Long Island Tennis Magazine May / June 2017 by United Sports Publications

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • March/April 2017 • LITennisMag.com

SUMMER 2017

Summer Camp 2017 FROM JUNE 26TH - AUGUST 18TH DAILY AND WEEKLY PRICING AVAILABLE

he Early Hit Training Center is pleased to announce its 14th Annual Junior Summer Tennis Camp. Our comprehensive program will provide your child with all the resources necessary to reach his/her maximum tennis potential. The Early Hit Training Center incorporates all aspects of the game into our complete program. We begin each session with a nutritionally complete and balanced shake from Court 7, our on-premises restaurant and smoothie bar. After a thorough warm-up, the student will work through the core components of tennis, including stroke production, drilling and physical ﬁtness tranining, before breaking for a healthy lunch. We then move onto playing dynamics and strategy, and reinforce these lessons with focused match play. A thorough cool-down and stretching session completes a world-class day of tennis for your child. With our team of renowned tennis teaching professionals, experienced physical conditioning trainers, movement experts and on-site chef, the Early Hit Training Center offers a unique and total tennis experience. Ask About Campo Mas

FALL 2017

Junior Alps Program "ALPS" is a program for High Aptitude Learners.

he Early Hit Training Center is pleased to announce it's 15th season of group training. This comprehensive program will provide your child with all the resources necessary to reach his/her maximum tennis potential. The Early Hit Training Center incorporates all aspects of the game into our complete program. After a thorough warm-up, the student will work through the core components of tennis, including stroke production and drilling. We then move onto playing dynamics and strategy, and reinforce these lessons with focused match play. A session starts or ﬁnishes with an hour of conditioning. Come experience our team of renowned tennis teaching professionals, conditioning trainers and movement experts. TUESDAY 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm SATURDAY 8:00 am - 10:30 am SUNDAY 8:00 am - 10:30 am • 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm

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Memphis Open to Make the Move to Long Island New Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to host ATP event F Sports, a live events and sports media entertainment company, has partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) to move the Memphis Open men’s tennis tournament to NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. As part of the long-term agreement, the Coliseum, which recently reopened following a nearly two-year, $165 million renovation, will host the tournament for the first time from Feb. 10-18, 2018. The Memphis Open, which was acquired by GF Sports in 2015, is one of the longest-running American tournaments on the ATP World Tour and the only indoor ATP event contested in the United States. “We are proud to partner with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to bring the historic Memphis Open to the new Coliseum,” said Gary Fuhrman, managing partner at GF Capital and board member of GF Sports. “The spotlight of New York will help to elevate this important tournament and this move is part of GF Sports’ larger goal of reestablishing American tennis as a global powerhouse within the sport.” The New York Metropolitan area has a rich tennis history, highlighted by the U.S. Open. The arrival of this ATP World Tour event will add another major tennis event

to the New York sports calendar, and marks the first time in its 45-year history that the Coliseum will play host to a sanctioned tennis tournament. “This event diversifies our programming mix at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and further delivers on our promise to bring major sporting events back to Long Island,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. The Memphis Open is an ATP World Tour 250 event that was established in 1976 and boasts a who’s who in the tennis world as former champions, including Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Kei Nishikori, Andy Roddick and Pete

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Table Of Contents

Nadal Seeks to Reclaim His Throne By Brian Coleman

It has been three years since Rafael Nadal hoisted the winning trophy on the clay courts version of the King of Clay is out to snap that streak and reclaim his throne. See page

Highlights 10 Tennis in the Hamptons Whether you are in Westhampton Beach, Amagansett or anywhere inbetween, we look forward to seeing you on the courts in the Hamptons this summer!

18 2017 French Open: 10 Things to Look For By Troy Haas The second major of the year gets underway as the biggest stars in the sport converge on Roland Garros seeking Grand Slam glory.

26 LITM’s 2017 Guide to Top Tennis Apparel Providers A closer look at the area’s top tennis equipment and apparel providers, including Grand Slam Tennis, High Country Ski & Tennis, PGA Tour Superstore, Set Point Tennis, Tennis East and TopSpin Tennis & Fitness.

Features

Memphis Open to Make the Move to Long Island

Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community

Beyond the Baseline: John Klenner

Tennis History Runs Deep at The Hamlet Golf and Country Club

The Jensen Zone: The Development of Character in Today’s Juniors By Luke Jensen

Mythbusters: Can We Warm-Up the Atmosphere in Entry Level Tournaments and Younger Age Groups? By Ricky Becker

Grip, Throw, Serve: It’s Simple If You Start Early By Lisa Dodson

Inwood Country Club: A Shining South Shore Summer Destination

Take to the Courts With Total Concierge Services

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MAY/JUN 2017 Vol 9, No 3

Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

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

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

eman

y courts of Roland Garros, but the 2017 ee page 14

Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Cover photo credit: Tennis Australia

Sportime World Tour Brings Indian Wells to Lynbrook

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Hosts 10th Annual High School Coaches Workshop

Making Beating Adversity a Habit By Emilio Sanchez-Vicario

Can Tennis Strings Hurt Your Game? By Chase Donnelly

New York Empire to Bring WTT Action to NTC This Summer

USTA Eastern Long Island Region 27th Annual Awards Dinner Journal

Long Island Tennis Charitable Initiatives

Competitive Drills to Teach Important Skills By Steve Kaplan

Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller

Stony Brook to Discontinue Men’s Tennis Program

Fitness & Nutrition: Getting Proper Nutrition When in Season By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN

Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz

Untangling the Knot: Try Softer Not Harder By Rob Polishook

Why Can’t Anyone Come in to the Net Anymore? By Stephen Annacone

Freedom to Play Your Best Game By Dr. Tom Ferraro

Tennis Injury Prevention: Do Not Let Back Pain Sideline You By Dr. Charles Ruotolo

Watch the Language! By Tonny van de Pieterman

Why Age and Experience Are Hard to Beat on the Tennis Court By Max Wennakoski

Productive and Positive Practice With a Parent By Jimmy Delevante

Team World Downs Americas at 10th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown

Captain’s Meeting Kicks Off Summer 2017 Adult League Season

USTA/Long Island Region 2017 Tournament Schedule

Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel VP of Operations (516) 409-4444, ext. 324

Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer

Lee Seidner Staff Photographer

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

Across Long Isla Syosset’s Pellerito Captures National Title in Greensboro

Port Washington’s Egna Twins Commit to Union

Daniel Pellerito, who trains out of Sportime Syosset, captured the title at the Greensboro March Top 16, a National Level 3 tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Pellerito won all four of his matches in straight sets and beat Paul Hendrix of South Carolina, 7-5, 6-1, in the tournament’s final.

Carefree Hosts Annual Easter Egg Hunt Port Washington’s identical twin duo of Austin and Max Egna have committed to play their college tennis at Union College beginning this fall. The two have been competing on Port Washington’s Varsity Tennis team since their freshman season, and went undefeated in the first doubles spot last year, earning All-County honors.

Bethpage Park Continues Work With Veterans

Carefree Racquet Club in Merrick hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt with its QuickStart Tot Program, as all of the children hunted for candy-filled eggs hidden under tennis props, such as cones, ball hoppers and nets. Following the Hunt, the children showed off their tennis skills by hitting forehands and volleys on court. Bethpage Park Tennis Center and Serve and Return continued its dedication and commitment to its work with veterans, running a Veterans Program at Bethpage Park’s Farmingdale-based facility. The introductory instructional class, given to veterans of Northport Medical Center, introduces tennis in a fun, encouraging environment in hopes of them continuing to play the sport in the future, and Bethpage Park plans on expanding the program. 4

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

land

… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community Golod of Ross School Captures Girls 18s Title

Stony Brook, Hofstra and NYIT Host Senior Days

Ross School’s Vitalina Golod captured the title at the L1B Robbie Wagner Tournament Training March Challenger, breezing through the field with four consecutive straight-set victories. She defeated Andrea Brazyte 6-1, 6-1 in the final.

Local college tennis programs celebrated Senior Days in recent matches, honoring players who are competing in their final season for their respective programs. The Stony Brook Men’s Tennis team (pictured above left) defeated Queens 5-2, the Hofstra Women’s Tennis team (pictured above left) shut out both Coppin State and St. FrancisBrooklyn, while the NYIT’s Men Tennis team (pictured above) knocked off Caldwell 9-0 while honoring its five graduating seniors.

Point Set Hosts Spring Break Junior Camp

Point Set Tennis in Oceanside kept its junior players active during the spring break, hosting a mini tennis camp at its facility.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

BEYOND THE BASELINE

beyond the

baseline JOHN KLENNER BY BRIAN COLEMAN

STA Eastern has hit the ground running in 2017. With a strong strategic vision and focused leadership, the organization is poised for success. The local tennis community welcomed a strong leader at USTA Eastern’s Annual Tennis Conference held in January. During this time, John Klenner was appointed as USTA Eastern’s President following his previous role as the organization’s Treasurer. “I never really saw myself being in the tennis business, and I still don’t consider myself in the tennis business now,” said Klenner. “I consider myself a volunteer; an advocate for the tennis industry.” Klenner joined the Board of Directors as Treasurer eight years ago and has been committed to the cause ever since. He is a Certified Public Accountant by trade and a Partner at Marcum LLP. He wasn’t much of a tennis player growing up in Los Angeles, but picked the game up in his mid-twenties when he moved to New York in the early 1990s. He started playing on a local court in Brooklyn and fell in love with the game. “I got to a point in my life, about nine years ago, when I determined that I had the resources, ability and time to give back in

some charitable manner,” recalled Klenner. “I received an e-mail that Eastern was looking for a treasurer, and I thought there was no better way, for someone who is an accountant, to give back by being the treasurer at a notfor-profit. Little did I realize that it would turn out the The gavel of USTA Eastern leadership was passed to John Klenner by outgoing president Mark McIntyre way it has.” Klenner takes over the presidency from Klenner. “We want to continue to devote Mark McIntyre who helped bring stability more of our resources to promoting the and vision to the organization. As game. If we can devote more of our funds President, he wants to continue to build on from National to promoting and growing the initiatives put in place over the last the game, and Eastern can become more couple of years to enable a sense of self-sufficient in terms of running continuity and achievement for staff and programming, tennis in our section will be tennis providers alike. in a better position. Throughout our three “I want to make clear that this is not strategic pillars the common theme is about me. This organization is meant to diversity and inclusion, which is to engage grow the game of tennis, and that’s what populations that would not otherwise have we intend to do. I am not going to come in access to or be interested in the sport.” and make a right or a left turn because I An example of this approach is want to do something different,” said Eastern’s application and acceptance of

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

BEYOND THE BASELINE

the 2017 Hispanic Outreach Grant from USTA National, becoming one of only eight sections to receive the $10K award. Klenner wanted to ensure he began his administration surrounded with knowledgeable and experienced individuals. He brings a solid business and financial background and looks to other board members, namely, Vice President Amber Marino and Secretary Olga Harvey to lend their grassroots tennis industry expertise. “It’s important to note that under Jeff Williams’ administration and McIntyre’s administration, the officers acted as a unit,” he added. “Now, we meet on a regular basis in order to make sure we are aligned on key initiatives. Amber and Olga come from grassroots tennis, and our Treasurer Perren Wong comes from a similar professional background as me, so everyone brings their own talent to the board. I’m there to lead the board, but not be the face of the organization.” The new board will continue to oversee USTA Eastern’s strategic plan. One of its first endeavors is to re-write the bylaws in accordance with Eastern’s size. In addition, Eastern will focus on developing and creating innovative ways to enhance participation. One aspect of that includes promoting Net Generation, which is intended to facilitate the connection between the player and provider and foster better

BEYOND THE BASELINE

communication amongst all parties regardless of USTA membership. Klenner believes that tennis participation in the section is in a good place, but says there is still Members of the new USTA Eastern Board were sworn in at the USTA Eastern work to be done, Annual Meeting and is ready to take on those challenges with the help of his team at USTA Eastern. For example, while Eastern’s league participation numbers were up by 2,775 players from last January, John Klenner and members of the USTA Eastern board discuss issues with the section is still the membership at the USTA Eastern Annual Meeting looking for to thrive and I don’t think providing additional ways to engage new subsidies are a good solution as they audiences. rarely create self-sustaining programs. “The state of the game is improving. I What we need is more people playing think a challenge we face at Eastern is tennis. Our major challenge is to generate producing the next generation of players. players and if we can do that than the rest We need more places for them to play and of the tennis economy, including USTA develop,” said Klenner. “We need to make membership, will improve.” sure that our courts and facilities are able

TENNIS RUSH Come play where the surf applauds every shot. The Seaside Tennis Club at the legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island. D I R E C TO R O F T E N N I S , C R A I G T. PAU T L E R 8 6 6 .9 7 7. 4 5 8 9 M AU N A K E A B E AC H H OT E L .CO M

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis History Runs Deep at The Hamlet Golf and Country Club

he Hamlet Golf and Country Club is proud to have been named the USTA 2017 Private Club of the Year. With such a rich tennis history, it is exciting to once again be acknowledged for a sport that is so important to this Golf and Country Club. For years, The Hamlet hosted the prestigious Hamlet Cup Tennis Tournament, and event that was used as a warm up for the U.S. Open for more than 16 years. The eight Hamlet tennis courts have been graced by such world renowned players as Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang, to name a few. Though the Hamlet Cup Tournament is now a fond memory, The Hamlet can boast new exciting traditions that are being cultivated today through programming for our members and their guests. This programming includes weekly Adult Cardio and Tennis Zones, Kids Tennis Zones, Tuesday Night Tennis and Sunday Morning Tennis. The Hamlet will introduce a season-long tennis ladder, fabulous holiday events and tournaments, and finishing the season with the annual exciting Club Championships. All these programs and events will be played on the Club’s six immaculate hard courts, as well as the two HarTru courts, all of which are lit for evening play.

As if The Hamlet’s members do not have enough programming to choose from, the Club is also the host site for some of the most exciting tennis events that are happening on Long Island. The Long Island Tennis Challenge, featuring local amateur and pro players, will be held at The Hamlet on Saturday, June 10. The Long Island Executive Cup will make its debut on Thursday, May 25, where the best Suffolk County Boys High School Tennis Team will face off with the best Nassau County Boys High School Tennis Team. Other events scheduled include The Boys High School Tennis “Play for Autism” and The Girls High School Tennis “Play for Pink” fundraisers, Suffolk County’s USTA Kids Day, plus The

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

Hamlet will also be the home of two USTA Women’s Level 4.0 Tennis Teams. The Hamlet’s history and current exciting tennis programming make it one of the most popular destinations for tennis enthusiasts looking for great amenities in a private country club setting. When purchased by ClubCorp, “The world leader of Private Country Clubs,” the Club underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, including improvements to the clubhouse, golf course, pool area and tennis courts. This fall, the Club’s bar, dining area and new patio will be undergoing an additional full renovation. ClubCorp’s refreshing philosophy of what the modern Country Club looks like, is drawing attention to The Hamlet, from Manhattan to Montauk. With such a beautiful environment in which to enjoy the game in mind, The Hamlet has developed new Social Memberships, catering to tennis and pool enthusiasts, as well as young professionals who are just starting to add golf to their busy lives. Seniors who enjoy the private club experience, but do not golf often, and everyone in between. If you are interested in learning more about the new, exciting Hamlet Golf and Country Club, you may contact Membership Director Hillary Epstein at the Club by calling (631) 499-5200 or email Hillary.Epstein@ClubCorp.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

TENNIS IN THE HAM n the summer, people across Long Island and New York City flock to the Hamptons. When the hot weather arrives, hoards of people leave Manhattan for the luxury confines of The Hamptons where they can enjoy the sun, while sitting by the pool or ocean, and taking part in an array of outdoor activities. Each town in the Hamptons has its own unique feel, but one thing that remains the same is the amount of activities to be done whether it is going to the beach, kayaking, biking, trips to the wineries or taking in the East End nightlife, there is something for everyone. Tennis may be the favorite activity of the Hamptons life and there is no shortage of the sport in Eastern Long Island. There is no better way to spend a sunny morning or afternoon than getting some exercise on the court with friends. Below is a list of some of the spots to play tennis, as well as the places to shop for the latest equipment and apparel. Whether you are in Westhampton Beach, Amagansett or anywhere in-between, we look forward to seeing you on the courts in the Hamptons this summer!

Gotham Tennis Academy 2155 Montauk Highway • Amagansett, N.Y. GothamTennis.com/Hamptons.html Gotham Tennis Academy in the Hamptons offers a full range of tennis programs and camps at the Napeague Tennis Club in Amagansett. Its membership offers unlimited court usage and priority booking, as well as free private lessons. Can’t get out to the club? That’s no problem, as Gotham offers home lessons. It can dispatch one of its friendly and certified tennis professionals to your home court anywhere in the Hamptons.

