Print distribution across New York at 300+ locations.
Digital distribution across website and social media pages, and the e-Edition will be e-mailed out to our full database. Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine September/October 2024!
Facebook-www.Facebook.com/NewYorkTennis Instagram-@NYTennisMag • Twitter-@NYTennisMag Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by August 5, 2024 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@NYTennisMag.com
New York Tennis Magazine
1228 Wantagh Avenue, Suite 203
Wantagh, NY 11793-2202
Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600
Web site: www.nytennismag.com
Staff
David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 david@usptennis.com
Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 brianc@usptennis.com
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.nytennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600.
Statements of fact and opinion in New York Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. New York Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.
Highlights
Table Of Contents
Big Ben
American Ben Shelton the one to snap the major drought for American men? See page 19
8550 Athletes Compete in 36th Annual Mayor Dinkins Cup
10Kushnirovich Captures Third New York One-On-One Doubles Pro Title
12NYTM Summer Series Kicks Off With Sold-Out Tennis Event
14Junior Player Spotlight: Olivia Traynor, John McEnroe Tennis Academy
22Parsa’s Picks: Building Your Tennis Dream Home
282024 New York City Boys’ High School Recap
34U.S. Open To Kick Off With Fan Week
38SPORTIME Port Washington Hosts Eighth Annual JMTA College Recruiting Combine
43Metro Corporate League Recap presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs
46In The Kitchen: An In-Depth Look at Pickleball
Features
4Across Metro New York
11Discover The Farley Group
16Tactics In Red Ball Stage? By Cinto Casanova
24USTA Eastern Metro Region Update
27Why Is Har-Tru Sponsoring Two Out Of Eight U.S. Open Series Tournaments?
32Lluis Bruguera, Pato Alvarez and The Six Secrets: An Excerpt from the new Secrets of Spanish 2 By Chris Lewit
37Metro Adult League Recap By Ainslie Ellis
40The Best and The Worst Ways to Handle Tournament Pressure By Dr. Tom Ferraro
42The Impact of Tennis By Victor Ayudant
44What Happened to Tennis During My Lifetime? By Gilad Bloom
49A Turning Point In The Unit Turn? By Steve Kaplan
50An Athlete’s Guide to Dealing With A Tough Loss By Rob Polishook
52Tennis Ratings: Pros and Cons By Ion Efrim
53The Art of Coaching By Daniel Bednarek
Photo credit: Mike Lawrence/USTA
NTC Hosts USTA Junior Sectional Championships
Young tennis players from across the USTA Eastern Section competed in the Junior Team Tennis Sectional Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with players battling it out across six different divisions.
• 12U L6 Champions: Brunswick Hills Tennis Center
• 12U L5 Champions: Moon Ball Demons
• 14U L6 Champions: The Lobsters
• 14U L5 Champions: Sportime Aces
• 18U L6 Champions: Binghamton
• 18U L5 Champions: The Sellouts
Pleskun Fights Back to Win J30 Title
Anastasia Pleskun captured the title at the ITF J30 event in Halifax, Canada. Pleskun, who trains at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, came back from a set down in the semifinals before winning the final match in straight sets.
MatchPoint’s Polonsky Captures Championship
Across Metro N
Across Metro N
Brandon Polonsky, who trains out of MatchPoint NYC in Brooklyn, was victorious at the L5 Open at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake. Polonsky took home the title in the Boys 14s division after securing a 6-7(4), 6-0, [10-5] comeback win in the championship.
Columbia’s Zheng Makes Historic Run to NCAA Championship
Former Dwight Global graduate and Centercourt Tennis Academy Full-Time player Michael Zheng had an historic spring competing for the Columbia Men’s Tennis team. Zheng became the first player in program history to ever reach the finals of the NCAA Individual Championships, was named to the USTA 2024 Collegiate Summer Team and a Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Player to Watch for the upcoming season.
New York
New York
Emily No Wins L5 Championship
Reyniak Enjoys Successful Spring
Emily No was the winner at the L5 Open Spring Championships in Ellicott City, Maryland, capturing the title in the Girls 14s singles division. No, who trains at CourtSense in New Jersey, was the event’s fourth seed and completed the draw without dropping a set.
Despite still being 14years-old, Matias Reyniak is competing against older players as he plays primarily in Boys 16s divisions. Reyniak, pictured here with his coach Gilad Bloom, recently played in the Boys 16s division at the L3 Nationals event in Amelia Island, Fla., where he finished in third place, and then proceeded to win the L3 Drew Hassenbein Dream Big tournament at Columbia University without dropping a set.
