Long Island Tennis Magazine July / August 2018 by United Sports Publications

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104 Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2018 • LITennisMag.com

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MCB Tennis Foundation Celebrates 50th Anniversary

ach summer, one of the most unique and exciting junior tennis tournaments travels across the country to host massive Sectional, National and International Championships. Created by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, the “Little Mo” circuit unites some of the world’s best junior players, and this summer will be a little extra special for the all players and staff as the MCB Tennis Foundation (MCBTF) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. “Five decades of faithful and astute operation of any successful business is extraordinary. Both my mother and Nancy Jeffett merged their passions for tennis and their desires to help future generations of promising junior tennis players by co-founding the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation in 1968,” said Cindy Brinker Simmons, daughter of Maureen Connolly Brinker and President of the MCBTF. “They both wanted to give back to the grand sport of tennis by offering travel grants, conducting clinics and organizing tournaments and international programs that would not only be a platform for outstanding competition but would also encourage fair play, good sportsmanship, integrity and kindness.” The spirit of the MCBTF came from all the people who helped out Maureen Connolly on her way to a successful professional tennis career. “When Maureen was starting out as a junior player, the San Diego Tennis Patrons Association saw she had potential and they were able to help her out financially to travel to tournaments outside of San Diego,” said Carol Weyman, Executive Vice President of the MCBTF. “She started doing very well and the patrons association continued to support her for many years. Eventually, they financed her travel to the USTA Girls 18s National Grass Court Championships in Philadelphia, and that

was really the beginning of her successful tennis career.” Maureen knew from that point that if she ever had the chance to help out young players the way she was helped out in her early years, she would do so. When she was tragically diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer in 1966, she turned that dream into a reality with her friend, Nancy Jeffett, to establish the MCBTF in 1968. And for more than two decades now, the “Little Mo” circuit has become the signature initiative of the MCBTF, embodying all the qualities of the foundation. “As we complete the first 50 years of the MCBTF, my mother would be thrilled, absolutely thrilled, to see the impact MCB has had on junior tennis,” Simmons said. “Truly, we salute with tremendous thanks, the multitude of individuals who have helped propel MCBTF into the globally respected junior tennis foundation we have become in the last 50 years. Specifically, we acknowledge and appreciate Nancy’s daughter and our

fellow Director Elizabeth Jeffett, as well as our exceptional Executive Vice President, Carol Weyman, who has overseen the distinguished work of MCBTF for 29 years and who has developed our signature ‘Little Mo’ national circuit and our international tournaments.” It will be a special summer for everyone involved with “Little Mo” and the MCBTF. At the first “Little” Mo Internationals of the summer, which will take place WednesdaySunday, July 4-8 in Newport Beach, Calif., there will be a dinner and party to commemorate the anniversary with special guest speakers on July 4th. As always, one of the highlights of the summer here in New York is the “Little Mo” Internationals at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, which will be held this year from Monday-Saturday, Aug. 20-25. There will be a special ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 21 from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. where a five-foot tall bronze plaque, honoring Maureen Connolly Brinker’s Grand Slam feat, will be unveiled.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue. Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.

JUL/AUG 2018 • Vol 10, No 4

Table Of Contents

Molded for Success By Brian Coleman Hard-working Austrian Dominic Thiem continues his rapid rise in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, coming off a finals appearance at Roland Garros and entering the grass court season. See page 20

Photo credit: USTA

Highlights 8 14 34 38 48

2019 New York Open Preview: New York Open Returns to L.I. in 2019 By Brian Coleman Charkiewicz, Rolski Capture Men’s Pro Title at LI Tennis Challenge 2018 New York Empire Season Preview 2018 Boy’s High School Recap By Brian Coleman From Flushing to Roland-Garros: A First Timer’s Guide to Visiting Roland Garros By Seth Sarelson

Features 1 4 6 12 16 17 18 24 26 29 30 31 32 46 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 71

MCB Tennis Foundation Celebrates 50th Anniversary Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Tennis Bubbles: A Grand Slam Victory Over the Elements USTA Eastern Hosts Inaugural Big Apple International Cup Google May be Your Worst Enemy By Todd Widom Sports Made Easy Connects the Tennis World King-sley of Clay: Northport’s Cannon Kingsley Finds Success on European Trip By Brian Coleman USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Anger, Rage and Self-Defeat in Tennis By Dr. Tom Ferraro Pine Hollow CC Hosts Opening Day Carnival to Kick Off Season Long Island Tennis Charitable Initiatives: Old Westbury Golf & CC Hosts Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition Old Westbury Golf & CC Hosts Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition USTA Eastern Inducts 2018 Hall of Fame Class Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller The Secret to Rafael Nadal’s Success: More Than an Athlete … Every Time By Rob Polishook Captured: The Ecstasy of the Win By Barbara Wyatt Why Successful Juniors Fail? By Zeki Tukel Infinity Tennis By Steven Kaplan Help! My Child Is Playing in a Tournament By Tonny van de Pieterman Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz The Jensen Zone: Rafa: The Ageless Wonder By Luke Jensen The Road to Great Prize Money By Lonnie Mitchel USTA/Long Island Region 2018 Tournament Schedule Long Island Rankings

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Publications Ltd. • Copyright © 2018 United Sports Publications Ltd.

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Across Long Isla NTC Plays Host to “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Day

Bryan Brothers’ Coach Bey Hosts Clinic at Carefree

Mark Bey, coach of the Bryan Brothers and a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Elite Professional, stopped by Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick to host a clinic. Bey trained the Carefree staff on some of the finer points of the pro game and put players through a great workout.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hosted the annual Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence day as hundreds of kids came out and participated in this one-of-akind event. More than 400 children from nine public schools in Far Rockaway came out for the 21st annual event, which was sponsored by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, to take to the tennis court and commit to making good life decisions.

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Geotz Continues Her Winning Ways Taylor Geotz, who trains at Bethpage Park Tennis Center, has had a great run of play during her recent tournaments. First, Geotz competed at the Super Six Tri-City Nationals in Latham where she advanced all way to the finals. She followed that up by winning the title at the Super Six Sectional Championships at Port Washington Tennis Academy, beating the top seed, Linda Ziets-Segura, 6-3, 6-2, in the finals.

Sorokko Brings Home ITF Delray Beach Grade 4 Title Michelle Sorokko, who trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, won the title at the ITF Delray Beach Grade 4 tournament down in Florida. The 14th seeded Sorokko came back from a set down in both the semifinals and finals, capturing the tournament victory with a 26, 6-4, 6-2 win over the second-seeded Elli Mandlik.

Kontokosta a Big Winner in Huntington Ross School Tennis Academy’s Eleni Kontokosta took home the title at the L2 May Open at Huntington Indoor Tennis Center. Kontokosta won all of her matches in straight sets to bring home the championship, her first as a competitor in a 12U Division.

David Brent (left), who is part Owner of Nassau Indoor Tennis, as well as the Head Tennis Pro at Inwood Country Club, was named the recipient of the 2017 United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Eastern Industry Excellence Award at the 2018 USPTA Conference at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The award is given to teaching professionals who take both an entrepreneurial and altruistic attitude toward their job, using their own resources, as well as those offered by the industry to build programs that bring tennis more people.

Brachmann Wins ITF Doubles Title Spencer Brachmann (pictured left), who trains out of Christopher Morley Tennis, paired up with Maxwell McKennon (pictured right) to win the doubles title at the Copa Mundo Maya by Universidad Galileo, an ITF Grade 4 tournament in Guatemala. The pair dropped just one set throughout the tournament, and took out the number two seeds, Patricio Nieto & Guillermo Castaneda, 6-2, 7-6(2), in the championship.

Zaphiris Captures Port Washington Tennis Challenger Andriana Zaphiris, who trains out of Sportime Syosset, won the L1B Port Washington Tennis Challenger earlier this spring. Zaphiris won all of her matches in the draw in straight sets, including a 6-0, 6-0 triumph in the tournament’s championship match.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis Bubbles: A Grand Slam Victory Over the Elements

rying to figure out a way to maintain your tennis training momentum throughout the offseason? Indoor tennis is a lot more viable than you might think. New York’s harsh winters make outdoor tennis strictly a seasonal sport—unless you can move it indoors. And while indoor tennis may seem like an expensive luxury, The Farley Group keeps the game going year-round by manufacturing, installing and maintaining tennis bubbles. Bubbles are the ideal solution for indoor tennis—both economically and practically. Tennis has always been a big deal in New York, which has driven the demand for indoor playing spaces for several decades now. With more than 20 bubbles in New York City and the Long Island area, Farley tennis bubbles have helped solidify New York as one of the top places to train and develop tennis

T 6

talent. By providing a way to train throughout the winter, tennis becomes much more accessible to those that don’t have the means or desire to travel south for the winter. Compared to other construction methods, bubbles have a relatively short history. Bubbles first made appearances in North America in the early 1970s, and have since evolved into a top solution for sports like tennis. Ralph Farley, Founder of The Farley Group, saw how well the concept worked in Europe, and brought it back with him more than 40 years ago. Since then, The Farley Group has built dozens of tennis bubbles around the world. Stepping into a tennis bubble for the first time can be awe-inspiring. No other structure can provide as much space without any support beams or walls. It’s almost counter-intuitive at first sight: “What’s holding up the roof?” Intriguingly,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

bubbles require nothing but air to do that. Fresh, filtered and conditioned air flows in, giving the bubble its rounded shape, protecting the playing surface and players underneath. A wonderful added benefit is that tennis bubbles can be either seasonal or permanent. Permanent bubbles have the advantage of full protection from the weather throughout the year—cold and snow during the winter, and rain or high winds in the summer—while seasonal domes can go up in the fall and come down in the spring. They represent the perfect solution for outdoor courts. And best of all? Tennis bubbles can be installed for a fraction of what other indoor tennis courts cost. To learn more about how Farley tennis bubbles can help your club members practice their swing 365 days a year, visit TheFarleyGroup.com or call at (888) 445-3223.

continued on page 8 LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ July/August 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

2019 New Y Prev New York Open Retu

By Brian Co

NY Open runner-up Sam Querrey, plus the current number five-ranked doubles tandem of Bob & Mike Bryan. Fans can expect to see more player announcements coming out around the U.S. Open.

Anderson, Querrey and the Bryans to return While the 2019 New York Open is still months away, Tournament Director Josh Ripple and his team at GF Sports and BSE Global have been hard at work preparing for the second year of the tournament. “After a three month retrospective of the inaugural tournament, one thing is very clear—there is a great future for ATP World Tour tennis in the New York-metropolitan area,” said Ripple. “Players, fans of all ages, corporate sponsors and Tour officials have welcomed and congratulated GF Sports and BSE Global’s efforts on the 2018 debut.” In big news, the New York Open has announced its first set of headlining players for 2019, beginning with defending champion Kevin Anderson. Joining Anderson is 2018

New York Open to expand its interactive experience The inaugural New York Open delivered great tennis on the court, and worked hard to integrate the Long Island community into the event. Whether it was through special events or promotional nights, the New York Open cemented itself as part of the local tennis scene and will continue to build on that. “A great benefit to debuting an event like the New York Open to a savvy and vocal consumer base is receiving straight talk feedback. Many attendees were impressed with the size and scope of our temporary physical footprint and how we allowed for fans to watch these top players in an up close and personal way,” said Ripple. “We planted several experiential offering seeds and are excited to see how they grow. Our plan is to drive greater awareness for The Overlook—our on-court indoor/outdoor hospitality area—activate the Coliseum’s

he inaugural New York Open brought professional tennis back to Long Island in exciting fashion earlier this year, and the ATP World Tour 250 tournament has announced its dates for next year. The 2019 NY Open will run from Feb. 9-17, 2019 at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Expo Hall, and better market the Grant Thornton Lounge—which will serve our VIP customers better in 2019.” New initiatives to the 2019 New York Open will include the build-out of some 40-50 oncourt level boxes, enhanced ability for people to play like the pros on the competition courts, the complete takeover of Carefree Racquet Club to stage off-site camps, clinics, tournaments in addition to allow people the opportunity to watch the players practice at the Official Practice Facility of the New York Open. “We think the addition of the box seats will provide customers—both individuals and corporations a familiar footprint to entertain during the week, and with our all-inclusive food and beverage offering the experience should be very memorable and attractive at a reasonable price,” said Assistant Tournament Director Peter Lebvedevs. “We plan to price the boxes in groups of fours, starting at $5,000 and going up to $7,500 for the front row.” Like any major entertainment event these days, the New York Open will need to present additional attractions, and will do so with features ranging from the return of the New York Tennis Expo, hosted by Long Island/New York Tennis Magazines, to the integration of Wolfpack Ninja. A GF Capital company, Wolfpack

w York Open eview Returns to L.I. in 2019

Brian Coleman

Ninja will provide kids and adults the opportunity to train with professional ninjas and test their own physical abilities on the incredible and grueling rig/course that has made ninja activities one of the most explosive recreational and entertainment platforms in the world. Ripple also emphasized the importance of securing a title sponsor for 2019. Both GF Sports and BSE Global are actively pursuing local, regional and national prospects. Like so many major professional sports events, the involvement of a title sponsor not only provides much needed funding support, but the partnership provides for year-long marketing and promotional activities which helps grow the roots of a tournament like the New York Open deep in the community. “The first year of any new sports event typically serves as the proverbial ‘Dip the Toe in the Water’ position with partnerships. In year two, our ability to build on the momentum created in year one, combined with the initiatives outlined above, will be the natural next step in the development of what is certainly going to become a major winter tradition in New York,” said Ripple. “But having that title partner that serves as our corporate champion is critical, and we are confident a great brand will be secured for 2019.”

A look back at 2018 The New York Open debuted with the return of the New York Tennis Expo, which brought nearly 4,000 people to NYCB LIVE for a day of fun with a vast exhibitor hall, tons of tennis activities and games, educational seminars and much more. The Opening Night Premiere kicked off the tennis action and brought together U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, Eugenie

Bouchard, New York’s own John McEnroe and Yonkers native James Blake for an exciting exhibition night, before the tournament action heated up during the week. “It’s really exciting for me to be a part of this opening year,” said Blake. “I remember growing up and going to the U.S. Open with my dad and seeing tennis up close. Hopefully, this continued on page 10

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2019 new york open preview continued from page 9 tournament can create some more fans like myself. I think it’s a great thing for the sport and a great thing for the community.” The 2018 NY Open featured some of the game’s biggest stars, including Anderson, Querrey, John Isner, Kei Nishikori and the Bryan Brothers, as well as future stars in young Americans Frances Tiafoe, Jared Donaldson, Ryan Harrison and Long Island’s own Noah Rubin. In the end, the top two seeds, Anderson and Querrey, respectively, met in the tournament’s final and it was the big South African Anderson who came out on top, winning the inaugural singles title with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) victory. Anderson shared his thoughts on the tournament’s first year: “Often, when it’s your first week and the first time you put on an event, it can be quite challenging. I must say that I feel like things went very smoothly. I think from a player’s standpoint, it didn’t feel like a first-year event

make the bet on who’s going to be the next best kid to break through,” said Ripple. “From a GF Sports standpoint, it has always been part of our mission to help the young Americans, and that commitment will be no different in 2019. The question is can any of that talent make the move and crack the top 30, which seems to be elusive for so many of them.”

at all. I think everyone who was behind the scenes did a terrific job and I’ve had two good outings in New York the last two times I’ve been here, so I’m definitely all for a tournament being back here and I definitely look forward So who is the New York Open to coming back next year.” looking at this summer? “Honestly, it’s still those same incredibly New York Open player view With top Americans Querrey and the Bryan talented kids that are battling to breakout,” Brothers back in the mix, the next step for the said Ripple. “Since February at the New York New York Open team is to keep a close eye on Open, we have seen Frances Tiafoe and the up-and-coming players, and young Amer- Taylor Fritz with glimpses of greatness, and even local favorite Noah Rubin bust out at the icans in particular. One of the more fun aspects of putting to- Challenger levels. Our hope is they all gether a player field for Ripple and his team is continue to climb, because their rise in the handicapping the next level of stars and sign- rankings can only help our efforts in ensuing ing them to play with the hopes that stardom is the highest levels of professional tennis just one or two tournament wins away. Look- remain in the United States.” ing at the rankings, most of the young Americans are still stacked up between 45-100 in the Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for Long IsATP World Tour Rankings, and each are within land Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or e-mail four to five years in age of one another. “A difficult, yet rewarding, part of the job is to BrianC@USPTennis.com.

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LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Hosts Inaugural Big A

ome of the world’s best 12U and 14U players gathered at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows for the inaugural Junior TeamTennis Big Apple International Cup. The debut event featured top juniors from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Spain. “We wanted to bring excitement to Junior TeamTennis, and to give top Eastern

players the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the world from their age group,” said Gustavo Loza, USTA Eastern’s Tennis Service Representative, Metro Region, who organized and ran the tournament. “The competition, atmosphere and sportsmanship was extraordinary.” The two-day competition was played in a round-robin format on the first day, and based on those results, the finals were played the next day. The United States would come

out victorious in both competitions. “We competed well and the guys and girls really tried their best, and showed great sportsmanship,” said Team USA coach Kurt Clemmons. “We had a really tough match against Canada on the opening day, but they battled through. I think it was a great experience for them. To be able to play on the grounds of the U.S. Open, that’s very important. And being part of a team atmosphere like this where the crowd

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

g Apple International Cup

“I liked everything about the event, it was so much fun,” said Caitlin Bui. “It was fun to cheer and support the other players on our team and to play against other countries. It was interesting to see the talent from other countries and to see how they play.” The inaugural event was a success, and Loza and the USTA Eastern Section team are looking forward to expanding on the event next year. “Overall, it was an extremely positive experience for our players,” Loza said. “We will definitely look to make the event bigger and better next year.”

