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charitable initiatives High School Players Compete in First LI Tennis Cup
hile there are no high school sports this fall, that doesn’t mean high school players aren’t eager to still compete. Bethpage Park Tennis Center hosted the Long Island Tennis Cup, a boys and girls doubles tournament to support Serve & Return’s, the club’s 501(c)(3) non-profit, Autism Awareness tennis programs. The tournament was played in a roundrobin format with the top teams advancing into the semifinals. After a full day of competitive tennis with players representing multiple high schools, the tournament had its two winning teams. In the boys’ division, it was Alex Mazza and Evan Lee of Bellmore JFK who came out victorious, while Syosset’s Alexa Brecher and Plainview JFK’s Natalie Phillips won the girls’ division. “I think it’s so great that we were able to do something we love and help raise money for charity at the same time,” said Brecher. “The event was a lot of fun!” Phillips added: “I had a really good time being able to play tennis for a good
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cause. The event was so much fun.” “The value of high school tennis goes way beyond just competing in the sport. Its about teamwork, friendships and pride in your school,” said Steve Kaplan, owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center. “Its been
rough these past months so i wanted to offer a day that would give school players a chance to have fun and reconnect.” This event was sponsored by Bethpage Park Tennis Center, LI Tennis Magazine and USTA Eastern.
LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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litennis 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
NOV/DEC 2020 • Vol 12, No 6
Table Of Contents
Nadal Wins 13th French Open Title: Is He The Greatest of All-Time?
Staff David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 david@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 brianc@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Art Director (516) 409-4444, ext. 307 Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 francinem@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator
See page 22 Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
Highlights 1 6 8 12 18 30 38 42
Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer
Lee Seidner Staff Photographer
Features 4 11 14 16 20 22 40 49 50
Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com.
Long Island Tennis Charitable Initiatives: High School Players Compete in First LI Tennis Cup Mixed Doubles Teams Compete in Fall LITM Challenge Point Set Ready to Celebrate 50th Anniversary By Brian Coleman Great Expectations: A Tribute to Daniel Burgess By Miguel Cervantes Coaching Spotlight: Ken Feuer, SPORTIME Syosset 2020 Coaches Roundtable Discussion Junior Player Spotlight: Linda and Marco Ziets-Segura, Glen Head Racquet & Fitness 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
51 52 54
Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Don’t Be Self-Conscious and Just Win Baby By Ricky Becker The Dirty Tricks Department: The Top 20 By Chris Lewit 2020 French Open Recap The Fault Is Not In Our Stars, But In Ourselves By Steve Kaplan Lost The Second Set—Badly By Barbara Wyatt Mastering the Mind: Mindfulness at 125 MPH…Part Six By Rob Polishook The Tennis Guru: The Muse By Dr. Tom Ferraro Discipline In a COVID World Can Help In The Tennis World By Lonnie Mitchel USTA Long Island Junior Rankings
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 November/December • LITennisMag.com Long Island 20192020 • LITennisMag.com 2 information articles, or data.Tennis Magazine • January/February Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Publications Ltd. • Copyright © 2020 United Sports Publications Ltd.
COMING IN JANUARY
Distribution scheduled for 01/04/21
This edition will feature: • Guide to the Top Tennis Clubs/Programs • Australian Open Preview • Girls’ High School Preview • Guide to the Top Tennis Travel Destinations • State of Long Island Tennis in 2021
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Across Long Isl Rabman Wins Super Six Thea Rabman, who trains at the JMTA at SPORTIME Syosset, captured the title at the L3 Super Six at Westchester Tennis Center in the Girls 18s division. Rabman won six matches en route to the title, including coming back from a set down in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals.
Brancatelli, Karman Announce College Commitments
Markovic Wins L5 October Championship Luka Markovic came out victorious at the L5 SPORTIME Lake Isle Championship, winning the title in the Boys 18s Division. Markovic, who trains at Glen Head Racquet & Fitness and was the tournament’s fifth-seed, came back from a set down in his opening round match before going on to win the rest of his matches in straight sets.
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Former Port Washington High School standouts Gabriele Brancatelli and Alex Karman have announced their college commitments for next fall. Both players are headed to compete in the Big 10 Conference, as Brancatelli will be going to Purdue while Karman joins Penn State. The two helped lead the Vikings to a Nassau County and Long Island Championship a year ago, competing in the top two singles spots.
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
sland
… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community
RSTA’s Weiss Wins Two Fall Tournaments Ross School Tennis Academy’s Lillie Weiss has posted excellent results during her tournament play this fall. After winning an L1 Orange Ball event, Weiss followed that up by winning her first Green Dot tournament.
2020 Oracle ITA Masters in San Diego. While he would lose to the University of Southern California’s Brandon Holt in the finals, the result demonstrated once again that Kingsley is one of the top players in college tennis.
Point Set Honors Burgess With In-House Tournament
Kingsley Reaches Oracle ITA Masters Finals Northport native Cannon Kingsley continued the excellent start to his collegiate career, beginning his sophomore campaign with a trip to the finals of the
To honor Daniel Burgess, one of Long Island’s greatest tennis ambassadors who passed away this fall, Point Set Racquet Club hosted a tournament in his honor, the Daniel Burgess Memorial Tournament. Jake Palay defeated Charlie Travis in the tournament’s finals.
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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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THE LONG ISLAND
CHALLENGE 2020
Mixed Doubles Teams Comp
The 2020 Fall Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge played host to a sold-out draw in a new format, as mixed doubles pairings in four different divisions came out to SPORTIME Quogue to compete in safe and socially-distant tennis. Typically, the Challenges feature Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles draws, but the Fall event was a Mixed Doubles tournament for the first time. Throughout the day, competitive tennis filled SPORTIME Quogue’s outdoor clay courts. A nice lunch and drinks were
provided to players throughout the day. Towards the end of the day, there was a happy hour on the pool deck where spectators gathered to watch a live streaming of the U.S. Open Women’s Singles final. The event began with round robin play for teams in each division determined by level. In the 6.0-6.5 division, it was Emily Yang & Barry-Glenn Gloria and Nicholas Estivillo & Kim Shea who came through the draw to reach the finals. Gloria & Yang proved to be too much in the finals,
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Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
and took home the title. “I trusted Emily at the baseline,” Gloria said of the pair’s strategy throughout the day. “I know she can handle herself back there, so I just tried to focus on doing my part at the net.” Yang added: “This was great. The tournament was run perfectly, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We had a lot of fun.” Eddie Demirci & Juliette Lowery used their experience playing together to come out victorious in the 7.0-7.5 division, defeating Jeeun Lee & Jung Park in the championship match. “We’ve played in a few leagues together, in a few different levels,” said Demirci. “We made Sectionals together in the 40&Over division once, but it’s been awhile since we played together.” The two quickly found that chemistry once again to outlast Lee & Park in a tightlycontested final. “My favorite thing about playing with him is I always know he’s backing me up,” said Lowery. “It’s very easy to play with him. Sometimes I feel like I’m in yoga or something, he’s always telling me to take a deep breath and relax after each point. Overall we stuck to our game plan.” The 8.0-8.5 division came down to a matchup between Djonvi Santos & Stephanie Rances and Lily Reidel & Rob
mpete in Fall LITM Challenge
Remolador in the championship, a match Rances & Santos won to claim the title. “I definitely had a tough start in the morning,” said Rances. “I wasn’t feeling my strokes at all. He carried me early.” Despite her early struggles, Rances picked up her play as the tournament went on according to Santos. “Later in the tournament, I wasn’t feeling my strokes at all, so she carried me in the end,” he said. “It all worked out.” Rances added: “It was a great facility and the weather was beautiful. We couldn’t ask for anything more.” In the event’s top division, the 9.0-9.5, Jackie Clark & Casey Schnabel defeated former ATP Tour pro Gilad Bloom and his wife, Michal, in an exciting final. “I had an amazing partner and couldn’t have done it without him,” said Clark. “He was on fire and really clutch today…Sometimes you can get down on yourself, but he was really there to lift my spirits up.” Clark and Schnabel have won previous Challenge events in Women’s Doubles and Men’s Doubles, respectively, and can now call themselves Mixed Doubles champions. “There was never a Mixed Doubles event like this, and we really enjoyed playing this format,” said Schnabel. There will be a third Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge of 2020 set for later this
winter. Make sure to check LITennisMag.com and social media pages for more information. “After a successful event earlier this summer, we were excited to bring the LI Tennis Magazine Challenge back with a Fall version of the Challenge. It was great to bring the tennis community together for a full day of competitive tennis on the court as well as lots of fun off the court. Throughout the tough times this year, we feel a responsibility to do our best to continue hosting events like this that players and
THE LONG ISLAND
CHALLENGE 2020
local businesses have always been a part of and to unite the tennis community," said David Sickmen. "With the Mixed Doubles format, we wanted to try a new format, and we actually ended up having a waiting list for entry, so now we know there is a high demand for events like this as well. I want to thank SPORTIME Quogue and my Cotournament director Michelle Stoerback for their help and support in running the event. We plan on hosting another LI Tennis Magazine Challenge this winter in a safe and healthy manner.”
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Point Set Ready to Celebrate 50th Anniversary By Brian Coleman
Point Set coaches David Nisenson (left) and Tonny VanDePieterman (right) have been creating fun and exciting junior programs at Point Set or five decades, Point Set Racquet Club in Oceanside has stood as a top tennis destination on Long Island’s South Shore, and in 2021 the facility will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The club opened in April 1971 and has been serving generations of families ever since. “I think the key to our success is we’ve always had a loyal following and loyal clientele,” said Marc Kemp, Point Set’s Managing Partner. “My kids played at Point Set, and a lot of my friend’s kids played here as well. I think that we offer good programs and a clean, modern facility, which goes a long way. We try to be opportunistic when we can, pay attention to the market and give people
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what they want.” Kemp’s father-in-law built the facility all those years ago, and Dan Dwyer served as the original Managing Partner, helping establish Point Set as one of the Island’s tennis pillars. When Dwyer passed away back in 2010, that’s when Kemp, who had been an advisor there for years, stepped into a bigger role at Point Set. “Dan was synonymous with tennis as well as with Point Set in every way, and even within the Five Towns in general,” said Kemp. “He was such a fixture in the tennis community. When he was gone, it created a significant vacuum for us, and it took us some time to figure out how to fill it. We were very lucky at the time that we had a great staff, which included Tonny van de
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
Pieterman, who really stepped up. Lori Sarnelli took over full-time as Manager and I was more of the big picture guy. I can’t stress enough what a great job Lori does. She’s a gem. She just has a nice way about her, makes people feel comfortable and is always reaching out to our customers, and I think that’s important. When people feel that a place is warm, welcoming and inviting, they feel comfortable there.” And that is at the heart of Point Set’s success through the years. The club has established a family-like atmosphere, which is why generations of families have continued to choose to play there. “I’ve played tennis at a lot of other places, but nothing compares to playing
here,” said Jennifer Goffner, who has been playing at Point Set for nearly 10 years. “It has a very camp-like feel. Everybody is involved and wants to have fun. I do the live ball program during the week, take a private lesson on Sundays, and compete in a league as well.” Point Set has a tight-knit and supportive staff who all work well together to the benefit of its customers. “I think it’s our team that sets us apart,” said Sarnelli. “Most of our teaching staff has been with us for over 10 years, and we’re like a family. Everyone treats the business like it’s their own, and it shows when you walk in the front door. Most of our customers let us know they enjoy playing here because they feel like it is their home. We take pride in making our customers feel welcomed and comfortable.” While Point Set has been successful, there has also been challenging times along the way. A couple of years after Dwyer’s passing, Superstorm Sandy battered Long Island, particularly the South Shore in Nassau County, with the subsequent
Longtime Point Set Managing Partner Dan Dwyer with former pro player Dimitry Tursunov flooding filling Point Set with three feet of water. “After Sandy we had two choices: either go in and do a full renovation, or not reopen for business at all,” recalls Kemp. “I felt
everybody was committed, and we spent around $800,000 redoing the whole club. Looking back, it was absolutely the right thing to do and I think the club looks great. We did new lighting, air conditioning, courts, etc. We try to create a nice atmosphere; we’ve done a lot over the years and I think our facility is first-rate.” And most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges to Point Set, like it has to all small businesses throughout the country. At its peak earlier this year, clubs and gyms were forced to close down, at least temporarily but with the strong possibility that they would not be able to recover from those losses. “We understood the rules that were put in place and we abided by them,” said Kemp. “We didn’t do anything to skirt them. I know a lot of other guys in the business, so I made some calls around to see how others were handling the situation. We followed the rules and did what we were allowed to do. We made sure we did the right things, continued on page 10
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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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point set continued from page 9 followed the proper protocols, and Lori was on top of all of that right away. In May, her and I talked and we made sure we were prepared.” In terms of the day-to-day operations, Point Set did everything to make sure the staff and customers could return in a safe manner. “We have installed sanitizing stations throughout the club and on every court, as well as removed all water jugs,” said Sarnelli. “We have closed off of our upstairs lounge and removed seating from the lobby. We installed Plexiglas at the front desk and closed the showers for the time being. We’re doing our best to keep the club sanitized and to make our customers feel as comfortable and safe as possible.” So as Point Set embarks on its 50th year of operations, it has seen a lot of other places come and go, while establishing its place as a foundation of Long Island tennis,
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and hopes to continue providing a welcoming home for tennis players. “I’ve been teaching here for about 10 years now. I’ve taught at other places, and this one really has a family-like environment,” said David Nisenson, who runs Point Set’s junior program. “It’s a great place to both work and come to and spend your time.” “Why do people go to a restaurant where the Maitre D’ knows their name? It’s nice to have that sense of familiarity,” added Kemp. “And part of the From left to right: Tonny VanDePieterman, Lori Sarnelli and reasons people continue to Marc Kemp honored at the USTA Eastern Long Island Region come back is because of the Awards Dinner teaching pros we have who have been with us for so many years like Nadia club and our brand. I just think the whole Johnston, Claudio Eulau, David Nisenson, team should be thanked for what they do.” Tonny VanDePieterman, and our league director Maureen McFadzen. They have Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long been with us for decades, have been loyal Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached to us and are great ambassadors for the at brianc@usptennis.com.
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
By Kathy Miller
he Tri Level league which is three courts of doubles, one court at the 4.5 level, one at the 4.0 level and another at 3.5 is underway for both the women and the men. We also have a ladies Tri Level league running at the 4.0, 3.5, 3.0 levels. Sectionals for the Long Island winning teams are being discussed and information should be available soon. The 18 & Over Mixed Doubles League has just started play at the 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 levels. The 40 & Over mixed will start late February and I will be in touch with captains and clubs mid-November regarding registration. Presently playing is the 65 & Over Mixed Doubles league which will be finishing up soon. Al Silverstein and Sue D’Alessandro have done an amazing job organizing this league and it continues to grow every season. This league is a social league as the USTA does not yet
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have a sectional or national event. They do however play this league under the USTA umbrella on the local level. USTA Eastern had purchased shirts for the men’s and women’s sectional event that was supposed to play this past August Members of the 65 & Over Mixed Doubles League in their custom USTA shirts which had to be Thanksgiving along with good health! canceled due to COVID-19. I was lucky enough to get enough shirts to give to Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree the players in this league who were Racquet Club and is also the Adult happy to be recognized along with the League Coordinator for USTA/Long recognition for the league! Thank you Island. She may be reached at USTA Eastern! kathym65@aol.com. I wish everyone a very Happy
LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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Great Expectation A Tribute to Daniel Burgess
Honoring Daniel Burgess
Earlier this fall, the Long Island tennis community lost one of its most iconic and beloved figures when Daniel Burgess passed away at the age of 66. Burgess was adored by generations of tennis players, and will be dearly missed. Below is a tribute to the man who brought so much joy to so many people.
