorich ....................New York, N.Y. 83 ......Julia Fisch..........................New York, N.Y. 87 ......Sofia Aisiks........................New York, N.Y. 105 ....Keren Khromchenko ........Staten Island, N.Y. 115 ....Nicole Schnabel................Woodhaven, N.Y. 116 ....Julia Zbarsky ....................New York, N.Y. 125 ....Jenna Borenstein..............New York, N.Y. 128 ....Erika Tinalli ........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 132 ....Zorriana Johnson..............New York, N.Y. 137 ....Jennifer Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 141 ....Anna Kaplan......................New York, N.Y. 143 ....Alana Davidson ................Bayside, N.Y. 150 ....Kerri Anne Picciochi..........Flushing, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 7..........Ariana D. Rodriguez..........Bronx, N.Y. 11 ......Samantha P. Tutelman......New York, N.Y. 14 ......Hannah Shteyn ................Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Jessica Golovin ................New York, N.Y. 18 ......Nadia Smergut..................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Destiny Grunin ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Lily Bondy..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 33 ......Denise Starr ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 42 ......Alexa Meltzer ....................New York, N.Y. 47 ......Emily Safron ......................New York, N.Y. 48 ......Paulina Velasquez ............Kew Gardens, N.Y. 59 ......Kimberly Salkin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 66 ......Ilana Levich........................Staten Island, N.Y. 73 ......Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 75 ......Nia Rose............................New York, N.Y. 76 ......Anastasiya Malinouskaya..Staten Island, N.Y. 87 ......Anna Ulyashchenko..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 91 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 93 ......Isis Gill................................Brooklyn, N.Y.

100 103 109 112 120 124 131 136 138 144

....Sabrina Xiong....................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. ....Hediye Karabay ................Flushing, N.Y. ....Arnelle Sullivan..................Brooklyn, N.Y. ....Laura Maria Chitu ............New York, N.Y. ....Vania Savic........................Woodside, N.Y. ....Augusta Conway ..............New York, N.Y. ....Nakia Miller........................Rosedale, N.Y. ....Tristan Lorich ....................New York, N.Y. ....Briel Biggs ........................Bronx, N.Y. ....Sophia Schlossel ..............New York, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 06/26/13)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 97 ......Ethan Leon ........................Woodhaven, N.Y. 145 ....Derek Raskopf ..................New York, N.Y. 220 ....Shand Stephens ..............New York, N.Y. 225 ....Kemal Aziz ........................Staten Island, N.Y. 239 ....Jeffrey Fradkin ..................New York, N.Y. 262 ....Igor Maslov........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 264 ....Steven Nazaroff ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 373 ....Nicholas Pustilnik..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 384 ....Will Coad ..........................New York, N.Y. 413 ....Lantis Wang ......................New York, N.Y. 447 ....Nicholas Mejia ..................New York, N.Y. 458 ....Christopher Tham ............Flushing, N.Y. 517 ....Robbie Werdiger ..............New York, N.Y. 598 ....Shawn Jackson ................Staten Island, N.Y. 612 ....Alexander Nielsen ............New York, N.Y. 682 ....Noah Edelman ..................New York, N.Y. 735 ....Aleksa Pljakic ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 746 ....Jeffrey McCready..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 803 ....Tristan Taylor......................New York, N.Y. 836 ....Garrett Chao......................New York, N.Y. 849 ....Alex Portnoy......................New York, N.Y. 868 ....Eitan Khromchenko ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 873 ....Derrick Mu ........................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 917 ....Harry Portnoy....................New York, N.Y. 952 ....Brandon T. Cohen ............New York, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 64 ......Aleksandar Kovacevic......New York, N.Y. 104 ....Jordan Jordan ..................Astoria, N.Y. 177 ....Philip Raytburg..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 235 ....Sumit Sarkar......................New York, N.Y. 419 ....Calvin Chung ....................Bronx, N.Y. 634 ....Gary Fishkin ......................Staten Island, N.Y. 712 ....James Kandel Dill ............New York, N.Y. 736 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 969 ....Sam V. Vagner ..................Staten Island, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 55 ......James Wasserman ..........New York, N.Y. 63 ......Artemie Amari....................New York, N.Y. 86 ......Oliver Sec ..........................New York, N.Y. 156 ....Victor Miglo ......................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 234 ....Cameron Daniels ..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 241 ....Christopher Auteri ............Staten Island, N.Y. 264 ....Edan Lee Sossen..............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 316 ....Felipe Osses-Konig ..........Rego Park, N.Y. 327 ....Marcus Smith....................Little Neck, N.Y. 340 ....Gal Matthew Sossen ........Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 532 ....Ananth Raghavan ............New York, N.Y. 563 ....Noah James Sutter ..........New York, N.Y. 668 ....Alexander Thrane..............New York, N.Y. 678 ....William J. Trang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 726 ....Cole Gittens ......................New York, N.Y. 806 ....Ethan Nittolo......................Flushing, N.Y. 966 ....Jack Haroche....................New York, N.Y. 972 ....Aleksandar Kovacevic......New York, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW 988 ....Michal Pisarek ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 996 ....Maurice Russo..................New York, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 50 ......Daniel Kerznerman ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 112 ....Joshua Yablon ..................New York, N.Y. 264 ....Justin Fields ......................New York, N.Y. 282 ....Artemie Amari....................New York, N.Y. 435 ....Sachin Raghavan..............New York, N.Y. 508 ....Richard Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 519 ....Courtney Murphy..............Bronx, N.Y. 548 ....Lucas Pickering ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 549 ....Ryoma Haraguchi ............New York, N.Y. 566 ....Win Smith..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 592 ....Oliver Sec ..........................New York, N.Y. 732 ....Andrew S. Arnaboldi ........New York, N.Y. 864 ....Zachary Yablon ................New York, N.Y. 877 ....Jonathan Selegean ..........East Elmhurst, N.Y. 992 ....Steven H. Koulouris..........Long Island City, N.Y.

