Long Island Tennis Magazine July /August 2019

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108 Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Ross School Junior Donating Time With Free Program for Girls

or the past six months, Ally Friedman, a junior at the Ross School in East Hampton, has been running a free program for young girls in the local community, helping to teach them valuable life skills through tennis.

“T.H.E. B.A.L.L.,” as it’s called, stands for “Tennis Health Empowerment Building Attitude Lifetime Lessons,” and the group meets once a week for 90 minutes on the Ross School campus.

“I created this program where I teach girls between the ages of seven and 10 things like tennis, nutrition and fitness.

And at the end of each class, I include a few minutes of mindfulness,” said Friedman. “Basically the skills you need to live a happy and healthy life.”

The desire to give back and create a program of her own came from a trip she took to Zimbabwe last year. Friedman went with a group called Hoops 4 Hope, a non-profit that takes kids off the streets and teaches them life skills through basketball and song and dance.

“From the first day I was there, I could tell that it had changed me,” she recalls.

“I was so happy to see all these kids having fun, and I knew that I wanted to do something to make a difference. I knew I couldn’t create a program that big right away, so I had to start small and created this girls-only program.”

She began by contacting guidance counselors, teachers and even

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pediatricians around her area to explain what she was doing and try to put together a group of girls to take part in this class.

After making a number of calls, Friedman was able to put together a class of about 12 girls, and the program commenced in January.

“I understood that some of the girls wouldn’t love tennis as much as I do, so I decided to teach them other things they may not normally be exposed to,” said Friedman. “I brought in professionals to teach self-defense, nutrition, fitness, agility and soccer. All of these different things to keep them active, and through that, building self-esteem and helping them to feel empowered.”

Friedman says her school has been extremely supportive of her work.

“Every single week, I have a court available to me to teach, and Ross allows me to use the rackets and balls that are here,” Friedman said. “They’ve been amazing. If I ever need advice from my coaches on how to teach something, they are there for me. Marcelo Reda, a coach here at the Ross School, has been a mentor of mine in creating the program. I’ve been teaching these girls from scratch, so I had to teach them the basics, and the coaches here have been great in teaching me how to teach.”

The primary goal of the program is to help instill self-confidence in the girls, and using tennis as the focal point in doing so.

“Not only are they much more active, but they’re just a lot nicer to themselves and each other which is so important,” said Friedman. “It’s a great group of girls and I’ve not only seen them improve a lot tennis-wise, but in so many other ways as well.”

Friedman has plans to continue growing the program, and has begun creating a curriculum. This way, when she graduates, there will be a structure in place so that the program lives on.

“I have also applied for a grant from the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, and I find out in September if I have earned that,” said Friedman. “I would use that money to get rackets for the girls, and also bring in more instructors, so I can expand to more kids and more courts.”

In addition, Friedman says she will be applying for a grant from the USTA as she hopes to further the program in order to help more girls.

While her class has taught lessons to many young girls, it has also helped to teach Friedman more about herself and she has seen her own self-improvement.

“The one thing I’ve definitely learned throughout this whole process has been to be flexible, and that I can only control what I can control,” said Friedman. “I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m much more confident publicly speaking and talking to parents. So it’s just been an amazing experience, and I’m excited to continue it this fall.”

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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

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JUL/AUG 2019 • Vol 11, No 4

Table Of Contents

A Spaniard in Paris: Part 12 By Brian Coleman Spain’s Rafael Nadal continues his mastery on clay, capturing his 12th French Open title … is there no slowing down this ageless wonder? See page 22

Photo credit: USTA/Garrett Ellwood

Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Art Director (516) 409-4444, ext. 307 Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com

Highlights 8 16 38 42 50

The Hamlet Plays Host to 2019 Long Island Tennis Challenge Looking Ahead to the 2020 New York Open 2019 New York Empire Preview Your 2019 Guide to Sports Medicine 2019 Boy’s High School Recap By Brian Coleman

Features 1 4 12

Ross School Junior Donating Time With Free Program for Girls Across Long Island Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Relax: A Guide to Peak Performance in Five Easy Pieces

By Steven Kaplan Scott Koondel VP of Operations 14 USTA Long Island JTT Wraps Up 2019 Season (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 15 Tennis Bubbles: A Grand Slam Victory Over the Elements 19 JMTA Holds Scholarship Tryouts for LI, NYC Facilities Sidney Beal III Lee Seidner Staff Photographer Staff Photographer 20 Sports Made Easy Connecting the Tennis World 21 Pine Hollow Hosts Opening Day Kickoff Event Allison Butler Stefen Rosner Senior Intern Senior Intern 26 Second Annual Big Apple Cup Brings International Flair to NTC Caroline Lee Sophia Remnek 28 The High School Tennis Conundrum By Ricky Becker Intern Intern 30 Commack HS Tennis Hosts Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Sarah Schwartz Phoebe Warshauer 32 USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Intern Intern 34 A Family-Owned and Operated Facility: An Eastern Athletic Angelina Remnek Rena Zervakos Club Tradition Intern Intern 35 Blasia Baum Wins USTA Eastern’s Captain of the Year Advertising 40 Har-Tru’s HyQ Court Provides Cutting-Edge Technology To receive any information regarding advertising 41 Billie Jean King to Headline 2019 WTCA Conference NYC rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516)

By Kylie Klotzbach 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com.

46 The Secret to Finishing Off Matches and Never Giving Up Leads Article Submissions/Press Releases By Dr. Tom Ferraro To submit any material, including articles and press 48 “Little Mo” Circuit Returns This Summer, Highlighted by releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions Internationals in Forest Hills is the first of the month preceding the target issue.

49 Teaching Technique By Stefan Ilic Subscriptions 59 Technology Is Changing Tennis: Here’s How Facilities Can Take To receive subscription information, contact (516) Advantage of It 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check 60 Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600.

62 Underhand Serve: An Effective Alternative By Gino Fava Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island 63 Addition by Subtraction By Rob Polishook Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the 64 The Jensen Zone By Luke Jensen authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the 66 It’s Not About the Score, Madison By Barbara Wyatt part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, 67 USPTA Honors the Tops in the Eastern Division at Annual reject and/or postpone the publication of any Conference articles, information or data.

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Across Long Isla Virginia Wade Visits With Morley’s Port Washington Varsity Boys Host Fundraiser High Performance Players

Members of the Christopher Morley Tennis High Performance program in Roslyn got a special treat recently, as International Tennis Hall of Famer and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Virginia Wade paid them a visit.

Wade, who plays at the facility on a semi-regular basis and is friends with Program Director Hilary Bressler, spoke to the kids about her tennis career, which includes an array of accolades, most notably, her triumph at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships.

The players in the program were given the opportunity to ask questions, and Wade then walked around during the program to give some pointers and tips to each student.

“It was a wonderful experience for them to meet a Grand Slam Champion,” said Bressler. “She truly is an ambassador of our sport and enjoys giving back, especially to the kids.”

The Port Washington Boys Varsity Tennis Team conducted its annual “Play With the Teachers” tournament to raise money for autism awareness. Each player from the team paired up with a teacher or administrator from the school district to compete in a friendly doubles tournament.

“I am beyond proud of our players and the Port Washington community for hosting this annual event,” said Port Washington Head Coach Shane Helfner. “This event is a great way to bring together the community, school and tennis program for such a worthy cause.”

In all, the event raised more than $800, which will be donated to Aceing Autism.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

land

… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community

Nassau County Community Men’s Team Reaches Nationals

Nisenson Wins Super Six Ty Nisenson, who trains at Point Set Tennis in Oceanside, captured the title at the Eastern Super Six National Level 3 Tournament at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, N.J. during Memorial Day weekend.

Nisenson, the fifth-seed, won all five of his matches in straight sets, including a 6-3, 6-2 win over the draw’s top seed, Alexander Aney, in the finals.

The Nassau County Community College Men’s Tennis Team compiled another strong season this past spring, as the Lions traveled to Peachtree City, Ga. to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III National Tournament.

After a couple days of hard-fought matches, the Lions finished in fifth place.

“A few matches could have gone our way, but at the end of the day, the other teams put one more ball in the court,” said NCC Head Coach Laura Gilbert. “I’m extremely proud of the men. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

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www.hartru.com LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Across Long Island Lea Ma of Dix Hills Commits to Georgia Bulldogs

(Queens College), Francesca Karman (Fairfield University), Denise Lai (University of Connecticut) and Calista Sha (Amherst College).

Dix Hills native Lea Ma, currently the top-ranked girl in New York and the Mid-Atlantic Region according to TennisRecruiting.Net, has committed to play her collegiate tennis at Georgia University. Ma was the nation’s thirdranked recruit.

“We are excited for her to join the Bulldogs,” said Georgia Head Coach Jeff Wallace. “She has had an outstanding junior career, and we are all looking forward to getting her on campus. She is going to be a huge addition.”

NTC Hosts 22nd Annual “Say Yes to Tennis” Event

Carefree Racquet Club Hosts LITLSS Fundraiser Carefree Racquet Club played host to a Zone Tennis fundraiser to support the Learning Institute of Tennis Life Skills & Sportsmanship (LITLSS) organization. Town of Hempstead’s Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin Jr. and New York State Assemblywoman Taylor Raynor took part in the fundraiser, as the New York State Assembly officially recognized the LITLSS as an outstanding organization with a Citation.

SPORTIME Syosset Hosts 2019 Collegiate Signing Day

Credit photo to: Queens DA Office

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hosted the 22nd Annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” event as a part of Queens’ District Attorney’s STAR Track anti-violence program.

More than 600 students from nine public schools in Far Rockaway came out to the National Tennis Center to play tennis, with the goal of the event and program to promote positivity and making smart choices.

Ross School’s Weiner Wins Quogue Tournament Alexander Weiner, a player at the Ross School Tennis Academy, took home the title at the L1B SPORTIME Quogue Summer Kick Off. Weiner, a Southampton native, won all three of his matches to win his third tournament title since the beginning of April.

Goetz Makes Impact in Freshman Season at Virginia

The John McEnroe Tennis Academy’s Long Island Annex, SPORTIME Syosset, hosted a College Signing Day for its impending graduates who are moving on to play at the collegiate level next year. Pictured above are Kyra Bergman (SUNY Binghamton), Matt Cashin (Tufts University), Gabriela Sciarrotta 6

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Former Bethpage Park Tennis Center student Ryan Goetz, who now plays for the University of Virginia, helped the Cavaliers win its opening round matchup during the NCAA Tournament. Goetz defeated Udayan Bhakar 6-0, 6-2 in the fifth singles spot in the team win over St. John’s, and beat Rrezart Cungu 6-2, 6-3 at fourth singles despite the team’s loss to Wake Forest.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Tennis CHALLENGE The Long Island

The Hamlet Plays Host to

2019 Long Island Tennis Challenge Credit all photos to: Sidney Beal III

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or the sixth consecutive year, Long Island Tennis Magazine brought together tennis players of all ages and levels for a day of competitive tennis, fun, food and drinks as it hosted the annual Long Island Tennis Challenge at The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack, N.Y. The LI Tennis Challenge has become a staple of the early-summer tennis season here on the Island, and has grown to feature five different divisions of play.

The day started with a one-hour clinic for Hamlet members and tournament participants, courtesy of SPORTIME Kings Park.

The clinic warmed up the players, and after a nice continental breakfast spread, the tournament was ready to begin.

In the Women’s B Division, the team of Debbie Biederman & Adele Bohensky outdueled Lori Ricciuti & Nancy DiGiacomo, 4-1, in a short-set championship match.

Between some excellent communication and a key lob on match point, Biederman & Bohensky were able to close things out to win the title.

“I think we played very well together and we’re good partners,” said Bohensky.

Biederman added, “It was a lovely event.

We won two years ago, so we’re pretty happy to be able to do so again.”

Jenny So & Erina Kikuchi squared off against Donna Ryan & Lisa Goldberg in the Women’s A final, with So & Kikuchi securing the championship with a 6-1 victory. So & Kikuchi served extremely well, and were able to come out on top in the long rallies with 8

some effective volleying to notch the win.

“The key was just communication, moving our feet and being aggressive,” said So. “We wanted to get our first serves in and make sure not to be hesitant.”

James Avallone & Brian Dulberg ran the table in the Men’s B Division, and dialed up their best tennis in the championship match to beat the team of Junghoon Park & Dongsung Lim to hoist the Long Island Tennis Challenge B Division title.

In a back-and-forth final in the Men’s A Division, Bryan Byer & John Paradisi edged Dan Kresh & Russ Difazio 7-5. Neither team was able to find rhythm on serve early as the theme of the first eight games was breaks of serve. Paridisi fired a forehand winner on game point at 4-4 to bring the pair within one

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

game of the championship. But Kresh held serve in the ensuing game to bring things to 5-5, and after another hold of serve, Difazio was tasked with serving to stay in the match.

Byer & Paradisi continued the excellent volleying that had propelled them to the final, breaking serve to end the match and win the title.

“In the final, we were fighting the wind a bit, but then we were able to figure it out,” said Paradisi. “We made some key shots at the right times and pulled it through at the end.”

The headliner of the event card was the Men’s Pro Division, which had a $750 cash prize on the line, and featured top collecontinued on page 10

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Tennis CHALLENGE

continued from page 8

giate and high school players, as well as teaching pros and former ATP Pro Tour players. The tournament started with pool play, with the top two teams from each pool advancing.

In one semifinal, Danny Pellerito & Finbar Talcott took on Airam Castellano & Caio Zampieri. Pellerito & Talcott hung tough early, but Castellano & Zampieri used their experience to their advantage and punched their ticket to the Pro Division Finals.

In the other semifinal, it was Dmytro

Kovalevych & Anton Protsenko who took on Derek Difazio & Elliot Fanshell. Kovalevych & Protsenko were able to stay tough and come out on top setting up a fantastic final.

The Final took place on the Hamlet’s Center Court, the same court once played on by Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and others when the Hamlet Cup was part of the ATP Tour. The match was very evenly played, with both teams battling through the first six games to bring the score to 3-3. But

The Long Island

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Castellano & Zampieri took over from there, winning three of the match’s final four games, using great angles to setup their aggressive net game. In the end, the match came down to a couple of key points and Castellano & Zampieri were able to step up in those situations, taking home their first Long Island Tennis Challenge title with a 6-4 victory.

“We played really well today, and I think our level of play increased as the day went on,” said Castellano.

Zampieri added, “Overall, I thought it was a really cool event. It’s played in one day, so it’s a shorter type event which was really nice to play in and be a part of.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine would like to give a special thanks to The Hamlet’s Tennis Director Bruce Moodnik and The Hamlet for hosting the event once again, as well as the pros from SPORTIME Kings Park who conducted the morning clinic. We’d also like to thank our great sponsors Elso Athletics, inPhorm, My Game Solutions, SPORTIME/JMTA, the New York Empire, the New York Open and USTA Eastern for providing prizes and giveaways to the winners and participants.

“The event went very smoothly, from the opening warm-up clinic to the last point of the pro tournament,” said Moodnik. “This is the third year that The Hamlet has been the host club for the Long Island Tennis Challenge. To be able to have players of all levels play on the same courts that the top pros of the world did years ago is such a special and exciting feeling. We look forward to having it here again next year.”

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Relax

A Guide to Peak Performance in Five Easy Pieces

By Steven Kaplan What’s the most difficult thing to do in tennis?

I’d have to say it’s the ability to balance efficient learning with optimal performance. The best players present a growth mindset to maximize learning and improvement and shut down that mindset to perform. Learning is premeditated, performing is about letting go, relaxing and “just doing it.”