By Miguel Cervantes How does anyone attempt, successfully, to pay homage to one of the most influential people in their life? Two books and five podcast seasons simply wouldn’t do to express the impact. It would be a Sisyphean endeavor to attempt to write a summation of an individual whose life could be characterized as Shakespearean in its endurance, but here I am — rolling the boulder up the hill. This morning I woke up to discover that my mentor and friend had passed away. If you live long enough, you know what that feels like. The loss of someone you have so much love for is a debt that cannot be paid — it stays with you forever. I felt compelled to talk to him one more time, to impress upon him what he had done for me, but now it is too late, so here I am writing what I would say. What we remember is never the details, but rather the impression we’re left with, like a beautiful piece of prestidigitation. This is not who Daniel Burgess was, but who he was to me. Right after college, my family and I moved from Queens to Long Island. I had no idea what I was doing, lost like so many 12
other 20-somethings. Without a car, I took a job that was close enough for me to walk to, associate at Blockbuster video — I hated it. My passion for movies was dwarfed by the soul sucking, pride swallowing, daily grind of retail. On the best days I’d only suffer a mild ennui that was painful enough. One fateful day, a customer of mine struck up a conversation about tennis with me; they were coming from playing. ‘Freeport Tennis (the club Daniel ran) is looking for people, you should apply.’ Within weeks, I was working the front desk, then I was working the pro shop, then I found myself on court. The circumstances that bring us to a tipping point in our life are always a surprise. One pro got sick, another moved back home to Jamaica, and another was a no-show — what are the chances of that. Daniel came to me and said, ‘I need you to teach today.’ ‘I don’t know how to teach,’ I replied. Daniel was asking, but he wasn’t; this was mandate he had given me, the first of many. ‘You’ve seen it done a thousand times, I need you today.’ And so Daniel had given me a direction, a purpose, a career. I was awful at first, but Daniel made me better. Not only did he mentor me to make me a better instructor, he mentored me to be a better person. He gave me the most important thing a mentor can give someone, the desire to learn more. A great mentor/coach is someone that
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
makes themselves progressively less needed. In tennis, you’re by yourself on the court. Teaching someone how to improve, problem solve, to be curious and go beyond what is directly given to them by their coach is incalculable in value. Because of Daniel’s mentorship, I went on to be a successful coach. I helped others, the way he helped me. One teenager came to me wanting to join his school team. We had 30 minutes for the next four weeks to make that happen. He was awful! When I asked why he wanted to join the team, he told me it’s because all of his friends were going to be on the team and he wanted to spend time with them after school. Stakes were high, this was important for him. Not only did he make the team, he was the captain the following year. One girl took lessons with me after having a horrible experience with two other coaches. She would cry on the court with the other pros and began to hate the sport. In very little time, she not only improved, but grew to love the sport in a way that surprised her parents. There are dozens of stories I could tell you of people reaching to me after I stopped coaching professionally to let me know that they loved their time with me, that I was the best instructor they ever had. But I was only the best for them because I learned from the best; that’s who Daniel was, he was the best of us. After I stopped teaching, I started a career in book publishing. Publishing is not an easy industry to get into. The old vanguard of publishing professionals fancy themselves gatekeepers of culture and the few positions that are available are given mostly to those who prove themselves worthy (and willing) to slave away for more hours than anyone should work for very little compensation. But, my mentor and friend Daniel is always a voice in the back of my mind reminding me once you walk through a door, you have a responsibility to help others walk through it as well. Because of Daniel, I serve on multiple diversity committees, sponsor young adults to attend publishing events, and mentor several people every year. With luck, and hard work, his philosophy will change my industry. My story is not one that is unique, only unique to me. Daniel touched the lives of countless people like myself. His fingerprint is on the heart and soul of everyone that met him. And while all men, consciously or unconsciously, steer their boat toward immortality in this life, the storm of time takes us all. True immortality lies in leaving a legacy. For as long as people remember you and speak your name, you still live in this world. Daniel Burgess will live forever because I will embody his philosophy, I will teach his lessons, and I will speak his name. Thoughts From Tennis Community Members "I met Danny many years ago at Freeport Indoor when my then five-year-old picked up a racquet for the first time. Over the years Danny became a close friend to my whole family and I quickly learned that not only did he never say no, but he would never take no for an answer. That resulted in many new things for me including joining the USTA LI board, creating a newsletter with him and more recently, teaching reading and writing enrichment at his tennis camp. I can honestly say that getting to know Danny changed my life for the better and I will miss him so much." - Jacki Binder
"Daniel was far more than a tennis instructor to many. He was a community leader, father, brother, grandfather and much more. Words cannot describe what he did for me on a personal level as both a mentor and a teacher. Daniel was always there for me. He always went above and beyond with everything, whether it be volunteering -- which he loved -- or teaching children at his camp. Daniel was a great person and he will be missed by everyone who met him." - Ross Binder “Danny was more than just a coach, he was a friend. He made lessons so much fun, and I was lucky to have him teach me how to be a coach too. I hope that one day I can be half the amazing coach he was.” - Julia Cicchillo “Danny has left the world and our local tennis community a better place than he found it. He was a teacher, friend and mentor to so many with such a kind and charitable heart. He will be sorely missed but his positive influence will be felt forever.” – Steve Kaplan “Danny was one of the few people that got me active with the USTA again after raising my two children. He helped me to organize community festivals, and later on it led me to organize the Family Tennis League. The work has been very gratifying, and I hope to continue his legacy and share my love for tennis. I ran into Danny at the outdoor courts a few days before he passed. I could never have imagined that would be our last time together. As he was about to start teaching, he said, “we need to do something about fixing all the cracks on these courts!” Thanks to Danny, I now have my next project! He was loved by the whole community and will be missed by all.” – Fabiana Rezak
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U S TA E A S T E R N L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N
Remembering Daniel Burgess
In 2016, the USTA Long Island Executive Board helped dedicate the refurbished courts at the Northport VA Hospital. From left, Daniel Burgess (then USTA LI president), Craig Fligstein, Mark McIntyre (then president of USTA Eastern), Sunny Fishkind and Mike Pavlides
Daniel presents the Special Service Award to then-Legislator Laura Curran (now Nassau County Executive) at the USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner in 2016
Daniel’s non-profit Learning Institute of Tennis, Daniel always loved giving tennis lessons at Life Skills and Sportsmanship held summer community events like the Bellmore Street Fair tennis camp for Freeport-area children for many years. Here, he is pictured this past summer with his grandson, Mason Burgess he Long Island Region Council is heartbroken over the loss of longtime volunteer Daniel Burgess. One of the biggest champions of growing tennis on Long Island, Daniel served as Long Island Regional President for six years and was an active member of the Long Island Council for many years.
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USTA board members modeling “I Love LI Tennis T-shirts” at a fundraiser for U.S. veterans. From left, Jacki Binder, Daniel and Marian Morris
Summer Kids’ Days were a highlight of Daniel’s USTA volunteer work. He is shown here with volunteer Jay Fagin
Daniel was extremely passionate about getting racquets into the hands of kids across Nassau and Suffolk Counties and recently worked with several school districts— including Freeport and North Merrick, as well as the Catholic Youth Organization—to introduce more children to the game. He organized countless free clinics across Long
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • 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 Island and was instrumental in the developing and maintaining the courts at the Bishop Frank O. White Park near his home in Freeport. For over 30 years, including this past summer, Daniel hosted a tennis summer camp through his non-profit, the Learning Institute of Tennis, Life Skills and Sportsmanship (www.tennislifeskills.org). He often allowed kids to attend free of charge if their parents could not afford the cost. Within the Long Island Region, Daniel will be remembered for leading numerous initiatives to bring tennis out into the community including giving tennis lessons at the Merrick and Bellmore street fairs, among others, coordinating summer kids’ tennis days, creating tennis fundraisers for U.S. veterans and others, supporting wheelchair tennis programs and much more. He also founded the LI Region’s quarterly publication, “On the Ball: News from LI.” Daniel was chair of the USTA Eastern Multicultural Committee and ran tennis programming for the Freeport Police Activity League (PAL) and the Merrick PAL. At the other end of the age spectrum, he brought tennis lessons into senior centers in Nassau County. Daniel received and was recognized with numerous USTA awards over the years including, most recently, the Fran Osei USTA Eastern Community Service Award (2018) and the USTA Long Island Region Hy Zausner Lifetime Tennis Achievement Award. Long Island’s Council members worked with Daniel on many of his volunteer endeavors. Here are the words of some of his USTA colleagues: “Danny's past and present contributions to our Council as Past President (Regional Director) and Community Organizer were immeasurable. To the date of his passing, he was always the first to contribute his time to volunteer at uncountable tennis related events across the Island and will forever be remembered by all who knew him for his altruistic nature and the many lives he touched. No one left a Danny Burgess tennis event without a smile on their face.” - Jonathan Klee, USTA LI Regional Director
be missed. May his sunset never go down below the horizon of life.” - Herb Harris, Grant Committee, Community Development Liaison He “was a warm and caring person who truly inspired others to embrace volunteerism in the tennis industry. He was instrumental in my getting involved and joining the USTA Long Island Regional Council. He will be greatly missed.” - Hilary Bressler, Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee Daniel was so “helpful in making the renovation of the tennis courts at the Northport Veterans Administration facility a reality. He helped to negotiate the funds… I loved his tagline on his voice mail, ‘keep the last ball in play.’ These are words we can all live by and exemplify the miracle of Danny.” - Craig Fligstein, Veterans and Community Service Liaison “I first met Danny at the Freeport Indoor Tennis Club. He certified me with the USPTA as a tennis teaching professional in the late 1990s. His knowledge of the sport, training methods and genuine passion for teaching the sport of tennis was second to none. There is a void in the local tennis community that will be difficult to fill. He will be missed by all.” - Chris Colesanti, Adult League Committee “Danny was a giver and a doer. He truly cared about sharing his passion for tennis and making a positive impact in the lives of others. I had the opportunity to work collaboratively with him on many community events while I was the USTA Eastern Metro Region President and he was the Long Island Region President and I will truly miss his kind spirit and giant smile.” - Jackie Clark, Council Member
“Danny was passionate about providing an opportunity, and the experience of playing tennis, to those that would otherwise never have gotten a chance to hold a tennis racquet or hit a tennis ball in their lives!” - Mike Pavlides, Past Regional Director
“When I joined USTA Eastern four years ago, Danny was one of the first to welcome me and was always available to help me with whatever I needed. His passion for people and for tennis will always be an inspiration for me.” - Neil Thakur, USTA Eastern Tennis Service Representative, Long Island
“Danny Burgess was a personal friend with whom I shared a lot of common ground and thoughts. He would go above and beyond to grow the game of tennis and make it enjoyable. Danny touched the lives of thousands and he will
“Daniel touched so many lives with his love of the game and in getting so many on the court. He was a gentleman who gave from his heart and will be so missed.” - Kathy Miller, Adult League Coordinator
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MY THB USTER S
Don’t Be Self-Conscious and Just Win Baby! BY RICKY BECKER
“Squeeze the middle!” “Nobody gets beat with a cross court passing shot in doubles!” “If you aren’t beaten down-the-line in your alley at least once a set, you aren’t doing a good job covering your alley. You are doing a bad job of not covering the middle!” These are coaching nuggets I’ve been repeating for years. The most underrated and important piece of
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doubles coaching advice I can give is this: When you are at the net in doubles, the chance of getting beat crosscourt in your alley is so incredibly small you can practically stand near the middle line and ignore your alley. While most of my students over time start improving in this concept, I have always questioned and truthfully been astounded, why it takes so much time for players to adapt to it. It was almost like people didn’t believe me or
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were just reluctant to do it—and then I realized why. As a player, you may not consciously put it in these words, but when you get passed in your alley it is embarrassing! It is your fault! Your opponents know it, your partner knows it and you knew the ball went by you on your side of the court. You were the reason that your team lost the point! When the ball goes between you and your partner for a winner, what
subconsciously goes through your head? That ball could have been my partner’s shot as well! I’m watching my side here! That’s a good, smart shot they hit. We need to communicate better! I have news for you: It’s better for your team to lose one point by getting passed in your alley than it is by losing six points up-the-middle because you are busy watching your alley. And I honestly believe this is the ratio at which people get passed at the net. That night, you may recall that point you got beat in the alley while you don’t remember the ones your team got beat up the middle, but it barely ever happens! I have multiple doubles groups each week, and they know I preach this concept. Over the hour-and-ahalf session, some players, when at the baseline, will try and beat the volleyer cross-court to prove me wrong. And on occasion the baseliner will hit the winner and laugh at me
until I playfully remind them he or she missed the same shot four times already and the one good shot doesn’t make up for the four errors. Or somebody will get passed crosscourt, they will turn around and say, “See Ricky!” And I’ll have to remind the player that he or she already hit four winners from the middle of the court and are beating two players that they may not have defeated before. As they say, it’s ok to lose the battle to win the war. Along these lines, I used to have a running joke with an old friend of mine, Janine Sadaka, who played high school tennis at Great Neck South, that everybody hit the ball higher over the net at Great Neck South because nobody wanted to hit in the net. The reason we would joke is because Great Neck South used to have small fences in the place of nets. Every time someone hit the ball in the net, there would be a loud, obnoxious “CLANK”. Not only did you get the loud
annoying negative reinforcement every time you hit into the net, but everyone around knew you hit the ball in the net. Just because it was more noticeable when you hit the ball in the fence, should the “shame” of hitting the ball into the fence prevent you from trying to win? Of course not. But neither should the “shame” of getting passed in your alley! Ricky Becker is The Director of Tennis at the prestigious Pine Hollow Country Club for his ninth year, coaches highperformance juniors throughout the year and has been the Director of Tennis at three of Long Island’s biggest junior programs. As a player, Becker was the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis team and ranked in the top-five nationally as a junior. He can be reached at rbecker06@yahoo.com, 516-359-4843 or via juniortennisconsulting.com.