Les Petits As Coming to SPORTIME
The world’s most prestigious junior tennis tournament is coming to New York, as SPORTIME Randall’s Island will host the Les Petits As this July. The new generation of talent who have competed in Les Petits As include Grigor
… News and notes from across the N.Y. Metro tennis community
… News and notes from across the N.Y. Metro tennis community
Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Borna Coric, Frances Tiafoe, Milos Raonic, Elina Svitolina, Daria Kasatkina, Caroline Garcia, and Simona Halep. The tournament is open to everyone ages 13 and under and all players are guaranteed two matches! The boys event is July 19-22 and the girls event is July 26-29. There will be a full recap of this event in the September/October edition of New York Tennis Magazine.
Alley Pond Hosts 22nd Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament
Commonpoint Queens’ Alley Pond Tennis Center in Queens played host to the 22nd Annual Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. The event pays tribute to Hunsaker, who was influential and dedicated to getting players to do the best they can, and her legacy continues through this yearly event.
An Reaches ITF Final in Mexico
Claire An, a former New York City native who now trains at the Evert Tennis Academy in Florida, reached the finals of the ITF J200 event in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
By Brian Coleman
Coaching Spotlight
Evan Vrsaljko - Advantage Tennis Clubs
Forthe last year, Advantage Tennis Clubs has been undergoing a rebranding in order to adapt to the everchanging tennis landscape in New York. Part of those changes include new logos, updated website and active social media platforms, as well as a focus to grow its high-performance junior tennis program.
A key cog in that focus is Evan Vrsaljko who was recently named the Assistant Director of the Junior Tennis Programs, bringing his experience as both a high-level player and a coach for more than a decade to the next crop of players coming through the Advantage programs.
“As we focus on growing our high-performance junior tennis program, Evan’s expertise and proven track record as a coach are invaluable,” said Josie Underwood, Sales and Communications Director for Advantage Tennis Clubs. “His leadership offers our players exposure to high-level game play and training opportunities, enhancing their development and success.”
Vrsaljko joined the Advantage team over a year ago and has overseen its growth in that time.
“When I first came here, a lot of the kids I was teaching were coming specifically to train with me, which happens with coaches, but the team here has done a great job of creating a pathway so now they are Advantage players, and not my players,” said Vrsaljko. “They can tell that all the coaches are here to help them. If you go up and down the courts at any of the Advantage clubs, there really is a personalized approach to teaching that I think the kids and parents appreciate.”
Vrsaljko’s tennis journey didn’t start the same way as a lot of other players. His father immigrated to New York from Europe, and wanted his son to be a soccer player. Soccer was his love and the first sport that Evan played when he was a kid, but as he looks back jokingly, he says:
“I wasn’t any good at soccer.”
A school field trip one day would alter his path and open his eyes as his class got to play tennis. It was the first time he had held a racquet, and he was immediately hooked.
“I convinced my dad to let me play tennis, and at first I was playing once a week, then it grew to twice a week, then three times a week,” he recalls. “I became a tennis addict, and tennis has been a part of my life ever since.”
As he became a top junior, the Jackson Heights native was able to use his tennis prowess to earn a scholarship to St. Francis College in Brooklyn and play tennis collegiately. He competed on the Terriers team for four years before transitioning into the coaching industry.
Coaching was not something he had really gave much thought to during his playing days, but while he was training at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, he began giving a little bit of coaching to the younger players training there.
“The directors saw me coaching there and liked what I was doing and hired me,” Vrsaljko recalls. “It was a
natural transition, something that happened randomly, but I immediately loved it and it ensured that tennis would continue to be a part of my life.”
Vrsaljko’s passion for tennis and helping the next generation of players improve is infectious, and through his decade-plus experience of coaching, he has overseen the development of players who began playing red ball and who are now going on to compete collegiately, the type of growth he finds incredible rewarding.
“I work with players of all levels, and I love seeing the growth and development from them,” he said. “I have kids who I coached when they were eight who are graduating college now, and it’s truly amazing to see. I love being able to help them in all aspects of life. It’s more than just being on court with them teaching technical stuff. I am on the phone with parents a lot going through their son or daughter’s development, setting them up with the right tournaments, helping them with college recruitment and more. It’s about
being a mentor, and I absolutely love that aspect of it.”