Below are some guidelines …

1. Think about not thinking: How to practice non-specific thought.

Study after study indicates that Alpha brainwaves or a non-specific visual thought process is highly correlated with peak athletic performance, while specific thought or the production of Beta brainwaves work to inhibit athletic performance.

So should you think when you play tennis?

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Of course you should, but only at certain times and in certain ways. It’s important to limit specific thought to the process of learning on the practice court. General or non-specific attention is what you want to display during matches while you are in the act of performing.

In 1974, author Tim Gallwey in his bestselling book, The Inner Game of Tennis, suggested to repeat the phrase “Bounce, Hit” as almost a meditative mantra to master non-specific thought. Practice skills with very definite and precise goals, and then practice these same skills with the confidence to trust yourself and just let go.

Maybe hum a song, shake your hips or repeat a phrase. This will help you link complex movements and flow.

2. Every breath you take, every move you make: How to breathe We all know how to breathe. However, very few of us give much thought to just how vital breathing with maximum efficiency is

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

to high performance. Increases in expiration flow rates allow you to take in more oxygen and feel greater energy, alertness and concentration levels. Enhanced breathing techniques are complex and require practice, but the “Cliff’s Notes” version is to slowly breathe deeply through your nose and feel your chest rise, hold for a moment, and then even more slowly exhale though your mouth while feeling your belly raise. Conscious breathing will promote a calm mind and body.

3. What you see is what you get: How to use visualization Visualization and mental imagery are some of the most powerful tools that tennis players, as well as all athletes, have to improve upon and display peak performance. Many studies indicate that that neuroplasticity, or changes in neural pathways which result in “muscle memory,” are gained by mentally rehearsing a movement to almost the same degree as by physically performing a movement.

Novak Djokovic has recently talked a great deal about how his mindfulness practices have helped him ascend back to number one in the world. Such practices are particularly useful in managing and controlling performance anxiety, which is one of the main obstacles tennis players encounter on the road to success.

4. The habitual and the ritual: How to practice habits and rituals to relax There is nothing more terrifying than uncertainty since it is human nature to fear the unknown. The use of rituals, or a series of actions in a prescribed order, helps to bring the familiar to even the most novel situations. When we repeat habits, they become soothing mindful engagements.

Ask yourself … how many times do you bounce the ball before hitting a first serve?

How about before a second serve? It doesn’t really matter what your number may be, as long as it’s the same every time.

5. The “Marshmallow Effect” In this famous Stanford University study,

young children were asked to choose between “having one marshmallow now or two marshmallows in 30 minutes.”

These subjects were tracked as adults, and those children who were willing to wait for that extra treat had a higher level of education and achievement attainment as adults.

While many suggest that this was a flawed study, my takeaway is that success is attained by choosing the perfect balance between immediate gratification and greater future success. This balance recognizes that just the right amount of stress and fear motivates conscience behavior. If we are always in a state of relaxation, we could become overconfident and under-motivated. We might not look both ways before crossing a busy street and we might procrastinate every unpleasant task.

On the tennis court, anxiety or the fear of failure is a great motivator to help us pay the price to fight through the pain to work past limits to achieve greatness. Once having committed to decisive action, however, relaxation is

the best path to peak performance because it prevents us from fighting ourselves.

As the Mandarin Chinese proverb reminds us: “The tree that does not bend with the wind will be broken by the wind.”

Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation and executive director and founder of Serve & Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. 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.

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USTA Long Island JTT Wraps Up 2019 Season

The 18 and Under Advanced Champions from World Gym Setauket

The team from Christopher Morley Tennis took home the championship in the Long Island Junior Team Tennis 12 and Under Intermediate Division

The 2019 USTA Long Island Junior Team Tennis Sportsmanship Winners from the 12U and 14U Divisions gather for a photo

Long Island Junior Team Tennis Sportsmanship Award winners in the 18U Division proudly display their pins

The team from World Gym Setauket were crowned champs in the Long Island Junior Team Tennis 14U Division The 2019 USTA Long Island Junior Team Tennis season recently came to a close, as teams from all across the area completed what was a successful year for a league that continues to grow.

Below are the winners and finalists from the 2019 USTA Long Island Junior Team Tennis season: 18 and Under Advanced l Champions: World Gym Setauket l Finalists: Suffolk County Junior Tennis League Team 2 14 and Under Intermediate l Champions: World Gym Setauket l Finalists: Eastern Athletic Club Blue Point Team A 14

More Long Island Junior Team Tennis Sportsmanship Award Winners from the 18U Division gather for a photo 12 and Under Intermediate l Champions: Christopher Morley Tennis l Finalists: Eastern Athletic Club Blue Point Team Green World Gym Setauket’s two winning teams represented the Long Island Region at the USTA Eastern Sectional Championships in Albany, N.Y. In all, nearly 150 players participated in Long Island Junior Team Tennis this year.

“We look forward to adding even more players and teams as we continue to grow junior tennis on Long Island,” said Neil Thakur, USTA Eastern’s tennis service representative for the Long Island Region.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Tennis Bubbles A Grand Slam Victory Over the Elements

T

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 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,

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 (888) 445-3223.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Looking Ah 2020 New Y Photo credit: USTA/Darren Carroll

Kei Nishikori

W

Nick Kyrgios

ith two chapters of the New York Open under the community and organizer’s belts, tournament officials at GF Sports tell us that New York Open 3.0 plans to return bigger, better and maintain its moniker as the “Home of The Black Court.” GF Sports has already been busy preparing for the only indoor championships on both the ATP and WTA Tours in the United States.

The New York Open comes off a successful second year with increased attendance, expanded television coverage and growing sponsorship support, as well as maintaining its credibility with the men’s professional tennis tour as one of the Tour’s finest-produced indoor tournaments. With the support of partner BSE Global, the New York Open continues to invest and build what is quickly becoming a winter tennis tradition in the market.

“The trajectory continues to point northward on all fronts,” said GF Sports COO and New York Open Tournament Chairman Josh Ripple. “The metrics for 2019 were superior to our opening year in 2018, and 16

New York Open 3.0 will prove to be a markedly more attractive and a better tournament and entertainment event than our first few editions.”

What seems to be consistent with the New York Open is that it continues to prove attractive to the players. Tournament officials have created an environment, which has been a turnkey for players desirous of having little complication to perform. With a state-of-the-art facility in the NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, practice facilities both at the arena and nearby Carefree Racquet Club, and tournament hotels within 600 feet at the Long Island Marriott and only a few miles from the Garden City Hotel, top players wanting to consider the New York Open as a viable opportunity in their schedules are committing early.

Furthermore, GF Sports has attempted to add ancillary programming, which has been attractive to the players, but more importantly to the community. Long Island and New York Tennis Magazine’s New York Tennis Expo has collaborated with GF Sports to return next year with a greater offering. It is

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Reilly Opelka

the intention of officials from both properties to now move the fun-filled family day to Sunday and combine it with the tournament’s opening day of qualifying competition. This schedule will allow for patrons to not only enjoy the days’ worth of interactive activity in NYCB LIVE’s Exhibition Hall at the Expo, but will also allow free attendance to watch the great up-and-coming ATP players vie for spots in the New York Open’s main draw.

“We believe that combining the New York Tennis Expo with the qualifying tournament of the New York Open will be compelling for consumers who have attended both but on different days the last two years,” said Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs. “We have averaged 4,000 people who have joined us for the Expo since 2018, and we feel that by adding the qualifying to the program, we can attract thousands more, which would be really exciting for us.”

The Taste of New York Open that featured New York’s own celebrity chef, David Burke, last February will return as the tournament’s official player party. The culinary event pro-

Bra

Ahead to the w York Open

Brayden Schnur

Kevin Anderson

vides for the community to participate in a VIP foodie event, while being able to hob nob with ATP players, officials, coaches and area celebrities. The debut of the Wolf Pack Ninjas was well-received last year, and should be even more attractive to tournament-goers in 2020, with those interested in testing their strength and agility against sev-

GF Sports COO and New York Open Tournament Chairman Josh Ripple (center) with Finalist Brayden Schnur (left) and Champion Reilly Opelka (right)

eral of the world’s most well-known ninja athletes.

Two important racket initiatives are keen on the minds organizers for 2020.

First is the expansion of the New York Open Skills Challenge. Used primarily as a promotional vehicle and a unique programming tool for tennis pros and facilities

around the area, GF Sports has its eye on creating a multi-tiered competition around the Tri-State Community for players of all ages in tennis’ only version of a pure skillscentric competition. Akin to football’s “Punt, Pass and Kick,” and golf’s “Drive, continued on page 18

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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2020 new york open continued from page 17 Chip and Putt,” the Skills Challenge is the only analytics programming to test player’s abilities on groundstrokes, serves and volleys. The goal is to have finalists be able to compete on the New York Open’s stadium black court during the tournament week when they will be awarded prizes by several of the ATP’s top players.

However, a major focus will be to create the first regional indoor pickleball championship. GF Sports is looking to create a minimum 14-pickleball court footprint inside the Coliseum’s Exhibition Hall during the week of the New York Open, leading up to the various divisions’ medal matches being played on the black courts of the main NYCB LIVE arena.

“It’s evident that the sport of pickleball is taking on a massive profile not only in the northeast, but throughout the country,” said Lebedevs. “We plan to create the U.S.’s first major indoor championship in conjunction with what we do with our Tour event. We have much to define and develop, but this will be a major treat for pickleball players around the New York area.”

Finally, there’s a goal to broaden the reach and participation of the New York Open Collegiate Invitational by inviting colleges from around the region and

country to participate. In 2019, the Invitational was offered to colleges within the USTA Eastern Section where 16 of the area’s top collegiate singles players competed for a main draw wild card. Columbia’s Jack Lin successfully earned his berth only to lose in the first round to eventual New York Open finalist Brayden Schnur. In 2020, GF Sports is looking to offer wild cards for both the singles and doubles main draws, and will open up the opportunities to the country’s top schools.

New York Open Announces Early Player Commitments Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, Nick Kyrgios, defending Champion Reilly Opelka and 2019 finalist Brayden Schnur are signed up for the 2020 installment of the New York Open.

The New York Open returns to NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, Feb. 8-16, 2020, and while it remains a key destination for the majority of the American player contingent, GF Sports has received early commitments from international star power that will undoubtedly make New York Open 3.0 an interesting and diverse field.

The New York Open has signed agreements with Nishikori, Japan’s number

one and the ATP’s seventh-ranked player; Anderson, the 2018 New York Open champion and current eighth-ranked star; and Kyrgios, currently 36th in the ATP Singles Rankings, but without a doubt, world-renown for being one of the Tour’s most talented, colorful and controversial players.

“The fans will have a lot to look forward to this coming February with the return of Kei and Kevin and the addition of Nick,” said Ripple. “One of our objectives for 2020 is to elevate everyone’s experience by presenting a diverse player field, and without a doubt, we are heading in a great direction. Adding someone like Nick to the New York Open is huge, and we think fans will want to see this talented player and personality.”

In addition to having two of the top 10 and Kyrgios inked, the tournament also received the early decisions from its defending champion and finalist from last February—Reilly Opelka and Brayden Schnur, respectively.

“We had tennis’ version of a Cinderella story this year with Reilly and Brayden breaking out and reaching the championship match, and we are happy to report that both young upstarts will be back,” said Lebedevs. “Reilly continues to make strides to become one of America’s top players, and we are proud to have served as his launching pad to stardom. It will be fun for us and the fans to follow their progress throughout the next eight months.”

www.inphormnyc.com

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

JMTA Holds Scholarship Tryouts for LI, NYC Facilities

By Allison Butler and Stefen Rosner Credit all photos to: Stefen Rosner

As has become an annual tradition, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) hosted tryouts for both its Long Island and Randall’s Island facilities in late June, as tennis players from the ages of six through 16 headed to the courts in search of a scholarship into the JMTA. Mr. McEnroe himself was present, alongside coaches, as they graded the skill sets of these young players.

“A really good work ethic and some talent that we think could have real potential down the line,” said JMTA and SPORTIME Randall’s Island Associate Director Perry Atchison. “Not necessarily a great player right now, but someone who shows potential in the future.”

During the tryouts at the Long Island annex at SPORTIME Syosset, the program’s Director Mike Kossoff echoed that sentiment: “I think we have the best program in the country and to be able to give back to people who financially are in need is important.

Kids who have intrinsic motivation, if I am able to help them out and become a top player, it’s a win-win situation. We’re not looking for the best or highest ranked player, or necessarily the kid with the best strokes, we’re looking for the kid who has the best attitude and who is willing to work the hardest.”

To earn this scholarship, the young players are not selected solely on their tennis

ability, but on their fitness skills as well. The fitness aspect of the game was tested throughout the day, as players had to complete agility drills, such as sprinting, as well as balance, strength and hand-eye coordination tests.

The players who earn a scholarship are invited to join the program and will have access to the full range of coaching and athletic training. The scholarships are funded through the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that aims to change young lives by removing the economic and social barriers to success through tennis.

“Overall potential, athletic ability, character and desire to see how competitive the kids are and how hard they are willing to work. So we are really looking for the whole package,” said Lawrence Kleger, JMTA and SPORTIME Randall’s Island’s co-director of tennis. “The criteria is pretty broad, but also the requirements are pretty steep. We are always looking for the next great champion.”

Allison Butler and Stefen Rosner are interns and contributing writers for Long Island Tennis Magazine.

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Sports Made Easy Connecting the Tennis World

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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 the 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 courts and tee times, as well as connecting with 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 20

Photo credit: Getty Images

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 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

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

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.

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.

Pine Hollow Hosts Opening Day Kickoff Event Credit all photos to: Brian Coleman

T

he outdoor tennis season at Pine Hollow Country Club officially kicked off with the Club’s Annual Opening Day Carnival in East Norwich. With Mother Nature ushering in the spring weather, tennis players of all ages and levels came out to play some tennis and enjoy a nice afternoon in the sun.

“Our pre-opening event has become one of my favorite traditions at the Club,” said Ricky Becker, Pine Hollow’s director of tennis. “I like this event because the whole family can come and play, and there is something for everyone. Members who are very competitive and members who aren’t competitive play together in a fun, casual setting where nobody has an agenda.”

The courts were filled with players taking part in numerous drills and exercises, led by the teaching professionals from Pine Hollow, including a court dedicated to ten-

nis for young children. From toddlers to adults, and competitive to non-competitive players, there were tennis activities for everyone.

“It’s a great first day here,” said Amy Tacher, Pine Hollow Club member. “There are a lot of different games on different courts. We all had fun because, no matter what level, we all get along. The junior pros that are here, and Ricky [Becker], are all great. They provide a lot of great instruction both for singles and doubles.”

In addition to the thrill of being able to play some outdoor tennis once again, the event serves a great way for club members to reconnect, as well as meet new members, and usher in another exciting season of tennis.

“The pros they bring in are great and encourage all of us in their teaching. We’re hoping the weather continues to cooperate like it did today,” said Pine Hollow Country

Club member Mike Ferber. “The tennis is great, but so is the camaraderie. I am one of the captains of the men’s teams that competes against other clubs, so we all go out after we play. It’s a great atmosphere.”

With successful interclub teams and a welcoming environment, the members and staff at Pine Hollow are excited for another summer season of tennis on the north shore of Long Island.

“We look forward to celebrating our award as the 2018 USTA Long Island Region’s Private Club of the Year,” said Becker. “We have always had weekly events on Sundays, and this year, we added a couple of more to prolong our active season until October. I personally love the weekday evening events. It is so peaceful here by the courts, far away from any road and the noise of traffic. As the sun sets and I sit on the hill by the courts, I literally feel like I’m up in the Adirondacks.”

