By Brian Coleman
Beyond the Baseline 30
Dick Zausner Port Washington Tennis Academy or the last half-century, Port Washington Tennis Academy (PWTA) has stood as one of the pillars of the Long Island tennis community. In that time, the beautiful facility on the north shore of the Island has produced some of the game’s top players, a list that includes John and Patrick McEnroe, Vitas Gerulaitis, Peter Fleming and Tracy Austin. The club opened up in 1966, and for the last 54 years has been known as one of the premier indoor facilities in the country. The idea to start the club came when Hy Zausner met Nick Bollettieri in Puerto Rico, and Bollettieri, the famed tennis coach, convinced Zausner to open a facility. “Nick wanted to have lessons in the area on a regular basis and needed a place to hold the lessons,” said Dick Zausner, Hy’s son who has run the club for more than 40 years now. “They were successful. The two would eventually go their separate ways, but it grew from there. At that time there were just five courts underneath a bubble, and we’ve continued expanding over the years.” Those five courts have now expanded to 17, and the club also includes a ¼ mile track that overlooks the courts and four pickle ball courts. In the 1970s, PWTA was home to players who would go on to have amazing professional careers. “The 1977 United States Davis Cup team which had John McEnroe, Gerulaitis and Fleming were all our players,” said Zausner. “Peter [Fleming], who lived in New Jersey at the time, stayed at my house on the weekends when he trained here. It was an amazing time with some really great players here.” PWTA has always made sure to make tennis accessible to everyone, which included giving scholarships to players to train there. Gerulaitis was one of those players who received a scholarship, and Zausner and his team have helped so many kids over the years.
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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2020 • LITennisMag.com