• 2018 USTA Long Island Private Tennis Club of The Year • Run by former Stanford University MVP and Roslyn High School MVP Director Ricky Becker and his staff of 13-pros including Long Island Icons Karl Sommer and Carrie Strum • Free Weekly Member Practices • Free Bi-Weekly Sunday Events • Multiple Women's and Men's Club North Shore Long Island Club Championships • Very welcoming membership with players at all levels • Appropriate coaching for players at all levels ranging from adult beginners and tots to high-ranked juniors and serious adult players • Many extra special tennis events throughout the summer
We have so much going on “on the courts” - it is no surprise that our court usage has increased by 1000% over the past 9 years. Schedule a tour with Heidi today! Contact Heidi Stanya, Director of Membership at 516-922-0300, x115 or heidi@pinehollowcc.org LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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By Brian Coleman
Coaching Spotlight
Ken Feuer SPORTIME Syosset Life has a unique way of bringing us back to where we are supposed to be, and no matter where you travel to; oftentimes you can end up returning home. That certainly applies to Ken Feuer, the Director of Player Development at SPORTIME Syosset, the Long Island Annex of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. A native of Massapequa, Feuer was one of the top junior players on Long Island growing up. “I came from a big tennis family. My uncle owned Seaford Tennis, which was a five-court facility, where I grew up playing with my cousins and my brother,” Feuer recalls. “After he sold the facility, I played the rest of my junior career at Port Washington Tennis Academy.” Feuer would reach the top world ranking in 10 & Under and even got to play a match, the finals of a tournament, at Madison Square Garden prior to a New York Apples World Team Tennis match. “It was against Chris Garner, who is now the men’s coach at Navy,” he said. “He was one of the best junior players to come out of Long Island. It was a pretty cool experience to play at MSG.” His junior accolades would land him a full scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A successful college player, Feuer would compete in the NCAA Tournament one year, and after he graduated he stayed in Lincoln and served as the program’s assistant coach. After a few years on the Nebraska coaching staff, Feuer got an offer to become the head pro at Shelter Rock Tennis & Country Club, where he would also serve as the Interim Director, which brought him back to Long Island. “I was working primarily with country club players, but it’s also where I met Mike Kossoff,” he said. “He was a junior player at the time, and I had experience working with junior and college players. His father called me and
we began working together. It was great to work with a top junior player again. We grew to know each other, and it would become pivotal in what would eventually bring me back full circle.” But Feuer would not remain on Long Island permanently, as after his time at Shelter Rock he took a position working as the Executive Vice President at his family’s commercial parts and services company, which at the time was based in New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana. “My wife and I moved down to New Orleans, which is where our two children were born,” said Feuer. “I spent much of my time traveling between New Orleans and Shreveport, focusing on sales operations and business development. But after a few years, my dad got sick and sold the company, which threw us into a bit of tail spin. So we moved out west to Arizona, where my parents had retired.” It’s then that, after a few years away from it, Feuer returned to the tennis industry, and opened up his own academy in Arizona. “My daughters were starting to play tennis, and I wanted them to have a place to train. We had a pretty good academy with a lot of good junior players,” he recalls. “I was traveling to national tournaments with my kids and other junior players, and would sometimes notice a New Yorker in the draw. Because I remained in touch with Kossoff, I would call him and ask what coach would be at the tournament, and oftentimes it was him, sometimes Greg
Lumpkin or Eric Meditz, who were all coaches at SPORTIME. I was getting to know those guys more and we remained in touch.” And those close relationships are what would eventually bring Feuer back, as he says, and return home to Long Island. The tennis industry slowed down in Arizona, his top juniors were graduating and the 10 & Under programs were slowly drying up. “I could see the writing on the wall, and as I was continuing to talk to Mike [Kossoff] over the years, he was trying to get me to come back and work with him,” said Feuer. “The timing was right. A position opened up at SPORTIME, I had developed a relationship with the coaches here and I thought it would be a great fit to come back and develop some players. I know New York like the back of my hand, and I had a trust factor with Mike, so he thought it was the right fit.” That familiarity, coupled with Feuer’s expertise, made it an easy choice for Kossoff. “Similar to how I brought Jay Harris to SPORTIME, who happened to be my college coach, when the opportunity arose to bring back one of my old junior coaches to New York again, it was a no-brainer,” he said. “Ken is one of the best technical coaches in the country and I knew he would thrive here on Long Island at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. He isn’t just one of my assistant directors at JMTA but he is also our Director of Player
Development, so he is overseeing everyone’s tournament schedules as well as organizing weekly verified UTR matches to ensure our academy players are getting enough match play.” Feuer began his role last summer and couldn’t be happier with how it is going. He also mentions the added bonus of being able to watch his daughters play college tennis— Hailey is a junior at Baruch College and Jaiden will be signing with Adelphi University. “I’ve coached in many different states, and have obtained a lot of great information, which has helped me evolve as a coach,” he said. “Here, we have a customized plan for each individual player. The one thing I’ve learned is how crucial it is for a player to be in a good tennis environment for them to develop their game. Everything clicks when there is a great environment to learn, and that’s what SPORTIME and JMTA have created. We have an open dialogue with every coach, we help each other out in that way…We trust each other, so I can give another coach feedback, and vice versa. It’s my job to make sure the players here are really getting the full coaching treatment, and that’s really what’s going to continue making us a better program, and providing the right environment.” Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He can be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.
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The Dirty Tricks Department—Top 20 Improve Your Street Smarts By Chris Lewit Many people don’t realize that tennis is a brutal game of psychological warfare. Far from the country club, genteel reputation of the sport, real competitive tennis is full of legal and illegal psychological manipulation and outright cheating. Why is this so? Three main reasons: The Tennis Rules The rules of the game are actually anachronistic with many grey areas that allow a manipulative person to take advantage of situations in a match. For example, tennis is one of the only sports that allow tournament competitors to call their own scores, lines, and arbitrate rules on their own. This should never be allowed in serious high stakes tournaments. It is too tempting for 20
players to call close balls out or cheat in other ways. Another example is that, in the rules of tennis, players keep their own score, and if the score cannot be agreed upon, players must return to the last mutually agreed upon score. This rule has caused legions of unscrupulous players to manipulate scores in their favor. There are many other rules—too many to list here—that allow for cheating and manipulation as well. Scoring System Tennis has a relatively unique scoring system, which overweighs certain points over others, giving cheaters more incentive to cheat on those big points. Rather than keeping score to time or a simple total of points, tennis has inflection points in the scoring which carry great weight, such as game points and set points. It is in fact possible to
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
win more total points yet still lose a tennis match, which is very rare in sports indeed. Cheaters are savvy and they know to try and cheat on the big points to maximize the reward from their dirty deeds. Time Aspects Tennis has A LOT of downtime. In between shots, points, sets, and changeovers—all those moments of time add up to major opportunities for devious players to employ psychological manipulation and cheating. Sports that have shorter and fewer breaks in time, and less total time to complete a match, are inherently more resistant to determined foul play. That is not to say other sports are free from these dirty deeds. They certainly are not, but tennis offers more opportunities for cheating and manipulation.
Many kids don’t realize any of this at all. They are just hitting balls. Clueless. “Let’s go play a tournament and have fun!” Naive. I teach my students not to cheat, but I want them to be street smart and prepared for any traps their rivals may set for them. With that goal in mind, here are the top 20 most common dirty tricks that I have seen over the years on the junior, college, and pro circuits: Top 20 Dirty Tricks 1. Calling balls out that are close to the line 2. Playing out balls as in. Then arguing about it 3. Arguing about anything 4. Calling or creating false lets 5. Calling false serve lets 6. Changing the score 7. Talking to the opponent—about anything. Watch out for small talk or compliments 8. Bathroom breaks 9. Stalling or speeding up play
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Illegal coaching Drop shot and lob Moonballs Grunting. Making noise during the point Bouncing around on return of serve. Squeaking feet as a distraction Cheering or celebrating loudly Insults Intimidation Bouncing the ball many times before serving Asking the score repeatedly
This list is a great place to start when helping yourself or your player(s) become less naive and more street smart. A dirty tricks player might take this list and look for strategies to improve his or her manipulation. That would be shame, but at least the most common dirty tricks that I have seen on the junior, college, and pro circuit are on display here for all well-intentioned players to learn about and guard
against on match day. Are there any dirty tricks that I have missed? Write me at Chris@chrislewit.com to let me know! I explore these top 20 dirty tricks in detail on my live show and podcast, The Prodigy Maker Show. Check it out for more in depth discussion. Good luck amigos! Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and a pro circuit player. He is a high-performance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationally-ranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris trains players during the school year in the NYC area, and players come from around the country to his summer camp in the paradise of Vermont. He may be reached by phone at (914) 462-2912, e-mail ChrisLewit@gmail.com or visit ChrisLewit.com.
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comeback complete continued from page 20
2020 FRENCH OPEN RECAP
Nadal Wins 13th French Open Title: Is He The Greatest of All-Time? By Robbie Werdiger
The King of Clay reigns supreme, and he added more precious silver to his coveted royal collection. Under a closed roof in the newly remodeled Philippe Chatrier Stadium, Rafael Nadal handed Novak Djokovic a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 defeat in the 2020 French Open Final. The second-ranked player in the world took nearly three hours to defend his Roland Garros title despite what looked like a routine scoreline. Without losing a set all tournamentlong, Rafa claimed his 20th grand slam title, tying Roger Federer for the most all-time. It was a strange French Open. Normally played in the spring, the tournament was moved to the end of September due to the adjusted COVID-19 schedule. The conditions were challenging for the players. Temperatures were cold, the clouds never seemed to leave, and the wind howled.. “The conditions are the most difficult for me ever for so many different facts. The ball is completely different—super slow and heavy. Slow conditions, the preparations have been less than usual. But I’m here to fight. I’ll try to find the positive vibes,” said Nadal on media day. However, nothing could have stopped Nadal en route to his 13th French Open title. The final started as expected, with Djokovic up 40-15 on his serve in the first game. From there, things were one-sided. Nadal broke serve and played heavy, consistent balls to win every game of the set, handing the world number one his first bagel ever in a major final. Overall, the Spaniard played a near-perfect final, and after the match, Djokovic admitted that “he did surprise me with the way he was playing, the quality of tennis he was producing.” Djokovic continuously called upon his signature drop shot to disrupt Nadal’s rhythm, but it was to no avail. The Spaniard had an impeccable plus-minus of plus-seventeen, continued on page 24 22
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2020 FRENCH OPEN RECAP
Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
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2020 FRENCH OPEN RECAP continued from page 22 smacking 31 winners compared to a mere 14 unforced errors. Match commentator John McEnroe joked that anything Nadal touched turned to gold as he couldn’t seem to miss. While Djokovic was surely outplayed, he had a disappointing performance, hitting an uncharacteristic 52 unforced errors. Djokovic was regarded by many as the favorite coming into the tournament. Looking to hoist the second French Open title of his career, the Djoker appeared to be in prime form. He had won every tournament he played this year besides the 2020 U.S. Open, which holds an unforgettable asterisk. In the Round of 16 against Pablo Carreno Busta, a frustrated Djokovic smacked a ball at the back fence, unintentionally hitting a lineswoman in the throat leading to his immediate disqualification. Djokovic and the tennis world couldn’t believe the opportunity he had forfeited, having the chance to play a grand slam without Roger [Federer] or Rafa in the draw and gain an advantage over both players in the coveted Grand Slam titles race.
Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
Djokovic returned to action a few weeks later and continued his flawless form by winning the prestigious Rome masters title, notably on edge and playing with tremendous self-pressure and focus, which usually pushes the Serb to play his best tennis. Djokovic carried the
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momentum into Paris, cruising to the semifinals after only having lost one set. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nadal made a big decision in deciding to opt-out of the New York bubble required for players competing in the Western & Southern and U.S. Opens, both held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. While most players on tour regained their rhythm after the COVID-19 break on the Flushing Meadows hard courts, the Mallorcan trained on clay at his academy during that time, preparing for Roland Garros. Nadal certainly had rest and rhythm on his side as the remainder of the tour players had to fly over to Europe and had to adjust to competing on a different surface less than three weeks after the U.S. Open’s conclusion. For newly crowned U.S. Open champion and two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem, the physical toll proved too costly as he was upset in the quarterfinals by Diego Schwartzman in
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2020 FRENCH OPEN RECAP Photo credit: Brad Penner/USTA
a five-set thriller. In the end, Nadal’s decision resulted in a Grand Slam victory while Djokovic sadly was unable to capture an eighteenth major title after starting the year off so strong. Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic fans all argue over who is the greatest player of all-time, and the Grand Slam title race is often regarded as the most crucial statistic in answering such a difficult question. Federer led both greats in Grand Slams throughout his career, but for the first time, he is no longer leading. Federer acknowledges that he may very well end up third all-time behind Nadal and Djokovic. In an interview in Dubai at the start of 2020, Federer remarked, “Now, at the end, if somebody else would pass you, I mean, I guess it’s OK, because that’s what sports is all about. It’s a lot about numbers. It’s a lot about records. But I had my moment and I always said everything that comes after 15 was, anyway, a bonus.” Federer even congratulated Nadal on his most recent title on Instagram, wishing him more success to come in the future. Nadal views the scenario no differently than Federer. In an interview in May with the Spanish Daily La Voz de Galicia, Nadal admitted: “Even if Federer or Djokovic finishes with more Grand Slam finals than me, it won’t affect my happiness ten years from now.” These similar words from two friendly rivals signify why the tennis world loves Rafa and Roger, primarily because of their humility and class. On the other spectrum, Djokovic has struggled to receive the same kind of love as his two foes. Many people simply don’t find Djokovic’s game that interesting, as he can’t produce the RPMs on the forehand like Rafa, or the
magical and graceful one-handed backhands like Federer. Other people find Djokovic arrogan. His take on the Grand Slam chase is quite different from the two players he is chasing. After the French Open, he was quoted by Sport Klub in Serbia admitting: "My desire is still huge. Secondly, I've still got the same professional goals— the historic No.1 ranking (most weeks at number one) and Grand Slam titles. If I achieve the former, for which I have the better chance, as I intend to do next
year, I will give all my attention to the Grand Slam tournaments." Djokovic makes his intentions clear and doesn’t care about sounding egotistical, adapting the mindset of his late mentor Kobe Bryant. As tennis fans, we are privileged to witness three of the greatest players of all-time battle it out throughout their careers. Nadal added one more Grand Slam to his count at this year’s French Open, but only time will tell how the leader board will look when all is said and done. Robbie Werdiger is a freshman at Georgetown University. A former standout at Horace Mann High School, Werdiger has competed on the national junior stage and has achieved USTA rankings of top 25 in the eastern section in numerous age groups. Additionally, Robbie has represented team USA at the world Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2017, the third largest international sporting event in the world.
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2020 FRENCH OPEN RECAP Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
Swiatek Completes Flawless Paris Run By Brian Coleman
olish teenager Iga Swiatek shocked the world earlier this fall with a truly dominating fortnight in Paris, France. Swiatek became the first player from Poland ever to win a Grand Slam and did so in grand fashion in the City of Love. “Even though you’re really young and you’re an underdog, you can do a lot in a sport like tennis,” said Swiatek. “On one hand, it’s pretty inspiring. Sometimes I caught myself visualizing that I’m also winning a Grand Slam. But on the other hand, it was also really far away. Right now I’m here and I’m a Grand Slam champion. It’s crazy.” Swiatek’s run at Roland Garros culminated with a 6-4, 6-1 win over American Sofia Kenin, the reigning Australian Open champion, as she captured her first ever WTA title in dominating style. “You believe in things, but in the back of your head you
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know that there’s going to be a huge amount of work that you have to do to win that,” she added. “Then after two weeks of great playing, you already have it. It’s just overwhelming.” When looking at Swiatek’s numbers during her two weeks in Paris it’s as shocking as it is impressive. For someone who had never won a WTA title prior to Roland Garros, she looked like a seasoned vet in her demolition of any opponent who came in front of her. Swiatek did not drop a set all tournament long, becoming the first woman to do so since Justine Henin in 2007, and she entered the tournament ranked 54th in the world, making her the lowest-ranked woman to win the French title since the tour’s computer rankings began in 1975. In addition, she lost just 28 games in her entire two weeks, tied for the second-fewest ever. She attributed much of her success to a loose attitude and
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going for her shots. “I just did everything I’ve done in the previous rounds,” she said after defeating Kenin in the finals. “I focused on technique and tactics. I tried to get rid of expectations, just play one ball after another. I didn’t really care if I’m going to lose or win. I think the main key was just keeping my expectations low.” In the finals, Swiatek blasted 25 winners to just 17 unforced errors, and broke Kenin six times in her nine chances. “She obviously played a really good match,” said Kenin. “She’s really hot right now, playing some really great tennis.” Swiatek now becomes the latest young tennis star on the women’s side, joining the likes of Kenin, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreecu, and she is still a teenager until May 2021. She has also become a hero to many in her native Poland, being the nation’s first Grand Slam champion, which earned her praise from the country’s biggest sporting star, soccer player Robert Lewandowski, and comparisons to now-retired
Agnieszka Radwanska, who once climbed to as high as No. 2 in the world rankings. “I just feel like I kind of made history. But I still think that Radwanska, she achieved a lot because she played on the top level of the WTA tour, I don’t know, 12 years,” she said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of people who are going to compare us. But I think I have to be really consistent for the next couple of years for everybody to name me the best player in Poland because I still have a lot to do.” Swiatek has certainly proven herself to the tour after completing one of the most dominant two weeks we have seen at a Grand Slam in recent memory, and will be out to back up her play in 2021. “I’m just proud of myself,” she said. “I’ve done a great job the past two weeks. I wasn’t expecting to win this trophy. It’s obviously amazing for me. It’s a life-changing experience.” Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.