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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comeback complete

A Spaniard in Paris: Part 12

continued from page 20

By Brian Coleman Death. Taxes. And Rafael Nadal triumphing at Roland Garros …

Few things have become more synonymous with certainty than Rafael Nadal winning the French Open, and in early June, he won the tournament for a remarkable 12th time.

For the second straight year, he did so at the expense of Austria’s Dominic Thiem, dominating the fourth-ranked player in the world with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory in the tournament’s final on Philippe Chatrier Court.

After the match’s final point, Nadal sunk to the familiar dark-colored clay and lay on his back with his head in his hands. With a range of emotions swirling around and fighting back tears, he approached the net to exchange pleasantries with Thiem, and then waved to the appreciative Parisian audience that has grown accustomed to watching his dominance.

“The first thing that I want to say is congrats to Dominic … I feel sorry, because he deserves it here too,” said the gracious Nadal during the trophy ceremony. “I can’t explain it … when I played the first time here in 2005, I could not think that I’d be coming back here in 2019.”

His decade-plus dominance at the French Open is something that we haven’t seen duplicated in essentially any other sport. Sure, there are dynasties in team sports and ones that are just a step above the rest of the respective leagues they are in, but for one man or woman to have a complete stranglehold on success the way Nadal does in Paris is simply unmatched.

And his 2019 fortnight at Roland Garros place him squarely back into the conversation (one, albeit, that will probably never be settled) of the greatest player of all time. Before he played Thiem in the final, he met Roger Federer, the lone man who sits above him on the list of most Grand Slam titles won, in the semifinals.

The match wasn’t even close.

Nadal committed just 19 unforced errors to Federer’s 34; set up 16 break points and converted on six of them, as he dismantled 22 22

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Credit photo to USTA/Pete Staples

a spaniard in paris: part 12 continued from page 22

Credit photo to USTA/Brad Penner

Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on a windy afternoon in France.

“He makes you feel uncomfortable the way he defends the court and plays on clay,” said Federer. “There is nobody who even plays remotely close to him. I don’t even know who I need to go search for to go practice with somebody who plays like him.”

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Looking back on it now, it seems inconceivable to think there was any doubt that Nadal could dominate the 2019 French Open the way he did. But his clay season did not get off to a stellar start this year, and there were certainly question marks leading up to the calendar’s second major tournament.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

The early season lumps actually began during the hard-court season when he was forced to withdraw from his semifinal matchup against the aforementioned Federer at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., citing a knee injury.

He returned when the season shifted to clay, but lost in the semifinals in both Monte Carlo and Barcelona, falling to Fabio Fognini and Dominic Thiem, respectively. That theme of semifinal losses continued into the Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

After three losses in three weeks on the surface he was so utterly dominated over the years, Nadal said: “I have not played well enough. I’ve won a lot for many years on this surface, but this year it hasn’t been like that.”

But like all greats, Nadal would not stay down for long. The following week, he hopped from Madrid to Rome, and ran the table in at the Rome Masters, exacting some revenge on Tsitsipas with a semifinal victory, and then downing Novak Djokovic in three-sets to capture the title.

“Winning a title is important, but for

enner

me, the most important thing is to feel myself competitive, feel myself healthy, and then a feeling that I am improving,” said Nadal. “I know if I’m able to reach my level, I can win, I can lose, but normally, I am going to have my chances.”

And with that mentality, Nadal headed to Paris with a boost of confidence and with his health intact, ready to destroy the hopes of any player in the French Open draw who thought they may have an opportunity to stand alone when the two weeks wrapped up.

“I played better in Madrid, and I played much better in Rome, and here, I played a great event,” Nadal said. “These small things that I have been improving every single day and doing with the right attitude, doing with the right passion, that’s the only way for me to be back where I am today.”

After dropping just one set en route to reaching the final, Nadal took on one of the best clay court players in the world, Thiem, in a sequel of their battle the year before. Nadal played a dominant first set, only to see Thiem respond with a late

break to secure the second set and even the score at one-set a piece.

But all that did was delay the inevitable and build up a false sense of hope for both Thiem and anyone who may have been rooting for him in this match.

“I played very good the first two sets, and then I had a little drop, which against most of the players is not that but,” said Thiem. “But he took the chance and stepped right on me. That’s it. I can only congratulate him on how amazing he performed today.”

Nadal was unrelenting over the final two sets. He committed just nine unforced errors in total, and won 57 of the match’s final 85 points.

It improved his record on the Paris clay to an almost hard-to-fathom 93-2.

“It is incredible. I am very, very happy,” Nadal would go on to say. “It is something very special. It is difficult to imagine winning so much in the same place, particularly here at Roland Garros. You cannot say it is a dream, because I never dreamed of such a thing. I have had a very difficult year with a lot of physical

problems. One month ago, I didn’t even know I would be here. For me, the simple fact of having tried, having trained well in the last weeks to come back is my biggest satisfaction.”

Immediately after the tournament, Nadal announced he would not play any tune-ups before switching to grass and playing at Wimbledon, a place he has not won at since 2010. It seems as if he will begin going the route of Federer and Serena Williams, and not compete in many of the tournaments that lead into the Grand Slams. As he continues to age and with a long resume of injuries including many ailments of the knee, it remains to be seen if tennis fans will see him triumph at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open ever again.

But no matter what happens in the remainder of his career, like Humphrey Bogart told Ingrid Bergman at the end of Casablanca: “We’ll always have Paris.”

Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at BrianC@USPTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Second Annual Big Apple Cup Brings International Flair to NTC

By Brian Coleman he second annual Big Apple International Cup brought some of the best junior players in the world to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. as teams from Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Spain and the United States competed against one another.

“The Big Apple Cup is a great way to see them compete against players from different countries, and most importantly, it’s a learning experience for them to play as a team,” said Francisco Barrientos, head coach of Team USA, which was comprised of players from the Eastern Section. “Overall, it’s a great opportunity for our players in the Eastern Section to experience and play against kids who grew up and trained in a different way.”

The week-long event featured competitive matches across the various courts at the National Tennis Center as the players had the opportunity to play on the same grounds used by the professionals during the U.S. Open. The competition was played in a Team Tennis format, with the two top teams from the 12U and 14U Divisions advancing to the finals on the event’s final day.

“It’s awesome,” said Cooper Williams, representing Team USA in the 14U Division. “It’s a team environment, and so once you finish your match, win or lose, your team can still win. It’s not completely dependent on you and you can cheer for other people. All of these kids are really good. It’s always great to play against players from different countries who may play a different way … it’s great for your game.”

Members of Team USA in the 14U Division team included: Kaitlyn Carnicella, Ari Cotoulas, Alan Hua, Ariana Pursoo, Cooper Williams and Stephanie Yakoff. Members of Team USA in the 12U Division team included: Claire An, Andrew Ena, Braeden Gelletich, Mark Krupkin, Cristasha McNeil and Anika Paul.

Kamil Pajkowski, head coach of Team Canada, discussed the impact this type of

T

26

Team USA was crowned champions in the 14U Division at the 2019 Big Apple International Cup

Members of Team Spain, 12U Division winners at the 2019 Big Apple International Cup

experience can have for his players.

“It’s a great development opportunity,” Pajkowski said. “They get to come to New York and experience one of the best cities in the world, and get to play at the home of the U.S. Open. It’s like you’re living this little dream; this is what the future may have in store for them. It can be an inspirational thing. And they love the fact they come out here and meet new players. Some of these partnerships and relations that are formed can last for years. It’s an amazing experience that we think is so valuable for them, more valuable than any individual tournament they may go to.”

“We are happy with the outcome of the second edition of the Big Apple Cup, we had a great week of tennis with top level and amazing camaraderie from all teams,”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

said Gustavo Loza, tennis service representative for USTA Eastern’s Metro Region and creator of the Big Apple Cup. “It is in these types of events that the character and leadership skills from young players are created and developed. We are constantly looking to create opportunities for our Eastern players that can enhance their development. We certainly feel the Big Apple Cup serves that purpose and our hope is to do it even better in 2020.”

Congratulations to Team Spain, 2019 Big Apple Cup Champions in the 12U Division and Team USA, crowned champs in the 14U Division.

Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at BrianC@USPTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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The High School Tennis Conundrum Most Top Players Don’t Play and It’s a Shame for Everyone

By Ricky Becker nfortunately, over the last few years, the Long Island High School Team Champions are the schools who have most of its strongest players participate and not necessarily which high school has the best players. After speaking with some high school coaches, I realized that the athletic director sets the mandate as to what commitment its’ top players need to make.

I’m going to shout it out here: “Hey AD’s out there … you should want your standout tennis players representing your school! Maybe you should be a little more flexible!”

On the flipside, and just as loudly, I would shout out to those not playing high school tennis: “Hey junior player … you should want to play tennis for your school!

Maybe you should be a little more flexible!”

I want to present to each side why their argument is wrong. I also have a measurable solution that should work for any team out there.

U

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What I would say to a high school administrator who makes a player who is head-and-shoulders above everybody else on their team go to every practice?

In most cases, a highly-ranked player or a number one singles player who is levels ahead of everybody else on their team has dedicated a lot more of their life and made many more sacrifices to tennis. If that player has nobody at their level to practice with, you are asking that player to fritter away valuable time during the day, basically helping teammates and sacrifice their own tennis game which they have already worked very hard at. High school tennis is a positive for colleges, but is it enough of a positive to get shut out from some colleges because of it? No! Face it …. college coaches would rather you play high school tennis than not play and would take the high school tennis player over the nonplayer if rankings are equal. But don’t think for a second that the player who is ranked 300th in the country who plays high school tennis is getting more interest than the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

player ranked 200th who doesn’t play high school tennis.

Tennis is not like team sports where it’s necessary to work on plays or timing patterns. You don’t need to have everyone at practice together to get better. Your team is going to improve more by seeing your number one player come in for matches than it is by not having that player play at all.

I truly believe, in most cases, the top player who doesn’t play would like to. It’s just they are shooting themselves in the foot if they have to spend 1.5 to two hours each day going to a practice and getting nothing from it. Either they are going to practice again somewhere else later in the day and have barely any time for schoolwork, or they won’t practice later and have a couple of months with subpar practice.

With so many top-Eastern players getting home-schooled, it would be nice to reward the ones who go to regular school by accommodating their schedules a bit.

Schools often give high-ranked players a couple of free periods at the end of the day to train, so how is this different?

As far as other players resenting it …

honestly, I think that is their own issue. It should be respected that this person has reached such a level and I think it’s sour grapes if other kids don’t like it. This top player isn’t slacking. This top player is training harder on the outside than any high school team trains. These top players aren’t taking the easy way out and the rank-and-file players on the team should respect their training schedule instead of playing the victim card of “It’s not fair.”

resume when you get older? To the average person, high school tennis accolades are more relatable than an ITF ranking. You see what is put on the bottom of all my articles including this one? The part where it says “Ricky Becker blah, blah, blah …?” Underneath the part where it says what I am doing now, it mentions team tennis, including high school accolades, before anything USTA-related. That is because it is more memorable and means more to most people who read this magazine and to people at large.

Is your club telling you it’s dumb to play high school tennis? There are motivations often behind this. They don’t want to deal with make-ups, you skipping (and not paying for) the first two months of the semester, or asking for a refund. As a coach, I admit it is a pain on my end, but turn into great experiences for my players.

Winning a Super Six or a National Level 2 is probably a bigger accomplishment than going undefeated for your high school tennis team, but it certainly isn’t more memorable. Truth of the matter is, 99.9 percent of junior tennis players aren’t going to be known names outside of tennis circles from junior tournaments or professional tournaments alone … high school tennis can give you that feeling. You want to feel famous? This is the closest you are going to get. Enjoy the present once in a while! Very rarely will you hear that high school tennis is boring. Create some memories!

What I would say to a top-ranked player who doesn’t play high school tennis with players their approximate level on the team?

When you look back at your tennis career, you will have more memorable moments from high school tennis than you will from playing an ITF in Waco, Texas. It’s not even close. You know what’s a weird feeling … sitting in homeroom that Monday morning after you won a Super Six Tournament and nobody in your class knows or cares what you did or accomplished that weekend.

You know what’s a fulfilling feeling? Getting recognition in your school, in Newsday, Long Island Tennis Magazine or your local newspaper when you beat somebody who wouldn’t even make a Super Six in a high school match. Coincidentally, while in the midst of writing this article, the front page of my town’s newspaper featured a player The solution? from my town who has been undefeated.

You want to include something on your Yes, I realize this won’t come to fruition most

likely … it just makes too much sense. The solution is simple …

If the top player on a team is two full UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) points higher than the next player on the day tryouts start, then practices should be optional for that player.

On match days, the player must travel with the team and stay at the match until it is over like the other players. Additionally, the player should be appreciative that the school is giving them the opportunity to do this and not cop an attitude. If you are a player who has another player on your team within two UTR points and you don’t play high school tennis, you are not seeing the big picture at all. If you are a school that would require your best player to come to practice every day, despite them being more than two UTR points above the next person, then you really aren’t being fair to all of your students, you are being a detriment rather than an aid to that player and you aren’t helping your own students.

Ricky Becker is the director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club. He independently coaches high-performance juniors and adults of all-levels year-round at Bethpage Park Tennis Center. He has coached hundreds of ranked junior players. As a player, Becker was awarded Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and 1989-1992 Roslyn High School Tennis Teams, and was ranked number four in the United States in the 18 & Under Division.

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www.totalserve.com Lisa Dodson lisa@thetotalserve.com LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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charitable initiatives

Commack HS Tennis Hosts Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser

By Stefen Rosner Credit all photos to: Stefen Rosner

little rain could not break the high spirits of those at Commack Tennis’ 2019 Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser, sponsored by the Schoenfeld’s Soldiers at Commack High School.

The Schoenfeld family lost a loved one to breast cancer a couple of years ago, and since then, the tennis team that the children were a part of has run an event honoring their memory, as Commack High School players, alongside faculty and parents, came together to raise money for breast cancer research.

Teachers and parents were paired up with students to take part in a round-robin doubles tournament. In addition to the tennis being played on the court, money was raised as attendees purchased raffle tick-

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ets with a chance to win prizes and exciting gift baskets. But it was more than just the tennis and the gift baskets that made the event special.

“I think it’s a great way for local kids and teachers to get together in a different venue and different setting,” said Commack High School Head Coach Jimmy Delevante. “It just demonstrates how great these kids are, that the teachers are willing to volunteer their time to stay after, hang out and play some tennis with them”.

Jake Stadok, a member of the Commack Boys High School Tennis team, said, “I think it is really nice how there are both parents and teachers here, and it showed a lot of support for cancer research …and it was a lot of fun overall.”

Even the teachers, who were tennis

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

novices, were willing to come out to support the cause.

“I am not experienced in tennis, but this was a lot of fun,” said Christina Semple, an English teacher at Commack High School.

Coming together for a family in need illustrates the charitable demeanor of the people on hand for the event, which raised more than $2,000 and will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Congratulations to the tournament winners Ms. Rubin and Jason Mishkin.

For more information on the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or how you can support the cause, visit BCRF.org.