Advantage Tennis Clubs operates three separate clubs in New York City, Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, New York Tennis Club and Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, as well as its satellite locations, which includes eight red ball locations and two other junior programs. In addition, Advantage has made a big push into promoting tennis in local schools throughout New York City as it aims to continue to grow tennis in New York, something it has been an integral part of for more than 50 years.
Prior to joining Advantage, Vrsaljko worked at Cunningham Tennis where he helped build their high-performance program, something he is extremely proud of and an experience he has now brought to Advantage Tennis Clubs.
“I came to Roosevelt Island because of the potential I saw, and paired with the fact I wanted to expand my horizons,” he said. “The location is
something that excited me, and the opportunity to meet new people, and work with emerging new talents was something I could not pass up.”
Advantage has made its mission to provide a personal experience to every individual who walks through the doors of any of its locations. Vrsaljko is a major reason for that, and his teaching and guidance to the juniors has proven already to be a positive to both the players and coaches in the Advantage Tennis Clubs programs.
“Evan is a tremendous asset to Advantage Tennis Clubs, bringing extensive experience and a deep passion for the game. His coaching philosophy emphasizes technical precision, strategic thinking, and mental toughness, which are essential for developing high-performance players,” Underwood added. “Evan's personalized training programs help athletes reach their full potential, and his continuous innovation keeps Advantage teaching methods cuttingedge.”
550 Athletes Compete in 36th Annual Mayor Dinkins Cup
Asit does every year, the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning hosted the annual NYJTL Mayor Dinkins Cup this past spring. The event is the largest free junior interscholastic tennis competition in the entire country, and features players from all across New York City representing public, parochial and private schools competing across several divisions.
“This year’s Mayor Dinkins Cup was a resounding success, and we were so proud to be able to end the school year in this way,” said Udai Tambar, President & CEO of New York Junior Tennis & Learning. “The Mayor Dinkins Cup gives hundreds of kids the opportunity to partake in a week of friendly competition with their peers, all while earning prizes, spending time with family, and strengthening their tennis skills. And this year, we were able to award $140,000 in college scholarships to youth who have demonstrated what it means to be a scholar and an athlete on the court and away from it. Thanks to all
who make this work possible.”
The event is named in honor of New York City’s first black mayor and a dedicated NYJTL board member, David N. Dinkins, who was an incredible supporter of tennis during his distinguished life. This year’s Cup included 550 athletes, and $140,000 in scholarships were given out at the conclusion of the week-long event.
The 2024 NYJTL Scholarship Winners:
• Louis Marx Jr. Educational Scholarship: Samuel LopezCardenas, Alex Chan, Onyx Fletcher, Daniel Rodriguez, Chantajah Mills, Autumn Clarke, James Walsh, and Christian TorresJuarez
• Victor Kiam “Going For It” Scholarship: Olivia Lopez
• Gavrin Family Foundation
Inc. Scholarship: Adrian Neequaye, Jeremy Victoria, Austin Huang, Juliana Londono, and Henry Cuamani Moyotl
Below are the winners and finalists from all the divisions:
• Boys Varsity Team Champions: Bronx Science High School
• Boys Varsity Finalists: Townsend Harris High School
• Elementary School Team Champions: Hunter PS 100
• Elementary School Team Finalists: PS 127
• Boys Varsity Singles
Champion: Jeremy Victoria
• Boys Varsity Singles Finalists: Aaron Tokarz
• Girls Varsity Singles
Champion: Debra Gil
• Girls Varsity Finalists: Jade Saintard
• Boys Varsity Doubles
Champions: Jeremy Victoria & John Henry Mills
• Boys Varsity Doubles Finalists: Joshua Bey & Aiden Francia Cotter
• Girls Varsity Doubles
Champions: Chantajah Mills & Jade Saintard
• Girls Varsity Doubles Finalists: Akari Weintzen & Angelica Leon
• Boys Middle School Singles Champion: Piotr Gradski
• Boys Middle School Finalists: Jeremy Orlicko-so
• Girls Middle School Singles Champions: Malajah Anderson
• Girls Middle School Singles Finalist: Malaika Toreki
• Boys Middle School Doubles Champions: Alexander Ferreira
& Juliam Toshev
• Boys Middle School Finalists: Marvin Guo & Kevin Tang
• Girls Middle School Finalists: Malaika Toreki & Isabella Diaz
• Boys Elementary School Singles – Yellow Champion: Ashwin Bear
• Boys Elementary School Singles Finalist: no finalist
• Girls Elementary School Singles
– Yellow Champion: Daniella Yogumyan
• Girls Elementary School Singles
– Yellow Finalist: Laura Jedlinska
• Boys Elementary School Singles
– Green Champion: Patrick Okla
• Boys Elementary School Singles
– Green Finalist: Safin Qalbani
• Girls Elementary School Singles
– Green Champion: AvaRue Tang
• Girls Elementary School Singles
– Green Finalist: Dorothy Foo
Kushnirovich Captures Third New York One-On-One Doubles Pro Title
Hynes Wins Club Division
One-On-One
Doubles, the crosscourt serve-and-volley game created by Ed Krass, came to New York as the Chestnut Ridge Club in Mt. Kisco hosted the New York One-On-One Doubles event, featuring two divisions of play.