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2020 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S
Coaches Roundtable Discussion he local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, Long Island Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches. These coaches share their thoughts on a wide variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging from junior tennis to the professional game.
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Meet the participants … Ricardo Acioly is a director at the Evert Tennis Academy. He is a former member of the Brazilian Davis Cup Team who was ranked in the top 50 in the ATP doubles rankings. Ricardo has coached several top players including Marcelo Rios and Gabriela Sabatini. He served as Davis Cup Captain for Brazil for six years, and during his tenure as the team captain, reached the semifinal in the World Group. Ricardo has also served as a director on the ATP board of directors and is a two-time member of the ATP Player Council. Ricky Becker is the Director of Tennis at the prestigious Pine Hollow Country Club for his ninth year, coaches highperformance juniors throughout the year and has been the Director of Tennis at three of Long Island’s biggest junior programs. As a player, Becker was the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis team and ranked in the top-five nationally as a junior. Tawhid Choudhury is a tennis professional at New York Tennis at Great Neck. He grew up playing in different programs in New York City, while 30
competing in national and international ITF tournaments, before going on to play college tennis at Asa College in Miami.
Olympic Committees. He is the Head Racquets Professional at Park Country Club and the Director of the Academy at Hamburg Racquet Club. H
Jared El Gayeh is the U10 Director and Camp Director at SPORTIME Syosset. He has served in a variety of teaching and management capacities in his 10-plus years at SPORTIME, and has an infectious energy and ability to motivate children on the court. He was a star goaltender on the Marywood University soccer team.
Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation, and executive director and founder of Serve & Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally- ranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA.
Laurie Tenney Fehrs has been the director of tennis and head professional at Eastern Athletic Club for the past 36 years. A former National 18U Doubles Champion, she began her successful career on the professional tour when she was 17 and would go on to compete in six Wimbledon Championships and seven U.S. Opens. Jason Joseph is the Chair of the USPTA Eastern's Education Committe. He is a USTA Net Generation Coach and a Master Performance Coach who is endorsed by both the United States and Canadian
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
Ed Krass coached the Harvard Women’s Tennis Team to four consecutive Ivy League titles from 1986-1990. Ed is the founder and director of the Annual College Tennis Exposure Camps, which are taught exclusively by all head college coaches for high school-aged players (15-18). Ed is also the founder of One-On-One
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Coaches Roundtable Discussion Doubles tournaments, which have been played at USTA, ATP, ITA and USPTA national events. Adam Lee is a teaching professional at Glen Head Racquet and Fitness. He was a threeyear captain at Wake Forest where he still holds the program record for singles victories, and achieved an ATP ranking. He has worked with Top 500 ATP Tour players as well as top nationally-ranked juniors, and has USPTA, ITPA, Certified Tennis Performance Specialist and GPTCA coaching certifications. Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and a pro circuit player. He is a high-performance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationallyranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris trains players during the school year in the NYC area, and players come from around the country to his summer camp in the paradise of Vermont. Ben Marks is Director of Junior Tennis at Carefree Racquet Club, and Director of Tennis at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club. He previously worked at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, and was the Cold Spring Harbor Varsity Head Coach for three years, earning Nassau County Coach of the Year Honors in 2014. He played number one and number two singles for Norfolk State University, and number
one doubles—reaching a career-high regional ranking of ninth in the Atlantic Region. He is a 2015 National Open Doubles Champion. In 2018, he was named USTA Long Island’s Tennis Professional of the Year. Eric Meditz is a coach at SPORTIME Syosset. Growing up on Long Island, he was once ranked in the Top 50 nationally and went on to play at Penn State University. Following a stint on the pro tour, Meditz joined SPORTIME in 2005, JMTA in 2012, and has produced numerous Division I collegiate players.
David Nisenson is the director of junior development at Point Set Tennis. With more than 25 years of playing and coaching experience and an unmatched competitiveness, David has quickly become one of the driving forces behind Point Set’s junior development program. Jay Pinho is the head professional of 10U and High-Performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He is a USPTA elite professional, a former NCAA Division I coach and player, and has specialized in developing competitive junior players over the past decade. Currently, he is the private coach of three national champions and a WTA touring pro.
November Educational Webinars Dates:
• Tuesday, November 5th Jeremy Rosen: Tennis Analytics • Tuesday, November 12th Joseph Gravagna: How Can Digital Marketing Help Grow Your Club Using SEO, Google AdWords, and Social Media. • Tuesday, November 24th Jason Joseph and Jason Spiers: Progressions in Progressive (10U) Tennis
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USPTA is accredited by the USTA USPTA.com/getyoursix NOTE: In January 2021 the USTA Eastern Annual Conference will be a virtual conference. Please register for this year's conference as soon as possible. LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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Coaches Roundtable Discussion The roundtable ...
College recruiting is always a difficult process, never more so than right now. What is some advice you have for players navigating this process during a pandemic? Acioly: The overall tournament schedule has been greatly reduced so lots of kids are worried about not being able to compete and raise their UTR. But this can be seen as an opportunity to work on one's game and develop and/or improve aspects that would probably not be done under a regular tournament schedule. Hitting the books to raise GPA and preparing a good college video are good things to do at this time and everyone has the challenge to take the initiative to communicate and be in the radar of college coaches as much as possible. Becker: As hard as it is, stay positive and patient but also be prepared. It is extremely important to take advantage of tournaments that are being played now. Travel farther than you would have previously to get your events in! Much of recruiting will be done by last year's results and it puts an even higher emphasis on videos and whether grades improved. At the same time, many college coaches may not know what their rosters are going to look like so there may be unexpected opportunities that pop up. Krass: My advice to players/recruits 32
during this pandemic is to pay close attention to all CDC guidelines while playing, travelling and competing. I know in person recruiting is heavily restricted, so play the best events available to you to show your interest in improving and competing. If you stop competing in tournaments altogether, due to the pandemic, then coaches will need to judge you on just past results. Producing a current matchplay video, against a comparable UTR level player, in a set, unedited except for the dead time, will speak volumes to your level. I offer my Exposure Camps/Clinics outdoors to add an even better opportunity for college tennis recruitment. Try to get college coaches to watch you play at a tournament, camp and on video. Keep your letters of interest short and to the point and keep updating coaches on your progress. Hopefully, in due time, you will be able to visit your top college tennis choices to where coaches are also interested in you. Lee: My advice is that knowing college coaches are restricted to travel, student athletes should really get ahead of the pack by building their own list of colleges and should definitely start establishing connections and relationships with college coaches before other prospects do. Given the new D1 rule that has recently gone into effect, players should
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
now be focusing heavily on their academics for funding benefits on top of athletic scholarships. Meditz: Players that don’t have an opportunity to play tournaments where college coaches attend, now have to be creative in the ways they get in touch with them and market themselves. The best bet I would recommend is to reach out to one of the coaches at your club who has been around for a while and has dealt with college coaches before. Have them do you a favor and reach out to them in your behalf. This might get the ball rolling with a potential college that you might want to play for and maybe a video of a past match can be passed along. How do you feel about on-court coaching, and at which levels should it be allowed? Joseph: In the midst of this pandemic, my feelings are that on-court coaching is safe, as long as we follow the guidelines proposed to us by our government leaders. While indoors, I think it is imperative that we ensure social distancing and good ventilation. Providing coaching to all levels of players is possible during the pandemic, however, we should meet or exceed the expectations of players and parents in helping to minimize transmission of the virus. This may mean having smaller
2020 LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S
Coaches Roundtable Discussion groups, especially for small children, and focusing on quality over quantity. Lee: I personally don't agree with oncourt coaching at all. I think the best players in the world would profit from this as they have the money to buy the best coaching team, whereas other guys who cannot afford coaches, are unable to benefit from on-court coaching. Another reason is that tennis is a one on one sport, and i believe it would take away the player's ability to think. Lewit: It’s a controversial issue—and I know I will upset traditionalists—but I’m a huge believer in on-court coaching. I’ve written a lot about it and we have done episodes on my podcast, The Prodigy Maker Show, on this exact topic. At the junior level, it’s a child welfare issue. Most children are not emotionally or developmentally ready for long tennis matches without psychological support from a coach or parent. Some kids are naturally tough, but many young kids would benefit greatly from support from a coach. It’s a healthy way to improve the junior sport of tennis. We lose many children to other sports where they
receive coach support and are much happier. At the pro level, on-court coaching is just more entertaining. Bottom line. And on-court coaching is already part of the culture of college tennis. Pinho: I am in favor of on-court coaching during tournaments. I believe that this practice could not only speed up the learning curve on a wide range of aspects for the players, but it can also create a better experience for juniors. Our sport has a high turnover in terms of juniors playing tournaments, and having the presence of a coach on-court could provide a less intimidating scenario for players who are starting or who are young, thus potentially increasing the chances that this player would "stick around" for the long-term. While I understand and respect the nature of our sport, where two individuals (in the case of singles) have to problem solve on their own and mitigate the ups and downs of a match, I also feel that having a progression where players start with more help and then become more independent as they mature (both as a player and an
individual) would be the best approach. I also understand the argument that wealthier families/players that could afford a coach during events could end up having a competitive advantage over those who cannot afford it and the parent, who is not a tennis coach, would end up being the "coach". However, isn't that the case in many other sports too, where we have teams that have professional coaches and others are coached by parents? While I agree to this potential competitive advantage, I think the pros outweigh the cons in this case. How do you deal with a student who shows poor sportsmanship on the court and/or a negative attitude? Acioly: At ETA, we work to instill a culture to involve all students in a conversation with the purpose that they take ownership of the process to identify positive and negative behaviors that are then set as guidelines for everyone. That way it is easier for a student to identify the consequences of his or her actions and how it impacts themselves and the group
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Coaches Roundtable Discussion as a whole. On an individual basis we try to identify specific things that are causing this behavior to happen and give the student tools to deal with the issue, always trying to inspire him or her to improve, grow and reach maturity. Marks: For me understanding why players show a negative attitude is important. Usually juniors do not cope with making mistakes as maturely as an adult. Educating the player that tennis is a game of mistakes and the player who manages their mistakes best usually performs better or has better results. No player can ever be perfect, so dealing with adversity is a skill that has to be worked on. Poor sportsmanship for me much more easily addressed, our players are expected to act and behave in a certain way and uphold certain standards. Tennis is historically a very "classy" sport so there is a level of decorum and sportsmanship that should be followed. There is no other option for our players and once educated most are very good at upholding those standards! Meditz: If a student is a behavioral problem on the court, you can point it out to the kid and hope you have enough power in their life to change that, but more importantly you have to talk to the parents and let them know. Let them know that the kids who get the most attention from coaches are the ones that are polite, attentive, and great sports. Coaches are drawn to this behavior and will go out of the way to help them achieve whatever goal possible. The kids that misbehave, who are disrespectful and cheat will get the bare minimum required from anyone involved. Not enough parents are aware of this in my opinion. 2020 has been a challenging year on many fronts. As a tennis coach, how have you adapted your coaching style 34
to coincide with this new socially-distant world we live in? Choudhury: Since the pandemic a few things have changed in terms of how coaches can teach. For example we try to keep a distance at all times while we feed balls or play games but if we must come close to the clients then we have our masks on and we keep six feet apart . Other than that tennis can be taught and played at a distance so it doesn't affect our teaching styles too much. Kaplan: It's challenging to be socially distant from students while teaching since I can no longer give the same kind of kinesthec feedback (cuing students to recognize the position and movement of their body) but manageable as long as I am attentive to giving very clear, precise and explicit verbal and visual instruction. Most importantly however, it's a difficult time for young students and my goal while teaching is to be highly supportive and reassuring to help them through these highly uncertain times. Young people are not getting the same opportunities for socialization so I try to engage them to interact more to provide them with a feeling of normalcy. Nisenson: 2020 has been extremely challenging and will continue to be for the near future. I think we need to follow the protocols to keep ourselves and our student’s safe during this time. Mask wearing is crucial when you have to get closer to a student as well as constantly sanitizing all the equipment. I also think it’s important to keep the amount of students you put in a group to make sure you have enough space to social distance and use the court correctly. Pinho: In addition to complying with governmental mandates and USTA guidelines, this period was an opportunity to tackle "technical projects" with some of my players. We know how difficult it is to make changes when players are
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
competing on most weekends, so this presented an opportunity to work on specific areas without the players being so concerned about taking a half step back to then take two steps forward. The use of at home activities was also a valuable addition to the mix, which made me and the players more creative in finding ways to improve with the tools that were available at the time. As a socially-distant sport, do you think tennis will see an uptick in participation due to the pandemic and lack of other competitive sports available? Choudhury: Yes I believe so because most people are starting to realize that the pandemic has been harshly affecting their health. People want to stay active but are afraid to go to an enclosed space like a gym or go and bump bodies playing sports like basketball, football, soccer, etc. Tennis is the perfect sport for these times because of the fact that we can play at a distance even doubles and singles Joseph: Tennis is primed, as a sociallydistant sport, to see an increase in participation. In fact, without seeing the data yet, I am amazed how many people are playing the sport, especially those that have not played for a number of years or even never played at all. I was (safely) coaching at a public park with 12 courts throughout the spring and summer and I was amazed at seeing the number of players who needed to wait for a court. It took me back to my childhood in the early 90s, since I have seen anyone having to wait for a court at a public facility. Lewit: Yes—tennis has already seen a modest uptick. I own a high performance club in Manchester, Vermont, for example, and my coaches have seen an increase in kids and adults looking for tennis lessons. Folks see tennis as a healthy activity that is safe during the pandemic. Nisenson: I think there was a big uptick
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Coaches Roundtable Discussion this past summer. Many people were working from home full time and were itching to do some activity and felt that outdoor tennis was safe. Another reason for that this summer was many people were not traveling and kids did not go away to camp. Now that we have transitioned indoors I see some more concern but I am happy with the start. If we continue to follow the safety protocols I think people will continue to feel more comfortable playing at indoor facilities. What are the most commonly asked questions you receive from parents? Becker: I get many questions but there are two that stand out and at the beginning of the process. One is, what does my child need to do to have a chance at a scholarship or to play Ivy League tennis. And the answer to that there are no shortcuts and tennis has to be a lifestyle that the child and family can embrace. It won't happen by accident. Secondly, and I know I will probably hear from the USTA on this....why is it mandatory to start with short-court orange ball tournaments when my under-10 child has been playing fullcourt with both green dot and regular balls for a few years and all the kids that play in these tournaments hate it as well? Choudhury: A lot of parents usually ask about my background and how I was introduced to this sport. Many times I'm also asked what their child can improve and I try to do my best to help when asked these questions. El Gayeh: Is my child ready to move up to next leve?. I tend to see parents want to rush through progression before their child is technically proficient. We have been so successful at JMTA Long Island because we make sure our players are proficient tactically as well as technically and do not rush them up before we feel they are ready and confident. Fehrs: The most commonly asked