Stefen Rosner is an intern and contributing writer with Long Island Tennis Magazine.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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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

29th Annual USTA Long Island Awards Dinner Credit all photos to: James Alfalla

More than 250 members of the Long Island tennis community attended the USTA Long Island Region’s 29th Annual Awards Dinner in May. Guest Speaker Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, 14-time major champion and International Tennis Hall of Fame member, spoke about her career and posed for pictures with all the awardees. USTA Long Island Regional Director Jonathan Klee discussed the Region’s tennis achievements during the past year and offered a look at future plans, while Council Members Michael Pavlides and Randi Wilkins presented awards to the evening’s honorees. The event’s most prestigious awards were given to the following: l Karen Cadorette, Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award l Bruce Moodnik, Vitas Gerulaitis “For the Love of Tennis” Award

l Nicholas Haridopolos, Arthur Ashe Multi-Cultural Award l The Perri Family, Rose Buck Scalamandre Tennis Family of the Year Award Sportsmanship awards were presented to: l Geri Verola, Birdie Tarulli League Captain Sportsmanship Award l Lionel Goldberg, Blane Magee League Captain Sportsmanship Award l Nicholas Wernink, Anuj Agarwal Junior Sportsmanship Award l Lauren Zola, Jennifer Sherry Junior Sportsmanship Award For a look at the complete list of awardees, as well as photos from the evening, please visit USTA.com.

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. 32

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • 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 on the Way

Summer tennis fun for kids is on the horizon, with three Long Island Kids’ Days scheduled for July and August. Coordinated by the USTA Long Island Region Council along with Long Island Tennis Magazine, the three events are as follows: l Nassau County Kids’ Day: Tuesday, July 9 (rain date July 17) at the Old Westbury Golf & Country Club, located at 270 Wheatley Road in Old Westbury, N.Y. l Hamptons Kids’ Day: Tuesday, July 23 (rain date July 24) at Shinnecock Tennis Club, located at 125 Sandy Hollow Road in Southampton, N.Y. l Suffolk County Kids’ Day: Thursday, Aug. 1 (rain date Aug. 6) at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club, located at 1 Clubhouse Drive in Commack, N.Y. All three Kids’ Days will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m. and

activities will run from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The events will include tennis, fun and learning with local tennis pros, plus carnival games, a DJ, face painting, lunch and beverages for all participants. All participants and groups must pre-register. For more information and to register, please e-mail the following: l For Nassau County Kids’ Day (Old Westbury) or Hamptons Kids’ Day (Southampton), contact MStoerback@SportimeNY.com or Hbressler@CMTTennis.com l For Suffolk County Kids’ Day (Commack), contact Mstoerback@SportimeNY.com or VTAPR@hotmail.com Your Subject Line should include the date/location of the Kids’ Day you wish to attend and please make sure to include your name, cellphone number, e-mail address, name of your group, and number and ages of children you’re bringing.

Local Honored by USTA at Annual National Meeting At the USTA National Awards Luncheon in Austin, Texas, Terry Fontana received the Seniors’ Service Award. Pictured are: (From left) Lawrence Grella (Terry’s son), Jonathan Klee, USTA Long Island Council Regional Director; Terry Fontana; Bob Ingersole of USTA Metro, recipient of the USTA’s Volunteer Exceptional Service Award; Jenny Schnitzer, USTA Eastern Executive Director; and Amber Marino, USTA Eastern President.

Long Island’s own Terry Fontana was honored by the USTA at its Annual Meeting and Conference in Austin, Texas.

Terry, a longtime volunteer on the USTA Long Island Regional Council and founder of the Hicksville Community Tennis Association, received the USTA’s prestigious Seniors’ Service Award at a special

luncheon. According to the USTA, a trophy for service to senior tennis is awarded each year to the person the USTA Seniors’ Committee deems most deserving of the respect and honor of all seniors. It is awarded based on the recipient’s willingness, cooperation and participation, either in play or organizational work, for the betterment and furtherance of senior competition.

Terry, formerly of Hicksville, has volunteered with the USTA Long Island for more than 20 years and is the president and co-founder of the Hicksville Community Tennis Association. Her leadership, hard work and passion both on and off the court have made it possible for Hicksville residents of all ages to experience the many benefits of playing tennis.

In presenting Terry with the award, Craig Morris, chief executive, USTA Community Tennis, said, “When you talk about tennis being the sport for a lifetime, Terry truly epitomizes that, since she has been around tennis for over 65 years. Terry continues to grow the game around Hicksville by bringing tennis to individuals of all ages and abilities.”

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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A Family-Owned and Operated Facility An Eastern Athletic Club Tradition astern Athletic Clubs will soon be celebrating 50 years of operation, and continues to do so as a familyoperated facility.

“For as long as I can remember, I played on the courts at Eastern Athletic Clubs.

Whether it was the Dix Hills location, Melville facility, or the Blue Point training center, I always felt at home.”

That sentiment was shared by Michael Fehrs, who is now the co-director of Eastern Athletic’s Melville facility, and plays a key role in the family-owned and operation that anchors the clubs. His mother, Laurie Fehrs, who was a successful professional player who competed in seven U.S. Opens and six Wimbledon Championships, has been the director of the Junior Development Program for the past 30 years.

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During her tenure, the program has grown from two courts to five courts, and from 100 players to 400 players.

“A Family-Owned and Operated Facility” is a very unique and endearing idea this day age of conglomeration. The Sfrerrazza Family continues to enhance each facility by updating all the equipment, resurfacing the courts frequently, and most importantly, employing tennis professionals who care about the child’s mental health, as well as their physical skills to play the best tennis he/she can play.

“Eastern Athletic Clubs is a home for kids and adults who really enjoy the sport,” said Michael Fehrs. “The care for the players from the pros/staff is unlike anything I have ever seen. I’ve traveled across the nation to grow as a player at a

young age and as a coach after college, and I’ve still yet to feel that way at any other club.”

Laurie Fehrs has always preached: “The sum is greater than its parts,” and that is the motto Eastern Athletic strives to operate by. Each individual is as important as the next; Eastern Athletic Clubs has shown their support for their tournament players, but has never played favorites. Without support, both mentally and physically, tennis can become very difficult to stick with over a long period of time, which is why EAC has strived to maintain a family-like atmosphere.

Eastern Athletics stands by this motto and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020!

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Blasia Baum Wins USTA Eastern’s Captain of the Year

arlier this year, USTA Eastern announced its 2018 League Captains of the Year for each region in its Section.

“Captaining a league team takes dedication,” said USTA Eastern Leagues Senior Manager Lauren Bull. “Captains spend a lot of their own time ironing out logistics so that all players can have a great experience. They have to be incredibly organized, flexible and motivational. We are happy to formally recognize some of the best our Section has to offer.”

In the Long Island Region, the award was presented to Blasia Baum, who has been captaining teams for nearly 20 years.

“I was a little overwhelmed, I had no idea the girls were doing this,” Baum said of receiving the award. “I’m so grateful for all the great women I’ve met over all these years. Tennis is great and competitive, but the friendships you make along the way are really what are most wonderful. I enjoy the friendships that I’ve created, the socializing after the matches, and just meeting new people.”

Baum, who captains teams out of Point Set Tennis in Oceanside, N.Y., has led her team to a number of playoff appearances, as well as sectional titles, the most recent of which came in 2017.

While her team that won Sectionals two years ago came up short a year ago, it was still a successful season for Baum and her squad.

“It’s okay … we had a great season,” said Baum. “We even celebrated with our

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opponents afterward, and brought them champagne. It was a tough and exciting match, and of course we wanted to defend our title, but it was still a nice season.”

And it is that mentality that has made Baum such a successful captain over these past two decades, both in terms of on-court success and developing relationships with all of her different players.

“We’re all competitive, we want to win.

And you want to put the best people on the court. But sometimes, you don’t have the chemistry and for me, I need the girls to feel comfortable where they are, which courts they’re on and who they’re playing with,” Baum said of what it takes to be a successful leader of USTA teams. “That’s

important to me, and I think that’s why I’ve been successful with many of my teams.

At the club, whenever there is somebody new, or who doesn’t have a place, they always bring them to me. I take everybody on and we work it out.”

Kathy Miller, coordinator of the USTA Adult Leagues on Long Island, had a lot of praise for Baum and what she has brought to the leagues after all of these years.

“Blasia has been a captain for as long as I can remember,” noted Miller. “She has always extended herself to be accommodating with the other captains and has always shown great sportsmanship. She is also known for her great refreshments, especially her salad with strawberries!”

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2019 New York E

World TeamTennis returns to Big Appl

Luke Jensen to lead NY Empire into 2019 WTT season

Long Island Tennis Magazine sat down with the new head coach of the New York Empire, Luke Jensen, to discuss how he approached the roster, his rivalry with his brother, what New York fans can expect this summer at the Empire’s new home venue—The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning—and much more.

How excited are you to begin your reign as the head coach of the New York Empire?

Luke Jensen: I’m really excited! I’ve had

such an amazing ride with World TeamTennis as a fan growing up, watching stars like Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Rod Laver and Billie Jean King playing against some of the greats including the McEnroe Brothers, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova and many more. I’ve been doing television work for them on many levels, and I really wanted a chance at coaching in the league.

To be honest, I was so thrilled to see my brother Murphy win six titles as a coach, but I was very jealous of him. It’s my turn now!

What was the strategy/game plan heading into the World TeamTennis Draft, and how would you evaluate the success of that in terms of the roster you’ve built?

Luke Jensen: I was absolutely locked into getting elite veteran talent. We opened with John Isner. Roll in U.S. Open Champion Sloane Stephens, U.S. Davis Cup Captain Mardy Fish, coupled with front line tour aces like Kirsten Flip-

kens, Neal Skupski, Maria Sanchez and a young flamethrower like Ulises Blanch.

These are high character people and premier competitors. We have all been watching each other’s successes and I hope they haven’t peaked too early in the season.

Why should New Yorkers and tennis fans come out to see the New York Empire this summer? What should they know about this team and WTT? Luke Jensen: First, I’m working on the greatest entrance in tennis history! I’ve always wanted to do this, and finally, I get the chance!

World TeamTennis let Murphy and I ride Harley-Davidson Motorcycles on the court in 1994 and now I’m taking it up a notch! And that’s just my introduction!

Imagine what it will be like to watch greats like Venus Williams, John Isner and Sloane Stephens compete right here in New York City, to watch my brother Murphy and I lock horns in a Jensen Brothers coaching battle is worth it! I’ll make a deal: If the New York crowds show up, I will shave my head!

How important is it for you to engage with the local community in order to establish the team’s presence here in New York City?

Luke Jensen: It is mission critical that the New York Empire connect with New York tennis players of all ages and all levels. The Empire has to be our professional tennis team. I want New York to get out to Cary Leeds and to be LOUD and PROUD of the Empire; it’s OUR team, New York! The Empire strikes back!

We will always go for the LINES! You can read the full Q&A with New York Empire Head Coach Luke Jensen by visiting LongIslandTennisMagazine.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Empire Preview

Apple with new coach and new venue

Isner, Stephens to Join NY Empire This Summer

Isner

Stephens

Fish

Flipkens

Tennis fans in New York City will have a special treat this summer, as top Americans John Isner and Sloane Stephens will help lead the New York Empire in different matches.

Isner, a former Wimbledon semifinalist and owner of 14 career ATP titles, will open up the team’s campaign when it takes on the San Diego Aviators on Sunday, July 14 at their new home court, The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, located at 1720 Crotona Avenue in The Bronx, N.Y. Stephens, the U.S. Open champion in 2017, joins the squad when it clashes with the Orange Country Breakers on Thursday, July 18.

“New York City holds such a special place in my heart after winning the 2017 U.S. Open here,” said Stephens. “I love the unique and exciting format of World TeamTennis and I cannot wait to come back to NYC this summer and help the Empire get a win in front of the hometown fans.”

Sanchez

Skupski

Branch

New York Empire Head Coach Luke Jensen said, “I could not be more excited to work with Sloane this summer. She is one of the best players in the world and her addition to the roster will no doubt put us in a better position to reach our ultimate goal of lifting the King Trophy at the end of the season.”

Some of the sport’s top stars visiting the Empire include 23-time Grand Slam champion (including doubles) Venus Williams, who will visit the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning on Friday, July 19 when the Empire take on the visiting Washington Kastles. Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, is returning for her eighth season with the Kastles, who are coached by Murphy Jensen, brother of first-year Empire head coach Luke Jensen.

In addition to Isner and Stephens, the 2019 New York Empire full roster also includes Mardy Fish, Kirsten Flipkens, Neil Skupski, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Ulises Branch.

2019 New York Empire Home Match Schedule All NY Empire home matches will be played at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, 1720 Crotona Avenue, The Bronx, N.Y. Date/Time

Opponent

Featured Players

Sunday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m.

San Diego Aviators

John Isner (Empire) & Ryan Harrison (Aviators)

Tuesday, July 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Vegas Rollers

Reilly Opelka (Rollers)

Thursday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Orange County Breakers

Sloane Stephens (Empire)

Friday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Washington Kastles

Venus Williams (Kastles)

Sunday, July 21 at 5:00 p.m.

Orlando Storm

Feliciano Lopez (Storm)

Monday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m.

Springfield Lasers

Mardy Fish (Empire)

Tuesday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Philadelphia Freedoms

Mardy Fish(Empire)

For more information, visit NYEmpireTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Har-Tru’s HyQ Court Provides Cutting-Edge Technology

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ar-Tru LLC has introduced an exciting new product that makes it easier than ever to install and use subsurface irrigation. The HyQ Court is a cutting-edge, upgraded system that takes advantage of technology improvements for greater performance and results.

The HyQ Court was built off the proven principle of maintaining a water level with a self-regulating system that is fully adjustable. What makes HyQ different is that the controls have been shifted to the back end of the system. The water that enters each cell is under pressure and it circulates 40

rapidly through the cell and then out to the control center. The result is a system that fills faster and responds to adjustments much more quickly.

The beauty of the control center is that it is completely digital. Users will be able to fine-tune controls with a digital touch pad and make more responsive adjustments within a 10th of an inch, increasing both speed and precision. This is a vast improvement over the water fill valves found in traditional HydroCourts, as they can be inconsistent and manual adjustments are not easy to measure.

The HyQ Court’s intelligent design is

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

highly augmentable and allows owners to optimize the amount of water in their court, which ultimately saves water usage and helps achieve desired playing conditions.

In fact, users can even monitor the gallons of water used daily with preinstalled water meters on each cell.

With HyQ, it’s easy to see and understand the entire sub-surface irrigation process at a glance, creating a better overall court experience for clubs and court owners. HyQ is not something that can be retrofitted, so it may be time to consider transitioning your courts, HydroCourts or other, to HyQ.

Billie Jean King to Headline 2019 WTCA Conference NYC

By Kylie Klotzbach Since its formation in 2015, one of the main pillars of the Women’s Tennis Coaching Association (WTCA) has been to be an advocate for the sport of women’s tennis. Within the sport, there is perhaps no bigger advocate than Billie Jean King, who transformed women’s tennis throughout the course of her playing career and beyond.

Without Billie Jean King’s fight for gender equality, women’s tennis would certainly be in a much worse place than it is today. In fact, it would not be a stretch to say that some of the most prolific female players never would have had the chance to impact the game in the way they have in the 46 years that have passed since King’s win over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, which sparked the turning point for women in the sport across the globe.

Despite the 39 Grand Slam titles she won throughout her career, her victory over Riggs was undoubtedly the most monumental victory, not only for King, but also for all women.

In addition to winning the Battle of the Sexes, King also founded the WTA in 1973 after joining together with eight other progressive female players to form the “Original 9” in the fight for equal prize money.