Clubs/Programs

Peter Kaplan’s Eastside Tennis Academy is the only tennis academy in the world that the USTA selected to be a part of the USTA members benefits program to both juniors and adults. Located in Westhampton Beach, the facility features 12 fast Dri Courts, as well as a basketball court, and is offering discounted memberships, which include stringing services and private instruction, for the upcoming summer. The experienced staff has taught players of all levels and ages, and programs are tailored to fit the individual’s needs. Day camps and overnight camps, as well as nightly and weekend stays at the beautiful Grassmere Inn are available to get the full Hamptons treatment.

Future Stars Southampton 1370A Majors Path • Southampton, N.Y. FutureStarsSouthampton.com Future Stars Southampton is located just a couple miles north of the Village of Southampton in North Sea Park, and is a year-round training facility with eight state-of-the-art outdoor tennis courts, four Har-Tru and four Deco Turf, for the spring, summer and fall outdoor seasons. In the summer, tennis camps offer the perfect mix of match play, drill work, strategy sessions and off-court activities to challenge players of all levels. The program is designed to improve every facet of the game, including technical, tactical, physical and mental components under the guidance of experienced and enthusiastic tennis professionals.

Peter Kaplan Tennis Academy 7 Beach Lane • Westhampton Beach, N.Y. WestHamptonBeachTennis.com

Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Ross.org/TennisAcademy

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

The Ross School is a unique and dynamic tennis program for both national and international junior players. It combines an engaging and global curriculum with the highest level of

AMPTONS

Sportime Quogue 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road • East Quogue, N.Y. SportimeNY.com/Quogue Sportime Quogue is a year-round, full-service tennis, fitness, summer competitive tennis training. The school is the first in the New York camp and sports facility City area to have a full academic program with a complete located in East Quogue, physical and mental conditioning program. The small, intimate N.Y., but serves the program is designed for USTA/ITF players in grades seventh surrounding towns of through 12th and is tucked away in beautiful East Hampton. Westhampton, Remsemberg, Quogue, Sag Harbor Park Tennis/Annacone Southampton, Hampton Bays, Eastport, Riverhead, the Moriches and Tennis Management the North Fork. The facility features four indoor Har-Tru clay courts 395 Main Street • Sag Harbor, N.Y. and 22 outdoor Har-Tru courts, in addition to an outdoor pool, fullSagHarborParkTennis.com • AnnaconeTennis.com service health and fitness club, a multi-sport court, child care, locker Sag Harbor Park Tennis rooms, a full-serve spa/wellness center and café. Sportime Quogue is located in serves tennis players starting at the age of three, and features junior Mashashimuet Park pathway programs, as well as adult tennis. and is home to Annacone Tennis Shops Management, led by Set Point Tennis Steve Annacone and 471/2 Main Street • East Hampton, N.Y. • SetPointEast.com his staff of former Set Point Tennis is located professionals. The in East Hampton and facility features eight Har-Tru Clay Courts, as well as two all-weather provides the Hamptons Hard Courts. Sag Harbor Park Tennis offers some of the best rates in with an ideal place to not the Hamptons, and has programs and instruction for players of all only find the latest tennis levels and ages. They customize and implement the perfect program products, but also provide for each individual’s tennis needs, whether you are a recreational or shoppers with competitive player. professional and personalized advice. Set Sportime Amagansett Point Tennis has an array of the newest tennis products, from rackets 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, N.Y. to apparel, from brand-names to the latest trends, as well as racquet SportimeNY.com/Amagansett stringing services. Set Point Tennis has racket specialists that will not Located in the heart of only fit you to your ideal racket, but also provide stringing services, as the Hamptons, well as racket demos and half-hour hitting sessions. Sportime Amagansett has it all. Sportime Tennis East Amagansett features 73 Main Street • Southampton, N.Y. • TennisEast.com 33 outdoor Har-Tru For nearly five decades, Tennis East has been a staple of the tennis courts, one tennis community on deco-turf tennis and Long Island’s East End. multi-sport court, a Tennis East offers an 1,500-square-foot outdoor swimming pool, a mini-basketball court extensive selection of and playground, three natural turf sports fields, two club houses and men’s, women’s and a camp house, in addition to a pro shop and snack bar. Sportime junior’s rackets, apparel, Amagansett offers dynamic programming and instruction for both sneakers, strings and juniors and adults, as well as a wide range of tennis and social accessories. Tennis East events. keeps up to date with the latest and most popular products to make sure its customers are always up to date with the newest gear, and it even features a complete line of 10 & Under tennis equipment, as well as a line of other racket sports, such as paddle ball or pickle ball. Stringing services and demo rackets are also available. LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

The Development of Character in Today’s Juniors By Luke Jensen cannot wait for summer tennis! I love all of it … from hard courts to clay courts with all the heat and humidity. The entire country has tennis action for all levels and the courts are packed! There are some really good pro tournament options from coast to coast. The summer season ends at the U.S. Open in New York City, but one of my favorite events is in the A-T-L. Atlanta has an ATP event for the mega fan who wants to see the game up close and personal. Atlanta is one of the best tennis cities in the world and the talent behind the racket is evident in every club and subdivision tennis court. So when the ATP Tour comes to town with all the global tennis talent, the energy is amazing. Now add one of the coolest venues

to play a tournament in Atlantic Station and the BB&T Atlanta Open should be a stop on your tennis list this summer. My own summer tennis calendar is filling up from May through September with tennis camp and club appearances, plus some World TeamTennis action on the TV side of the ball. I’m pumped for tennis this summer, and one thing I really enjoy doing is talking to young players about our great game. I try instilling a passion for what is possible through tennis if you apply yourself. I tell them about my family’s journey in tennis and how all of us are still part of the game in different ways after 50 years involved with the sport. I have found a magic within the game that I want to share with young players. When I ask young players why they play tennis, I usually get a blank look back in my direction. When I speak to tournament players about their confidence under pressure,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

they seem to avoid the question. As I have explained to the next generation of our game, tennis needs to be fun. No matter what the outcome, playing happily is paramount. I go to tournaments these days with my nieces and nephews, and am saddened to see so many kids on court who are not having fun. I’m going to really sound old, but way back when I played, there was a buzz in the game. So many of us had a hunger and desire for greatness. Climbing up the rankings and developing new skills to improve was always the theme in practice sessions. My junior tennis development was always based on a tomorrow’s game approach. At the point when I was around 17- or 18-years-old, my physical skills were ready for anyone on the planet, but my tennis skills had to be there as well or I was going to be too far behind. I was blessed with amazing parents who were athletes and understood this approach, gracing both myself and my brother with very talented coaches. One of those was at the perfect time in my development as I was entering my sophomore year in high school and began working with Brian Marcus. Brian was a standout at the University of Michigan and played on the pro tour before slowing down to raise his family with his amazing wife Donna. Brian taught me the Jack Kramer “Big Game.” Kramer, a legendary Wimbledon champion, revolutionized the attacking style that dominated the game, the serve and volley on both serves, while returning and attacking on second serve returns. Brian knew my game of tomorrow would be about moving forward. The first four months of training was about the big game every day and in everything I did. By the end of the four months, I had a complete game due to an endless stream of consistent ground-

strokes with added tactical punch with the serve and volley. After just two years with Brian, I was playing in my first U.S. Open. Brian moved his family to be a cornerstone of the Atlanta Athletic Club tennis family. I think it was because of the golf and sand trap right next to his office. I was influenced by other mentors like Dick Leach, my college coach at USC, who was a master in match tactics. Others like Brian Gottfried, Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King taught me the work ethic of a professional and the understanding of how to play under pressure better during big points. All of the coaches, like my first tennis coach Don Dickinson, taught me the fundamentals, and most importantly, how to have fun through all the ups and downs of development. All of these mentors were tremendously high-character people that had a deep faith in giving back to others. I was honored to work with all of them, and owe everything I have accomplished in tennis to them. I often wonder, when I watch juniors compete and practice today, what values of life and learning are being instilled in them? The USTA has built the National Campus in Orlando, and I call it “The Death Star!” The largest tennis facility on the planet for all levels of play, but mainly to develop American tennis champions. Millions of dollars have been poured into this project, but I wonder how much character is being developed in these approaches to develop a player’s greatness. It doesn’t take millions of dollars to teach fundamentals in character building … it just takes coaches and mentors who believe in developing the person first and the player second. The greatest gift from all my coaches was to treat the two imposters—victory and defeat—one in the same. Once I mastered that, I could lose a match but was never defeated. Have a wonderful summer of 2017! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. Luke is currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com. LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Nadal Seeks to Reclaim His Throne Rafa looks to reign over Roland Garros By Bri an C ol eman

t has been three years since Rafael Nadal hoisted the winning trophy on the clay courts of Roland Garros, but the 2017 version of the King of Clay is out to snap that streak and reclaim his throne. The nine-time French Open champion has shown positive signs in the early months of the year, which included a magical run to the Australian Open finals, and there is no one more excited for the tennis season to switch to the clay courts than Nadal. “Since the beginning of the year, everything has gone better than expected,” Nadal said. “I am very happy about the first part of the season on hard courts before the clay arrives. I won a lot of matches. I have a lot of points. I am still defending a lot of points on clay the next four tournaments, especially the first three events, but I won a lot of points during the first part of the season, so that helps.” Last year, Nadal captured titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and reached the semifinals and quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome, respectively, and the Mallorca, Spain native will once again be using those big tournaments to get himself ready for Paris. It has been a trying couple of years for Nadal, as injuries have slowed him down and prevented him from returning to the form that made him an all-time great. He began 2016 by playing six tournaments in the first three months and was successful in the early claycourt season, but a wrist injury prohibited him from participating in the 2016 French Open. He would play in just a handful of tournaments the rest of the year, which included a Bronze Medal at the Olympics in Rio, but mixed results in ATP tournaments. That followed an up and down 2015 campaign that saw his ranking drop to as low as 10th in the world, his lowest mark since 2005.

continued on page 16 LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

nadal seeks to reclaim his throne continued from page 15

It included a disappointing defeat in the third round of the U.S. Open, where he blew a two-sets-to-love lead on Italy’s Fabio Fognini, snapping a streak of 151 straight wins at Grand Slams when holding a two-set lead. “What I am doing worse is playing worse than what I used to do the last couple of years,” Nadal said with some semblance of self-doubt after that defeat to Fognini in Flushing Meadows. “That’s it. It’s easy to understand, easy to explain, difficult to change. But I’m going to do it.” Even at the peak of his career, many tennis people believed that his playing style would not be kind to him in the long run; that he would not be able to sustain

that type of physical tennis late into his career. And it seemed that those people were correct as the Spaniard struggled through 2015 and 2016. But Nadal has returned with a vengeance so far in 2017. Even playing in tough weather conditions and on hardcourts, Nadal hasn’t displayed any signs of the injuries and wear-and-tear that has previously halted him. He reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane before making his run to the finals in Melbourne. He was a finalist in Acapulco and fell to Federer in the Round of 16 in Indian Wells, before once again losing to Federer in the Miami Open final. Nadal’s first title of 2017 came on the

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familiar Monte Carlo clay courts for the 10th time and there is no debate that he is a different player than the one we have seen in the last couple of years, which only bodes well for his run on clay. No man has dominated a tournament quite like Nadal has the French Open. He won the championship there every year from 2005-2008, and again from 20102014. It all began when he was just a teenager 12 years ago when he entered the tournament as the favorite. That pressure didn’t faze him one bit as he dropped just two sets throughout his whole run. One of those set defeats came in the finals, but Nadal still captured his maiden Grand Slam title in 2005 with a 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 win over Argentina’s Mariano Puerta in Roland Garros. From then onward, the Nadal Era was born in Roland Garros. His 2005 run began a streak of 31 consecutive wins on the French clay, spanning a run of four titles, as the dominant lefty established himself as the greatest clay court player ever. His first loss would come to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the 2009 edition of the tournament, an upset that is still hard to believe even eight years later. “I was not calm enough to face the important points, so I had to fight. But sometimes fighting is not enough. You have to play a good level of tennis,” Nadal said after falling to Soderling. “People think I

win because I’m physically fit, but, no. When I win, it’s because I play well, and that wasn’t the case today.” The defeat came just a month after Nadal had trounced Soderling 6-0, 6-1 in Rome, making it even more shocking. Soderling would go on to reach the finals, but fell to Federer in the title match. But that loss would prove to be an aberration for Nadal, as he rattled off 36 more wins in a row, winning five more titles, until that streak was snapped by then world number one Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Just like Soderling, Djokovic would reach the finals, but come up short against a Swiss, as he fell to Stan Wawrinka. As we approach this year’s installment of Roland Garros, all signs point to Rafael Nadal reintroducing himself to the tennis world as the King of Clay. He is back up to number five in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, and if not for Federer, would be playing the best tennis of anyone in the world so far this year. With the world’s top two players, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, both having absentee years thus far as each deals with injuries and mental fatigue, the door is open for Nadal to once again display his brilliance on clay. Whereas many players find clay difficult to play on, Rafa embraces it and his physical style of play is perfectly suited for the sliding surface. With injuries no longer a lingering problem, Nadal is no doubt one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to capture the Roland Garros trophy for a remarkable 10th time. He has come a long way over the last couple of years to return to the level of play that made him a dominant force in tennis for years. And he cannot wait to get back onto those clay courts. “I am at a very high level of tennis right now, and I believe I am ready to win titles,” Nadal said. “I’m playing well enough to fight for everything. When I am playing this well, it always helps a little bit for me on clay. I am very excited about playing on clay again.” Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

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2017 French Open: 10

BY TROY H

1. Roger Federer. Needless to say, all eyes are on Roger as he stands 19-1 to date in 2017 and is 7-0 against players ranked inside the top 10. Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title in Melbourne back in January, and continued his dominance by winning Indian Wells and Miami back to back. Currently ranked fourth in the world, Federer has picked up more than 4,000 ranking points already this year. He plans to skip all tournaments leading up to the French Open, so look for Federer to be fresh going into the year’s second Grand Slam. 2. Rafael Nadal. Following right behind the early success of his old foe Roger, Rafa Nadal seems to be playing his best tennis in years. Nadal ripped through the draw in Melbourne before meeting Federer in the finals where he lost a five-set epic match. Rafa would again play Federer at Indian Wells, and in Miami met him in the finals, but lost in straight sets on both occasions. The nine-time Roland Garros champ had to withdraw from last year’s tournament with a nagging wrist injury, but looked very dangerous on the dirt as always. The upcoming clay court season looks promising for “The King of Clay” who has only ever lost two matches in Paris in 12 years playing the event. Look for a 18

gritty Rafa to make the push for his 15th major title and 10th taste of the French Open trophy. 3. Kerber’s test. With Serena Williams out for the rest of 2017 after announcing her pregnancy, Angelique Kerber is expected to reclaim the world number one spot ahead of Roland Garros. The two-time Grand Slam champion from Germany hasn’t always fared well in Paris as her best showing was a quarterfinal appearance back in 2012, and she was bounced by Kiki Bertens in the first round last year. Kerber hasn’t played her best tennis so far in 2017, but look for her to reverse that trend at this year’s French Open. 4. If you don’t know Garbine Muguruza by now … she’s a big serving, powerful baseliner who unexpectedly beat Serena Williams in straight sets in last year’s French Open final. Although the reigning Roland Garros champion has had success here before, Muguruza has been inconsistent and unpredictable since her first taste of Grand Slam glory. While this is the case, don’t count her out of the running for this year’s title because she knows her way around a clay court.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

5. Did somebody say Nick Kyrgios? The flashy, young Aussie has been nothing short of entertaining this year, just as he has been since bursting onto the scene in 2013. The difference four years later? He’s been playing consistent tennis which has been backing up his flashy shotmaking and outspoken personality. He defeated Novak Djokovic twice in two weeks in the month of March, in Acapulco and again in Indian Wells. Kyrgios is 9-2 since the beginning of March and has been hitting highlight reel shots in what seems like every match. Look for Kyrgios to be both winning and entertaining at the 2017 French Open. 6. Slumps. It’s almost scary how similar these two have started 2017. Both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray began their respective seasons in Qatar, where they met in a three set final which could have easily gone either way (Djokovic won). In Melbourne, Djokovic was ousted by Denis Istomin in the second round, while Murray lost in the fourth round to Mischa Zverev. At the Mexican Open in Acapulco, Djokovic bowed out

10 Things to Look For

TROY HAAS

in the quarter finals to Nick Kyrgios, while on the other side of the world, Murray picked up his lone title in Dubai over Fernando Verdasco. Just when it seemed both players were finding their stride, they both suffered early exits in Indian Wells where Murray failed to win even one match. Both players then withdrew from the Masters in Miami, citing the same exact injury just days apart. Both Djokovic and Murray are 12-3 in 2017, both have only one title, both suffered early exits in Melbourne and Indian Wells, and both players cited elbow injuries right before Miami. But don’t expect their struggles to continue for much longer, and the two greats will look to bounce back after a rough start to 2017. 7. Look for Jack Sock, plain and simple. The guy is on fire in 2017. Sock has a record of 185 and has already racked up two titles (Delray Beach and Auckland). He started 2017 ranked 23rd in the world, but has climbed to 14th in the world since then. He battled his way to the semifinals at Indian Wells, beating Dimitrov and Nishikori, and easily made it to the quarterfinals in Miami. Who did he lose to? None other than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who are arguably the best players so far in 2017. Sock has been trending upward recently, so look for a big win against a top player at Roland Garros.

