Long Island Tennis Magazine September / October 2016 by United Sports Publications

LITennisMag.com • July/August 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY • LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2016 • LITennisMag.com

FALL 2016

Junior Alps Program STARTS IN SEPTEMBER

"ALPS" is a program for High Aptitude Learners.

he Early Hit Training Center is pleased to announce it's 14th season of group training. This comprehensive program will provide your child with all the resources necessary to reach his/her maximum tennis potential. The Early Hit Training Center incorporates all aspects of the game into our complete program. After a thorough warm-up, the student will work through the core components of tennis, including stroke production and drilling. We then move onto playing dynamics and strategy, and reinforce these lessons with focused match play. A session starts or ﬁnishes with an hour of conditioning. Come experience our team of renowned tennis teaching professionals, conditioning trainers and movement experts.

TUESDAY 6:00pm - 8:30pm SATURDAY n i 8:00am - 10:30am Jo w! No SUNDAY 8:00 am - 10:30am • 3:30pm - 6:00 pm

Hand & Upper Extremities

Shoulder

Spine

Elbow Hip

Knee

Foot & Ankle

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Table Of Contents

When Good Enough Isn’t “Good Enough” By Brian C

Rising Canadian star Milos Raonic is having an impressive 2016 as he heads to Flushing an impact at the final Grand Slam of the year, the 2016 U.S. Open. See page 42

Highlights 30 2016 Long Island Girls High School Preview A look at the upcoming Nassau and Suffolk County girl’s high school season, the teams to watch and the players to keep on your radar for the 2016 season.

38 Tennis and the Olympics By Dr. Tom Ferraro

46 2016 U.S. Open Preview The stars of the sport get set to take over the New York area for the final Grand Slam of the year as we take a closer look at the men’s and women’s field vying for glory in Flushing Meadows.

Features 4 6 10

12 14 16 17 18 21 22 24 26 28

Locals Light Up Engineers CC in Final LI Tennis Challenge of the Summer Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Grow Tennis New York: Third Annual KidsFest Hits Engineers Country Club Nassau Flyers: Making Complicated Trips Simple Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis and So Much More KryoMed LI Leading the New Way to Athletic Healing & Recovery Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group: Paving the Path to Recovery USTA LI Region Hosts Nassau and Suffolk Kids Days Beyond the Baseline: Grand Slam Tennis Grow Tennis New York: Annual Wine and Play Event Hits Engineers Country Club ClayTech: A Better Solution for the Home Tennis Court

Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Pub

litennis

SEP/OCT 2016 Vol 8, No 5

Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

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

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

y Brian Coleman

Flushing Meadows to make 42

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

29 34 36 37 38 55 56 57 58 61 62 64

66 68 70 72 74 75 78

The Jensen Zone: Passion Player … Federer’s Fire Still Burns By Luke Jensen USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update Teaching to Learn By Steven Kaplan What’s in Your Backyard? Tennis and the Olympics By Dr. Tom Ferraro MBR Builders Brings Experience and Skill to Indoor Tennis Renovations Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives: Pine Hollow CC Hosts ‘Babes Against Cancer’ Charity Event inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel Junior Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters By Ricky Becker Lux-Craft: Lighting the Way to On-Court Success Tennis Injury Prevention: Understanding Frozen Shoulder SyndromeAdhesive Capsulitis By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS Fitness & Nutrition: Using Integrative Neoromuscular Training for Athletic Development & Injury Prevention By David Albaranes & What Is a Triad and Does My Child Have It? By Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD, CDN Tennis Medicine: Rotator Cuff Tears By Dr. Eric Price More Than an Athlete: Six Keys to Coaching the Person First … Every Time! By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Relentless Positivism By Jimmy Delevante Commitment … It’s Hard and Very Complicated By Lonnie Mitchel Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner: “Live the Best Story of Your Life” By Bob Litwin By Carl Barnett Long Island Rankings USTA/Long Island Region 2016 Tournament Schedule

Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Bryan Bongiovanni Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 315 • bryanb@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel VP of Operations (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer

Lee Seidner Staff Photographer

Gabi Sklar Intern

Trevor Mitchel Intern

Emma Fein Intern

Emily Shutman Intern

Troy Haas Intern

Alexandra Wald Intern

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

Locals Light Up Engineers CC in Final LI Tennis Challenge of the Summer Men’s Amateur Division In the Men’s Amateur Division of the third and final Long Island Tennis Challenge of 2016, held at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, N.Y., the team of Yuri Savransky & Paul Wilson won their first Long Island Tennis Challenge title, defeating the duo of John Paradisi & Brian Buyer by a score of 5-0. Savransky & Wilson did not have an easy road en route to the title, as they had to defeat the team of Jonathan Klee & Lionel Goldberg, three-time Long Island Tennis Challenge champions, in the semifinals. The win was also one of redemption for Savransky & Wilson, after losing in the finals of the first Long Island Tennis Challenge of the summer. The finals started with the team of Savransky & Wilson breaking Paradisi after a long deuce game. In the second game, Savransky made sure that their first break did not go to waste, holding on for the 2-0 lead. Buyer tried to get some momentum back in the third game after some big serves, but Savransky’s forehand returns were too much to handle, and the pair were able to get a second break of the match to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Savransky & Wilson never looked back, using their returns and net play to control the match and comfortably win 5-0. “I always look forward to these tournaments, and I was happy to win this time after coming up just short last time here,” said Wilson. “Yuri [Savransky] is really a great guy, and I love playing with him. And it doesn’t hurt that he is a great player” Savransky & Wilson both made it clear that they will be back next summer to try to defend their title in the next Long Island Tennis Challenge. 4

Women’s Amateur Division In the Women’s Amateur Division, the semifinals featured the team of Karen Rubin & Laurie Karol taking on Ann Paraziat & Monica Maiellano, while Susan Fung & Nicole Tavernier faced Joie Hein & Virginia Ross in the other semifinal. After two competitive semifinals, the duo of Paraziat & Maiellano advanced to the finals against Fung & Tavernier. Tavernier was broken to start the final, but her strong net play would prove to be the difference in the match. After breaking back in the second game, Tavernier & Fung were able to close out a tight service game, despite several baseline winners from Maiellano. After going up 3-1, Tavernier & Fung kept their foot on the gas pedal with Tavernier hitting volley winner after volley winner to put the duo ahead 4-1. Maiellano found herself serving another close game which ended after Fung hit a cross-court return, forcing a long forehand from Maiellano on match point to close things out. “We know each other’s games so it makes it easier to play with someone you know,” Tavernier said. Fung said she was happy to get the victory, especially considering what she called “a strong draw which had a lot of skill.” Maslau & Silverman Take Men’s Pro Division Playing in their first ever Long Island Tennis Challenge and for the first time as doubles teammates, the team of Hleb Maslau & Cameron Silverman captured the Men’s Pro Division title, battling past their opponents and steady rainfall to claim the $500 cash prize. “That’s why they call it the Long Island Tennis Challenge, because you have to play in

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

the rain,” Maslau said jokingly afterwards. “But it was a really cool tournament.” Despite the unpromising forecast, the rain held off for the morning, but it began to fall by early afternoon as the Men’s Pro Division got underway. That didn’t stop the high quality of tennis on the clay courts of Engineers Country Club, however, as the spectators who stuck it out were rewarded. Maslau & Silverman defeated Miguel Cobbs & Andrew Chen in the semifinals, and would meet Jay Harris & Daniel Pellerito, who knocked off Cory Seltman & Sebastian Wernecke in the other semifinal. The rain began to pick up as the finals began, but it did not deter either duo. Maslau got things started with a hold of serve in the final’s opening game, and the pair then broke Pellerito to open up the 2-0 advantage. Silverman would consolidate the break by holding serve to push the lead to 3-0. Harris & Pellerito would not go quietly though, as a clutch service game from Harris cut the lead to 1-3, and a forehand winner from Harris in the ensuing game broke Maslau’s serve and brought the match back on serve. But Maslau & Silverman dug in and broke Pellerito’s serve to go ahead 4-2. Silverman then served out the match, dialing up an ace on match point to capture the Men’s Pro Division title. “That 3-2 game was a deuce game, so it really came down to a couple of points there. It was definitely a big game,” Silverman said of the break that put his team ahead 4-2. “It was a big momentum shift. We both make a lot of serves and returns, so we were comfortable no matter what situation we were in.”

Credit all photos to Emma Fein & Troy Haas

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Across Long Isla Game Set Match’s Bursztyn claims title

Bethpage Breakers win World Team Tennis Championship

Aron Bursztyn of the Game Set Match Tennis Academy in East Setauket, N.Y. won the USTA L1B Sportime Quogue July Clay Challenger Boys 12s title, coming back from a set down to beat Cal Wider, 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 in the finals.

The 10U Bethpage Breakers, playing out of the Bethpage Park Tennis Center, captured the USTA Eastern World Team Tennis Championship.

LI’s Rubin assists Empire for first-ever franchise victory Long Island’s Noah Rubin joined the New York Empire of Mylan World TeamTennis on Aug. 3, helping the Empire push past the Springfield Lasers 19-15 to record the first ever win in franchise history. Rubin paired with Neal Skupski to beat the duo of Benjamin Becker & Jean Anderson 5-2 in the men’s doubles set.

Campers get some pro advice at NTC Campers at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center were treated to a special visit recently when three ATPranked players came by to hit with and talk to the kids. Dudi Sela, Frederick Nielsen and Amir Weintraub stopped by to hang out with the campers, and field questions from the campers on how to improve their game.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

land

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

Local campers boost their tennis game Summer camps throughout Long Island wrapped for the 2016 season, but not before another summer of tennis fun. Long Island Tennis Magazine stopped by many of the camps on the Island to check out how they were going, take some pictures and interview campers. To the left are photos from the camps at New York Tennis at Shelter Rock and Early Hit at Glen Head.

CSH’s Bolton wins National Clay Court Doubles Title Cold Spring Harbor’s Elysia Bolton (pictured second from right) teamed up with Abigail Chiu of Texas to win the 2016 USTA National Clay Court Championships Doubles Title. The two defeated Anna Brylin & Ann Li 6-2, 6-2 in the doubles final. Bolton also finished in fifth place in the girls singles draw.

SPORTIME

10 AND UNDER TENNIS PROGRAMS

Tennis Whizz Preschool Tennis - Ages 3-5 SPORTIME U10TENNIS

Tennis Whizz is a complete preschool tennis program that fosters the healthy mental, physical and emotional growth of our youngest players.

SPORTIME U10 Tennis - Ages 5-10 SPORTIME U10 Tennis is comprised of Red and Orange levels and trains our players under 10 to become well-rounded competitive athletes while allowing them to serve, rally and actually play the game of tennis quickly.

888/NY TENNIS

www.SportimeNY.com

TRY A FREE CLASS!

See our center spread for a listing of locations and call to schedule your FREE class.* *Certain restrictions may apply. New class participants only.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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

ITA honors Hofstra for academic excellence The Hofstra Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams were both honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for its academics, as both programs were named an ITA All-Academic Team and five players from each team earned scholar-athlete honors: Sarah Bowen, Giulia Leone, Carmen Pestano, Riah Shah and Disha Yellayi from the women’s team, and Niko Vulinovich, Leonardo Pires, Marcus Smith, Guilherme Ferneda and Zachary Chang from the men’s team.

Southampton Camp and Club hosts successful Hamptons Tennis Challenge Southampton Camp and Club hosted a Hamptons Tennis Challenge at its facility, as players came together in this team-style tournament. Robert Wright and his Robert’s Raiders team came out victorious, edging Allison Hewitt’s team 3-2 in the final.

Sportime Amagansett hosts Wimbledon-themed World Tour

Sportime’s World Tour continued its voyage across the world, this time stopping for a London-themed event at Sportime Amagansett ahead of this year’s Wimbledon. Sportime’s World Tour events are a great way to get kids to play competitive tennis, but in a non-intimidating environment, allowing them to have a great time while playing. 8

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Credit all photos to Troy Haas & Gabi Sklar

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

klar

TENNIS NEW YORK

Third Annual KidsFest Hits Engineers Country Club

he Third Annual KidsFest was held at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, N.Y. as part of the 2016 Long Island Tennis Magazine Summer Series. For some participants it was their first taste of tennis, while others just enjoyed extended time both on and off the court. Long Island Tennis Magazine put together tennis clinics for all ages, both on full-sized courts and 10 & Under courts. Music, a dunk tank, face-painting and an array of prizes were all part of the day as well. Various courts were run by pros from Sportime Roslyn, as they touched on the basics of the sport and more advanced play. Sportime’s pros separated the kids by skill level, ensuring that each and every participant was getting the proper help and instruction they needed.

“This event is a wonderful way to get all kids into tennis,” said Rich Farkis, a parent at the event. Another parent, Rob Eisbruck, added, “It’s a great event. My daughter was able to try tennis for the first time and everyone made her experience a truly enjoyable one.” There was something for everyone at KidsFest, as DJ Curtis kept everybody entertained with music, dancing and prizes, and for those who wanted to take a break from the face-painting, tennis courts and dancing, the popular lawn game Cornhole was a great option. “Any event where we can get kids into the game of tennis is a great event. It’s so great to see and this is a perfect example of just that,” said Emily Cicolli, whose child was enjoying aiming for prizes on one of the courts with smaller

nets which proved to be the popular game of the day. The biggest attraction off the court was again the infamous dunk tank, which kept everybody laughing and smiling, as staff from both Long Island Tennis Magazine and Engineers Country Club were dunked time and time again. Engineers’ Director of Tennis Emilie Katz and the whole staff of the Country Club were amazing hosts, collaborating with Long Island Tennis Magazine to get all the details in place, and Sportime Roslyn’s pros work on court with the players and parents was outstanding. Grassroots events like KidsFest continue to grow the sport within the community and Long Island Tennis Magazine will look to continue to host more of these events both this summer and in the future.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Nassau Flyers: ennis fans, parents and coaches across Long Island can probably all agree on sharing a lack of one thing: Time. Between work and other responsibilities, there is often not enough time to fit everything into your daily schedule. Stuck on a business trip and cannot make it back in time for your kids’ tournament? Want to treat your tournament team to a day at the International Tennis Hall of Fame? Nassau Flyers has the answer for you. Located in Farmingdale’s Republic Airport, Nassau Flyers is an aviation company specializing in aircraft management, aircraft sales and flight training, and is a great

option for those looking to impress friends for a weekend getaway, or the tennis parent who needs to make it back in time for a child’s match after a business meeting. Long Island Tennis Magazine decided to

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

see firsthand how efficient and easy it was to take a daytrip on the beautiful Cirrus Aircraft, so our group headed up to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. for a day to check out the beautiful beach town and the in-depth history of tennis, as well as enjoy the luxury and comfort of riding with Nassau Flyers. The benefits of flying privately with Nassau Flyers were immediately evident. Since it is your private plane for the day, there is no rushing to the airport to make sure you catch the flight, no waiting on security lines and going through TSA checkins. Your pilot is ready to take off whenever you are.

Many are hesitant to fly in a small plane, but those fears are put to rest quickly when flying with Nassau Flyers. The professional staff and pilots put the mind at ease, and the Cirrus Aircrafts’ are equipped with CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System), which deploys a parachute on the plane if something were to go wrong. In addition to the parachute, the Cirrus planes have an integrated fuselage roll cage, airbag seatbelts, cuffed wings and other innovative features to ensure the safety of all aboard. The flight to Newport took about 45 minutes from Republic Airport, but it felt much

shorter. The views from above as you fly over the East End of Long Island and over the Block Island Sound are remarkable, and you reach your destination in almost no time. Our group walked around Newport and was able to experience the International Tennis Hall of Fame, as well as enjoyed a beautiful lunch right alongside the grass courts where the Hall of Fame Championships are played. After heading down by the beach and walking along Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, our crew decided it was time to turn around and head home. Because we had our own private plane and pilot, we didn’t need to

waste time at the airport, got back in our Cirrus plane and flew back to Long Island. This service can be beneficial in so many ways. Many parents are unable to see their children play in college matches hours away or take that weekend getaway with the team, but Cirrus and the Nassau Flyers turn those daunting travel plans into an easy, stress-free trip. The Cirrus/Nassau Flyers experience will make you wonder why you ever traveled on a commercial airliner in the first place, and the tennis lover in you will find that those previously impossible travel plans can now become a reality.

WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED Play tennis year round under a Farley bubble. The Farley Group is the world leader in air-supported structures and has provided over 20 tennis bubbles in New York and Long Island. Contact us today to learn about how you can turn your outdoor courts into a year round facility.

www.thefarleygroup.com l info@thefarleygroup.com

1-888-445-3223

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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

The 4.5 Sportime Kings Park, captained by Michelle Stoerback & Diann Starcke

his is usually the article where I try to get across how the bad behavior, bad sportsmanship and the newly added bashings on social media are the things ruining this League. I’m going to keep it really short

The 4.0 Women’s team from Christopher Morley, captained by Seema Imberman & Therese Direnzo

since the people creating these situations usually refuse to see themselves as the culprits. I want to point out that there are three sides to every story. The Grievance & Appeals Committees are hard-working volunteers who drop everything to deal with the

The Leader in Mental Training for Elite Tennis Players You Possess It. We Help You Find It.

• Fully customized programs • Training that translates to performance • Competition-based skill development Brandyn Fisher, PhD brandyn@americansportpsychology.com

www.americansportpsychology.com 14

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

many “time-sensitive” complaints. I agree with their fair and unbiased decisions, which did not warrant the nasty things being said on social media. Much of what was being written on social media were inaccurate and unfair to all involved. Are the USTA rules perfect? Of course not. But that is not what is ruining this League. It is those who have no sportsmanship, no moral compass and will do anything to win. The underrating of players, throwing of matches, stalling in timed matches and overall nastiness is what is destroying the League. I am begging you to recognize that if you have a part in this and it doesn’t stop, the League will begin to lose players and eventually, cease existing. On a positive note, I want to compliment most of the teams I saw at the regional tournament. I saw some really great sportsmanship from both the winning and losing teams. There was one team that lost an incredibly close match in the 18 & Over League and had the same thing happen the next weekend in the 40 & Over League.

The 2.5 Women’s team from Carefree Racquet, captained by Paula Tiegel These ladies, as well as their opponents, showed class and great sportsmanship after the match and it’s a nice reminder of what this League is all about. I personally thank you for that! Below is a list of the teams advancing to the USTA Eastern Sectional Championships. Good luck to them all! 18 & Over League l 2.5 Women, Carefree Racquet (captained by Paula Tiegel) l 3.0 Women, Carefree Racquet (captained by Gail Feder) l 3.5 Women, Sportime Syosset (captained by Dawn Schosberg & Jeanette Romano) l 4.0 Women, Christopher Morley (captained by Seema Imberman & Therese Direnzo) l 4.5 Women, Sportime Kings Park (cap-

l l l l l l

The 3.0 Women’s team from Carefree Racquet, captained by Gail Feder

tained by Michelle Stoerback & Diann Starcke) 5.0 Women, Sportime Syosset (captained by Tina Stellato-Villegas & Roslyn Chua) 3.0 Men, World Gym Setauket (captained by Rob Kaiserman & James McCormack) 3.5 Men, Eastern Athletic-Blue Point (captained by Michael Siegmund & John Selvaggio) 4.0 Men, Carefree Racquet (captained by Jake Kolenberg) 4.5 Men, Atlantic Beach Club (captained by Fayez Malik) 5.0 Men, Shelter Rock (captained by Joe Polestino)

40 & Over League l 3.0 Women, Point Set (captained by Dina Stein & Rosemarie Castellano)

l 3.5 Women, Sportime Lynbrook (captained by Lisa Tabman & Marlaina Teich) l 4.0 Women, Carefree Racquet (captained by Karen Levine & Kathryn Rose) l 4.5+ Women, Jericho Westbury (captained by Tina Stellato-Villegas & Karen Levine) l 3.0 Men, Sportime Kings Park (captained by Bill Carson) l 3.5 Men, Eastern Athletic-Blue Point (captained by Michael Siegmund & Henry Winnicki) l 4.0 Men, Carefree Racquet (captained by Alex Havriliak) l 4.5 Men, Christopher Morley (captained by Jonathan Klee) Kathy Miller is manager of Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached by e-mail at KathyM65@aol.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis and So Much More auna Kea Resort’s 11-court Seaside Tennis Club is one of the largest and most soughtafter tennis experiences in Hawaii. Located ocean-side on the grounds of the legendary and award-winning Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the Club consistently ranks among the best in the world … and with good reason. In addition to the expected menu of lessons, clinics and round-robin tournaments, Director of Tennis Craig Pautler and his staff have long-standing relationships with guests and island residents who come regularly to play at the topnotch facility. They also work closely with local high school and junior tennis players and programs providing courts and even equipment to help aspiring young athletes. Each September, the Seaside Tennis Club serves up their annual Grand Prix and Open Class Championship and a Spring Doubles Tournament in April. Perhaps most surprising to first-time players at Mauna Kea is the Club’s prox-

imity to the ocean, unlike any other tennis facility in the state. Players on Courts 10 and 11 in particular might be distracted during humpback whale season from November until May when the giant mammals can often be seen breaching just offshore. Mauna Kea Resort, originally developed by venture capitalist and environmentalist

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1965, is an 1,800-plus acre resort with beautiful homes; two stunning white sand beaches,; two 18-hole championship golf courses and two hotels, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, which opened in 1965 and its sister hotel, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, which opened in 1994. Guests are afforded signing privileges at both hotels for dining and receive guest rates at the Seaside Tennis Club and at Hapuna Golf Course and Mauna Kea Golf Course where golfers may opt to “surf the earth” aboard Golfboards. No stay at Mauna Kea Resort would be complete without experiencing the warm ocean waters fronting the two hotels at Hapuna Beach and at Kauna’oa Bay. Standup paddle boarding, snorkeling and canoe rides are among activities for anyone looking for a day of sun and fun. Mauna Kea Spa by Mandara and the Hapuna Spa, along with fully-equipped fitness centers at both hotels, provide the perfect options for indulgence and exercise. Enjoy more with Mauna Kea’s Free Nights and Breakfast Package. Visit MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com/Spring or call (877) 880-6524 for more information.