question I receive from parents is: How is my child doing? The second would be...Do you think my child is good enough for his or her school team? Krass: The biggest two questions that parents want to ultimately have answers for is: What schools might my son or daughter thrive both academically and athletically? How can we better understand how the college tennis recruiting process works? Who do you think is the greatest tennis player ever and why? Fehrs: In my opinion and record wise Rafa Nadal is the greatest player of all time! With 20 Grand Slam Titles, tied with Roger Federer, he is considered the King of Clay Courts without losing a set to date! Rafa has 86 Career Titles overall...with 60 of them on clay! He has captured the most wins on a single surface in the Open Era! Joseph: I really cannot answer that question with detail. I just know that we are fortunate to have such superstars playing in front of our eyes like Serena and Venus, Roger, Rafa, and Novak. To have so many players who push the boundaries of the record books in our lifetime is very special and we should appreciate that. Pinho: Gustavo Kuerten. I am joking, while "Guga" is my biggest idol, Roger Federer is the best one ever in my view. While Rafa and Novak may end up with more Grand Slam titles, Roger has many other accomplishments that are unlikely to be surpassed. Furthermore, I feel that he is not only a more complete player but also the most "plastic" tennis player ever. On top of that, he's arguably one of the best role models ever from the sport world, which elevates the image of our sport as a whole. Rafa would be a close second on that "race" though. How can we as a tennis industry make sure that tennis
becomes more accessible and inclusive, and that the landscape of the sport can be more diverse? Acioly: Nowadays, kids and adults can start playing with beginner methods that really deliver a good result in terms of an easier and faster way of learning, which in turn helps retention. Public facilities and their respective programs should receive the incentive to apply these methods across the country via a subsidized program. Fehrs: The tennis industry needs to get through the Pandemic first and slowly open it up to include programs that are small group friendly. Perhaps include more Cardio Tennis, and create an inclusive internet program so people can contact each other to play more socially. It’s particularly hard right now but most people need social outlets from a distance and tennis is a great sport and outlet for that! Lewit: The main reason that tennis is still exclusive is because it is too expensive to play. Until the game becomes cheaper to train and play, the sport will always be out of reach for many families. Some countries, like Spain for example, have been able to keep down the cost of training and the result is a surge in participation rates. Tennis is a truly awesome sport, but the financial hurdles to play will always deter families of modest means. Concerning diversity, we are in a great place due to the success of so many athletes from diverse backgrounds and regions. The recent successes of AfricanAmerican players, and superstars from Asia, Europe and South America for example, ensure a broad ethnic diversity at the top of the game. Those superstars in turn drive participation by minority players and families at the grassroots level. Marks: In general I think the biggest barrier for people playing tennis is the cost. Especially in places like Long island
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Coaches Roundtable Discussion where indoor tennis is our only option for much of the year. Clubs operating costs are very high so that cost is passed down to the players and members as in any other business. Scholarship programs and programs such as our PAL programs are a great way of reducing those costs to new players and getting new players on our courts. The USTA has a responsibility also to help subsidize these programs and initiatives and there are lots of grants available which clubs can take advantage of. The more players we can get on our courts the more successful tennis in the US will be as a whole. There are no high school sports this fall and winter. What’s your advice for high school players on staying motivated and maintaining training during these months? Becker: Play in local UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) and USTA Events! UTR events are an awesome way to compete in matches that count towards a rating which many high school players may find competitive but much less stressful than USTA Tournaments. We are going to start running them at Bethpage Park. There's various formats but each Bethpage event will take place for one weekend evening night so it won't take up the whole weekend but it still counts! Although there aren't as many USTA events right now due to COVID-19, those of course are better as far as if you are looking at college tennis but UTR is the perfect solution to high school players. El Gayeh: They should continue to compete and play USTA tournaments or UTR verified matches on average twice a month. This will keep them match tough and feel like they are training to improve results in competition. Kaplan: The ability to maintain an organized day is so vital for young people 36
and with most attending in person school just two or three days a week it's very important for everyone not just tennis players to keep active, engaged and structured. It's more importation than ever for young athletes take responsibility for motivating themselves to eat well, get rest, workout and be healthy. I strongly encourage School team members to reach out to one another to help maintain their sense of community. Those with leadership qualities have an opportunity to help support their friend and team member who might be a little lonely, scared and unhappy. Nisenson: My advice to high school players that lost the season would be continue to stay fit. Plenty of zoom workouts to be done at this time that you can do at home. Inquire about a local training program or a match play program at an indoor facility. Keep your spirits up and let’s hope for the best come spring time. How would you describe the current state of tennis on Long Island? What are the pros and cons? El Gayeh: I personally feel tennis on Long Island is in a healthy position. There are a ton of facilities to play throughout the year with world class coaches now calling Long Island home. The results of past junior players competing at the highest level shows that you don't have to be home schooled or live in a warm weather climate to reach a very high level college career or even on the pro tour! The cons are not being able to play outdoors for the majority of the year, thus making the sport more expensive compared to the cost for players in warmer climates. Kaplan: Tennis is a great socially distant activity so in many ways the sport and those who play and support tennis have been affected less by COVID-19 than
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
gyms, restaurants and theaters, for example. We are very fortunate in that regard but still the pain felt by players, parents, publications, organizations, industries, pros, support staff and club's is significant. We are learning all the time about how to enjoy tennis while still maintaining safety and I am optimistic that the sport will emerge stronger in some ways in the local area than before this pandemic. Lee: A tough one to answer as I am just as busy as I was before lockdown. My club, Glen Head Racquet and Fitness, is following every guideline to make sure everyone is safe and I do think tennis is a relatively COVID-19 safe sport. Tournaments are running as well as they could be, it is difficult for everyone. Marks: It has been a very weird 2020 for tennis but also a very good one if we look at the numbers of new players that have been introduced to the game or players returning to tennis after a long time away. With tennis being deemed such a safe sport to play during the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a huge uptick in participation across the island. High school and park courts were filled to the brim with lines of players waiting to get on a court. I have never seen this in the 8 years I have been coaching in NY. Now that we have transitioned back indoors I am happy and slightly surprised with the solid numbers we are continuing to see. Clubs have spent a lot of time and money making facilities as safe as possible for their players and people definitely are noticing this and therefore feeling comfortable coming back inside to play. I know from my experience at Carefree Racquet Club, the systems we have in place with 'one way traffic', sanitizing stations, MERV 13 filters and UV light filters on the AC units are all very much appreciated by our players, and they are showing that appreciation by continuing to play with us.
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J U N I O R P L AY E R S P O T L I G H T BY BRIAN COLEMAN
LINDA AND MARCO ZIETS-SEGURA GLEN HEAD RACQUET AND FITNESS ne of the best parts of tennis is it’s a sport that can be enjoyed together as a family, and for Linda and Marco Ziets-Segura that is exactly the case. The twin siblings began playing tennis together when they were five years-old, and now, as high school freshmen, have become two of the top junior tennis players on Long Island. “Our parents took us to a park every weekend when we were about fiveyears-old where there were tennis courts,” recalls Linda. “Marco was a natural and could have a rally with my dad right away. I remember sitting down on the court and crying because I couldn’t even hit the ball.” But Linda would certainly pick the game up, and soon after the twins were taking tennis lessons together. “We also played other sports
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together such as baseball, soccer and basketball,” says Marco. “Once Linda started being able to hit the tennis ball, she became good quickly, and it was
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fun for us to play together. So our parents signed us up for group lessons at SPORTIME Quogue.” While the two didn’t always take lessons together throughout the years, they often play matches against one another, and this year started training together once again. This year, of course, was a little different however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were unable to continue their training with clubs and facilities closed in the spring and early parts of summer. Therefore, they spent some time down in Florida to continue improving on their games despite not being able to compete in matches and tournaments. “I really wanted to work on my backhand. It’s always been solid but it’s a shot I didn’t have a lot of confidence in, so I wanted to make it more consistent,” said Marco. “That as well as my serve,
because that’s a shot you need to get some easy points in matches.” For Linda, it was making sure she stayed consistent and maintained her confidence. “The pandemic was tough, but without tournaments, I had time to focus on improving my game and my confidence.” Now back in New York, the two have continued their training at Glen Head Racquet & Fitness under the club’s director Adam Lee, a place that has helped their development and given them a comfortable home to play tennis at. “They treat us and everyone else like family,” said Linda. “I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to work with Adam because he is a very fun person who shows me he cares about me, and he also works very hard and pushes me to be the best player I can be. I’m always excited to go train with him, and I leave there feeling I’ve just improved my game.” Marco added: “Adam is such an amazing coach because he makes it fun to work hard, and I always feel like I’m improving. Of all the coaches I’ve ever had, Adam is the one who has shown me he really believes in me which has given me so much confidence. This helped me to
improve so much in such a short time. I wouldn’t be the person I am now without him.” That confidence and conformability has been integral in the success of both players, and now that USTA tournaments returned to the schedule for junior players in the middle of the summer, they are putting that training and self-confidence to the test in competitive matches once again. Linda had a stretch where she won back-to-back titles in July, at L5 and L6 events, and then followed that up by winning the L5 Elevate Fitness Junior August Championships the next month. And just last month, Marco came out victorious in the L6 World Gym Challenger with four consecutive wins in straight sets en route to the title. The competitive world of junior tennis can be difficult to navigate and hard to bear in a sport that can be so individualistic, so it helps both Linda and Marco that they have each other for support. “Marco and I are always pushing each other to the next level,” said Linda. “And he is the only other tennis player in our family, so he understands and supports me in ways that no one else can.” In addition to the mental and emotional support, they always have
a hitting partner and person to play with, which only helps to improve their games. “It definitely helps having my twin sister being such a good player, because I always have someone to hit with,” said Marco. “She even likes to come watch my matches, and we usually warm each other up before tournaments.” And while they used to have their arguments like all siblings do, as they have gotten older their relationship has only strengthened. “I used to find competing in tennis stressful, but as I’ve progressed, it’s become my favorite part of the game,” Marco added. “Linda and I used to fight whenever we played each other, but only recently we started practicing together every day, so we play against each other all the time.” Both players possess a strong work ethic which has fast-tracked their games, and set a foundation for sustained success. The two have goals of playing collegiate tennis and beyond, and will continue putting in the training in order to achieve those goals. Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.
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The Fault Is Not In Our Stars, But In Ourselves By Steve Kaplan ovak Djokovic was disqualified from the U.S. Open for hitting line judge Laura Clark in the throat with a tennis ball, and while this was an unfortunate accident, it was also a willful act that could have been avoided if he had acted with greater professionalism. Some have defended Djokovic, maintaining how unlucky he was, but sometimes you make your own luck, and as every parent has warned their child about risky behavior, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt." The fact that he was sorry because he did not mean to hurt the lines person does not excuse his irresponsible action. Also irrelevant is how badly the lines person was injured, the fairness and
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consistency of the rules, or even how many kind acts Djokovic has performed in his life. If you play tennis for a living you know better than to hit a ball out of anger and Djokovic is a seasoned professional who is so experienced and qualified that he has tried to take over the leadership of the Players Association. If he didn't know the well-established rules, he should have, and if he just didn't care, he got what he deserved. John McEnroe said he was, "Just amazed, amazed that he did something as bone-headed as that", but maybe this should not have come as a surprise to anyone since Djokovic has a well-known and well-demonstrated pattern of reckless behavior and disregard for the rules, both on and off the tennis court. Djokovic contracted COVID-19 during his Adria Tour, while organizing, promoting and playing an exhibition series that
packed the stands in the height of the pandemic with little adherence to social distancing or mask wearing conventions. Immediately afterward, Djokovic partied in nightclubs with his fellow competitors thus sending a message that he was unconcerned with spreading the virus. While his tour was intended to promote his charity, it's hard to ignore that Djokovic showed a reckless disregard for the health and safety of himself and his supporters. Further, in a 2016 interview, after almost hitting someone with a thrown racket in the quarterfinals of the French Open, Djokovic defended his on-court meltdown to a journalist who asked if his reckless behavior might one day "cost him dearly." Djokovic responded, "You guys are unbelievable…It could have been serious, yes. It could have snowed in the O2 Arena as well but it didn't" The irony of his contempt for even the
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possibility that a future event could have consequences is inescapable. The US Open tournament referee Soeren Friemel defended Djokovic's default by summarily rejecting John McEnroe's suggestion on Primetime at the U.S. Open that Djokovics greatness might earn him special treatment. McEnroe asked, "Was there any way, because he's one of our all-time great players, to try to figure a way to be able to finish the match? Was that ever a thought?" Friemel responded, "We treat everyone the same," and later released this statement: "In the end, in any code violation there is a part of discretion to it but in this instance, I don't think there was any chance of any opportunity of any other decision other than defaulting Novak." While we can disagree with the Friemel's judgment, we cannot deny his prerogative to use discretion to apply the code. He clearly understands that there is more to this then "the rules are the rules". Friemel decided that a default was just because no one is bigger than the game.
McEnroe added, "The bottom line is it sucks". And he's right because as a result of Djokovic's irresponsible actions, fans were no longer able to see one of the greatest players of all-time compete at Flushing Meadow during a time where his presence is so important. The sport did not let Djokovic down, he let the sport down Following his default, Djokovic's Instagram post explained a desire to "turn this into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and as a human being,", but one day after the US Open finished he was quoted as saying, "I cannot promise or cannot guarantee that I will never ever do anything similar to that in my life. I'm going to try to do my best, obviously but anything is possible in life." Djokovic's "best" has been pretty darn good in the past so it's difficult to believe that he can't achieve anything that he legitimately puts his mind to. In this case, the goal is to behave in his workplace at standard that is expected from everyone. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal use their powerful platforms to be positive
role models and ambassadors for the game. Djokovic should take ownership of his actions and avoid future angry and impulsive actions by following their lead for the good of the sport, the fans and himself. Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation, and executive director and founder of Serve &Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationallyranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE AceSpace
Chris@AceSpaceCourts.com l Facebook.com/AceSpaceCourts At AceSpace, we know that time is of the essence. Whether you’re scheduling tennis lessons a month in advance, or organizing an impromptu doubles match, you want the process to be quick. After all, if you can book a restaurant, a car, a hotel with just a few clicks—why not a tennis court? Founded in 2018, AceSpace is the premier court-booking platform in New York. The app easily locates available tennis courts in your area, eliminating the hassle of Web searches and phone calls. Whatever price, surface or time slot you prefer, AceSpace ensures you get the court you want, every time. Thanks to its staff of tennis enthusiasts, AceSpace was designed with both players and facilities in mind. We help tennis centers manage their bookings automatically, working as a stand-alone system or in tandem with older technology. We work directly with facility managers, bridging the gap between manual bookings and digitally-oriented players. Now live at Park Avenue Tennis Facility, Alley Pond Tennis Center, East Brunswick Racquet Club, and Windsor Tennis Club, our gift to you is a stress-free tennis schedule. Like the best tennis players, AceSpace is fast and reliable, and no matter how busy your life gets, AceSpace is ready to steer you towards the nearest clay, grass or hard surface. If you’re ready to #ClaimYourCourt, visit AceSpaceCourts.com to create your account now. Follow AceSpace on Facebook for updates, and we’ll see you on the court!