8. The young and up-andcoming (men). Be on the lookout for a handful of young guns in the men’s draw. Alexander Zverev, Lucas Pouille (pictured above), Karen Khachanov, Frances Tiafoe and Jared Donaldson are all top 100 players who can make some noise at any Grand Slam and some will likely get direct entry into the main draw of the year’s second Slam. Leading the pack is the 19-year-old Zverev, who has quite possibly the most potential of his generation. Zverev won his second career title in Montipellier where he beat veterans, and home crowd favorites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. In Miami, Zverev triumphed over big serving American John Isner, and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka before losing to Nick Kyrgios in a nail-biter of a quarterfinal. These guys are capable of stringing together a couple solid wins, so look out for the youngsters at Roland Garros. 9. The young and up-andcoming (women). All eyes should be on Daria Kasatkina, Ana Konjuh, Jelena Ostapenko, CiCi Bellis (pictured above) and the other members of the under-20 club. Bellis is the youngest of the crew at just 18-yearsold and has begun 2017 under the radar due to an injury, but began the year as the youngest player in the top 100 after

turning pro last year. She recorded her first top 10 win over Agnieszka Radwanska in Dubai to reach the quarterfinals, which catapulted her 14 spots in the rankings to world number 56. In 2015, Bellis started out ranked 248th in the world. Be on the lookout for these young ladies, as they can most definitely make some noise if provided the right draw. 10. The Maria Sharapova Comeback Tour. After a reduced, 15month ban for a doping violation, two-time French Open champion Maria Sharapova finds herself unranked and needing to get a wild card into the event. Although there has been much debate on the tour whether or not she should be receiving wild cards, she has, in fact, received three other wild cards to clay court events leading up to Roland Garros. Sharapova has found Grand Slam success in Paris, playing the event 13 times in the past 14 years. In that span, she has made the quarterfinals or better eight times and is 53-11 in matches at Roland Garros. It would be sad to see her not replicate that success in 2017, but rules are rules. If we see Sharapova receives a wild card into the draw, there’s no way of knowing how her tennis will be, but she is probably more motivated than ever to compete for a third French Open title and sixth Grand Slam championship. Troy Haas is a contributor to Long Island Tennis Magazine. He can be reached at THaas909@gmail.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

junior tennis spotlight

MYTHBUSTERS Can We Warm-Up the Atmosphere in Entry Level Tournaments and Younger Age Groups? BY R I C K Y BE C K E R

hate saying it about a sport that I care deeply about that is in my blood, but I’ll say it anyway. The tournament setting for a 12 & Under or a 10 & Under child can be cold, freezing, unattractive and downright unappealing. I have long maintained that the lobby of a 10 & Under and 12 & Under tournament has so much more tension to it than that of the older age groups. By the time one gets to the 18 and 16

Divisions, many of the players and parents know each other. At the higher Sectional Level, families pretty much all know each other and have probably even spent time together on the road at Nationals where families from the same Section usually socialize with one another. There’s this feeling in the lobbies of the clubs at 18 and 16 Division events that “we are all in this together.” Yes, everyone is competing with one another, but there is a feeling that “I know what you are going through as a tennis family. I’m going through it too.” At the 10s and 12s level, there isn’t this

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

familiarity between the kids on-the-court and families in the lobby. There is a general distrust of one another. Nobody really knows one another. People are insecure about whether are they falling behind and everyone is trying to gain an edge. At this age group, line calls truthfully aren’t so great either. I think there are two reasons for this. First, younger kids, maturity-wise, don’t feel as guilty making a poor call. Second, and there is no doubt in my mind about this, younger kids, as well as inexperienced adult players, are just not as “practiced” in

making a close call. If my eyesight is 20/20 and I’ve been involved heavily in tennis for 30 years, I’m going to have 30 times the experience or practice at making a correct close call than a child playing their first year of junior tournaments. I simply think a lot of kids make poor calls for and against themselves accidentally. I have had numerous experiences with students of mine and other children who don’t play tournaments any more. Many of them are good athletes who play other sports. When I ask why they stopped, the answer often is, “I couldn’t take the cheating.” Whether the bad calls were intentional or not, families starting in tournaments that I have spoken to really gravitated to sports that had officials. I have two ideas that could bridge this gap between tournament tennis and a good experience. First, the USTA should provide two or three extra officials for every 10 & Under and 12 & Under tournament on the USTA calendar. The individual tournaments simply do not bring

in enough revenue to pay for more than one. The purpose of these officials, obviously isn’t that the 12s and 10s are more important. They aren’t to the kids who continue through the pathway. The purpose of these officials is to ensure that fair play is being exhibited. Hopefully, having more officials on hand could breed players who are sportsmanlike and fair as they get older. Yes, this would be expensive, but consider that the USTA built a $60 million complex in Florida to grow the game. I think this would be a drop in the bucket expensewise and would be able to serve people all across the country, not just those who drop by the beautiful complex in Lake Nona, Fla. Second, maybe each district of USTA Eastern can have a one-hour seminar to new tennis families about starting USTA tournaments. What does each level mean? How early should you get to the club for a match? What should you bring? What if we forget the score? Is it appropriate for parents to clap … and anything else people need to know. I still

remember Annalies Karp gathering the top eight kids from USTA Eastern at a now-defunct racquet club in Freeport to tell us the ins-and-outs of playing Nationals and what we needed to know (such as never say “Oh my G-D” in the South or you will get a point penalty). It was a great experience seeing my normal competitors in regular clothes in a non-competitive setting and feeling like we are all in this together. It made Nationals more fun. This can be done on the Sectional level as well. As tennis people, we have more in common with one another than we often do with our next door neighbor. We are all in this together. Ricky Becker is director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independently coaches high-performance juniors yearround at Bethpage State Park and Jericho/Westbury Tennis where he is the junior tournament director. He can be reached by phone at (516) 605-0420, email rbecker06@yahoo.com or visit JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Grip, Throw, Serve: It’s Simple If You Start Early

Figure 01 By Lisa Dodson Here is the big question: How can we expect players to do something as complicated as serving when they cannot throw and release a ball directly out of their hand? In this article, I am going to stress the importance of the grip and a throwing release as central principles to a great serve. We’re going to target kids with a special importance emphasis on girls. Let’s look at two critical commonalities between throwing and serving. The first one is pretty obvious, but the second one is not. l The grip is the same to allow natural arm movement [see Figure 01]. l The release point of a throw equals the contact point of a serve [see Figure 02]. It all starts with the grip: We’ve all heard the statement that girls cannot throw, so in turn, they cannot serve. That can go for many people, not just girls. So, why not teach players to throw first? Now we can say that if girls can throw, then they can 22

serve and consequently, anyone can serve. It’s much easier to learn to throw than to serve, so it only makes sense to do the easier and more productive thing first. We also assume that boys and men can throw, but that is not necessarily true. They will need throwing basics, too. It’s time to stop talking and start doing by using the throw as a stepping stone to serving. It’s obvious that some kids, boys in particular, serve more naturally. Boys just throw more things than girls as they grow up: Rocks, toys, sticks, balls, etc. Who would have thought that skipping stones on a pond would lead to a great slice serve motion? Kids who evolve and throw well seem to adopt a grip on an individual item that works. That’s it. Their bodies understand how to produce efficient movements simply because that is how the human body works best. Some tennis pros have players throwing things like footballs, baseballs, rackets and cones, but they are in the minority. Throwing things is great fun and keeps things simple for learning the serve. Whatever you are throwing will go further, harder and higher if it is gripped

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

Figure 02 properly. All players, girls in particular, need to be taught this simple principle from the beginning. The release point and how it equals contact point One cannot achieve an efficient release point or contact point with a poor grip. The hold on a ball or racket determines how the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, bicep and shoulder can move. If the start

Figure 03 is off, then the chain of movement up to the shoulder will be off. Not only does this inhibit power, accuracy and efficiency, but causes debilitating short- and long-term injuries. Releasing a ball out of the hand is a pretty basic task once you get the hang of it, and it’s somewhat obvious that the release point will dictate the direction, height and distance the ball will go.

Release equals the contact point When contacting a served ball on the strings [see Figure 03], the arm and hand move in the same way as it does when you release a ball to throw. This is called pronation (the action of the hand going from an inside to an outside position by means of the wrist, forearm, elbow and bicep, not necessarily involving the shoulder). If you can find those similarities, then you’re on your way. There are many similarities between throwing and serving but here are two big differences that all players should be aware of: l The racket stays in your hand, instead of releasing it as you would with a throw. l Throw up for a serve, as opposed to throwing down or out for a pitch or close target throwing. The throw and the serve: How they are alike and how they differ Never allow a child to serve until they have some proficiency with throwing. Let’s keep

this really simple. It’s much easier to throw so learn throwing first. Use these simple check points to teach kids to throw and therefore to serve: 1. Hold the ball (grip) or racket grip with the same left/right orientation. 2. Always give them a target. The target should be close to start. 3. Set the student up sideways to the target with the front foot tipping in at a 45degree angle and the back foot at a 90-degree angle (more or less). Legs are flexed. 4. Start with the throwing hand behind the head with the ball facing the back of the head for the throw and the racket handle and fingernails toward the head for the serve. 5. The triceps should be parallel to the ground and the elbow back to the fence for both. 6. Stretch the non-throwing arm and hand across the body. For the throw, the palm will be facing the ground or tipped to target point. For the serve, continued on page 24

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grip, throw, serve continued from page 23

Figure 04

Figure 05

the palm of the hand is angled up with the ball in it. 7. Before initiating the throw, start pulling the free arm and hand across the body and rotate the back foot so that the heel is coming up and the bottom of the foot will be flat in back. For the serve start pulling the toss arm down and across the body. 8. Release/Contact: Initiate the throw, releasing toward target and finishing with the palm away from the body. Initiate the serve, pronating hand at contact (move the hand to an outside position for finish with the butt of the racket coming out the right side of the hand)

leaving palm facing away from the body. Eyes are always on the target for the throw and on the ball for the serve. 9. Finish the throw with free arm tucked to left of the body, eyes forward, throwing arm across body and back foot rotated. Finish the serve similarly, but with the upper body more upright and eyes now on the opponent. Things to do daily on court or off to reinforce grip and contact point Players of all ages and levels make their biggest strides when not hitting a ball. Encourage them to feel the movements with-

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

out hitting. Then they will have the best chance to learn, change and improve. 1. Partner throw: Start inside the service line, gradually moving back a few paces at a time. Depending upon the age they may finish up throwing baseline to baseline. This reinforces the grip, non-dominant arm use and pronation 2. Partner throw over the fence: Start 1215 feet back from the fence and end up two or three feet from the fence. This will promote upward hitting for the serve [see Figure 04]. 3. Abbreviated pronation exercise: Start in abbreviated position and swing up to contact. Let the racket head move in a natural arc over a mostly still hand. Finish with the hand at shoulder height with the butt of the racket coming out the right side of the hand (for right handed players) [see Figure 05]. Do the right thing The most likely scenario for a successful serve is to spend five to 10 minutes a day throwing to reinforce grip and to feel natural movement. The legs and non-dominant arm will learn to do what they need to do simply because they are given the opportunity to figure it out with repetition. The sure way to set kids up for failure on the serve is to allow them to start serving with a forehand grip. The correct grip is an issue that tennis pros attempt to reinforce with a tennis racket and with little success. We put a racket in a kid’s hand and expect them to persevere, fail a lot and stick with it. Ha. When that fails, because we want success, we allow them to use a forehand grip and leave transitioning for later or, more likely, for someone else. Learning to play tennis is all about technique and not about hitting a ball. Spend more time working on core basics for easier and more natural learning. Learn to throw in order to serve. You’ll be happy that you spent your time wisely. Lisa Dodson is the developer and owner of Servemaster, a USPTA Elite Professional and a former WTA world-ranked player. She is currently the director of tennis at Shenorock Shore Club in Rye, N.Y. She may be reached by e-mail at Lisa@TheTotalServe.com or visit TheTotalServe.com.

Inwood Country Club: A Shining South Shore Summer Destination

nwood Country Club is one of the premier family-oriented country clubs on the South Shore of Long Island. Founded in 1901, Inwood played a significant role in the history of golf. Bobby Jones won his first major at Inwood at the 1923 U.S. Open, and Walter Hagen won the first of his five PGA Championships at Inwood. Inwood also features an Atlantic Ocean Beach Club, 10 Har-Tru tennis courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and rooms and suites for members who make Inwood their summer residences. Conveniently located just 30 minutes from Manhattan, and 10 minutes from JFK Airport, Inwood has something special for everyone. Inwood Tennis is now considered one of the premier country club programs on Long Island. Inwood Country Club won the 2015 USTA Long Island Private Club of the Year Award. The program caters to all levels of play, from a 2.5 Level Beginner Player, to a 5.0 Level Advanced Player. Head Tennis Pro David Brent has obtained many National and Eastern rankings, and in 2009 and 2011, was a finalist at the USTA 55 National Grass Court Doubles Championships. An avid participant in the Country Club Leagues, Inwood won the Long Island Men’s Tennis League (LIMTL) in 2011 and made it to the semifinals of the North Shore Men’s Tennis League (NSMTL) that same year. In season, there is a ladies clinic every Friday and a children’s clinic every Saturday. Inwood’s pros are available for lessons and hitting seven days a week. In addition

to the usual pick-up games or club tournaments, Inwood Country Club offers a variety of dining events throughout the year, all of which provide exceptional value and entertainment to its members. In addition to its traditional, formal dining events, Inwood Country Club also offers family-friendly buffet dinners, and pub nights featuring casual attire and cuisine. Inwood’s Sunday Evening Bingo Dinners have been very successful and all ages, both young and old, are invited to attend. Theme dinners, such as Italian Night; Steak, Jeans & Martinis; and Cinco de Mayo are also very popular. Summers at Inwood Country Club are second to none, as the Club has the unique

distinction of serving as a full-service beach facility. Every Thursday evening, there is an informal beach party and lobster bakes with music and casual fare. Inwood’s weekend beach themed parties, such as July 4th and Havana Nights, have always been favorites among Club members, and this year promises to be no exception. During the summer, there is no place like the beach, and when at the beach, there is no place like Inwood! To experience Inwood Country Club in person, call Membership Director Heidi Stanya at (516) 239-2800, ext. 186, or email Membership@InwoodCC.org to arrange a visit.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Grand Slam Tennis 214 Commack Road Commack, N.Y. (631) 499-6444 What are specialty stores? Specialty stores are a place to go and receive extensive, dedicated, and welcoming services that do not include the click of a mouse while sitting at your computer desk or on your phone. Jim and Chase Donnelly are the proud owners and operators of Grand Slam Tennis and have been for 30 years! With the help of Jim’s son Chase managing Grand Slam, Jim has had the opportunity to expand his interest in growing tennis. Grand Slam is a welcoming environment for any tennis player, whether you’re a recreational, club or tournament level. Their services provide an array of possibilities: Tennis racquet, badminton, squash and racquetball re-stringing/re-gripping, tennis attire (women’s, men’s and children’s), tennis tutor ball machines (sales, services and trials), tennis nets, ball hoppers, tennis bags, tennis racquet sales, tennis sneakers, accessories, and a whole lot more. Grand Slam Tennis is 1,800-square feet of tennis equipment, with one side dedicated solely to tennis attire, and the other as pictured to tennis racquets, sneakers and four top of the line stringing machines. Your experience at Grand Slam Tennis is guaranteed to be different from any other store. The staff is very experienced, knowledgeable and willing to help. When looking to buy a tennis racquet or ball machine, you are able to demo the equipment through our demo program. The demo program is geared toward the player, and is based on your feedback; therefore, you can be guided in the right direction in purchasing the right racquet for you. At the point of purchase, all of your information is stored in the computer database for future reference. See you on the court!