Team USA Big Apple International Cup Roster

is cheering, not always for you, is huge for their development.” Stephanie Yakoff, one of Team USA’s competitors, enjoyed being able to compete with her friends from the Eastern Section against top players from other countries. “It was nice to meet and compete against kids from other countries,” Yakoff said after winning a key mixed doubles match with Cal Wider, which gave the U.S. the win over Canada. “We started off a lit-

tle nervous, but when we got the lead, we calmed down a bit, and played well. Coach helped us take some of the pressure off … he did a weird dance before it started.” The majority of the players that made up the Team USA roster came from the Eastern Section, and in addition to the outstanding tennis, the competitors from all four countries exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and enjoyed cheering on their teammates.

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LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Charkiewicz, Rolski Capt

he Long Island Tennis Challenge returned for its fifth year as more than 40 doubles teams came out to The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack to take part in the annual event. The day began with pros from Sportime Kings Park hosting a clinic which helped prepare the competitors for the start of play. The morning session was host to four different divisions of play scattered across the eight outdoor courts of The Hamlet. The Men’s Pro Division was played in the afternoon and featured a $750 cash prize for the winners, and the players in the tournament fiercely competed to claim that purse. In the end, it was former New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) standout Rafal Charkiewicz & Columbia’s Mikal Rolski who would come out victorious in the Pro Division. The duo, who have known each other since they were 10-years-old, defeated Ben Marks & Luis Vivas 4-1 in the semifinals, before matching up against Dmytro Kovalevych & Anton Protsenko in the championship. Charkiewicz & Rolski would get a key break of serve late in the final to edge Kovalevych & Protsenko 7-5. “I think the key to win this tournament was our consistent and aggressive play throughout the day,” said Charkiewicz. “In the final, I would say we returned better and played better at the net than our opponents. I think the tournament was really well-organized. We always had enough time to recover after the matches and we got new balls for each match.” Chris Colesanti & R.J. Narciso would come out winners in the Men’s Amateur A Division, beating Jeff Kimmel & Eric Diton 6-4 in the final.

Coming through the semifinals and then prevailing in the finals was no easy task for the duo, as Narciso was dealing with a bad hamstring, which he injured earlier in the tournament. “R.J. pulled his hamstring during the last round-robin match and was hampered the rest of the day,” said Colesanti. “He wasn’t able to move as well, so we had to make a few adjustments to our game plan. I became more aggressive and covered some more of the court. We also tried to shorten the points and avoid long baseline rallies. We had some tight moments in the final and had to dig deep.” The pair was serving for 4-1 before they were broken and later found themselves tied at 3-3. But they regrouped, and broke while up 5-4 to close out the match and win the title. The fourth-seeded duo of Katie Figgie & Mariel Hollins had to upset the top two seeds on their way to winning the championship in the Women’s Amateur A Division. First, Figgie & Hollins ousted the topseeds Lisa Goldberg & Donna Ryan 4-1 in the semifinals before moving into the finals to take on the second-seeds, Lauren Brenner & Darlene Pergola. Figgie & Hollins defeated Brenner & Pergola in an exciting final to claim the Women’s Amateur A title. In the Men’s Amateur B draw, Larry Maglione & Rob Rusche outlasted William Sannuto & Ray Rahbari 4-3(10-5) to win the championship. Lori Dilton & Carla Karen would take home the title in the Women’s B Division.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

The Hamlet provided an array of food and refreshments, including wraps, bagels, fruit salad, desserts, water, etc. on a perfect day for tennis. Winners from the Amateur Divisions received quarterfinal tickets to the New York Open, as well as a bottle of champagne. Lucky winners also received New York Empire tickets. The winners and runner-ups from the Women’s Divisions were also rewarded with a beautiful outfit from 30Fifteen. All players received a can of balls from the New York Open, plus a water bottle courtesy of My Game Solutions and an array of gifts from Long Island Tennis Magazine. A HEAD Tennis bag was raffled off courtesy of MyGameSolutions, and Lisa Goldberg was the lucky one winning the new gear. Thanks to all of the event sponsors, the New York Open, USTA Eastern, Sportime/JMTA, PGA Superstore, inPhorm, 30Fifteen, Upordownspin, MyGameSolutions and, of course, The Hamlet Golf and Country Club, for making the 2018 Long Island Tennis Challenge a success. This was the third time that The Hamlet hosted the Long Island Tennis Challenge, and Bruce Moodnik, The Hamlet’s Head Tennis Professional, and his staff once again did a fantastic job. “We were very excited to be the host club for a third straight year,” said Moodnik. “In addition to having four amateur tournaments being played, it is wonderful to see local and pro tour players return to compete at The Hamlet Club, the warm-up tournament for the U.S. Open, in years past. I’m already looking forward to next year.”

apture Men’s Pro Title at LI Tennis Challenge

01 Long Island Tennis Challenge Men’s Pro Winners Rafal Charkiewicz & Columbia’s Mikal Rolski 02 The fourth-seeded duo of Katie Figgie (pictured here) & Mariel Hollins upset the top two seeds to win the championship in the Women’s Amateur A Division 03 Mariel Hollins teamed with Katie Figgie to capture the championship in the Women’s Amateur A Division 04 Michelle Stoerback backhands the ball during the LI Tennis Challenge 05 Loic Minery takes part in the 2018 Long Island Tennis Challenge Men’s Pro Division 06 Paige Lawrence in action 07 Ben Marks (pictured here) teamed with Luis Vivas for the day’s action 08 Chris Colesanti returns a shot en route to capturing the Men’s Amateur A Division championship with his partner, R.J. Narciso 09 Danny Burgess Jr. on the courts of The Hamlet in Commack

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Google May be Your Worst Enemy By Todd Widom hat is one of the first things you do when you figure out your son or daughter’s starting time for their tournament on the weekend? You type their opponent’s name into Google and you get to see their Tennis Recruiting Rating and results. You may also look up their UTR Rating. Then, you may speak to your child about these ratings and numbers. This is where the stress begins. Do not forget that your son or daughter knows who they are playing already, what their opponent’s rating is and how they have done recently. Do you know what all this means? You guessed it! Nothing. Speaking or looking up what the rating of an opponent is will not help your child focus on the important details of what it is going to take to perform well in a particular tennis match. We live in a time where we can find out anything with the swipe of a screen on our smartphones. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of this information. There should be no discussion and there should be no thinking about what the potential consequences could be if you give up a certain amount of games or loses to this level of player. Not only is this negative thinking, but your child’s brain will be thinking of how not to screw up the match, which will, in turn, make them very nervous and unable to

perform at their best level. I am sure many parents and juniors reading this have done this exact type of preparation for tournament matches. In fact, I know many juniors and their parents who go through this type of preparation before every tournament and wonder why their child is so uptight when competing. This will just create additional stress on the child. Regardless of all the technology around us, there is a certain way to prepare your child to perform at their best level in a tournament, win or lose. There should be objectives they are trying to be achieved each time your son or daughter gets ready to compete at a tournament. Every child is different, but below are some objectives that should be monitored at a tournament. I do not care who they play, they need to understand how to follow a game plan. When they find out whom they are playing, they need to know the strengths and weaknesses of that particular player. They may call a friend who happens to know that particular player to find out how the player plays. If they cannot find out any information on their opponent, the warmup during the match and first two games should be used to figure out how they are going to play their opponent. With the game plan now in their head, how long could they execute this plan for? Many junior tennis players cannot stick to a solid game plan for extended periods. They have mental lapses of

concentration during their matches. Top players have very short mental lapses and others have lapses that can last for games. It comes down to how disciplined your child is in not only their tennis, but also their lives. I have noticed that this current generation of children have short attention spans and I think this is due to their surroundings. Everything is done quickly without taking time to think things through. The next thing to accomplish during a match is to have a great attitude with a fighting spirit. That is it in a nutshell … have a game plan and follow it, concentrate on the game plan, and have a great positive attitude. Win or lose, you know what is going to happen when your tournament is over. You are going to come back to practice and hopefully work on the things that did not go well in your tournament. It really is that simple. Do not clog your brain with meaningless statistics. Prepare your brain properly and you will have more fun and enjoy competition much more by keeping things simple and in perspective. Todd Widom is a former top 200 ATP professional in both singles and doubles, and owner of TW Tennis, South Florida’s top small group/private tennis training geared exclusively for the high-performance junior, collegiate or professional tennis player. Todd may be reached by e-mail at Todd@TWTennis.com or visit TWTennis.com.

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Sports Made Easy Connects the Tennis World martphones and apps have dramatically altered our world, changing how we perform routine daily functions. Making a reservation at a restaurant, watching a movie, ordering a cab and finding a hotel room no longer require a chain of phone calls; instead, they can be quickly accomplished within a mobile app. This technological revolution has put more power in the hands of he consumer, presenting hundreds of options and price-points on a single interface, educating consumers and saving them time and money. Shockingly, the sports industry has lagged when it comes to adopting this wave of change, often relying upon receptionists and offline messaging systems to book courts and connect nearby players. Just as OpenTable has become synonymous with restaurant reservations, Uber with hailing a cab, and Airbnb with finding a place to stay, allow Sports Made Easy to become your solution for booking tennis

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courts and tee times, as well as connecting to nearby players. Playing golf and tennis can be very expensive and time-consuming for many, especially for those who don’t have easy access to a group of players and venues. There has not been a sufficient solution for this problem until now. Recently launched by My Game Solutions, Sports Made Easy is a mobile app connecting golfers and tennis players with each other, as well as with coaches and clubs in real-time. Through a mobile application, users can fulfill their sporting needs easily by hosting a match or league, and broadcasting open spots to active users who are ready to play. After the spots are filled, users can view all clubs and courts within their selected mile radius and timing availabilities to reserve a spot. With Sports Made Easy, users can get their USTA and UTR rankings updated automatically, which allows them to find players at their desired skill level with confidence. Users can look up other player

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

rankings/ratings who are not part the community with a click of a button before they play them in a league or a tournament. What previously took minutes or hours can now take place in a matter of seconds, freeing up time and expanding the users’ network. Already have a group of players you play with regularly? Simply locate and reserve nearby courts and courses on Sports Made Easy’s user-friendly interface. After its recent launch, Sports Made Easy has steadily grown its database on the East Coast and has begun branching out nationwide. With numerous junior players and three ATP professionals sponsored, My Game Solutions’ vision of “Sports Made Easy” is being shared with the world. Visit the company’s booth at the 2018 Atlanta Open, July 21-29, to learn more about the app’s functionality. Join in the quest to make tennis and golf as easy and affordable as possible by downloading the Sports Made Easy app from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store today.

Cannon Kingsley competing in Paris at the French Open Juniors

King-sley of Clay: Northport’s Cannon Kingsley Finds Success on European Trip By Brian Coleman t this time two years ago, Cannon Kingsley was just finishing up his freshman year at Northport High School and celebrating his Suffolk County Individual Championships Singles title. Fast-forward to 2018, and Kingsley is no longer competing against the best players in Suffolk County, but against some of the best junior players from around the world on the ITF and Futures Tour circuit. “It’s been great, and a much different experience than I have had in the past,” said Kingsley of traveling with the USTA and competing in Europe this spring. “I am growing and maturing a lot by being on the road without my parents, learning and experiencing different cultures. I think I’ve grown both mentally and physically. It’s a grind playing in these tournaments one after the other, but it’s been an amazing experience.” Kingsley scored one of his biggest wins at the 40th Torneo “Citta Di Santa Croce” in Santa Croce, Italy, winning the Grade 1 title with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback win over Turkey’s Yanki Erel in the final. Kingsley had gone the whole tournament without dropping a set until he lost the first set in the final, but recovered nicely to capture the championship. “He surprised me in the first set. He

Cannon Kingsley (third from right) captured the title at the Torneo “Citta Di Santa Croce” in Santa Croce, Italy came out strong and pushed me around,” recalled Kingsley. “I had to regroup. I took a long time on that changeover and during the break. I started over mentally and began playing my game again like I had in the previous matches of the tournament.” The win earned Kingsley a wild card into the French Open Juniors, where he got the opportunity to compete on the famous red clay at Roland Garros. “It was surreal playing in that tournament,” said Kingsley. “I knew if I played

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

well in Italy, I would have a chance at a wild card, but I didn’t expect to actually get one. I was definitely nervous at first.” He didn’t display any of those nerves in his opening match at Roland Garros, coming through in a tie-breaker before playing a dominant second set to beat Jonas Forejtek of the Czech Republic, 7-6(4), 6-1. He would play extremely well in his second round match as well, taking the first set and also going up a break in a deciding third set against the ninth-seeded Nicolas Mejia of

ors

Colombia. But a lack of experience on that stage would prove to be the difference in the match for Kingsley, as Mejia fought back to secure the win and advance. Despite losing, the defeat did provide Kingsley with some valuable match experience at a Grand Slam. “He had a little more experience playing in the Grand Slams. I think he played in about four or five of them before that. But I was in it for sure,” he said. “Maybe if I had a little more experience in that environment, I could have taken him.” Kingsley is now back in the United States and is preparing for the grass court season. He spends his days training at Christopher Morley Tennis in Roslyn, and has been educated online for the last two years which allows him to have a more expansive training regimen. The serve has been a major reason for his increased success over the course of the last few months. He has grown bigger and stronger, which has raised the level of his serve, and it has become a real weapon for him. Kingsley’s Coach at Christopher Morley, Christian de los Rios, said the two spent a lot of time preparing for the clay in order to get

him ready for those tournaments in Europe. “We focused a lot on his clay court game: More spin, push the player back, then open the court and drive the ball,” said de los Rios. “We also worked on longer rallies. Cannon is naturally good at winning points within the first three shots, so we focused on longer rallies and being able to win those points too; increasing his shot tolerance.” Kingsley says he still wants to improve his backhand and be more aggressive with that shot, especially as he moves off of the indoor hard courts and outdoors onto clay and grass. But the soon-to-be high school senior is now one of the top juniors in the world and he displayed that after his results in both Italy and France. He will be taking his talents to Columbus, Ohio where he will become a Buckeye and play as a freshman for Ohio State in the fall of 2019. “It was an easy decision for me,” Kingsley said of committing to Ohio State, who reached the National Championship earlier this year. “Ty Tucker is the best Coach in college tennis. I was originally looking at

schools in the south, but I took my first visit to Ohio State and liked it so much. I took a few more visits to Columbus and made what I think was a pretty easy decision.” Kingsley has come a long way since becoming a Suffolk County Champion a couple of years ago, and has graduated to punching his international passport at tournaments around the globe. He has one more year to go before heading off to college, and while he is happy with where he is at in terms of his tennis career, he is eager for more. “I have been looking up to these guys who win these tournaments, and now I am winning, so I know I am right there,” said Kingsley. “I’m one of the top 30 juniors in the world. Anyone can win any given match, and it’s just about how you play in that moment. These results are a huge confidence booster for me for sure, and I will carry that into future tournaments.” Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

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www.hartru.com LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Molded for Success

Hard-working Austrian Dominic Thiem continues his rapid rise By Brian Coleman

In the finals of the 2018 French Open, Austria’s Dominic Thiem was handed a nearly impossible task: To go out and defeat Rafael Nadal. In Nadal’s previous 10 tries, he was 10-0. In fact, he entered the final having only lost twice in his career at Roland Garros. Nadal would improve his record to 11-0 and would not add a third loss to his outstanding record in Paris, downing Thiem, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. “Physically, I enjoyed watching him more on the couch,” said Thiem jokingly after his defeat, indicating the difficulty in playing Nadal. “Of course it’s a really great thing that I made my way so far and that I was competing in a final against him. It’s a really great thing, but I am still disappointed of course. It was a final and I really wanted to win. I gave everything I had, and I’m the loser … so in the end, it’s not the best day.” While the loss was disappointing for the seventh-ranked Thiem, the 24-year-old has a lot to take away from his run in Paris, and it will prove to be a significant stepping stone in his career. “I’m confident that this was not my last Grand Slam final,” he said. “And that’s my biggest goal, to get into the next one, and do better than today.” Thiem was born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, approximately 40 miles south of Vienna, and was raised in an intense tennis environment from an early age. His father, Wolfgang, was a coach at the tennis academy of Gunter Bresnik, the famous coach who worked with the likes of Boris Becker and Patrick McEnroe, and thus Dominic’s pursuit of being a worldclass athlete was underway. From an early age, Bresnik would serve as Thiem’s coach, a relationship that still exists today, as Bresnik remains Thiem’s coach in a full-time capacity. When Thiem was just eight-years-old, Bresnik outlined a vision on how to make him into a professional player. Bresnik described that vision in his 2006 book, The Dominic Thiem Method, where he wrote about the first time he saw Dominic play: “I recall very well, what impressed me first about Dominic,” wrote Bresnik. “The boy could not stand quietly. Not because of being nervous or anxious, but because of the violent compulsion to play. I have never seen Dominic without a ball and a racket, even when he was sitting in the cafeteria or getting out from his grandma’s car. When waiting for a free court to play, he was hitting the wall all the time.” Thiem’s passion made him a willing participant in Bresnik’s rigorous, and often strenuous training regimens. The coach has often been criticized for his methods which, amongst other things, included taking Thiem into the woods of the Austrian mountains and have him run back home. Despite criticism from the outside, Thiem has always stood by his coach: “Gunter is the perfect coach for me.” Thiem insists he doesn’t have a superior work ethic when compared to other players, but that it is just something he needs to do for himself. 20