King had won the U.S. Open in 1972, yet received $15,000 less than Ilie Nastase, who won the men’s tournament. With the support of the other founding members of the WTA, King threatened not to play in the next U.S. Open if prize money was not equal for both men and women. Thus, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money, yet another monumental turning point for women within the sport.

Beyond the formation of the WTA, King founded a number of other organizations dedicated to achieving gender equality, not only for female tennis players, but for women everywhere. She is the mastermind behind womenSports Magazine, the Women’s Sports Foundation and World TeamTennis,

the world’s first professional sports league to give equal weight to each male and female competing for their team.

While we certainly still have a long way to go in terms of true equality within the sport of tennis, King’s impact has been felt around the world by young girls and female coaches who now have more opportunities to succeed at a high level and on a more equal playing field.

In an effort to build on King’s fight for gender equality, one of the central components of the WTCA was to form a connected global community centered around advancing the education and level of coaching for female players across the sport. Now, over three years later, the WTCA has become a group of more than 62,000 who are dedicated to the mission of positively transforming tennis for both female players and female coaches.

One of the key tools used by the WTCA to promote this continued education for coaches of female players are the conferences held throughout the year. The annual WTCA Conference NYC has presented hundreds of coaches the opportunity to connect with other community members in order to positively change the landscape of women’s tennis.

The 2019 WTCA Conference NYC is set to be the most inspirational yet, as the speaking

lineup features some of the game’s most influential men and women who have fought to achieve equality for females everywhere.

With that being said, the WTCA is thrilled to announce the addition of Billie Jean King herself to the 2019 WTCA Conference NYC lineup.

The WTCA has come a long way since the idea began as a Facebook Page for drills and female-specific coaching methods. To now have the most transformative female tennis player to ever step on the court as a keynote speaker at its third annual WTA Conference NYC speaks volumes of the impact the organization has had on thousands of female athletes and coaches across the sport.

Billie Jean King ignited the women’s movement within tennis, and the WTCA hopes to continue to be a champion for women in the fight for gender equality.

Through the support of game-changers like King, the WTCA is set for yet another monumental breakthrough at the 2019 WTCA Conference NYC. Kylie Klotzbach is director of public relations for the Women’s Tennis Coaching Association (WTCA). To learn more about the WTCA and its 2019 NYC Conference, contact Info@WTCATennis.org or visit WTCATennis.org.

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Dr. Tom Ferraro (516) 248-7189 DrTomFerraro.com DrTFerraro@aol.com Dr. Tom Ferraro is an internationally-known sport psychologist designated as one of “The nation’s top mental game gurus” by Golf Digest. He has a full-time sport psychology practice in Nassau County, working with elite and professional athletes, including top-ranked tennis players. He is also affiliated with the Winthrop University Hospital Psychiatry Department, where he teaches resident doctors about the history of psychotherapy. He has also worked with professional teams in the New York area as their team psychologist.

Dr. Ferraro remains one of the few sport psychologists in the nation who is also a senior level, fully-credentialed psychoanalyst. This allows him to not only use standard behavioral techniques to help tennis players control emotions, but also enables him to diagnose accurately and fully treat underlying issues, such as depression, anxiety or attention deficit disorders that can plague an athlete’s career.

He publishes columns and feature articles in the U.S., Asia and Europe, and has appeared on major television networks. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, Newsday, The Daily News and The New York Post. He can be reached by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com. Dr. Ferraro’s office is located in Williston Park, N.Y.

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Gold Coast Optometric Vision Performance 127 South Street Oyster Bay, N.Y. (516) 226-3991 Info@GCVisionPerformance.com GCoVisionPerformance.com Sports Vision Services: Better visual skills = More wins To excel in sports, considerable attention is paid to modifiable factors such as coaching, nutrition and fitness, but one key element often overlooked is VISION … 20/20 is not enough!

Studies have shown that elite athletes have superior vision compared to other athletes. They see better, their peripheral vision is wider, their depth perception is better, they have an ability to change focus faster, their eye-hand/foot/body coordination is better, and they anticipate better. One thing is clear: Better vision = Better performance.

Sports Vision Enhancement Sports Vision is performance-oriented, comprehensive vision care, used by many professional athletes, as well as U.S. Olympic athletes system-wide. It encompasses assessment, correction, protection and enhancement through vision training of the athlete, with the goal of improved performance on the court, in school and elsewhere!

At Gold Coast Vision Performance, Dr. Hanna and her team provide these coveted services to players all over New York.

Dr. Anne Hanna is a neuro-optometrist, fellowship-trained and board certified in neuro/developmental optometry and vision therapy and is the exclusive Sport Vision provider of The John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

Professionally, she has worked with athletes of all ages and skill levels, with a particular focus on helping amateur athletes become elite players and continuing to further enhance the visual skills of athletes at the professional level.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 133 East 58th Street, Suite 811 New York, N.Y. (212) 472-0077 ManhattanPhysicalMedicine.com “To his many patients, Dr. Fishman is a miracle worker.”— Jane Brody, health columnist, NY Times “… a Thomas Edison of yoga therapy.”—Pulitzer-prize winning author William Broad.

Loren Fishman, MD, (oxon.) is the author of 10 books, 90 medical journal articles, a past president of the New York Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a NY Magazine Best Doctor. He is a world-recognized specialist in shoulder injury, back pain, knee pain and other orthopedic problems.

Overuse, overhead, asymmetrical. For tennis players with shoulder injuries, Dr. Fishman has a “Magic Bullet.” His peerreviewed, prize-winning cure for the pain and disability of rotator cuff problems immediately puts players back on the courts. Patients get complete relief in one office visit, without months of physical therapy or expensive surgery.

The treatment, dubbed “Triangular Forearm Support,” can be done against a wall, in a chair or with pure yoga. It has been proven more than 90 percent effective.

Dr. Fishman is an old-fashioned practitioner who gets to know his patients and spends as much time with them as they need. “Finding the diagnosis leads to the right treatment,” he says.

“My husband participated—before treatment he could not lift arm above midline. Five minutes later, full range of motion and zero pain (RC tear, bursitis and A/C joint arthritis),” says Kim Kohler-Lovejoy.

Says Ken Greenburg: “Rotator cuff treatment certainly worked for me and I recommend others for the process.”

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group (973) 723-0314 Rob@InsideTheZone.com More than an athlete InsideTheZone.com Are you looking for a mental coach that “gets you?”

Someone that doesn’t talk psycho-babble, but listens to what you have to say? Someone who recognizes you’re not a robot, but rather an individual person with a game and style different than others. Someone who will help you W.I.N. (What’s Important Now), compete better and focus on what you can control? Someone who values you as a person, and empowers you to bring your authentic heart, energy and spirit to the game. Someone who wants to know your big “Why” for playing, your inspirations, and your goals. In short, someone who cares about you as a person, not just an athlete.

As a mental training coach, Rob Polishook works with competitive tennis players and athletes in all sports from teenage years to the professional level helping them to be their best on and off the court. Rob’s internationally-published book, Tennis Inside the Zone: 32 Mental Training Workouts for Champions (available on Amazon), is an interactive book which empowers the athlete to answer questions about real life challenging mental experiences all players face.

Some tops include: Why can’t I play matches like I practice?

How do I get the mental edge? How can I regain my focus, and how can I play in the present moment?

Rob presents internationally and nationally at USTA, USPTA and ITA events. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, tennischannel.com and his work has been featured on ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series. He is an author of two books and teaches at Seton Hall University.

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Dr. Robert G. Silverman Sports Performance Specialist 311 North Street, Suite G1 White Plains, N.Y. (914) 287-6464 DrRobSilvermanNY@gmail.com DrRobertSilverman.com Awarded the prestigious 2015 Sports Chiropractor of the Year from the ACA Sports Council, Dr. Robert G. Silverman, DC, MS, CCN, DACBN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, DCBCN specializes in the treatment of sports injuries and joint pain with innovative, science-based, non-surgical approaches and functional medicine.

To help injured athletes get back to play quickly, Dr. Silverman offers a wide range of proven treatment modalities, including Active Release Technique, flexion-distraction/decompression, Graston Technique and cold-laser therapy. He also works with patients to avoid future injuries using functional movement assessment, exercise functional rehabilitation, and personalized exercise programs.

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Dr. Silverman has extensive experience in helping his patients make simple dietary modifications for faster healing and optimizing overall health. He is an expert in designing personalized therapeutic lifestyle programs for peak athletic performance.

Often called the doctor’s chiropractor, Dr. Silverman is a contributing writer for many professional and peer journals, including Integrative Practitioner, MindBodyGreen, and Muscle and Fitness. He is also on the advisory board for the Functional Medicine University, a health contributor to Fox News Radio, and has appeared on Fox & Friends, Fox 5, and CBS News as a health expert. He is the author of the best-selling book Inside-Out Health: A Revolutionary Approach to Your Body.

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The Secret to Finishing Off Matches and Never Giving Up It is hard to understand why a player so often fails to live up to potential Photo credit: Getty Images/LightFieldStudios

By Dr. Tom Ferraro was playing golf recently with a friend who also happens to be an avid tennis player. As we walked down the seventh fairway and approached our drives, he asked me a seemingly simple question: “Tom, how do you teach tennis players to finish off their opponent and go on to win?”

Indeed that does seem like a simple enough question and certainly one of the most common problems in sports.

Frequently, you will see subtle momentum changes occur as one player starts to advance and dominate his or her opponent. All of a sudden, they start to make more mistakes, double fault or hit a series of unforced errors, whereas up until then, they couldn’t miss a shot.

I explained to my friend that the answer to that seemingly simple question has stumped players, coaches and sport psychologists for many years, and if someone tries to tell you that they found this most precious of all secrets, you can rest assured that they are lying to you.

I have worked in the field of sport psychology for more than 25 years, having researched this issue, published in the area and having treated hundreds of players and if I know anything at all, it’s that this

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answer is tough to find. The reason for this is relatively easy to explain.

Choking, giving up leads, failing to play to your fullest potential, getting beaten by weaker players or developing the yips are all signs of anxiety and stem from a variety of underlying issues.

finishing off a match. Defenses are things that need to be developed over time so that the athlete remains both calm and focused when coming down the homestretch of a match. Defenses allow a player to stay in the moment, rather than getting into fantasies about how it will feel when you win the match.

The cause of failure to finish 1. The inability to manage tension and anxiety: Some players have never developed adequate defenses in order to ignore or minimize the enormous anxiety felt in sports. Actually experiencing anxiety and overcoming it is one of the primary reasons we all compete. Outside of going to war, sports remains the last arena whereby we can become heroic. But it takes very strong defenses to cope with this level of anxiety.

The ability to defend against anxiety is usually the thing that separates a champion from all the rest. I explained to my friend that I recently was on a panel where an audience member asked a player ranked 50th in the world what it was like to play against Roger Federer.

He responded: “It is tough to beat Roger because he seems to have an aura about him.”

I think the reality is that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all have far better psychological defenses, which enable them to remain calm and cool when

2. An underlying weak self-image: We will always achieve exactly what we feel we deserve to achieve in life. All that is determined by our underlying self-image which is usually developed in childhood and then again as a teenager when interacting with peers and coaches.

Sigmund Freud was famous for saying that your personality is largely determined by the age of six. Ones self-image is mostly unconscious and the pain it holds will allow us to strive in order to overcome it. Alfred Adler was the psychoanalyst who first discussed this issue and he was the man who coined the term “inferiority complex” and the idea of compensating for this problem. Players like the Williams Sisters are perfect examples of this issue. They were born amidst poverty and violence on the streets of Compton, Calif. and their dad used this horror to motivate them to better their lives through the sport of tennis.

But what happens very often is that the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Photo credit: Sidney Beal III

Photo credit: USTA

The mind of a champion contains remarkably strong defenses against anxiety

One of the greatest weapons a champion has is a feeling of pride, self-confidence and a good self-image

low self-image from the past will remain in the unconscious and dictate surprising losses. Tiger Woods may be the best example of this, as he fell from grace based upon reckless and self-defeating decisions probably dictated by a low self-image buried deep within. If you find that you also tend to self-defeat by giving up leads, it may be time to seek some help in order to

look within and resolve the weak self-image that is holding you back.

These are just two reasons that one gives up leads and fails to finish off opponents. Other reasons may include fear of separation from your peers group, fear of jealous reactions from others or guilt about seeming to be too aggressive. My next col-

umn will address these three areas. Let me summarize by returning to my friends question of why people can’t finish off their opponents. He did seem somewhat disappointed when I remarked that it does take some time to cure these issues. Rome was not built in a day and a new psyche takes time to build as well. And that of course is the right answer. Strong psychological defenses and a new self-image must both be built over time with diligence, and trust and patience and focused effort.

A serious athlete does not expect to become a world-class tennis player overnight.

And it is exactly the same with the mind. In order to develop a world-class championship mind, one should understand that it too must be built up over time. Little psychological tips like taking a deep breath or someone giving you a little pep talk just won’t do the trick.

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.

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“Little Mo” Circuit Returns This Summer, Highlighted by Internationals in Forest Hills

or the 23rd straight year, the “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” will hit tennis courts throughout the United States as one of the nation’s most prestigious and unique junior tennis circuits returns once again.

“Little Mo” consists of sectional and regional tournaments across the country, which leads to the national tournaments, and this is known as the “Road to the Little Mo Nationals,” with the national tournament taking place in late September at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas.

Players in the Eastern Section have the benefit of having a number of “Little Mo” tournaments in the local area, including a Sectional Tournament at Lifetime Athletic in West Harrison, N.Y. and Regional Tournament at The Cary Leeds Center for Ten-

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nis & Learning in the Bronx, N.Y. Of course, the pinnacle of the circuit is the three “Little Mo” Internationals, which bring the top youngsters from all across the world together to compete against one another. And for the eighth straight year, The West Side Tennis Club, will host the second leg of the “Little Mo” Slam.

The event is open to any player from the United States and worldwide, and features divisions in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, including Yellow Ball for ages eight through 12, and a Green Ball division for eight-year-olds.

“We are very excited about the upcoming eighth annual ‘Little Mo’ Internationals in New York at the beautiful and historic West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, the previous home of the U.S. Open. Players ages eight through 12 will be coming from

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

all over the world to compete at this prestigious event in singles, doubles and mixed doubles,” said Carol Weyman, executive vice president of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and founder of the “Little Mo” Internationals. “Forest Hills is the second leg of the ‘Little Mo’ Slam, where players have a chance to win the tallest trophy in junior tennis at six feet tall.

We also have opening ceremonies, player parties, team competition, “Mo” coins for prizes, and much more.”

The final event of this year’s circuit will conclude down with the “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, from Dec. 6-11. Last year, nearly 450 players from 60 countries participated.

For more information on the “Little Mo” tournament, visit MCBTennis.org.

Teaching Technique

By Stefan Ilic eaching anyone a new technique requires patience, from both the teacher and student. The teacher must have patience simply because he/she doesn’t know what is going on in their students head. Similarly, the student must have patience with the teacher because they might not fully understand what their teacher is explaining to them or teaching, but at the same time must believe what is being said is to better them as a player. Patience is crucial to the development of anything new, especially when the preliminary steps call for breaking old habits. In which case, time must be spent to break the old, bad habit down and make way for the new habit(s).

Next comes the process of teaching the new technique. It behooves the teacher to

T

ask questions, to gather information about the thought process of their student. Simply by asking questions such as‚ “Do you agree with me?” or “Does it feel uncomfortable to do this?” when teaching something new are the middle ground which the teacher and student could use to come to understand one another on a simpler level.