High Country Ski & Tennis 465 West Mount Pleasant Avenue Livingston, N.J. (973) 994-3630 HighCountrySkiAndTennis.com High Country Ski & Tennis is one of New Jersey’s premier tennis specialty shops. In existence for more than 27 years, High Country has New Jersey’s largest tennis showroom from March through September, and it is shrunk down in the winter months to focus on skiing and snowboarding. High Country prides itself on providing the best in clothing, equipment and customer service. As owner Bill Silverman says: “Our philosophy is to promote the game of tennis as much as our own company.” High Country carries the top manufactures and clothing providers in tennis, including Wilson, Babolat, Prince, Nike, Adidas and many more. High Country offers 24-hour racket stringing, grommet installs, re-gripping and free demos. With great customer service and competitive prices, High Country continues to grow each year. For more information, call (973) 994-3630 or visit HighCountrySkiAndTennis.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine •

PGA Tour Superstore 1254 Corporate Drive Westbury, N.Y. (516) 824-3000 PGATourSuperstore.com/Tennis PGA Tour Superstore is more than just a hub for golf lovers and is quickly making its tennis presence felt on Long Island. Located at 1254 Corporate Drive in Westbury, N.Y., PGA Tour Superstore has everything tennis players and fans are looking for, carrying all of the latest tennis rackets and equipment from the top names in tennis, including Prince, Babolat, Head, Wilson and more. They also carry a wide selection of tennis apparel and footwear from leading brands, such as adidas, Asics and Nike, as well as grips, strings and other accessories PGA Tour Superstore offers on-site stringing and its expert staff are players just like you, so they can help you out with any questions on stringing and products, and make sure you walk away with the product that is right for you. PGA Tour Superstore hosts in-house events and fundraisers year-round, and can help customize your event or tournament by offering gift cards, products, memberships and much more. For more information on the products and services we offer, call (516) 824-3000 or visit PGATourSuperstore.com/Tennis.

Set Point Tennis 47 1/2 Main Street East Hampton, NY (631) 324-5881 SetPointTennisEastHampton.com Info@SetPointEast.com Tennis enthusiasts find Set Point Tennis the ideal place for top of the line tennis racquets, sneakers, apparel, paddle tennis, accessories and more, catering to adults and kids at all skill levels. High Performance Tennis Coach Ricardo Winter is committed to providing you with personalized service, professional advice and a high-quality shopping experience: “Our mission is to engage people with innovative and inspiring products. We carefully track market trends to present a diverse array of merchandise. Customers can shop for the well-known tennis brands with a mixture of on-trend, active wear and golf attire.” Set Point Tennis provides in-store teaching professionals to take your game to the next level. We can set you up with one of our tennis pros for lessons at home or other locations and arrange games. Our racquet specialists, who have strung for top ATP players, can recommend the latest racquets, strings and grips. You can sample a demo racquet or book a half-hour test hitting session that would be applied to your purchase. Stringing is performed with Set Point’s high-tech stringing machine, using a broad selection of the highest-quality strings to accommodate all skill levels. For frequent stringing clients, special promotional programs are offered. Providing a unique experience with customers is key. Catch a live match in the store or discuss your perfect swing. Ultimately, customer service must be amazing. If you are a seasoned player or nurturing your inner champion, you can be confident that we will find products that suit your caliber, thanks to its welcoming and knowledgeable staff. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram. LITennisMag.com • May/June

Tennis East 73 Main Street Southampton, N.Y. (631) 283-9535 TennisEast@optonline.net For more than 45 years, Tennis East has been the year-round, full-service tennis store of choice for East End racket sport enthusiasts. Tennis East offers an extensive selection of men’s, women’s and junior’s rackets, apparel, sneakers, strings and accessories for players of all ages and skill levels. More so, Tennis East carries a complete line of 10 & Under Tennis equipment so that kids will have more fun playing tennis. Tennis East carries the most popular and latest product arrivals, so that its customers can use the same gear that the top tennis pros are using. The store stocks a full line of Nike, adidas, FILA, Babolat, Wilson and Head products. In addition, Tennis East has expanded its women’s apparel offering to include several new fashion designers. Allow Tennis East’s knowledgeable and friendly team members to assist you choose the proper new tennis, paddle or pickle ball racket to elevate your game. Tennis East has an extensive selection of rackets to demo and all daily fee charges will be credited towards your new adult racket purchase. Tennis East continues to string all customer and demo racquets on the Wilson Baiardo, which is the state-of-the-art stringing machine on the market. Tennis East is the conveniently located, one-stop shop for all your racquet sport needs, and is committed to providing personalized service, professional advice, competitive pricing and a unique shopping experience. Please look for special offers on Tennis East’s social network sites. For more information, contact us by phone at (631) 283-9535 or email Tennis East at TennisEast@optonline.net. 28

TopSpin Tennis & Fitness 218 Jericho Turnpike • Syosset, N.Y. (516) 364-9470 TopSpinTennisLI.com 500 Searingtown Road • Roslyn, N.Y. (516) 484-4200 • TopSpinTennisLI.com TopSpin Tennis & Fitness is Nassau County’s top tennis specialty shop. TopSpin relocated five years ago and is now centrally located at 218 Jericho Turnpike in Syosset, N.Y., directly across from Syosset Hospital. The second shop is located at the new “State-of-the-Art” tennis complex at Christopher Morley Tennis at the park in Roslyn/Manhasset. TopSpin provides one-hour expert stringing at both facilities. Known as the home of “Clothes for the Pros,” TopSpin has been serving Long Island tennis pros and players with equipment and the top fashion in the sport for more than 30 years. TopSpin’s staff is known for its expertise and high-quality service. You will find all the premier tennis brands of equipment, apparel and shoes at TopSpin for the whole family, including Nike, Adidas, K-Swiss, Asics, Babolat, Wilson, Head, Prince and many more. TopSpin carries the actual outfits and footwear worn at the U.S. Open and other major events by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. TopSpin carries a full line of fitness and workout apparel and running shoes, so you can go from the court to the gym in style. Their racket wall contains a large selection of frames, bags and accessories at great prices. Your racket can be strung while you wait. Ask any tennis enthusiast on Long Island and odds are they will be familiar with TopSpin as a great destination for tennis. TopSpin’s staff will ensure that, with the right equipment, you will reach your highest potential as a player and just as importantly, look great too. Long Island Tennis Magazine •

Take to the Courts With Total Concierge Services

icholas Cascio and the Total Concierge Services (TCS) team have been in the hospitality business for more than 20 years, having built relationships and clientele all around the world. Through mutual respect and many business concierge transactions, TCS has the capability of providing the most elite entertainment services possible. Nick and his team’s job is to plan out all premium services for their clients, allowing the client to feel free from the constriction of time that their particular schedules may or may not allow. TCS handles all of this with the upmost professionalism and privacy, and their reasonable service charge treats the client like a true VIP. Picture the U.S. Open with all aspects of the VIP experience … TCS will plan out

the entire day and/or vacation, from beginning to end, including all of the elite amenities. TCS’s transportation division will handle travel arrangements, from private charter jet to extended luxurious black car/SUV service, to and from the client’s accommodations. TCS’s hotel division includes the booking of accommodations with the amenities of early check in, spa reservations and fivestar concierge services for reservations to all restaurants. The arrival to Arthur Ashe Stadium includes a personal escort to private VIP seats and/or box. Take a stroll to the VIP concession area, where you’ll be met with some of the finest libations and canapés, while rubbing elbows with an array of celebrities and athletes. Top the night off with a trip to Mulberry Street with a fine taste of cappuccinos,

coffees and desserts. While in town, take in one of the great Broadway shows with premium seating. Join TCS for floor seats at a concert at Madison Square Garden, followed by backstage passes. Another stop can be an unobtainable reservation at one of the most elite restaurants in the city. What about Miami, Las Vegas or Los Angeles? TCS can provide all of these services anywhere desired and for any of the following: Sporting events, concerts, movie premieres, red carpet events, celebrity meet and greets, luxurious dinners, travel, and much more. Allow TCS to service you by making all of the arrangements, from beginning to end, and only leaving you to enjoy the specific services we have provided. Visit TCSConcierge.com for more information.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Sportime World Tour Brings Indian Wells to Lynbrook

ours before Roger Federer defeated Stan Wawrinka to win his fifth BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells, Calif., Sportime Lynbrook hosted an Indian Wells-themed event as the Sportime World Tour continued to make its rounds across the tennis world. The second stop on the World Tour in 2017 brought together players from various Sportime clubs throughout Long Island to continue to showcase the improvement of its players in a fun and festive atmosphere. “I think it’s going great,” said Sportime Lynbrook Tennis Director Jeffery Morys. “This is the third year in a row that we’re running it and it keeps getting smoother. The best part is seeing the level of play from all the kids improve from year to year. Two or three years ago, there was a big difference between the different levels and age groups, but since we have been doing this together with all of the other clubs, we are seeing a much more even level from class to class, and from court to court.” In addition to the play on court, the event once again featured a party room where the players and spectators could hang out. DJ Curtis was on the turntables playing music and hosting dance contests, while food was being served, and the kids enjoyed a bouncy castle.

The fun and friendly atmosphere has gone a long way with the performance of the players on court, as it gives the kids something to look forward to in their classes and programs. It was evident as the different levels and age groups went through the drills and games throughout the day, showcasing their improvements on the court. “We want to make this a fun event that everybody is getting ready for, and it looks like everybody is putting in the hard work and practice to prepare for the

World Tours,” said Sportime World Tour Director Jason Wass. “It’s showing because we are having kids, at all levels, playing better than the time before, which is really encouraging. We’re always trying to find that next step to take, that next level to reach to enhance the event. We want them going out there and competing hard, but having fun while doing it. At the end of the day, the kids have a smile on their faces; the parents have a smile on their faces, so we walk away with smiles on our faces too.”

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Hosts 10th Annual High School Coaches Workshop

ethpage Park Tennis Center in Farmingdale, N.Y. recently held its 10th Annual High School Coaches Workshop, bringing together high school coaches and players from Long Island for an afternoon of drills, hitting sessions and tutorials. The clinic included some of the top players from the Bethpage Park facility, as well as local high school players, and combined with the coaches and instructors, provided a great way for all involved to learn from each other. It began with the coaches hitting on court with each other and Bethpage Park Tennis Center Co-Owners and Co-Tennis

Directors Keith Kambourian and Steve Kaplan provided presentations on different drills throughout. The event was made possible by Serve and Return Inc., and Sports and Fitness Performance. In addition, this year also featured help from the USTA and the USPTA. One of the primary objectives of the workshop is for the members of the local tennis community, both those who work for private businesses and those who coach at public schools, to develop relationships with each other in order to better the sport for all. “The goal for this yearly workshop is to enhance communication between the

tennis teaching and scholastic school coaching communities by sharing and exchanging ideas. This year, with support from Serve and Return Inc., Sports and Fitness Performance, the USTA and the USPTA, we had a successful workshop with coaches coming from all over Long Island to hit a few balls, network and learn new drills and techniques,” said Kaplan. “High school tennis is an invaluable experience for young tennis players, and the theme of this year’s workshop focused on how coaches can make school tennis more challenging for high performance players and more accessible for up and coming players.”

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

IN MEMORIAM

Left to Right: Alan King, Steve Levy, Jimmy Connors and Lornie Kuhle Photo taken at the Alan King Pro Tennis Classic at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas

nyone who had a love of the game of tennis from the early 1970s right up to today may have experienced the generosity and warm hospitality that Steve Levy offered on a regular basis throughout the tennis community of Long Island, NY where Steve lived. Steve's Long Island tennis friends were innumerable. Peter & Michael Fishbach, Bob Barker, George Gondleman, Renee Richards, Abby Segal, Sydney Schwartz, John Nogrady, Larry Parsant, Ronnie Kahn, and the list goes on and on. As a player, Steve achieved a high senior singles ranking in the Eastern Section. Steve's tennis relationships went far beyond the Long Island tennis community. On Steve's well-manicured clay court in Kings Point, NY, Alan King, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver, Fred Stolle, Roy Emerson, Pancho Gonzalez, Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Segura, Vitas Gerulaitis, Eddie Dibbs, Peter Fleming, Jimmy Connors, Charlie Pasarell and many more tennis greats all experienced warm friendships and tennis with Steve over the years. Very few people realize that Steve was the first spon-

sor of the US Open Junior Championships that began in 1973 when he was approached by Tournament Director Bill Talbert. That first contribution was followed by many more over the years, including sponsorship in numerous USTA Pro Circuit Events. As recently as 2014 Steve was a significant sponsor of bringing the USA vs. Great Britain Davis Cup tie to San Diego. Along with his son Morris, Steve sponsored several Pro-Ams that involved Grand Slam Champions pairing with local Long Island amateurs, raising thousands of dollars for charity. Steve's love of the game and its players often went well beyond the tennis court. If a tennis player had a problem, Steve was often the first to reach out and help. For decades, at the US Open Steve would generously offer his box seats to many who would never have had the chance to experience the excitement of the night matches "ringside." A family oriented man, Steve is survived by Renee, his wife of 63 years, 3 children, and 3 grandchildren, all of whom shared his love and enthusiasm for the game of tennis.

Steve Levy will be sorely missed by the game of tennis, and irreplaceable in the hearts of many! LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Making Beating Adversity a Habit By Emilio Sanchez-Vicario I’m writing from the terrace of the players’ lounge at the Indian Wells event, where the view is incredible, and the desert mountains in the background resemble a postcard. Fernando Verdasco just finished his match, as the hot temperature reached its peak around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a tough loss … Fernando couldn’t handle adversity the way I was hoping he could. We had practiced these types of situations a little, but after analyzing the match, it has become clear that these practices haven’t become a habit yet. There were chances and opportunities presented to him, but he could not make them materialize in results, as he was more focused on fighting with himself than his opponent. It was a frustrating sensation. As I’m writing, I keep thinking of how I could have turned this situation around, and to find the solution, I need to ask myself: Why does he get so angry with himself when he plays against the best Spanish player ever? Why is he so tough on himself? 34

World number 31 Fernando Verdasco getting some tips from coach Emilio Sanchez-Vicario in Indian Wells, Calif. during the BNP Paribas Open I’m sad because I was very motivated to get positive results quickly, and this was a good opportunity, as he was playing against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic before the semifinals. Can

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

you believe this difficult draw? It could have been an incredible opportunity to beat an entire tennis history in the same event, but it just wasn’t meant to be this time.

When we talked after the match, I explained to him, as I do many times to the students, that we cannot focus on results, we just have to focus on enjoying the ride and the fight. To enjoy these types of matches, you have to become resilient, and to get to that state, you need to face adversity. If he manages to become more resilient against the top players, he will be able to handle the pressure much better, face his problems, control his negative emotions, activate his abilities in difficult moments, learn from mistakes, recover better and survive any adversity thrown his way. I have realized once again that tennis is such a difficult sport. As I was leaving the court, I felt like a tennis player again. I felt the competition, looked into the opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, felt the desire to succeed, the frustration after a mistake in a key point, and I lived the visualization of what was going to happen. What I found most difficult was reading the opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game. Still, I was happy to be there. It was great to be in the front row again, and it was an amazing feeling to be rooting

for a player who has an amazing game and can dominate against anyone. I hope next time I can help him a bit more, and create new habits in practice that will make him believe in his game. I just had a long conversation with him about the match, and he believes in himself, but he is also aware of his weaknesses and knows he has to be more resilient. It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be easy, but I love challenges â&#x20AC;Ś the more difficult, the better. After so many years away from the Tour, a lot of faces have changed, but the work and the positions are exactly the same: l We have young trainees (new players) who have a great work ethic and nothing to lose. l We have players at their career peak (top players), who are tough and indestructible, and whose skills are almost perfect technically, tactically, physically and mentally. l We also have senior players who have a lot of experience and are mentally tough, but might not be as physically fit anymore.

With some minor exceptions, the players from these three categories are equal in a match, butÂ they have the same opponent: adversity, and its power to generate anger and fear. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let adversity inspire the worst in youâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you must learn to control it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a great challenge for both of us, but looking at the horizon and the mountains around Indian Wells, I can guarantee that I will keep dreaming and believing. We will face our next big encounter with improved competitive skills and will be more capable of conquering that eternal foe, adversity. Emilio Sanchez-Vicario is an ex-ATP player who was ranked as high as number seven in singles and number one in doubles. He won 50 ATP singles titles and 50 doubles titles, including three Grand Slams, in his career. He is USPTA Master Professional Elite Certified and RPT Master Professional Certified. He is the CEO of Sanchez-Casal Academy and is the coach of current ATP pro Fernando Verdasco.

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LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Can Tennis Strings Hur

By Chase Donnelly an tennis strings physically hurt you and your tennis game? The answer is yes. Most tennis players attribute their arm injuries to their tennis rackets; however, this is only half true. The tennis strings that you put into your racquet to play with can hurt your game and even cause arm injuries. Knowledge is powerful

and a lack of it is a disaster waiting to happen. Unfortunately, the uneducated local tennis community and those who manufacture tennis equipment promise tennis players “more power and spin.” Can we achieve both without a cost? Or is “power and spin” the Holy Grail of the tennis court? Power and spin can be accomplished through the right string set up. However, due to a lack of knowledge in the tennis racquet stringing department, many tennis players are hurting their game with the

wrong string set up. Mostly, this damage comes from a type of string called Polyester. The tennis equipment providers and tennis community have been on a 10-year binge promoting this category of strings, but they are not designed for the recreational or club level tennis player. The home stringer and local teaching professionals also recommend Polyester Strings to all tennis players instead of the few. Polyester Strings are designed for high level tournament players and professionals on tour. Why?