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continued on page 22

LITennisMag.com LITennisMag.com • July/August • May/June 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Credit all photos to: USTA

molded for success continued from page 20

“It’s fine if people see me like this, but there are really a lot of other players who are working the same amount. Otherwise they wouldn’t be that good,” Thiem told GQ’s Chloe Cooper Jones. “And there are some players who work less, obviously, but everybody is really different. I’m a player

who needs to practice a lot, otherwise I don’t play well.” Thiem was a highly regarded junior, and made his ATP Pro Tour debut in 2011 when he received wild cards into three different tournaments, including Vienna. It was in Vienna, just miles from where he grew up,

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

where he scored his first ATP win, beating compatriot Thomas Muster. Since his pro debut, Thiem has been on a steady rise up the ATP ranks, moving up to seventh in the world following his French Open run, maintaining a relentless work ethic that has been engrained in him since he was a child. Bresnik says that Thiem’s typical training day lasts around 12 hours, and there is nobody on ATP Tour that plays more matches. Last year, he played in 76 matches, down just a bit from the 82 he played in 2016. The French Open final was Thiem’s 44th match already in 2018. His desire to play as many tournaments as possible is commendable, and is definitely a product of the Bresnik training method, but some believe it to be foolish as he wears himself down throughout the season. Just recently, an injured knee threatened his chances in Halle, his first tournament following the French Open. “I played a lot of matches in the past weeks; my knee hurts a bit,” he said. “But I am used to it. It shouldn’t be a problem.” That sort of attitude from Thiem is endearing and demonstrates his desire to fight

through injuries, and not be deterred by the aches and pains. But now that he has established himself inside the Top 10, it may be time to cut down on his match schedule in order to keep himself fresh for the Masters 1000s and Grand Slam tournaments. However, you could also make the case that Thiem’s success is a product of that rigorous training regimen and his unrelenting match schedule, as he said himself, he is the type of player who needs to be playing and practicing all the time in order to achieve the results he wants. As we head deeper into the summer, Dominic Thiem will be looking to build off his fantastic campaign on the red clay at Roland Garros, which saw him take a major leap in his career path. “It’s a big goal for me to play in another slam final soon,” said Thiem after his French Open final defeat. “Of course, it’s going to be a little easier then, a little bit, because it’s not going to be the first time anymore. Then hopefully I can do better than today.” At just 24-years-old, Thiem has an in-

credibly bright future. He is a grinder with an unwavering desire to get better who will never be outworked by his opponent, something that gives him an immediate edge. The title of Grand Slam champion on the ATP Tour has been dominated by just a handful of players in recent years, but Thiem could be the next person to hold that distinction. The kid who couldn’t put down a tennis

racket when he was younger has used that passion to become one of the best players in the world, and it is only a matter of time before that translates into Grand Slam glory. Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

U S TA E A S T E R N L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N

28th Annual LI Awards Dinner

The 28th Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner was a big success, with upwards of 300 people attending to support, honor and congratulate the truly deserving award winners and to hear from special guest speakers Liezel Huber and Emilio Sanchez. Former WTA world number one doubles star and seventime Grand Slam doubles champ Huber is currently the Director of Tennis and Development at the NYJTL Cary Leeds Center. Sanchez, a former professional tennis player from Spain, won three Grand Slam Doubles titles and the Men’s Doubles Silver Medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. He is the director of the ASC Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Naples, Fla. Several sponsors were critical to the success of the event. The USTA Long Island Region would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the dinner. Please support our sponsors! l South Shore Eye Care of Wantagh and Massapequa, Chief Sponsor 24

l l l l

Katzman Orthopedics, Cocktail Hour Sponsor New York Open Jaghab, Jaghab & Jaghab, P.C. My Game Solutions

Additional sponsors include: Long Beach Tennis Center; Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center; Peter Kaplan’s The Grassmere Inn/Westhampton Beach Tennis Academy; Let’s Bag It; Klee, Woolf, Goldman & Filpi LLP; Roslyn Pharmacy; Sportime Kings Park; Sportime Lynbrook; Crest Hollow Country Club; Madison Salon and Spa; Solow Sports; Wilson Tennis; Volkl Tennis; Top Spin Pro Shop; Made To Move Fitness; Kimera Salon; Mission Nutrition; USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center; Cardboard Memories; Academia Sanchez-Casal; NY Empire; Total Tennis; and Tavlin Mediterranean Food Market. All photos from the evening are available online at LongIsland.USTA.com. Feel free to save, print and share your favorites.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

U S TA E A S T E R N L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N

Kids Days Coming

USTA Long Island Region’s Kids’ Days, hosted by Long Island Tennis Magazine, are scheduled for Tuesday, July 10; Monday, July 30; and Thursday, Aug. 2, all from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. These fun FREE annual events for kids under the age of 18 bring tennis instruction and activities to newcomers to the sport, as well as seasoned players. In addition to tennis instruction and games, activities will include face painting, a dunk tank, DJ, food/drinks and more! Nassau County Kids’ Day will be held on July 10 at the Crest Hollow Country Club, 8325 Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury (rain

date Tuesday, July 17). Participants are asked to register in advance by e-mailing USTAOnLongIsland@gmail.com. Eastern Suffolk Kids’ Day is scheduled for Monday, July 30 at the Shinnecock Tennis Club, 125 Sandy Hollow Road in Southampton (rain date is Tuesday, July 31). To register, please email USTAOnLongIsland@gmail.com. Suffolk County Kids’ Day is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 2 at the Hamlet at Commack, located at 1 Country Club Drive in Commack (rain date Tuesday, Aug. 7). Pre-registration is requested, email SuffolkCountyKidsDay@gmail.com to secure your spot.

Awards Dinner Sponsor Profile: Katzman Orthopedics Katzman Orthopedics, Cocktail Hour Sponsor of the USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner for the past two years, provides orthopedic services for all of Long Island. Dr. Barry Katzman (pictured left) has been playing tennis for more than 20 years and says his “passion for the sport continues to grow as my level of

tennis improves within the USTA and club team tennis. “Standing on the sidelines is not what we do,” Dr. Katzman said. “Katzman Orthopedics will continue to be a major sponsor of this annual event. I am proud to do my part in support of the amazing work done by the USTA. Their tireless efforts to promote tennis with our youth is helping to build a foundation for tennis on Long Island.” For information on Katzman Orthopedics, call (516) 488-1417.

USTA Long Island Executive Board l l l l l

Jonathan Klee, President Sunny Fishkind, Vice President Mike Pavlides, Past President Craig Fligstein, Treasurer Terri Arnold-McKenzie, Secretary

For more information on the USTA Long Island Region, please visit LongIsland.USTA.com, e-mail USTAOnLongIsland@gmail.com, visit us on Facebook at USTA Long Island and follow us on Twitter @USTA_LI. LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Anger, Self-De By Dr. Tom Ferraro here is ample proof that tennis players often have difficulty controlling their emotions. This even holds true for players who have obtained greatness. Roger Federer was prone to anger and temper tantrums until he reached the age of 20 and well into his professional career. McEnroe was famous for screaming, “You cannot be serious,” which earned him the nickname “Superbrat.” Ilie Nastase was nicknamed “Nasty” thanks to being so brash and rude, and David Ferrer lobbed a ball into the crowd because he was distracted by a crying child. We have witnessed the wrath of Serena Williams and watched as the uber-talented Nick Kyrgios has incurred thousands of dollars in fines thanks to his unsportsmanlike conduct on the court. Anger is a difficult emotion to master and this is especially true for the young tennis player. I have worked with plenty of up and coming stars who struggle with anger control. Let us spend some time defining anger, understanding why it exists and attempt to see how athletes must learn to deal with it. Anger is usually based on disappointment during a match when a player feels they are not performing up to expectations. Bouts of anger will only last about two seconds, so it is clear that the expression of anger is determined by the player’s unconscious dynamic. They will either internalize their rage and thus subject themselves to self-attack or they can vent their rage and deal with the consequences. Let us attempt to understand each process.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

r, Rage and Defeat in Tennis Internalized rage When a player is perfectionistic and has a burning desire to win, they will have anger issues while they play. Perhaps the worst thing they can do is to internalize the rage which destroys energy, confidence, mood and focus. Internalizing rage will insure that the player will be underperforming and lose to weaker opponents. As a sport psychologist and psychoanalyst, I know that each player has different reasons why they experience symptomatic and disruptive anger. Perfectionism and high expectation usually explain this, but why do some express this anger by internaliz-

ing it into self-attack? Sometimes they have been trained to be nice and to repress any sign of anger, so they have no alternative but to hold it in a self-attack. This kind of defense is called “introjection” and “self-punishment.” In cases like this, we work on providing good insight into both their perfectionism and compulsive niceness. When this occurs, the player will learn to modulate their standards and be more expressive of their anger. Explosive rage This form of rage reaction is more obvious and may be less damaging to

performance per se. McEnroe is a good example of this type of player who would freely express his disappointment by blaming line judges for any mistakes. Kyrgios is a more modern example of a player who will often express his anger outwardly and here too you see that it does not have as damaging an impact on the player’s performance. This kind of defense is called “projection,” “regression” and “displacement.” Of course the danger in this case is that the player looks childish and their socontinued on page 28

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

anger, rage and self-defeat in tennis continued from page 27 cial reputation is diminished. And in the case of professionals, this will invariably reduce any endorsement contracts by corporations who desire media safe athletes. Strategies In order to help the young player cope with uncontrolled anger, we first allow for discussions about the subject of anger on the court and this goes a long way in helping them to problemsolve this issue. We then work on perfectionism and attempt to help them become less demanding of themselves. We will teach assertiveness as well so that they can learn to defend themselves against any cheating done by an opponent. In addition, I teach the player the defense of anticipation or what you may know as Murphy’s Law: Anticipation is the realistic ex-

pectation that invariably some things will go wrong and to plan for this occurrence so you are not surprised by it. Finally, I talk about humor, which is one of the most mature defenses a player can possess. Humor and its twin brother, smiling, help the athlete settle down and get closer in touch with the fun and joy of the game. These processes must be performed in a step-by-step fashion in order for them to work. If you think all this is complicated, you would be correct. The finest psychologist on Earth was Sigmund Freud, and he told us long ago that there are basically two drives in a human being and that they both must be mastered in order to achieve success and happiness. The first drive is what we call “Libido” and the second

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

drive is “Destrudo,” and both drives are a part of sports performance. The felt beauty of the game is the sublimation of Libido. The aggression of the game is expressed by Destrudo or muscle power. Both of these emotional/physical drives are extremely powerful and both are tough to control. But the only way one can fulfill their potential on the court and have more fun while playing tennis is to learn how to discuss, analyze and finally control these instincts. The only way to do that is to engage in “The Talking Cure,” so welcome to the couch, get comfortable and start talking. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., Sport Psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

Pine Hollow CC Hosts Opening Day Carnival to Kick Off Season

ine Hollow Country Club ushered in a new season of tennis at its facility as it hosted its annual Opening Day Carnival. “Today is for everybody to see each other again, and to be able to play in a very casual atmosphere,” said Ricky Becker, Director of Tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club. “It’s not so much about getting better as a tennis player today, it’s more about the camaraderie and enjoying each other’s company.” The day was filled with various activities across Pine Hollow’s many courts. From young kids to adults, there were tennis games for everyone who attended, including High Intensity Doubles, Lower Impact Doubles, a Junior Clinic, a Kids Clinic and Open Play. “You can tell everyone is excited to be here. With the weather we’ve had, everybody is chomping at the bit to get back on court,” said Becker. “The event definitely has a good, festive vibe to it. People who don’t necessarily play together during the summer are playing together today. So it’s pure social tennis in a really fun way.” A food spread and refreshments were available for all guests who got a chance to mingle with members they may not have met or played tennis with before.

“The event is fantastic. There are a lot of diversified offerings for everyone today,” said Jen Kirschenbaum, who was there with her young son who took part in the Young Kids Clinic. “We have Karl [Sommer] who is running the young class, he has all of his equipment out here and the kids are having a blast. We have the men’s and women’s courts full today, so we’re really excited for another great season.” Opening Day also served as a celebra-

tion of Pine Hollow’s two championship teams from last year. Pine Hollow won the 2017 North Shore Country Club Championship in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions, and each now have banners hanging up above the clay courts. “We’re looking forward to another great season,” said Mike Ferber, Men’s Team Co-Captain. “I think we’re going to be stronger this year. We have a couple of new players joining, so we’re confident.”

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charitable initiatives

Old Westbury Golf & CC Hosts Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition

week before the best wheelchair tennis players competed in the annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, some of the tournament’s participants tuned up in a Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition at Old Westbury Golf & Country Club. The event gave the Club’s members and their children and opportunity to watch the athletes as they competed in drills and match play. The event was put together by Old Westbury CC’s Head Tennis Pro Ron Kahn, in conjunction with the Wheelchair Sports Federation. “Ron Kahn and I felt that the club members and children would enjoy witnessing these athletes who have not let adversity stop them from competing and enjoying the game of tennis,” said Joan Carter, Ten-

nis Professional at Old Westbury, who led many of the drills during the showcase. “It’s a wonderful cause to support.” The tennis pros from the Club, as well as the event’s spectators, also got the chance to try their hand at wheelchair tennis. Many of them took to the wheelchairs to get a first-hand perspective on the amount of work, effort and skill it takes to move around the court and compete in the sport. “I always look forward to coming here and to events like this in general, because it’s a great way for people to realize how much work it takes to be a wheelchair athlete,” said Joe Mendez, who has been playing wheelchair tennis for about nine years in addition to basketball, lacrosse, softball and other sports. “It takes a lot of work just to move around the chair and

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

then to be handle a racket. It’s a demanding thing. You have to learn how to use the chair first, and the racket comes later.” Following the on-court play, the spectators got the chance to take part in a Q&A with the wheelchair players to learn more about them and their respective backgrounds. “The wheelchair athletes shared their stories to the members which were compelling and inspirational,” said Carter. “For our coaches who took to the wheelchairs and attempted to play tennis, all found the challenge to be quite humbling. It was a fun day for all the athletes, members and coaches. The spirit and determination was infectious. Old Westbury Golf & CC feels privileged to have hosted the event for the Wheelchair Sports Federation.”