YORK

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 13 ......Dasha Kourkina ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Michelle Sorokko ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 38 ......Shelly Yaloz ......................Little Neck, N.Y. 44 ......Chelsea Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 88 ......Katherine Kachkarov ........Flushing, N.Y. 120 ....Anastasia Koniaev ............Forest Hills, N.Y. 189 ....Christina Huynh ................Astoria, N.Y. 208 ....Dakota Fordham ..............New York, N.Y. 238 ....Miriam Irfan Aziz................Staten Island, N.Y. 288 ....Marie Ivantechenko ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 344 ....Rosie Garcia Gross ..........New York, N.Y. 389 ....Elvina Kalieva ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 395 ....Isabella Tushaj ..................Bronx, N.Y. 410 ....Kyra Bergmann ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 452 ....Sonia Tartakovsky ............New York, N.Y. 562 ....Najah Dawson ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 564 ....Diana Sosonkin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 636 ....Steffi Antao........................Briarwood, N.Y. 637 ....Perena Wang ....................New York, N.Y. 659 ....Grace L. Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 743 ....Nadejda Maslova..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 853 ....Diana McCready ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 892 ....Lena Kovacevic ................New York, N.Y.

RANKINGS National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 43 ......Brianna Williams................Brooklyn, N.Y. 217 ....Regina Furer......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 241 ....Victoria Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 274 ....Alexus Gill..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 338 ....Aleksandra Bekirova ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 431 ....Lauren Elizabeth Munari ..Middle Village, N.Y. 434 ....Dasha Kourkina ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 520 ....Chelsea Williams ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 555 ....Jennifer Yu ........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 559 ....Nicole Semenov................Brooklyn, N.Y. 563 ....Stephanie Li ......................New York, N.Y. 684 ....Patricia Obeid....................New York, N.Y. 860 ....Anastasia Koniaev ............Forest Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 47 ......Jessica Golovin ................New York, N.Y. 83 ......Sabrina Xiong....................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 94 ......Jessica Livianu..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 116 ....Arnelle Sullivan..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 159 ....Elizabeth Tsvetkov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 305 ....Shayna Spooner ..............New York, N.Y. 343 ....Sophia Kryloff....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 347 ....Brianna Williams................Brooklyn, N.Y. 374 ....Nia Rose............................New York, N.Y. 477 ....Stefani Lineva....................Middle Village, N.Y. 570 ....Christina Puccinelli............New York, N.Y. 593 ....Isis Gill................................Brooklyn, N.Y. 651 ....Anna Ulyashchenko..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