This can provide the cement required to instill in the student what the teacher wants them to learn. As opposed to simply bombarding the student with facts and directions, the teacher must have a sense of how their student thinks and processes the information given to them. It could break some unwanted tension, as well.

In the process, the teacher has to take into account what the student has done already regarding a certain aspect of tennis.

Whether it be a quirky take-back for a swing, or not seeing the ball well enough, why they do what they do may not be clear to the teacher but knowing something is

better than nothing in the transitional phases of technique. The background information is vital to analyzing and altering.

Much like how an architect needs to know the ground he is working on, before they build anything on top of it.

Creating a new technique requires patience, belief and strength (both mental and physical), and is not an easy thing to accomplish for the most part. So, to anyone who wishes to help their student out with their tennis, I think these few things can make a big difference in that journey.

Stefan Ilic is a staff professional and associate high performance coach at New York Tennis at Great Neck. As a junior player, Stefan was ranked as high as top 10 in the USTA Eastern Section, won a PSAL Singles Title while at Forest Hills High School, was a member of a Junior TeamTennis National Championship team in 2010, and finished as four-star recruit.

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2019

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

2019 Long Island Boys’ Team Championships Credit photos to: Stefen Rosner

Doubles Teams Lead Port Washington to Nassau County Championship With the Nassau County Championship all even at three matches a piece, Port Washington’s second doubles team of Luke Zohouri & Allon Pevzner raced out to a 5-1 lead against Miles Capell & Josh Elenowitz from Syosset in the deciding third set. Capell & Elenowitz hung tough, saving an array of match points, but the deficit was just too large, as the Port Washington pair closed out their 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win to clinch their team’s 4-3 County Championship win.

“I was just so pumped up,” said Zohouri. “I was a little bit nervous, but not too bad because our coach told us to relax and play our game, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Pevzner added: “The first time we played them, they beat us in two sets, and the second time it went to three sets, so we knew that coming into it we were improving, and we had a really good chance of getting ahead, and we pulled through.”

The County Final was tightly contested throughout, as Kabir Rajpal, the County’s Singles Champion, beat Port Washington’s Dan Greilsheimer at first singles to put Syosset in front early.

Soon after, Gabe Brancatelli pulled Port Washington even with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Brian Gao at second singles, and the Vikings jumped in front as Zach Gruber & Ryan Siegel won 6-3, 6-1 over Peter Bukary & Azim Gangat at first doubles.

“We’ve lost to this team twice, and we also lost to the Roslyn first doubles team three times, we came into our match versus Roslyn and this match just being aggressive and doing everything we can,” said Siegel. “We played like there was nothing to lose and that was the key to our victories in both matches.”

After Charlie Dash & Josh Rosen won at third doubles for Port Washington, Jeremy Levine brought the Braves closer with a 6-2, 50

Port Washington celebrates its first Nassau County Title since 2000

Allon Pevzner (pictured here) teamed with Luke Zohouri to clinch the Nassau County Championship for Port Washington

Luke Zohouri of Port Washington during his team’s 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win to capture the Nassau County Championship

7-6 win over Candrin Chris at third singles, and the fourth doubles tandem of Connor Chen & Kourosh Moghaddassi tied the overall match with a straight-sets victory.

With six matches in the books, the County Final hung in the balance of the second doubles court, where Zohouri & Pevzner clinched Port Washington’s first County Title since 2000.

“This was a true team effort,” said Port

Washington Head Coach Shane Helfner.

“We don’t rely on certain courts to win on certain days. Everyone knows they can win. I think towards the end of this match we started to gain some momentum and it kind of became contagious throughout the courts and we felt some positive energy coming our way. So I’m just really proud that we were able to see it all the way through.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Credit photos to: Brian Coleman

Hills East Defeats Commack for Suffolk County Title The Hills East Thunderbirds and Commack Cougars squared off in the Suffolk County Championship in a matchup of the county’s top two seeds, and a rematch of last year’s final.

This time, however, it was Hills East who would come out on top, using the home-court advantage to reclaim the Suffolk County crown with a 4-2 victory.

“I played here 10 years ago, and I knew the dynasty we had here, so it wasn’t the hardest adjustment. I knew we were going to put in the work,” said Steven Ferrantello, who is in his first year as Hills East’s head coach. “They make me look good sometimes. They bought into the program I brought forward, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the effort they put in today.”

Matt Andelsman & Jesse Kanofsky got things started for Hills East with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Commack’s Cooper Schoenfeld & Kevin Chen at second doubles. Soon after, Hills East’s Dylan D’Agate notched a 6-3, 6-4 win over Matt Strogach at second singles, and Hills East’s Ishan

The Half Hollow Hills East Thunderbirds were crowned 2019 Suffolk County Champions

Varma won 6-2, 7-6(1) over Tyler D’Amato on the first singles court.

“We actually played earlier this season, and he beat me fairly easily,” said Varma.

“I know he is normally a doubles player, so I had to hit some deeper shots and not let him come to the net. My serve was really good today and that helped me pull out the win. Last year, we lost the championship, and I lost my match, so it’s

great to come back this year and win mine to help the team.”

Commack had secured the third doubles point, as Mike Parrinello & Jake Forte won 6-4, 6-2 over Atreya Rawat & Alex Raphaelson of Hills East, which meant with three courts remaining, Hills East needed one victory to clinch the title. continued on page 52

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2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP That victory would come at third singles, as Michael Han, who had captured the County Doubles Title with teammate Albert Chang a few days prior, played a dominant secondset tie-break to beat Commack’s Gabe Chan 6-2, 7-6(1) and seal his team’s win.

“When I got it back to 5-6, I asked coach what the [team] score was and he told me it was 3-1, and that I was about to win it,” said Han. Commack’s second point came from James Yu & Eddie Liao who won 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 over Albert Cheng & Aryan Sethi at first doubles. The fourth singles contest between Commack’s Jake Stadok and Hills East’s Krithik Madisetty was tied 1-1 in the third set when the overall match was clinched.

“The depth of this team, we got it from every single position,” added Ferrantello.

“Each match throughout the year we got wins from different courts. And I couldn’t be Ishan Varma from Hills East en route to his first singles win more proud of them.”

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Michael Han clinched the title for Hills East in his match at third singles

2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Credit photos to: Brian Coleman & Stefen Rosner

Port Washington Edges Hills East for Long Island Crown The Port Washington Vikings captured the 2019 Long Island Championship, defeating Half Hollow Hills East 4-3 in the title match at The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack.

“It feels great,” said Port Washington Head Coach Shane Helfner. “It’s been a really amazing season with a lot of ups and downs, and to see it end in this way, being Long Island Champions, is just the cherry on top. When our team is healthy and we have everyone here, our team is really tough to beat. And I think that showed today. I’m really proud.”

The Vikings got on the board early thanks to Gabriele Brancatelli at second singles as he won 6-0, 6-0 over Hills East’s Dylan D’Agate.

“I think I played really well,” said Brancatelli.

“I served well, and I think I had only two unforced errors. I managed the points really well; I did what was needed of me, no more, no less. And I got the job done. He was a good opponent so I just tried to have a smart game plan.”

Port Washington’s Alexander Karman won his match at first singles with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Ishan Verma, and Port’s Rajen Parekh & Sam Schaub notched a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Hills East’s Atreye Rewet & Jon Ledenheim at third doubles to bring Port Washington within one win of the Long Island title.

That win would come from the second doubles court, as Port Washington’s Charlie Dash & Josh Rosen defeated Matt Andelsman & Jesse Kanofsky 7-5, 6-0.

“It felt great to have the championship on our racket, and to come down to a bagel at the end,” said Dash.

Rosen added: “We finished our undefeated season, so that’s great. We knew our team had three points, so we really wanted to pull through and get the victory.”

Hills East got wins from Albert Chang & Michael Han at first doubles, Aryan Sethi at third singles, and Krithik Medirethy at fourth singles.

For Sethi, a senior, being able to pick up a win in the final match of his high school career was special, despite the overall team loss.

Port Washington Vikings captured the 2019 Long Island Championship over Hills East

Port Washington’s Gabriele Brancatelli was a 6-0, 6-0 over Hills East’s Dylan D’Agate at second singles

Alexander Karman put Port Washington up 1-0 at first singles with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Ishan Verma

“I was definitely just thinking about this being my last match ever in high school, and I’m going to leave it all out on the courts and try my best,” said Sethi. “That’s what I tried my best to do and I think I did it well. It was the best season I ever had. I couldn’t wish for a better team or a better coach. Honestly, this season has basically been like a dream or movie to me.”

The Long Island title capped off what has been an outstanding run of play for the Vikings over the last several weeks. After a rocky start to the season, Port Washington put together a winning streak from the middle of the regular season on that saw it defeat top programs

Roslyn and Syosset, and then repeating those wins in the semifinals and finals, respectively, of the Nassau County playoffs.

“The guys always talked about how we just have to get through some of our injuries and hang around, and stay as competitive as we could,” said Helfner. “They realized that when everyone is here we can be the best team; they had that mentality. In a way, we enjoyed being the underdog, having the fourth-seed in the playoffs. We felt the pressure would be on the other teams, and we came into every match thinking we could do some good things and hopefully end up with the win in the end.”

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2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP 2019 Long Island Boys’ Individual Championships Syosset’s Rajpal Captures Nassau County Singles Title

Credit photos to: Brian Coleman

Syosset junior Kabir Rajpal, winner of the 2019 Nassau County Singles Title

Wheatley’s Karan Amin finished in second place at the Nassau County Championship

Cold Spring Harbor’s Griffin Schlesinger qualified for States, finishing in third place at the Nassau County Championship

When Syosset junior Kabir Rajpal decided to return to high school tennis this season, he had goals to help lead his team to a Nassau County Championship and, on a personal level, capture the County Singles Title.

He accomplished one of those as he defeated Wheatley’s Karan Amin 6-1, 6-1 to win the 2019 Nassau County Singles Title at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y. “To finally become a County Champion,

this means a lot,” said Rajpal, who is Syosset’s first singles champion since 2003. “Ever since I started playing high school tennis in eighth grade, you dream of being a County Singles Champion. It’s

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP finally great to say that.”

After defeating Cold Spring Harbor’s Griffin Schlesinger in the semifinals, Rajpal took on Wheatley’s Amin with the title on the line. He raced out to a lead thanks to an early break of serve, and kept the momentum rolling throughout the match.

“He’s cool, calm and collected. He’s a powerful and strong player, so I knew I had to be at the top of my game and completely ready,” Rajpal said of Amin. “The

whole match I kept telling myself, ‘don’t give him any points, don’t have any slips.’

I don’t think he had any break points, so that just shows that I really stuck to that mindset. It gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I was able to step up in the biggest moments.”

Rajpal led the Nassau County contingent into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships.

“This feels great, I don’t think it’s set in yet,” said Rajpal. “Especially in singles, it means a lot. I was very close with Yuval [Solomon], and Patrick Maloney won it last year. So to be part of that group is something special. I’m honored to be put in the same sentence as guys like that.”

As a finalist, Amin qualified for the NYSPHSAA tournament, as did Schlesinger, who defeated Massapequa’s Niles Ghaffar 6-1, 6-0 in the third-place match.

Roslyn’s Tsui & Weitz Win Nassau County Doubles Title

Mikey Weitz of Roslyn (pictured here) teamed with Adrian Tsui to win the Nassau County Doubles Championships

Adrian Tsui of Roslyn en route to capturing the 2019 Nassau County Doubles Title

Stephan Gershfeld (pictured here) & Logan Fliegel from Hewlett finished runners-up and qualified for the NYSPHSAA Championships

Making the adjustment from singles to doubles is never an easy one, but the Roslyn duo of Mikey Weitz & Adrian Tsui made it look that way at the Nassau County Doubles Championships. The sophomore-senior pairing captured the County’s Doubles Title with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Hewlett’s Logan Fliegel & Stephan Gershfeld.

“We had to work on working together,” said Tsui. “Things like when the ball goes down the middle, who goes for it. Situations

like that. Because in singles you go for every ball. We had to make sure we knew that, and we just had to play more together.”

The tournament gave them the opportunity to play more matches together, and the pairing continued to get better with each match.

“It was a great experience, working with Adrian this whole tournament,” said Weitz.

“We worked hard all season, and now we get the result we wanted.”

The two were eager to play well after

Roslyn, the top-seed, fell in the semifinals of the team playoffs the day before.

“It was good redemption for Roslyn and for ourselves,” Weitz added. “We both lost our singles matches in the County Finals, so it was a good way to bounce back.”

Along with Weitz & Tsui, and Fliegel & Gershfeld, Syosset’s Brian Gao & Peter Bukary, who won the third-place match 6-2, 6-3 over Manhasset’s Aidan O’Connor & Steven Salerno, qualified for the NYSPHSAA Championships.

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2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Hills East Pair Wins Suffolk Doubles Title

Credit photo to: Brian Coleman

The Half Hollow Hills East team of Albert Cheng & Michael Han took home the Suffolk County Doubles title after their win over Commack The Half Hollow Hills East pairing of Michael Han & Albert Cheng took home the Suffolk County Doubles title, defeating the Commack seventh-grade duo of James Yu & Eddie Lao 6-3, 6-2 at Half Hollow Hills West High School.

“It felt great, honestly,” Cheng said of

taking home the Suffolk County Title.

“Michael and I had barely played doubles with each other, but to be able to become County Champs together felt great. Playing with him is awesome. We remained super calm throughout the match which allowed us to play our best.”

While Cheng had been in the top doubles spot for Hills East all season long, Han, who normally played singles for the Thunderbirds, had to play a number of doubles matches towards the end of the regular season in order to qualify for the county tournament.

He did just that, and him and Cheng quickly became a formidable pair on the court together.

“Albert and I had decided the year before that we wanted to play doubles together, and I’m really glad it worked out,” said Han. “It felt amazing being at the top of Suffolk County for doubles.”

The pair complimented each other on the court, and Han was quick to heap praise on his partner for their success.

“What made us successful was Albert,” he said. “He is very good at closing out points at the net with smart shots and manages to motivate me to keep trying when I seem to have given up. And I think his height can sometimes be a bit intimidating for many teams. We always made sure to high-five each other after each point to keep each other in the match.”

Both the Hills East and Commack pairings reached the NYSPHSAA Championships, as did another Hills East duo, Ishan Varma & Aryan Sethi, who were Suffolk’s third-place winners.

Harborfields’ Rzehak Captures Singles Title Harborfields’ Alex Rzehak entered this season with a specific goal in mind: Win the Suffolk County Singles title.

“Last year, I felt as though I cracked under pressure at Counties,” Rzehak told Long Island Tennis Magazine before the season. “So I have been working on my mentality during big matches and impor56

tant points so I can get through those tough opponents.”

That work paid off, as Rzehak captured the Suffolk County title by beating Center Moriches’ Michael Koscinski 6-3, 6-1.

“It feels great,” Rzehak said of winning.

“I’ve always wanted to do this and I felt a lot of relief because I really wanted to go

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

to states this year, but I also really wanted to win this title.”

Rzehak and Koscinski would both qualify for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships, as did Connetquot’s Alan Sabovic, who finished third in the Suffolk tournament.

2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP 2019 NYSPHSAA Boy’s Championships Syosset’s Rajpal Falls to Geneva’s Fishback in NYSPHSAA Singles Championship Credit photos to: Brian Coleman

Syosset’s Kabir Rajpal fell in the finals of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Singles final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to finish runner-up

Ryan Fishback from Geneva (right) is congratulated by Syosset’s Kabir Rajpal (left) after Fishback captured the 2019 NYSPHSAA Singles Championship

A year ago, Ryan Fishback from Geneva came up short in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Singles final, falling to Oyster Bay’s Patrick Maloney in straight sets.