Har-Tru Celebrates 10 Years of Its ClayTech Hybrid Surface

ar-Tru LLC is excited to share that the company is celebrating 10 years of ClayTech in 2018 by hosting play events around the country. ClayTech is a hybrid clay court that offers all the benefits and playability of clay without all the maintenance. The surface was developed and sold in Europe prior to its introduction to the United States. ClayTech is a court system that gets glued to an existing hard surface and infilled with red or green clay. It can be installed and playable in as little as three days. The base is a 1/4” needle-punch textile that never requires rolling, has perma-

nent lines, and needs minimal brushing and watering. “Har-Tru is always looking for ways to create a better place to play,” said Tracy Lynch, Har- Tru’s Director of Sales. “ClayTech does just that. It is an all-weather, easy to care for, clay court that makes the game more fun and more comfortable.” All-weather is a term typically reserved for hard courts, but the company contends that ClayTech has a greater right to that claim than any surface they have seen. There are now more than 700 ClayTech courts in 21 countries around the world and with more interest in low maintenance

options, those numbers are expected to rise. Har-Tru LLC sold more ClayTech courts last year than any year since the introduction of the surface. According to Lynch, playing is believing: “The court sells itself.” That, he says, is why the company has decided to put on play events to celebrate the 10-year anniversary. Play events are being scheduled for June and July in Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Missouri and New England. As dates and locations are finalized they will be posted to the company’s Web site at HarTru.com. All are invited to participate.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Inducts

2018 Hall

USTA Eastern’s Hall of Fame Class of 2018, David Benjamin, Robert Kenas, Nadine Netter Levy and Lloyd Emanuel, were inducted at the famed at the New York Athletic Club

STA Eastern and the Junior Tennis Foundation (JTF) inducted four new members into the Eastern Hall of Fame Class of 2018 at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Eastern legends David Benjamin, Lloyd Emanuel, Robert Kenas and Nadine Netter Levy were celebrated for their outstanding lifetime achievements and contributions to the game, and their legacies will now be enshrined in Eastern tennis history. “This year’s four inductees have made 32

extraordinary contributions that perpetuate Eastern’s heritage of tennis excellence, preserve its visual history and contributed to the growth of the Eastern tennis enterprise,” said Jenny Schnitzer, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of USTA Eastern. “Each has left a unique mark on Eastern tennis, and it is our pleasure to bestow upon them the Eastern Section’s highest honor.” The USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame exists to recognize those players and nonplayers in the Eastern Section whose

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

achievements and contributions to tennis are worthy of the highest commendation and recognition. More than 125 guests, including USTA Eastern Board members, past Hall of Fame inductees, and friends and family of the incoming class, were in attendance for the 31st annual celebration. Proceeds from the celebration will benefit JTF, which provides scholarships and grants for junior and adaptive tennis players throughout the Eastern Section. At the event, two junior players, Christopher Perez Santiago and Nicole Massa, received

cts

l of Fame Class David N. Dinkins Scholarship Awards for their accomplishments both athletically and academically. Benjamin from Skillman, N.J. was inducted by Bob Ingersole, JTF President. With his 26-year tenure as Princeton University’s Varsity Men’s Tennis Coach and four decades leading the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Benjamin, a native of Great Neck, N.Y., was a guiding force who helped shaped today’s world of collegiate tennis. Emanuel from Rye, N.Y., was inducted by Bob Litwin, 18-time U.S. National Champion and eight-time member of the

U.S. Senior Davis Cup team. A former varsity captain of Columbia University Men’s Tennis Team, Emanuel founded the Eastern Masters Grand Prix Circuit, establishing a thriving forum for adult players to continue competing at the highest levels. He would go on to work at Jericho-Westbury Indoor Tennis. During his 40 years volunteering in the Eastern Section, Emanuel served on the USTA Eastern Board of Trustees and built the foundation for the ranking system that are used today. Kenas, hailing from Marlboro, N.J., was inducted by his children, Jennifer Kenas Arianas and David Kenas. Robert Kenas’s

beautiful photography chronicled the Eastern Tennis Association junior circuit and Section special events in the 1980’s and 1990’s. His photos have been featured in national tennis publications, including Tennis Week and World Tennis, as well as national newspapers including The New York Times. Levy, currently of Palm Beach, Fla., was inducted by her children, Sharon Kalb, Gus Levy, Kate Levy and Vanessa Seide. Originally from New York City and raised in Scarsdale, N.Y., Nadine Netter Levy is a former tour player and co-captain of USTA Eastern’s Addie Cup.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2018 New York Empire Season Preview

he New York Empire begin its third season in Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) as the franchise returns to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this summer, looking to build off a 2017 campaign which saw it come one match away from the finals. “There were so many close matches, we lost a couple of tight ones including some third-set tie-breakers, so it could have gone either way,” said Empire Head Coach Gigi Fernandez. “One match could have put us in the finals. So we just have to do what we did last year, and hopefully be a little better.” Fernandez, along with WTT Co-Founder Billie Jean King and WTT Commissioner Ilana Kloss, held court for Empire Media Day at the National Tennis Center to kick off the upcoming season. King discussed the importance of there being a WTT franchise in New York: “You have to have a New York team,” King told reporters. “It’s such a great market. You have every culture; over 145 languages are spoken here. It’s really important. I played the majority of my WTT career in New York, first with the Sets at Nassau Coliseum, and for the Apples at Madison Square Garden. The reason I live in New York now is because of WTT. I loved playing for this city … those are very important years to me.” The Empire hope to make an even bigger leap in its third season, and has the goal of competing for the King Trophy, which is presented to the WTT champion. In the draft, Fernandez said the primary focus was to enhance the doubles teams. Since three of the five sets played are doubles (Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Women’s Doubles), making sure you are successful in doubles is of great importance. “The girls we had last year didn’t gel like 34

we hoped they would,” said Fernandez. “Doubles is important in World TeamTennis, so we emphasized getting doubles players who would work well together.” To address that in the draft, the Empire selected Germany’s Tatjana Maria and Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, both of whom will be competing in their first season in WTT. The two will join Neal Skupski, who will be competing for the Empire for the third straight year, and draft pick Denis Novikov, as well as marquee players John Isner, Eugenie Bouchard and Mardy Fish. “It’s great. Having them is awesome,” Fernandez said of the returning marquee players. “They are established players and bring the fans out. The excitement when they’re playing is palpable.” Special Themed Nights Highlight Empire Home Schedule The season gets underway on Sunday, July 15 at 5:00 p.m., when John Isner will look to help lead the Empire to a season-opening victory. Featuring live entertainment, games, food trucks and face-painting, the team will welcome guests of all ages for Family Fun Night. Festivities will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the action on the court will begin at 5:00 p.m. On Wednesday, July 18, the New York Empire will honor women who inspire today’s youth, as Billie Jean King and the Women’s Sports Foundation participate in “Empower Her Night” when the Empire host the Philadelphia Freedoms. Hundreds of young girls will be treated to one of two tennis clinics sponsored by Empire BlueCross BlueShield or the Women’s Sports Foundation as part of Empower Her Night. Participants in both clinics will receive a complimentary racket, interact with the New York Empire roster, take a photo with Billie Jean King, and Head Coach Gigi

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Fernandez will also make an appearance. A special ceremony will take place at halftime to recognize those in attendance. The Empire will “Play for Puerto Rico” on Friday, July 20 against the San Diego Aviators. Head Coach Fernandez will be raising funds and awareness for her native Puerto Rico after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria last September. A live auction will take place at halftime featuring a bidding opportunity to play in Arthur Ashe Stadium for one hour later this summer. Mardy Fish, former American number one, will take Court 17 on Monday, July 23 when the Washington Kastles make their second visit to the National Tennis Center as the Empire host “Unity in the Community Night.” The night will feature a salute to our military servicemembers, veterans and first responders. Any tennis fan who attends in uniform or shows their military or service identification card will receive complimentary admission to the night’s match. On Wednesday, July 25, the Empire will celebrate and showcase the multi-cultural fabric of Queens on “International Night.” Live music, international cuisine and oncourt performances will highlight the evening. The Orange County Breakers come to Court 17 on Thursday, July 26 when Genie Bouchard and Fish will help host “Volleys Against Violence.” High school students are encouraged to rally together and join the evening that will feature a pre-match pizza party with local police officers and on-court contests. The Empire will close out its season on Thursday, Aug. 2 against the Philadelphia Freedoms with Fan Appreciation Night. Promotional giveaways will be featured throughout the evening and the first 500 guests will receive a special gift. One lucky fan will win a raffle for 2019 New York Empire season tickets.

2018 New York Empire Home Schedule Tickets start as low as $10 for children ages 16-and-under and $25 for adults. The New York Empire offers both reserved box seats and general admission

seating, along with hospitality packages, which include food and beverage service and the opportunity to meet the team. Group tickets and various hospitality packages are available by calling the New York Empire Office at (844) 5-EM-

PIRE (844-536-7473) or by visiting NYEmpireTennis.com. Marquee players are subject to change. All home matches will be played on Court 17 of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The 2018 WTT regular season will take place from July 15-Aug. 2, with the number one-seeded team hosting the championship match for the King Trophy on Sunday, Aug. 5. Below is the New York Empire’s 2018 home schedule: DATE

TIME

OPPONENT Featuring John Isner playing for the Empire

Sunday, July 15

5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, July 18

7:00 p.m.

Friday, July 20

7:00 p.m.

Monday, July 23

7:00 p.m.

Featuring Mardy Fish playing for the Empire

Wednesday, July 25

7:00 p.m.

Featuring Mardy Fish playing for the Empire

Thursday, July 26

7:00 p.m.

Featuring Mardy Fish & Eugenie Bouchard playing for the Empire

Thursday, August 2

7:00 p.m.

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2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Written and compiled by Brian Coleman

Syosset Beats Commack for L.I. Championship Syosset won its second straight Long Island Championship, downing Suffolk County Champion Commack 7-0 at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, culminating another incredible season for the program. “We’re really excited,” said Syosset Boy’s Tennis Head Coach Shai Fisher. “I’m super excited for this team. I am just happy we were able to come out with the win in the end. Commack is an excellent team, and I just wanted to congratulate them on a great season. I’m really happy for the players on both teams that were able to compete in a Long Island Championship.” Senior Daniel Pellerito got the scoring started for Syosset with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Sol Yoon at first singles. “I was comfortable on both sides of the net today, especially with my serve,” said Pellerito. “I had a good amount of aces and felt I controlled the play very well.” Eli Grossman bolstered the Syosset lead with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Jake Stadik at third singles, and the first doubles tandem of Preet Rajpal & Brian Gao brought the Braves closer to victory with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph against Alec Sydney & Ryan Schoenfeld. The clinching match came from the third doubles team of Jeremy Levine & Peter Bukary, who notched a 6-1, 6-3 win over Gabe Chan & Zach Eisler. “It starts from the first day of practice. I remember being in eighth grade and seeing the example the seniors set. This is a team that takes pride in its pedigree,” said Rajpal. “You represent the people who came before you and the ones who will come after. To go out the way we did is a storybook ending, but it doesn’t stop there. There are players who are coming up to take my spot, and make sure they continue the Syosset tradition.” Seniors like Rajpal and Grossman have been in the Syosset program for five years, and saw their roles transition from young talents to senior leaders, helping lay a set of expectations for the program that has 38

Syosset defeated Commack to capture its second consecutive Long Island Championship

Syosset Senior Daniel Pellerito during his win over Sol Yoon at first singles

Andrew Lin from Commack during the 2018 Long Island Championship

been passed on to the current young players on the roster. “I look back at how the seniors treated me, and I try to do that with the younger players. It is truly surreal when you become the older player the team looks up to,” said Grossman. “We are having a lot of starters graduate, so next year will be interesting.

But the team knows what we are about, and Syosset has the reputation of being the best team on Long Island.” Gao, one of the younger players who will be tasked with carrying on the Syosset tradition, said, “It will be more challenging, but if we keep playing with the confidence and discipline we have, we can win more titles.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Oyster Bay’s Maloney Captures NYSPHSAA Singles Title When Patrick Maloney made the decision to play for Oyster Bay in his senior season, he did so with the goal of winning a Nassau County Championship and then a New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championship. He accomplished the former at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, and completed the latter at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, capturing the NYSPHSAA Singles title with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Geneva’s Ryan Fishback. “I actually made the decision to play in my senior year a couple of years ago,” said Maloney. “This is awesome … I couldn’t think of a better way to end my senior year. I played very well and got it done.” Maloney received what was, by far, the biggest test of his season against the sophomore Fishback. The University of Michigan-bound senior struggled to get things going on his serve early on in the first set, and both players traded breaks to bring the opener to 5-5. Fishback held a game point in the 11th game and had a chance to take a 6-5 lead, but Maloney dug in and fought back to earn the break. A few points later, he served out the first set. He carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Fishback early on and never looking back. “I started off pretty slow. I just had to fight hard and was able to do so in that 5-5 game,” Maloney said. “I came out strong in the second set and was able to take control pretty quickly.” Maloney didn’t drop a game throughout the regular season, and didn’t lose more than three games in any set throughout the county or state tournament. Despite that, Maloney didn’t flinch when he found himself tied deep into the first set. “It was the first time he was tested all season,” said Oyster Bay Head Coach Glen Steinberg. “It was the first time I saw him a little nervous, but he’s always laserfocused. And once he won the first set, he

Oyster Bay’s Patrick Maloney was crowned NYSPHSAA Singles Champion, defeating Geneva’s Ryan Fishback, 7-5, 6-2

Cameron Klepper of Half Hollow Hills West during his opening round win over Brendan Whalen of Plattsburg at the NYSPHSAA Championship

Charlie Levinson & Connor Aylett of Mamaroneck captured the NYSPHSAA Doubles Title with their win over Scarsdale’s Luke Smith & Nikolay Sahakyan

got his pace going and was able to take over the match. I think just being able to see how focused he is when he plays helped the other kids see where they have to go to get to the next level. He never gives up on any points, never loses track of where he is at, and no matter what the score is, he always grinds through. That’s how Patrick played the entire season.” Maloney’s singles title marks the third straight year the NYSPHSAA has come from Nassau County. Plainview JFK’s Yuval Solomon won back-to-back NYSPHSAA titles in the previous two seasons. Shawn

Jackson of Susan Wagner, the PSAL (Public School Athletic League) Singles Champion, won the New York State Federation Title after Maloney withdrew with a foot injury. In the NYSPHSAA Doubles Final, the top-seeded pair of Charlie Levinson & Connor Aylett of Mamaroneck came back from a set down to beat Scarsdale’s Luke Smith & Nikolay Sahakyan, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win the NYSPHSAA Doubles Title. The duo went on to defeat the PSAL Doubles Champions, Beacon’s Donovan Brown & Julian Szuper to win the New York State Federation Title.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Syosset Captures Fourth Straight Nassau County Championship With just a few weeks remaining in the 2018 LI Boy’s High School Tennis season, Syosset saw its 62-match winning streak come to an end at the hands of Roslyn. But Syosset exacted a bit of revenge in the biggest match of the season, up to this point, capturing its fourth consecutive Nassau County Championship by defeating Roslyn 7-0. “That winning streak was just a number,” said senior Preet Rajpal, who plays first doubles. “This match was the one that mattered; the number we cared about was a fourth County Championship.” Rajpal paired with freshman Brian Gao to win 6-1, 6-1 over Roslyn’s Jacob Buchbinder & Arin Siriamonthep at first doubles for Syosset’s second victory on the day, after Daniel Pellerito got things started with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Zach Khazzam at first singles. The Rajpal-Gao partnership took some time throughout the season to develop the chemistry it needed. Gao, a singles player, needed to adjust his game to the doubles court, and that was on display during the straight-set win. “The County Tournament was a great experience for him. He realized doubles was not meant to be played in a singles way,” said Rajpal. “We went into today with a game plan. We were going to put balls into the court and put balls away at the net. We weren’t going to shoot ourselves in the foot … we wanted to keep control of the match.” Soon after Rajpal and Gao won, Eli Grossman delivered a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jordan Freeman at third singles to bolster the Syosset lead. Andre Kirkorian & Zach Chan then sealed the deal by beating Dion Park & Jacob Stein 7-6(5), 6-4 at second doubles, clinching Syosset’s fourth consecutive County Title. “We tried to take it point by point, game by game. Especially in that first-set tiebreak,” said Chan. “There is definitely a sense of redemption. I think this win is a huge statement for the season we had.” 40

Syosset captured the 2018 Nassau County Championship win their win over Roslyn

Jacob Buchbinder teamed with Arin Siriamonthep at first doubles for Commack

Andre Kirkorian & Zach Chan of Syosset clinched the Nassau County Championship with their win at second doubles

Justin Oresky would go on to defeat Mikey Weitz 6-3, 4-6 (12-10) at second singles, while Peter Bukary & Jeremy Levine won at third doubles and Jake Haas & Ashkan Moghaddassi won at fourth doubles to complete the 7-0 Syosset victory. “Losing earlier this season to Roslyn was probably the best thing that could have happened to us,” said Syosset Head Coach Shai Fisher. “It refocused everyone on the team, and it showed in how all the boys came out

determined and ready to play. This championship is very special, and it all starts with the seven seniors on the team. Some of the boys have been in the program for several years so you develop a strong relationship with them, which makes it that much more meaningful. The two captains, Preet Rajpal and Eli Grossman, have been on the team since eighth grade, so being able to grow with them just adds another layer on how special this one is.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Commack Wins First Suffolk County Title Since 2009 When the season began, first-year Head Coach Jimmy Delevante told his team that the goal this season was to win a Suffolk County title. “Our initial meeting started during tryouts, and I told the kids our goal was to win the county,” said Delevante. “They probably thought I was nuts, but we had enough talent. We were a strong enough team, and I knew if we were able to do a couple of things better over the three months that we would definitely be a contender to win the title.” That early-season prediction would turn to reality as the Cougars captured its first Section XI title since 2009, beating defending champions Half Hollow Hills East 4-2. The runner-ups in the doubles final of the Suffolk County Individual Championships, Ryan Schoenfeld and Alec Sydney, delivered a 6-4, 6-0 victory at first doubles to earn Commack a doubles point. Commack’s singles play then did its part by winning at second, third and fourth singles. Senior Andrew Lin won 6-1, 6-4 against Ethan Ertel at second singles, Jake Stadok notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ishan Varma, and eighth-grader Matt Strogach clinched the overall team victory with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win at fourth singles. “It was awesome,” Delevante said of the moment when his team clinched. “It’s one of those moments when you have a chance to win, but it’s not over until that final point. When the moment happens, you are almost unsure if it’s real or not. All of the hard work you put in throughout the season, and all the rain and weather stuff we had to deal with. It was just an awesome feeling when it finally happened, and it took a minute to settle in. The kids, from the first practice on, put in extra effort and saw themselves getting better and fitter as the season went on. They worked hard and it paid off. We had great senior leadership who set an example for the rest of the team, and the team followed suit.”