In the early afternoon, players battled it out in the Club Division with a wide range of players competing against each other, both male and female and of all ages.
After group play, Luke Hynes defeated Laurence Beilenson 4-2 in the first semifinal while Ryan Leek edged Kayla Castellano 4-3(6) in the other semifinal to set up a championship showdown between friends and Long Islanders Hynes and Leek.
At 3-2 up, Hynes dug deep on the return and broke Leek to clinch the victory and the title.
It was the first time playing One-On-One Doubles for Hynes, and after some getting used to, he was able to find his strategy.
“At first it was a bit confusing, all the different rotating parts, but then I got the hang of it, and I felt really confident on where I wanted to place my serve and how I wanted to
attack,” said Hynes. “It was a lot of fun here today, I had a great time. And this is definitely something useful to do in practice and training, working on these skills can help a lot in doubles.”
In the Pro Division, 20 players from five different states, comprised of former top collegiate players as well as ATP professionals, hit the courts. In the first semifinal, Gary Kushnirovich defeated Cameron Silverman 4-3(6) in a highly-competitive matchup.
After Guillermo Nunez won 4-1 over Inigo Torre Martin in the other semifinals, the championship match was set. The finals were played to a full set, and Kusnirovich used his One-On-One Doubles experience to secure the 6-2 win, and earned his third title, adding to his 2021 triumph in the Hamptons and his 2022 win in Scarsdale.
As always, One-On-One Doubles treated players to some highly competitive round robin matches, while players and spectators both enjoyed good music and food.
The next One-On-One Doubles event is set for Saturday, October 26 in St. Louis, Missouri. Click Here for more information.
Gary Kushnirovich defeated Guillermo Nunez in the Pro Division Championship
One-On-One Doubles founder Ed Krass, Club Division runner-up Ryan Leek, Club Division Champion Luke Hynes, Danny Casesa (coach of Hynes & Leek), and Chestnut Ridge Director of Tennis Brad Breakstone
Discover The Farley Group
Aleader in revolutionary airsupported structures with over 25 years of experience, The Farley Group has been at the forefront of designing, manufacturing and installing stateof-the-art air domes that cater to diverse needs.
Their air-supported structures are renowned for their durability, energy efficiency and adaptability. Constructed with the highest quality materials, their domes are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, ensuring yearround usability and safety. Whether you need a sports dome for tennis, pickleball or multi-sport use, the Farley Group delivers exceptional solutions tailored to your specifications.
The Farley Group’s commitment to innovation is unmatched. Their air domes feature advanced climate control systems, providing optimal temperature and air quality for players and spectators alike. The Farley Group pride themselves on their installation process, guaranteeing your facility can be up and running in no time, minimizing downtime and maximizing your investment. Their focus on cutting-edge technologies allows them to stay ahead of industry trends and offer their clients the most advanced solutions available.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything The Farley Group does. From the initial consultation to post-installation support, their team of experts is dedicated to providing
personalized service and guidance. They work closely with you to understand your unique requirements and deliver a product that exceeds your expectations.
The Farley Group’s unwavering commitment to service continues even after your dome has been built as their team ensures
seamless operation and maintenance support, providing expert assistance to meet all your post-construction needs. All day. Every day. Rain or shine. And they mean it.
Contact The Farley Group today and let them help you build the future.Visit thefarleygroup.com for more information.
Pictured is the Bear Mountain Tennis dome in British Columbia, Canada
NYTM Summer Series Kicks Off With Sold-Out Tennis Event at SPORTIME Quogue
Thefirst Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge of the year brought nearly 100 players out to SPORTIME Quogue for the perfect combination of competitive tennis on the court and a fun social time off the court.