KryoMed LI Leading the New Way to Athletic Healing & Recovery

ryoMed Long Island is a health and wellness company that combines cryotherapy with personalized fitness, providing athletes of all ages and skill levels with treatments that promote overall physical health, recovery and performance. Cryotherapy is a new and innovative method to athletic recovery and injury healing, and KryoMed LI has made it easy as possible with its new location in the heart of Greenvale, N.Y. Led by Medical Director Konstantinos Zarkadas, the KryoMed LI team ensures the safety and well-being of the patient. They first examine the medical history and check the blood pressure of the patient to ensure that the procedure is safe and right for each individual. There are multiple ways to receive cryotherapy. A trained Kryomed sauna operator can help you into one of the chambers for the Whole Body Cryotherapy, where you will wear hand and foot protection, as well as protection in other sensitive areas. The air in the cryosauna is cooled by liquid nitrogen and gives the feeling of

standing in front of an open freezer on a hot day. After staying in for one to three minutes, you perform moderate cardiovascular exercise for 15 to 30 minutes to raise the body temperature. If someone has a specific injury, KryoMed LI also offers KryoLocal, which focuses on one area of concern, whether it be a joint, muscle or the skin. This is an effective way to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling, and is similar to “icing” the area, but more powerful and efficient. Cryotherapy has becoming more and more of the norm used by top athletes to recover. The newly crowned champions of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Cleveland Cavaliers, and specifically Lebron James, have been using cryotherapy for many years now. The treatment is spreading across the NBA and is even being used by other athletes like track and field star Justin Gatlin and boxer Floyd Mayweather. “Cryotherapy itself is a wonderful method of feeling better, either if you are suffering from back pain, arthritis, mi-

graines, or if you just need a little endorphin boost to get you through a big game,” said Zarkadas. “Kryofacials give you that glow that you can get after a session. All this is great, but the most important aspect is safety. Under strict medical supervision, this method can give you safe and effective results. So, trust only a doctor for your cryotherapy needs!” In addition to athletic recovery, cryotherapy can be effective in beauty and antiaging treatment. Using pressurized liquid nitrogen vapors, KryoFacials stimulate the production of collagen and decrease pore size. As a result of this, the skin becomes tighter, more even-toned and blood circulation is improved. Come check out cryotherapy is the newest and most innovative way that athletes are recovering and improving their physical health. KryoMed LI provides full medical supervision, making sure this process if safe, effective and useful for each patient. For more information about the products and services, visit KryoMedLI.com or call (516) 671-8000.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Djokovic drops the puck

E M I L I E

KAT Z

“It was a unique opportunity to share an experience with NHL players in their own environment,” said Djokovic. “At the same time, it was not an ice rink, so it allowed me and the other tennis players to move around freely. It was the first time that I played hockey, ice rink or not.”

Sharapova in the Ivy League Ahead of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, world number one Novak Djokovic tried his skills on a different surface, picking up a hockey stick and joining the annual exhibition ball hockey game with National Hockey League players Tyler Seguin (left) and Jason Spezza (second from right) of the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers rookie Connor McDavid (far right).

perstar Maria Sharapova, who is still serving her ITF suspension, but she has found a very productive way to keep busy in her downtime by enrolling in a course at Harvard’s Business School.

Wedding bells for the WTA

It has been a tough year for Russian su-

It was wedding season for two of the world’s top tennis players recently, as Ana Ivanovic and Dominika Cibulkova both tied their knot with their respective significant others. Ivanovic wed German soccer player Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Cibulkova married her fiancé Miso Navaro.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Azarenka expecting her first child

Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): First #Olympics win!

Tweets from the pros

While rehabbing a knee injury that forced her out of the French Open, former world number one Victoria Azarenka was told by her doctor that she was pregnant, informing her fans of the news via social media.

Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33): No better cheat day than on 7/11

Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): Wish I was there with you

Bouchard and Querrey visit the White House

Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska): Finally arrived! Remember this guy??? #TeamPolska #Rio2016 During the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., some of the tournament’s participants, including Eugenie Bouchard (pictured left) and Sam Querrey (pictured above) had a chance to visit and tour the White House. “The highlight was definitely seeing the Oval Office,” said Querrey. “I didn’t think we would get a chance to look at that, so it was cool to take a peek and see where the president works. It was a Saturday, so it was pretty quiet, but it was great to see the grounds.”

Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Proud to represent #Spain in #Rio2016

Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki): Wow!! That was incredible!! Such an honor to be the flag bearer for Denmark!! Once in a lifetime! #memories

continued on page 20

TOPSPIN

TENNIS & FITNESS

“Long Island’s Tennis Store”

We Now Carry Viking Platform Tennis Racquets and Paddles Kids Apparel & Sneakers t Great Prices On Racquets Tennis & Running Shoes t 1 Hour Stringing

Open 7 Days t Demos Available Shipping Available ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

USTA Long Island Retailer of the Year

218 JERICHO TURNPIKE SYOSSET t 516-364-9470 ACROSS FROM SYOSSET HOSPITAL

TopSpinTennisLI.com

SECOND LOCATION NOW OPEN AT CHRISTOPHER

MORLEY TENNIS IN ROSLYN/MANHASSET!

516-484-4200

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

court six continued from page 19

Stanislas Wawrinka(@StanWawrinka): Getting back on the practice court !!

John Isner (@JohnIsner): @WWERomanReigns with @JohnIsner after Raw last night!

Christina McHale (@ChristinaMcHale): Yesssss!!!! Let’s go @nyempiretennis Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Training in the mountains #view #lake #bike #memo- Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams): ries #huggy #natho Need I say more?! Playing tomorrow night #pipim #gettinand just can’t wait! #olympics #dreams gready #oklm

Serena Williams (@SerenaWilliams): Now I’m ready. @beatsbydre #wimbledon #whiteout Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): Always an honor and a lot of fun seeing you sir @richardbranson

Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic): My happy face says it all. #OverExcitedTourist Jack Sock (@JackSock): #TeamUSA

Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova): Chatting about my first #rio2016 win with Czech TV! So happy to get my Olympics underway #czechteam #pojd Nick Bollettieri (@NickBollettieri): Great time celebrating my 85th BDay w/friends & family in Capri! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful BDay messages. 20

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group: Paving the Path to Recovery Locations in Rockville Centre, Cedarhurst, Lynbrook, Merrick, Massapequa, Woodbury and Bohemia

rlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group is Long Island’s leading private orthopedic practice with a team of 37 board-certified and board-eligible physicians. The group features orthopedic subspecialists who have completed advanced fellowship training, focusing solely on a single area of concern. This focused approach results in optimum patient outcomes, as the doctors are on top of the latest advances for each specific area of expertise. The group’s highly trained and experienced orthopedists cover the entire spectrum of subspecialty needs, including sports medicine, hip,

knee, shoulder, elbow, joint replacements, foot and ankle, spine, neck and back, hand and upper extremities, and general orthopedics. Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group has multiple offices in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, with a recently-opened new office on the North Shore in Woodbury, N.Y. This new state-of-the-art, full-service facility addresses all of your orthopedic related needs, including in-house diagnostic testing, digital x-ray, MRI, physical rehabilitation and a fully-accredited pain management/fluoroscopy suite. This site is part of the Orlin & Cohen network, which consists of seven orthopedic offices, five

physical rehabilitation centers, four MRI centers and two fully accredited fluoroscopy suites for pain management. Yet another full-service office is currently under construction in Garden City with an anticipated late-2016 opening. This new Garden City office is conveniently located off the Meadowbrook Parkway at 1101 Stewart Avenue and is a natural extension for the Orlin & Cohen team of board-certified, fellowship-trained subspecialists with offices in Rockville Centre, Cedarhurst, Lynbrook, Merrick, Massapequa, Woodbury and Bohemia. For more information, call (516) 5362800 or visit OrlinCohen.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA LI Region Hosts Nassau and Suffolk Kids Days he USTA Eastern Long Island Region recently hosted its Annual Nassau County and Suffolk County Kids Days, co-sponsored by Long Island Tennis Magazine, at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn and the Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack, respectively. The events brought together more than 150 kids from various camps and programs in Nassau and Suffolk Counties for free days of tennis and other activities. For many of the kids, it was their first time playing tennis and Kids Day provided a fun way to get introduced to the sport. “This is my first time playing tennis,” said nine-year-old Ryan Marino at the Nassau County Kids Day. “I’m having lots of fun today.” Both events began with tennis clinics and instruction, as kids moved from station to station to work on different tennis skills. This year, Long Island Tennis Magazine assisted in putting the events together, by adding a media component and making

the kids feel like the pros with on-court interviews and photo opportunities. The USTA Eastern LI Region and Long Island Tennis Magazine also created carnival-like atmosphere at each event, with a dunk tank, bounce houses, face-painting, prizes, food, music from DJ Curtis McCalla and a dance contest where the kids showed off their moves. “Our Annual Kids Day in Nassau was a resounding success, thanks to the help and support of our many volunteers, the generosity of Engineers Club and, our cosponsor,” said Terry Fontana, USTA Long Island Region Nassau Kids Day Chair. “The 150-plus children who participated came from all corners of Nassau County and represented a cross-section of groups and summer programs. Many of these kids had never held a tennis racket before, but whether this was their first experience playing tennis or they came in as experts, everyone had a great time learning, playing, making friends and enjoying the other activities.”

Towards the end of each Kids Day event, the kids had a chance to show off some of the skills they learned on-court as they hit for prizes. “I play tennis a lot with my dad, but this is a lot more fun because there are more cool prizes,” said Christian Lopez, a 10year-old participant. “It is so important for the growth of tennis on LI to have programs such as this. Tennis is often perceived as a sport that is not available to everyone,” said Randi Wilkins, USTA Long Island Region Suffolk Kids Day Chair. “Free events such as this show that tennis is an activity that can be played at any level, any age, and at any location. This is only the second year we have had this event, and our attendance from last year has more than doubled. We originally started this event because the USTA LI Region wanted to increase the involvement of the Suffolk County tennis community. I know that next year we are anticipating more than 200 for Kids Day.”

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

BE Y O ND T H E B A S E L I N E

JIM AND CHASE DONNELLY OF GRAND SLAM TENNIS “Should I buy into a tennis franchise or continue on my path as a registered nurse?” This is the dilemma Jim Donnelly faced years ago. “At the time, I was 25years-old and the opportunity arose for me to purchase a franchised tennis store, Tennis Emporium,” said Donnelly. “Tennis Emporium was the lead store in tennis specialty located in East Northport. In 1975, tennis was booming as local parks had wait times to play and the professionals on tour had the local tennis community hooked.” Ten years had passed and Tennis Emporium began to show the defects of a franchised business. Donnelly decided to leave the franchised store and open Grand Slam Tennis in 1986, ironically, the same year his youngest son, Chase, was born. 24

“After working for a franchise, and not being able to run my store exactly how I wanted, I decided to open Grand Slam Tennis,” Donnelly said. “My goal was to become a full-service shopping experi-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

ence for the Long Island tennis community. In every scenario, I tried everything possible to provide the best service with the hope of getting my name out into the tennis community.” Customer service and following up has been the mission at Grand Slam Tennis for 30 years. “Our customer base has followed me from my days in East Northport to current day at Grand Slam Tennis 40 years later,” said Donnelly. “Yes, we may have an old school approach to taking care of our customers … trying to satisfy requests inperson and not through technology. E-mail blasts and selling on the Web may be easy, but retail is more than that. Running a specialty store has challenges. However, I have been fortunate to have my family help me

over the past 15 years. My youngest son Chase, who grew up in the store working for me, now co-owns the store with me. As a father and son team, we take great pride in meeting the needs and wants of the people who come in through our doors. Our customers come in seeking guidance within their tennis game. Certain wants may not be immediately satisfied, but through communication and over time, we help build and strengthen their games. Instant gratification can sometimes be conquered, but most of the time, it is about building a relationship while slowly polishing a perfect tennis game.” Grand Slam Tennis is the cultivation of 40 years of tennis retail experience. The Donnelly’s business concept has grown

over the years to be a shopping experience for the consumer that has no other competition. You cannot walk into Grand Slam and click a button to get what you want. You come in, receive undivided attention, regardless of the task at hand, whether it is a new racquet, demo program, restrings, re-grip, new sneakers, bag, the latest tennis apparel, or just seeking out information to help improve your game. Tennis is a personal preference sport … maybe the most individualized sport. The equipment you use can vary drastically from the racquet weight, balance, head size, grip size, string, string gauge, string tension, color, sneaker size and bag size used. You may not realize as a player

who purchases everything from the Internet, but your local tennis specialty store helps you adapt and grow as a tennis player. Like anything in life, your game does not stay stationary. “Every player grows and peaks over their tennis career, and we are here to help you enjoy the sport we all love so much. The tennis community and Grand Slam Tennis has given me and my family a lot over the years … friends, co-workers, long-lasting relationships and an inner drive to help grow the tennis game,” said Donnelly. “Our only hope is that the tennis community we have serviced over the past 40 years will pass on the passion to their children and grandchildren. With all of us working together, we can continue to grow the game.”

T E N N I S

R U S H

Come play where the surf applauds every shot. The Seaside Tennis Club at the legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island. 866.977.4589 I MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com Director of Tennis, Craig T. Paulter

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Credit all photos to Emma Fein & Troy Haas

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

TENNIS NEW YORK

Annual Wine and Play Event Hits Engineers Country Club

ong Island Tennis Magazine hosted a Wine and Play Tennis Night at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, N.Y., players took to the courts, and others came to watch and enjoy the ambiance. The evening began with activities on all

five courts and the various games continued into the second half of the event. After the on-court action, Engineers Country Club supplied food and fine wine for all attendees. Live music was performed by Tooty and the Mother Pluckers, as those both

on and off the court sang along and danced the night away. inPhorm Clothing Line had their team at the event modeling clothes from their new line and they supplied participants with special prizes and discounts on their many apparel offerings.

LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

ClayTech: A Better Solution for the Home Tennis Court

erhaps you have heard of ClayTech? Many still have not. This court surface has been around for close to 20 years in Europe and nearly 10 years in the United States, but is only just beginning to catch on here as the preferred home tennis court. If you have an existing hard court or are planning new court construction, you should definitely take a look. ClayTech is an all-weather clay court that can be installed on top of an existing hard

court in as little as two days. The surface eliminates the need to repaint every three to five years and will bridge many crack and deficiencies in the substrate. The product utilizes a specially-designed mat that acts as the base for a thin layer of green or red clay or Har-Tru. Much like a hard court, ClayTech features permanent lines that will occasionally need to be touched up with new paint. Here are some things court owners are saying about the surface: l “ClayTech plays brilliantly … like clay,

l l l l

but the traction and bounces are more consistent.” “I am so glad I no longer have to watch the cracks on my court reappear.” “I love the comfort! I can now play more frequently and for longer stretches without really hurting the next day.” “The speed of play is ideal. I get to more shots and the rallies are incredibly fun.” “I can count on my court to be playable more quickly than any other court in my area after all types of weather.”

To learn more about ClayTech, visit AllWeatherClay.com on the Web or call (877) 442-7878.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Passion Player: Federer’s Fire Still Burns By Luke Jensen Wow! What a day in the world of tennis. I am a big news talk radio guy, and on my bike ride to teach my lessons for the day at Sea Island, the sports report mentioned breaking news in the world of tennis. The last time there was a tennis report on this particular station, Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis. My heart stopped with what it could be. It was reported that Roger Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam singles champion is pulling out of all remaining events in 2016 because of constant knee problems. I knew that the great Fed was close to the end of a great career, but to hear the news shocked me. Roger had to pull out of this year’s French Open because of an injury and he never looked up to par during his semifinal run at this year’s Wimbledon. So I started to think of what makes Roger

such a special athlete. He does have awesome ability and has every shot in the game in his repertoire, but the theme that just kept coming back to me was the ever-so-important element found in anything anyone does well: Joy! When I watch Roger playing the game, talking about the game and representing the sport, I think of a competitor who plays with pure enjoyment. Do we all take that for granted in our own approaches to our own play? When I work with junior players, gauging one’s passion and enjoyment of the sport is my first line of evaluation. Does the student play the game with joy, or is there torture at each miss. I find that tennis is a very tough game to play. There are so many mental hurdles and endless pressure situations, but Roger always seem to be in a good place emotionally. At the end of the day, tennis to me is the game of joy. I find that I am at my very best on the court playing, teaching and even watching.

Some spend endless and countless hours trying to improve and climb their own personal mountains in the game. I often feel bad for the players I see play in such torment who never fully understands losing … the missing part is winning. Now, I hate losing, but I like competing more than I like winning. We all hope for a healthy 2017 for Roger and hope to see the great one play just a little more with a lot of tennis joy! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. Luke is currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com.

Pine Hollow Country Club 2016 Tennis Program

Ricky Becker… Pine Hollow’s Director of Tennis • Stanford University and Roslyn High School MVP • Won two NCAA Division 1 team titles • Directs and manages Pine Hollow's active Tennis Membership and daily events

“A staff that is Second to None!” • Karl Sommer • Ahsha Rolle • Sarah Landsman • Brenden Henry • Kayla Carter • Oliver Loutsenko • Inge Hendrikx • Daniel Shleimovich • Sunaina Vohra • Ross Reiffman

www.pinehollowcc.org l 516-922-0300 LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW Nassau County Girls Preview Player to Watch: Courtney Kowalsky of Oyster Bay

Credit photo: Keith Kowalsky

Celeste Matute & Courtney Kowalsky from Oyster Bay were honored as two-time New York State Doubles Champions For the past two seasons, Oyster Bay’s Courtney Kowalsky has concluded her year as New York State Public High School

Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Doubles Champion, pairing with Celeste Matute both times. The two were so successful together that the school put up a sign honoring their accomplishments outside the school’s tennis courts. “Winning both counties and states back to back was just awesome. Celeste and I have been playing tennis together since we were six years old. Being a two-time champion with her for Oyster Bay High School was really exciting, especially since she just graduated,” said Kowalsky. “We were surprised at our athletic awards dinner when we were presented with a sign saying home of the two-time champions that is now posted on the fence. It is really cool.” Matute has graduated and moved on to her freshman season at UNC-Wilmington, but Kowalsky is now the undisputed leader of the Oyster Bay squad. “It’s hard to believe this is going to be my last year playing on the Oyster Bay tennis team, I have been on the team since I was in seventh grade. I think it’s really important that I support the rest of the team this year and bring our play to a higher level,” said Kowalsky. “I’m hoping

Tune your game up with: New Racquet, New Tennis Outﬁt and Tennis Sneakers, Restring and Regrip!

On the spot racquet stringing available (1 hour or less) $0.."$, 30"% t $0.."$, (1/2 MILE SOUTH OF JERICHO TPKE)

631-499-6444

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

to keep tennis fun, while keeping the team’s focus on winning.” Kowalsky has played in a lot of big-time tournaments throughout the summer, including the U.S. Open National Open Playoffs Eastern Sectionals, partnering with Jericho’s Samantha Galu to reach the Women’s Doubles final. She then headed west to San Diego to compete in the USTA Girls 18s National Championship in both the Girls Singles and Girls Doubles draws. “I think that my confidence improved greatly after performing at big tournaments like counties and states,” Kowalsky said. “I played at the hard court championships in San Diego and all the girls were incredible players. It was really an honor to be playing alongside such talent.” The senior will use her past success, plus the confidence she has gained in her national play, to power through her Nassau competition.

Nassau County teams to watch Manhasset

The Manhasset Indians were crowned the 2015 Nassau County Girls High School Champions Manhasset Manhasset won its second consecutive Nassau County Championship last year following a 26-year drought, and the Indians will be out to make it three straight county titles this fall. Despite losing first singles player Amanda Foo, Manhasset

2016

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW returns much of its deep lineup from a year ago, including Lia Frankis, Stephanie Petras and experienced doubles pairs. The program is 46-3 over the last three years, and will look to continue to roll into the 2016 season.

finished the year winning seven of its final eight matches to reach the Nassau County playoffs. Despite losing many contributing seniors from a year ago, Roslyn should return to its competitive form in Conference I, and will look to stay in the hunt with the County’s top teams.

Cold Spring Harbor Syosset

2015 Nassau County runners-up Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor came up just short last year, falling to the aforementioned Manhasset Indians in the Nassau County Championship, but the Seahawks will be ready to return to that point again this season. Despite not having top singles player Merri-Kelly Hannity back, Cold Spring Harbor returns singles player Maddy Richmond and has a deep pool of talent ready to make a return trip to the finals once again this fall.

Syosset will make a strong push for the 2016 Nassau Championship Syosset’s 2015 season was just as up and down as Friends Academy and Roslyn, falling to eventual Nassau Champions Manhasset in its opening match, but then rattling off five straight victories, only to lose seven of eight matches towards the end of the regular season. The Braves welcome back singles players Risha Maholtra and

Hannah Abraham, and have experienced doubles pairs that will keep them in each match. If Syosset can maintain consistency throughout the year, the Braves should be a formidable team once the playoffs roll around.

Nassau County key dates (subject to change) l Wednesday, Sept. 7: 2016 Regular Season Begins l Thursday, Oct. 13: 2016 Regular Season Ends l Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 15-16: Nassau County Individual Tournament @ Eisenhower Park l Monday-Friday, Oct. 17-21: Nassau County Team Tournament l Tuesday, Oct. 25: 2016 Executive Cup l Saturday-Monday, Oct. 29-31: 2016 NYSPHSAA Tournament @ Port Chester, N.Y.

Friends Academy After an impressive 13-3 season in 2014, the Quakers of Friends Academy had an up and down campaign in 2015, finishing with an 8-7 record after falling to eventual runners-up Cold Spring Harbor in the Nassau quarterfinals. But look for the Quakers to have a breakout season this fall, led by singles players Calista Sha and Morgan Wilkins, plus some talented doubles pairs, Friends should be one of the better teams in Nassau during the 2016 campaign. Roslyn Much like Friends Academy, 2015 was an up and down season for the Roslyn Bulldogs. After losing five of its first six matches to start the 2015 season, Roslyn LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW Suffolk County High School Preview Fall 2016 Player to Watch: Kimberly Liao of Commack

Last season, Commack eighth grader Kimberly Liao dominated the Suffolk competition, going undefeated in singles play on her way to winning the Suffolk County Individual Singles Championship. Liao defeated Stephanie Chikvashvili of Half Hollow Hills East 7-5, 6-3, coming back from 0-3 down in the opening set, to win the 2015 Suffolk County Championship. She followed up that performance by winning two matches at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) tournament on her way to a quarterfinal appearance.