The Commack Cougars captured its first Section XI title since 2009, defeating defending champions Half Hollow Hills East

Sol Yoon of Commack helped lead the school to its first Section XI title since 2009

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Oyster Bay’s Maloney Wins Nassau County Singles Title With one year left before he heads to Ann Arbor to play for the Michigan Wolverines, Oyster Bay’s Patrick Maloney wanted to play high school tennis in his senior season and compete for a county and state title. He completed the first half of that at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, as he defeated Cold Spring Harbor’s Matt Cashin 6-2, 6-1 to win the Nassau County Singles title. “I think I served really well, which made up for some errors in my game from the baseline,” said Maloney. “Once I was able to get the early breaks in both sets I felt a lot more comfortable.” The top-seeded Maloney dropped just five games throughout the tournament, which was played over the course of two weekends and concluding on a Monday, thanks to multiple weather-related delays and postponements. “It definitely challenged me mentally. You come in prepared to play four matches in one weekend, and it ended up being three points one weekend, and four matches the next weekend,” said Maloney. “But once I knew I would be coming back this weekend, I just used the week to prepare and I think I did a good job of practicing, and it worked out well.” Maloney played at the varsity level when he was a seventh-grader, but had to stop over the next few years as he had a full schedule of sectional and national tournaments that required a lot of traveling during the spring. With a lighter schedule load this season, Maloney decided to play in his final season as a high schooler. “I played in seventh grade and I loved it,” Maloney said. “I knew my schedule would be pretty heavy, but I always said that my senior year I was going to play for sure.” By playing in his senior year, his impact stretched further than his own on-court success, as he was able to be a role model for his Oyster Bay teammates. “He came in having been accustomed to playing individually, and this was the first time 42

Runner-up Matt Cashin of Cold Spring Harbor and firstplace finisher Patrick Maloney of Oyster Bay both earned berths in the 2018 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) State Tournament

Patrick Maloney of Oyster Bay captured the 2018 Nassau County Singles Championship

Matt Cashin of Cold Spring Harbor during the Nassau County Singles Finals

he was amongst a team of players,” said Oyster Bay Head Coach Glen Steinberg. “He fit in great. The kids looked up to him. He really got to work with some of our younger players, and he was a role model. So to see him go this far is great not only for him, but also for our program.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

Port Washington’s Gabriele Brancatelli finished in third place to earn a spot at the NYSPHSAA State Tournament

By way of his second-place finish, Cashin qualified for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) state tournament, as did Port Washington’s Gabriele Brancatelli, who finished in third after Wheatley’s Michael Medvedev was forced to retire with an injury.

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Syosset’s Grossman & Rajpal Repeat as Nassau County’s Top Doubles Tandem For the second consecutive year, the title of Nassau County Doubles Champion belongs to Syosset’s Preet Rajpal & Eli Grossman, as the senior duo defended their County Title with a 7-6(3), 6-2 over Friends Academy’s Alexander Roti & Samir Singh. “It’s pretty surreal. Preet’s been my best friend now for a couple of years, and we started off as rivals in eighth grade, and here we are,” said Grossman. “I’m sure in a couple of months, I’ll look back and realize how special this run was. But right now … it still hasn’t set in.” Grossman and Rajpal did not let weatherrelated delays and long periods of waiting effect their play, as the Nassau County Doubles was plagued by several rain delays. “It was really challenging,” Grossman said. “Especially just trying to focus in between matches. We had a long wait today after the semifinals. We made sure we hit consistently, and kept watching and talking about the tennis. I stayed off my phone throughout the day and we just tried to remained focus on the tennis.” The pair had to wait around after their semifinal win over Plainview’s Nicholas DeChiaro & Sean Cohen, as the other semifinal went the full three-sets, with Roti & Singh outlasting the Syosset duo of Zach Chan & Justin Oresky, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the final, the first set was extremely close as the two teams exchanged early breaks, and the set would eventually head into a decisive tie-break. Grossman & Rajpal outplayed Singh & Roti in the tie-break, and then began to pull away in the second set for the straight-set victory. “I think the fact that they played a grueling three-set match right before the final, they started to get tired in that second set,” said Grossman. Rajpal added, “I think we were mentally tougher from the first ball to the last ball. We weren’t going to get pushed over; we were

Syosset’s Preet Rajpal & Eli Grossman celebrate winning the 2018 Nassau County Doubles Championship

Friends Academy’s Alexander Roti teamed with Samir Singh and finished runners-up in the Nassau County Doubles draw going to dictate points. We knew that if we stuck to our game plan, there was nothing that could stop us.” The back-to-back County Champions wrapped up a fantastic career in Nassau County play. Both have been competing for Syosset’s varsity team for the last five years, coming through the ranks together before being named co-captains ahead of this season. “I would not have gone on this journey with anyone else,” Rajpal said. Syosset Head Coach Shai Fisher has watched his two players grow up and develop over the last five years, and has seen first-hand their chemistry and how it has led

to their success. “It’s amazing watching them play together,” said Coach Fisher. “After every point, they are constantly communicating, from assessing strengths and weaknesses of each opponent, to strategizing, to going over positioning on the court, to discussing shot selection, even the weather elements. They truly understand how to play the game of doubles, and from a coaches’ perspective, you really appreciate watching them play.” Chan & Oresky booked their spot in the NYSPHSAA State Doubles Tournament with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over DeChiaro & Cohen in the third-place match.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Flores of Huntington Wins Second Straight Suffolk County Singles Title The weather this spring made it extremely difficult to schedule and finish many of the team and individual championships on Long Island. That included the Suffolk County Individual Championships, where the County’s Singles Final between Huntington’s Jack Flores and Half Hollow Hills East’s Abhinav Srivastava was suspended at 4-4 in the third set. But Flores, the defending champion, did not mind the delay. In fact, it helped him. Flores was dealing with Huntington’s Jack Flores captured the Suffolk County Half Hollow Hills East’s Abhinav Srivastava hits a a bad right shoulder, which Individual Championship with a win over Half Hollow backhand during the Suffolk County Individual had affected him through- Hills East’s Abhinav Srivastava Finals out the County Tournament. ally had to serve underhand for most of the Flores used the time off to get “It came up during the first match of match. And it was really hurting during the treatment on the shoulder, and when play counties,” Flores said of the injury. “I actu- semifinals and finals. resumed, he rattled off the final two games to complete the 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Srivastava. The win improved Flores’ record on the season to 21-0 and earned the sophomore a second consecutive County Championship. “I was a little nervous at 4-4 because it was so close with only a little bit left to play when we came back,” said Flores. “But I just tried to go in there and go point by point. He is a really good opponent and I always enjoy playing in a competitive match like that. I just knew I had to stay focused throughout the match.” Flores would move on to the NYSPHSAA Boy’s Singles Tournament where he reached the quarterfinals, falling to eventual champion Patrick Maloney of Oyster Bay. 44

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2018

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Commack’s Yoon & Lin Claim Suffolk Doubles Crown

Commack Head Coach Jimmy Delevante (center) congratulates runners-up Ryan Schoenfeld & Alec Sydney and champs Andrew Lin & Sol Yoon

As a team, the Commack Cougars captured its first Suffolk County title since 2009 this past season. A major reason for the team success came from the depth of the roster, and that was on display in the Doubles Final of the Suffolk County Individual Championships. The final pitted Andrew Lin & Sol Yoon against their Commack teammates, Ryan Schoenfeld & Alec Sydney. “It was great,” said Lin. “I think the fact that it was an all-Commack final really showed the strength and depth of our team this year.” Lin & Yoon would come out on top, beating Schoenfeld & Sydney 6-4, 6-3 to be crowned Suffolk County Doubles Champions. “It helped,” Yoon said of knowing your opponent’s game. “We play against them a lot, so we were familiar with how they played and were able to relax in the final.” In the state tournament, Lin & Yoon would win two rounds and advance to

the quarterfinals where they wrapped up their high school careers. “Our team is going to miss them both,” said Commack Head Coach Jimmy Delevante. “They brought tons of energy

Andrew Lin teamed with Sol Yoon to defeat Commack teammates, Ryan Schoenfeld & Alec Sydney, and capture the 2018 Suffolk County Individual Doubles Championship and excitement to practice every day and it’s going to be very tough to replace them. Andrew was the best captain we could have asked for and there will definitely be some big shoes to fill next season.”

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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

Both the 18 & Over and 40 & Over Mixed Doubles local season has ended. Winning teams that advanced to the 18 & Over Sectional Championship are: l 6.0 Division: Christopher Morley, captained by Adam Moramarco l 7.0 Division: Deer Park Tennis, captained by Suresh Patel l 8.0 Division: Eastern Athletic Melville, captained by Gabe Moreira l 9.0 Division: Point Set, captained by Paul Schnabel l 10.0 Division: Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Shanon Blue & Danny Casesa Congratulations to all teams for advancing to the Sectional Championship and a big congratulations to the 7.0 and 10.0 teams for winning and now advancing to the National Championship! Good luck to both teams!

The 40 & Over Mixed League has their Sectional Championship in September. The winning Long Island teams that will be competing include: l 6.0 Division: Sportime Bethpage, captained by Mark Mascolo l 7.0 Division: Sportime Syosset, captained by Dawn Schosberg l 8.0 Division: Long Beach Tennis, captained by Andrew Camacho l 9.0 Division: Deer Park Tennis, captained by Roz Chua-Mcalonie Good luck to all teams! The Men’s and Women’s 18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over and 65 & Over Leagues are now competing locally. The roster deadline for the 18 & Over and 40 & Over Leagues was June 1, but there is still time to join a 55 & Over and 65 & Over team. We are trying very hard to build on the 65 & Over League. We have four teams for

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the Men’s 7.0 Division, but just two for the Men’s 8.0 Division. For the women, we have just one team at the 7.0 and 8.0 Divisions. We need more players to get involved so this League can grow! If you are interested in playing, please contact me at KathyM65@aol.com or contact Al Silverstein at ASilver1118@aol.com. Al has also been getting a group together at Hempstead Lake Park to play 65 & Over Mixed Doubles. We would love to see these leagues grow, so please let us know if you would like to get involved! The Men’s and Women’s USTA League season, which began in May for the 18 & Over and the 40 & Over Leagues, is off to a great start. Lots of matches are being played and there has been many competitive matches to date As I warned at the Captain’s Meeting in April, court time is very tight at most clubs. It is therefore very important that players understand that being a part of a team is a commitment and you need to make yourself available for when the matches are scheduled. A captain’s job is a difficult one, and without their hard, frustrating work, there would not be a league. Please keep that in mind when they e-mail you to play a match. Give them the courtesy of a response and do your best to be available for matches. The 55 & Over matches started in mid-June and we are looking forward to a smooth season! Good luck to all of the teams and remember, winning is nice, good sportsmanship is nicer! Kathy Miller is Manager of Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached by e-mail at KathyM65@aol.com.

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From Flushing to Roland-Garros: A First Timer’s Guide to Visiting Roland Garros By Seth Sarelson was first introduced to tennis at the age of seven at a local park on Long Island and quickly fell in love with the sport. I headed to my first U.S. Open shortly thereafter, somewhere around 1990. It became an annual ritual, not to be missed, and I’ve accumulated a tremendous collection of USTA member U.S. Open shirts to prove it. I’m what you would call a “Day Session” guy– someone who buys Grounds Passes, packs a big lunch, wears last year’s tennis shoes and spends most of his time wandering around outer courts in the first or second round looking for a front row seat at a match between two players most people have never heard of. Opening Day at the U.S. Open is one of the few times in life

that I feel like a little kid in a candy shop– waves of euphoria hit me as I step off the 7 Train and walk into Flushing Meadows. The big problem is that it happens only

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

once a year and I simply cannot wait that long for the next Slam. As much as I like exhibition matches at MSG, I crave more competitive tennis. After nearly 30 U.S.

Opens, I decided it was time to expand my horizons and make the pilgrimage to France for Roland Garros. After working to convince my wife (who I’ve somehow gotten to watch the Tennis Channel with me every morning) that we should take a trip, we got started planning. Similar to the U.S. Open, tickets for Roland Garros (they don’t call it the French Open) go on sale in waves (first Fédération Française de Tennis [FFT] members, then the general public) and we woke up early to make sure we were able to buy them bright and early French time (six hours ahead of New York). It is a very similar system to the U.S. Open, where you can buy Grounds Passes for access to non-stadium courts (2-18), or tickets for the stadium courts: Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen or Court 1. We treated ourselves to several different kinds of tickets over the course of the tournament. We flew out on Saturday night before the tournament started (yes, it begins on a Sunday) and had an easy flight into de Charles de Gaulle Airport. Public transportation in France is significantly superior to the MTA/LIRR (no signal problems at Jamaica) and we had no problem taking a train from the airport to central Paris. In addition to being much cleaner, the transportation is also faster and runs like clockwork. The only thing you need to watch for are frequent transit strikes on the weekends. Our hotel was about 10 minutes from where the train let out and getting there was a very peaceful walk on a quiet Sunday. After a short nap, we headed over to Roland Garros, which took about 15 minutes by bus from our hotel. There’s also easy subway access, but we opted for the more scenic route. Roland Garros is much closer to the center of Paris than Flushing is to Manhattan. The tournament is a big deal in Paris and the entire city seems to be caught up in Roland Garros fever. Even the Eiffel Tower had a giant tennis ball on it with promotional events on a court under the tower that featured a junior tournament and Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf hitting. When we arrived, the line at security was not nearly as long as at the U.S. Open and you can walk through a beautiful park on your way in. The staff was incredibly

friendly and nearly everyone is multilingual, doing their best to speak English with an obvious American like me. It was also very helpful that everyone involved has a different uniform that corresponds with their respective role, so it was easy to tell who to ask for help. The grounds are beautiful, although they are not quite as large as I expected. Roland Garros feels like a more intimate tournament and that created some real excitement for me. There are a good number of dining options around the grounds and you’ll likely find something for everyone. The grounds are also a lot quieter than the U.S. Open–no live bands and no music

during changeovers on stadium courts. This was a welcome surprise, as it seems disruptive for loud music to be blasting as someone is about to hit a serve. I also did not witness any sports fans yelling out “fault,” or worse, as someone was about to serve. Perhaps French fans are a bit more polite? There are a total of 20 courts at Roland Garros, and I did not see a dedicated practice area like at the U.S. Open (which has 22 courts). As week one went on, I did see lines on the side courts get a bit longer as there were fewer singles matches for continued on page 50

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

from flushing to roland-garros continued from page 49

big names and proximity to the court. We are all awaiting the new Louis Armstrong Stadium (capacity of 14,000), so it’s hard to evaluate how the two will stack up, so I call this a draw.

everyone to watch. I do know that there are big plans for a next phase of construction for 2019 with a “Court des Serres” (Greenhouse Court) set to replace Court 1, along with massive renovations to the other stadiums and the grounds that will finish in 2020. Here’s how the courts themselves match up against the US Open …

Court 1/Grandstand Both courts have fishbowl designs and a unique atmosphere that is unlike any of the other courts. I’m partial to the old Grandstand at the U.S. Open that was recently retired (my favorite court), but I do have to say that the new Grandstand is beautiful. Score one for the U.S. Open.

Arthur Ashe/Philippe-Chatrier I’ve always felt that Arthur Ashe Stadium is way too big for tennis (capacity of 23,771) and could benefit from being a whole section smaller. If I can see the ball better on the stadium monitor than live on the court, I might be better off wandering around with my Grounds Pass. PhilippeChatrier is much closer to my ideal stadium court size (capacity of 14,840) and has great views from every seat in the house. Score one for Roland-Garros.