The Geneva junior would not be denied this year, however, as he defeated Syosset’s Kabir Rajpal, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 to win the title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

“It’s funny because on our credentials this year was the player I lost to last year.

So right from the beginning, there was that reminder, and I knew I didn’t want to finish in second again,” said Fishback.

“After losing the second set, and after playing such a good first set, it would have been easy to throw in the towel. I really had to grind to win that third set.”

After Fishback won the match’s first six games to race through the opening set, Rajpal responded in the second. He broke in the first game to get on the board, and would break Fishback twice more in order to take the second set and force a deciding third.

“I’m happy with how I played, especially after that first set,” said Rajpal. “He was on fire, and it didn’t look like he was going to let up; it looked like it was going to be a blowout. But I stayed in it. I kept my mental toughness and fought out that second set.”

The two traded games early in the third set, but from 2-2, Fishback began to pull away. He made some adjustments in the decider and began to dictate the play more often, and rattled off the match’s

final four games to capture the NYSPHSAA crown.

“I think it’s easy to let things get out of control, but I tried to switch up my tactics,” said Fishback. “I moved him around a little more, as opposed to just trying to hit through him. He hits so hard from the baseline, so I just tried to move him around and make him uncomfortable. I know how good he is from the baseline, so I knew I couldn’t just play from behind the baseline. I really tried to step into the court and get into net as much as possible, and I had some success doing so.”

For Rajpal, while he had his chances in the third set, and the loss is a disappointing finish to a dominant season for the Syosset junior, he is able to take many positives away from his run.

“I’d like to finish better. Hopefully I can be in better shape next year to be able to pull out that final stretch. But kudos to him, he deserves it,” said Rajpal. “I just tried to compete as hard as I could to make this a competitive match. Obviously, I’d like to win, but this was so much fun. It definitely motivates me to come back stronger next year. I’m proud of how I played.”

Syosset Head Coach Shai Fisher echoed those sentiments.

“It was just a phenomenal effort from him,” said Fisher. “He was able to turn things around. He got a lot more aggressive in the second set and started to control the match a bit more. He played with no fear and really battled. I’m proud of him, the way he battled and showed that resiliency. It definitely sets him up better going down the line.”

In the third-place match, JamesvilleDewitt’s Peter Hatton defeated Ryo Sakai of Keo, 6-4, 6-2.

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2019

BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Scarsdale’s Sahakyan & Shuler Capture the NYSPHSAA Doubles Championship Credit photos to: Brian Coleman

Scarsdale’s Nikolay Sahakyan & Jason Shuler, winners of the 2019 NYSPHSAA Doubles Championship Scarsdale’s Nikolay Sahakyan & Jason Shuler won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Doubles Championship, defeating the defending champions from Mamaroneck,

force a deciding third. But the Scarsdale pair build a quick 3-0 lead in the third set, and this time would not let the lead slip away.

“After we blew those match points, we were kind of out of it, but the third set is a brand new set, a brand new match,” said Sahakyan.

“We just had to come out as we did in the first set, stay aggressive and keep up our style of play.”

Roslyn’s Mikey Weitz & Adrian Tsui fell in the third-place match In the third-place match, to finish in fourth place at the 2019 NYSPHSAA Doubles Dean Vlassis & Ben Vlassis Championship of the Christian Brothers Academy defeated Roslyn’s Charlie Levinson & Connor Aylett, 6-3, 6-7, Mikey Weitz & Adrian Tsui, 6-1, 6-1.

6-4.

The Syosset pair of Peter Bukary & Sahakyan & Shuler had several match Brian Gao reached the finals of the consopoints in the second set tie-breaker before lation bracket, but fell to Noah Sayoc & Levinson & Aylett rallied to win the set and Declan Watson of Orchard Park.

Long Island Tennis Teams Institute No-Cut Policy Cold Spring Harbor High School participated in the USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s “No-Cut” program this past season

This spring season, teams from both Nassau and Suffolk County both enacted a no-cut policy for its tennis programs. The USTA Eastern Long Island Region provided blue wristbands to both the varsity and junior varsity teams that maintained this policy, which recognized and supported Autism Awareness during April.

The following Nassau County high schools participated in the 2019 No-Cut Program: Baldwin, Carle Place, Clarke, Cold 58

The team from Bellport participated in the No-Cut Program this past high school season

Spring Harbor, Farmingdale, Garden City, Glen Cove, Great Neck South, Hewlett, Hicksville, Long Beach, Lynbrook, MacArthur , Manhasset, Massapequa, Mepham, New Hyde Park, North Shore, Oceanside, Port Washington, Sewanhaka and South Side. The following Suffolk County schools participated in the No-Cut Program: Bellport, North Babylon, Stony Brook and Ward Melville.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Technology Is Changing Tennis Here’s How Facilities Can Take Advantage of It verything today is going digital– from cars, to houses, to watches– and tennis is no exception. Players expect to be able to reserve courts with the same ease, convenience and mobile technology as booking a hotel. This can leave tennis facilities at a loss, wondering how they can adapt to a rapidlychanging sports landscape.

Our answer?

AceSpace.

Founded in 2018, AceSpace is a court booking app that helps facilities streamline their reservation process using innovative management software. By implementing AceSpace software, tennis facilities can simplify their court reservation process, maximize their court usage and manage

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their pros, while benefiting from features such as calendar management, program oversight, player outreach, and full point of sale (POS) capabilities.

In addition to management software, the AceSpace platform connects players with tennis centers, allowing them to book their courts in seconds. Players can also reserve time with their favorite pro, check into programs, and eventually use the app to find local players looking for a hitting partner.

AceSpace was founded by lifelong tennis players with a simple goal: To design a tennis-specific technology that helps bring as many players to the court as possible.

The AceSpace team has been on both sides of the court, and understands what

facilities and players need from a tennis app. As technology changes and facilities’ challenges evolve, the dedicated AceSpace team will be there, rolling out updates and improving the app with new features.

For tennis centers looking to simplify their reservation systems and meet players’ needs, AceSpace provides a crucial advantage.

For more information, visit AceSpaceCourts.com to learn more about the free backend management system, or e-mail Info@AceSpaceCourts.com.

Follow AceSpace on social media @AceSpaceCourts, and keep an eye out for the official rollout, coming this summer to a facility near you!

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2019 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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By Emilie Katz

Andy Murray Knighted Caroline Wozniacki at Buckingham Palace Marries David Lee in Tuscany Photo credit: Getty Images/cineuno

Andy Murray hasn’t made many headlines for his play on the tennis court recently, but has done so off the court. The three-time Grand Slam champion received his knighthood at famed Buckingham Palace for his services to tennis and charity. It took more than two years for him to receive the honor as he was officially granted knighthood back in 2016, but finally had his ceremony conducted by the Prince of Wales.

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Photo credit: Twitter/@CaroWozniacki

Last year’s Australian Open champion and twotime U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki married longtime boyfriend and former NBA player David Lee at a ceremony in Tuscany. Among the celebs in attendance were Serena Williams (who served as Wozniacki’s bridesmaid) and her husband Alexis Ohanian; Angelique Kerber; Pau Gasol from the Milwaukee Bucks; Sacramento

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Kings player Harrison Barnes; and former NFL player Jesse Palmer.

Nicole Gibbs Diagnosed With Rare Form of Cancer Photo credit: Twitter/@Gibbsyyyy

American Nicole Gibbs was forced to withdraw from the French Open and the remainder of the clay court season after a trip to the dentist

revealed she had a rare form of salivary gland cancer.

“About a month ago, I went to the dentist and was alerted to a growth on the roof of my mouth,” Gibbs wrote on Twitter.

“The biopsy came back positive for a rare cancer called mucoepidermoid carcinoma (salivary gland cancer). Fortunately, this form of cancer has a great prognosis and my surgeon is confident that surgery alone will be sufficient treatment. He even okayed me to play an extra couple of tournaments these past few weeks, which served as a nice distraction.”

Gibbs had the cancerous growth removed in late May and just weeks later, returned to the practice courts, getting ready for the summer season.

Genie Bouchard Supports Her Raptors at NBA Finals

as her native country’s Toronto Raptors were crowned 2019 NBA Champions after their Finals win over the Golden State Warriors. Bouchard was spotted at Game Five of the Finals and like many others in attendance, was set to witness history, but the Raptors, leading 3-2 in the series looking to capture the title on home soil, fell 105-106 to Golden State, sending the series back to California where the Raptors claimed the title 114-110.

Other celebs in attendance joining Bouchard at Scotiabank Arena rooting on the Raptors included rapper Drake, golfer Michelle Wie, entrepreneur Richard Branson, former Raptors players Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, and PK Subban, Max and Tie Domi, and Wayne Gretzky from the National Hockey League (NHL).

Steffi Graf Turns 50

Photo credit: Getty Images/Appreciate

Photo credit: Twitter/@geniebouchard

Canadian Genie Bouchard is an avid NBA fan, and that exuberance was amped up

Steffi Graf celebrated her 50th birthday on June 14. She was born in Bruhl, Germany and introduced to the sport at the age of three by her father Peter. At the age of 13,

she made her debut in the WTA rankings, one of the youngest players ever to appear in the WTA rankings, reaching the Top 10 by the age of 16. Graf has the third-most career Grand Slam titles in tennis history with 22. She also amassed 377 career weeks as world number one.

Since retiring in 1999, she started a family with her husband, Andre Agassi, having two children, as well as doing charity work with her foundation, “Children for Tomorrow,” which helps kids traumatized by war and other crises.

Sloane Stephens Get Engaged to Soccer Star Photo credit: Twitter/@SloaneStephens

The highest ranked American woman in the world Sloane Stephens recently announced her engagement to professional soccer player Jozy Altidore.

Stephens made the announcement on social media, and thanked her fans for all the support that came in afterwards.

“I wear it in the house for now, for comfort,” Stephens said of the ring during the French Open. “It’s very nice.”

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Underhand Serve: An Effective Alternative

By Gino Fava he underhand serve, if executed properly, will get people out of their seats, up off the couch, and add tremendous excitement to the sport of tennis.

Like the behind the back pass in hockey, or the alley-oop dunk in basketball, the scissor kick over the shoulder in soccer, these are exciting plays in the game which people love to see. In tennis, unexpected shots, like a drop shot or the between the legs groundstroke never fail to get people excited and cheer.

The key to the underhand serve is racket head speed, just like a drop shot. The receiver has to come way in, almost to the net, and will struggle not only to keep the ball in play, but come up with a great shot or lose the point.

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Just picture Rafael Nadal so far behind the baseline, dealing with a well-executed drop shot serve. It would be very interesting to watch. I have seen Nick Kyrgios and Kei Nishikori attempt the serve. Even John Isner, who is always atop the leaderboard in today’s game in terms of aces, would be absolutely devastating with the change of pace drop shot serve, if he were to try it.

The famous baseball pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm, made a career with one different pitch—the knuckleball. Hitters just couldn’t deal with this unorthodox pitch, which I believe is similar to the underhand serve. In today’s pro game, players are reluctant to use the serve because it has a connotation of being unsportsmanlike, unethical, or a cheap shot. This obstacle can be overcome when players see how effective the serve can be to their game.

Often in a tennis match, one point can

turn the whole match around in either direction. This serve has the potential to accomplish just that, and create a feeling of uneasiness for your opponent on the other side of the net. If you are playing within the rules and keeping score, and your goal is to win matches, prize money, scholarships, or even just a trophy in a rec or adult league, then hopefully any connotations of the downside of this type of serve will become a distant memory.

Gino Fava is a married father of three, who owns and operates Liverpool Carting Company in New York City. A native of Hollis, Queens and a graduate of Marquette University, Fava never picked up a tennis racket until he was 48-years-old, but now plays competitively five days a week at East Hampton Indoor Tennis Club. He can be reached by e-mail at GinoFava17@aol.com.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Addition by Subtraction The Path Forward Is Sometimes Backward

By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC A few weeks ago, I remember seeing a sign outside of a fitness studio. The words and message struck me … It read like this: “You recharge your phone once a day, how often do you recharge yourself?”

I thought this was a great message and applies so well to sports. As a mental training coach, in my experience working with athletes at all levels and sports this simple idea of recharging your batteries is so often either forgotten, overlooked or only happens after burnout. Ashleigh Barty, 2019 French Open Women’s Champion, is an extreme, yet good example of this.

In her teenage years, she was a prodigy, won Junior Wimbledon at the age of 15.

Everyone had her slated to be the next Australian champion. What they didn’t expect is that she would burn out and voluntarily leave the game of tennis. Then, years later, she came back, recharged, recommitted and refreshed. Anyone can see that her journey was not typical. But like all of us, she is a unique person, with a unique journey and winning the French Open clearly a unique performance. In fact, she had discussed with the media whether she would have won without taking that break.

She replied: “Absolutely not … it’s obviously a part of my life that I needed to deal with, and I feel like it was the best decision that I made at the time, and it was an even better one to come back.”

Barty professed to get caught up in the expectations of others. In fact, these expectations soon became her expectations, most likely defining herself solely on her performance. Her results were never good enough to accomplish what she and others had in store for her. Stories indicate that she lost her way, lost her balance and eventually burned out.

“You recharge your phone once a day, how often do you recharge yourself?”

Okay, so you might say, I’m a junior player, not even a professional, what does this have to do with me? Or as a parent, how does this relate to my child’s journey?

Think back to that sign, “You recharge your phone once a day, how often do you recharge yourself?” Certainly, if electronic phones need recharging in order to perform, wouldn’t the same be true for far more complex humans?

All too often, athletes of all levels charge forward chasing the adulation, victory or trophy instead of taking a step back and strategizing what’s necessary to obtain it.

Why? Because we are focused on the end result, not what’s necessary to get there. If we were a car, one key component would be gasoline. It’s impossible to drive a long distance without re-fueling a gas tank.

This idea of making time to re-charge may sound counter-intuitive. In sports, we think the only way forward is to grind and work harder. Now I’m not suggesting you don’t work hard or let go of goals. That

would be crazy. However, I am suggesting that you stay energized and balanced, so that when adversity strikes, you have the resources within to be resilient, relentless, rested and recharged. Think of it this way … addition by subtraction!

The next time you find yourself in a slump, irritable, frustrated and impatient, instead of trying to force, push harder or trying to crash through that wall, do what all the great stars from Federer to Barty, to Rafa to Serena do … they reset, reflect, reboot and recharge.

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.

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Setting Goals and Following Through

By Luke Jensen Rip that return, tennis fans!

I hope this finds you going for the lines with more confidence than ever before. How much tennis have you been taking in this season, whether it is playing yourself or watching your favorite global tennis stars playing amazing tennis at the French Open and Wimbledon.

It all leads us into the fast-paced U.S. Open series!

From my New York apartment, I have the greatest tennis view! I’m able to see the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium. I have seen the various crews preparing for the 2019 U.S. Open, and it’s

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really cool to see the process and progress.

Just like the tournament organizers, the most elite tennis stars in the world are preparing for the 2019 U.S. Open.

The way they prepare to compete is something you can incorporate into the way you prepare for your own tennis matches. Sure, you may not be playing for the near $4 million prize that is awarded to the U.S. Open singles winners, but the passion and objectives are the same: To win!

Something very special is created when a tennis professional applies the core principles of smart preparation, tactical improvement and mental toughness training, and mixes it all in with a laserlike focus of dedicated, passionate and

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

old-fashioned hard work. Even if this doesn’t create the outcome you set out to accomplish, I can guarantee you that if you apply these traits, you will be a better player than from your starting point.