“I definitely played well last year,” said Liao. “I also worked on a lot of things over the last year as well, which I think will translate well into this season.” Despite her success at an early age, Liao is not resting on her laurels. She continued to work on her game in the offseason, adding more elements to her repertoire to become more well-rounded. “I played some more tournaments and spent a lot of time at Sportime working with my coaches and my dad to keep improving,” Liao said. “I worked on more transitional shots, volleys and just being more aggressive.” Liao helped lead her Commack team to an undefeated regular season, advancing to the Suffolk County Championship before falling to Hills East. Despite losing some productive seniors from last year’s team, Liao says the team’s goal is to “definitely win it all.” “I think we’ve always had great chemistry as a team, and now that some of the girls who are in my grade will have a chance to try out, I think it will help give us a greater bond as a team this year,” Liao added. “We lost some seniors, but

2013 ETA Recipient “Innovative Tennis Program of the Year”

the kids coming up have a lot of potential, so we are confident moving into this season.”

Suffolk County teams to watch Commack

The Commack Cougars will look to piggyback on 2015’s undefeated regular season as they prep for their upcoming campaign The Cougars of Commack put together an undefeated regular season last year before falling to Hills East in the Suffolk County Championship. Commack has a lost a couple of key contributing seniors from last year’s team, but led by ninth-grader Kimberly Liao, the 2015 Suffolk County Singles Champion, Commack should be on track for a deep run this fall. Half Hollow Hills East

LI’s first Tennis Academy devoted to the USTA’s 10 & under Initiative. Butch Seewagen is a former varsity coach at Columbia University. He holds over 15 national and international titles and is the owner/program director of the Children’s Athletic Training Schools.

For Boys and Girls 3 – 10 years old.

188 Maple Avenue • Rockville Centre Phone: 516-763-1299 catsrvc@gmail.com

www.catsny.com 32

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

2015 Suffolk County Champions, Half Hollow Hills East, look to defend their crown this fall Half Hollow Hills East has been one of the most dominant tennis programs on Long Island for years now, and that showed again last season. After two tight regular

2016

LONG ISLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW season losses to Commack, the Thunderbirds rebounded in the Suffolk County Title match to win yet another Suffolk Championship. Hills East returns much of its rotation from last year, including Alexis Huber, Gina LaRusso and Julia Raziel, which will once again make them a contender. Ward Melville Ward Melville had a wonderful 2015 season out of League V last year, posting a record of 14-2 but coming up short against East Hampton in the Suffolk County quarterfinals. The Patriots will look to build off of last year’s success and make a deep run at the County tournament, and will rely on top singles player Jade Eggleston, plus a deep cast of talent to do so this fall. Harborfields The Harborfields Tornadoes got off to a slow start last year, going just 4-4 through its first eight matches. Those four losses all came at the hands of Commack and Half Hollow Hills East, tough matches that paid off later in the season, as the Tornadoes won seven consecutive matches at one point before falling to Commack in the Suffolk County quarterfinals. Top singles players Kiley Roche and Remi Berlent will look to use last year’s success to make a deeper run in the county playoffs in 2016. William Floyd If Hills East has been the most dominant program in Suffolk County recently, William Floyd is a close second. The Colonials won the County Championship two years ago and didn’t miss a beat in 2015, winning its first 18 matches. Floyd would lose to eventual champions Half Hollow Hills East in the semifinals, but will look to rebound strongly in 2016, led by sisters Brooke and Emily Fernandez.

Suffolk County key dates (subject to change) Division Individual Championships l Friday, Oct. 7: Division I (Rounds 1 & 2) @ Half Hollow Hills West High School l Friday, Oct. 7: Division II (Rounds 1 & 2) @ East Islip High School l Friday, Oct. 7: Division III (Rounds 1 & 2) @ Mt. Sinai Middle School l Saturday, Oct. 8: Division IV (Rounds 1 & 2) @ Shoreham-Wading River High School l Saturday, Oct. 8: Division I (Quarterfinals & Semifinals) @ Half Hollow Hills West High School l Saturday, Oct. 8: Division II (Quarterfinals & Semifinals) @ East Islip High School l Saturday, Oct. 8: Division III (Quarterfinals & Semifinals) @ Mt. Sinai Middle School l Monday, Oct. 10: Division IV (Quarterfinals & Semifinals) @ Shoreham-Wading River High School l Tuesday, Oct. 11: Division I (Finals) @ Half Hollow Hills West High School

l Tuesday, Oct. 11: Division II (Finals) @ East Islip High School l Tuesday, Oct. 11: Division III (Finals) @ Mt. Sinai Middle School l Tuesday, Oct. 11: Division IV (Finals) @ Shoreham-Wading River High School Section Individual Championships l Friday, Oct. 14: Round 1 Singles @ Suffolk Community College in Selden l Saturday, Oct. 15: Rounds 1 & 2 @ Suffolk Community College in Selden l Monday, Oct. 17: Semifinals & Finals @ Suffolk Community College in Selden l Saturday-Monday, Oct. 29-31: 2016 NYSPHSAA Tournament @ Port Chester, N.Y.

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

irinalehat@gmail.com 917.769.8031

www.irinalehat.com LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Lon Calling all volunteers Attention local tennis fans! Whether you love to play tennis, teach tennis, watch others play tennis or have fun with friends while helping those in your community, there’s a local tennis volunteering opportunity for you. The USTA Long Island Region hosts and supports many events and programs throughout the year, all of which are made possible with the help of people, like you, who want to give back. Programs include fairs and festivals, fundraisers/community service projects, league tennis and much more. Populations reached include kids of all ages, the disabled, U.S. military veterans and many others. Our

volunteers participate in many areas including teaching tennis, organizing, coordinating, marketing and PR, fundraising and more. In fact, you don’t have to be a tennis player to help—you just have to love working with others and sharing your time. Does this sound like you? If so, please let us know you’d like to volunteer by e-mailing ustaonlongisland@gmail.com with your name and address, phone number, e-mail address and any special skills you’d like to share. Need more information? Visit LongIsland.USTA.com for a complete list of our upcoming and past events and a look at the many projects which the USTA Long Island Region is involved.

Tennis helps vets and families with rehab Thanks to a USTA grant and the support of the USTA Long Island Region and United Way of Long Island, construction of revamped tennis courts at the Northport VA Medical Center was slated for completion in August. The project will be highlighted during U.S. Military Appreciation Night at the 2016 U.S. Open. Tennis programming for U.S. veterans began earlier this year with free lessons for veterans provided at Bethpage Park Tennis Center. Separately, a USTA grant was issued to renovate two tennis courts on the campus of the Northport VA Medical Center, next to the Wee Luv ‘Em Day Care Center. The grant provided for resurfacing, lines, new net posts, nets, fence fabric, wind screens, a wheelchair ramp connecting the courts to a walkway and a wheelchair access gate. “We are extremely excited about this project because it will put veterans in a place where they not only can play tennis but can interact with other veterans with similar injuries (some physical

and some invisible–PTSD, TBI) which will help them get back to a normal life,” said Craig Fligstein, vice president of Grant Development & Strategic Program Initiatives for the United Way of Long Island, and a member of the USTA LI Region Executive Board. “Over the course of a few years, we will be able to touch hundreds of service members, as well as their families and children, through tennis, helping them with their rehabilitation, both physical and emotional, and their community reintegration efforts.” Highlights of the tennis program will include: Becoming a host site for the Wheelchair Games and the Paralympics and tennis camp for children attending the day care center. The tennis court renovations were scheduled to be completed and a grand opening celebration was to be held in August.

Apply for grants now Throughout the year, the USTA Long Island Regional Board is soliciting grant proposals from its local USTA member organizations who are dedicated to supporting, participating in and furthering our mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis in the Region. Grants are focused on fostering participation in tennis and USTA programs, with special consideration given to organizations seeking to expand tennis programming to these groups: Special Populations, Minority Populations, Parks & Recreation, Community Tennis Associations, Schools/After School, Wheelchair Tennis or Senior Tennis. Grants are allocated in the range of $300 to $1,000, and proposals should: l Demonstrate interest in working closely with the LI Regional Board, the Regional Program Coordinator and the Tennis Serv34

ice Representative for Long Island with tennis program development. l Show specific examples of programs that attract new players and/or retain existing players by offering clinics, leagues, special events and tournaments. l Exhibit a willingness to make concentrated efforts to participate in USTA League Tennis (Adults) and USTA Junior Team Tennis (Youth). For more information and to apply for a grant, please visit LongIsland.USTA.com and click on “Grant Application.” Any questions, e-mail Herb Harris, USTA Long Island Region Grants Chair, at tfgl@optonline.net.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

ong Island Region Reading, writing and tennis: School tennis programs sweep Long Island

Ten & Under tennis is sweeping across Long Island, as school programs pop up all over town. Recently launched afterschool programs include those in the Oceanside School District, Locust Valley Central School District, The North Shore School District, Temple Sinai/Roslyn, The Greenvale School, The Portledge School and Circulo de la Hispanidad in Hempstead and Long Beach. This past spring, children ages five through 10 at Bayville Elementary, Bayville Primary, Locust Valley Elementary and Locust Valley Primary received an introduction to the sport through a program coordinated by the USTA Long Island Region and Tennis Workout of Long Island. During May and June, Steve Haar, principal of Tennis Workout of LI and a member of the volunteer USTA LI Regional Board of Directors, along with other local pros, held after-school clinics. “All told, we introduced tennis to 920 children within three weeks,” Haar said. “This effort will be followed up in the fall with equipment and instruction for each school.” Haar said he and other volunteers ran the clinics in the schools’ gyms with supplies provided by the USTA Eastern Section. The school principals and the children were highly enthusiastic about the program, and Haar was invited to speak at a district Board of Education meeting about the USTA’s 10-and-

under programs for elementary schools. For the past few years, Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center in Glen Cove has been introducing tennis to new generations by setting up “after-school programs in the school gyms to educate elementary school children about the sport of tennis,” said Hilary Bressler, sales manager at Robbie Wagner’s. “We provide the pros and some high-performance junior players who go to each site and help the children.” Instructors follow the USTA’s 10 & Under format, in which equipment and courts are sized for kids. In addition to the school programs, Robbie Wagner’s is also working with the Glen Cove Boys & Girls club to bring tennis to underprivileged youngsters in that community. “Tennis is fun, easy and will get students of all ages active,” said Daniel Burgess, USTA LI president. “The USTA Long Island Region supports tennis in schools and we can provide many resources for launching and coordinating school programs that are fun for kids and easy for PE teachers to start and operate. No courts are required!” For information about starting a tennis clinic in your local elementary school, including grant opportunities, please e-mail ustaonlongisland@gmail.com or visit LongIsland.USTA.com.

Coming soon … Please visit Longisland.usta.com for details on these and other upcoming local events. l Saturday, Sept. 10: Merrick Fall Festival 2016 (Merrick Train Station) l Saturday, Sept. 17: Freeport Memorial Library Outside the Lines (Northeast Park) l Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 24-25: 36th Annual Family Festival by the Sea (Lido Beach) LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Teaching to Learn By Steve Kaplan t’s been said that to be a great teacher, you must first be an avid student. I use this wisdom as a guiding principle for my profession as a coach by relentlessly reading theory, studying technique, questioning methods and reevaluating what I think I know and may yet learn. Teaching is a great way to learn, and I have observed that in order to be a great tennis student, it’s tremendously helpful to coach. Consider for a moment that Roger Federer, perhaps the greatest player of all time, spent many successful years without a coach, yet throughout his career, his strokes are immaculate and his tactics as creative and clever as ever. In interviews, Federer proves himself to be the most astute tennis mind that I have heard, and I have heard many (most very dull unfortunately). Federer would be an outstanding commentator or coach after his playing days have ended because he sees the game from the perceptive of an analytic problem-solver. This ability is a

large part of his playing greatness and a testament to the idea that, on-court, he is his own brilliant coach. When I watch my students give instruction, I notice that they often use much of the same information and methods I have used with them. This is because teaching clarifies and reinforces existing information. It also deepens understanding and leads to a heightened sense of awareness. Teaching and mentoring is also a valuable away to gain a larger view of the world. I am proud to conduct the largest tennis program in New York for Special Olympics over the past 17 years. Many of the players at my club, as well as from other clubs, have been longtime volunteers, providing instruction and mentorship to physically- and developmentally-challenged athletes in this program. This experience has been transformative for many young players. It’s a little bit harder to get nervous at 5-5 in the third set of your match when you are reminded often that this playing challenge is insignificant when compared to the daily challenges faced by others whom you have helped. There are few experiences as empowering

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

and confidence-building as teaching. It is such a profound motivational tool that many top coaches will admit, Nick Bollettieri for example, who have learned as much from their students as their students have learned from them. Teaching also has intrinsic value. It is a selfless act of kindness, a way to give back, pay forward and help others. It’s also an act of enlightened self-interest for young players. Tennis is, by its nature, a selfish sport. Gathering a few teaching experiences are a way to help yourself by helping others. Be a leader on the court during practice and matches by practicing leadership and mentorship both on and off the court. Steve Kaplan is owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Your Backyard? Tired of waiting on lines? We can build a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Resort in Your Own Backyard!â&#x20AC;? For more than 25 years, the talented design team at AquaFX and OutdoorLivingFX have turned dreams into realities! The award-winning staff begins the process by listening to your needs and wants that will enhance your lifestyle now and for years to come. Following your concepts, they create a 3D virtual tour for you to exam before construction begins. The staff prides themselves on being detail-oriented while on your property, with the goal not only to meet your expectations, but to exceed them. Aqua FX and

Outdoor Living FX has enjoyed creating lasting memories for clients on Long Island, as well as five other states along the Northeast, and as far as Central America and Canada! Whether it is relaxing in your very own cascading waterfall with a grotto, accompanied by an exciting slide, cooking on your outdoor kitchen with grill station and pizza oven, or your own multi-purpose game court and personalized putting green, Aqua FX and Outdoor Living FX is there to make your dream backyard a reality. Remember, when nighttime arrives, the experience in lighting and fire effects have

made them a leader in the landscape industry. The soft illumination not only creates a safe surrounding, but also adds beauty to your nightlife with changing colors to thrilling fire effects on your water feature or patio. While the new Web site is currently under construction, check out some sample portfolios at OutdoorLivingFX.com. The talented staff is looking forward to creating lasting memories for your family to enjoy for years to come. For more information, call (631) 8821932, or visit AquaFXPools.com or OutdoorLivingFX.com.

A TENNIS SHOP FOR THE PROS

! ! ! CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES GROMMET INSTALLS FREE DEMOS

SHIPPING AVAILABLE! CONTACT US! WWW.HIGHCOUNTRYSKIANDTENNIS.COM ! ! ! ! !

!! ! ! LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Tennis and

How the game of tennis reveals a By Dr. Tom Ferraro As I write this column the 2016 Summer Olympics are mere days away and it appears that most of the major tennis stars are headed for Rio. Unlike golf where three of the sport’s major superstars, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordon Spieth, have opted not to play, it seems that tennis pros have a more nationalistic heart and want to represent their nation on the world’s grandest stage. Good for them. This seems like the right time to talk about the character of tennis players based upon their homeland. Tennis may be the most revealing of all sports with regard to the personality of the player. Their reactions, stamina, attitude, courage and temperament are often revealing of who they are as individuals. John McEnroe’s classic “You cannot be serious” rant says something about who he is, but also about his country of origin. America is brash, bold, aggressive and highly competitive, and it’s no surprise that America gave birth to players like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Serena Williams. So let’s have some fun and review our favorite tennis stars’ behavior to see how they express national character. Roger Federer and Switzerland Roger Federer is arguably the best singles player in tennis history and his nature is elegant, unflappable and catlike. We have never seen screaming, pouting, cursing or racket throwing out of Roger and he is so mediagenic and media safe that Credit Suisse uses him as their corporate face. Switzerland has a long history of political neutrality and is known as the wealthiest and safest country on Earth, with a superb quality of life and civil liberties. Roger Federer is a true Swiss: Efficient, meticulous, relaxed, easy-going and in perfect control. Andy Murray and Great Britain The British are reserved, well-mannered, proud and love their pubs. They are also very gifted in their use of language and have a dry

nd the Olympics

als a player’s character and the character of his nation sense of humor. When asked by English sports TV commentator Cara Robinson to describe himself in three words, Andy Murray said “Boring, unfunny and miserable.” Murray is reserved, introspective and humble. British psychoanalyst Samuel Flax describes the English as pessimistic and self-doubting, and when you hear Andy Murray in interview, you understand just how right Flax is. Rafael Nadal and Spain There are many famous Hispanic athletes, including Sammy Sosa in baseball; Nancy Lopez, Chi Chi Rodriquez, Lee Trevino and Sergio Garcia in golf; and Angel Cordero, Jose Santos and Laffit Pincay in thoroughbred racing. The most obvious personality traits of these Hispanic athletes are flamboyance, openness, humor, friendliness and strong family ties. Rafael Nadal is much the same. He is instantly likable and appealing, typically has a smile for the media, and remains close to his family and hometown.

Lleyton Hewitt and Australia Australia has produced some of the best tennis players in history, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter. Australians are known to be individualistic, direct and punctual. In golf, Australia produced Greg Norman and Adam Scott. It is a nation which was settled by England and they still use English as its mother tongue. I find Australians to be athletic, attractive, outdoorsy and willing to take risks like Americans. Perhaps their sense of individuality and risk-taking ability has something to do with crossing the high seas to get there. The Williams Sisters and America Bold, brash and beautiful … that describes the Williams Sisters, as well as America. The list of bold and beautiful American sports heroes include Muhammad Ali in

boxing and Tiger Woods in golf. America is a dominant force in sports, banking, entertainment, science and politics. And their athletes reflect our competitive, energetic and optimistic nature. John McEnroe is a Stanford educated superstar who dominated tennis with his “You can’t be serious” attitude and now dominates television with his charm and wit. It will be a delight to watch tennis in the Rio Olympics, and if you watch closely, it will also serve as a lesson in cultural anthropology. We will be seeing each athlete proudly represent their nation and as they do, so they will unwittingly be revealing its national character. The British are polite, the Swiss are meticulous, Hispanics are friendly, Australians are risk-takers and Americans are brash. There may be no other sport on Earth that so plainly reveals the character of the player, and in the case of the Olympics, it will also reveal the character of a nation. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

SPORTIME

HOME OF THE JOHN McENROE TENNIS ACADEMY, ADULT T

Tennis Whizz Preschool Programs Ages 3 - 5

SPORTIME U10 Red Ball Levels Ages 5 - 6

SPORTIME U10 Orange Ball Levels Ages 7 - 10

Adult League Tennis, Lessons and More All Levels

Under 10 Programs

Adult Prog

SPORTIME offers more than 150 indoor and outdoor courts, in a variety account management, and more. Why play anywhere else? Call the SPO

888/NY TENNIS | www.Sp SPORTIME TENNIS LOCATIONS Long Island - Nassau Bethpage Tennis - 516-933-8500 Lynbrook - 516-887-1330 Roslyn - 516-484-9222 Syosset Tennis - 516-364-2727

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Long Island - Suffolk Amagansett - 631-267-3460 Kings Park - 631-269-6300 Quogue - 631-653-6767 Manhattan Randall’s Island - 212-427-6150

West Harbo Lake I

Capit Schen

ME TENNIS

ULT TENNIS PROGRAMS, JUNIOR PROGRAMS AND MORE…

Adult Series and Per Diem Programs All Levels

Junior TK Recreational

EXCEL Tennis High Performance

Ages 9 and Up

t Programs

John McEnroe Tennis Academy Ages 9 and Up

Junior Pathway Programs

ur Fall-Winter Programs!

variety of surfaces, exclusive member benefits, online court booking and he SPORTIME location near you to find out more or visit us online today!

www.SportimeNY.com/Tennis Westchester Harbor Island - 914-777-5050 Lake Isle - 914-777-5151 Capital Region Schenectady - 518-356-0100

JOHN McENROE TENNIS ACADEMY LOCATIONS Long Island/Syosset - 516-364-2727 Manhattan/Randall’s Island - 212-427-6150 Westchester/Lake Isle - 914-777-5151 LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

When Good Enough Isn’t “Good Enough” Canadian Milos Raonic looks to solidify his mark in Flushing Meadows BY BRIAN COLEMAN

he country to our north is primarily known for its excellence in one sport: Hockey. The success of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays have put Canada’s basketball and baseball franchises on the map, but our neighbors from the north have begun to carve out their niche in the sport of tennis, and much of that has to do with its most successful export to date, 6’ 5” Milos Raonic. Born Dec. 27, 1990, in Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, Montenegro), Raonic is of Serbian heritage. However, due to political unrest and the impact of the Bosnian War, his family moved to Canada in 1994 when he was just three, settling in Brampton, Ontario in the outskirts of Toronto. He first discovered the sport at the age of six, taking part in a tennis camp at Bramalea Tennis Club in Brampton where the coaches began to realize his potential, and started playing in ITF Futures and ATP Challenger tournaments across Canada, teaming with fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil for a number of junior titles and appearances at the 2008 Wimbledon Junior Championships, and the 2008 Roland Garros Junior French Championships, where the duo reached the semifinals. Raonic turned pro in 2008, playing both singles and doubles, eventually capturing his first ATP title at the 2011 Pacific Coast Championships, defeating the ninth-seeded Fernando Verdasco in the finals, 7-6, 7-6. In 2012, he won his second ATP title at the Chennai Open in India, defeating Janko Tipsarevic in three sets in the finals. He followed up that win with his third career pro title, defending his Pacific Coast Championship with a victory over Denis Istomin in the finals. The year 2013 saw him win his fourth and fifth ATP titles, a three-peat at the Pacific Coast Championships with a win over Tommy Haas, and in September of that year, defeating Tomas Berdych for the Thailand Open title, 7-6, 6-3. In 2014, Raonic began to find success at the majors, beginning with a solid run at the Australian Open, reaching the third round in Melbourne before losing to Grigor Dimitrov, but sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for six weeks. He returned to the courts and made a solid LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

when good enough isn’t “good enough” continued from page 43

semifinal run at Wimbledon in 2014, where he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets. With the trip to the semis, he became just the first Canadian since Robert Powell in 1908 to reach the semifinals of a major event. “There’s a lot of good things to take from it,” said Raonic of his semifinal run and loss to Federer. “But when you get here to that point, I think it’s just human nature … the greed of human nature … you want so much more. You feel it in front of you and want to grab it.” That mentality and motivation has been growing in Raonic over the past couple of years now, and only grew larger following an up and down 2015 season. Raonic posted a record of 33-16 after a great start, which saw him reach the Brisbane finals and advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but injuries would take their toll on the 25-year-old. As he climbed to the number four spot in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, the big Canadian just couldn’t shake the injury bug. “There wasn’t a place it wasn’t bothering me,” said Raonic of a foot injury following a loss at Wimbledon. “First my ankle, then the hip, and then the back … then when those things aren’t working, you just put too much pressure on your shoulder, and then your shoulder begins to hurt.” Raonic’s 2015 season ended with him withdrawing from three separate tournaments, leaving a lot to be desired heading into 2016. 44