The courts are a brilliant orange-reddish and it was fascinating to see top players sliding on a surface that plays completely different than summer hard courts. As we watched all this tennis, we were interrupted a number of times by rain. On most days of the tournament, there was a wide swing of weather from 80 degrees and mostly sunny, to 60 degrees and torrential rain. There was light rain that didn’t stop play on many days, but we also saw heavy rain that caused an interruption with

Louis Armstrong/SuzanneLenglen Lenglen, with a capacity of 10,068, is a great place to watch a match and my overall favorite court with the right balance of

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matches being finished the following day. You’ll want to bring an umbrella and shoes that can get wet or better yet, a light raincoat that you can pack in your bag. One other thing you’ll notice is that sunset happens very late, around 9:45 p.m. There are no lights, although you can get night passes for 5:30 p.m. entry on the stadium courts. It was a unique experience to watch matches starting at 11:00 a.m. and stretching for 10-plus hours of daylight. Things are also a bit more expensive in Paris, given that the dollar is currently weak relative to the Euro (1 U.S. dollar=0.85 Euros). You can charge most things, but be sure to bring a Visa or MasterCard as we encountered few, if any places that accepted American Express. You’ll also notice some other cultural differences–wine is nearly as cheap as water (which you need to ask for at a restaurant), chicken is sparse and I greatly missed the convenience of New York’s bodegas. Much of Paris seemed like high-end restaurants and cafés, and there were times where we wanted a more casual meal, but had difficulty finding one. Alas, after many days of sitting courtside, watching top pros grind it out on the red clay, it was time to go home. After years of waiting, I finally had the opportunity to visit my second Grand Slam and it did not disappoint. The people in France couldn’t have been more welcoming, kind and generous in both their hospitality and in accommodating our unfortunate attempts at speaking French. As for the tennis itself, the grounds at Roland-Garros were really something and I immediately fell in love with. I now have a whole new perspective to appreciate the highest level of clay court tennis. If you’re looking to visit your next Slam, I highly recommend booking a trip to Paris for Roland Garros 2019. A self-proclaimed tennis nut, Seth Sarelson, Contributing Writer for Long Island Tennis Magazine, grew up on Long Island playing at Bethpage Park Tennis Center and competed extensively in USTA tournaments as a junior. These days, he can be found in New York City, hitting at Sportime Randall’s Island or Central Park (where many of the more eccentric players believe they are actually playing at Roland-Garros). LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

The Secret to Rafael Nadal’s Success More Than an Athlete ... Every Time By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC Many of us reading this article witnessed Rafael Nadal defeat Dominic Thiem to win his 17th Grand Slam in the 2018 French Open finals. He further established his dominance as the greatest clay court player ever with 11 French Open titles. The real question is: What is the story behind the score? How did he do it? What is it that Nadal brings to the court, whether he wins or loses, which makes him so difficult to play? Many of us would agree that in addition to his immense talent, it’s the mental component. Nadal is a true warrior. I often refer to the mental game as the glue that holds everything together. So what is this glue? And how can you get some? I call it, Rafa’s “More.” He brings who he is as a person to what he does as an athlete, then “More” happens. In fact, with Rafa and all the greats, the mental side and talent/skill side are intertwined like a braid. The tennis player and the person are inseparable from each other, just like the hardware and software. You could say similarly how Superman and Clark Kent are one and the same. In this article, I will touch on key attributes that make up Rafa’s “More.” In my upcoming book, More Than an Athlete: The Story Behind the Score, I will delve deeper into this topic. Today, we will explore the intangible elements that he brings to the court, which make him so feared and difficult to compete against. Those things that are actually tangible, specific to him, as well as what makes him tick. This is what I call Rafa’s “More.” Spirit Playing with spirit is when a player plays because he is passionate about the 52

game and being the best he/she can be. In a well-known Rafa quote, he says, “The glory is being happy … not winning here or there. The glory is enjoying practicing, enjoying each day, enjoying to work hard, trying to be a better player than before.” Rafa brings a tremendous amount of spirit to the court. By this, I am referring to the endless energy he exudes. Anyone watching him play can see and “feel” the energy of his game that starts from the beginning of the match … when he bounces around like a boxer getting ready for a championship bout. Further into the match, his boundless energy and intensity is seen with his resilience and ability to adapt and adjust to whatever the situation and score. Story How a player handles his or her personal story is key to playing at the top of your ability. Personal crisis, injuries, wins, losses and the like can inexorably impact a player’s game. Life on and off the court is like riding a wave, each player has a unique journey and process. While many remember Nadal as always being the top, he has had many ups and downs both on and off the court. Back in 2009 he spoke about how his parent’s divorce had an impact on his game. Think back to when he slumped in 2016 and many thought he would never come back. He has had injury issues, most recently, defaulting in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Australian Open. These issues are specific to Rafa, they make up his roots. He had to work through them in order to come back strong. Ultimately, all issues contributed to his ability to manage adversity and garner what seems like an unending range of resiliency. The fruits are a result of the roots Self Being grounded in the authentic self is extremely important to performance. When we are not trying to be someone else, move like someone else, score like someone else or win like someone else, we can play from a

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

grounded place of strength and flow. No one can argue that Rafa is trying to be someone else on the court. He looks comfortable in his own skin, no matter what he is doing. Many point to how he pulls the fabric of his shorts before every point, or his ritualistic placing of his drinks on the sidelines. Some say OCD, call them what you may, but I believe they are ritualistic releases that make Rafa, Rafa. Further, he has a slow pace, another way for him to stay relaxed and in his zone. Soul The soul of a player is that ineffable quality that brings solidity to the game. Rafa almost seems to have a Sixth Sense, knowing what is necessary during a certain situation in a match. He has a tremendous amount of trust in his game and self and doesn’t overtry. He stays very much within himself and what he can do, rarely ever going for something too early or outside of his game. Additionally, he has been coached by his Uncle Toni Nadal since he was a child (now Carlos Moya, a childhood mentor), this stability and strong support system has empowered him throughout the years to perform his best, both on and off the court. Rafa’s unique spirit, story, self and soul are the key ingredients that make him so good. Rafa knows he is trying to be the best version of himself while he is playing his game. From this place, win or lose, he is free to continue to improve and strive to be his best. He is a student of his own “More.” Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is Founder and Director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a Mental Training Coach, he works with athletes and teams, focusing on helping athletes gain the mental edge. Rob is Author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email Rob@InsideTheZone.com or visit InsideTheZone.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Captured: The Ecstasy of the Win By Barbara Wyatt Have you noticed the special national USTA poster on a wall at your club or tennis recreational center? Two smiling tennis players locked in a bear hug. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve glanced at a PDF version on my computer more than once … more than twice. The poster is of Frank, my tennis partner and me. At the time of the photo, I was a new 4.0 player and agreed to co-captain a mixed 7.0 team. So-called “helpful comments” flew in from others … “A 4.0 woman will never make it to Sectionals on a 7.0 team.” “You can’t support your 3.0 partner like a 4.0 man can.” I play for the competitiveness of the sport and the friendships gained. I pushed those critical voices out of my head. Lo and behold, our team made it to Sectionals. Captains Judy and I, with teammates Gene, Steve, Yu, Vickie, Jeff, Frank, Steven and Gayle, were thrilled. Those inner negative voices still echoed in my head. I don’t have the skill to carry my court for a win. You can’t support a 3.0 man. Plus our doubles team was at a disadvan-

tage because some of our players did not know the others. Judy and I penciled names on a Sectional scorecard, erased them, and re-penciled them onto another court. She handed me the final lineup. “You’re playing with Frank. He’s over there.” Rumors said that Frank was on his way to becoming a strong player because of his success as a professional basketball player. But he was “a little inconsistent.” Though I was curious what “a little” meant, I would be the best partner possible. The match began. My nerves were on edge. Frank tossed the ball up for the serve and hit it with power. The ball landed inside the service box and dust flew up from its spin. Unfortunately, it landed on the adjacent court. I smiled and thought, “This will be an interesting match.” I relaxed and breathed. Frank’s second serve hit the correct service box. The match was on. We slammed the little yellow ball. We ran forward to lunge for the dreaded drop shot. We ran back to guard against high wild effective lobs. Our competitors had an arsenal of lobs, drop shots and killer serves that threatened to knock us off our game. Frank and I talked. I learned his idiosyncrasies and he learned mine. He set me up

for several overhead slams against our opponents. I returned the favor and drove hard volleys over the net that guaranteed a clumsy return directly into the sweet spot of his racquet. We made each other better players. Finally, the winning lob dropped into the corner of our opponent’s court. I ran cross court at full speed with one intention: To jump into my remarkable partner’s arms. A wide smile was on his face. He opened his arms and I took the flying leap. The photographer caught the moment as this 5’2” player jumped into the arms of her 6’6” partner. Not all teams are filled with partners who have played together for years, or have practiced winning patterns for months. Go ahead … play for the joy of the game and new friendships. You might end up on a National poster and gain a friend for life. Barbara Wyatt is a Writer, Photographer, USTA Official, and Mobile App Developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by email at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

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Why Successful Juniors Fail? By Zeki Tukel e all know about the kids who win many tournaments at the age of 12. We can view this success on the sidelines generating those proud parents who think their son will be the next Roger Federer and their daughter the next Maria Sharapova. There are so many of these young juniors across USTA- and ITFsanctioned tournaments that show that kind of promise. The truth, however, is only very few of them will make the top 100 at the professional level. The younger the player is, the less significance of the relationship between junior success and professional success. According to research done by Peter D. McCraw in the ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review, only 58 percent of players who were in the top 10 in the world in the ITF Junior Rankings between 1996-2005 made the top 100 on the ATP Tour. So why do many successful juniors fail to make it a success in pro level?

1. Parents mismanagement If you embrace the concept that the CEO 56

of a company or the President of a sports team is responsible for the business plan and ultimately the results from that plan, then it is not hard to understand that the same correlation exists with tennis parents. I have seen so many parents intervening in their players’ career (believing and trying to help), but the lack of expertise and objectivity ultimately leads to their downfall. The reason is very complex and the critical decisions that need to be made require years of experience and good judgment. Every player is unique and therefore, the path to success is different for each. Making a long-term plan and managing it requires expertise. I really think that to manage a career, you should have decades of experience and even a multigenerational disposition would help. It is no coincidence that Andy Murray had Judy Murray, Rafael Nadal had Toni Nadal, Alexander Zverev has a pro player brother and a former pro father and coach, and I can name so many more top players who are managed by a lifetime tennis guru. There is a direct correlation between these individuals and the success of their prodigal children. They understand the game and are patient, amongst other things.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

2. A lack of financial planning Parents should also have a financial plan for their player’s tennis career. When the parents of a successful junior player lacks resources, it can become an overwhelming challenge. Unfortunately, when the parents are looking for some financial help, the help usually comes from the places that may not be the best fit for the player. Local champion juniors are a source of revenue by academies by promoting these players. Even clubs, coaches and federations enjoy touting their new young stars. Unfortunately, these entities/individuals want to control your decisions and they make short-term decisions that benefit them in the short-term, while affecting the long-term prospects negatively for these young players. These are decisions that cannot be cured and are not in a young player’s best interest. If you lack a financial plan and are dependent upon other parties, you may be subjecting yourself to being exploited. 3. Lack of proper technique I think there are two very critical phases in the development of a player: The first is when the technique of the shots are formed, and the second is the transition from junior to professional tennis. During that time frame, it is recognized

that this is where a player develops their weapons and an overall game profile that will last an entire career. When you watch videos of the top pros in their 12U and 14U tournaments, you see very little change in their technique, if any at all. Just watch YouTube videos of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Simona Halep, etc. and you will see their technique and other fundamentals, such as the split step and crossover, already established. Consequently, one of the reasons why some very successful juniors fail is because those fundamentals are lacking in early development and a complete lack of proper technique. In most cases, this type of failure comes from the fact that the player is a good athlete and wins a lot of early tournaments. The parents and coach put all the emphasis on winning, and are afraid to risk the chance of losing at an early age while negatively leveraging the development of proper technique. Thus, the player doesn’t develop good technique and it becomes too costly in the following years to fix. 4. A lack of weapons When you are a junior and you do have a balanced game, you still may win a lot. But to succeed in pro tennis or to survive in the top 100, you should have weapons that will be sustainable at that level. This is crucial. The period that you develop weapons starts after the coach forms good technique at an early age. After having proper technique, every player will have natural tendencies to use specific shots that will stand out and make them a better player. When the coach fo-

cuses on these shots, weapons are developed. If the coach focuses on only deficiencies, it becomes very hard to develop weapons. You get a mediocre overall player and a recipe for failure at the pro level. 5. Natural selection and genes When you take a walk at one of the Grand Slams, you will see that the body type of players are alike, especially on the men’s side. It is no coincidence. They are explosive in nature and their musculature will tell you about their ability to “explode with power.” This is very important because explosiveness and speed are genetic, and you cannot improve upon them in any significant way. They are in one’s DNA. If you don’t have the right genes, when the game speeds up, your results will slow down. 6. Failure to build the right mentality Tennis is an individual sport where you are under constant pressure and there is no one to share it with. It is one of the few sports that you don’t play against time, which always keeps you under pressure no matter what the score is. Whether it is the juniors or the pros, once you get closer to the top, the differences between players’ levels shrinks. So the way you play the key points make all the difference. How you handle the pressure and how you play in the key points has a lot to do with who you are and how your mentality was/is formed. The parents and coaches who create external pressure based on re-

sults and not effort, form players who are tense and lack the courage in key moments. 7. Burned out and building low intensity Tennis is not an early specialization sport such as gymnastics or figure skating. Most of the players who have made the top 100 started tennis around six-years-old. So it takes, on average, almost 20 years to break into the top 100. One of the biggest reasons for failure is overtraining at early development stages. The research done by Piotr Unierzyski tested 1,000-plus junior players from more than 40 countries. Among them were Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. The average age of the players was 12-13. The players who made it to the top practiced around 10 hours per week at that age. Very long hours of practice will cause two things: Early burn out physically and mentally, and building of low intensity. Tennis is a sport filled with high intensity. If you keep a player training for long hours, they will pace herself and build a low intensity which will be costly down the line. Zeki Tukel is a Tennis Professional at Christopher Morley Tennis. Zeki played number one singles for Mercy College New York and was ranked fifth in the Eastern Region. He was the under 18 National Champion in Turkey. With a reference letter from Nick Bolletieri, Zeki is a USPTR certified coach. He has 13 years of coaching experience and has coached some of the top players in the country.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Infinity By Steven Kaplan merican junior tennis is in need of saving from the perils of Thanos, Fortnite, cellphone addiction and that obsessive dance called “The Floss.” It’s time for the agents of U.S.T.A. to assemble the original tennis Avengers to come to save the day. Who would they choose to play the core roles? Pete Sampras is a natural to play the virtuous Captain America. Pete’s reputation as the “All-American Boy” might be a little overstated, but as the reporter said in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance:” “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Bjorn Borg would portray the Nordic God of Thunder, Thor. His speed and overall physicality was truly otherworldly. Soft-spoken, thoughtful Andre Agassi became The Hulk when he crushed a return of serve with fury. If anyone remembers Jimmy Connors’ gripping U.S. Open semifinal run at age 39, is there any doubt that he is a quintessential Iron Man? The incredibly athletic Martina Navratilova defected to the United States as did Natalia Alianovna Romanova, aka Black Widow. The always underestimated, but highly professional, Aussie Roy Emerson would be perfectly cast as the fearless sharpshooter, Hawkeye. The blockbuster “Avengers: Infinity War” is the inspiration for my thoughts and if you are one of the 11 people who haven’t seen it but intend to, stop reading now because there are some major spoilers ahead! While I won’t address the Utilitarian Consequentialism vs. Deontology existential debate of the film, there are some tennis lessons to be learned from “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Lesson 1: When faced with a difficult opponent, have an end game plan Dr. Strange seemed to be playing chess with Thanos when he willingly gave up the Time Stone to save Iron Man. He said, “We are in the end game,” which is a chess reference to the practice of trading pieces to achieve a final victory. End Game tactics involve giving up less important points to gain more significant points. For example, you might hit a drop shot and likely lose that point, but gain several other critical points later with deep approaches because your opponent is defending the possibility of another drop shot. Lesson 2: Keep your emotions under control Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, devised a great plan to snatch the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos which quickly blew up when he let his anger get the best of him. Intense emotions like passion can be a

ty Tennis great motivator; however, when handled negatively can turn to all-consuming rage. Remember, your perceived provocation, hurt or threat is most likely just your opponent trying to achieve the same goal you are after. It’s not like the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. Lesson 3: Fear is inhibiting and should be confronted In the opening scene of the film, The Hulk got his green butt handed to him by the Power Stone-fueled Thanos. After reverting back to Bruce Banner, The Hulk spent the rest of the film in hiding. Fear has the potential to act as a catalyst to conscientious and enthusiastic behavior when channeled positively, but can be paralyzing when not balanced by temperance. Confront your

fears on the tennis court with bravery and calm intensity. Lesson 4: Achieving lofty goals requires sacrifice Thanos was asked to “sacrifice a soul for a soul” and give up someone he loved to acquire The Soul Stone. He sacrificed his beloved daughter, Gamora, and it was a steep price to pay to get what he wanted. I often remind students that the road to success starts with ambition, but progresses with a willingness to embrace doing what it takes to succeed. It’s easy to want to be great, but it’s a lot harder to pay the cost of doing what it takes. Lesson 5: Get the best equipment Thor spent a good part of “Avengers: Infinity

War” searching for a new weapon and forged the mighty “Stormbreaker” with Groot’s help. Thor is now at the top of his game with his new retro wood axe. A little extra effort in finding equipment that is a perfect fit can pay enormous rewards. How about getting Federer to take on Thanos? Nah … it wouldn’t be fair! Steve Kaplan is the Owner and Managing Director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the Director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation and Executive Director and Founder of Serve & Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,000 nationallyranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals, many of whom have become prominent tennis coaches themselves. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Help! My Child Is Playing in a Tournament The best way for parents to be helpful By Tonny van de Pieterman arenting is a tough job. Having a child that plays USTA tournaments makes it even harder. Quite often, the parents seem to suffer more than the players. If you walk into a random tennis club on a Friday or Saturday during a USTA tournament, you will find yourself in a tension-filled room with parents who are actively involved with the matches that are happening on the courts. They often have to watch through windows to see the matches, or worse, a TV monitor. Every decision by the player is being scrutinized,

every close line call debated. You hear phrases like: l “What was he/she thinking on that shot?” l “Why doesn’t he/she play like they do in practice?” l Or my favorite, “Is he/she doing this to torture me?” It looks like the parents find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster with peaks and valleys of intense feelings and lots of confusion. This can be entertaining, both in good and bad ways. It must be exhausting, but more importantly, it is not helpful to your child. I know that all parents strive to be helpful,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

so here is where I would like to offer some help. When I speak to parents who do not play or have not played competitive tennis themselves, I find it valuable to try to explain what their child is going through on the court emotionally. They are often frustrated and confused with the behavior of their child on the court. Players can be irrational and seemingly overemotional. This can be hard to understand, after all, it is just a tennis match. I draw the comparison to watching a scary movie. Everyone has watched a scary movie before and behaved in a way that was completely irrational, like blocking your face with a pillow or just peeking through your hand. You know it is not real and just a movie, but

the fear can be so strong. I remember going to the theater to see the movie “Saw” and halfway through the movie, I was hiding behind the chair in front of me. Several times I had to look away from the screen when certain sounds alerted me to more horror coming (yes, I paid money for this experience!). I tell these parents, “Your child can be experiencing these same fears during a tennis match. Your dedicated child has lots of practice hours invested in their hopes, dreams and expectations, and challenged it can set off some very strong feelings. These feelings will temporarily override their rational decision-making process and trigger behavior that can best be described as ‘live or die behavior,’ our instinctive ‘fight or flight’ responses.” You will be better off asking the question, “What was he/she feeling” instead of “What was he/she thinking” in trying to understand your child’s behavior during a tennis match. Intuitively, parents know that their children must learn by trial and error, but still, it is so hard to allow them to do so. As an adult, you can be very helpful in your child’s tennis development in the following ways:

l Help to find the proper context: If your child is nervous before a match, you could help by placing the match in the right perspective. Every match is a learning experience for a more important match in the future, so keep the focus on improving and overcoming obstacles. Temporarily, this match will turn into the most important match in your child’s life, but as an adult, you know better. When your child is devastated after a loss, this same advice will be meaningful as well. Whether they win or lose, please allow some time for decompressing postmatch. l Have your own life: Parents sacrifice a lot for their children. Children are aware of this even if they do know always show their appreciation (yet). Make sure that the sacrifices are in proportion. Get something out of your day or weekend. Have a to-do list of your chores and somehow get them done. Don’t miss your workout. If it is a tournament out-of-town, look for some sight-seeing or cultural opportunities. Don’t have your child’s tournament be your entertainment!

l Know thyself and detach with love: Be aware of your own feelings. If your child’s match is affecting you too much, you are better off not watching. If you find yourself getting upset or frustrated while your child is playing, you need to take a step back. Those feelings will have to be validated, and the “culprit” will come off the court soon, and you might not be able to offer the compassionate support that is needed. Instead, you might be in a hurtful state and challenge them on the decisions they made or on poor play. This experience is the basis for a lot of performance anxiety that junior players undergo. By detaching with love, you are offering the best support, and you are the best parent you can be. Tonny van de Pieterman is director of tennis at Point Set Indoor Racquet Club. He was recently named USTA Tennis Professional of the Year for the USTA/Eastern-Long Island Region and helped the Eastern Section win this year’s Talbert Cup. He may be reached by phone at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail Tonny@PointSetTennis.com.