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

urt Your Game? Polyester Strings have a short playing window at maximum playability. Each string type (Synthetic Gut, Multifilaments, Polyester and Natural Gut) play best for a certain amount of hours and then the playability diminishes, just like a tennis ball. For example, we at Grand Slam Tennis find that Synthetic Gut and Multifilaments have a peak playing window for 30-40 hours of play; whereas Polyester Strings have a short lifespan of 20-25 hours of play. As the strings begin to lose their playability, the power and response from the strings diminish and you are forced to “muscle” the ball more to accomplish the same results as a fresh restring. This is partly why you see the tennis professionals on tour changing their racquets every couple games, or every ball change. Polyester Strings do

“bite” the ball more, helping to increase the RPM’s on the ball, but you need the proper recommended tension in order to accomplish this. Polyester Strings also provide durability, but are you breaking strings every hitting session or at least once a month? If not, than this string type might not be for you. If my tennis game does not match up with these different characteristics, what string type should I use? Most club and recreational level tennis players are looking to get the most “power and control” possible out of their strings. Power, control and spin can be accomplished from Multifilament Strings and different gauges, as opposed to the trendiness of Polyester Strings. Both Multifilament and basic Synthetic Strings can maximize your power and control, but will be accomplished with

feel and forgiveness as opposed to arm pain. Basic Synthetic and Multifilament Strings allow the tennis player to hit for a longer period of time with less shock, vibration and fatigue on their body. Whether you are just entering tennis or are a well-educated player, it would be in your best interest to seek the knowledge and professional advice of a tennis professional or tennis specialty store. At Grand Slam Tennis, we pride ourselves on continuing to grow and fine tune our customer profile and racquet/string records. Our number one goal is to fit our customer with a racket and strings that match their ability, not the newest trend. However, as the Polyester String trend grows, so do wrist, elbow and shoulder. Interestingly enough, three of the top 10 players in the world have wrist and elbow issues. Could it be their strings? Chase Donnelly is co-owner of Grand Slam Tennis in Commack, N.Y. He grew up working with his father since the age of 13, and the two are now business partners at Grand Slam.

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

New York WTT Act

he New York Empire, presented by Citi have selected Mylan WorldteamTennis (WTT) veteran and ATP World Tour No. 23-ranked John Isner, WTA Tour player Eugenie Bouchard and longtime former ATP Tour veteran Mardy Fish as its marquee players for the 2017 summer season. The Empire

has also announced the team will play its home matches at a new venue this summer, moving from Forest Hills Stadium to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. International Tennis Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Gigi Fernandez will serve as head coach for the second-year franchise.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

The Empire will host seven home matches on Court 17 at the National Tennis Center, which is named after WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. The 2017 Mylan WTT season begins Sunday, July 16. Court 17 is an intimate world-class 2,800 seat stadium court on the southeast corner of the NTC grounds. “Some of my favorite memories from my tennis career are winning World TeamTennis championships with the New York Sets and the New York Apples, and I am thrilled the New York legacy will continue when the Empire opens their 2017 season at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center,” said WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. “The National Tennis Center is it is one of the largest public-park tennis facilities in the nation, and as a product of the public parks, I could not be happier that the New York franchise has found a new home in Flushing Meadows.” Isner said, “I have had some memorable moments at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, so it’s great to play there this summer for the New York Empire. There’s no venue in tennis that matches the energy level and excitement of playing in New York City. The competition in World TeamTennis is intense, and I love the pressure of playing on a team. It’s an awesome

ork Empire to Bring ction to NTC This Summer

atmosphere for both the players and fans.” Veteran event producer Michele Cope, who will serve as the team’s general manager, said that being on the grounds of the National Tennis Center will only add to the fan experience. “Court 17 is a great showcase court for New York Empire matches,” said Cope. “Fans will be close to great professional team competition, and also enjoy a fanfriendly and entertaining atmosphere.” The team previously announced the acquisitions of Isner, Bouchard and Fish as part of the league’s Marquee Draft, and the roster will be filled out by Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, American Maria Sanchez and Argentina’s Guido Pella, who returns to the Empire for the second straight season. For more information, visit NYEmpireTennis.com. New York Empire 2017 Home Schedule Marquee players are subject to change l Sunday, July 16 at 5:00 p.m. NY Empire vs. Philadelphia Freedoms (featuring Sloane Stephens) l Wednesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish) vs.

Philadelphia Freedoms (featuring Sloane Stephens) l Thursday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish & John Isner) vs. Orange County Breakers l Thursday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish & Eugenie Bouchard) vs. Orange County Breakers

l Friday, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish & Eugenie Bouchard) vs. San Diego Aviators l Sunday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish) vs. Washington Kastles l Monday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. NY Empire (featuring Mardy Fish) vs. Springfield Lasers

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • 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

27TH ANNUAL AWARDS

Dinner Journal W E D N E S DAY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 7

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

27TH ANNUAL AWARDS

Dinner Journal W E D N E S DAY, M AY 3 , 2 0 1 7

P R E S I D E N T ’ S Dear Award Winners, Family, Friends & Sponsors: Welcome to the 27th Annual USTA Eastern Long Island Awards Dinner. On behalf of the volunteers on the Long Island Regional Board of Directors, it is our pleasure to host this terrific celebration of the wonderful achievements of 2016. I would personally like to thank our two past presidents, Michael Pavlides and Daniel Burgess, for their wonderful service and continued involvement with Long Island tennis. Their help and support in electing a new Board for the 2017-2018 term was invaluable. One of last year’s highlights was the gala Long Island premiere of the documentary “Gold Balls,” an inspiring film about the world of competitive ultrasenior tennis. It was an honor to host this star-studded event with the Gold Coast International Film Festival. Another key highlight was the grand opening of the newly renovated tennis courts at the Northport Veterans’ Administration Hospital. We are proud to have worked with the USTA, USTA Eastern, United Way of Long Island and the Serve & Return Foundation to bring tennis programming to those who have served our nation and their families. An important Long Island achievement in 2016 was the number of our adult and junior USTA teams who competed at National Championships– we had 11 teams! Of special note, one group of juniors was the first-ever from Long Island to reach Nationals! We had a busy year reaching out to KIDS and were gratified to help our Junior Team Tennis program grow to more than 20 teams Islandwide, along with the continuing expansion of 10 & Under Red, Orange and Green Ball Tennis. We introduced many children to the sport by partnering with Engineers Country Club, the Hamlet Country Club (Commack) and Long Island Tennis Magazine to host Nassau and Suffolk Kids Days, and by offering 10 & Under lessons at events throughout the Region. At the HIGH SCHOOL level, Long Island girls won the doubles title at the NY State Public High School Athletic Association Championships for the third year in a row, while one of our boys won the singles championship. As a Region, we were proud to launch the Long Island USTA Executive Cup event, pitting a top Nassau high school team against one from Suffolk this past fall. We look forward to continuing this event during the spring season and beyond. We are very proud that many of our junior and high school tennis players have committed to play on college tennis teams. Besides their competitive play, our high school teams participated in many fundraising and awareness events on 44

L E T T E R

breast cancer, autism, Special Olympics, children with disabilities, disadvantaged youth and more, and raised money for these worthy causes. In COMMUNITY ACTION, our volunteers brought tennis to many neighborhood fairs across the Island. Our Region teamed up with the Town of Hempstead to bring tennis lessons to the parks. After-school programs continue to thrive and we have teamed up with many of our local tennis clubs on Long Island to bring tennis to their local communities. For 2017, a major aspect of the USTA Eastern strategic plan is the emphasis on the youth imperative, which is continuing to build upon its 10U programming, in school and after school programs. The Long Island Regional Board is fully behind this drive and the USTA National Net Generation initiative. Our goal is to continue to implement these programs and expand upon them in the coming years, growing outreach further into schools and the community. We are committed to growing grassroots tennis on Long Island, while expanding on the programs we already have in place. We want to make everybody fully aware of what USTA Long Island has to offer, whether it is grassroots initiatives, tennis in schools, afterschool programs, junior tournaments or adult leagues. There is a different aspect of tennis in everybody’s life. Being able to communicate to the community all of the programming that we have available to offer them is probably the major goal that we are trying to accomplish. The Eastern Section has a number of monetary grants available for programming and our Board is committed to assisting anyone on Long Island who wants to apply for one of these grants. For information about our programming, grants or getting involved as a volunteer, please check out LongIsland.USTA.com, as well as our Facebook (USTA Long Island) and Twitter (@USTA_LI) often for updates. I would personally like to thank our Awards Ceremony Sponsor, Stahl Eye Associates; our Cocktail Hour Sponsor, Katzman Orthopedics; our Gold Sponsor, The Sanders Law Firm; and all of our additional sponsors for their support of tennis on Long Island. Without your assistance and participation, we would not be able to have this dinner or bring such wonderful tennis programming to Long Island. Enjoy the evening and celebrate the game we love with your friends, family and teammates. Everybody is a winner tonight!

Jonathan Klee, President USTA Eastern Long Island Region

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

SCHEDULE 5:00 p.m............. Registration & Photos 5:30 p.m... Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres 6:30 p.m................... Awards Ceremony 7:45 p.m....................................... Dinner Want to see photos from tonight’s awards or events from past years? Need more information on our fabulous honorees and past awardees? Inspired to nominate someone for a 2018 award? Visit LongIsland.USTA.com for all you need to know about Long Island Regional Awards Dinners from past to present!

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS HONOREES Prestigious Awards Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award—Steve Kaplan Vitas Gerulaitis "For the Love of Tennis" Award—Anneleis Karp Arthur Ashe Multi-Cultural Award—Anthony Brown Rose Buck Scalamandre Tennis Family of the Year— The Kowalsky Family

USTA School/Child Care Tennis Program—Denise Schmidt Long Island High School Tennis Team of the Year—MacArthur HS Girls Tennis Team

USTA League Teams Participating in National Championships 18 & Over League Women’s 3.5 from Syosset: Co-Captains Dawn Schosberg & Jeanette Romano Women’s 4.0 from Christopher Morley: Co-Captains Seema Imberman & Therese DiRenzo Men’s 3.5 from Blue Point: Co-Captains Michael Siegmund & John Selvaggio

Sportsmanship Awards Birdie Tarulli League Captain Award—Ann McGrath Blane Magee League Captain Award—Michael Siegmund Anuj Agarwal Sportsmanship Award—Alan Delman Jennifer Sherry Sportsmanship Award—Steffi Antao

Excellence Awards Adult Volunteer of the Year—Nayana Brahmbhatt Charles Karp Memorial Award for Overcoming Adversity— Guido Lari Community Service Award—Freeport Memorial Library Corporate Award—Gold Coast Tennis Good Samaritan Award—Jay Binder Innovative Tennis Program of the Year—Hilary Bressler Junior Team Tennis Award/Suffolk—Jimmy Delevante Junior Team Tennis Award/Nassau—Rickey Bates Junior Volunteer of the Year—Jack Louchheim Madeline Zausner Junior Tournament Director Award—Andrew Camacho Outdoor Tennis Site of the Year—Rev. Arthur Mackey Sr. Park Private Club of the Year—The Hamlet Golf & Country Club (Commack) Retailer of the Year—Kathy Murphy (Sportime Lynbrook Pro Shop) 10-and-Under Tennis Award—Jared El Gayeh Tennis Club of the Year/Suffolk—Park Avenue Tennis Club Tennis Club of the Year/Nassau—Nassau Indoor Tennis Tennis Professional of the Year—Nadia Johnston

40 & Over League Women’s 4.5 from Jericho/Westbury: Co-Captains Tina Stellato Villegas & Karen Levine Men’s 3.0 from Kings Park: Captain William Carson Men’s 3.5 from Blue Point: Co-Captains Michael Siegmund & Henry Winnicki Men’s 4.5 from Christopher Morley: Co-Captains Jonathan Klee & Lionel Goldberg 55 & Over League Women’s 8.0 from Point Set: Captain Ann McGrath Men’s 9.0 from Jericho/Westbury: Captain Kenneth Luba 65 & Over League Women’s 7.0 from Sportime Lynbrook: Co-Captains Patricia Molloy & Leslie Wecksler Junior Team Tennis League 14 & Under from World Gym Setauket: Captains Tito Perez & Juan Pablo Perez

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL 2016 High School Champions

Long Island Adult Rankings

New York State Champs NY State and Nassau County Boy’s Singles Champion: Yuval Solomon, Plainview JFK Nassau County Boy’s Doubles Champions: Neel Rajesh & Kabir Rajpat, Syosset Suffolk County Boy’s Singles: Cannon Kingsley, Northport Suffolk County Boy’s Doubles: Aziz Rashidzada & Jackson Weisbrot, Half Hollow Hills West Nassau County Girl’s Singles Champion: Merri Kelly Hannity, Cold Spring Harbor NY State and Nassau County Girls Doubles Champions: Calista Sha & Morgan Wilkins, Friends Academy Suffolk County Girl’s Singles: Jackie Bukzin, Eastport-South Manor Suffolk County Girl’s Doubles: Ariana Malik & Lauren Cherkin, Half Hollow Hills East Nassau County Coach of the Year: Brian Kline, North Shore HS Suffolk County Coach of the Year: Jacqueline Clark, Commack HS

NTRP Rankings/Women Singles 3.0: Fran Breckon, Roksolana Shyyka 4.0: Cara Londin, Luzan Moore

Juniors Eastern Section Rankings-Juniors Boys 12s: Michael Ryan Safir, Mark R. Taranov 14s: Sujay Sharma, Alexander Karman 16s: Daniel Eric Pellerito, Ronald P. Hohmann 18s: Finbar Talcott, Patrick F. Maloney Girls 12s: Rose B. Hayes, Rebecca E. Suarez 14s: Rose B. Hayes, Jane Madison Williams 16s: Merri Kelly Hannity, Maryam Beshir Ahmad 18s: Jacqueline Rae Bukzin, Merri Kelly Hannity Long Island Rankings-Juniors Boys 12s: Daniel Beckles, Jeffrey Rosario 14s: Ajer Sher, Max Daniel Safir 16s: Andrew Lin, Yoel Andre Yamus Girls 12s: Kira Kronenberg, Nicole Pinkus 14s: Jennifer Rabinowitz, Jenifer Perper 16s: Daniella Paikin, Emily Austin

Doubles 3.0: Annemarie Mahoney & Fran Breckon 4.0: Maritoni Carlos & Susan Bacey NTRP Rankings/Men Singles 3.5: Stuart Meadow 4.0: Brian Katz 4.5: Robert Tursi Eastern Section Rankings/Women Open: Kim Luc Chris Stubbe, Joan Manfredi-Carter 50s: Rosemary Cosentino 60s: Lydia Eitel, Shula Feuer 70s: Peggy Gluck Open Doubles Rachel Arbitman & Maryam Ahmad and Claire Handa & Rachel Weiss Eastern Section Rankings/Men Open Hleb Maslau, Aidan Talcott 25s: Jack Eichler 30s: Rodolfo Novello 35s: Rodolfo Novello 45s: Adrian Chirici, Jonathan Klein 50s: Jeffrey Snow, Lawrence Kramer 55s: Walter Winnitzki, Gary Fazah 60s: John Titcomb, Steve Brill 65s: Alan Chaskin, Douglas Barrow 70s: Bob Hoffman 75s: Raymond Rahbari Open Doubles Brenden Volk & Aidan Talcott, Lamar Remy & Eric Wagner 50s: Lawrence Kramer & Jeffrey Snow 65s: Bruce Eiber & Ronald Kahn Mixed Open: Rachel Arbitman, Steven Nazaroff, David R. Weiner, Maryam Ahmad

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL USTA Eastern Long Island Region Board (Volunteer) Executive Board Jonathan Klee—President Mike Pavlides—Past President, Web Site Manager, Scholastic Representative Chair/Nassau Sunny Fishkind—Vice President, Public Parks Advocate, Facebook Manager Craig Fligstein—Treasurer Terri Arnold-McKenzie—Secretary, Grant Committee Regional Board Steve Abbondondelo—Junior Team Tennis Liaison Scott Axler—Past President, Junior Competition Committee Liaison Hilary Bressler—Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee Daniel Burgess—Past President, Community Tennis Committee Andrew Camacho—Adult Competition Committee Liaison Bob Coburn—Marketing Committee Terry Fontana—Rally Day Committee, Community Tennis Association and National Junior Tennis & Learning Committee Wayne Freeman—Adult League Committee Liaison Herb Harris—Grant Committee, Community Development Committee

Anneleis Karp—President Emeritus Eileen Leonard—Competition Training Committee Emily Moore—Diversity and Inclusion Committee Marian Morris—League Liaison/League Appeals & Inquiries, Grant Committee Tito Perez—Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Junior Team Tennis Committee Clark D. Ruiz II—Nassau County Delegate Denise Schmidt—Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee Akiko Tohmatsu—Suffolk County Delegate Randi Wilkins—Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee, Suffolk County Community Development Committee Members Steven Cloughen Fabiana Rezac Jason Wass Ed Wolfarth

Thank You! We are grateful to all of our sponsors and supporters for helping to make the 27th Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner a success!! Special thanks to: Stahl Eye Associates, Awards Ceremony Sponsor Katzman Orthopedics, Cocktail Hour Sponsor Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, PC, Gold Sponsor Park Avenue Tennis, 55-inch TV Sponsor Bethpage Park Tennis Center, iPad Sponsor Bijou Goddess Collection, Special Raffle Prize Sponsor A complete list of sponsors will appear online at LongIsland.USTA.com and in the July/August 2017 issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine. Thank you to our fabulous Awards Dinner Committee, headed by the incomparable event planners Randi Wilkins, Hilary Bressler and Denise Schmidt, and featuring the hard work of the rest of the Long Island Regional Board. Proceeds from raffle ticket sales will be contributed to USTA Eastern and used to help support tennis on Long Island and within the Eastern Section.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 27th Annual Awards Dinner

Congratulations Steve!! We greatly appreciate your lifetime commitment and dedication to the sport of tennis. You have had a tremendous impact on many students. A well-deserved award. We are proud LITM of you. congratulates our own Bethpage Parkon Brian Coleman Tennisthe Center winning Press Service Award and would like to thank the USTA LI Region for recognizing his outstanding work! 48

Congratulations to our USTA Award Recipients for 2016 from everyone at SPORTIME / JMTA PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS Rose Buck Scalamandre Tennis Family of the Year Award: The Kowalsky Family EXCELLENCE AWARDS Adult Volunteer of the Year: Nayana Brahmbhatt

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 27th Annual Awards Dinner

NASSAU INDOOR TENNIS CLUB

Congratulations to David Brent and your wonderful staff at Nassau Indoor Tennis on being awarded Nassau Tennis Club of the Year! Your Friends

Point Set would like to congratulate Nadia Johnston on being awarded Tennis Professional of The Year. Your outstanding service as a teaching pro doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you from your Point Set family for your continued dedication and love of the game!