But in 2016, Raonic seems to have turned the corner, shrugged off the injury bug and is taking his game to another level, showing poise, confidence and diversity in his game which has allowed him to become a consistent threat. He started off the year with a monumental win, knocking off Roger Federer in the finals of the Brisbane International in Queensland, Australia, before heading to Melbourne for the Aussie Open. Raonic put together a fantastic run at the year’s first major, knocking off Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka to advance to the semis where he would meet Andy Murray. Raonic would go up two sets to one and was on the verge of a trip to his first Grand Slam final, but the injury bug bit him once again, as an upper leg injury slowed the big Canadian and Murray completed his comeback for the win. “It was just difficult to push off my leg with my adductor midway through the third set. That’s what it was. It’s unfortunate,” said Raonic of his Melbourne run. “It was probably the most heartbroken I ever felt on court, but that’s what it is. I’m happy with where my tennis is at right now, I just wish I could play tennis.” It was yet another setback for Raonic who continued to show that he was knocking on the door of the elite level, a level he knew he could compete at. He continued to persevere though, fighting through injuries and disappointing losses to play the best tournament of his

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

career at the All-England Lawn Club at Wimbledon. With the help of John McEnroe, the newest addition to Raonic’s coaching staff, he became the first Canadian to ever reach a Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon 2016. “If you had told me before when I was just doing commentary, ‘Name five or six guys who could possibly win Wimbledon,’ Milos would have been one of them,” McEnroe said of Raonic. It wasn’t to be, as Raonic would lose to Murray yet again in the Wimbledon finals, but his play demonstrated just how far he had progressed. One of the main things McEnroe was on board to help Raonic with was playing in the big moments, dealing with the pressures and expectations of Grand Slams, and having the self-confidence to advance to the next level. “I believe I definitely have that ability within myself. There’s not a shadow of a doubt from myself. The question is: Am I going to make the most of it when those opportunities arise? Nobody’s going to give me those opportunities … I have to work extensively to give myself those opportunities,” Raonic said. “There are other guys who want it. I’m going to try to find every solution to every issue I may have … things I need to improve upon on a day-today basis to give myself that opportunity. That’s what keeps me the most motivated.” Originally known as strictly a big server, Raonic has shown the ability to mix up his shots with improved volleys and his hitting from the baseline. He began to dictate more points and control the pace of play himself, rather than cater to his opponent and strictly rely on his power. Raonic ranks among the strongest servers in the Open Era, winning 91 percent of service games to rank third all-time. “For a big guy, he moves well. He has improved upon his fitness the last few years,” Federer said of Raonic. “Tactically, he’s also better now than he’s ever been. He’s made a conscious effort to playing closer to the baseline, which before when he was working with the Spanish coaches, he was far from the baseline.” In July, Raonic raised some eyebrows

when he decided not to represent Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, citing fears over the Zika virus. “This was a difficult, personal choice and I do not wish for it to impact the decision of any other athlete heading to the Games,” said Raonic of his decision to sit out of the Olympics. Not heading to Rio, Raonic joined French Open semifinalist Dominic Thiem, American John Isner and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez to play in ATP Tour events instead of the Olympics, as these tournaments offer ranking points—while the Games do not. Like others opting-out of the Rio Games, Raonic is hoping that some rest in early August will lead to a strong push for Grand Slam glory at the U.S. Open. The hard courts in Flushing Meadows will play very well in the big-man’s power game, and his improved variety will allow him to take on any type of opponent. He has never made it out of the fourth round in Flushing Meadows, but is looking to change the tide this time around. Raonic should be considered one of the favorites at this year’s tournament. Past U.S. Open losses have occurred in heartbreaking fashion, including defeat in an overnight, five-set battle with Kei Nishikori at the 2014 U.S. Open. Losses of that nature can either make or break a player, and Raonic seems to have turned a corner in terms of building off of and learning from losses. Success for Raonic has not been limited to just tennis courts. While recovering from a hip injury at Wimbledon, he decided to become involved with philanthropic work, focusing on helping disadvantaged children. In 2012, he established the Milos Raonic Foundation to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to remove economic, physical and other barriers that might prevent them from becoming healthy, productive members of society. This includes providing kids who need them with prosthetic limbs to help them reach their full potential. As of 2016, the Milos Raonic Foundation had awarded more than $120,000 in grants to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and $30,000 to the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Having already seen the potential on Milos Raonic’s racquet, it may all come

together in a New York minute this fall, as he looks to notch the first of what he hopes to be multiple Grand Slam titles. Despite the results that lie ahead in Flushing Meadows, the sport has gained a new role model in Raonic, as success on the court and philanthropic efforts off the court have earned the big Canadian accolades from those in the sporting world and beyond. “In both my tennis game and my life off the court, I constantly strive to get better at

everything I do every day … it’s an ongoing goal,” said Raonic. “I’m never satisfied with just enough. That’s not how I think. Whether it’s on the court or off, good enough isn’t ‘good enough.’ I can always do better and I work hard to make that a reality every day.” Brian Coleman is senior editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

Photo credit: Marianne Bevis

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. Open Preview August 29-September 11, 2016

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center l Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Men’s Singles Preview Contenders With the 2016 U.S. Open and final Grand Slam of the year looming, Novak Djokovic has his sights set on his third Grand Slam title of the year. After an unlikely defeat at Wimbledon, Djokovic has seemed to have found his stride again as he defeated an inform Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. In his first tournament back, Djokovic captured his fourth Rogers Cup without dropping a set and is looking like he is ready to rebound on the hard courts and play his best tennis. Earlier this year, Djokovic took the first two Grand Slams in Melbourne and Paris before losing to American Sam Querrey in London. He has an ATP Tour best seven titles in 2016, with a 33-1 record on hard courts which is his favorite surface. Djokovic is a two time champion at Flushing Meadows where he has made the semifinals or better the last nine years and counting. He has made the finals five times in that span, winning the title in 2011 and 2015. After a shaky Wimbledon performance and a first46

round loss at the Olympic Games, Djokovic should be even more prepared and poised to begin his bid for a 13th Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows.

Another player familiar with triumph in New York is world number two and recent Wimbledon champion and 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Andy Murray. The U.S. Open is where Murray had his first taste of Grand Slam glory in 2012 as he looks to win the fourth Grand Slam of his career and second of the year. Murray has made the finals of all three Slams this year, losing to Novak Djokovic at both the Aussie Open and French Open. After an early exit by Djokovic in London, Murray capitalized and captured his second Wimbledon championship. Murray only has three titles to his name this year, but boasts a record of 40-6 with a 10-3 record on hard courts because of early exits in Miami and Indian Wells earlier this year. He has 26 career titles on hard courts and has been one of the more dominating players on the surface in recent years. Ivan

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Lendl has rejoined Murray’s camp after they parted ways in 2014, which has proven to be a key factor in Murray’s Grand Slam results. After joining his team in 2011, Lendl coached Murray to victory at two Grand Slams, as well as the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Prior to this year’s Wimbledon where Lendl rejoined Murray’s squad, he was 0-9 at the Slams in Lendl’s absence. Despite a fourth round loss to South African Kevin Anderson at the 2015 U.S. Open, Murray should be considered a top contender to take home the title in 2016.

At 26-years-old, Kei Nishikori is still looking for his first Grand Slam title after reaching the finals of the U.S. Open in 2014. Nishikori turned pro in 2007, but wasn’t considered a top player or title contender until a few years ago. While currently ranked sixth in the world, he has a dismal 2-8 record against top 10 players this year. He has only one title on the hard courts, capturing the Memphis Open title this past February, but has a record of 23-7 on hard courts this year.

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW At the Rogers Cup in Toronto this July, Nishikori was seeded third in the absence of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. He looked well-rested and solid all week long, but lost to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the Toronto finals. Nishikori is now 0-5 against the Serbian this year alone, but his ability to defend make him a dangerous player at Slams.

Sleepers After entering singles, doubles and mixed-doubles at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio, Rafael Nadal may be a little worn physically entering this year’s U.S. Open. Rafa spent a couple of weeks training in Mallorca at his new academy with recent Wimbledon champion Andy Murray to get ready for the Olympics. At the first Grand Slam of the year, Rafa suffered a tough and grueling five-set loss to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco before pulling out of the French Open third round and skipping Wimbledon due to a wrist injury. Prior to withdrawing from his third round match at Roland Garros, Rafa won his first two rounds in straight sets, only losing nine games. Rafa has had an interesting year on hard courts. It began in January in Doha where he made it to the finals, but was easily dismissed by Djokovic, 6-2, 6-1. Later in March, he made it to the semifinals of Indian Wells, again losing to Djokovic in straight sets. In the second masters in March at Miami, Rafa retired in his first round match while down 0-3 in the decisive third set. While it seems his body’s health is always questionable, Rafa has come back from a long injury hiatus and won the U.S. Open. Rafa won the title in Flushing Meadows in both 2010 and 2013, and the 30-year-old’s career record in Grand Slams is an astonishing 200-30.

Nick Kyrgios is someone to look out for who is looking for his first huge breakout in winning a Grand Slam. Earlier this year, he lost to Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet and Andy Murray in the first three Grand Slams and recently chose to skip the Olympics in Rio in order to fit Atlanta in his schedule. This has proven to have paid off for the young and boisterous Aussie, as he defeated threetime defending champion John Isner 7-6, 7-6 to capture just the second title of his young career. Both of these titles have been in 2016. Kyrgios is streaky, but when his blistering serve and ground strokes are on, he can beat anyone and win any match. It will be interesting to see where he lands in the draw come the end of the month considering his recent success on the hard courts in America.

The year 2016 has been a rather exciting one for Gael Monfils, especially of late. To begin the year, Monfils appeared in his first Australian Open quarterfinal, where he lost to Milos Raonic. Monfils made it to the finals at Rotterdam, beating young guns Borna Coric and Alex Zverev along the way before losing to Martin Klizan in three entertaining sets. At the Monte Carlo Masters, Monfils waltzed his way into yet another final, finding himself paired against eighttime champion and king of clay, Rafael Nadal whom he lost to in straight sets. Monfils’ flashy crowd-pleasing style of play takes a lot of energy, and he looked as if he was drained after this solid start to 2016. In July, Monfils snagged his first ever ATP 500 title on hard courts at the Citi Open in D.C. Directly after this title, Monfils flew to the Rogers Cup in Toronto

where he made a run to the semifinals, beating Wimbledon finalist and Canadian Milos Raonic on his home court. Monfils would lose that semifinal matchup to Djokovic. If Gael is in top shape like we’ve seen lately, his court coverage and booming groundstrokes may be a factor this year at Flushing Meadows.

Pretenders Perhaps one of the most successful and most consistent players on the ATP Tour, 34-year-old Spaniard David Ferrer stands a mere 5’9” on court, but boasts some of the game’s best defensive skills and levels of fitness. Ferrer has been ranked as high as third in the world, but has recently been sinking in the rankings. Since turning pro in 2000, Ferrer has been a force, despite not having any Grand Slam titles on his resume. His slow and steady type of groundstrokes have made for a very consistent and respected career. In just five years on tour, Ferrer rose from outside of the top 500 to 14th in the world at the end of 2005. His career has been so consistent that he has not fallen outside of the top 25 in 11 years. Ferrer has 316 match wins on hard courts in his professional career, but 2016 is the first year we aren’t seeing the Ferrer we have grown so familiar with. He hasn’t played all that well, losing to Illya Marchenko, Jack Sock, Nicolas Almagro, Alex Dolgolopov, Lucas Pouille, Gilles Muller, Andreas Seppi, Nicolas Mahut and the list goes on … very uncharacteristic from Ferrer in 2016. Now ranked 12th in the world, Ferrer has some serious work to do to be considered anything but a pretender this year at Flushing Meadows, despite making it to the semis twice before.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Tomas Berdych is another one of those players who has been living in the shadows of the greats like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for far too long. Berdych has been a top 10 player for the last five years, but has not managed to capture any of the coveted Grand Slam trophies. Berdych is known for making it deeper into Grand Slam draws, but never capitalizing when given the opportunity to do so. In 2010, he reached the Wimbledon finals where he lost to Rafael Nadal, and he has made it to the semifinals of every other major at least once. This year, Berdych made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open, and then made it to the semis at the All-England Club in London. Berdych has the big hitting baseline game to win Grand Slams, but just doesn’t have the strength mentally. While he has made his fair share of runs deep into Slams, and nine of his 12 career titles have come on hard courts, he is a pretender this year at the final Slam of 2016.

Stan Wawrinka has shown us twice now that if he finds himself in the finals of a Grand Slam, he intends to win it. We have seen him hold the trophy over his head in Melbourne and Paris both in the past three years. While “Stan the Man” has the ferocious backhand and heavy serve to contend at the game’s biggest stages, the 2016 U.S. Open doesn’t look promising for the 31-year-old Swiss ace. After a strong start to 2016, winning Chennai, Dubai and Geneva, Wawrinka made his way to the semifinals of Roland Garros after winning the event in 2015. He would lose to eventual runner-up, Andy Murray. At Wimbledon, he suffered a shocking defeat to Juan Mar48

tin del Potro, who hadn’t played a grass tournament in three years. After this loss, his mind seems to be elsewhere, especially in his recent defeat at the hands of Kei Nishikori at the Rogers Cup. Wawrinka was up 4-1 in the first set of the semifinal bout before losing grip of the match and falling 7-6, 6-1. Wawrinka pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio after this loss just a week after his compatriot Roger Federer announced he was to be absent for the Olympics as well as the rest of 2016. A third Grand Slam title at this year’s U.S. Open doesn’t look too promising for Stan the Man.

Women’s Singles Preview Contenders Fresh off a Wimbledon title where she equaled Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22-career Grand Slam singles titles, world number one Serena Williams is once again the favorite in Flushing Meadows. Last year at this time, she was no doubt playing with the pressure of catching Graf, while pursuing a Calendar Slam, and it boiled over in a shocking semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci in Flushing Meadows. With that monkey off her back, expect a much freer Serena this year as she looks to win her second consecutive major title. She is prepping for the U.S. Open by competing in the Olympics in Brazil, and will be primed to win her seventh title in Queens. Madison Keys was also down in Brazil representing the United States at the Olympics, and could be due for a big U.S. Open. The 21year-old’s game is perfectly suited for

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and she has played some of her best tennis this year. Keys made her first appearance in the top 10, after winning the title at the Aegon Classic, and most recently, made it all the way to the Rogers Cup final before losing to Simona Halep. Her best showing at the U.S. Open in her career was a fourth round appearance last year, and if she can stay healthy for the two weeks in Queens, she may be able to power her way deep into the tournament.

German Angelique Kerber made her breakthrough earlier this year at the Australian Open, but she showed that her performance Down Under wasn’t a fluke by reaching the Wimbledon final, falling just short to Serena in an evenly-played match. Kerber’s success at Grand Slams this year make her a threat at any tournament, and she seems to be coming into her own in 2016. She hasn’t made it out of the fourth round in Queens since reaching the semifinals in 2011, but Kerber’s best tennis is in front of her. Kerber reached the Rogers Cup semifinals, and after playing some pressure-packed matches down in Brazil, should be ready for a deep run.

Pretenders Venus Williams continues to defy the odds, playing remarkable tennis at the age of 36. She is back up to sixth in the world after reaching the Bank of the West Classic final following a run to the Wimbledon semifinals. However, Venus had the worst Olympic results of her career in Rio, falling in the first round of both her singles and doubles

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW matches. Before her quarterfinal appearance last year, she hadn’t made it out of the third round at the U.S. Open since 2010, and her last title there came all the way back in 2001. There is no doubt that Venus still has plenty left in the tank, but with the amount of tennis she has played recently, she could get tripped up early.

The previously mentioned Roberta Vinci stunned everyone last year when she knocked off Serena Williams in the semifinals last year, but her 2016 season has been inconsistent at best. The Italian did win the St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy, but her performance at the Grand Slams has been poor. She lost to Anna-Lenna Friedsam in the third round of the Australian Open, despite winning the first set 6-0, lost in the first round of the French Open and then fell in the third round at Wimbledon. Vinci has lost seven of her last 11 matches overall, and although she may have a little U.S. Open magic left, her inconsistent play will make it tough to go far this year.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won her maiden Grand Slam title earlier this summer at the French Open, knocking off Serena Williams in straight sets. But she has struggled since, playing just three matches since that title win, losing two of them, including a straight sets loss to Jana Cepelova in the second round of Wimbledon. The expectations and pressures of being a Grand Slam champion took its toll as she has admitted, and Muguruza will no doubt have a target on her back once again at the U.S. Open. She has never fared well in Flushing Meadows

with her best results being second round appearances, and rust and fatigue may play a factor in her chances this season.

Sleepers S v e t l a n a Kuznetsova has largely flew under the radar since winning the second of her two Grand Slam titles at the 2009 French Open (the first of which came at the U.S. Open in 2004), but the Russian has had an outstanding 2016 season to date. Since a slow start, Kuznetsova has re-discovered her form, returning to the top 10 and notching wins over Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Serena Williams. Kuznetsova reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and has shown she is capable of playing her top tennis in the big moments this year. With her experience at Flushing Meadows, Kuznetsova could fly under the radar right into the U.S. Open’s second week.

D o m i n i k a Cibulkova is one of the most fun players to watch on the women’s tour. She plays with a passion and aggressiveness which is unrivaled and can often be heard yelling “Pome!” which means “Let’s go,” which will delight the New York crowd. She has had a resurgent 2016, winning two titles and climbing up to 11th in the world. Cibulkova won what may have been the best match of the year, a Round of 16 win at Wimbledon over Agnieszka Radwanska. Cibulkova’s best performance at the U.S. Open was a quarterfinal showing back in 2008, but with her health and form back, look for the Slovak to be one of the last few ladies standing in Flushing Meadows.

The beginning of 2016 was not the one that Simona Halep would have wanted, but the third-ranked Romanian has been playing top-level tennis in recent months. Halep has won her last 10 matches, resulting in titles in Bucharest and Montreal, following a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon. She is a hard-hitter from the baseline and that makes her effective on the courts of Flushing Meadows, and that was on display as she reached the U.S. Open semifinals last year. Halep chose not to participate in the Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus, so if she can shake off the rust and remain healthy, look for Halep to once again make a deep run in Flushing Meadows.

Arthur Ashe Stadium’s New Retractable Roof

Photo credit: USTA/Jennifer Pottheiser

One of the most exciting attractions of the U.S. Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this year is the new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW The roof officially closed and opened for the first time during a ceremony which featured executives from the USTA and architectural firm ROSETTI, as well as media and several tennis luminaries. The retractable roof, featuring two panels sitting atop a 6,500-ton steel superstructure, is covered with a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) fabric that is stretched over the framing system, which allows the sun to reflect off of the panels, making the stadium more energy efficient. “There are more than four dozen sensors and computers tracking the precise movement of the roof so that to keep it in perfect alignment all along the tracks on each side as it rolls down the tracks at approximately 25-feet per minute,” said ROSSETTI President Matt Rossetti. “That allows us to open and close the roof at a moment’s notice and in under six minutes.” The completion of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s retractable roof is only one component in the major transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This year, fans also will experience a brand new Grandstand Stadium and an expanded and enhanced southern campus. The new Grandstand will feature 8,125 seats–an addition of more than 2,000 seats over the capacity of the old Grandstand–while still giving spectators one of the most intimate viewing experiences in professional tennis. In addition, the southern campus has been completely overhauled to ease congestion, provide expanded fan amenities, and enhance visitors’ overall U.S. Open experience. The roof was closed and opened during a recent ceremony by tennis legend Billie Jean King and Jeanne Ashe, wife of the late tennis champion Arthur Ashe for whom the stadium is named, both joining USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams; USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith; USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center COO Danny Zausner; and. ROSSETTI President Matt Rossetti. “The USTA has always strived to move forward as an organization, to innovate and think boldly, and the transformation of 50

the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center falls directly in line with that goal,” said Adams. “U.S. Open fans, viewers and players deserve the ultimate tennis experience, and the transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center provides exactly that,” said Smith. “The U.S. Open takes place in New York City, a town synonymous with excitement, and the inclusion of the retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium now truly makes the U.S. Open the ultimate center stage for the sport of tennis.”

U.S. Open Total Compensation Surpasses $46 Million

total purse for the tournament to a record $46.3 million, a 10 percent increase over the 2015 U.S. Open prize money totals. In all, the U.S. Open will provide the richest purse in tennis history at this year’s event. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3.5 million, the largest payout in U.S. Open history. The average increase per round for the singles competition is 10 percent above the 2015 US Open. Both the men’s and women’s doubles champion teams will earn $625,000, the highest in U.S. Open history, and overall doubles prize money has been increased by 10.5 percent. The U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $1.9 million in prize money, a 10 percent increase over 2015. “We are proud that this year’s U.S. Open will offer the richest purse in tennis history,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “We continue to invest in all aspects of this world-class event to provide the best services and experiences for the players, our fans, and all of the U.S. Open partners.”