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Bartoli Ends Her Comeback Run

France’s Marion Bartoli has announced via social media that she will no longer be pursuing her comeback due to recurring shoulder pain. “To my dismay, I must unfortunately stop my attempt to come back,” said Bartoli. “In effect, the necessary increases in doses of workouts to try and find my best level caused pain to my right shoulder again.

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This became incompatible with a return at the highest level. I would like to thank everyone who accompanied me on this wonderful adventure. I will now take time to reflect and to study the various professional projects that are available to me. Nevertheless, I have a profound desire to convey the high level I have learned, and so I would like to invest this into training a player, to help her exploit her full potential.” Judging by her comments, Bartoli looks like she will be soon transitioning to the coaching side of the sport. Bartoli won one Grand Slam over the course of her career, raising the Wimbledon title at the All-England Club in 2013.

2013 ETA Recipient “Innovative Tennis Program of the Year” LI’s first Tennis Academy devoted to the USTA’s 10 & under Initiative. Butch Seewagen is a former varsity coach at Columbia University.

Shapovalov Gets the GQ Treatment

Canadian Denis Shapovalov was recently featured in GQ Magazine. Writer Chloé Cooper Jones shadowed Shapovalov during his recent run at Indian Wells, where he fell in the second round to the 30th-seeded Pablo Cuevas. “Becoming number one in the world and winning Grand Slams. It’s all part of the dream,” said Shapovalov in GQ when asked about his dreams and goals in the sport. “But honestly, the biggest goal for me is to really advance the sport in my country. For me, that’s the biggest goal.”

Nastase’s Run-ins With the Law

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Former tennis player Ilie Nastase was recently arrested twice in a six hour-span in

his native Romania, first on suspicion of driving a car while intoxicated and refusing a breathalyzer, and then for running a red light on a scooter. According to Romanian police officials, Nastase was far enough over the legal limit to face a five-year prison sentence and refused to take a breathalyzer test as officers removed him from his vehicle and cuffed him. He was later released, but was stopped again just six hours later after he allegedly went through a red light on a scooter. The next day, Nastase posted a message on Facebook asking for privacy after his older sister passed away, an event he said “shattered” him. “In difficult times, you need support and understanding,” Nastase said. Just last year, he was found guilty by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for making racially insensitive comments about the skin color of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s unborn child.

Argentinian Kicker “Kicked” for Match Fixing

Barranquilla and isolated moments where his tanking of his match against Giovanni Lapentti seemed blatant. Lapentti, who began to realize that Kicker was throwing the match, had to play around that reality. In one sequence, Kicker dumps in two consecutive double faults and performs mock exasperation after each, only to win the game anyway due to Lapentti’s return errors.

Lucky Loser Trungelliti’s Voyage to the Roland Garros Main Draw

Marco Trungelliti of Argentina returned home to Barcelona after losing in the French Open qualifiers. He then learned of an opportunity to play in the main draw after Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the event. Trungelliti drove his car 650 miles back to Paris, arrived around midnight, 10 hours later on Sunday, signed the “Lucky Loser Form,” and went on to upset

Bernard Tomic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in opening round action the next day. Trungelliti and his 89-year-old grandmother Daphne became an attraction at the French Open after his wife posted pictures of them, along with his mother Susanna and brother Andre, travelling and singing during their journey to Paris. “My grandma was in the shower and I told her, ‘Okay, we have to go to Paris.’ There are many flights cancelled, so I didn’t trust that too much,” Trungelliti said. “The best option was just to take the car. My brother was the one who drove most out of the 10 hours.” Although Trungelliti fell to Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-1 in round two, the 193rd-ranked player in the world earned approximately $90,000 for his near 1,300 mile round trip journey.

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MAGAZINE

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an anti-corruption watchdog, has ruled that Argentinian Nicolas Kicker fixed two professional matches three years ago. Kicker, ranked 84th in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings was found guilty of “contriving the outcome” of two matches in 2015, one at an ATP Challenger event in Padova, Italy, and the second at an ATP Challenger event in Barranquilla, Colombia. According to Giri Nathan’s story on Deadspin.com, back in 2015, sports blogger Ian DW analyzed some unusual betting patterns around Kicker’s match in LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Rafa: The Ageless Wonder By Luke Jensen ow about Rafael Nadal at this year’s French Open? I have always been impressed with the Spaniard’s mental tenacity and toughness. Before he won any Grand Slams, I remember watching him play his first ATP final. It was against a fellow Spanish player who was a veteran. Rafa had won the first set easily and was on his way to the title in a tight second set. The second set came down to a tie-breaker, and Rafa had some match points to win. Rafa didn’t necessarily choke, but he did squander those winning chances and found himself in a third set. It was at this point I remember saying

to myself, “Now I’m going to see what this Rafa kid is all about.” Tennis is tough and most of winning is how you take a punch in the gut when you are not playing your best. In the final set, Rafa regrouped and destroyed his opponent 6-0. That same positive and intense focus is still true today. I believe winning the singles title at the French Open is the toughest major to win in the modern game. Most of the players on tour grew up on red clay and know how to play the slow court tactics. Players who grow up playing on the red dirt also know how to slide and recover on the slippery surface. My idol growing up was the great Swede Bjorn Borg. He won six French Open singles titles. Rafa has 11 Roland Garros titles and has set a

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standard of excellence that it is hard to even define! The great Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slam singles titles ... Rafa may win 14 French Open majors alone! Now the race is on between Roger Federer and Rafa. Fed has 20 major titles and Nadal now has 17. I believe this will be a fight to the career death to see who finishes on top. There is no doubt in my mind that Fed feels Rafa on his heels … the key is going to be a smart schedule that primes each player for each major to stay healthy and fast, while age will always rob an athlete from a valuable step or two. I will finish with this … Rafa has many championship qualities. One that he uses that many often overlook is his ball placement. Rafa is constantly looking to hit shots to the sidelines. This forces his opponents to cover more court and pulls opponents out of position. The next time you play, use a little Rafa in your game. Tactically, use the sideline as a placement weapon and dominate your opponent! Go for the lines! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke 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 may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com.

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The Road to

Great Prize Money By Lonnie Mitchel have written several articles in the past about this topic and it is a recurring theme I often witness in the world of junior tennis. Therefore, I feel compelled to revisit the issue. I’ll lead in this article by letting you know that I have two players coming to my men’s collegiate tennis program this fall that have been recruited by several Division I colleges, but will show up in August as members of a very talented Division III tennis program at SUNY Oneonta. I did not offer them an athletic scholarship because you are not permitted to do so in the Division III arena. However, I just graduated five members of the squad who all played for four years and

here is the journey and the end result. After a career that was filled with more than 80 competition dates and 160-plus matches, singles and doubles, three trips to Florida, one trip to Europe, these gentlemen are now off to careers at JP Morgan, American Express, graduate school at SUNY Stony Brook, medical school and one internship at a world-renowned music industry corporation. In each of these cases with these five gentlemen, their tennis games evolved to high levels, while having the time and balance to excel both in the classroom, as well as on the court. It does not stop there for me, as our women’s team will welcome eight new players, of which, three players were offered scholarships to compete at Division I institutions. I just graduated two starters who are going onto graduate school to be-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

come teachers. This article should end here, in that these students, both men and women, should feel proud of their accomplishments. As a coach, I am full of pride as we send these young men and women off to their next step in life, with victories in the classroom and great lessons learned on the tennis court playing at a very high level. Their success on the court went hand-inhand with their classroom victories, as the student athletic experience augmented their marketability, adding special ingredients helping them to stand out from their peers. I often think I preach this message way too often, hoping that parents and independent coaches read this and it finally sinks in. I’ll try again and add this as I sit and watch the French Open while writing this. The percentage of those players who

are competing at Roland Garros who played collegiate tennis was microscopic. So now what? What happens when collegiate tennis careers are over? The odds are overwhelmingly against them that they would have any financial achievement surviving and playing successful tennis competing professionally. I would rather buy a lottery ticket as you have a better chance of winning the jackpot then gaining a French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open or Australian Open title. However, I have the answer ... play tennis in college where the priority is the balance of athletics and academics. Invest time and energy in the classroom, using tennis as an amplification to the working world by promoting yourself. That is like buying a lottery ticket, one that has the odds in your favor because chances are, it will pay dividends. I can only advise other coaches and write articles on the matter. However, with several tennis academies here on Long Island, I am hoping that my coaching peers read it and trend in the direction that our game gives students such an edge with the experience gained competing, while pro-

viding the tools necessary to being successful in society and the workforce. I see it firsthand every year … this formula works! I am so impressed with the talent that is developed and produced throughout the New York area in the many tennis academies we have. However, with the same academies, I encounter just too many instructors who take incredible pride in the talent they have produced, but few of those players can really be successful playing high level Division III tennis, never mind Division I, and would not make my team. If you want to add value to your coaching, make it multidimensional and supplement your instructional advice and get your students to see that playing tennis at a high level will pay dividends way beyond the tennis court. That likelihood will probably occur off the tennis court, and in most cases, in the workforce. In metaphorical terms, that’s prize money surely received for the hard work. I will close with this little tidbit, Middlebury College, a small but academicallyprestigious college in Vermont, just won the Men’s Division III National Tennis

Championship. Each one of those players were good enough to play Division I tennis at many schools throughout the country. They chose to play Division III to provide them the academic balance to help them earn that prize money in the workforce after graduation. They will go into the next chapter of their lives as National Champions in tennis. Are you going to tell me that those men made the wrong choice? In the Women’s Division, Claremont-Mudd Scripps in California defeated Emory University and the road map was the same for these young women. All were recruited to play Division I and played Division III, but will collect their prize money with successful collegiate careers paid out eventually through the work force. I like the formula. 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 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or email LonnieMitchel@yahoo.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JULY 2018 Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L2 LBTC End of July Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE); and Intermediate Mixed Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L1B Bethpage State Park Summer Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 23 at 10:00 a.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L2 Ross Summer Open Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162. Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L1B PWTA July Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L1B Point Set July Challenge Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 L1B Huntington Summer Challenger Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown • Entry Fee: $63.44 per player For more information, e-mail RichRottkamp1@verizon.net or call (631) 421-0040. Saturday-Sunday, July 28-29 Youth Progression Green L1: Long Beach July Championships Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor • Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail ACamacho77@hotmail.com or call (516) 432-6060. Saturday, July 28 Youth Progression Orange L2-East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, July 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100. Saturday, July 28 Youth Progression Orange Ball L1 Sportime Bethpage Sportime Bethpage • 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 22 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500. AUGUST 2018 Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L1B Ross August Challenger Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 30 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L2 RWTTC August Open Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L1B Early August Challenger at Long Beach Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Girls’ Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L1B Huntington August Challenger Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway • Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $63.44 per player For more information, e-mail RichRottkamp1@verizon.net or call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L1B PWTA Summer Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 L1B Point Set Summer Open Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L1B Sportime Amagansett August 2018 Challenger Sportime Amagansett 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE); and Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call or call (631) 267-3460.

Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L1B RWTT August Challenger Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L2 Long Beach August Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

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djcmnyc@gmail.com LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2018

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L2 Park Avenue August Open Park Avenue Tennis Club 100 Partridge Lane • Huntington, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $52.10 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Caddy44@aol.com or call (631) 271-1810. Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L1B PWTA August Challenge Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, August 10-12 L1B Point Set August Challenge Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 536-2323.

Saturday-Sunday, August 11-12 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball, Glen Cove Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail StephenAAlcala@gmail.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Saturday, August 11 Youth Progression Orange L1: East Hampton Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Saturday-Sunday, August 11-12 Youth Progression Green L1: August Open, East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Sunday, August 12 Youth Progression Orange Level 1: Long Beach August Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Saturday-Sunday, August 11-12 L1B Sportime Quogue August 2018 Sportime Quogue 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road • East Quogue, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 1416 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail VHeroux@SportimeNY.com or call or call (631) 653-6767.

Sunday, August 12 Youth Progression Orange L2 Sportime Amagansett Sportime Amagansett • 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call or call (631) 267-3460.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

LONG Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 06/18/18)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 2 ....Jordan Reznik ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 6 ....Max Daniel Safir....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 13 ..Malik Trail ..............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 17 ..Dillon Lev Beckles ................Roslyn, N.Y. 21 ..Ariel Zauber ..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 25 ..Aiden Patel ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 27 ..Matthew Leonard Zeifman ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 30 ..Sebastian Bielen ..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 33 ..Aryan Badlani........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 36 ..Jeffrey Rosario ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 38 ..Aaron Raja ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 40 ..David Anosov........................Oceanside, N.Y. 54 ..Joseph Banilivi ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 55 ..Jack Kennedy ......................Huntington, N.Y. 59 ..Edward Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y. 60 ..James Yu ..............................Smithtown, N.Y. 65 ..Julian Daniele Messina ........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 68 ..Albert Hu ..............................Great Neck, N.Y. 72 ..Avery Frekhtman ..................Woodmere, N.Y. 85 ..Juan Perez ............................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 90 ..Colin Hui................................Syosset, N.Y. 92 ..Landon Agic..........................Miller Place, N.Y. 100 Alexander Sherman ..............Hewlett, N.Y. 101 Bryan Volk ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 110 James Sacco ........................Brightwaters, N.Y. 117 Cooper Schorr ......................East Rockaway, N.Y. 135 Samarth Deepudass ............Williston Park, N.Y. 138 Alex Mazza............................Bellmore, N.Y. 147 Samuel Lopez ......................Huntington Station, N.Y. 156 Jesse Hubbs ........................Long Beach, N.Y. 158 Russell Notaris ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 159 Alexander Weiner..................Southampton, N.Y. 160 Saje Menon ..........................Mineola, N.Y. 176 Gavin Koo..............................Roslyn, N.Y. 184 Aidan Garvey ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 195 Nicholas Cooper ..................East Hampton, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 27 ..Mark R. Taranov....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 32 ..Gabriele Brancatelli ..............Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 35 ..Aman K. Sharma ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 41 ..Stephan M. Gershfeld ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 47 ..Aidan O’Connor ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 50 ..Daniel Kong ..........................Commack, N.Y. 51 ..Michael Ryan Safir................Old Westbury, N.Y. 55 ..Ryan E. Shayani....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 63 ..Ajer Sher................................Jericho, N.Y. 67 ..Brian Gao ..............................Syosset, N.Y. 74 ..Ty Nisenson ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 78 ..Matthew Leonard Zeifman ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 84 ..Aron Bursztyn........................South Setauket, N.Y. 91 ..Matthew Strogach ................Commack, N.Y. 103 Chris Candrin ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 104 Dylan D’Agate ......................Melville, N.Y. 117 Michael Singer ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 118 Julian Messina ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 119 Benjamin Grushkovskiy........Woodmere, N.Y. 128 Daniel Beckles ......................Roslyn, N.Y. 129 Malik Trail ..............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 133 Colin Liotta ............................East Williston, N.Y.