I always use long-term and shortterm goals to achieve my desired outcome. What is the overall goal? When I played, this was always very straight forward. My overall goal was what I wanted to see after the season was over at the ATP World Championships.

I was always shooting for number one in the world. I knew that if I could win at least two Grand Slams, and sprinkle in a couple of ATP 1,000 Masters titles, I would be right in the mix for the ATP Tour year-end top ranking.

So now for the tough part: Shortterm goal-planning. I like to use twoweek segments to stay the course and re-evaluate where I am after that point.

I played a lot of tennis back in the day. Most ATP seasons, I was playing 35 to 45 weeks out of the year. I was the type of player who needed to play constantly to feel the game and its rhythms. I never needed much time off the ATP Tour, and I knew the very best training for me was around the tournament locker rooms.

How much time do you spend playing outside of your core group of tennis buddies? One of the things I felt I did very well was actively finding new pros to train with. If I didn’t play them that week, I knew I would most likely face them down the road. On the tour, play-

ers keep close to an inner circle that they grew up with in juniors, or share common cultural similarities. In any locker room on the pro tour, you will see the Americans hanging out in one section, and the Spanish and Aussies in another. The South Africans are in another corner. You will have the big time players with their “teams” of their families, nannie’s, trainers, coaches, hitting partners and agents. Those small armies were not around as much when I played, but the money is so much bigger now that it has become more common for more players. No matter what, players are the only ones who understand players. Unless you were out there down 15-30, 4-5 in the third or fifth set hitting a second serve to stay in the match for your financial life, you have no idea what it takes.

There have been loads of parent/coaches or minor league pro players that coach great players, but it’s easy to coach an Andre Agassi or a Serena Williams. Those stars have such massive separation of talent from the rest of the galaxy that as long as they have the right head space, they will win.

I was with Agassi during our U.S. Davis Cup years together in 1991-1992. The guy could make the ball TALK, and at times, even HURT. He was such a clean striker of the ball and when the “ATrain” was locked in mentally, it was LIGHTS OUT for the opposition.

I know what you are thinking … we aren’t Agassi or Serena, but we can still set up winning formulas for our development.

Setting up games and practice sessions came easy to me. I would track down various styles of players that would challenge me. My focus and intensity in practice was the same as in a match, so I used every opportunity to build up my game. I tried to play as many sets as possible, but players didn’t want to do that all the time. I learned their training approaches by being on the court with them.

For example, Jim Courier was a grinder and if you were with him on the practice court, you were only going to go one session that day because he used you like a heavyweight heavy bag and would Rocky Balboa you into a massage room.

Sampras was much easier and just liked to find a groove to find his ideal balance. Sampras served so big that it wasn’t worth hitting his massive serve all the time, so we would play sets and he would work on his second serves and I could get those back!

Agassi was like a sharp-shooter looking to hit a few specific targets and he was done. Sometimes, he wouldn’t take serves or volleys. I warmed up Steffi Graf before the 1992 Wimbledon final and she was ALL business. Very nice, but only focused on locking into

her best tennis. No real warm up … just right into ripping forehands.

Countless practice opportunities that I called “Learning Sessions” constantly shaped the player I would become. Like Roger Federer and the modern players, they are constantly looking to improve areas of their game. Did you notice Federer playing the clay court season this year? He knows that those important matches builds his game that didn’t happen when he skipped the clay season the year before with disappointing collapses at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

So go out and look for some now sparring partners to build your game.

Short two week goal approaches can help you change an approach if you are not improving the way you want.

Become a life-long learner and a lifelong improver!

Raised in Ludington, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles. He was also a member of the U.S. Davis Cup teams that reached the finals in 1991 and won in 1992. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” Luke is currently director of racket sports at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. He may be reached by phone at (315) 403-0752 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com.

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It’s Not About the Score, Madison

By Barbara Wyatt “It’s not about the score, Madison.”

Madison shoved the racket in her tennis bag and stomped off the court. She collapsed onto a bench a few feet away from me and covered her face with her hands.

“You played well Madison.”

“I sucked.”

“It’s not about the score.”

She lifted her hands from her face, cheeks red and said, “Riiiiiiight. That’s what they say to losers.”

“I’m saying it, because it’s true.”

Though I suspected she had turned off listening to me, I continued to talk. I reminded her of the solid serves and no double-faults. I had seen down-the-line shots delivered with a pace that won points. In the match, Madison tried more topspin on

her groundstrokes, a new skill from a recent lesson.

“It takes courage,” I said, “to take what you learn in a lesson and apply it in a match. Plus, your line calls were clear, loud, immediate and accurate.”

Madison’s head gestured sharply to the opponent sitting on the other team’s bench.

“But she didn’t. She called a bunch of my shots out. And they weren’t!”

“But your calls were solid. You showed sportsmanship.”

“But she won.”

“Madison, it’s not about the score. Imagine if I had a bouquet of flowers to give you after every match. Each stem represents an aspect of your play: Serves, down-theline shots, positioning on the court, returns, placement of balls. A stem for each skill and how you did in that match. Today, your serves were solid. That would be a beauti-

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

ful radiant rose. Your sportsmanship? Another big blooming rose. Your positioning?

Another rose. Your down-the-line shots?”

“Yeah, I know. Some big fat rose.” Madison rolled her eyes.

“Yes,” I said, “Your topspin was not as strong as you hoped. But you tried. That’s one healthy stem with a little bud. Not there yet, but will be.”

“I lost the match,” she said. “I deserve a bunch of dead weeds covered in garbage.”

Had I failed? My effort to use a flower bouquet as an analogy didn’t work. Madison is a talented young athlete, but much too hard on herself when she experiences a loss. Her shoulders started to shake rapidly.

She turned her face toward me and covered her mouth. She was repressing a grin.

“I get it.” Madison said. “You want me to think of what I did right. Big fat red roses for my serving and down-the-line shots.

Itty bitty buds for what didn’t work. And to remember tomorrow’s another day. Maybe my topspin or something else will be better.

I could win.”

“Yes!” I said.

“You’re so wacked.” She raised her hand for a high-five, and I slapped it. She stood, walked a few steps, turned and smiled, “I get it.” She leaped over a bleacher seat and sat with her teammates.

The game of tennis is about how you play, not necessarily the score.

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 e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

USPTA Honors the Tops in the Eastern Division at Annual Conference

The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Eastern Division hosted its Annual Conference in late spring at the Doral Arrowwod Conference Center in Westchester County. The weekend consisted of informative workshops, taught by some of the top coaches and minds in the industry, including Mark Savage, Craig O’Shannessy and Craig Cignarelli. Classes ranged from everything from the connection between the tennis professional and the club owner, to the importance of analytics in tennis.

There was a racket demo presented by Wilson, as well as a cocktail party and trade show, and attendees had the opportunity to play some of the newest and trendiest racket sports outside of tennis, including POP Tennis.

“Craig O’Shannessy, Craig Cignarelli and Mark Savage highlighted the conference with exceptional presentations. The awards ceremony was a source of great pride, as Jeff Rothstein was inducted into the USPTA Eastern Hall of Fame and Laramie Gavin received the Professional of the Year Award,” said Paul Fontana, Executive Director of the USPTA Eastern Division. “The Annual Conference continues to provide a

dynamic and cutting-edge education event in the Eastern Section.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine would like to thank USPTA Eastern for being named the organization’s Publication of the Year as one of the many award winners, among: l College Coach of the Year: Stephen Thirolle l Division Tester: Rod Bailey

l Facility Manager of the Year: Deanna Kernan l High School Coach of the Year: Todd Hicks l Industry Excellence Award: Wael Kilani l USPTA STARS Award: Adrienne Alteri l 30 & Under Award: Ben Marks l Publication of the Year: Long Island/New York Tennis Magazine

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Innovative T

By Mike Puc ith 25 teams competing in nine different leagues at my local club, it seems like there is always a match to play. Playing in a game to prepare for a match and then playing in a match may improve your match play, but it is a difficult scenario to add new shots to

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your repertoire. Even clinics, while beneficial for shot-making and strategy, is not the place to develop new tools. A private lesson, training with a partner, or hitting with the ball machine are better systems to add shots that you will own.

What shots can you add to your game?

Consider the following …

The Drop Shot If you own this shot, you will win more

matches than you lose. Grips are important. Experiment with using the backhand grip for the forehand drop and forehand grip for the backhand. Use drops when the ball is below the level of the net, not above, and perfect the drop so you are hitting it from the baseline. Sweeping under the ball from further back will stop the ball once it bounces.

The Bump Lob Not a high groundstroke or a topspin lob, but a controlled placement lob. “Keep the plane the same” as you set the face of the racket at various angles to just clear the doubles opponent at the net, or hit it 50’ high in a defensive posture. Following the ball with the head of the racket maintains the angle of the racket face for greater control.

The Lob Volley The ultimate control and touch shot to dazzle your opponent, the Lob Volley is a spectacular shot when all four players are at the net and you drift a ball over their racket just out of reach to the baseline.

“Soft hands” with a Continental Grip allows you to imagine a rainbow trajectory, following the ball with the head of the racket for the correct pace.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

e Tennis Shots Spin on Groundstrokes Very few players try to develop less spin or flatter shots because spin is a desirable weapon that allows you to hit with pace and accuracy. Grips are the key here. Try adjusting your grip in baby steps, moving it slightly to the right on forehands (for righties) for more topspin, and to the left on backhands. Don’t ignore slicing either.

Move the grips opposite of topspin grips to cut balls and dig low balls off the ground.

advantage shot, it avoids defensive backpedaling with a little pop.

Swinging Volley Better called a “Swinging Forehand” since this shot is better left to this side of the body, experiment taking balls out of the air from deeper positions on the court. Not used as a winning shot, rather a positional

The Split-Step While not a shot, the Split-Step will get you there to execute. Getting on your toes at the right time just before your opponent strikes the ball allows for a quick first step to the ball in any direction. Split too soon,

The Half-Volley While we all have this shot out of necessity, striking the ball on a short hop next to our body, it doesn’t have to be a defensive shot if you dedicate some time to it on the practice court. Shortening your backswing, staying low and moving forward will turn the half volley into a full weapon.

and you are on your heels when you need the movement; too late, and you will never get to where you need to go. Split-step just prior to your opponent hitting the ball. A split-step must be included before every shot your opponent hits. The tennis body is like a car that uses more energy with stops and starts than it does with constant motion so stay active on the court and focus on your movement.

These are just a few innovative shots to have fun perfecting that will improve your game and creativity on the court. There are many more for you to develop with a little thought and dedicated practice time.

Mike Puc has been the director of tennis at Gleneagles Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. since 1998. A winner of 15 national titles and an ATP world ranking, Mike directs 25 teams with 350 players in nine leagues, while offering the most extensive calendar of events in South Florida that includes tournaments, lectures and social roundrobins.

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By Kathy Miller

The 18 & Over 7.0 Mixed team from Point Set, captained by Lori Sarnelli, will be advancing to Nationals

Carefree Racquet Club’s 10.0 18 & Over Mixed Doubles team, captained

by Ben Marks, is advancing to Nationals

Long Island’s 18 & Over Mixed Doubles League had a great showing at the Sectional Championship in Schenectady, N.Y. The teams advancing were as follows: l Sportime Lynbrook’s 6.0 team, captained by Jamie Devine l Point Set’s 7.0 team, captained by Lori Sarnelli, which will be advancing to Nationals l Point Set’s 8.0 team, captained by Jen Jaeger & Paul Schnabel, which came in second l Carefree Racquet Club’s 9.0 team, captained by Paul Schnabel & Ben Marks, which will be advancing to Nationals l Carefree Racquet Club’s 10.0 team, captained by Ben Marks, which also is advancing to Nationals

playing league tennis this summer! The Regional and Sectional Championships are as follows:

Good luck to the 7.0, 9.0 and 10.0 Level teams at Nationals in Orlando, Fla. in November!

The 40 & Over Mixed Double League is gearing up for their Long Island Regional Matches.

Advancing teams include: l 7.0 Nassau: Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Donna Healy l 7.0 Suffolk: Deer Park, captained by Kuldeep Barot & Mitra Klepper l 8.0 Nassau: Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Donna Healy l 8.0 Suffolk: Eastern Athletic Blue Point, captained by David Reid & Evangeline Boiutin The winning teams will advance to the Sectional Championships, set for Sept. 20-22 in Schenectady, N.Y. The 18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over, and 65 & Over Men’s and Women’s Leagues are underway with a total of 252 teams 70

18 & Over Regionals l 2.5 Women: Sunday, July 28 at 9:00 a.m. l 3.0 Women: Sunday, Aug. 4 at 9:00 a.m. l 3.5 Women: Sunday, July 28 at 11:00 a.m. l 4.0 Women: Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:00 a.m.

18 & Over Sectionals l 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 & 5.0+ Men & Women: The weekend of Aug. 9-11 in Schenectady, N.Y. l 3.0 & 4.0 Men & Women: The weekend of Aug. 16-18 in Schenectady, N.Y. 40 & Over Regionals l 3.0 Women: Sunday, Aug. 11 at 9:00 a.m. l 3.5 Women: Monday, Aug. 12 at 7:00 p.m. l 3.5 Men: Monday, Aug. 12 at 9:00 p.m. l 4.0 Women: Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 7:00 p.m.

40 & Over Sectionals l 3.0, 3.5 & 4.0 Men & Women: The weekend of Aug. 22-25 in Schenectady, N.Y. l 4.5+ Men & Women: The weekend of Aug. 16-18 in Schenectady, N.Y. 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.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

USTA/Long Island Region 2019

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

AUGUST 2019 Friday-Sunday, August 2-4 L1B Ross August Challenger Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Friday-Sunday, August 2-4 L1B Huntington August Challenger Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 1416 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $58.82 per player For more information, e-mail HITennis@HITennisNY.com or call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, August 2-4 L2 Sportime Quogue August Open Sportime Quogue 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road • East Quogue, 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’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 28 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail TVanEpps@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 653-6767.

Friday-Sunday, August 2-4 L1B Point Set Summer Open Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, July 28 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, August 2-4 L1B Sportime Amagansett August 2019 Challenger Sportime Amagansett 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) and Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 30 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 267-3460.

Saturday-Sunday, August 3-4 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 Monday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

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USTA/Long Island Region 2019

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

Saturday, August 3 Youth Progression Orange L1 Sportime Amagansett Sportime Amagansett 320 Abrahams Path Amagansett, 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, July 28 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 267-3460.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L1B Sportime Amagansett August 2019 Challenger Sportime Amagansett 320 Abrahams Path Amagansett, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 267-3460.

Sunday, August 4 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, July 28 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 267-3460.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 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 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. 7 at 6:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Sid@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L2 World Gym Summer Open World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L1 Ross August Championships Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

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Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L2 Huntington Summer Challenger Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $59.14 per player For more information, e-mail HITennis@myway.com or call (631) 421-0040.

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L1 Point Set August Championships Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2019 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11 L2 Park Ave 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: $54.10 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 31 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Caddy44@aol.com or call (631) 271-1810.

Friday-Sunday, August 16-18 L1B Ross August Challenger Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 12 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail CSidor@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Friday-Sunday, August 16-18 L1 SPORTIME Quogue August Challenger Sportime Quogue 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road East Quogue, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Au. 11 at 11:59 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail TVanEpps@sportimeny.com or call (631) 653-6767.

Friday-Sunday, August 16-18 L1 Point Set Summer’s End Championships Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Aug. 12 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

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