Photo credit: Lou Oates

The prize money for the 2016 U.S. Open will increase by $4 million, bringing the

Singles

Doubles (each team)

Winner: $3,500,000

Winners: $625,000

Runner-Up: $1,750,000

Runners-Up: $310,000

Semifinalist: $875,000

Semifinalist: $150,000

Quarterfinalist: $450,000

Quarterfinalist: $75,000

Round of 16: $235,000

Round of 16: $40,000

Round of 32: $140,000

Round of 32: $24,500

Round of 64: $77,200

Round of 64: $15,150

Round of 128: $43,300

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 2016 U.S. Open Restaurant Guide Aces and Champions Bar & Grill

Both are located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium between Gates 3 and 4 and are available to Courtside Box seat holders and Luxury Suite guests. You can access both restaurants by using the elevators on the east side of Arthur Ashe Stadium adjacent to the U.S. Open Club. Loge and Promenade Subscription Series ticket holders may purchase passes for the duration of the tournament by calling the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Ticket Office at (718) 760-6363 Enjoy local and seasoned seafood creations by Innovator Restaurant Associates and creator of Ed’s Chowder House, Ed Brown, with sushi prepared by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. You can also enjoy Aces’ flavorful and sumptuous cuisine in your suite with an Aces Suite Package. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Champions Bar & Grill is a modern take on the traditional clubhouse atmosphere, with classic leather and wood accents in a contemporary setting. The Grill features premium steaks, hearty salads and fresh seafood prepared by Celebrity Chef David Burke. Bring your friends for lunch, dinner or after the matches, and you won’t miss a moment of the action with live matches on Champions’ many TVs. The U.S. Open Club

floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Club is available to all Subscription Series ticket holders for the duration of the tournament for a nominal entrance fee and is included for Silver Loge Box seat holders. With its striking contemporary décor, the U.S. Open Club is famous for its Chef’s Table and seasonal selections of eclectic American cuisine. Restaurant passes are required. To purchase passes, call Client Services at (718) 7606363. Please note that food and beverage are not included with the purchase of restaurant passes. Cost to book will vary depending on your plan. Patio Café & Bar

Heineken Red Star Café

The Heineken Red Star Café is located next to the South Plaza Fountains. Situated on the top level of the two-story building, it provides guests a spacious, ideal setting to unwind and keep track of the matches while enjoying the café’s laid-back atmosphere and enhanced menus. Oyster Bar

Soak up the beautiful surroundings of the U.S. Open grounds at our expanded charming outdoor café located outside the U.S. Open Club. Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal sandwiches and salads paired with summer specialty cocktails. The Patio Café is available for all ticket holders. You can dine here for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Toro Restaurant & Bar

Experience Toro’s luscious flavors with Spanish style and cool, refreshing cocktails. Seating is either indoors or outside, enhanced by multiple TVs showing the live matches. Toro is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium near the Patio Café and is available to all ticket holders.

Oyster Bar is located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium and offers fresh oysters, lobster rolls and crab cakes in a unique setting. Oyster Bar 7 The new Oyster Bar 7 is located adjacent to Grandstand and offers fresh oysters, lobster rolls and crab cakes in a unique setting. South Plaza Visit the refreshing food destinations by the fountains, including Wine Bar Food and Pat LaFrieda Meat Co. l Wine Bar Food: Sample Mediterranean flavors with wines to match. l Pat LaFrieda Meat Co.: New York’s “King of Meat” Pat Lafrieda serves his signature Filet Mignon Steak Sandwich and other favorites.

The U.S. Open Club is located on the ground LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Grey Goose Bar

Court 12 l Morris Grilled Cheese l Carnegie Deli l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop

With two locations in the Food Village and Grandstand Food Village, the Grey Goose Bar features the Honey Deuce, the U.S. Open signature cocktail, along with Grey Goose specialty cocktails and a full-service bar.

Grandstand Food Village l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop l Neopolitan Express l Prime Burger

Jacob’s Creek Wine Bar New for 2016, the Jacob’s Creek Bar, located in the Food Village, will highlight a variety of Jacob’s Creek wines as well as full-service bar offerings. Lavazza Café Lavazza brings the flavor of authentic Italian coffee to the U.S. Open. Located in the Food Village, the Lavazza Café serves hot and iced coffee, single or double espresso, café latte and more. Food Village

Enjoy regional cuisine and specialty items at the U.S. Open Food Village, including: l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop l Curry Kitchen l Farm 2 Fork l Franks & Fries l Hill Country BBQ l Korilla BBQ l Seafood l Neopolitan Express l Prime Burger l Village Market l Mexican l Glatt Kosher l Grey Goose Bar l Jacob’s Creek Wine Bar l Lavazza Café

Five Reasons to Love the U.S. Open 5. Night tennis

4. Celebrities

Celebrities, like the rest of us, love tennis. Spotting athletes, actors and musicians in attendance throughout the tournament becomes easy. The U.S. Open has attracted the likes of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ricky Martin, Rainn Wilson, Kevin Spacey, Eva Longoria, Michael Jordan, Beyonce, JayZ, Ben Stiller, Bradley Cooper (pictured above), Sean Connery (pictured above), and many more to Flushing Meadows. When you are on grounds this year keep your eyes open for your favorite celebrities! 3. Practice court viewing area

Night tennis at the U.S. Open is where fans will create memories for years to come. Late-night tennis has been a tradition at the Open since 1975, when New Zealand’s Onny Parun defeated American great Stan Smith at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. Last year, two top 10 players did battle under the lights, as Kei Nishikori won a fourhour, 19-minute match over Milos Raonic that ended at 2:26 a.m., tying the record for latest finish at the U.S. Open. And who can forget Andre Agassi, at the age of 35, coming back from two sets down to defeat James Blake in five sets in 2005? After the match, Agassi said, “At 1:15 a.m. for 20,000 people to still be here … I wasn’t the winner, tennis was. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good here before.” The magical run by Jimmy Connors at 39years-old in 1991 included a five-set win over Patrick McEnroe that ended at 1:35 a.m. You never know what to expect at the Open, but it is often worth staying up late to find out.

A two-story practice gallery debuted at the 2014 U.S. Open. This allowed fans a better view of their favorite stars as they warmed up for matches on the practice courts. What made this area even better is that you could view Courts 4, 5 and 6 from the same spot by simply turning around. The practice courts are always packed with fans looking to catch a glimpse of players or get autographs, but this new viewing area allowed people to be a bit more spread out. 2. Entertainment

From live music to interactive games and 52

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW kids tennis sessions, there’s something for everyone at the 2016 U.S. Open. It starts with Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Saturday, Aug. 27, which features games and activities all over the grounds of the National Tennis Center, as well as a stadium show in the afternoon featuring top stars from the worlds of tennis and music. The American Express Fan Experience offers great family fun for all ages throughout the tournament. Kids can take part in youth tennis sessions, while adults can have their swing analyzed by a teaching pro. Fans can also sit in on interviews with top players on the Fan Court or get an autograph from their favorite stars at the WTA booth. The U.S. Open includes plenty of live music, with performers ranging from solo singers to jazz bands, which can be heard throughout the tournament at the South Plaza and President’s Gate. 1. The stars

Well this one is simple … the best players in the world are in our backyard, here in New York for three weeks (including qualifiers and practice days). Whether you are a fan, casual player or a serious tennis player, you will not want to miss out on your chance to get up close with the best players when they come to town for the biggest and best tennis tournament in the world!

Kids comment on the U.S. Open experience

l Dillon O’Malley (Sportime Quogue): “I’d probably feel sad because I’d probably embarrass myself, so I would want to play my counselor, John Tocco.” l Bita Shokrian (Shelter Rock): “I would probably freak out if I was playing in the U.S. Open. But then I would practice a lot.”

Every summer, Long Island Tennis Magazine visits dozens of local tennis camps. This summer during our travels, we asked kids the following question: “If you had a chance to play in the U.S. Open, how would you feel and who would they want to play against?” Here are some of the answers from our local tennis players: l Logan Bardunias (Sportime Kings Park): “I would like to play Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open, even though he’d beat me badly. I’d probably laugh at how badly he was beating me, but it would be really cool to play with him.” l Evan Friedman-Ogino (Early Hit at Glen Head): “I would want to play Kei Nishikori because I am Japanese and so is he, and he also played in the U.S. Open finals.” l Diya Guglani (Hofstra Summer Camp): “I would love to play Caroline Wozniacki. I’ve seen her play before so it would be cool to play against her.” l Kareena Lamato (Sportime Roslyn): “If I could play in the U.S. Open, I would be happy, but also really nervous.” l Deven Madan (Port Washington Tennis Academy): “I would feel very accomplished to be able to play at the U.S. Open, and would want to play Roger Federer.” l Julie Mohringer (Carefree Racquet Club): “If I could play one player, it would Serena Williams. It would be amazing to play her because she is the best player in the world.” LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW

2016 US Open Schedule Date

Session

Start Time

Featured Single Matches

Monday, August 29

1 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Monday, August 29

2 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Tuesday, August 30

3 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s Women’s Singles 1st Round

Tuesday, August 30

4 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Wednesday, August 31

5 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Wednesday, August 31

6 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Thursday, September 1

7 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Thursday, September 1

8 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Friday, September 2

9 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Friday, September 2

10 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Saturday, September 3

11 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Saturday, September 3

12 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Sunday, September 4

13 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Sunday, September 4

14 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Monday, September 5

15 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Monday, September 5

16 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Tuesday, September 6

17 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Tuesday, September 6

18 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 7

19 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 7

20 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Thursday, September 8

21 Night

7:00 p.m.

Women’s Singles Semifinals

Friday, September 9

22 Day

12:00 p.m.

Mixed Doubles Final

3:00 p.m.

Men’s Singles Semifinals

12:00 p.m.

Men’s Doubles Final

4:00 p.m.

Women’s Singles Final

12:00 p.m.

Women’s Doubles Final

4:00 p.m.

Men’s Singles Final

Saturday, September 10

Sunday, September 11

23 Day

24 Day

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

MBR Builders Brings Experience and Skill to Indoor Tennis Renovations

BR Builders is a nationwide expert in all facets of construction and renovations of metal buildings for the indoor tennis market. With more than 50 years of combined experience of their highly qualified staff, MBR offers a full range of services for your tennis club. Besides being a Certified Butler Builder for new construction and re-roofing systems, MBR Builders also works closely with their clientele to provide easy and

cost-efficient ways to lower operating costs of their existing buildings. With a multitude of high-quality insulation and lighting systems, MBR Builders can match your individual club needs to the perfect energy-efficient system for your facility. MBR’s offers LED lighting systems, such as The Watt Slayer Series, which have been extremely successful in reducing energy consumption, while giving their clientele the light levels they desire.

MBR Builders also offers a quality line of indoor tennis accessories, including custom backdrop curtains and divider nets. Check out MBR’s Web site at MBRBuilders.com to learn more about their services or request a free estimate. MBR’s services include: New construction, re-roofing, interior ceiling systems, lighting systems, curtains and wire work, and tennis accessories. Take that first step to the exceptional tennis facility of your dreams!

Max Tennis Academy Presents…

Fall Tennis Program Beginning September 6th at Jericho Westbury Indoor Tennis Register Now with Program Director Andrei Rosianu: l Tournament Training Program Offered Monday-Saturday l Group Lessons & Private Lessons for Children & Adults l Cardio Zone Every Tuesday & Thursday 8:30 pm-10 pm

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

L O N G

I S L A N D

T E N N I S

M A G A Z I N E ’ S

charitable initiatives

Pine Hollow CC Hosts ‘Babes Against Cancer’ Charity Event

Credit all photos to Brian Coleman

Pine Hollow Country Club hosted its Annual “Babes Against Cancer” charity event recently, as club members and guests took to the tennis courts for a day of fun and to raise money for the American Cancer Society. “Cancer is something that affects all of us in some way or another,” said Sandra Sklar, a Pine Hollow member and one of the heads of the event. “If we can get together to raise money and have fun at the same time, it’s a win-win, so it’s really a great event.” The day began with a clinic from the pros at Pine Hollow, Tennis Director Ricky Becker, along with pros Daniel Shleimovich, Inge Hendrikx, Kayla Carter and Karl Sommer. Following the clinic, the ladies played a series of round-robin matches where they rotated partners after 15 minutes of play. 56

Moving from court to court and changing partners allowed some of the longtime members, new members and guests to meet new people and have the chance to play with other partners. “The event couldn’t have been any better,” said Becker. “Of all the years Pine Hollow has hosted this event, this has been the greatest turnout to date. It’s a nice, casual event and the ladies and pros are working really hard. Events like these are a great way to get Club members, both new and old, together to meet new people. It’s the type of event that incorporates players of all levels, which makes it fun for everyone.” The winners, based on the results of round-robin play, included: 1. Ginny Ross

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

2. Janie Schwartz 3. Hilary Whol 4. Karen Bonheim The tennis portion was only part of the entire event, which also included a golf outing, and culminates with a charity night in August. As Pine Hollow’s tennis program continues to grow, so do events like Babes Against Cancer, whose benefits reach beyond even the members of Pine Hollow. “The program has grown every year. In terms of court usage, activities, lessons and other things, it has grown just under 1,100 percent in the last five years,” said Becker. “I think events like this are a great indicator of just how much we have grown, and where we are going in the future.”

inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel nPhorm is a distinctive collection of tennis and active wear that has gained an avid following, not only amongst tennis retailers, but also among tennis players and a growing lineup of touring pros, as well as other celebrities. Creating environmentally-friendly international designer active and leisure wear has been inPhorm’s mission since the company launched in 2008. Luxurious tennis, active and lifestyle outfits are made predominantly of recycled fibers and offer sun protection of a 50 UV. inPhorm is constantly devising new processes and technology to reduce the environmental impact of apparel manufacturing. In 2017, inPhorm will offer active wear and tennis togs that have been colored with a proprietary drydye process that doesn’t use or pollute water. inPhorm crafts every fabric and stitch of clothing in their own textile mills and sewing factories to ensure high quality from start to finish. inPhorm recently announced its increase of sponsorships of young professionals on the circuit, as well as added sales representation to the brand in England, Ireland (inPhorm is the official uniform for the men, women and coaches of the Irish Tennis Federation), Germany and Switzerland. Alexandrovna (Alla) Kudryavtseva of Russia, who again reached the third

round in mixed doubles at Wimbledon this year, is just one of those sponsored by inPhorm. She has won one singles and seven doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as two singles and 13 doubles titles on the ITF Tour. Joining Kudryavtseva is American Jacqueline Cako who has won two singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Tour. There are also three other multi-national players sponsored by inPhorm: Jessica Moore of Australia, who is ranked eighth in Australia; Marina Shamayko, who resides in France; and Sabastiani Leon of Mexico. On the courts at Wimbledon, Indian Wells, U.S. Open, Davis Cup, or WTT, in-

Phorm-sponsored athletes define athleticism and beauty with an eco-conscious pedigree! For more information or to enjoy the styles that the inPhorm celebrities wear, visit inPhormNYC.com. First-time shoppers on inPhormNYC.com can use new customer code: STAYINPHORMED for a special discount. Follow inPhorm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pintrest! Expect more great things from inPhorm as we offer more athleisure, always mindful that the creation of high design does not preclude protecting the planet. You can visit the inPhorm Web site at inPhormNYC.com or call (214) 749-0300.

ARE YOU TRAINING AT THE BEST INDOOR CLUB IN THE COUNTRY?

OPEN ENROLLMENT—CALL FOR EVALUATION & PLACEMENT 17 COURTS PLUS ¼ MILE RUNNING TRACK...

INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF. 10 LEVEL JR. PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS..

SUPERVISED PRACTICE AND MATCH PLAY... OUR RESULTS ARE OUTSTANDINGLY SUCCESSFUL…..

FALL CLASSES START SEPT. 6TH — HOLIDAY CAMP BEGINS DEC. 26TH

100 Harbor Road, Port Washington, New York 11050 > > (516) 883-6425 Our 51st year serving our community as a non-profit teaching facility, for students of any race, color, nationality and ethnic origin.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

junior tennis spotlight

MYTHBUSTERS The Current 10 & Under and 12 & Under Age Groups Are Dying on Long Island ... This Is Bad for the Future BY R I C K Y BE C K E R

n the July/August 2016 issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I presented a table that is pretty depressing. In 2010, Level 2 10 & Under tournaments averaged 15.6 boys and 8.8 girls per tournament. And now … 1.4 boy and 1.1 girl per tournament. In other words, you are lucky to find a tournament with an opponent! These drops are literally straight across the board, regardless of age-group, level or gender.

Age Group/Level

2010 Players Per Long Island Tournament (Average)

2016 Players Per Long Island Tournament (Average)

Boys 10’s Level 1B

16.3

10.0

Boys 10’s Level 2

15.6

1.4

Boys 10’s Level 3

6.2

3.2

Girls 10’s Level 1B

10.7

5.4

Girls 10’s Level 2

8.8

1.1

Girls 10’s Level 3

3.6

2.3

Boys 12’s L1+

72.6

42.0

Boys 12’s L1/L1A

31.3

5.0

Boys 12’s L1B

26.0

6.0

Boys 12’s L2

14.1

8.9

Boys 12’s L3

3.8

5.0

Girls 12’s L1+

41.5

41.0

Girls 12’s L1/L1A

15.5

9.5

Girls 12’s L1B

11.8

5.1

Girls 12’s L2

5.0

4.1

Girls 12’s L3

1.7

1.2

*Tournament averages taken from January-April 58

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Reason #1: QuickStart equipment Tournaments with small courts, deflated balls came about after 2010 and the results couldn’t be more clear. Wayne Bryan, father of Bob & Mike Bryan who I came to know while at Stanford, wrote a spot-on letter to the USTA a few years ago about how it’s ruining the game … and he’s right! If you have free time, look up the letter he wrote. Kudos, Wayne! From experience working with players, I see this is what happens … at the time a child is good enough to play points with real equipment and real tennis balls, they have the confidence to play tournaments. Then they are blindsided that the tournaments are played with deflated tennis balls and small courts. This goes one of two ways, the coach convinces the child it’s good for them and they try it. Or, the family of the player says it’s stupid and they will wait until they get older. If the child decides to play, they don’t really feel like it’s real tennis, they will then blame the result on the equipment, be bitter and not want to play another tourna-

ment any time soon. Meanwhile, sitting in the lobby, my ears ring with parents venting about how they hate the equipment and their child isn’t used to it. I’ll always just listen until someone eventually asks me about it. As a tournament director, I’ll get emails before the tournament asking if we use real balls because they will only put their child in if we do. The other scenario is that the parents of the wannabe tournament child say this is the dumbest thing they ever heard and they will wait until their child is good enough to play older kids in real ball tournaments. Before this happens, the child may gravitate to another sport and being a tournament tennis player goes bye-bye. Of course, some kids fall through the cracks of this scenario. Those are the kids represented in the right column in the table above. Do we only want the kids who fall through the cracks? Of course not! My theory is that the equipment industry and individual clubs push the QuickStart initiative because it’s a money-maker. Clubs have to buy more

equipment and clubs can get more kids on a court and make more money in a smaller space. This is fine for younger kids, but as Wayne Bryan says in his letter, “10-yearsold is way too old for this modification!” The tournament entry numbers on Long island speak for themselves! Reason #2: Tournament format Is the tournament a round-robin? Are sets played to four? Is there a consolation? The formats are so confusing to people and it always seems like they are changing. Quick story … I had a student play in a Level 2 10s tournament earlier this year. There were four kids in the tournament. Simple format right? A semifinal, a final and make a consolation match if you want to give everyone two matches. Instead, the four kids played each other for 20-minute rounds on one-court. Two played while two waited. Sometimes a match would be a blow out and the child would be embarrassed because the other players were continued on page 60

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

junior tennis spotlight continued from page 59 watching. Not exactly a smooth format. Anyways, my student won one match and lost one match. She came in second even though she won the most games overall and had the best winning percentage. This all made sense until … She played in a Level 3 tournament two weeks later. It was a three-hour, roundrobin and she won against all seven opponents and won the most games. After the three hours were up, she came up with a huge smile on her face, and then, the director announced someone else (another student of mine) as the winner. The other child, who lost a match, had a winning percentage of 86 percent, this girl who beat everyone had a winning percentage 84 percent. I was thrilled for the winner of course, but how do I explain to my student that even though you beat everyone handily, you didn’t win due to winning percentage, while the week before you would have

won if the tournament was scored by winning percentage. If any good could come out of it, it’s a good excuse to teach what winning percentage is to a nine-year-old … but still! The tournament directors of two tournaments apologized to me for what they called a silly format. We laughed about it a little. After all, it is only the 10s! But to this student of mine, she still doesn’t really understand why she didn’t win. In my opinion, I’m not sure why they reinvented the wheel of a standard tournament. The future Unfortunately, I only see the numbers decreasing from here. Beginning Sept. 1, a child under 10-years-old who wants to play their first tournament will have to play a minimum of six Orange Ball tournaments and five Green Ball tournaments before they can sniff playing a

Yellow Ball tournament in the 12 & Under Division. Oh yeah, they would have to win all 11 tournaments or else it’s even more tournaments! So unless you chase and dominate tournaments at the younger age groups, forget about playing up in a real ball 12 & Under tournament until your child is 11-years-old. Maybe the USTA sees the QuickStart numbers are really low, so this prevents kids who are looking to avoid the 10 & Under pathway from playing 12s and will make the draws bigger. That wouldn’t be bad. At the same time, it does seem to make more sense to just avoid having the 10 & Under pathway because the numbers don’t lie. Ricky Becker is director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independently coaches high-performance juniors yearround at Bethpage State Park and Jericho/Westbury where he is the junior tournament director. He can be reached by phone at (516) 605-0420, e-mail rbecker06@yahoo.com or visit JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

PGA National Resort & Spa and BallenIsles Country Club Palm Beach Gardens, Florida December 2-7, 2016 Boys & Girls: Ages 8-14 Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles “Little Mo” Yellow Ball: Ages 8-12 “Little Mo” Green Dot: Ages 8, 9, 10 “Big Mo”: Ages 13 and 14

To register, visit www.littlemoflorida.com For more info: www.mcbtennis.org Contact: cartennis@aol.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Lux-Craft: Lighting the Way to On-Court Success ux-Craft Inc. is a leader in producing LED lighting for indoor and outdoor sports facilities. Located in Hicksville, N.Y., Lux-Craft is constantly using the latest technological advances and dedication, resulting in the most advanced LED solutions for the sports industry. Lux Craft’s third-generation 540-watt fixture outperforms all other competitors, and in 2016, the company introduced highlyadvanced outdoor fixtures. The indirect na-

ture of the outdoor model reduces glare and improves playability like no other fixture on the market. Lux-Craft is continuously working to make improvements and advances in LED lighting technology. The company is determined to manufacture high-quality luminaires for sports facilities, as they have dedicated thousands of hours in seeking out and researching the best materials. All assembly and testing is done locally in New York, and with a five-year standard

guarantee, the Lux Craft is confident that they can vastly improve the lighting systems at tennis clubs. All of that, combined with substantial energy savings, is guaranteeing that we are going to see more LED technology in the future of the tennis industry. Lux Craft has range of outdoor and indoor lighting options and designs to fit whatever you need for your sports club or complex. See the project that Lux Craft can do for you by visiting LuxCrafters.com or by calling (718) 934-3600.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

TENNIS INJURY PREVENTION

Understanding Frozen Shoulder Syndrome-Adhesive Capsulitis By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS dhesive Capsulitis, or more commonly known as “Frozen Shoulder,” is a condition characterized by pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. The symptoms typically begin gradually and get worse over time and then slowly improve over the course of many months. It usually has a spontaneous onset of symptoms, caused by the tightening and thickening of the joint capsule surrounding the shoulder. Below, are some of the basics

about Frozen Shoulder Syndrome including the anatomy of the shoulder, causes of the condition, and various treatment options. Anatomy of the shoulder A ball in socket joint, the shoulder is comprised of the upper arm bone (humerus) and the socket (glenoid). The shoulder capsule is the connective tissue the body. It encloses the lubricating joint that surrounds the joint, and its function is fluid and keeps the shoulder joint in posito keep the joint separate from the rest of tion and stable.