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE iKnowTennis! Mobile App
Do you know tennis rules? You serve. As your opponent hits a winning return, a string breaks on his racket. He retrieves a second racket from his bag. Is this a let? Point? First serve? a) Let, first serve b) Your point c) His point. Your doubles partner has a habit to call your serves in or out during practices. During a tournament game, he’s still calling your serves out. Can he call your serves out in a USTA match? a) Yes b) No Answers: Answer 1: His point. The point was played in good faith. He did not delay the game because his racket was in his bag on the court. If you had returned the ball, he could continue playing with a broken string. Code 45. Answer 2: No. Your partner should not be calling your first serves out. The receiver may return a long or wide serve if they didn’t see it clearly. They would be giving you the benefit of the doubt. Code 26 Learn the answers to these questions and more with the iKnowTennis! app, available on the App Store and Google Play. Visit iKnowTennis.com for more information.
iKnowTennis! www.iKnowTennis.com
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE inPhorm
(214) 749-0300 inPhorm, the international tennis, golf and active brand known for its “simple elegance and classic” outfits, is adding bright beautiful colors with sparkling details to its holiday collection “Fuchsia Rose.” We asked the creative director, Saad Hajidin, what inspired his color palette this season? His answer: “After months of our somber mood globally, I think people are ready for a bright and beautiful collection to uplift their spirits and add a little joy to the holiday season. Red is the dominant color during the holidays, but I wanted to give them something a little bit different, and that’s how I came up with “Fuchsia Rose” — a blend of red and magenta that reminds me of evening primroses. I’ve also added sparkling details and a pattern of watercolor brush strokes that evoke cascading waterfalls.” inPhorm’s Holiday 2020 collection is filled with styles that transition from day into evening — tennis looks that easily blend in at cocktail hour. In the last few months, inPhorm’s team has been engaged in conversations with its customers, gathering reviews of products, fits and functionality. “We like to say that by listening to our customers, we ‘Stay inPhormed,’” Saad notes. You can learn more about inPhorm by visiting its website, www.inphormnyc.com.
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE POP-iTs
Contact Jeff Nelson l (443) 801-7565 l Jeff.popit@gmail.com The POP-iTs are the only tennis accessory that easily fits on the end of the racquet, designed to stay on during game play and makes ball pick up effortless, safe during these times of CV19 concern and FUN-Finally! Over 10,000 sold in less than a year! Effortless l The POPITs make the chore of ball pick up effortless for any player new to tennis. Inclusive l Great for players with limited mobilities and Wheelchair athletes who want to learn tennis. l Keeps seniors playing tennis, making tennis a truly lifelong sport. l Great for kids, making it fun to pick up the ball, by reducing the only obstacle to learning tennis, ball pickup! Safe l During these times of COVID concerns we have partnered up with the USTA and are recommended as an ideal solution to limiting ball contact with the ball during group and individual lessons. Games in the POPIT Programs l Over 25 FREE downloadable games that make the chore of ball pick up fun, FINALLY! l Great for instructors, make your lessons seamless, and continue the learning during ball pick up! More great ways to use them! l Ball Runners during tournaments as an ideal way to limit contact with the tennis balls, keeping both players and runners safe. l Easy to train the runners to use. l Prizes for tournaments and tennis events l Unique prize to make your even stand out!
www.popitpickup.com
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Racket Pets
info@RacketPets.com l (408) 766-6797 This holiday season turn your tennis racket into an adorable animal with Racket Pets! Racket Pets was launched in the summer of 2018 and has been well received by the tennis community. It is the only matching dampener and overgrip set on the market that accessorizes a tennis racket and gives it an identity as a “pet”. Racket Pets’ dampeners have a distinctive look in the facial expressions to evoke a sense of joy and enthusiasm, while the matching overgrip is patterned after the body of the animal. Great detail was given to designing the dampeners’ facial expressions to evoke joy and enthusiasm. They are made with premium quality PVC for maximum performance as a shock absorber. The matching overgrip is patterned after the body of the animal and has a light tacky feel while offering long term durability. This accessory is the perfect blend of fun, performance and fashion for a tennis racket and ideal for a gift exchange or stocking stuffer for the holidays. Our current animals are Alligator, Dragon, Elephant, Giraffe, Lion, Snake, Tiger, Unicorn and Zebra. Since its launch, Racket Pets has gone into over 100 pro shops and clubs and are being sold in retail outlets at the following ATP/WTA Professional tournaments, Cincinnati Open, BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open, Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, Citi Open and Winston-Salem Open. By turning a tennis racket into a Racket Pet, the ultimate goal is to add another component of FUN to the tennis game and get more kids onto the courts. We also offer wholesale pricing to pro shops, teaching professionals, academies and schools. Send inquiries to Maria Maddock at info@racketpets.com.
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Silent Partner Tennis
SPTennis@on.aibn.com l (800) 662-1809 Give the gift of a Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machine this holiday season! Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machines make a great holiday gift for the tennis buff in your life. We have a range of portable machines with great features for beginners and experts alike. Plus, we pride ourselves on our customer service, so if you have any questions before or after buying your machine, feel free to give us a call! Silent Partner has been independently owned and operated since 1989. Check us out online at SPTennis.com. Wishing everybody all the very best of the holiday season and a safe, healthy 2021.
www.SPTennis.com
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Slinger Bag
support@slingerbag.com Slinger Bag Provides a Tennis Partner 24-7 and Is Light Enough for Santa’s Sleigh Tennis enthusiasts of all skill levels have a reason to rejoice during the holidays this year because tennis is alive and well courtesy of Slinger Bag, the first truly portable and affordable tennis ball launcher that provides a tennis partner 24-7. Slinger Bag may be wheeled like carry- on luggage and can easily be tossed in the trunk of car, like a set of golf clubs. It is always available whenever and wherever you need it most and is light enough for Santa’s sleigh at 33 lbs. Why is Slinger Bag the best tennis ball launcher on the market? It does so much more than challenge your skills. For the price of two tennis rackets, Slinger Bag is a multi-functional tennis bag with storage to transport 72 tennis balls, wallets, keys, towel sand water bottles. Oh, and it can even charge your cell phone. Ideal for Santa’s elves, Slinger Bag may be set up in one minute, enables players to control the launch speed and frequency of balls, is priced at approximately 50% lower than competitors and is perfect for beginners just discovering the sport. Lastly, in today’s new normal, Slinger Bag is the ideal social distancing practice partner Bonus Points: Slinger Bag will be sure to put smiles on tennis lover faces as they begin their New Year’s fitness regimens to work off all that excess turkey, and chocolate and holiday trimmings.
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Lost The Second Set—
Badly! By Barbara Wyatt e lost the second set. It wasn’t merely a loss, but the slaughter of two players at 0-6—after winning the first set, 6-2. Pat, my partner, and I looked at each other in bewilderment. What happened? We have a problem and must fix it before the start of the third set tiebreak. We admitted we had turned into “Happy Campers”, as defined by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison. “When you win the first set, tell yourself you’ve just created a big problem—you’ve hurt your opponent and motivated them to come clawing out after you,” they wrote in Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master (Simon & Schuster, 2013). We had relaxed and lost our mental alertness; our worthy opponents became “Wounded Bears” who fought with extra ferocity. Gilbert and Jamison summarized our second set with their phrase, “Wounded Bears eat Happy Campers for breakfast.” We vowed to return with a renewed motivation in the third set tiebreak. But how? What are three things we can do to bring back our strong play? This is what we did: l Expect Every Ball to Come Back Steve Annacone’s recent Tip of the Week article, “Expect Every Ball to Come Back”, states that when you play as if all your balls will be returned, your opponent will consider every point a struggle. Throughout the tiebreak, we reminded each other that our opponents will send every ball back to us.
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l Hit the shot you need, not the shot you want I have a bad habit to try to hit winners. You know the results. In the second set, too many shots flew outside the white lines. In the tiebreak, I released the pressure, I place on myself, to hit winners. Pat and I focused on placement and control, and patiently waited for the better ball to earn the point. l Be better partners through Physics Doubles partner must communicate, balance the court, and set up plays for each other. In the 2020 article by Shreyas Shringarpure, “Aske Project: How Physics can be applied to Maximize the Impact of Topspin in Competitive Tennis”, he states “use topspin as a tool to set up the winning shot.” He quotes from several scholarly
papers including ones from F. Bocchi (2015), Brody (2007), Cross (2019) and Lindsey (2010), and more. Pat and I used topspin, drop shots, and wellplaced returns to set each other up for a winning partnership. Pat and I won the tiebreak, and the match. Love, A Winning Bear Barbara Wyatt is a writer, photographer, USTA official, and mobile app developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.
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Mastering the Mind Mindfulness at 125 MPH ... Part Six By Rob Polishook uring the 2020 French Open, we witnessed unseeded Iga Swiatek from Poland, ranked 54th in the world, seemingly come out of nowhere to defeat last year’s finalist, 15th seed, Marketa Vondrousova in the first round. Then in the fourth round, she defeated the top seed Simona Halep. Finally, she defeated the fourth seed, Sofia Kenin, in the finals. What we may not have seen, due to commercial breaks, was Swaitek during changeovers: eyes closed, a deep focus on her breath. And then, during a time out because of Kenin’s injury: practicing serves and shadow stroking. Interestingly, once play resumed, a loose, centered and balanced Swiatek won 19 of the remaining 22 points to win the French Open. So what does Swaitek’s victory have to do with you as a player? Her story is the perfect example and segway to discuss a question that one of my athletes asked me after I had taught them meditation, breathing, and centering techniques. “So what does this meditation stuff really have to do with tennis?” The question came after a frustrating loss. What a great question! I love when my clients are curious and want to better understand best practices for themselves. His question inspired me to elaborate exactly what meditation, breathing and centering rituals have to do with tennis. Similar to life, there are no guarantees in sports. We often get sidetracked, distracted and focused on that which is out of our control,
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certainly not beneficial to accomplishing our goals. Meditation teaches us to be compassionate, patient and reflective (C.P.R.) with ourselves, exactly what’s necessary when under pressure. When we are frustrated, angry, we tend to spiral out of control, taking us further away from our goals. The practice of meditation, breathing and centering rituals allows us to balance mind and body and better understand ourselves by recognizing thought patterns, and subsequently cultivate C.P.R. On court, this allows us to better manage challenges. Paul Annacone, former professional player and coach of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, expressed in his interview with Crunchtime Tennis Con4, “Whether you’re the Yankees, Tom Brady, Roger Federer et al you have to figure out how to slow your pace down (slow your heart rate down), figure out how to think your way through, and trust your process…great players see the big moment and trust their process, over time it becomes habit forming.” Meditation, breathing and centering exercises specifically help us ground and slow down. This grounding instills clarity and calmness to deal with adversity and setbacks. Lastly, it’s important to note when I was asked the question “What does this meditation stuff really have to do with tennis?” It was after a loss. Interestingly, this question never comes after a win. Then, the player usually states “I was calm, I was focused, if I lost my focus I refocused.” However, the timing of the question was a clue that the player had lost focus of their process and intention to stick to the mental principals. As in meditation, when our
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
focus shifts away from our breath to our many thoughts, an athlete’s focus can also shift from their process to the outcome. This is an opportunity to recognize the loss of focus and shift back to our breath (the process) in a gentle way with C.P.R. Losing your focus on the court is not a problem, unless you don’t notice it. Then you are unable to take a step back and shift to your intention, what you can control: the process. Meditation, breathing and centering routines are practices that are helpful in life. They also directly translate to competition on the court, where we lose and regain focus all the time. Additionally meditation helps you trust your instincts and your game, not to force, to be the best you can in that moment. I encourage my clients to stick to their practice. Like Iga Swiatek. Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King and many other tennis greats, we can see what meditation, breathing and centering routines really have to do with tennis? Everything! And very often, the difference between winning and losing. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes helping them to unleash their mental edge through mindfulness, somatic psychology and mental training skills. Rob is the author of two best-selling books:Tennis Inside the Zone and Baseball Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He can be reached by phone at (973) 723- 0314, by e-mail rob@insidethezone.com, by visiting insidethezone.com, or following on Instagram @insidethezone.
The Tennis Guru: The Muse By Dr. Tom Ferraro he trio quickly departed from the cave and continued to walk along the mountain path up to the Tennis Guru’s Academy. Virgil led the way, the girl was right behind him and Yin was in the rear, and the path grew more steep, more slippery and more treacherous with each step. Each time Yin looked up to the top of the mountain it seemed to be getting farther and farther away. As the sun began to set, Virgil suggested that they stop, set up camp, make a fire and bed down for the night, and Yin and the girl were happy to finally get a rest. As Virgil began cooking some meat over the fire Yin finally had a chance to talk to the girl he had saved. “So what’s your name anyway?” asked Yin. “My name is Rebecca, and I thank you for saving me from The Demon. As I told you, I was trapped in his cave for five years and I had given up all hope of escaping.” “Oh my,” said Yin. “Tell me what it was like down there.” Rebecca looked directly at Yin and said “The Demon liked to scare me, hurt me, torture me, taunt me and laugh at me all day. I don’t know what I would have done if you had not come along. Perhaps I would have been stuck there my entire life.” “I’m so sorry,” said Yin “I feel so bad for you.” Rebecca smiled at Yin in a gentle way and then said: “Do not feel bad for me my dear Yin for I have learned all the magic that The Demon possessed. I observed all his powerful ways, all of his magical incantations that put spells on people and I have read all of the magic books he had stored under his bed.” Yin grew very curious about all this and
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asked Rebecca to tell him some of the magic she had learned from The Demon. “Since you were the boy who saved me I will tell you everything that I have learned. I want you to come over to me, lay your head on my lap, cross your arms across your chest, close your eyes and say the magic word ‘TIMIM’ three times very slowly. You will fall into a deep sleep and dream a long time and all of my secrets will be revealed to you in this dream. When you awaken you will have already forgotten all the details of the dream but my secrets will remain inside of you forever and they will always
be there for you to summon up when you need them most. Are you ready to go to sleep?” Yin said yes so he laid his head on Rebecca’s lap and as he did so he began to smell her beautiful perfume and took in a deep breathe of it. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms and slowly said “TIMIM…TIMIM….TIMIM.” To be continued… For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., Sport Psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.