Point Set would like to congratulate Ann McGrath on being awarded the Birdie Tarulli League Captain Award along with the 8.0 team on their Sectional Championship and participation at the National Championships! Thanks for your continued commitment and love of the game! LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 27TH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

CONGRATULATIONS to All Award Winners from The USTA Eastern Long Island Region’s 27th Annual Awards Dinner Congratulations to Courtney Kowalsky Good Luck at Brown University! The Kowalsky family thanks the USTA and the many coaches, instructors, and friends that have supported us throughout our tennis journey!

Congratulations to our RWTT Family of Honorees Adrian Chirici, Eastern Section, #1 Men’s 45’s Eric Wagner, Eastern Section/Men, # 2Dbls Anthony Brown, Arthur Ashe Multi, Cultural Award Hilary Bressler, Innovative Tennis Program of the Year Anneleis Karp, Vitas Gerulatis “For the Love of Tennis” Award

litennis Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

Congratulations to all of the awards winners and thank you to the USTA Eastern LI Region for putting together this great event. See you all on the courts! 50

To my inspiration Annelies Karp and to our good friends AB Brown and Hillary Bressler

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

Joanne and Scott Axler

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For more information, contact Info@usptennis.com call 516-409-4444 LITennisMag.com • May/Juneor 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine 51

charitable initiatives NTC Hosts College Prep Workshop

Serve and Return Founder and Bethpage Park Tennis Center Virginia Wade shares her experiences Co-Owner Steve Kaplan delivers pointers on college resumes with the workshop audience he USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center recently hosted a free conference, “Making the Admissions Process Work for You” and “How to Create a Great College Tennis Resume,” presented by the National Tennis Center, the City Parks Foundation and Serve and Re-

turn Inc. The Conference was geared toward easing the stress of the college admissions process and to discuss how to assemble the perfect tennis resume. “We’re always aiming to provide our dedicated juniors with tools to succeed off the court as well on-court,” said Mike

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Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

Workshop attendees learn about the college admissions process Silverman, director of Sports for City Parks Foundation. “Free, informative talks like this about the college application process are extremely valuable for them and their parents.” On hand to speak at this instructional conference was Silverman; tennis legend Virginia Wade; Serve and Return Founder and Bethpage Park Tennis Center Co-Owner Steve Kaplan; and Hannah Camhi, one of Kaplan’s longtime students and recent Brown University graduate. “The college tennis admissions process can work for you if you demonstrate high character in a clear and thoughtful resume that shows a record of desire, love and achievement in the sport,” said Kaplan. “This is because colleges and future employers have a high regard for tennis players who use the sport to not only do well with wins, but who go further to do good with service to others. It was an honor to represent Serve and Return to partner with the event organizer, City Parks Foundation and The National Tennis Center to teach young players how to best navigate the process to create and write a successful tennis resume.”

Carefree, Tennis for All Host Free Camp

arefree Racquet Club in Merrick hosted a free tennis camp during the April Spring Break, offering kids from three elementary schools in North Merrick a chance to play and learn the sport of tennis free of charge. The camp was ran and organized by Tennis for All, a non-profit organization, and provided more than 90 young players with an opportunity for free tennis

during spring break. “To be able to provide over 90 children with free indoor tennis was amazing,” said Carefree Director of Tennis Ben Marks. “The more people we can provide access to tennis, the healthier it will be for the game as a whole. We wanted to get the kids hooked on the sport we all love and dedicate our lives to, and share our passion for tennis with them. We all had a great

time seeing so many kids passing through the doors and having such a blast.” Some of the kids had played tennis before and were staying active during their time off from school, but for many of the kids, it was their first time playing tennis. “This is my first year playing tennis,” said nine-year-old Joseph Santos. “I’m probably going to continue playing … I really like hitting the ball and practicing volleying.”

Inwood Country Club 2015 USTA - Eastern LI Private Club of the Year invites you to enjoy great tennis at a very affordable introductory rate. Tennis, Golf, and Beach Memberships available. • 10 Har Tru courts • All levels of play from 2.5 to 5.0 • Weekly clinics for women and children • Tennis traveling teams • Seasonal beach parties and club dinners • Fully equipped Fitness Center • Classically elegant Clubhouse • Historic U.S. Open golf course • David Brent USTA - Eastern LI Tennis Professional of the year 2014 For details contact Heidi Chriest, Membership Director 516-239-2800 x. 186 or membership@inwoodcc.org. Web site: www.inwoodcc.org.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Competitive Drills to Teach Important Skills

By Steve Kaplan great challenge for many coaches is organizing an effective practice plan that satisfies the needs of the strongest players without discouraging the weakest players. A great workout that promotes teamwork—which is inclusive of all levels accommodating of numerous participants, productive, beneficial and fun—is achieved by conducting carefully constructed drills. Productivity comes in the form of time efficiency and drill organization, while the benefit of the drill can be assessed by understanding its objective. That is, does the drill encourage and teach skills that are essential to success in tennis? Last but

not least, the drill must be exciting. This is achievable by first providing participation uncertainty, so that students become focused and stay engaged. Next, to be inclusive to different levels, the drill should be adaptive and challenging to encourage competitive positive team synergy. Great drills build great club and team culture. The following are examples of high quality drills that are easy to manage and can accommodate a large group fluidly. 1. Line Target Drill A Line Target Drill is a terrific dead ball drill which develops athletic reactiveness, a quick first step, shot accuracy and focused aim.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

Students are divided into two teams and are asked to line up behind the baseline, just to the outside of the service line. One at a time, they are challenged to hit a target on the court. Each miss adds a point to the value of the hit, so if player one misses on the first attempt, player two next attempts to hit the target for two points. Players compete for their team and the score is reset with each successful hit. Even with eight participants, the line can move very fast and a total score landmark of 100 can be reached in just 10 minutes. As the misses accumulate, players don’t become frustrated by failure. Instead, because the point total of a successful hit accumulates, they become excited at the large score value of each target hit.

An added aspect of this drill is the random inclusion of a false “fake out” feed in which the coach starts to feed as normal, but pulls back at the last moment. An alert student in a perfect, low ready position will, at worst, self-arrest after taking one step. The player who is faked out by taking two or more steps loses their turn and must run a penalty lap. 2. Rotating Overhead Game The Rotating Overhead Game is a valuable tool addressing serve and return skills which are likely the two most important aspects of a winning game and are under practiced in many workout sessions. This void is understandable when you recognize that, in a group setting, practicing the serve and return can be an inefficient time suck that requires a high and compatible skill level between participants in order to be productive. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a serving session turn into a group chat. The Rotating Overhead Live Ball Game practices many of the same skills that are necessary for serve and return skills in a very high intensity game that is challenging and fun for a variety of skill levels. Players are divided into two teams of two, with as many as six players on a team and the teams do not even need to have an equal number of players. Team one is up at the net, with one player standing near the net on the

deuce side and their partner defending the net on the ad side. The rest of the team is lined up by on the ad side waiting their turn. The coach stands on the side of the net opposing the deuce player and feeds an overhead of varying difficulty (as the coach, you set the challenge appropriate to the level of the player). The point is then played as a conventional doubles point with the net players rotating one position each time the net team loses the point. The return team has two players who stand at the baseline and who rotate with those waiting one position each time they win a point. The goal of the return team is to win as many points as they can before the overhead team reaches a score of 21. Each team seeks to score more points each round than their opponent’s team. Three rounds will take no more than 15 or 20 minutes, and will leave even the fittest players gassed. 3. True Life True Life is a live ball game that stresses teamwork, alertness, efficiency and most significantly, high heart rate training. It’s so difficult to duplicate the high heart rate that comes with the emotional stress of playing a tense match, but True Life provokes that same high heart rate from external physical stress. Players learn to perform under the same physical and neuromuscular challenges that they may face at six-all in the third set and they adapt.

This game is so accommodating to different levels, that I have conducted it with a long time student while he was the number one-ranked Division I men’s singles player in the country who teamed with a 10-year-old against teams of 13-year-olds and he got an intense and valuable workout and wanted to play even more! Three teams of two can play, and the game can be played with as many as five, two-person teams. The game starts by seeding the teams with the highest seeds playing last to hedge the game. Each two-person team stands at the baseline and the coach feeds. The point is played and if the team on side “A” wins, they maintain their position. If they lose, they switch positions with the opposing team. After the first position point only, the team on side “A” can score and to stay on side “A” you must win the previous point. The game is played to two points and the first team to seven games wins. The coach can, of course, create an almost infinite level of challenge of adjusting the difficulty of the feeds. Furthermore, since the length of each game is highly unpredictable the on deck team must be fully engaged and ready to start when the losing team comes off the court and moves to the end of the line. Even with five teams and 10 players, continued on page 56

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

competitive drills continued from page 55 this game takes about 15 minutes and will leave everyone gasping for air as well as match tough. 4. The Approach Game The Approach Game tests positioning limits, reveals risk/reward strategies and gets many players out of their comfort zone. Players are divided up with half (give or take a person as you don’t need an even number of participants to play). Players line up on opposite sides to play out a singles point. The player receiving the feed from the coach must hit an approach and come to net. The relative level of the participants can dictate how the approach is hit so that the four best players on the court might be limited to just backhand slice approaches, while the four weakest players may have the option to hit the approach as they wish. The game is played to 21 points. The

approach player continues to receive feeds as long as they win the point and sprints to the receiver side to the end of the line when they lose the point. The receiver on the other hand sprints to the approach side to the back of the line upon winning the point, but moves to the end of the receiver line after losing the point. 5. Down the Line Down the Line games are a simple yet powerful way to practice cooperation, control, steadiness, concentration and tenacity. With eight players for example, two courts can be used and four pairing of players can spend 10 minutes to try to be the team which achieves the longest rally, hitting down the line with the court divided in half. In the “everyone plays everyone” game, teamwork, camaraderie and the realization that

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

every point counts is at the forefront, as each member of the first team of four players rotates to play 10 total points against each member of the opposing team with the highest team score winning. These are just some of the drills which develop and reinforce a competitively supportive team culture. If you pace students pushing them to feel success is just within their grasp, they will be motivated to work together to encourage each other to the highest levels of success. Steve Kaplan is owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationallyranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

Peter Kaplan's

Westhampton Beach Tennis Academy

Individual membership—$669 • Couple memberships—$995 • Juniors—$279 NO ADDITIONAL DUES OR COURT FEES UNLIMITED COURT TIME FOR 5 MONTHS MAY 7 - OCTOBER 7 EACH MEMBER RECEIVES 5 HOURS OF PRIVATE INSTRUCTION FREE (value $500) (this includes juniors despite $279 membership fee!) FREE STRING JOB AT KIMBERLY'S—$35 value PRIVATE INSTRUCTION ALL SEASON—$59 - $69 per hour • JUNIOR ACADEMY—$195 per week TENNIS CLINICS—$24 per hour • PRIVATE INSTRUCTION FOR SOCCER AND BASKETBALL—$35 per hour We were annually chosen among the top 25 teaching academies world wide and #1 in the East. We are the only academy in the world, the USTA selected to be part of its Members benefits program for both juniors and adults. We hope to recapture a vibrant membership on our 12 court facility Upgraded bathrooms • Reconditioned Courts • Great staff • Incredible pricing and value

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142 Montauk Highway, Westhampton 914-234-9462LITennisMag.com l 631-288-1540 • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine www.westhamptonbeachtennis.com l peterkaplan2002@yahoo.com

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

At the time this article will go to print, all USTA 18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over and 65 &Over teams will have their schedules for the upcoming USTA League Season! The Mixed Playoff/Regional matches will be finishing up, and we want to take this opportunity to wish our teams the best of luck and a great time at Sectionals the first weekend in June. The next issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine will list the winning teams. I want to explain a change in the running of the USTA League on Long Island. In the past, players paid their roster fees to TennisLink and Eastern paid Long Island Tennis League part of the roster fee to run the leagues. USTA Eastern is now in the process of bringing all of the regions “in house” and hiring coordinators for each region as USTA Eastern employees. At this point, the Southern Region, New Jersey and Long Island coordinators have been hired and are all employees of USTA Eastern. The other three regions of Eastern will be following over the next two years. Long Island will continue with a volunteer Board to go over and implement rules (within USTA and Eastern rules)

and we will also continue with our local Grievance and Appeals Committees. USTA Eastern deemed the Long Island coordinator position to be one person. I was hired for this position and I want to personally thank Jamie Stickney for doing a great job with the Tri-Level and Mixed-Doubles Leagues for the past two years. Jamie was a wonderful asset who put her heart and soul into the running and growing of the leagues on Long Island. Thank you Jamie! Going forward, the 18 & Over and 40 & Over Leagues will play May to August as usual. The 55 & Over and 65 & Over Leagues will play June to the end of August. For the first time, all playoff matches will be pre-scheduled, with set dates, times and locations which all captains have been made aware of. We did this mainly due to a lack of court time when trying to get all of these matches scheduled with very little notice last season. All the locations were decided when I was doing the schedules in March and April. I have no way of knowing which teams will be in the playoffs obviously. It may work out that someone gets home court … it cannot be avoided. I was most concerned

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with the 18 & Over and 40 & Over Divisions not conflicting and had to use the clubs available. I also tried to keep things somewhat “middle Island,” since most levels have the possibility of having Nassau and/or Suffolk teams competing. All playoffs are scheduled on hard courts since all Championships are on hard courts, and I wanted to keep it consistent. These clubs are holding this court time months ahead of time and are not scheduling other programs. Therefore, please do not ask for matches to be moved. Even if both teams are in agreement to move a match, it WILL NOT be moved. All captains have this information and should be making their teams aware of it now in order to avoid conflicts later. I am planning on having the Tri-Level League play during the month of September over a couple of weekends. Next up would be the 18 & Over Mixed-Doubles League, starting in October. How long it runs will depend on the number of teams. The 40 & Over Mixed-Doubles League will begin towards the end of January or in February. There will be some overlap between the two Mixed-Doubles Leagues as I do not want to see players who cannot yet play in the 40 & Over Mixed go a long period unable to play in a USTA League. This is all in the beginning “giving it thought” stages. I am always open to suggestions and comments, so feel free to e-mail me at KathyM65@aol.com. Please understand though, I have guidelines with both USTA and the clubs that I must work within and not all suggestions can be implemented. I am looking forward to a great, dare I say, drama-free USTA Season this summer! I hope all the teams have good matches and a great league experience based on all of the good sportsmanship! 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.