CENTURY TENNIS INC. Specializing In All Phases Of Tennis Court Construction

Maintenance and Repairs Servicing Long Island for 45 years with over 2,000 installations Contact Kevin or James at 1-800-660-PLAY

56 Brook Avenue l Deer Park, NY 11729 l 631-242-0220 l www.centurytennis.com 62

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Causes of Frozen Shoulder Frozen Shoulder is a condition where the joint capsule and surrounding tissue of the Shoulder Joint becomes inflamed and then thickens making the shoulder painful and stiff. It should also be noted that many cases of Frozen Shoulder have no clear cause and occurs spontaneously. l Acute injury: This refers to any trauma or pain that prevents one from moving their shoulder. Usually in Adhesive Capsulitis, a minor trauma instigates the start of the disorder. l Endocrine Disorders: Thyroid disease and diabetes are associated with Adhesive Capsulitis. This is likely due to the fact that these are auto-immune disorders, disorders where there is immune system over activity, and the body attacks and damages its own tissues. l Gender: Women generally have a higher rate of Adhesive Capsulitis than men.

Treatment Options Oftentimes, Frozen Shoulder Syndrome will resolve on its own after going through three stages. 1. Freezing: The progression of pain. During this phase, the joint capsule is just starting to become inflamed. The shoulder is painful, but joint stiffness is not severe. 2. Frozen: Motion limitations due to pain and stiffness. During this phase, the joint capsule is inflamed and the shoulder tends to get stiffer and stiffer over time. In this phase, due to inflammation, the shoulder hurts constantly. 3. Thawing: In this phase, the inflammation has resolved so pain is minimal at the point of rest. The capsule though is still stiff and thickened, so motion is limited and pain occurs at the end ranges of motion or with quick movements. During this phase, motion slowly improves usually until back to normal.

In most cases, Frozen Shoulder is treated non-surgically with physical therapy exercises and cortisone injections. Cortisone injections work best in the early period of the disease to stop the inflammation prior to shoulder becoming significantly stiff. Physical therapy and home stretching stretches out the capsule to regain motion. If this treatment is not effective, a surgical procedure, known as Capsular Release, may be recommended. Most with Adhesive Capsulitis treated conservatively will regain their motion and never need a surgical procedure for this problem. Dr. Charles Ruotolo is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and the founder of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine with locations in Massapequa, East Meadow and the Bronx, N.Y. For more information, call (855) 321-ORTHO or visit TotalOrthoSportsMed.com.

LITennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ Long Island Tennis Magazine

Using Integrative Neuromuscular Training for Athletic Development & Injury Prevention By David Albaranes As sports are becoming increasingly competitive, coaches and parents are striving to get their athletes to the highest level of competition as possible. The fear of being left behind other competitors or losing out on a college sport scholarship is causing a trend of early sport specialization. While the idea to specialize athletes at an early age is intended to maximize their potential in a specific sport, this notion may actually hinder your athlete’s growth in the long run. Many coaches and trainers are too quick to copy the training they see the pros doing and apply it to their own athletes. Quick multi-lateral movement, a strong core, rotational strength, and the ability to be explosive are all physical qualities expressed in elite tennis players. These physical qualities are expressed through a highly developed level of agility, power and metabolic conditioning. While training these qualities can be beneficial, it’s important to understand how to train these in ways that are developmentally appropriate. The saying, “The widest base leads to the tallest pyramid” is especially true when it comes to athletic development. When training young athletes, it’s important not to specialize too early, and rather, focus on a broad develop64

ment of motor skills. These are our ABCs of training (Agility, Balance, Coordination, and Speed). Solely focusing on training the physical qualities of a singular sport will leave gaps in your athletes’ physical literacy. Physical literacy is the ability of an athlete to express their fundamental movement and general sporting skills—it’s the key to any young athlete’s long-term development! Athletes who have the greatest fundamental motor skills and body awareness are often multi-sport athletes. By being exposed to different sport-specific demands, athletes are forced to improve their movement quality and physical fitness. This is why athletes who specialize is just one sport are much more likely to get injured and develop overuse injuries. Their physical parameters have become unbalanced in an attempt to build tall, not wide. Fundamental movements in tennis involve dynamic balance, turning, stopping, twisting and stretching.1 By focusing on these movements, along with training the physical qualities and movements found outside of the sport of tennis, you will not only develop multi-laterally, but you will also drastically decrease your susceptibility to injury and increase your levels of physical fitness. To help build these fundamental and general sport skills, start incorporating integrative neuromuscular training into your program. Integrative neuromuscular training in-

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

cludes general and specific physical activities to enhance both health and skill related components of fitness.2 Be sure to cater to the chronological and training age of the athlete, but again the idea is to build up our ABCs and our broader skills while keeping the focus on tennis. Here are some sample exercises to include into your tennis players practices and workouts. 1. Rotational Med Ball Slams l These will develop rotary explosiveness to assist with twisting. l This is applicable towards any forehand and backhand strike. 2. Med Ball Squat and Toss l Promotes leg strength through a full range of motion. l Builds coordination between the upper and lower body. 3. Kettlebell Swing l Increases overall power. l Promotes good hip mobility, kinetic chain connectivity, and reinforce athletic stance.3 4. Pallof Press l This will help create core stability to retain your power as you transfer energy into the racket. l Core stiffness allows for increased efficiency in movement.

5. Single Leg Cone Hops (both lateral and forward) l Promotes dynamic stabilization. l Plyometrics develop eccentric strength, which is used for deceleration. This is essential when quick cutting. 6. Single Leg Balancing l Increases ankle stabilization. l Increases balance. 7. Turkish Get Up l Develop a sense of body awareness. l Promotes shoulder stabilization and core strength.

8. Bear Crawls l Increases coordination of reciprocal movements. l Improves rotary stability. 9. Plank l Develops core stiffness and muscular endurance. 10. Rows l Tennis involves repetitive transverse movement and overhead movement. Rowing exercises will improve the muscular balance of your rotator cuff. l Increase upper body strength.

David Albaranes is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified exercise physiologist with Peak Performance. He received his bachelor of science degree from the College at Brockport. Footnotes 1-Howard, Rick. “Catch-22- Why Fundamental Motor Skills are so Important.” NSCA Coach 2.1 (n.d.): 3841. Web. 25, July 2016. 2-Faigenbaum, Avery D., et al. “Effects of integrative neuromuscular training on fitness performance in children.” Pediatric Exercise Science 23.4 (2011): 573. 3.-Howard, Rick. “Integrative Neuromuscular Training for Youth Basketball Players.” NSCA Coach 3.1 (n.d.): 44-45. Web. 25, July 2016.

What Is a Triad and Does My Child Have It? By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN As a registered dietitian, I try to keep abreast of sport/nutrition topics that may benefit my clients. Recently, I came across a study published in the Journal of American Academy Pediatrics by Amanda Weiss Kelly, M.D, which had many important points I would like to discuss in this column. A new medical condition called “Female Athlete Triad” has been discovered, and it’s one that we must be on a lookout for among junior female (and sometimes male) athletes. Triad conditions include eating disorders, menstrual issues and weakened bones, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Experts suggest that all three conditions must be present together to cause long-term health issues, and that they are triggered by strenuous sports training and not eating enough to supplement the body’s demands. In order to properly diagnose Female Athlete Triad, doctors or nutritionists should ask a number of questions about eating habits, menstrual patterns and orthopedic issues such as stress fractures. While the emphasis is on girls, boys can also be affected by bone issues and eating disorders. Depending on the answers, a doctor can decide what to do next. If a girl has had stress fractures without any increase in training and has irregular menstrual periods, test-

ing bone health may be your next step. Kids do not need to have an eating disorder to be affected by the Triad, but not consuming enough calories and missing key nutritional elements may impact bone health and lead to stress fractures and menstrual issues. The proper thing to do is to make sure that your children are getting enough calories to meet their output. Teens, on average, require approximately 1,800-2,200 calories per day just to properly grow up. Depending on the intensity of the sport and training, caloric intake must be adjusted. A registered dietitian can help you calculate proper proportions of calories/protein/fat and fluids, and suggest a proper meal plan. Kids need an extra 100 calories for every

mile they run. That means if your child runs two to three miles during a tennis match or a practice, he or she must add 200-300 calories to their daily caloric intake (for example, a banana and two tablespoons of peanut butter or a smoothie will account for that caloric loss). According to the report, up to one-third of high school female athletes may have at least one component of the Triad, so it is very important to closely monitor their activity and seek medical advice in order to prevent permanent damage. Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions PC in Great Neck, N.Y. is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. For more information, call (917) 769-8031, e-mail IrinaLehat@gmail.com or visit IrinaLehat.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

TENNIS MEDICINE

Fig 1—The rotator cuff

By Dr. Eric Price he rotator cuff (see Fig. 1) is a group of muscles that originates on the shoulder blade (the scapula) and insert on the top of the arm bone (the humerus). The function of the rotator cuff is to move the shoulder. Often, the rotator cuff is inflamed or torn in people with painful shoulders. People typically complain of difficulty with overhead activities, like reaching for items off a high shelf, brushing the back of the

Rotator Cuff Tears

Fig 2—Torn rotator cuff

hair or fastening a bra. Often, people have difficulty sleeping on the painful shoulder. Torn rotator cuff To evaluate for a rotator cuff tear (see Fig. 2), a doctor will perform an examination after a history is taken. X-rays are performed, and often an MRI is ordered. The X-rays will evaluate the bones in the shoulder, but not the rotator cuff itself. The MRI will show the muscles and tendons around the shoulder and allow the doctor to see the rotator cuff. If the MRI shows a tear in the rotator cuff, then surgery may be recommended.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Fig 3—The bursa is a fluid filled sac on top of the rotator cuff

Bursitis If no tear is present, an MRI may show rotator cuff “tendonitis.” Tendonitis is inflammation of the rotator cuff without tearing. This can be responsible for producing shoulder pain. Tendonitis often occurs with “bursitis.” Bursitis (see Fig. 3) is inflammation of a fluid filled sac (bursa) on top of the rotator cuff that serves to lubricate the movement of the shoulder. The inflamed bursa can be pinched with overhead activities, causing pain. Bursitis is very common among tennis players. Many factors contribute to bursitis, or rotator cuff inflammation, including poor

Fig 4—Arthroscopic camera and tools in the shoulder

form, a weak core or overuse, among others. Physical therapy, rest, and anti-inflammatory medications like Ibuprofen are key components of treatment for an inflamed rotator cuff. Surgery If surgery is recommended, it is usually performed arthroscopically. Arthroscopic surgery (see Fig. 4) uses small incisions and small tools, about the size of a pencil, to perform the procedure. All the work is visualized with a small camera, the arthroscope. The surgeon sees inside the shoulder with the arthroscope and its images are projected on a video screen.

Fig 5—The rotator cuff is repaired back to its normal position

During surgery, rotator cuff tears are repaired (see Fig. 5) by stitching the torn tendon back to the bone by using an anchor inserted into the bone. Patients usually go home the same day, often in a sling (see Fig. 6). Recovery after rotator cuff surgery is gradual. Several months of physical therapy will be required for a proper recovery. Activity restrictions will apply after surgery until appropriate rehabilitation goals have been achieved. Eventually, return to sports will be permitted. Dr. Eric Price is a board-certified, fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist with

Fig 6—A typical post-operative sling

Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group. He takes care of all types of athletes, from pee-wee league players to pros and from weekend warriors to triathletes. Dr. Price’s expertise includes shoulder arthroscopy for repair of rotator cuff tears, dislocations, knee arthroscopy, including ACL and meniscus surgery. He also teaches shoulder arthroscopy as an Associate Master Instructor for the Arthroscopy Association of North America and as a Laboratory Instructor at several shoulder surgery conferences. For more information, call (516) 536-2800 or visit www.orlincohen.com.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

More Than an Athlete: Six Keys to Coaching the Person First ... Every Time! By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC Why is it that whenever a player in any sport wins a tournament, they are usually in a good place off the court? James Blake, in his book Breaking Back, said “My greatest professional successes occurred after I had faced my most personal challenges. I used to think this was ironic; now I realize that success flows directly from having cleared those hurdles.” Fast-forward to the winners box. We have all watched a player win a big tournament and turn to their box and thank them. Have you ever wondered how the team is working together to help create an environment where a player is able to excel? This article will highlight six keys that a coach and team can use to help create a strong foundation built on trust and unconditional support when working with their players. Utilizing these techniques will

create a stronger relationship between student, coach and the team. 1. Coach the person first and then the athlete Take extra time to listen and understand your players off the court. Learn what other interests they have and the pressures they face. Begin each practice with the simple question “How was your day?” or “What’s something that happened today that you could share?” Often times, peak performance cannot happen until a player gets past the pressures they face off the court (i.e. school, tests, friends). By establishing a relationship and an outlet for them, your players will know you care about not only their game, but them as an individual as well. Your genuine interest and concern will go a long way in terms of your player’s dedication, loyalty, work ethic, and most importantly, trust. Remember, more often than not, poor performance comes from the player bringing something onto the court that’s distracting to them.

2. Coach “The Big Why,” the key to success Take the time to explore and understand what drives and motivates your players. Ask them, “What do you love about the game?” or “What is one reason you play that has nothing to do with winning and losing?” All great champions have their own reason for competing. Pete Sampras said, “I just wanted to see how good I could be.” What a great reason to play! Others love the competition or being with friends. Once you understand what drives a player, you can figure out how to best motivate them. It is also helpful to remember: What’s your big why for coaching? This is the reason you come back to the court day after day. It can serve to drive your inner motivation. 3. Coach the process and the winning will take care of itself Guide your players to become aware of and focused on the process while letting the outcome (results) take care of itself. This will keep them focused on what they can control. Ask any player what their goal is and they will all say, “To win!” The next question to ask is: “What will it take?” Often times, there is silence. The true champion focuses on what they need to do to make the result happen. An example might be to manage their emotions during adversity in a match, or play to their strengths and use their forehand to dictate points early in points. The key is to understand the steps. Often times, I say “Focus on the path, not the peak.” It’s the only way to get to the peak without tripping! 4. Coach “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” Encourage the players to experiment, risk and explore the things that may be outside of their comfort zone. Ask them to identify one thing they are currently uncomfortable

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

doing, but were they to develop, would benefit their game. When players understand that it is okay to explore the game and spend time on weaknesses, they may be surprised by the positive results. Furthermore, they will have more faith in your advice to attempt and stick with ideas or techniques that do not feel easy or natural to them right away. For example, this might include coming to the net to finish a volley when pulling the opponent across the court, or staying in the point an extra shot or two before they pull the trigger on a big shot. 5. Coach empowerment and self-responsibility by asking questions Open-ended questions stimulate the mind and make a person think. These questions cannot be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.” Additionally, they facilitate a conversation and eliminate a player from checking out mentally. For example, “What do you think we should work on today? How will that help you in match play?” Or, “What did you think of that drill? How could we make it better? What didn’t you like about it?

What do you think that is telling you?” Players can even make self-discoveries about their effort level or stamina via questions such as “How was your energy level? What energy level do you need in a match? What’s stopping you from providing that energy today?” 6. Coach what can be controlled Too often, players are focused on what they cannot control … things such as the opponent, conditions, and the most common, the outcome of the match. This thought process is the quickest path to failure. Focusing on what cannot be controlled creates anxiety. Why? Because the player has no control over it! However, dialing back and focusing on what they can control— such as staying patient in a point, staying true to their rituals, and managing adversity under pressure—will all lead to the best result. Focusing on what can be controlled doesn’t always guarantee a win, but it puts the player in the best position to win. It also empowers the player to establish a game plan and take the responsibility to follow it.

In summary, these six steps outlined above began with the individual person. All players are unique people who will have a unique process and a unique performance. There is no cookie-cutter way to develop players or even a one-size-fits-all program. Great players don’t try to hit the perfect shot, rather, they hit their shots. Developing a mutual trust between yourself and the player allows the player to grow with complete faith in their process. It allows and teaches the player to realize that if they lost it, it’s not because they are not good enough (as a person), but rather, their game was not good enough on that particular day. Big difference … person first, every time. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes and teams, focusing on helping athletes gain the mental edge. Rob is author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email Rob@InsideTheZone.com or visit InsideTheZone.com.

Competitive Training, World-Class Education Ross School Tennis Academy (RSTA) and Junior Tennis Academy (RSJTA) offer dynamic programs for junior tennis players (grades 7–12) that combine a challenging global curriculum with the highest level of competitive tennis training available.

631-907-5162 TENNISACADEMY@ROSS.ORG WWW.ROSS.ORG /TENNISACADEMY

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Relentless Posit By Jimmy Delevante aintaining a positive attitude on the tennis court is no easy task. Similar to learning any stroke in the game, it takes years of practice and hard work to be able to do it properly, especially under pressure. At the highest levels in any sport, it is often noticeable that the top athletes are able to control their emotions and attitude better than their competition. For coaches, at what point do you address this vital skill to your players? The natural ups and downs of a tennis match are something that everyone can relate to. Players describe these changes as momentum swings or even luck, but nevertheless, everyone agrees that they exist. The question, however, is how do you plan to deal with them during the course of play? Do you use these swings to your advantage or do you let them get the better of you? It is my belief that the underlying skill that top players possess is “Relentless Positivism.” Relentless Positivism is the ability to maintain a positive attitude, body language and self-talk, regardless of the score. Essentially, it is the “Never give up, stay calm, always believe in yourself” policy that athletes need to adopt while competing. The players who possess this important skill demonstrate a distinct set of characteristics. They are noticeably more calm and relaxed than others when the score isn’t in their favor. They often appear to have intense inner-focus and drive. They are sometimes described as “fighters,” or “scrappers,” because their positive energy carries them even when the odds are against them. Finally, it is my assertion that these players are extraordinarily skilled in how they talk to themselves. Positive self-talk is a topic amongst many sport psychologists that has been brought to the forefront in sports. Self-talk

sitivism is the ongoing conversation that the player has with themself throughout competition. The ability of a player to talk to themself positively can affect the outcome of a match. The player who speaks to themself positively can think more clearly and logically, conserve energy, change the momentum of a match, and ultimately stage a comeback. As coaches, it is often our duty to be the motivating and positive voice in our player’s minds during difficult situations. A skilled coach is aware that by setting a high standard of positivism in the way they communicate will transfer to the way their players talk to themselves. In addition to coaches, parents and teammates can also have the same effect on other people. Communicating in a calm and positive way often changes the mood of a con-

versation and helps an athlete turn things around in their own head. Learning how to start engaging in positive self-talk is simple, learning how to master it is quite difficult. The first step to the process is to become more aware of how you talk to yourself while you are playing. Is the conversation positive or negative? Is the voice in your head making you feel energized or is it taking away your energy? How do you think this will impact your play in the next few games? What can you do to turn all of your thoughts into positive ones? Once you become more aware of your thoughts, you can start to sway and slant them in a positive direction. Any negative thought can be shifted or re-directed into a positive one: Perception is the key. As you become more aware of your own processing, you will be able to identify a negative thought earlier and can try to stop it right away before it leads you in the wrong direction. Improving your attitude, perceptions and thoughts will lead to more success, both on and off the tennis court. Like anything else, this skill doesn’t develop

overnight, and it is nearly impossible to prevent negative thoughts from popping into your head. However, as you become more aware of your mental processing, you will also become better at replacing these thoughts with positive ones. Over time, you will find that it becomes easier to tune out negativity and distractions, and focus more on your task at hand. As a coach, I see how these skills correlate to other facets of life. The ability to improve your outlook on things, remain positive and think optimistically on a tennis court are also vital life skills. After years of coaching, I am convinced that the players who succeed most on the court are also the people who have more self-awareness, better attitudes and the ability to be relentlessly positive. Jimmy Delevante is a USPTA-certified teaching professional and a National HighPerformance Coach. He is the director of tennis at the Suffolk County Junior Tennis League Training Center, a former ATP professional tennis player, and master pro at Sportime Kings Park.