ISLAND

137 Aidan Patel ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 149 Ryan Newitz ..........................Melville, N.Y. 160 Jordan Reznik ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 167 Christopher Qi ......................Centerport, N.Y. 185 Joseph Wilson ......................East Hampton, N.Y. 194 Kevin Chen............................Commack, N.Y. 195 Murray Litman ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 2 ....Kabir Rajpal ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 3 ....Logan Paik Chang ................Old Westbury, N.Y. 5 ....Spencer Brachman ..............Commack, N.Y. 6 ....Billy G. Suarez ......................Huntington, N.Y. 10 ..Sujay Sharma........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 15 ..Alexander Karman ................Port Washington, N.Y. 17 ..Chene Li ................................Syosset, N.Y. 30 ..Rohan Gaddam Reddy ........Glen Head, N.Y. 38 ..Jack Flores............................Huntington, N.Y. 40 ..Jared Phillips ........................Plainview, N.Y. 41 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ......Syosset, N.Y. 46 ..Niles Ghaffar..........................Massapequa, N.Y. 49 ..Luke Karniewich....................Glen Head, N.Y. 50 ..Justin Oresky ........................Syosset, N.Y. 51 ..Maxwell Moadel....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 78 ..Nicholas Wernink ..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 81 ..Joseph Monticciolo ..............South Setauket, N.Y. 111 Anthony Casale ....................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 113 Aaron Rittberger....................Huntington, N.Y. 114 Ryan Shayani ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 122 Brian Gao ..............................Syosset, N.Y. 131 Pius Lo ..................................Glen Head, N.Y. 136 Logan Fliegel ........................Lynbrook, N.Y. 150 Matthew Kronenberg............East Setauket, N.Y. 152 Arin Siriamonthep ................Greenvale, N.Y. 185 Ian Schunk ............................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 188 Brandon Lee..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 194 Sean Cohen ..........................Plainview, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 1 ....Cannon Kingsley ..................Northport, N.Y. 3 ....Patrick F. Maloney ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 4 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito ..............Syosset, N.Y. 7 ....Ryan Goetz............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 10 ..Pieter Alexander Wernink ....Glen Cove, N.Y. 11 ..Chene Li ................................Syosset, N.Y. 12 ..Neel Rajesh ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 24 ..Karan Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 26 ..Logan Paik Chang ................Old Westbury, N.Y. 27 ..Brian Shi ................................Jericho, N.Y. 34 ..Alexander Roti ......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 42 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ......Syosset, N.Y. 47 ..Adrian Tsui ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 49 ..Abhinav Raj Srivastava ........Melville, N.Y. 51 ..Lazar Ivan Markovic..............Lattingtown, N.Y. 52 ..Evan Brady............................Glen Head, N.Y. 82 ..Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ......Dix Hills, N.Y. 84 ..Maxwell Moadel....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 87 ..Luke Torel Karniewich ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 98 ..Yoel Andre Yamus ................Deer Park, N.Y. 102 Nicholas Wernink ..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 109 Michael Medvedev................Albertson, N.Y. 125 Jack Flores............................Huntington, N.Y. 128 Rohan Reddy ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 136 Emmanuel Vacalares ............Hicksville, N.Y. 148 Billy G. Suarez ......................Huntington, N.Y.

RANKINGS

151 Kian Ziari................................Locust Valley, N.Y. 153 Sujay Sharma........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 162 Kabir Rajpal ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 163 Spencer Brachman ..............Commack, N.Y. 167 Avi Anand ..............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 178 Danny Tocco ........................East Quogue, N.Y. 181 David Ammendola ................Massapequa, N.Y. 190 Justin Oresky ........................Syosset, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 4 ....Ariana O. Pursoo ..................Westbury, N.Y. 8 ....Taylor Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 9 ....Isabella Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 13 ..Christasha McNeill................Massapequa, N.Y. 16 ..Andrea De Los Rios..............Port Washington, N.Y. 23 ..Tara Andrea Kurepa ..............Jericho, N.Y. 26 ..Kady Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 32 ..Nicolette Loeffler ..................Laurel Hollow, N.Y. 37 ..Nyla Gershfeld ......................Hewlett, N.Y. 47 ..Sophia Holod ........................East Setauket, N.Y. 48 ..Victoria Matos ......................Coram, N.Y. 55 ..Lara Afolayanka ....................Uniondale, N.Y. 56 ..Isabella Dinulescu ................Huntington Station, N.Y. 68 ..Catherine Karman ................Port Washington, N.Y. 71 ..Pressley Fortunato................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 84 ..Lucia Donnelly ......................Bayville, N.Y. 91 ..Cassandra Dinulescu............Huntington Station, N.Y. 93 ..Eva Sun ................................Manhasset, N.Y. 94 ..Tatiana Lorich........................Southampton, N.Y. 101 Darian Perfiliev ......................Port Washington, N.Y. 105 Vishnu Nair ............................Jericho, N.Y. 111 Carina Cristobal ....................Smithtown, N.Y. 125 Jordan McCoy ......................Bayport, N.Y. 126 Nicolina Giannola..................Port Jefferson, N.Y. 128 Valerie Simon ........................Hewlett, N.Y. 133 Kallin Gochna........................Glen Head, N.Y. 138 Anika Tolat ............................Port Washington, N.Y. 152 Paige Vesely..........................Oceanside, N.Y. 166 Lyla Munter............................Great Neck, N.Y. 168 Paige Wygodzki ....................Huntington, N.Y. 169 Eleni Konotoska ....................Water Mill, N.Y. 174 Maria Perez Canedo ............Selden, N.Y. 175 Anya Konopka ......................St. James, N.Y. 176 Maria Perez ..........................Centereach, N.Y. 181 Natalie Becker ......................Jericho, N.Y. 186 Zia Mukherjee........................Syosset, N.Y. 192 Hana Deckman ....................Greenlawn, N.Y. 195 Skylar Cohen ........................Port Washington, N.Y. 200 Gigi Hunt ..............................Massapequa, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 8 ....Emily Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 13 ..Rose B. Hayes ......................East Moriches, N.Y. 20 ..Rebecca Suarez....................Huntington, N.Y. 28 ..Theadora Yael Rabman ........Port Washington, N.Y. 31 ..Gabriela Glickstein................Commack, N.Y. 35 ..Emma Sy ..............................Port Washington, N.Y. 40 ..Olivia Fermo ..........................Smithtown, N.Y. 48 ..Tola Pola Glowacka ..............Jericho, N.Y. 49 ..Ariana O. Pursoo ..................Westbury, N.Y. 50 ..Hailey Stoerback ..................Saint James, N.Y. 54 ..Andriana Zaphiris..................Smithtown, N.Y. 59 ..Ava Thunder Scordo ............Glen Head, N.Y. 76 ..Lauren Zola ..........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 87 ..Kady Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 90 ..Kiera Agic ..............................Miller Place, N.Y.

97 ..Samantha Zeltser..................Great Neck, N.Y. 99 ..Alexandra Ho ........................Syosset, N.Y. 101 Christasha McNeill................Massapequa, N.Y. 108 Ines Roti ................................Locust Valley, N.Y. 111 Bianca Rose Lorich ..............Southampton, N.Y. 117 Isabella Dinulescu ................Huntington Station, N.Y. 119 Nicole Pinkus ........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 125 Sydney Seid ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 126 Skylar Blake Semon..............Melville, N.Y. 132 Andrea De Los Rios..............Port Washington, N.Y. 143 Taylor Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 157 Kira Kronenberg ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 163 Isabella Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 175 Alysson Pierro ......................Patchogue, N.Y. 184 Janae Fouche........................Freeport, N.Y. 185 Cassandra Dinulescu............Huntington Station, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 3 ....Lina Mohamed ......................Mineola, N.Y. 6 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ........Albertson, N.Y. 7 ....Rachel Arbitman ..................Hewlett, N.Y. 22 ..Merri Kelly..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 29 ..Alexa Susan Goetz ..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 30 ..Amy Delman..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 32 ..Kimberly Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 36 ..Madison Jane Williams ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 41 ..Kavina Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 42 ..Vitalina Golod........................Setauket, N.Y. 44 ..Kaya Amin ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 45 ..Steffi Antao............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 60 ..Rose Hayes ..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 65 ..Emily Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 72 ..Ally Friedman ........................East Hampton, N.Y. 77 ..Janelle Chen..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 78 ..Sofia Rose Anzalone ............Center Moriches, N.Y. 103 Gabriela Glickstein................Commack, N.Y. 110 Andrea Irta Brazyte ..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 118 Gabriela Sciarrotta ................Woodmere, N.Y. 119 Tatiana Barnett......................Port Washington, N.Y. 133 Alina Lyakhov ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 138 Andriana Zaphiris..................Smithtown, N.Y. 144 Soraya Koblence ..................Jericho, N.Y. 145 Madeline Richmond..............Syosset, N.Y. 149 Alexis Madison Huber ..........Melville, N.Y. 154 Emma Sy ..............................Port Washington, N.Y. 160 Anna J. Martorella ................Wantagh, N.Y. 170 Hailey Stoerback ..................Saint James, N.Y. 172 Caroline Lee ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 174 Sophia Schutte ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 176 Mary Madigan ......................Sayville, N.Y. 178 Lauren Zola ..........................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 179 Olivia Fermo ..........................Smithtown, N.Y. 186 Grace Riviezzo ......................Syosset, N.Y. 193 Julianna Romeo ....................Massapequa, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Rank Name City 9 ....Rachel Arbitman ..................Hewlett, N.Y. 17 ..Merri Kelly..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 20 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ........Albertson, N.Y. 33 ..Lina Mohamed ......................Mineola, N.Y. 47 ..Denise Lai..............................Setauket, N.Y. 56 ..Vitalina Golod........................Setauket, N.Y. 31 ..Francesca Karman................Port Washington, N.Y. 63 ..Kimberly Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 64 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ........Manorville, N.Y. 67 ..Olivia Rose Scordo ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 71 ..Elysia Bolton..........................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2018 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG 86 ..Alexa Susan Goetz ..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 99 ..Julia Kielan ............................Valley Stream, N.Y. 101 Trinity Chow ..........................Glen Cove, N.Y. 106 Lea Ma ..................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 115 Sofia Rose Anzalone ............Center Moriches, N.Y. 119 Andrea Irta Brazyte ..............Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 124 Calista Sha ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 130 Madison Jane Williams ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 134 Amy Delman..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 141 Rose Hayes ..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 145 Gabriela Sciarrotta ................Woodmere, N.Y. 147 Elizabeth Dwyer ....................Cutchogue, N.Y. 149 Steffi Antao............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 160 Madeline Clinton ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 161 Soraya Koblence ..................Jericho, N.Y. 162 Madeline Richmond..............Syosset, N.Y. 166 Janelle Chen..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 175 Ally Friedman ........................East Hampton, N.Y. 176 Ashley Lessen ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 182 Kaya Amin ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 185 Jill Lawrence..........................Hauppauge, N.Y. 192 Kavina Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 193 Olivia Fermo ..........................Smithtown, N.Y. 197 Natalia Kroi............................Greenvale, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 06/14/18)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 31 ..Jordan Reznik ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 65 ..Malik Trail ..............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 87 ..Max Daniel Safir....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 213 Aiden Patel ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 264 Matthew Leonard Zeifman ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 271 Dillon Lev Beckles ................Roslyn, N.Y. 280 Jeffrey Rosario ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 312 Aryan Badlani........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 322 Sebastian Bielen ..................Glen Cove, N.Y. 368 Ariel Zauber ..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 476 David Anosov........................Oceanside, N.Y. 491 Aaron Raja ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 553 Edward Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y. 844 Avery Frekhtman ..................Woodmere, N.Y. 853 Joseph Banilivi ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 912 James Yu ..............................Smithtown, N.Y. 938 Landon Agic..........................Miller Place, N.Y. 939 Juan Perez ............................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 955 Julian Messina ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 957 Jack Kennedy ......................Huntington, N.Y. 967 Saje Menon ..........................Mineola, N.Y.

ISLAND

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 72 ..Aman K. Sharma ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 250 Daniel Kong ..........................Commack, N.Y. 265 Mark R. Taranov....................Valley Stream, N.Y. 278 Jordan Reznik ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 280 Stephan M. Gershfeld ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 403 Malik Trail ..............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 487 Max Daniel Safir....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 771 Ty Nisenson ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 780 Aidan O’Connor ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 849 Aidan Patel ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 966 Matthew Leonard Zeifman ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 9 ....Spencer Brachman ..............Commack, N.Y. 15 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 41 ..Kabir Rajpal ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 43 ..Logan Paik Chang ................Old Westbury, N.Y. 110 Rohan Gaddam Reddy ........Glen Head, N.Y. 127 Billy G. Suarez ......................Huntington, N.Y. 167 Alexander Karman ................Port Washington, N.Y. 173 Sujay Sharma........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 362 Chene Li ................................Syosset, N.Y. 428 Aman Sharma ......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 467 Jack Flores............................Huntington, N.Y. 509 Jared Phillips ........................Plainview, N.Y. 537 Luke Karniewich....................Glen Head, N.Y. 710 Joseph Monticciolo ..............South Setauket, N.Y. 813 Niles Ghaffar..........................Massapequa, N.Y. 884 Matthew Charles Cashin ......Syosset, N.Y. 900 Maxwell Moadel....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 923 Mark Taranov ........................Valley Stream, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 1 ....Cannon Kingsley ..................Northport, N.Y. 3 ....Ryan Goetz............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 20 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito ..............Syosset, N.Y. 50 ..Patrick F. Maloney ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 54 ..Brian Shi ................................Jericho, N.Y. 58 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 107 Neel Rajesh ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 171 Pieter Alexander Wernink ....Glen Cove, N.Y. 172 Spencer Brachman ..............Commack, N.Y. 257 Logan Paik Chang ................Old Westbury, N.Y. 327 Kabir Rajpal ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 384 Chene Li ................................Syosset, N.Y. 413 Karan Amin............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 529 Rohan Reddy ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 616 Adrian Tsui ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 635 Billy G. Suarez ......................Huntington, N.Y. 671 Michael Medvedev................Albertson, N.Y. 679 Sujay Sharma........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 733 Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ......Dix Hills, N.Y. 780 Alexander Roti ......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 839 Luke Torel Karniewich ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 845 Lazar Ivan Markovic..............Lattingtown, N.Y. 910 Alexander Karman ................Port Washington, N.Y. 927 Evan Brady............................Glen Head, N.Y.

RANKINGS

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 54 ..Ariana O. Pursoo ..................Westbury, N.Y. 91 ..Taylor Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 110 Isabella Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 173 Kady Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 181 Christasha McNeill................Massapequa, N.Y. 297 Andrea De Los Rios..............Port Washington, N.Y. 314 Nicolette Loeffler ..................Laurel Hollow, N.Y. 353 Tara Andrea Kurepa ..............Jericho, N.Y. 386 Nyla Gershfeld ......................Hewlett, N.Y. 430 Tatiana Lorich........................Southampton, N.Y. 796 Lara Afolayanka ....................Uniondale, N.Y. 850 Darian Perfiliev ......................Port Washington, N.Y. 857 Victoria Matos ......................Coram, N.Y. 896 Sophia Holod ........................East Setauket, N.Y. 930 Carina Cristobal ....................Smithtown, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 96 ..Rose B. Hayes ......................East Moriches, N.Y. 129 Emily Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 203 Theadora Yael Rabman ........Port Washington, N.Y. 274 Gabriela Glickstein................Commack, N.Y. 292 Rebecca Suarez....................Huntington, N.Y. 395 Olivia Fermo ..........................Smithtown, N.Y. 405 Ariana O. Pursoo ..................Westbury, N.Y. 423 Tola Pola Glowacka ..............Jericho, N.Y. 543 Taylor Goetz ..........................Greenlawn, N.Y. 603 Isabella Sha ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 623 Hailey Stoerback ..................Saint James, N.Y. 793 Kady Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 805 Christasha McNeill................Massapequa, N.Y. 894 Emma Sy ..............................Port Washington, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 21 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ........Albertson, N.Y. 31 ..Rachel Arbitman ..................Hewlett, N.Y. 63 ..Lina Mohamed ......................Mineola, N.Y. 245 Merri Kelly..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 280 Alexa Susan Goetz ..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 437 Kimberly Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 441 Madison Jane Williams ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 554 Rose Hayes ..........................East Moriches, N.Y. 601 Emily Tannenbaum................Commack, N.Y. 630 Steffi Antao............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 663 Kaya Amin ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 684 Kavina Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 721 Amy Delman..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 955 Gabriela Glickstein................Commack, N.Y. 956 Theadora Yael Rabman ........Port Washington, N.Y. 977 Rebecca Suarez....................Huntington, N.Y.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2018 • LITennisMag.com

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name City 55 ..Rachel Arbitman ..................Hewlett, N.Y. 124 Elysia Bolton..........................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 132 Maryam Beshir Ahmad ........Albertson, N.Y. 273 Merri Kelly..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 307 Lina Mohamed ......................Mineola, N.Y. 326 Lea Ma ..................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 467 Francesca Karman................Port Washington, N.Y. 613 Alexa Susan Goetz ..............Greenlawn, N.Y. 884 Kimberly Liao ........................Commack, N.Y. 895 Madison Jane Williams ........Glen Cove, N.Y. 963 Ashley Lessen ......................Old Westbury, N.Y.

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