770 ....Alexus Gill..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 839 ....Julia Fisch..........................New York, N.Y. 980 ....Alexandra Koniaev............Forest Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 43 ......Denise Starr ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 96 ......Emily Safron ......................New York, N.Y. 173 ....Hannah Shteyn ................Staten Island, N.Y. 174 ....Samantha Tutelman..........New York, N.Y. 187 ....Jessica Golovin ................New York, N.Y. 205 ....Ariana D. Rodriguez..........Bronx, N.Y. 503 ....Nadia Smergut..................New York, N.Y. 514 ....Alexa Meltzer ....................New York, N.Y. 536 ....Lily Bondy..........................Brooklyn, N.Y. 707 ....Destiny Grunin ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 834 ....Jessica Melanie Livianu....Brooklyn, N.Y.

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2013 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JULY 2013 Tuesday-Sunday, July 9-14 L1B July Bronx Challenger Bronx International Youth Tennis Center 754 Thieriot Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger: BG(18-12)s, SE; QuickStart: BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE; QuickStart: BG(8 [36’Court/Red Ball])sd, RR Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, June 25) For more information, call (347) 417-8176. Friday-Sunday, July 12-14 L2O Sportime Randall’s Island July 2013 Open Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 21) For more information, call (646) 783-5301. Friday-Sunday, July 12-21 L1 USTA BJK NTC Junior Tennis Classic USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, Corona Park Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: Championships: BG(18-12)s, SE; Regular: BG(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, FMLC Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 28 at 10:15 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6200. Monday-Friday, July 15-19 L2R Metro CityParks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation Bay 8 Street Park Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $33 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 9 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6986.

Friday-Sunday, July 19-21 L2R BIYTC July Metro Regional Bronx International Youth Tennis Center 754 Thieriot Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(18-12)s, SE; QuickStart: BG(8 [36’Court/Red Ball])sd, RR; QuickStart: BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player singles (deadline for entries is Friday, July 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (917) 443-6751.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L2O Lincoln Terrace Summer Classic Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association 1363 E 104th Street Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(18-12)s, SE; Intermediate: BG(18-12)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $38.13 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, August 2 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (347) 406-6402.

Tuesday-Monday, July 23-29 L1 North Shore Tower CC July Championships North Shore & Towers Country Club 27286 Grand Central Parkway Floral Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships: BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player singles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 428-5030.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island August 2013 Challenger Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger: BG(18-12)s,SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Saturday, July 27 L3 Sportime Randall’s Island July 2013 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 Friday, July 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Monday-Friday, August 12-16 L2R Metro CityParks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation-Walker Park Staten Island, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $33 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6986.

Monday-Friday, July 29-August 2 L2R Metro CityParks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation-Central Park • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $33 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 15 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6986. AUGUST 2013 Wednesday-Sunday, August 7-11 L1 EmblemHealth BIYTC Championships New York Junior Tennis League 1701 Crotona Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships: BG(18-12)s, SE; QuickStart: BG(10 [60’Court/Orange Ball],8 [36’Court/Red Ball])s, RR; BG(8 [36’Court/Red Ball])d, RR Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (347) 417-8168.

Monday-Wednesday, August 12-14 L2O & Adult Staten Island Tennis Center Summer Classic Staten Island Community Tennis Center 2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(18)s, SE; Ranked: MW(Op)sd, SE; X(Op)d, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, August 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 982-3355. Thursday-Sunday, August 15-18 L1 Harlem Week Summer Championship Harlem Junior Tennis Program 40 West 143rd Street New York, N.Y. Divisions: Championships: BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, August 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (212) 491-3738.

NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2013 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, August 16-18 L2O Sportime Randall’s Island August 2013 Open Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(18-12)s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, August 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Monday-Friday, August 26-30 L2R Metro CityParks Junior Tournament Series City Parks Foundation Pelham Bay Park Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate: BG(16-12)s, SE Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $33 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, August 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 760-6986.

Friday-Sunday, August 23-25 L1 Sportime Randall’s Island August 2013 Championships Sportime at Randalls Island 1 Randalls Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Championships: BG(18-14)s, SE; B(10 [78’Court/Green Ball])s, SE Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, August 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

Saturday, August 31 L3 Sportime RI August 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 Saturday, August 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (646) 783-5301.

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New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2013 • NYTennisMag.com

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