More than Physical Therapy

Sports & Orthopedics • Balance for Life • Aquatic Therapy Spine Specialists • Sports Speciﬁc Training • Fitness Center www.peakptﬁt.com LYNBROOK 516-599-8734

NEW HYDE PARK 516-326-4580

ISLAND PARK 516-897-9700

WANTAGH 516-785-4800

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Commitment … It’s Hard and Very Complicated

By Lonnie Mitchel Tennis starts with commitment. Let’s use the collegiate level as a starting point and provide you an idea as to what it is that makes commitment a challenging endeavor. The human spirit/intestinal fortitude is the root and the decision to make commitment … not just to make a commitment, but to make that decision to run through a wall to hit a tennis ball. When my players come back to college in upstate Oneonta, N.Y. and we begin training camp, each player will arrive with their own agenda. Some will work harder than others. Some players come in with the attitude of “I am here, I am ready, I will make it happen in the classroom and make it great on the tennis court.” The ones who are single-minded and focused on gaining success and willing to do what it takes to flourish are generally the ones who get back what they put into it. That means working hard, but not on a macro level, but 72

in everything you do … arriving early to practice, giving 100 percent effort with each shot and going to class and making sure the professor knows they are there and ready to work. Then, there are the students who simply mail it in. You know the ones who are good at being mediocre in their studies and giving a middle-of-the-road approach to tennis. So what are the results in that case? Use your imagination. They can get by on the tennis court because there is some talent, but what is left behind is the question mark. This past May, I went to my school’s commencement ceremony and watched four student/athletes graduate with outstanding grades after spending four years toiling on the tennis court, never missing practice, never getting subpar grades, but truly being laser-focused success. There is no U.S. Open for these collegians, but just the real world that lies ahead. However, they were better prepared you can be sure. They will all go onto grad school and/or be gainfully employed. When a student makes a commitment to being the very best they

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

can be, the dividends will be sure to follow. Why does one student/tennis player mail it in, while other students come prepared to lay it on the line each and every day? It’s a simple answer … commitment and the willingness to sacrifice! Talent has little to do it with it. I have had players on my team who spend years coming to practice, work their butts off and just cannot seem to make the starting lineup. Yet, there is something inside of them that says “Keep going, I can stay on this team and call myself a four-year varsity player when my career is complete.” Others whine about the entitlement to be a starter and yet miss practice, get lazy and slip in the classroom and feel they have a prerogative being a member of a collegiate team and yet are not willing to sacrifice. Talent says they are a starter, the intra-team match results say they are a starter, but are they successful? To me, success goes well beyond the tennis court. The conclusion I always arrive at is: “If you rely on talent alone, you eventually fail;” no grey area … that is a fact. When student/athletes arrive at the col-

lege and prepare for the academic/tennis rigors ahead, I believe they are getting the keys to the kingdom. The kingdom is a metaphor for life. The student comes with enough talent to make a tennis team, comes with enough smarts to get into college and possesses the tools to be successful. If you need my help, ask for it. If you need a tutor, ask! The student is either proactive or gives excuses. There are no excuses! You must use the tools available to you and the human spirit that lies beneath is a tool as well. Some students have to dig harder to find it, but it’s there. Let me give you an example of a student I recently coached. This student was recruited, came to practice each day, was met with some challenges and did not make the starting lineup. Twenty-one days left in the season, he decides to quit the team, but I refused his request to his astonishment. “You finish what you start” was my rebuttal. I developed a plan for the remainder of the season where he was able to leave practice early to meet with tutors. I would then monitor his progress just so that he can celebrate that he completed one full year of collegiate tennis. I wondered whether I did the right thing because with 19 days completed and just two days left in the season and our playing schedule complete, the final requirements are only to attend two meetings, but he then goes AWOL. With the two days left and repeated efforts as a collegiate head coach, I was laser-focused to get him to complete his

obligations and I held up my bargain, but he says “I should contact his lawyer and not contact him.” A spoiled young man with erroneous advice from his parents (parents are not always right) was the culprit, along with a coach who simply wanted him to succeed. A level of commitment with one more yard to the finish line as incomplete. A lack of a full commitment, and a flaw in a student’s character was revealed. So I am left to wonder, what is the imperfection in this student that he sees the value in quitting with victory so close and within reach. I was hoping the summer would arrive and the student/athlete would have been proud of his completion of effort. I ponder when that student goes to work and encounters a difficult task, what lesson will he draw upon to get him to complete a challenging chore? It certainly will not be a lesson from a collegiate tennis team, there may be some other experience that he can draw upon, but cross a full tennis/collegiate athletics experience off his list and his resume. One more shot, one more step, one more effort and I believe a student can succeed if they just commit to it. I want to thank that student because I enrolled in post-graduate studies this summer and contemplated having to complete five papers and three large projects in the span of just five weeks. I had thoughts of dropping the class, but exercised my own lessons and commitment, I will not succumb to those thoughts and will complete what I

started. Staring at myself in the mirror after five weeks and having that guy stare back at me and say “Yes I can! I will and must commit to being the best I can be!” So with five weeks left in the summer, students are preparing for their collegiate and high school tennis teams. All players with this opportunity should give 100 percent commitment or not at all. The professional tennis warfare taking place in 100 degree heat on the courts of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows are a testament to commitment. Being a professional may have something to do with it, but the commitment to chasing a needle in the haystack dream is at play here. I want to be clear, 100 percent commitment to everything you do leads you down a path where you would not lose ... victory will present itself in ways you would not expect. Another one of my players started only a handful of matches during her four-year collegiate tennis career, but got to the finish line and cried tears of joy as she completed her goal. I promise you, in her first professional interview, she will stand out from her peers … dividend earned and paid—game, set and match! Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or email LonnieMitchel@yahoo.com.

1414 Jerusalem Avenue, North Merrick, NY 11566 • 516-489-9005

Junior Development Program directed by Ben Marks Learn & Play directed by Louis Vallejo September 15th, 2016 - January 17th, 2017 Learn to play tennis or just improve your game! Call for testing dates and sign up

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Literary Corner BY C A RL BA RN ETT

“Live the Best Story of Your Life” By Bob Litwin

ob Litwin’s Live the Best Story of Your Life delivers great stories of change on so many levels. Bob’s ability to weed through peoples issues is truly remarkable. The clients make the changes, Bob is a true agent of change. The thing to know is Bob wasn’t always a Zen tennis master and legendary champion. He struggled with his health and the tragic loss of his beloved wife Carol. Bob wasn’t always the soul whisperer to the titans of Wall Street. The book follows the story of Bob’s life from his failed tryout at University of Michigan, to his contemporary success helping countless clients and returning to championship form. Bob shares his change of thinking and his new story which brought him success. He teaches you how to write the new stories of your life.

At the same time, the book recounts dozens of stories of change by clients in various stations of distress. These chapters serve as a self-help as readers can relate to many of the stories themselves. Parents, spouses, children and friends all can see hope for loved ones in distress. The features I really enjoyed were the “Big But” and “Try This on for Size.” At the end of every chapter, the “Big But” gives the rationalization one has to talk themselves out of action. “Try This on for Size” overcomes your argument and nudges you back to positive action. Bob’s early life as teacher and tennis coach led him to understand that teaching is also counseling and encouraging. This comes so naturally to Bob that one comes away from a chance meeting at the grocery store feeling fuller.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Who would have thought a tennis player would become a ground to those dealing with the success and stress of Wall Street. At the same time, Bob helps a top college runner and junior tennis player with the same care I loved the way Bob framed every chapter with quotes from people we know from all walks of life with recognized success. His encouragement of writing “Gratitude’s” has been personally helpful. Reading this book will leave anyone with a great sense of hope that with a little bit of change everything will be alright. Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Training Center over 10 years ago. He has coached countless ranked pre-college tennis players. He may be reached by phone at (516) 455-1225 or e-mail EarlyHit@optonline.net.

LONG Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings (as of 07/15/16)

BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Aaron Rittberger ......................Huntington, N.Y. 2 ....Jeffrey Rosario ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 3 ....Joseph Perry Boyle ................Setauket, N.Y. 4 ....Jeremy Levine ........................Woodbury, N.Y. 5 ....Andrew Cyril Mancheril ..........New Hyde Park, N.Y. 6 ....Ajer Sher ..................................Jericho, N.Y. 7 ....Evan Joseph Rupolo ..............East Patchogue, N.Y. 8 ....Colin Liotta ..............................East Williston, N.Y. 9 ....Michael Ryan Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 10 ..Aiden Patel ..............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11 ..Ian Kaish ..................................Northport, N.Y. 12 ..Benjamin Grushkovskiy ..........Woodmere, N.Y. 13 ..Alexander G. Davis..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 14 ..Candrin Chris ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 15 ..Ryan Newitz ............................Melville, N.Y. 16 ..Brian D. Gao ............................Syosset, N.Y. 17 ..Dylan D’Agate..........................Melville, N.Y. 18 ..Johnny Donohue ....................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 19 ..Aryan Badlani ..........................Roslyn, N.Y. 20 ..Joshua Kaplan ........................East Quogue, N.Y. 21 ..Nicholas M. Pham ..................Northport, N.Y. 22 ..Julian Daniele Messina ..........Oyster Bay, N.Y. 23 ..Joshua Cyril Mancheril............New Hyde Park, N.Y. 24 ..John Harold Adamo................East Williston, N.Y. 25 ..Conrad Kulikowski ..................North Bellmore, N.Y. 26 ..Michael Chan ..........................Commack, N.Y. 27 ..Mario Earl Simmons................North Baldwin, N.Y. 28 ..Kevin Chen ..............................Smithtown, N.Y. 29 ..Daniel Beckles ........................Roslyn, N.Y. 30 ..Aaron Raja ..............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 31 ..Jordan Heyman ......................Melville, N.Y. 32 ..Ben Botwinick ........................Melville, N.Y. 33 ..Trevor R. Hayes ......................East Moriches, N.Y. 34 ..Ansh Chadha ..........................Westbury, N.Y. 35 ..Alejandro Pablo Perez ............Selden, N.Y. 36 ..Matthew Kalfas........................Merrick, N.Y. 37 ..Daniel Kong ............................Commack, N.Y. 38 ..Aidan Garvey ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 39 ..Branden A. Sattier ..................East Meadow, N.Y. 40 ..Avery Frekhtman ....................Woodmere, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Max Daniel Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 2 ....Matthew Southard ..................Islip, N.Y. 3 ....Joseph Perry Boyle ................Setauket, N.Y. 4 ....Alex Eli Vinsky..........................Westbury, N.Y. 5 ....Nicholas Harbans Sathi ..........Port Jefferson, N.Y. 6 ....Joshua Rothbaum ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 7 ....Aaron Rittberger ......................Huntington, N.Y. 8 ....Putimet Inroon ........................Greenvale, N.Y. 9 ....Arin Siriamonthep....................Greenvale, N.Y. 10 ..Austin Du Lai............................Manhasset, N.Y. 11 ..Jeremy Levine ........................Woodbury, N.Y. 12 ..Gabriel Chan............................Commack, N.Y. 13 ..Zachary Emmanuel Stern ......Dix Hills, N.Y. 14 ..Joshua Elenowitz ....................Syosset, N.Y. 15 ..Danny Tocco............................East Quogue, N.Y. 16 ..Liam Thomas Schmidt............Wantagh, N.Y. 17 ..Ryan Bradley Schneider ........Melville, N.Y. 18 ..Aaron Marcos Vinsky ..............Westbury, N.Y. 19 ..Luca Anton Johnson ..............Syosset, N.Y. 20 ..Justin Y. Shen ..........................Glen Head, N.Y.

ISLAND

21 ..Ryan E. Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 22 ..Samuel Perlman......................Great Neck, N.Y. 23 ..Dylan D’Agate..........................Melville, N.Y. 24 ..Ajer Sher ..................................Jericho, N.Y. 25 ..Matthew Evan Kronenberg ....East Setauket, N.Y. 26 ..Andrew Cyril Mancheril ..........New Hyde Park, N.Y. 27 ..Brian Gao ................................Syosset, N.Y. 28 ..Brian Rex Kornreich ................Great Neck, N.Y. 29 ..Brando Fabri Corigliano..........East Hampton, N.Y. 30 ..Michael Wang..........................Syosset, N.Y. 31 ..Alexander G. Davis..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 32 ..Alejandro Pablo Perez ............Selden, N.Y. 33 ..Michael Ryan Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 34 ..Pius Lo ....................................Massapequa, N.Y. 35 ..Nate Hanley ............................Rocky Point, N.Y. 36 ..Luke Louchheim......................Sagaponack, N.Y. 37 ..Gabriele Thomas Brancatelli ..Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 38 ..Joseph Monticciolo ................Coram, N.Y. 39 ..Mitchell Klee ............................East Rockaway, N.Y. 40 ..Azim Gangat............................Syosset, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Yoel Andre Yamus ..................Deer Park, N.Y. 2 ....Deven Andrew Wackett ..........Setauket, N.Y. 3 ....Avi Anand ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 4 ....Ciro Baldinucci ........................Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 5 ....Alexander Hazarian ................Garden City, N.Y. 6 ....Pranav Vallapragada ..............Nesconset, N.Y. 7 ....Putimet Inroon ........................Greenvale, N.Y. 8 ....Andrew Lin ..............................Commack, N.Y. 9 ....Vincent Avallone......................Smithtown, N.Y. 10 ..Matthew Southard ..................Islip, N.Y. 11 ..Zachary Emmanuel Stern ......Dix Hills, N.Y. 12 ..Danny Tocco............................East Quogue, N.Y. 13 ..Ashkan Moghaddassi ............Woodbury, N.Y. 14 ..Jonathan Brandon Lum..........Albertson, N.Y. 15 ..Justin Suzzan ..........................Manhasset, N.Y. 16 ..Aaron Marcos Vinsky ..............Westbury, N.Y. 17 ..Kian Ziari ..................................Locust Valley, N.Y. 18 ..Garrett Joseph Sebold............Centerport, N.Y. 19 ..Jake William Buckley ..............Sound Beach, N.Y. 20 ..Joshua Rothbaum ..................Great Neck, N.Y. 21 ..Michael Wexler ........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 22 ..Deven Madan ..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 23 ..Rohan Dayal ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 24 ..Arin Siriamonthep....................Greenvale, N.Y. 25 ..Evan Brady ..............................Glen Head, N.Y. 26 ..Evan Kirsh................................Roslyn, N.Y. 27 ..Alexander Benanti ..................East Setauket, N.Y. 28 ..Mark Julian Baker....................North Baldwin, N.Y. 29 ..Ethan Ertel................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 30 ..Ravi MacGum..........................Amagansett, N.Y. 31 ..Rohan Mathur..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 32 ..Timothy Serignese ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 33 ..Nicholas Gajda ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 34 ..Malik Bass ..............................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 35 ..Julian Mercante ......................Lido Beach, N.Y. 36 ..Nicholas A. Troia......................Floral Park, N.Y. 37 ..Andrew Neil Smith ..................Bellmore, N.Y. 38 ..Daniel Winston ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 39 ..Adarsh Rajeev ........................Melville, N.Y. 40 ..Alex Eli Vinsky..........................Westbury, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Avi Anand ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 2 ....Brandon James ......................Wheatley Heights, N.Y. 3 ....Michael Petersen ....................Bridgehampton, N.Y. 4 ....Parker A. Tuthill........................Cutchogue, N.Y. 5 ....Steven Gaudio ........................Miller Place, N.Y.

RANKINGS

6 ....Nicholas Mark Newell ............Huntington Station, N.Y. 7 ....Garrett Joseph Sebold............Centerport, N.Y.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Nicole Pinkus ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 2 ....Emma Sy ................................Port Washington, N.Y. 3 ....Kiera Agic ................................Miller Place, N.Y. 4 ....Ellie Ross..................................Port Washington, N.Y. 5 ....Tola Pola Glowacka ................Jericho, N.Y. 6 ....Isabella Sha ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 7 ....Christasha McNeil ..................Massapequa, N.Y. 8 ....Elle Brignati..............................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 9 ....Theadora Yael Rabman ..........Port Washington, N.Y. 10 ..Elizabeth Becker......................Jericho, N.Y. 11 ..Lisa Baldinucci ........................Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 12 ..Jacqueline Taylor Zambrotto..Kings Park, N.Y. 13 ..Kira Sydney Kronenberg ........East Setauket, N.Y. 14 ..Olivia Tiegerman......................Jericho, N.Y. 15 ..Martina Eulau ..........................Oceanside, N.Y. 16 ..Talluiah Pitti ..............................Huntington, N.Y. 17 ..Skyler Brown ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 18 ..Catherine Karman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 19 ..Nicolette Loeffler ....................Syosset, N.Y. 20 ..Ada Maria Amarghioalei..........Port Washington, N.Y. 21 ..Rylie Stam................................Roslyn, N.Y. 22 ..Alexandra Kaylee Ho ..............Syosset, N.Y. 23 ..Tara Andrea Lurepa ................Westbury, N.Y. 24 ..Janae Fouche..........................Freeport, N.Y. 25 ..Hailey Stoerback ....................Saint James, N.Y. 26 ..Natalie Becker ........................Jericho, N.Y. 27 ..Kady Tannenbaum ..................Commack, N.Y. 28 ..Sarah Elizabeth Lane ..............Garden City, N.Y. 29 ..Megan Riley Availone..............Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 30 ..Sophia Nina Karmazin ............Hewlett, N.Y. 31 ..Natalie Phillips ........................Plainview, N.Y. 32 ..Alexa Reese Brecher ..............Syosset, N.Y. 33 ..Andrea Martinez de los Rios ..Glen Head, N.Y. 34 ..Katherine Tang ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 35 ..Angelina Troia ..........................Floral Park, N.Y. 36 ..Skylar Blake Semon................Melville, N.Y. 37 ..Anna Vanessa Malin................Oceanside, N.Y. 38 ..Hailey Lessen ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 39 ..Meghan Sherlock....................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 40 ..Ashley Kessler ........................Oceanside, N.Y.

23 ..Emily Moran ............................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 24 ..Jennifer Perper ........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 25 ..Meegan L. Galante..................Huntington, N.Y. 26 ..Megan Kim ..............................East Islip, N.Y. 27 ..Emily A. Mowdy ......................Jamesport, N.Y. 28 ..Elena Gabriela Hull..................Locust Valley, N.Y. 29 ..Anastasia Hoffman..................North Massapequa, N.Y. 30 ..Lauren Zola..............................Rockville Centre, N.Y. 31 ..Jacqueline Taylor Zambrotto..Kings Park, N.Y. 32 ..Bianca Banilivi ........................Great Neck, N.Y. 33 ..Sarah Ashley Schwartz ..........Syosset, N.Y. 34 ..Anna Vanessa Malin................Oceanside, N.Y. 35 ..Sofia Maurina Discipio ............Woodmere, N.Y. 36 ..Ashlyn Jane Hu ......................Jericho, N.Y. 37 ..Onalee Batcheller....................Westhampton, N.Y. 38 ..Marin Allis Vander Schaaf ......East Quogue, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 16 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Kaitlyn Schwarz ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 2 ....Marina Hilbert ..........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 3 ....Emily Austin ............................Woodmere, N.Y. 4 ....Alexa Villez ..............................West Sayville, N.Y. 5 ....Natalia Caroline Krol................Greenvale, N.Y. 6 ....Jessica Emma Lustig..............Dix Hills, N.Y. 7 ....Rose B. Hayes ........................East Moriches, N.Y. 8 ....Isabella DiScipio......................Woodmere, N.Y. 9 ....Kaitlyn Byrnes..........................Massapequa, N.Y. 10 ..Morgan Voulo ..........................East Setauket, N.Y. 11 ..Maya Aerin Masheb................Jericho, N.Y. 12 ..Anna J. Martorella ..................Wantagh, N.Y. 13 ..Morgan A. Wilkins ..................Huntington, N.Y. 14 ..Daniella Victoria Paikin............Valley Stream, N.Y. 15 ..Kristen D. Cassidy ..................Wantagh, N.Y. 16 ..Jennifer Rose Cox ..................West Islip, N.Y. 17 ..Elizabeth Leigh Dwyer ............Cutchogue, N.Y. 18 ..Sarah Khan..............................Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 19 ..Jill Olga Lawrence ..................Hauppauge, N.Y. 20 ..Elinor Simek ............................Glen Head, N.Y. 21 ..Taylor Grace Hanscom ..........Patchogue, N.Y. 22 ..Alexa Lynn Bracco ..................Freeport, N.Y. 23 ..Jade Eggleston........................Stony Brook, N.Y. 24 ..Ashlyn Jane Hu ......................Jericho, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City

Long Island Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name ....................................City 1 ....Daniella Victoria Paikin............Valley Stream, N.Y. 2 ....Jennifer Rabinowitz ................Great Neck, N.Y. 3 ....Anna J. Martorella ..................Wantagh, N.Y. 4 ....Ida Nicole Poulos ....................Manhasset, N.Y. 5 ....Christine Kong ........................Commack, N.Y. 6 ....Charlotte Goldbaum ..............Old Westbury, N.Y. 7 ....Mary Theresa Madigan ..........Sayville, N.Y. 8 ....Ashley Yu ................................Great Neck, N.Y. 9 ....Ines Roti ..................................Locust Valley, N.Y. 10 ..Emma Sy ................................Port Washington, N.Y. 11 ..Sophia Elizabeth Schutte........Great Neck, N.Y. 12 ..Jordann Estelle Rosati ............Melville, N.Y. 13 ..Christasha McNeil ..................Massapequa, N.Y. 14 ..Olivia N. Fermo........................Smithtown, N.Y. 15 ..Victoria Pensiero......................Commack, N.Y. 16 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..................Commack, N.Y. 17 ..Julianna Marie Romeo............Massapequa, N.Y. 18 ..Madison Li ..............................Old Westbury, N.Y. 19 ..Hailey Rose Loughlin ..............Shirley, N.Y. 20 ..Lydia Mercante........................Lido Beach, N.Y. 21 ..Alexandra Nicole Yiachos ......Manhasset, N.Y. 22 ..Lisa Baldinucci ........................Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

1 ....Morgan Wilkins........................Huntington, N.Y. 2 ....Maya Aerin Masheb................Jericho, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings

(as of 08/02/16)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 7 ....Aman K. Sharma ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 15 ..Mark Ryan Taranov ................Valley Stream, N.Y. 36 ..Michael Ryan Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 37 ..Max Daniel Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 39 ..Ty Nisenson ............................Port Washington, N.Y. 62 ..Dylan D’Agate..........................Melville, N.Y. 65 ..Matthew Strogach ..................Commack, N.Y. 68 ..Candrin Chris ..........................Port Washington, N.Y. 83 ..Luke Louchheim......................Sagaponack, N.Y. 86 ..Aron Bursztyn..........................South Setauket, N.Y. 92 ..Joseph Perry Boyle ................Setauket, N.Y.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