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Discipline in a COVID World Can Help in the Tennis World By Lonnie Mitchel often write about what most coaches talk about to their students and teams. Discipline is just an important component to all successful athletes. Even those that test themselves to progress and are not accomplished athletes in whatever sport requires sacrifice and discipline, and usually results in some incremental improvement. To my core I am a tennis player. I grew up on a tennis court and my father pushed and encouraged me. At times I wanted to play baseball and basketball with my friends, but even at 14-years-old I realized that in order to be good, I had to make a sacrifice and I ultimately did. I knew I had it in me! My mother had a love of music and she pushed me to play the piano (I hated it)
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and I did not have much talent either. She made me practice and with some hard work I was able to play some songs and even performed in a recital. However, the lure of sports was too much and tennis was always my direction and calling. The piano experience did teach me something which helped my tennis. Even with limited talent if you were disciplined enough, you could improve. My mother had aspirations of me being some sort of concert pianist, but I was not motivated in that way, but she had the wherewithal to impose her discipline on me. I finally stopped playing because my mother could not stand the arguing any longer that I probably made her miserable with. I wish she was alive now, because I think of her and that piano experience and I want to let her know it was certainly not a waste of time. I learned something! I just moved onto another instrument and that
instrument was a tennis racquet. I was armed to understand that if I could play the piano with little talent that I could be really be good at tennis where I had some gifts to be a good player. So let's fast forward to 2020 and the world of COVID-19. The sports world has changed. I’m watching the NHL and NBA in empty arenas, and its great being able to watch tennis again and having the U.S. Open back, but it is just not the same without the real crowd noise in the background. Even the sport of golf is playing in front of empty galleries. Our local tennis environment has changed drastically and so too did the world of collegiate tennis. As the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams at SUNY Oneonta, last week I welcomed back a group of men and women who just want to play tennis and compete. We put on our schedule that
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Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
we could start official practices as early as September 14. I said to them often, "try to prepare independently for the 14th of September so we can hit the ground running and workout in a safe social distancing atmosphere". I also said to them, "expect changes and discipline yourself to handle it the new practice environment". At that moment I heard my mother and father in my ear and say, "see I told you! Discipline yourself because you just do not know what life throws at you". I am going to use this time away from the tennis courts to constantly talk about discipline and relate it to the environment we are living in. By the way, the September 14 date I mentioned for practice is not going to happen because of the outbreak in Upstate New York and nationwide. The date will come and go, and there will be no tennis for the collegians. However, I have done a lot of soul searching as it relates to coaching college tennis or any tennis in an environment when you cannot hold a practice, and how I can use this situation to our benefit. How can I make them better tennis players? While
being sensitive to this environment I challenged them to understand that COVID is like playing tennis in a metaphoric way. Some people are very sick; others are asymptomatic while most people, thank goodness, do not get exposed at all. The tennis metaphor is this: some opponents hit hard, others hit soft with slice, and others come to the net more. I could go on and make a list of style of tennis players and there would not be enough room in this magazine to list them all. So let's understand that the one thing that can get us to be better players is to use the discipline we have within us and make those good decisions on how we handle COVID and apply that to tennis. We can handle COVID and be disciplined if we wear masks and do what the medical experts say. That gives us the best chance for success. Practicing discipline and overall putting the work ethic to a good workout and doing what coaches and experts say is a recipe for success, beginning with discipline to protect your health and the control to improve in the game of tennis. I did not reinvent the wheel with these
comments, I am only pointing out that in a tennis environment if you can overcome the pandemic and utilize those tools that help, you can use the same tools to improve in the game we love so much. My players are being challenged to improve even when I have to coach them virtually. Let's put ourselves in a position to succeed and now, when we need it most, let’s use some oldfashioned intelligence and discipline so when we can get back to tennis the way we used to, we’ll be better in mind and spirit. Lonnie Mitchel is head Men’s and Women’s Tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Also coached for Team USA in Berlin and Chile in 2015 and Team USA Maccabiah for the Open Division working with Division I players and professionally ranked in the Israel Games in 2017. He was also named “Coach of the Year” in 2015 for State University of NY Athletic Conference. He may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail LonnieMitchel@yahoo.com.
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USTA Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 10/19/20
BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name......................................City 1 ......Sebastian Bielen ..............East Norwich, N.Y. 2 ......Jack Kennedy ..................Huntington, N.Y. 3 ......Drew Hassenbein ............Roslyn, N.Y. 4 ......Sean Grosman ................Glen Head, N.Y. 5 ......Zavier Augustin ................Malverne, N.Y. 6 ......Saje Vijay Menon..............Mineola, N.Y. 7 ......Evan Lee ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 8 ......Benjamin Wiese................Garden City, N.Y. 9 ......Rocco Roti ......................Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ....Daniel C. Rila....................Peconic, N.Y. 11 ....Nikhil Shah ......................Syosset, N.Y. 12 ....Daniel Reshtick ................Great Neck, N.Y. 13 ....Alexander Wriedt..............Locust Valley, N.Y. 14 ....Luke Lastique ..................Baldwin, N.Y. 15 ....Patrick Kana ....................Oceanside, N.Y. 16 ....Henry Cooper ..................East Hampton, N.Y. 17 ....Anton Perfiliev ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 18 ....Ray Hidaka ......................Shoreham, N.Y. 19 ....Isaanth Reddy Guduru ....Smithtown, N.Y. 20 ....Shaan Abidi ......................Glen Head, N.Y. 21 ....Ayaan Merchant ..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 22 ....Leonardo Carmo ..............East Hampton, N.Y. 23 ....Piotr Andrzejewski............Long Beach, N.Y. 24 ....Adrien Lee Weber ............East Hampton, N.Y. 25 ....Liam Raykis......................East Rockaway, N.Y. 26 ....Ethan Lee ........................Syosset, N.Y. 27 ....Hiroto Honda....................Jericho, N.Y. 28 ....Patrick Krasucki ..............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 29 ....Ethan Falkowitz ................Roslyn, N.Y. 30 ....Brian Toh ..........................Roslyn, N.Y. 31 ....Brody Surbeck ................Centerport, N.Y. 32 ....Terrence Moy....................Syosset, N.Y. 33 ....Brij Vashist........................Hicksville, N.Y. 34 ....Ben Lane ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 35 ....Aayan Mehta ....................Syosset, N.Y. 36 ....Marcus Gonzales ............Melville, N.Y. 37........Aidan Thomas ............................Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. 38 ....Alan Yu ............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 39 ....Amogh Teepireddy ..........Nesconset, N.Y. 40 ....Maksim Goodman............Great Neck, N.Y.
Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank Name......................................City 1........Jordan Reznik ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 2........Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 3........Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 4........Aryan Badlani ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 5........Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 6........Malik Trail............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 7........Albert Hu ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 8........Matthew Zeifman ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 9........Aiden Patel ........................Plainview, N.Y. 10......Aaron Raja..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 11......Zavier Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 12......Cooper Schorr ..................East Rockaway, N.Y. 13......Ethan Solop........................Roslyn, N.Y. 14......Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 15......Avery Frekhtman................Woodmere, N.Y. 16......James Sacco ....................Brightwaters, N.Y. 17......Maxim Zlobinsky................Greenvale, N.Y. 18......Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 19......Juan Perez ........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 20......Alexander Sherman ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 21......Giovanni Rezk ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22......Daniel C. Rila......................Peconic, N.Y. 23......Colin Hui ............................Syosset, N.Y.
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JUNIOR
24......Samuel Lopez ....................Huntington Station, N.Y. 25......Bryan Volk ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 26......James Yu............................Smithtown, N.Y. 27......Shashank Pennabadi ........South Setauket, N.Y. 28......Sean Grosman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 29......David Anosov ....................Oceanside, N.Y. 30......Armaan Walia ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 31......Harshith Pennabadi ..........South Setauket, N.Y. 32......Felipe Ramirez Zarate........East Hampton, N.Y. 33......Jack Kennedy ....................Huntington, N.Y. 34......Samarth Deepudass ..........Williston Park, N.Y. 35......Alexander Weiner ..............Southampton, N.Y. 36......Zakaria Ahmed ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 37......Varun Thopcherneni ..........Roslyn, N.Y. 38......Connor Plunkett ................Jericho, N.Y. 39......Drew Hassenbein ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 40......Wes Ravner ........................Sagaponack, N.Y.
Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank Name......................................City 1........Stephan Gershfeld ............Hewlett, N.Y. 2........Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 3........Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 4........Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 5........Ajer Sher ............................Jericho, N.Y. 6........Daniel Kong........................Glen Head, N.Y. 7........Max Safir ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 8........Kavin Shukla ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 9........Aron Bursztyn ....................South Setuaket, N.Y. 10......Christopher Qi....................Centerport, N.Y. 11......Julian Messina ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 12......Benjamin Grushkovskiy ....Woodmere, N.Y. 13......Matthew Strogach ............Commack, N.Y. 14......Malik Trail............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 15......Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 16......Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 17......Ansh Chadha ....................Woodbury, N.Y. 18......Jeffrey Rosario ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 19......Candrin Chris ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 20......Joseph Moran ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 21......Benjamin Burrows..............Manhasset, N.Y. 22......Harshith RPennabadi ........South Setauket, N.Y. 23......Aiden Patel ........................Plainview, N.Y. 24......Jack McGuire ....................Garden City, N.Y. 25......Albert Hu ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 26......Ryan Hendel ......................Merrick, N.Y. 27......Noah Ramos ......................Huntington Station, N.Y. 28......Craig Papajohn-Shaw........Malverne, N.Y. 29......Neel Shetty ........................Huntington, N.Y. 30......Jordan Reznik ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 31......James Yu............................Smithtown, N.Y. 32......Maxim Zlobinsky................Greenvale, N.Y. 33......Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 34......Alexander Sherman ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 35......Landon Agic ......................Miller Place, N.Y. 36......Siraat Mustafa....................Coram, N.Y. 37......Ryan Lam ..........................Jericho, N.Y. 38......James Sacco ....................Brightwaters, N.Y. 39......Christian Firescu ................East Meadow, N.Y. 40......Jack Holiat ........................Locust Valley, N.Y.
Long Island Boys 18 Singles Rank Name......................................City 1........Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 2........Logan Chang......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 3........Oliver Worth........................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 4........Jared Phillips......................Plainview, N.Y. 5........Gabriele Brancatelli............Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 6........Arun Venkat Guruswamy ..Hauppauge, N.Y. 7........Michael Weitz ....................Roslyn, N.Y. 8........Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 9........Kabir Rajpal........................Woodbury, N.Y. 10......Aaron Rittberger ................Huntington, N.Y. 11......Michael Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 12......Luka Markovic....................Locust Valley, N.Y.
RANKINGS
13......Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 14......Michael Han ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 15......Ryan Shayani ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 16......Christopher Qi....................Centerport, N.Y. 17......Maxwell Moadel ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 18......Logan Fliegel......................Hewlett, N.Y. 19......Matthew Kronenberg ........East Setauket, N.Y. 20......Rohan Reddy ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 21......Tyler Xu ..............................Hauppauge, N.Y. 22......Max Safir ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 23......Ian Schunk ........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 24......Aman Sharma ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 25......Alejandro Perez Canedo....Selden, N.Y. 26......Michael Koscinski ..............Center Moriches, N.Y. 27......Brandon Lee ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 28......Peter Bukary ......................Jericho, N.Y. 29......Brian Gao ..........................Syosset, N.Y. 30......Pius Lo ..............................Glen Head, N.Y. 31......Stephan Gershfeld ............Hewlett, N.Y. 32......Shane Cashin ....................Syosset, N.Y. 33......Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 34......Sean Cohen ......................Plainview, N.Y. 35......Samuel Middleton..............Lake Grove, N.Y. 36......Arie Golubenko ..................Manhasset, N.Y. 37......Nicolas Hull ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 38......Joshua Kaplan ..................East Quogue, N.Y. 39......Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 40......Luke Burke ........................East Hampton, N.Y.
GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1........Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 2........Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 3........Angel Walia ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 4........Isabella Paradisi ................Port Washington, N.Y. 5........Anabelle Janczyk ..............Huntington, N.Y. 6........Brooke Wallman ................Centerport, N.Y. 7........Valerie Simon ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 8........Diane Durante ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 9........Madison Lee ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 10......Evangelina Vases ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 11......Lynelle Chernavsky............East Setauket, N.Y. 12......Luma Teixeira ....................Southampton, N.Y. 13......Camilla Kostik ....................Merrick, N.Y. 14......Kathryn Cragg....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 15......Srihridya Vallapragada ......Nesconset, N.Y. 16......Natalie Ion ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 17......Ashley Pursoo ....................Melville, N.Y. 18......Christiana Kent ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 19......Victoria Simon....................Hewlett, N.Y. 20......Valentina Sanchez..............East Hampton, N.Y. 21......Sofia Schwarz ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22......Christina Zhao....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 23......Sabrina Boyle ....................Huntington, N.Y. 24......Sophia Li ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 25......Katelyn Ho..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 26......Gabrielle Brereton ..............Medford, N.Y. 27......Samantha Wiemann ..........Bellmore, N.Y. 28......Sofia Perez ........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 29......Sienna Castellano ..............Garden City, N.Y. 30......Alessandra Cristobal..........Saint James, N.Y. 31......Annika Wriedt ....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 32......Miriam Khmelniker ............Valley Stream, N.Y. 33......Ryann Rappaport ..............Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 34......Aleksa Brazyte ..................Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 35......Estelle Andrews..................Oceanside, N.Y. 36......Emma Barrasso ................Saint James, N.Y. 37......Emanuella Odell ................East Hampton, N.Y. 38......Evangeline Romano ..........Bayport, N.Y. 39......Brooke Winthrop................Syosset, N.Y. 40......Nicole Volman ....................Great Neck, N.Y.
Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2020 • LITennisMag.com
Long Island Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City ..........Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 2........Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 3........Andrea Rios Martinez ........Port Washington, N.Y. 4........Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 5........Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 6........Lara Afolayanka ................Uniondale, N.Y. 7........Tara Kurepa ........................Jericho, N.Y. 8........Nyla Gershfeld....................Hewlett, N.Y. 9........Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 10......Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 11......Carina Cristobal ................Saint James, N.Y. 12......Lucia Donnelly....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 13......Anya Konopka....................Saint James, N.Y. 14......Maria Perez Canedo ..........Selden, N.Y. 15......Angel Walia ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 16......Anika Tolat..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 17......Ava Alfano ..........................Kings Park, N.Y. 18......Emilia Romano ..................Bayport, N.Y. 19......Eleni Kontokosta................Water Mill, N.Y. 20......Isabella Paradisi ................Port Washington, N.Y. 21......Eva Sun ..............................Manhasset, N.Y. 22......Kailin Gochna ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 23......Kayla Castellano ................Garden City, N.Y. 24......Valerie Simon ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 25......Kati Cotek ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 26......Andrea Vases ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 27......Alanna Wu ..........................Saint James, N.Y. 28......Sophia Tarasenko ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 29......Isabel Pezzano ..................Huntington, N.Y. 30......Isabella Spilotros................Smithtown, N.Y. 31......Kylie Person ......................Sayville, N.Y. 32......Scarlett McCoy ..................Bayport, N.Y. 33......Diane Durante ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 34......Evangelina Vases ..............Manhasset, N.Y. 35......Angelica Otto ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 36......Brooke Wallman ................Centerport, N.Y. 37......Sara Gao ............................Syosset, N.Y. 38......Alexandra Raikos ..............Seaford, N.Y. 39......Meredith Albertelli ..............Sayville, N.Y. 40......Sarah Arrieta ......................Sag Harbor, N.Y.
Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1........Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 2........Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 3........Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 4........Tola Glowacka....................Glen Head, N.Y. 5........Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 6........Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 7........Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 8........Isabella Sha........................Glen Head, N.Y. 9........Nina Wiese ........................Garden City, N.Y. 10......Olivia Fermo ......................Smithtown, N.Y. 11......Emma Sy............................Port Washington, N.Y. 12......Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 13......Hailey Stoerback................Saint James, N.Y. 14......Victoria Matos ....................Coram, N.Y. 15......Ines Roti ............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 16......Darian Perfiliev ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 17......Nicolette Loeffler................Laurel Hollow, N.Y. 18......Kira Kronenberg ................East Setauket, N.Y. 19......Hailey Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 20......Natalie Phillips....................Plainview, N.Y. 21......Carina Cristobal ................Saint James, N.Y. 22......Skylar Semon ....................Melville, N.Y. 23......Isabella Dinulescu ..............Huntington Station, N.Y. 24......Taylor Overstrom................Locust Valley, N.Y. 25......Ava Scordo ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 26......Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 27......Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 28......Rebecca Suarez ................Huntington, N.Y. 29......Tara Kurepa ........................Jericho, N.Y.
USTA
JUNIOR
30......Sarah Dupree ....................Sag Harbor, N.Y. 31......Cassandra Dinulescu ........Huntington Station, N.Y. 32......Lara Afolayanka ................Uniondale, N.Y. 33......Francesca Corsalini ..........Bridgehampton, N.Y. 34......Emelia Winter ....................Sag Harbor, N.Y. 35......Nyla Gershfeld....................Hewlett, N.Y. 36......Nicolina Giannola ..............Port Jefferson, N.Y. 37......Julia Chiovitti......................Manhasset, N.Y. 38......Ellie Ross............................Port Washington, N.Y. 39......Karah Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 40......Sydney Seid ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.
97......Luke Lastique ....................Baldwin, N.Y. 116....Patrick Kana ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 120....Henry Cooper ....................East Hampton, N.Y. 121....Anton Perfiliev ....................Port Washington, N.Y. 123....Ray Hidaka ........................Shoreham, N.Y. 128....Ishaanth Reddy Guduru ....Smithtown, N.Y. 129....Shaan Abidi........................Glen Head, N.Y. 130....Ayaan Merchant ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 140....Leonardo Carmo................East Hampton, N.Y. 146....Piotr Andrzejewski ............Long Beach, N.Y. 136 ..Benjamin Grushkovskiy ....Woodmere, N.Y.
Long Island Girls 18 Singles
Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players
Rank..Name ....................................City 1........Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 2........Lina Mohamed ..................Mineola, N.Y. 3........Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 4........Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 5........Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 6........Madison Williams ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 7........Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 8........Olivia Fermo ......................Smithtown, N.Y. 9........Emma Sy............................Port Washington, N.Y. 10......Andrea De Los Rios ..........Port Washington, N.Y.
Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 10/9/20)
BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 2........Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 4........Jack Kennedy ....................Huntington, N.Y. 5........Drew Hassenbein ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 9........Sean Grosman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 10......Zavier Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 14......Saje Vijay Menon ..............Mineola, N.Y. 19......Evan Lee ............................Syosset, N.Y. 26......Benjamin Wiese ................Garden City, N.Y. 30......Rocco Roti ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 39......Daniel C. Rila......................Peconic, N.Y. 81......Nikhil Shah ........................Syosset, N.Y. 82......Daniel Reshtick ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 84......Alexander Wriedt................Locust Valley, N.Y.
Rank Name ......................................City 5........Jordan Reznik ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 6........Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 11......Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 16......Aryan Badlani ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 23......Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 28......Malik Trail............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 32......Albert Hu ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 35......Matthew Zeifman ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 40......Aiden Patel ........................Plainview, N.Y. 42......Aaron Raja..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 44......Zavier Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 49......Cooper Schorr ..................East Rockaway, N.Y. 53......Ethan Solop........................Roslyn, N.Y. 57......Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 58......Avery Frekhtman................Woodmere, N.Y. 59......James Sacco ....................Brightwaters, N.Y. 74......Maxim Zlobinsky................Greenvale, N.Y. 76......Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 80......Juan Perez ........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 87......Alexander Sherman ..........Hewlett, N.Y. 89......Giovanni Rezk ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 100....Daniel C. Rila......................Peconic, N.Y. 103....Colin Hui ............................Syosset, N.Y. 104....Samuel Lopez ....................Huntington Station, N.Y. 105....Bryan Volk ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 109....James Yu............................Smithtown, N.Y. 113....Shashank Pennabadi ........South Setauket, N.Y. 114....Sean Grosman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 118....David Anosov ....................Oceanside, N.Y. 125....Armaan Walia ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 127....Harshith Pennabadi ..........South Setauket, N.Y. 131....Felipe Ramirez Zarate........East Hampton, N.Y. 141....Jack Kennedy ....................Huntington, N.Y.
RANKINGS
Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 11......Stephan Gershfeld ............Hewlett, N.Y. 16......Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 18......Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 29......Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 32......Ajer Sher ............................Jericho, N.Y. 34......Daniel Kong........................Glen Head, N.Y. 35......Max Safir ............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 47......Kavin Shukla ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 49......Aron Bursztyn ....................South Setauket, N.Y. 59......Christopher Qi....................Centerport, N.Y. 61......Julian Messina ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 83......Benjamin Grushkovskiy ....Woodmere, N.Y. 92......Matthew Strogach ............Commack, N.Y. 95......Malik Trail............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 108....Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y. 113....Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 130....Ansh Chadha ....................Woodbury, N.Y. 137....Jeffrey Rosario ..................Dix Hills, N.Y. 150....Candrin Chris ....................Port Washington, N.Y.
Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 8........Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 11......Logan Chang......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 16......Oliver Worth........................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 17......Jared Phillips......................Plainview, N.Y. 26......Gabriele Brancatelli............Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 33......Arun Venkat Guruswamy ..Hauppauge, N.Y. 36......Michael Weitz ....................Roslyn, N.Y. 37......Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 41......Kabir Rajpal........................Woodbury, N.Y. 47......Aaron Rittberger ................Huntington, N.Y. 53......Michael Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 56......Luka Markovic....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 58......Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 69......Michael Han ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 73......Ryan Shayani ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 78......Christopher Qi....................Centerport, N.Y. 83......Maxwell Moadel ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 88......Logan Fliegel......................Hewlett, N.Y. 98......Matthew Kronenberg ........East Setauket, N.Y. 108....Rohan Reddy ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 110....Tyler Xu ..............................Hauppauge, N.Y. 112....Max Safir ............................Old Westbury, N.Y.
115....Ian Schunk ........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 131....Aman Sharma ....................Locust Valley, N.Y.
GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 7........Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 9........Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 15......Angel Walia ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 21......Isabella Paradisi ................Port Washington, N.Y. 23......Anabelle Janczyk ..............Huntington, N.Y. 24......Brooke Wallman ................Centerport, N.Y. 28......Valerie Simon ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 34......Diane Durante ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 38......Madison Lee ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 42......Evangelina Vasses ............Manhasset, N.Y. 53......Lynelle Chernavsky............East Setauket, N.Y. 63......Luma Teixeira ....................Southampton, N.Y. 69......Camilla Kostik ....................Merrick, N.Y. 81......Kathryn Cragg....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 95......Srihridya Vallapragada ......Nesconset, N.Y. 97......Natalie Ion ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 99......Ashley Pursoo ....................Melville, N.Y. 100....Christiana Kent ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 104....Victoria Simon....................Hewlett, N.Y. 111....Valentina Sanchez..............East Hampton, N.Y. 113....Sofia Schwarz ....................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 119....Christina Zhao....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 123....Sabrina Boyle ....................Huntington, N.Y. 129....Sophia Li ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 130....Katelyn Ho..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 133....Gabrielle Brereton ..............Medford, N.Y. 138....Samantha Wiemann ..........Bellmore, N.Y. 145....Sofia Perez ........................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 146....Sienna Castellano ..............Garden City, N.Y.
Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 1........Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 4........Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 5........Andrea De Los Martinez ....Port Washington, N.Y. 11......Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 12......Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 20......Lara Afolayanka ................Uniondale, N.Y. 33......Tara Kurepa ........................Jericho, N.Y.
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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2020 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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USTA 37......Nyla Gershfeld....................Hewlett, N.Y. 38......Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 44......Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 49......Carina Cristobal ................Saint James, N.Y. 51......Lucia Donnelly....................Locust Valley, N.Y. 53......Anya Konopka....................Saint James, N.Y. 78......Maria Perez Canedo ..........Selden, N.Y. 79......Angel Walia ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 80......Anika Tolat..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 81......Ava Alfano ..........................Kings Park, N.Y. 87......Emilia Romano ..................Bayport, N.Y. 96......Eleni Kontokosta................Water Mill, N.Y. 104....Isabella Paradisi ................Port Washington, N.Y. 109....Eva Sun ..............................Manhasset, N.Y. 124....Kailin Gochna ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 132....Kayla Castellano ................Garden City, N.Y. 133....Valerie Simon ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 141....Kati Cotek ..........................Huntington, N.Y. 142....Andrea Vases ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 146....Alanna Wu ..........................Saint James, N.Y.
Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 2........Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 4........Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 6........Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 8........Tola Glowacka....................Glen Head, N.Y. 9........Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 16......Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 19......Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 24......Isabella Sha........................Glen Head, N.Y. 25......Nina Wiese ........................Garden City, N.Y. 28......Olivia Fermo ......................Smithtown, N.Y. 29......Emma Sy............................Port Washington, N.Y. 35......Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 46......Hailey Stoerback................Saint James, N.Y. 48......Victoria Matos ....................Coram, N.Y. 61......Ines Roti ............................Locust Valley, N.Y. 74......Darian Perfiliev ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 75......Nicolette Loeffler................Laurel Hollow, N.Y. 78......Kira Kronenberg ................East Setauket, N.Y. 84......Hailey Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y. 85......Natalie Phillips....................Plainview, N.Y. 90......Carina Cristobal ................Saint James, N.Y. 91......Skylar Semon ....................Melville, N.Y. 96......Isabella Dinulescu ..............Huntington Station, N.Y. 100....Taylor Overstrom................Locust Valley, N.Y. 101....Ava Scordo ........................Glen Head, N.Y. 107....Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 115....Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y.
JUNIOR
RANKINGS
117....Rebecca Suarez ................Huntington, N.Y. 124....Tara Kurepa ........................Jericho, N.Y.�125 Sarah Dupree ..............................Sag Harbor, N.Y. 126....Cassandra Dinulescu ........Huntington Station, N.Y. 130....Lara Afolayanka ................Uniondale, N.Y. 131....Francesca Corsalini ..........Bridgehampton, N.Y.
129....Zavier Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 156....Saje Vijay Menon ..............Mineola, N.Y. 208....Rocco Roti ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 356....Evan Lee ............................Syosset, N.Y. 494....Benjamin Wiese ................Garden City, N.Y. 728....Daniel C. Rila......................Peconic, N.Y.
Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players
National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players
Rank Name ......................................City
Rank Name ......................................City
3........Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 4........Lina Mohamed ..................Mineola, N.Y. 8........Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 9........Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 15......Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 24......Madison Williams ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 31......Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 38......Olivia Fermo ......................Smithtown, N.Y. 44......Emma Sy............................Port Washington, N.Y. 50......Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 57......Janelle Chen ......................Dix Hills, N.Y. 63......Ally Friedman ....................East Hampton, N.Y. 68......Kavina Amin ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 82......Hailey Stoerback................Saint James, N.Y. 89......Kaya Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 104....Rebecca Suarez ................Huntington, N.Y. 106....Andrea Brazyte ..................Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 107....Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 112....Kimberly Liao ....................Commack, N.Y. 116....Sophie Rachor ..................East Hampton, N.Y. 121....Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 128....Julianna Romeo ................Massapequa, N.Y. 129....Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 143....Andriana Zaphiris ..............Smithtown, N.Y. 144....Tatiana Barnett ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 145....Daniella Benabraham ........Greenvale, N.Y.
46......Jordan Reznik ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 99......Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 151....Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 194....Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 220....Malik Trail............................Mill Neck, N.Y. 240....Jack Kennedy ....................Huntington, N.Y. 269....Connor Plunkett ................Glen Head, N.Y. 306....Aryan Badlani ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 323....Yu Tanimoto ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 371....Sean Grosman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 507....Cooper Schorr ..................East Rockaway, N.Y. 535....Matthew Zeifman ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 555....Drew Hassenbein ..............Roslyn, N.Y. 600....Aiden Patel ........................Plainview, N.Y. 637....Aaron Raja..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 651....James Sacco ....................Brightwaters, N.Y. 670....Ethan Solop........................Roslyn, N.Y. 747....Albert Hu ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 755....Zavier Augustin ..................Malverne, N.Y. 794....Christian Pak......................Glen Cove, N.Y.
Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 10/19/20)
BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 3........Sebastian Bielen ................East Norwich, N.Y. 24......Jack Kennedy ....................Huntington, N.Y. 45......Sean Grosman ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 85......Drew Hassenbein ..............Roslyn, N.Y.
National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 85......Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 106....Daniel Kong........................Glen Head, N.Y. 178....Stephan Gershfeld ............Hewlett, N.Y. 393....Jordan Reznik ....................Great Neck, N.Y. 453....Ariel Zauber........................Great Neck, N.Y. 465....Ajer Sher ............................Jericho, N.Y. 621....Michael Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 686....Edward Liao ......................Commack, N.Y. 687....Max Safir ............................Old Westbury, N.Y.
National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 53......Kabir Rajpal........................Woodbury, N.Y. 107....Logan Chang......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 181....Rohan Reddy ....................Glen Head, N.Y.
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211....Alexander Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 335....Oliver Worth........................Hampton Bays, N.Y. 356....Sujay Sharma ....................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 375....Jared Phillips......................Plainview, N.Y. 383....Gabriele Brancatelli............Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 423....Arun Venkat Guruswamy ..Hauppauge, N.Y. 462....Maxwell Moadel ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 530....Mark Taranov......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 708....Michael Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y.
GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 15......Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 21......Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 172....Angel Walia ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 185....Isabella Paradisi ................Port Washington, N.Y. 260....Brooke Wallman ................Centerport, N.Y. 266....Anabelle Janczyk ..............Huntington, N.Y. 327....Valerie Simon ....................Hewlett, N.Y. 417....Diane Durante ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 476....Madison Lee ......................Great Neck, N.Y.
National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 12......Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 53......Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 130....Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 166....Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 211....Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 232....Sophia Holod ....................East Setauket, N.Y. 268....Paige Wygodzki ................Huntington, N.Y. 343....Nyla Gershfeld....................Hewlett, N.Y. 365....Lara Afolayanka ................Uniondale, N.Y. 387....Tara Kurepa ........................Jericho, N.Y. 685....Ava Alfano ..........................Kings Park, N.Y.
National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 23......Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 51......Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 65......Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 175....Tola Glowacka....................Glen Head, N.Y. 210....Nina Wiese ........................Garden City, N.Y. 224....Taylor Goetz ......................Greenlawn, N.Y. 237....Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 244....Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 330....Isabella Sha........................Glen Head, N.Y. 374....Olivia Fermo ......................Smithtown, N.Y. 380....Emma Shy..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 573....Hailey Stoerback................Saint James, N.Y. 700....Christasha McNeil..............Massapequa, N.Y. 773....Kady Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y.
National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City
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14......Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 46......Lina Mohamed ..................Mineola, N.Y. 172....Theadora Rabman ............Port Washington, N.Y. 187....Maryam Ahmad ................Albertson, N.Y. 226....Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y. 307....Rose Hayes........................East Moriches, N.Y. 396....Madison Williams ..............Glen Cove, N.Y. 440....Kimberly Liao ....................Commack, N.Y. 475....Andrea Martinez ................Port Washington, N.Y. 520....Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 548....Amy Delman ......................Great Neck, N.Y. 686....Kaya Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 709....Emma Sy............................Port Washington, N.Y.
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