Stony Brook to Discontinue Men’s Tennis Program

Photo credit: Stony Brook University Athletics

The Stony Brook Men’s Tennis program has played its final season, as the University announced the team will be discontinued following the 2016-2017 season. Since 2014, the Seawolves have competed in the Missouri Valley Conference after America East dropped men’s tennis as a sponsored sport.

“This difficult decision for our men’s program, while ultimately helping from a budget standpoint, was not driven by that factor,” said Stony Brook Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron. “Without a conference, we simply can’t operate as an independent program and expect to compete on a level that would allow our student-athletes to

have a first-class athletic experience.” Seven of the 10 players on the current roster will have remaining eligibility and be granted full releases if they decide to transfer to other schools. The final home match in the program’s history was a 6-1 triumph over the University of Connecticut.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Getting Proper Nutrition When in Season By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN ennis is an intense physical sport that burns a lot of calories. During the tennis season, it is very important to follow nutritional guidelines that will help an athlete to perform at their highest potential. Tennis is not a timed sport, therefore nobody can predict when a match will be over. An athlete must be prepared all the time before, during and after the match. The best way to prepare is to hydrate and load up prior to your match, eat small snacks that are high in elec-

trolytes at changeovers, and reload within an hour after completion. When in season, food planning and the timing of meals are key to success on the court. By properly maintaining energy, an athlete will not only keep their blood sugar steady and avoid the ups and downs of energy on the court, but also prevent many injuries. No diets during the season please! Don’t avoid carbs, skip meals or snacks, or avoid electrolyte fluids! Specialty diets must be strictly supervised by a doctor or nutritionist. Athletes benefit the most from the amount of carbohydrates stored in the body. In the early stages of moderate ex-

PREVENTATIVE NUTRITION HEART DISEASE & DIABETES ADOLESCENT BODY IMAGE SPORTS NUTRITION For groups and individuals

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ercise, carbohydrates provide 40 to 50 percent of energy requirements. Carbohydrates yield more energy per unit of oxygen consumed than fats. During digestion, the body breaks down carbohydrates to glucose and stores it in the muscles as glycogen. During exercise, the glycogen is converted back to glucose and is used for energy. The ability to sustain prolonged vigorous exercise is directly related to initial levels of muscle glycogen. The body stores a limited amount of carbohydrates in the muscles and liver. If the event lasts for more than 90 minutes, you will run out of your energy source and will “hit the wall.” Players that play both doubles and singles must eat double the amount of carbohydrates and lean protein (even more for men) in order to sustain energy.

Sample Meal Plan High Performance Diet of 2,200-3,000 Calories (15-20 percent fat) Breakfast l One-and-a-half cups oatmeal (216 calories) with four tablespoons of raisins (120 calories) l One tablespoon of Flax Seeds (40 calories) l Two slices of whole wheat toast (180 calories)—Girls can skip this serving l One tablespoon of peanut butter (80

calories)—Can be added to oatmeal l One cup of orange juice (112 calories) l Two cups of water

Dinner l Four to five ounces of grilled chicken (213 calories) l One large baked potato or sweet potato (139 calories) l One teaspoon of butter (50 calories) l One cup of cooked broccoli (39 calories) l One-and-a-half cup of a tossed salad (39 calories) l Two tablespoons of vinegar and oil dressing (114 calories) l One cup of milk (90 calories)—Girls can skip

Snack number one l One bran muffin—Girls can skip (112 calories) l One banana (105 calories) l Handful of almonds (100 calories) l One cup of water Lunch l Sandwich: Two slices of whole grain bread (200 calories)—Girls can try light whole grain (140 calories) l Three ounces of sliced turkey (135 calories) l Leaf lettuce (three calories) l Three slices of tomato (22 calories) l One teaspoon of mustard (four calories) l One cup of grapes (58 calories) l One cup of vegetable juice (53 calories) l One cup of milk or almond milk (90 calories)—Girls can skip l Two cups of water

Snack number three l One piece of angel food cake or dark chocolate (161 calories) l One cup of strawberries (45 calories) Snack number two l One cup of low-fat yogurt (Girls 110 calories/Boys 240 calories) l Six saltine crackers (78 calories) l One apple (81 calories) l One plum (36 calories) l One cup of water

Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions PC in Great Neck, N.Y. is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. For more information, call (917) 769-8031, e-mail IrinaLehat@gmail.com or visit IrinaLehat.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

E M I L I E

KAT Z

Kerber Feels the Heat in Miami

Iguana Interrupts Haas-Vesely Match

Azarenka Set for Late July Comeback

World number one Angelique Kerber stepped off the hard courts and onto the hardwood during her time at the Miami Open, attending a Miami Heat game at the American Airlines Arena. She was given a customized jersey and stepped onto the court to hit tennis balls into the crowd.

During a match between Tommy Haas and Jiri Vesely at the Miami Open, there was a delay because an iguana entered the court. It climbed down the scoreboard and scampered across the court before hopping up on another scoreboard. Despite not paying for a ticket, the iguana got the best seat in the house.

Former world number one and two-time Australian Open Champion Victoria Azarenka announced that she will make her return to the court at the Bank of the West Classic, July 31-Aug. 6 in Stanford, Calif. The Belarusian stepped away from the court last year after announcing she was pregnant, giving birth to her baby son Leo in December.

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Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ LITennisMag.com

Harrison Ties the Knot

American Ryan Harrison has tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Lauren McHale (pictured here left), a former standout tennis player in her own right at the University of North Carolina. McHale is the older sister of Christina McHale (pictured here, right), who is currently ranked 45th in the world.

the Court of Arbitration for Sport in his match-fixing case, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) announced. Garza had been suspended for six months and fined $5,000 after the TIU said he “attempted to influence the outcome of a match” at a Futures tournament in California in 2015. He is eligible to begin his playing career once again.

Serena announces pregnancy

Federer Defeats Murray in Swiss Exhibition

Boland to Lead USTA Player Development Fresh off of his title at the Miami Open, Roger Federer took on world number one Andy Murray in an exhibition match in Zurich, Switzerland in The Match for Africa 3, which benefits the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won the match in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(6).

University of Virginia Head Coach Brian Boland, who has guided the Cavaliers to three National Championships over the last four seasons, was named the new head of men’s tennis for USTA Player Development. Boland takes over the role from Jay Berger, who stepped down after nine years in the role.

Serena Williams announced to the world, albeit accidentally, that she was pregnant with her first child. Serena, who is engaged to Reddit Co-Founder Alexis O'Hanian, posted a picture to Snapchat with the caption "20 weeks.” After social media went abuzz with the news, she later confirmed the rumors, but said she didn't mean to reveal the news just yet. “I’ve been so good about it, but this was the one time it slipped. It was a good moment,” Serena said. “I was only going to wait five or six more days.” Serena will miss the rest of 2017, but plans on returning to the tour next year.

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Untangling the Knot Try softer not harder By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC e have all seen “It,” either as a player, coach or fan. The “It” I am referring to is a player in the throes of a slump. Maybe “It” is a tournament winless streak like Novak Djokovic is currently experiencing due to what he calls “personal issues.” Or maybe “It” is missing the last six months of the 2016 season like Roger Federer due to an injury. Or even saying flat out, “you don’t have what it takes,” like Sergio Garcia said in 2012, prior to winning the 2017 Masters. Sometimes the “It” is a perfect storm where the personal, injuries and mental issues accumulate and create a big tangled knot! The most common “way out” is by trying harder, maybe hitting 1,000 more serves, or maybe grinding by adding more tournaments to get in more match play, or even increasing your intensity by being uber-serious and forcing your game. However, this never works, it’s common knowledge that all this does is make the knot, slump or block tighter. It just adds more frustration, anger and anxiousness to the equation. Sometimes it leads to a shutdown of the athlete because they feel like there is no way out. But indeed, there is a way out … It starts with awareness to the knot (slump) and not following the traditional route of trying harder, which makes it close to impossible to untangle the knot. Instead, we want to try softer by untangling the knot, ending the slump and starting fresh. Below the surface, from an emotional perspective, the idea is to “be” with the tangle, not to struggle and inadvertently tighten it. By “being” with

it, you can become aware, shift your focus and learn what might be holding you back. In my work with clients, I call it providing yourself CPR. Yes, I’m talking about emotional cardio-pulmonary resuscitation! Certainly, if your best friend was in a high stress situation, rushing and on the verge of a shutdown, you wouldn’t think twice about jumping in and helping. Let me suggest you do the same for yourself. How? By providing some much-needed CPR to get yourself back to a place of balance, stability and focus. It’s a three-step process … l Compassion for self (and others): Here we are talking about allowing yourself to be imperfect. In fact, being perfectly imperfect! Being yourself. Compassion is about accepting and loving yourself, no matter what happens. Giving yourself unconditional acceptance without comparisons and not valuing your worth based on the results. Recognizing that what happens on the court is not a reflection of who you are as a person, rather what happened in the competition. l Patience: Here, we are talking about focusing on the process and away from the outcome. Breaking elements down into small pieces where the focus is on what you can control. When you lose focus, not getting angry and calling yourself a “head case!” But rather, refocusing on what you can control. It means taking your time, allowing things to unfold and sticking to your rituals. l Resiliency: When a player has compassion for themselves and is

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

patient, they will be able to be resilient under pressure. Here what happens is actually not the most important thing, but rather, being aware, adapting and adjusting to what happened. We have all seen some players (think Nick Kyrgios) unravel when a fan screams from the crowd. Whereas, if the same situation happens to Roger Federer, he will acknowledge it and move on. Having a wide range of resiliency allows a player to experience ups and downs, but not get off track. In summary, missed shots, lost sets and tournament losses will happen. However, the key is not to panic, label yourself as mentally weak, or struggle against what’s happening. Your call to action to attain peak performance will come from being aware, centered and relaxed. Not from rushing, over-trying and applying more pressure. No matter the situation, give yourself CPR. You are worthy of it! The capacity already exists within you, it’s not something you acquire from the outside. Only when you’re compassionate with yourself, patient and resilient can you untangle the knot. Then, mental skills such as breathing, visualization and rituals can be layered in so you can be your best both on and off the court. 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.

Why Can’t Anyone Come in to the Net Anymore?

By Stephen Annacone I have been increasingly perplexed and frustrated by the current day professional tennis players who refuse to work their way in to the net. As most people know, I have coached players and played my own game with the idea that it is an advantage to be the volleyer and a disadvantage to be the player having to hit passing shots and lobs. I have seen it work in my game and in my students’ games. Why are more professional players not using this strategy? The game has changed The equipment, the athleticism of the players, and in general, the speed that things happen on the court, all contribute to why the baseline game is now the dominant strategy. However, the biggest reason for the lack of aggressive net rushing players is that tennis professionals and coaches have not adjusted their methods to help the modern day player succeed when coming to the net. First, it is extremely difficult to come in to the net after one shot—whether it is a serve or a great first ball—there is little time to recognize and execute the movement and the split-step while advancing towards the net. There often needs to be an additional shot on the way in to the net, and most players are not capable of hitting this ball since very few players practice the extra transition shot mentioned above. Second, players spend way too much time hitting and practicing groundstrokes, rather than improving their approach shots and refining their volley technique. Most players these days have no idea where to position themselves at the net because their

execution on the way in is not consistently sufficient to get their opponent in trouble. They do not know what to cover because the opponent can hit the ball to many different spots and make it tough on the volleyer. Finally, I don’t think the players are committed, nor do they believe in, the strategy. Roger Federer, arguably the best volleyer on Earth at the moment, is one of the few players still using this strategy (be it on a much more limited basis) successfully and consistently. I had the pleasure of coaching my brother, Paul Annacone, and watched him get passed at the net over and over, yet still manage to win the match. Paul once came in to the net 150-plus times in a three-set match against Stefan Edberg and won the match 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in the finals of an ATP event in Los Angeles. Part of coming to the net is accepting that you will be passed. If you come in 10 times and they pass you three and you miss one volley, you are still in great shape on six out of 10 of the points.

I am not advocating running in to the net every point. If someone could do it a few times a game and also play the modern day baseline points well, that would give them a big edge against the majority of today’s players. The net play makes the baseline game that much more effective. I believe, and hope, that we will see Federer do even more of what I have just stated in the very near future. His great start to 2017 should give him the confidence to be even more aggressive, and once again, separate himself from the best of the best. That should lead to a resurgence in the net rushing style, and in addition, make me very happy. Stephen Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the director of Annacone Tennis (AnnaconeTennis.com). For details on lessons and camps in Sag Harbor and throughout the Hamptons this summer, contact SAnnacone@AnnaconeTennis.com or Management@AnnaconeTennis.com

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Freedom to Play Your Bes By Dr. Tom Ferraro t’s a truism that the best way to play well in competition, you need to relax, have fun and play freely. The moment a player starts to worry about outcomes or overthink the serve, is when tightness sets in and you begin to play weakly.

To win on the court, one must have a free risk-taking, gunslinger type attitude. But to play freely and with ease is no easy thing when you are under real tournament pressure. The reason it’s so tough to play with freedom is that most serious tennis players have many of the same expectations as their coaches, parents, opponents and teammates … it takes tremendous focus to be able to

screen out expectations and worries. The best state of mind has varied names including “The Zone,” “Being the Alpha on the Court,” “Playing Your Own Game,” “Playing With Joy,” or “Playing With Aggression.” When you learn to screen out all of those inner and outer distractions, you will do far better and have more fun. The very best at being “in the zone”

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est Game was Tiger Woods in golf. I have stood next to him before he was to tee off in a tournament, and he was so focused that it was as if I was invisible. You may not know this about Tiger, but his mother was a Buddhist and his training in the art of focus began at the age of five. He was trained in how to meditate and also trained for many hours in self-hypnosis by a psychologist when he was young. If you are a tennis player and want to learn how to play with freedom and joy, you’ll need to know how to screen out all of those inner and outer demons. It is often wise to find insight into solutions by either watching films or read-

ing books. Many coaches prepare their teams for big games by showing a film clip to inspire their players or to teach them something. The following film is a good one to watch if you want to learn more about freedom to play your own game. The scene is at the very end of the Academy Award-winning film “Braveheart,” both starring and directed by Mel Gibson. The film is the true story of William Wallace who, in the 13th Century, led the first Scottish uprising against King Edward Longshanks of England. Towards the end of the film, William Wallace has been captured by King Edward and is being tortured in the town square with the town folk looking on. The executioner whispers to him that the torture can stop if Wallace merely cries out, “Mercy.” But rather than submitting, Wallace screams out, “Freedom!” This cry for freedom eventually became a rallying cry for the world as the rule of monarchy dissolved and the rule of democracy emerged by the 18th Century.

This scene relates to our concerns about the athlete finding their freedom of play and is a good example of role modeling. Every athlete must fight off the inner and outer demons that wish to rule over them and defeat their efforts. It takes tremendous courage and strength like that shown in the film for the athlete to be able to separate themself from all of those distractions and anxieties and get into the zone. You can watch that film and remember Braveheart’s scream for freedom as you travel to the next big match. It takes that type of commitment to your own self in order to screen out both inner and outer tyrants. The ability to play with freedom will help you a great deal and one way to learn it is to use a favorite film like “Braveheart” and then incorporate that feeling into your mind as you play. 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.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

TENNIS INJURY PREVENTION

Do Not Let Back Pain Sideline You By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS Tennis is one of the few sports where each part of the body plays an equal role in power, accuracy and endurance. And while every tennis player knows that knee, elbow and shoulder injuries are common, one of the most overlooked areas that subject to injury is the lower back. During a match, a fatigued player may rely less on their legs and more on bending their back to return a ball closer to the ground. Repeating this motion several dozen times throughout the day places a great deal of stress on the discs and ligaments of the spine. Similarly, during the serve, some hyperextension of the spine is required, followed by a rapid acceleration forward to generate torque and speed. During this motion, the 68

majority of the stress is placed on the small joints at the back of the spine known as the facet joints. This can result in chronic back pain that traditionally forced tennis players to be sidelined while the injuries healed or they underwent surgery. However, these are not your only options as several Interventional Pain Management treatments can substantially reduce your pain and minimize downtime. Below are a few examples. Epidural injections The epidural space contains tissues that surround the spine. A combination of anesthetic and pain medications can be injected into the space to decrease or eliminate pain. Facet joint injections The facet joints allow the spine to flex, extend and rotate. When they become in-

Long Island Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ LITennisMag.com

flamed, anesthetic and steroid medications can be injected into them to relieve painful symptoms. Selective Nerve Root Blocks (SNRBs) SNRBs serve two purposes. The first is to locate the cause of nerve pain, and the second is to block the problematic nerve by injecting it with a nerve numbing medication. These treatments are often combined with physical therapy to increase core strength and spinal flexibility. Dr. Charles Ruotolo is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and the founder of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine with locations in Massapequa, East Meadow and the Bronx, N.Y. For more information, call (855) 321-ORTHO or visit TotalOrthoSportsMed.com.