LONG 104 Aidan C. O’Connor..................Manhasset, N.Y. 118 Matthew Leonard Zeifman ....Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 120 Jordan Reznik..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 124 Aiden Patel ..............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 131 Jeffrey Rosario ........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 140 Justin Y. Shen ..........................Glen Head, N.Y. 141 Kyle Zhou ................................Commack, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ....Kabir Rajpal ............................Syosset, N.Y. 5 ....Logan Paik Chang ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 6 ....Billy G. Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 7 ....Spencer Brachman ................Commack, N.Y. 15 ..Sujay Sharma ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 31 ..Maxwell Moadel ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 32 ..Alexander Karman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 41 ..Jack Flores ..............................Huntington, N.Y. 44 ..Justin Benjamin Oresky ..........Syosset, N.Y. 51 ..Jared M. Phillips ......................Plainview, N.Y. 61 ..Rohan Gaddam Reddy ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 68 ..Anthony Casale ......................Old Bethpage, N.Y. 69 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ........Syosset, N.Y. 72 ..George Scriber Bader ............Water Mill, N.Y. 81 ..Brandon Zhu............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 88 ..Alex Eli Vinsky..........................Westbury, N.Y. 96 ..Pius Lo ....................................Massapequa, N.Y. 109 Aman K. Sharma ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 116 Ryan E. Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 122 Joseph Perry Boyle ................Setauket, N.Y. 123 Daniel Chikvashvili ..................Saint James, N.Y. 125 Brandon Lee............................Valley Stream, N.Y. 128 Nicholas Wernink ....................Glen Cove, N.Y. 132 Joseph Monticciolo ................Coram, N.Y. 135 Max Daniel Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 137 Taylor Brooks Thomas ............Water Mill, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 2 ....Cannon Kingsley ....................Northport, N.Y. 4 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito..................Syosset, N.Y. 6 ....Patrick Maloney ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 14 ..Ryan Goetz..............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 16 ..Spencer Brachman ................Commack, N.Y. 27 ..Pete Siozios ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

ISLAND

33 ..Abhinav Raj Srivastava ..........Melville, N.Y. 36 ..Alan Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 38 ..Neel Raj....................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 39 ..Ronald P. Hohmann ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 40 ..Logan Paik Chang ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 44 ..David Raphael Weiner ............Glen Head, N.Y. 47 ..Alexander Roti ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 50 ..Karin K. Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 68 ..Michael Medvedev..................Albertson, N.Y. 75 ..Rohan Gaddam Reddy ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 79 ..Billy G. Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 80 ..Matthew Franklin Porges........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 87 ..Adrian Kristofer Tsui ................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 88 ..Niles Ghaffar ............................Massapequa, N.Y. 89 ..Brian Shi ..................................Jericho, N.Y. 92 ..Kabir Rajpal ............................Syosset, N.Y. 94 ..Maxwell Moadel ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 96 ..Matthew Charles Cashin ........Syosset, N.Y. 98 ..Jack Flores ..............................Huntington, N.Y. 101 Luke Karniewich......................Glen Head, N.Y. 104 Pieter Alexander Wernink ...... 117 Lazar Ivan Markovic ................Lattingtown, N.Y. 120 Evan Brady ..............................Glen Head, N.Y. 126 David Ammendola ..................Massapequa, N.Y. 135 Griffin Schlesinger ..................Cold Spring Harbor 144 Sujay Sharma ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 2 ....Athell Bennett ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 4 ....Brenden Volk ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 8 ....Sean Mullins ............................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 11 ..Finbar Talcott ..........................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 21 ..Sean Patrick Hannity ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 26 ..Yuval Solomon ........................Plainview, N.Y. 29 ..Daniel Shleimovich..................Syosset, N.Y. 34 ..Mark Julian Baker....................North Baldwin, N.Y. 35 ..Cannon Kingsley ....................Northport, N.Y. 37 ..Ryan Goetz..............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 38 ..Rajan Jai Vohra........................Glen Head, N.Y. 41 ..Chris Kuhnle ............................Shoreham, N.Y. 46 ..Patrick F. Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 58 ..Carl Grant ................................Sagaponack, N.Y. 61 ..Keegan James Morris ............Franklin Square, N.Y. 67 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito..................Syosset, N.Y. 79 ..Andrew Marc Nakhjavan ........Dix Hills, N.Y.

RANKINGS

87 ..Michael Medvedev..................Albertson, N.Y. 91 ..George Kaslow........................Port Washington, N.Y. 94 ..Daniel Weitz ............................Roslyn, N.Y. 100 Danuel Meinster ......................South Setauket, N.Y. 106 Nicolas DeMaria ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 107 Nicholas Gajda ........................Smithtown, N.Y. 108 Julian Thomas MacGurn ........Amagansett, N.Y. 110 Pete Siozios ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 111 Pieter Alexander Wernink ......Glen Cove, N.Y. 112 Matthew Kolkhorst..................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 113 Leonard Lazar Koblence ........Jericho, N.Y. 114 Colin Francis Sacco ................Brightwaters, N.Y. 123 Noah J. Reisch ........................Floral Park, N.Y. 131 Sangjin Song ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 133 Bruno Paolino Alves................East Hampton, N.Y. 134 Max Egna ................................Port Washington, N.Y. 146 Matthew Franklin Porges........Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 150 Alan Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 5 ....Rose Hayes ............................East Moriches, N.Y. 20 ..Rebecca Suarez......................Huntington, N.Y. 24 ..Olivia N. Fermo........................Smithtown, N.Y. 35 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..................Commack, N.Y. 44 ..Theadora Yael Rabman ..........Port Washington, N.Y. 45 ..Isabella Sha ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 46 ..Ariana O. Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 52 ..Emily Tannenbaum..................Commack, N.Y. 56 ..Ava Thunder Scordo ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 58 ..Ines Roti ..................................Locust Valley, N.Y. 60 ..Skylor Wong ............................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 62 ..Bianca Rose Lorich ................Southampton, N.Y. 84 ..Hailey Stoerback ....................Saint James, N.Y. 102 Tola Pola Glowacka ................Jericho, N.Y. 105 Andriana Rose Zaphiris ..........Smithtown, N.Y. 106 Kady Tannenbaum ..................Commack, N.Y. 111 Nicole Pinkus ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y. 112 Alexandra Kaylee Ho ..............Syosset, N.Y. 116 Emma Sy ................................Port Washington, N.Y. 118 Kira Sydney Kronenberg ........East Setauket, N.Y. 120 Kiera Agic ................................Miller Place, N.Y. 122 Tatiana Georgie Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y. 136 Martina Eulau ..........................Oceanside, N.Y.

140 Christasha McNeil ..................Massapequa, N.Y. 146 Olivia Tiegerman......................Jericho, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 3 ....Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 11 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ..........Albertson, N.Y. 16 ..Amy Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 41 ..Madison Jane Williams ..........Glen Cove, N.Y. 45 ..Rose B. Hayes ........................East Moriches, N.Y. 48 ..Kimberly Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y. 67 ..Kavina Amin ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 73 ..Sofia Rose Anzalone ..............Center Moriches, N.Y. 77 ..Soraya Koblence ....................Jericho, N.Y. 78 ..Kaya Amin................................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 80 ..Sadhana Sridhar......................Stony Brook, N.Y. 81 ..Emily Tannenbaum..................Commack, N.Y. 84 ..Janelle Chen............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 86 ..Ally Friedman ..........................East Hampton, N.Y. 89 ..Alexis Madison Huber ............Melville, N.Y. 93 ..Madeline Sarah Richmond ....Syosset, N.Y. 94 ..Gabriela Glickstein ..................Commack, N.Y. 97 ..Tatiana Robotham Barnett......Port Washington, N.Y. 107 Gabriela Sciarotta....................Woodmere, N.Y. 134 Sarah Gunasekera ..................Mount Sinai, N.Y. 135 Daniella Victoria Paikin............Valley Stream, N.Y. 145 Grace Isabel Riviezzo..............Syosset, N.Y. 146 Andrea Irta Brazyte..................Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 149 Jennifer Rabinowitz ................Great Neck, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 12 ..Merri Kelly ................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 13 ..Lea Ma ....................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 21 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ..........Albertson, N.Y. 30 ..Francesca Karman..................Port Washington, N.Y. 36 ..Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 41 ..Calista Sha ..............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 45 ..Steffi Antao ..............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 47 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin............Manorville, N.Y. 50 ..Alexa Susan Goetz..................Greenlawn, N.Y. 63 ..Amy Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 68 ..Oliva Rose Scordo ..................Glen Head, N.Y. 71 ..Denise Lai ................................Setauket, N.Y. 74 ..Kimberly Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y.

• Experts in elimination of termites, carpenter ants and other wood boring insects • Residential and commercial pest control maintenance programs • Experienced pest control professionals for over 30 years • Nassau, Suffolk, Queens County and Brooklyn • References available • Certiﬁed Pesticide Applicator NYS #C1-625256

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

LONG 95 ..Vitalina Golod ..........................Setauket, N.Y. 100 Madison Jane Williams ..........Glen Cove, N.Y. 114 Julia Kielan ..............................Valley Stream, N.Y. 121 Kaitlyn Schwarz ......................Oceanside, N.Y. 129 Sofia Rose Anzalone ..............Center Moriches, N.Y. 137 Gabriela Sciarrotta ..................Woodmere, N.Y. 139 Trinity Chow ............................Glen Cove, N.Y. 140 Kaitlyn Byrnes..........................Massapequa, N.Y. 145 Madeline Sarah Richmond ....Syosset, N.Y. 149 Rose B. Hayes ........................East Moriches, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ....Elysia Bolton............................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 15 ..Emma Scott ............................Syosset, N.Y. 16 ..Claire Handa............................Westbury, N.Y. 19 ..Courtney B. Kowalsky ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 34 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin............Manorville, N.Y. 35 ..Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 40 ..Lea Ma ....................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 48 ..Ashley Lessen..........................Old Westbury, N.Y. 55 ..Julia Klara Szymanska............Elmont, N.Y. 59 ..Amanda Allison Foo................Manhasset, N.Y. 61 ..Celeste Rose Matute ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 68 ..Madison Battaglia ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 72 ..Nicole Kielan............................Valley Stream, N.Y. 73 ..Samantha Lena Galu ..............Jericho, N.Y. 76 ..Merri Kelly ................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 78 ..Courtney Provan ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 81 ..Steffi Antao ..............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 101 Nicole Rezak............................Merrick, N.Y. 119 Francesca Karman..................Port Washington, N.Y. 120 Kimberly Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y. 145 Rachel Weiss ..........................Great Neck, N.Y. 147 Olivia Rose Scordo..................Glen Head, N.Y. 148 Taylor S. Cosme ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 149 Josephine Winters ..................Elmont, N.Y.

ISLAND

RANKINGS

Boys & Girls National Rankings

802 Alexander Roti ........................Locust Valley, N.Y. 834 Rohan Gaddam Reddy ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 960 Luke Karniewich......................Glen Head, N.Y.

BOYS

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players

(as of 08/10/16)

National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 17 ..Aman K. Sharma ....................Glen Head, N.Y. 144 Mark R. Taranov ......................Valley Stream, N.Y. 299 Ty Nisenson ............................Port Washington, N.Y. 389 Max Daniel Safir ......................Old Westbury, N.Y. 493 Michael Ryan Safir ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 664 Matthew Strogach ..................Commack, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 2 ....Spencer Brachman ................Commack, N.Y. 39 ..Logan Paik Chang ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 48 ..Billy G. Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 79 ..Sujay Sharma ..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 103 Kabir Rajpal ............................Syosset, N.Y. 269 Alexander Karman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 476 Jack Flores ..............................Huntington, N.Y. 581 Justin Benjamin Oresky ..........Syosset, N.Y. 713 Rohan Gaddam Reddy ..........Glen Head, N.Y. 756 Maxwell Moadel ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Rank Name ......................................City 40 ..Brenden Volk ..........................Dix Hills, N.Y. 49 ..Athell Patrick Bennett..............Valley Stream, N.Y. 99 ..Finbar Talcott ..........................Sea Cliff, N.Y. 116 Ryan Goetz..............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 130 Sean M. Mullins ......................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. 282 Sean Patrick Hannity ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 301 Rajan Jai Vohra........................Glen Head, N.Y. 385 Brian Shi ..................................Jericho, N.Y. 448 Daniel Eric Pellerito..................Syosset, N.Y. 480 Patrick F. Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 576 Chris Kuhnle ............................Shoreham, N.Y. 591 Cannon Kingsley ....................Northport, N.Y. 663 Yuval Solomon ........................Melville, N.Y. 725 Daniel Shleimovich..................Syosset, N.Y. 735 Jonas Erdmann ......................East Hampton, N.Y. 767 Mark Julian Baker....................North Baldwin, N.Y. 812 Alexander Karman ..................Port Washington, N.Y. 892 Billy G. Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y. 894 Spencer Brachman ................Commack, N.Y. 944 Alan Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y.

GIRLS

National Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players

National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players

Rank Name ......................................City

12 ..Cannon Kingsley ....................Northport, N.Y. 36 ..Ryan Goetz..............................Greenlawn, N.Y. 58 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito..................Syosset, N.Y. 84 ..Patrick F. Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 133 Pete Siozios ............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 231 Spencer Brachman ................Commack, N.Y. 259 Brian Shi ..................................Jericho, N.Y. 301 Ronald P. Hohmann ................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 328 Alan Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 372 Abhinav Raj Srivastava ..........Melville, N.Y. 435 Neel Raj....................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 465 Karan K. Amin..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 523 Logan Paik Chang ..................Old Westbury, N.Y. 582 Billy G. Suarez ........................Huntington, N.Y.

58 ..Rose B. Hayes ........................East Moriches, N.Y. 158 Rebecca E. Suarez..................Huntington, N.Y. 292 Olivia N. Fermo........................Smithtown, N.Y. 407 Gabriela Glickstein ..................Commack, N.Y. 612 Ava Thunder Scordo ..............Glen Head, N.Y. 905 Ariana O. Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y. 927 Isabella Sha ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 928 Theadora Yael Rabman ..........Port Washington, N.Y. 951 Tola Pola Glowacka ................Jericho, N.Y. 952 Kady Tannenbaum ..................Commack, N.Y. 971 Andriana Rose Zaphiris ..........Smithtown, N.Y. 972 Hailey Stoerback ....................Saint James, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 8 ....Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 22 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ..........Albertson, N.Y. 188 Amy Delman ............................Great Neck, N.Y. 351 Madison Jane Williams ..........Glen Cove, N.Y. 634 Kavina Amin ............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 864 Kimberly Liao ..........................Commack, N.Y. 870 Soraya Koblence ....................Jericho, N.Y. 874 Janelle Chen............................Dix Hills, N.Y. 899 Rebecca E. Suarez..................Huntington, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 31 ..Lea Ma ....................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 148 Merri Kelly ................................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 300 Maryam Beshir Ahmad ..........Albertson, N.Y. 380 Francesca Karman..................Port Washington, N.Y. 390 Calista Sha ..............................Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 449 Steffi Antao ..............................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 496 Alexa Susan Goetz..................Greenlawn, N.Y. 589 Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 713 Olivia Rose Scordo..................Glen Head, N.Y. 731 Jacqueline Rae Bukzin............Manorville, N.Y. 987 Denise Lai ................................Setauket, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 10 ..Elysia Bolton............................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 259 Lea Ma ....................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 260 Claire Handa............................Westbury, N.Y. 326 Courtney B. Kowalsky ............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 345 Emma Scott ............................Syosset, N.Y. 400 Alexa Graham..........................Garden City, N.Y. 521 Madison Battaglia ..................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 579 Rachel Arbitman......................Hewlett, N.Y. 635 Taylor S. Cosme ......................New Hyde Park, N.Y. 736 Celeste Rose Matute ..............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 738 Julia Klara Szymanska............Elmont, N.Y. 763 Courtney Provan ....................Dix Hills, N.Y. 804 Amanda Allison Foo................Manhasset, N.Y. 929 Jacqueline Rae Bukzin............Manorville, N.Y.

DJCM

DJ Curtis McCalla

DJ Services Available For Booking Phone

516.852.6063 E-mail

djcmnyc@gmail.com LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2016

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. SEPTEMBER 2016 Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L1A Sportime Bethpage September Championships Sportime Bethpage • 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TournamentsSYT@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Saturday-Monday, September 17-19 L1A RWTTC September Championships Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail SuperScoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 Eastern Empire Cup National Doubles at GHRC Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L2O Bethpage State Park Fall Open Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 Eastern Empire Cup National Doubles at World Gym World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 Point Set Empire Cup Doubles Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 L1B Granny Smith Classic Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$30 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L1B PWTA September Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 Eastern Empire Cup National Doubles at RWTTC Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail SuperScoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505. Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 L2O Bethpage State Park Fall Open Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L2O PTST Fall Open Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 1418 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 L1B World Gym Fall Challenger World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball, Glenwood Landing Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FRLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RWagner968@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L1B GHRC Fall Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club • 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (FRLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail Vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

USTA/Long Island Region 2016

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Saturday, September 24 Youth Progression: Orange L1, Lynbrook: Sportime Orange Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail TournamentsLYB@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 887-1330. Sunday, September 25 Youth Progression L2 Orange Ball; Bethpage Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail TournamentsSYT@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500. Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1B Bethpage State Park Fall Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843. Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1 GHRC Fall Championships Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road • Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1 Point Set Fall Championships Point Set Tennis • 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. OCTOBER 2016 Friday-Sunday, October 7-9 L1B Long Beach October Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-14 (SE) and Challenger Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$30 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 3 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060. Friday-Monday, October 7-10 L2R Deer Park Tennis October Regional Deer Park Tennis Center • 30 Burt Drive • Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 1218 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 30 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TournamentsSYT@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Saturday-Monday, October 8-10 USTA National Selection Tournament-October Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue • Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (FIC-R16) and Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $134.88 for one event; $135.38 for two events; additional fees may apply if registered in three or more events (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 8 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail SuperScoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505. Saturday-Monday, October 8-10 L1A Port Washington UTR Championships Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Manny@PWTA.com or call (516) 883-6425. Friday-Sunday, October 14-16 L2O Sportime Bethpage October Regional Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail TournamentsSYT@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1B PWTA Fall Challenger Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road • Port Washington, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088. LITennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA/Long Island Region 2016

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, October 14-16 L2O Bethpage State Park Fall Open Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 9 at 10:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, October 14-16 L1B Point Set October Challenger Point Set Tennis 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Saturday-Sunday, October 15-16 Youth Progression L1 Green Ball East Setauket World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail Vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, October 14-16 L1B Ross School October Challenger Ross School Tennis Academy 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail PWilliamson@ross.org or call (631) 907-5162.

Saturday, October 15 Orange Ball L3 UPS Sportime Bethpage Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TournamentsSYT@SportimeNY.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, October 21-23 L2O PWTA October Open Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road • Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 16 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Ruiz.Clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, October 14-16 L1B GHRC Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail TennisCoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Saturday, October 15 Youth Progression Orange Level 2 Kings Park Sportime Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail Tvanepps@sportimeny.com or call (631) 269-6300

PROVIDING THE VERY BEST IN SERVICE, SELECTION & STYLE FOR OVER 35 YEARS! LAYETTE • INFANT • TODDLER GIRLS 4-14 • BOYS 4-20 • JUNIORS YOUNG MEN’S • PRO TEAM YOUR #1 BACK-TO-SCHOOL STORE 1-ON-1 SERVICE • GREAT GIFTS ALL THE LATEST TRENDS SHOPDENNYS.COM Bellmore (516) 221-3187 • E. Northport (631) 499-2504 Hewlett (516) 295-0946 • Little Neck (718) 225-883 Plainview (516) 681-4490 • Scarsdale (914) 722-6077

Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • LITennisMag.com

Friday-Sunday, October 21-23 L1B World Gym October Challenger World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road • East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100. Friday-Sunday, October 21-23 L1B Bethpage State Park Fall Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road • Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail RBecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843. Friday-Sunday, October 21-23 L1B LBTC Harvest Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard • Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 17 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Andrew@LongBeachTennisCenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

WWW.NYCOSMOS.COM LITennisMag.com • July/August 2016 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

When it’s match point and you’ve met your match, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED with our team of orthopedicc subspecialists. Shoulder Jonathan Ticker, M.D. Eric Price, M.D. Eric Keefer, M.D. Craig Levitz, M.D. Brett Lenart, M.D. Daniel Woods, M.D. Charles Milchteim, M.D.

Spine Alfred Faust, M.D. Andrew Tar a leton, M.D. Jonathan Krystal, M.D.

Hip Bradley Gerber, M.D. James Germano, M.D. Shyam Vekaria, M.D.

Foot & Ankle John Feder, M.D. David Zaret, M.D.

Hand, Up U per Extremities Walter Rho, M.D. Bennett Brown, M.D. Joshua Mitgang, M.D. Arthur Pallotta, M.D.

Knee Craig Levitz, M.D. Eric Keefer, M.D. Gregory Lieberman, M.D. Robert Garroway, M.D. Eric Price, M.D. Charles Milchteim, M.D. Daniel Woods, M.D.

Orlin & Cohen is Long Island’s leading orthopedic practice. Our subspecialty focus means that athletes – and all patient s – get the h ver y best care from nationally renowned or thopedist s who specialize exclusively in your area of concern: hand, shoulder, neck and back, elbow, knee, foot and ankle, and more. Our board-certiﬁed, fellowship-trained team features some of the country’s top Sports Medicine subspecialists for expert care of all tennis and other sportsrelated injuries. Available by appointment six days a week, we offer the most advanced orthopedic treatment with comprehensive diagnostic ser vices, including the latest in digital X-ray and MRI technology. Additionally, our pain management and physical therapy and rehabilitation programs will help relieve your pain fast.

Of ﬁces in Rockville Centre, Ly Lynbrook, Cedarhurst , Merrick, Massapequa, Woodbur y, Bohemia and Garden City (coming soon). To T o schedule an appointment , visit w w w.orlincohen.com or call 516.536. 280 0. 96 Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2016 • LITennisMag.com