Watch the Language! By Tonny van de Pieterman he way we talk to ourselves greatly influences the way we feel about ourselves. Negative self-talk on the tennis court can be a big drain on your energy level. It can also be improved quickly with some awareness. As a tennis coach, I can shine a light on some of these issues and have a major impact on someone’s progress and fun. I would like to share two recent examples of my experiences with students. In one of my junior development groups, I was working with seven-year-old girls. Near the end of the class, I announced that we were going to spend some time on our serves. “I am horrible at serving,” one of the girls said, and as she dragged herself to pick up a ball to start serving, her facial expression said it all. It was a cross between smelling something foul and the look of horror. Halfheartedly, she made a few attempt and continued, “You see, I am horrible.” She went from being horrible at serving to being horrible. I had heard her mumbling and decided to intervene with some confusion. “Actually, you are a very nice girl. You are not horrible at all. I enjoy having you in the group,” I said. The three other girls who had been serving quietly all turned around. “I am bad at it,” she tried to explain. “Oh,” I said. “I thought I heard you say that you were horrible. Like a horrible person. And I think you are very nice. Isn’t she nice, girls?” Of course, everyone agreed.

“But I know what you are trying to say,” I added. “I just don’t like the words you choose. Perhaps we can find some better words?” “I am not so good at serving?” one of the other girls said. And then, with a phony British accent, my wise seven-year-old negative self-talker uttered, “Serving is quite a challenge for me at this stage in my career” “Indeed,” I responded. We all chuckled. From this moment on, the energy has always been great around practicing serves. Challenges can be fun! The second example comes from a ladies drill. One of the ladies in the group always seems to find a way to talk herself into a funk. On this particular day, halfway through the lesson, she missed a few shots in succession and uttered language that was way too strong for the occasion. “Oh that’s disgusting,” she stated, fol-

lowed by, “This is so embarrassing.” I immediately called for a huddle for some group therapy. Missing shots in tennis is never a disgusting act or behavior since you’re intent is pure and good. When you are doing the best that you can, embarrassment is too strong of an emotion. Have fun with friends, have fun experimenting like a child, and give yourself permission to experience this challenging wonderful game. Next time out on the court, watch the language! Tonny van de Pieterman is director of tennis at Point Set Indoor Racquet Club. He was recently named USTA Tennis Professional of the Year for the USTA/EasternLong Island Region and helped the Eastern Section win this year’s Talbert Cup. He may be reached by phone at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail Tonny@PointSetTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Why Age and Experience Are Hard to Beat on the Tennis Court

By Max Wennakoski he average age of the top tennis players in both the men’s and women’s game is higher than that of previous generations. The top 100 in both men’s and women’s tennis feature dozens of players over the age of 30. This is further reflected in the statistics with respect to wins: During the last few years, there have not been many Grand Slam champions under the age of 25. Let us have a look at the reasons behind this intriguing phenomenon.

One of the most commonly cited reasons for the rising age curve in this sport is how physically demanding the sport has become. Although young players might have the latest knowledge from their lessons and possess excellent technique, touch and feel, the truth is the maximum level in speed and strength in an athlete is not achieved during the teenage years. Furthermore, due to the fact that a lot of strength and speed are needed in tennis, these factors favor older players, assuming that they have taken good care of their bodies. For example, Roger Federer gets stretched out twice a day, an hour each

session, while Novak Djokovic does yoga to keep himself injury-free. This plays to another point, as the player gets older, he or she knows better what works best in preparing for a tournament, and that only comes through experience. However, it can also be noted how the young guns coming through the ranks could not develop their physical attributes and see the impact the sport has had on their bodies. Likely, there will be certain (possibly less important, if you allow me this expression) tournaments in which the physical workload might affect the immediate or short-term performance of that

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week, but in the long-run, it is this refining of the physical attributes of a young player that will allow a player to reach their maximum potential later on. Oftentimes, you see an older player play against an up-and-coming junior. Even if the older player is not quite in the shape they were 10 years ago, one can argue they are still the favorite against the young gun. There is nothing like watching a battle between these generations on the court. The senior player struggles to get back from the corners of the court, yet somehow manages to put the ball into a spot in order for it to remain squarely outside the comfort zone of the clean-hitting young lion. The latter can also hit a lot of impressive winners, but for some reason, often makes more errors in the course of the match. Needless to say, mental and psychological components are just as important as physical conditions in leveraging one’s performance on the court. “Keep your eyes on the ball,” as the old saying goes, also illustrates how, as one’s mind ventures out of the court, the performance on the court can

easily be disturbed. Various distractions are possible … relationship issues, stress, eating and sleeping habits, etc. After all, a human body is a whole and all the pieces in this puzzle need to come together in order for us to be at our best, whether on or off the court. And with age comes not only maturity, but also the knowledge to respect to one’s body. This can also be reflected in practices, through better self-awareness and knowledge of one’s limitations. However, sure enough, there also lies a danger of becoming over confident and relying too much on one’s strengths, as our weakest links are usually those which would need the most reinforcement. Now, you have to admit that tennis is a game. No matter how well a player is striking the ball in practice, at the end of the day, the one who wins the match is the one who is able to hit more balls inside the lines. More often than not, that is the more experienced player. Beating the senior player is often the ultimate task for the young gun, as it is frequently a matchup where the young player will play right at the edge or even outside of their

own comfort zone, providing them with valuable lessons. A senior player knows how to use the slice to change the depth and direction of their shots, and often knows how to naturally move forward. When it gets tight, they are able to play within themselves and are not looking to get on the highlight reel, but choose to hit the ball into the court. The shot selection is more often the right one, and it comes more naturally through the experience. At the end of the day, there is only one solution to master the skill of tennis: Play more and gain more experience. The technical molding of strokes and basket drills can progress a player to the next level, but ultimately what matters is how the player chooses to use their shots and attributes. Max Wennakoski is an ATP-ranked professional tennis coach, currently based in New York. He has years of experience from coaching and has played at the college, regional, national and international levels. He can be reached by e-mail at Max.Wennakoski@gmail.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Productive and Positive Practice With a Parent

By Jimmy Delevante ecoming a better tennis player requires lots of practice. There are no real short cuts to improving your game other than to spend quality time working on your skills. Other than taking lessons and playing matches, practicing with a family member is another great way to improve your game. Growing up, I gained a lot of experience playing with my dad and older brother. What made those experiences so beneficial was very simple: It was always positive, it was always productive, and we always had a good time being out on the court. Sometimes practicing with a parent can be a great experience, and other times, it can be a challenge. In order to have a successful practice, you only need two things: Positivity and productivity. The first rule of practicing with a parent is that is has to be a mutual and voluntary practice. You have to both want to be out there playing tennis with each other. You may have different goals or ambitions while on the court, but as long as you both genuinely want to be there, then you are going to have a good time. If at any point during your practice either one of you feels like they don’t want to be out there, it might be a good idea to stop and take a break. Sometimes, taking a five-minute break just to have a seat, have a drink and redirect your conversation away from tennis is all you need to enjoy the rest of your time out there. Saying a few positive words or giving a simple and sincere compliment can go a long way in establishing a positive practice environment. The second rule is that you shouldn’t be trying to coach each other on the court. Unless either one of you is a certified tennis professional, it is probably best to just play and not coach. Keep in mind that you both agreed to go out and “play,” not give each other a formal tennis lesson. Your child listens to your voice every day and always has to follow your instructions. During play or practice time, I am willing to bet that

they want a break from hearing your voice tell them what to do. Some of the best practices I have ever had were silent ones. Silent practice time gives a player the chance to focus more on what they are doing, process things and think for themselves. Sometimes everyone just needs a little “quiet time,” on the court to work through their thoughts or to work on movements they want to improve. The bottom line is that it is better to say less than say more. If they appear frustrated, it might be best to let them try to work through it on their own or take a short break and come back to it. If you are on the court practicing and your child asks for help, you are now allowed to do a little bit of coaching or teaching. If they express the fact that they are having trouble with something, they are reaching out for your support. Keep in mind, however, that unless you are a tennis professional, you probably cannot offer them the best answer. If they are having trouble with a particular stroke, your best op-

tion might be to toss or hit them a few balls and let them use that stroke 1520 times and then return to play after a short break. You shouldn’t try to examine their technique or offer any specific solution unless they ask for your opinion. Simply just let them work and feel through it on their own and be there to support them through the process. If the situation doesn’t improve or if they are asking for more help, your best option is to seek out a qualified tennis professional and schedule a lesson for your child to work on the problem. Finally, the third and final rule is to include other people in your practice. Some of the most fun practices I can recall have been with larger groups. It might be a good idea to let your child bring a friend with them to come play. Sometimes having a friend with them makes practice feel more like they are “playing” instead of practicing. If you have friends or other family members that also play, it might be fun to include them also. Having a larger group can

take the pressure off of performance and keep things more positive and fun. Ultimately, the best way to practice is to keep things positive and productive. Finding people to practice with who bring out the best in your attitude is more important than finding people that bring out the best in your performance. If your attitude and spirits are high, you are guaranteed to have fun out there and get better. If you get stuck or frustrated with a part of your game, then seek out a tennis professional who will elevate your attitude and help you get better along the way. The sport of tennis is a lot more fun when you surround yourself with people who know how to have fun on the court while they improve. Jimmy Delevante is a USPTA-certified teaching professional and a National HighPerformance Coach. He is the director of tennis at the Suffolk County Junior Tennis League Training Center, a former ATP professional tennis player, and master pro at Sportime Kings Park. He may be reached by e-mail at QCtennis5@yahoo.com.

LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III and Lee Seidner

Team World Downs Americas at 10th Annual BNP Paribas Showdown

he 2017 installment of the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden had a new format and many fresh faces, and once again delivered a fun and exciting night of tennis to the New York City crowd. In the end, it was Team World, comprised of Lleyton Hewitt, Nick Kyrgios, Kei Nishikori and Garbine Muguruza, who came out victorious, beating Team Americas, made up of Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Jack Sock and Juan Martin del Potro, 29-24 after the six-flight, World TeamTennis-style matchup. The first match up was men’s doubles, as the team of Australians, Hewitt & Kyrgios, took on the American duo of Sock & Roddick. Neither side was able to muster up a break point and it headed into a tiebreaker, which was won by the Australians to give Team World the early advantage. Following the doubles match, Hewitt

and Roddick remained on court to play the second flight, pitting the two all-time greats of their era together against one another. Once again, this set would be decided in a tiebreaker, and Hewitt was able to outlast the American to bump the Team World lead to 10-8 heading into the third flight. Team World continued to hold off any attempt at a Team Americas’ comeback, as Muguruza & Nishikori hung on to beat Venus & del Potro 5-3 in the mixed-doubles flight. This was one of the more exciting matches of the evening, as both sides volleyed back and forth during long rallies and Nishikori hit the shot of the night, a volley at the net with a 360 spin to chase down another volley to win the point. Venus would give the Americas its only victory, as she came back to beat Muguruza 5-4(7-2) in the women’s singles match. The crowd got really excited when Venus was subbed out for a USTA Play for Life Ambassador to play a point against

Muguruza, and then Muguruza was subbed out as another one of the young players came out to play a point against Venus. In what was probably the most intriguing matchup, the next generation of tennis stars took the court as Kyrgios faced Sock in the fifth flight as the two big-hitters traded blows and even threw in some tweeners to the delight of the MSG crowd. At one point, Sock’s good friend and Olympic Gold Medalist in fencing, Miles Chamley-Watson, came out of the crowd to play a point against Kyrgios, and even tried his hand at a tweener, but was unsuccessful. Once again, this set was played into a tiebreaker, and Kyrgios came out victorious to all but ensure the victory for Team World. The final set of the night saw del Potro take on Nishikori, and the fifth-ranked Nishikori outlasted the Argentinean in a tiebreaker, clinching the victory for Team World.

01-Venus Williams battles against Garbine Muguruza at Madison Square Garden 02-Andy Roddick teamed with fellow American Jack Sock in men’s doubles action 03-Japan’s Kei Nishikori entertains the MSG crowd 04-Garbine Muguruza on the court at Madison Square Garden in her match with Venus Williams 05-Juan Martin del Potro battles Kei Nishikori in the final match of the evening 06-The next generation of superstars were on display as Australia’s Nick Kyrgios takes the courts at MSG 07-American Jack Sock serves in his match against Nick Kyrgios

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LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Captain’s Meeting Kicks Off Summer 2017 Adult League Season

he USTA Eastern Long Island Region kicked off the summer 2017 season with its Annual Captain’s Meeting held at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, N.Y. At the Meeting, schedules were distributed and a season preview was given with new rules and guidelines by Adult League Coordinator Kathy Miller. “I was very happy to see such a nice

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turnout again,” said Miller. “The Adult Leagues on Long Island are going strong, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm amongst the players. I’m hoping for a season of great sportsmanship and tennis!” Miller addressed the crowd and introduced three additional speakers, Jonathan Klee, USTA Eastern LI president; Lauren Bull, Eastern Section League coordinator; and Josh Ripple, vice president of GF Sports, the group who is operating

Long Island Tennis Magazine • May/June 2017 • LITennisMag.com

the professional tournament coming to the Nassau Coliseum next February. The Adult League is for players 18 years of age and older. Teams start at the 2.5 Level and go all the way to the 5.0 Level. Levels 2.5 and 5.0 play one court of singles and two courts of doubles. All other levels—3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5—play two courts of singles and three courts of doubles. The Senior League is for players 55 years of age and older. All senior matches are three courts of doubles. The Senior League has one division which is a 7.0 for both men and women (two 3.5 players or a 3.0 and 4.0 player). The Super Senior League is for players 65 years of age and above, and they also play three courts of doubles. The level for Super Seniors are combined NTRP ratings. There are divisions at the 6.0 for women (two 3.0 players or a 2.5 and 3.5), 7.0 for both men and women (two 3.5 players or a 3.0 and 4.0), 8.0 for both men and women (two 4.0 players or 3.5 and 4.5) and 9.0 for men (two 4.5 players or a 4.0 and 5.0). The league runs from mid-May to August. For those interested in getting on a team, you can find out if there are still openings by e-mailing Kathy Miller at Kathym65@aol.com. In the e-mail, state your name, level of play and area where you live, and Kathy will get back to you with any teams that are still in need of players.

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USTA/Long Island Region 2017

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. MAY 2017 Friday-Monday, May 26-29 L1A Memorial Championships at GHRC Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Saturday-Monday, May 27-29 L1B Sportime Amagansett May 2017 Challenger Sportime Amagansett 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail HSromova@SportimeNY.com or call (631) 267-3460.

Friday-Monday, May 26-29 L1A Memorial Championships at Port Washington Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425.

JUNE 2017 Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 L1B PWTA Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425.

Friday-Monday, May 26-29 L1A Memorial Championships at Point Set Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 L2 Point Set June Open Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

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Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 L1B GHRC June Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club • 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849. Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 L1B Sportime Syosset June Challenger Sportime-Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727. Friday-Sunday, June 2-4 L1B Sportime Bethpage June Challenger Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500. Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball, Glen Cove Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FRLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RWTennis@hotmail.com or call (516) 759-0505. Sunday, June 4 Youth Progression Orange L2 Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

USTA/Long Island Region 2017

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 L1B World Gym June Challenger World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Green Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 L1B PWTA June Challenge Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 L1B Point Set June Challenge Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 4 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 L1B GHRC June Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 2 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11 L2 Sportime Syosset June Open Sportime-Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 1418 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, June 16-18 L1B PWTA Father’s Day Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, June 16-18 L1B Point Set Father’s Day Challenger 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, June 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, June 16-18 L2 Long Beach Summer Splash Open Long Beach Tennis Center • 899 Monroe Blvd. • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FRLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) and Intermediate Mixed Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $54.25 for additional singles, $28 for first doubles, $28 for additional doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, June 16-18 L1B Sportime Syosset June Challenger Sportime-Syosset • 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727. Saturday, June 17 Youth Progression Orange L1 Tournament: East Hampton Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FRLC) and Green Level 1 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 11 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail PWilliamson@Ross.org or call (631) 907-5162. Saturday-Sunday, June 17-18 Youth Progression Green L1 June Classic, East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FRLC) and Green Level 1 Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail VTAPR@hotmail.com or call or call (631) 751-6100.

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www.catsny.com LITennisMag.com • May/June 2017 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2017

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 L1B PWTA Summer Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 18 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425.

Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 L1 Sportime Syosset June Championships Sportime-Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, June 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail KSorokko@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, June 30-July 2 L1 PWTA Independence Championships Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (516) 883-6425.

Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 L1B Point Set June Challenger Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, June 18 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Monday, June 23-26 L1B Long Beach Summer Sixteens Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) and Intermediate Mixed Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, June 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, June 30-July 2 L1 Point Set Independence Championships Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Editor’s Note: USTA Eastern’s Junior Competition Committee is currently reworking its Junior Regional Standings and it will be replaced by a system similar to UTR and NTRP. The Junior Rankings are not available at this time.

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