Across the beautiful courts of SPORTIME Quogue on a sunny day in the Hamptons, teams in six different divisions competed in roundrobin group play before advancing to the knockout rounds. The competition was intense on the courts, but it was
all smiles off the court as the teams socialized with one another while enjoying catered lunch as well as an extended happy hour on the pool deck.
In the Women’s 6.0-6.5 division, the pairing of Amy Gillen & Simona Doboli came away with the title.
“The competition here is always great, and we did have to make some adjustments throughout the day,” said Gillen.
Doboli added:
“The players here are really nice
so we always enjoy playing at this event.”
For Bonnie Aves & Hazel Zaldivar, they had played doubles together but not in a long time. However, the duo quickly found their chemistry again and, as a result, were victorious in the Women’s 7.0-7.5 division.
“It’s awesome playing with her. She just told me what to do and that’s it,” Aves said tounge-in-cheek.
While Aves was half-kidding, Zaldivar explained:
“I used to boss her around back
Men’s 7.0-7.5 Division Champions Justin & Ryan Russo with Co-Tournament Director Michelle Stoerback
Men’s 8.0-8.5 Division Champions: Rob Remo & Joe Mead
then and tell her what to do on court, so we figured we would do that again. It worked out for us.”
Justin & Ryan Russo are brothers that typically play singles but decided to pair up for the LITM Challenge, and when it was all said and done, they claimed the championship in the Men’s 7.0-7.5 division.
“We were always singles players growing up and we thought it’d be nice to try some doubles,” said Justin. “It’s only the second time playing together in a tournament, and we just tried to keep the ball in play, put some pressure on, and try not to make as many unforced errors as our opponents. We figured if we could do that we would come out on top.”
Ryan Russo added:
“It was a ton of fun and at such a beautiful place. There were a lot of familiar place, and playing together was something we don’t do that often, so that was nice.”
In the Men’s 8.0-8.5 division, Rob Remo & Joe Mead found a way to play well on the big points by staying relaxed in the most high-pressure situations to earn the title.
“The key for us was the beers and margaritas,” said Remo jokingly. “It kept us loose on court, and we had a
really great time. These tournaments are always fun.”
“We played together for about 10 years in USTA events, so we know how to play with each other on court,” Mead added.
Dunja Froman & Tanya Kotov had been talking about playing doubles together and therefore teamed up to compete in the Women’s 8.0-8.5 division. The pairing worked as the duo snuck into the playoff rounds as the fourth seed, but would then go on to pull off big wins to capture the title.
“We were happy when we made the fourth seed and from there on out we played free,” said Kotov. “We had nothing to lose.”
“We’ve played against each other but never together, so we figured today would be perfect,” said Froman. “We have a lot of respect for each other as players to it’s good to have that confidence in one another and we were able to play off of each other. We came out and just wanted to have fun. We love supporting Long Island Tennis Magazine and these events are always a good time. We’ll definitely be back for more.”
Danny Burgess Jr. & Dillon McKenzie teamed up to compete in
the Men’s 9.0-9.5 division, and it turned out well as the pairing captured the title.
“We actually play a lot against each other in singles so it was fun to team up and play doubles,” said Burgess Jr. “We went to Sectionals last year and played singles and did great, so it was fun to be able to team up today and win.”
The opening event of our 2024 Summer Series showcased the continued success of the LITM Challenge events, which would not be possible without the commitment of the players, both returning and new ones, as well as all the people who help put the event together.
“There are many options for local players when it comes to racquet sports, and we are appreciative that so many players came out and chose our event. To get this many players into this tournament was a real success. I believe this is an indication that players see the professionalism and quality we bring to the events we host, and that they have a great time on and off the court,” said David Sickmen, co-tournament director of the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge. “I certainly want to thank our beautiful host facility, Sportime Quogue, as well as my co-director Michelle Stoerback, whose passion and energy for adult tennis is second to none, and our LITM Event staff, who did a fantastic job. Our events stand out from the rest thanks to our sponsors Doterra, iPlayMe2, OSIM, SPORTIME and Town Bagel. We look forward to more community involvement, and are excited to see everyone at our next Challenge.”
The next LITM Challenge will be held on Saturday, July 27 at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake. You can register at LongIslandTennisMagazine.com/ Events/JulyLITMChallenge.
The New York Tennis Magazine Summer Series returns to SPORTIME Quogue on Saturday, September 7.
Men’s 9.0-9.5 Division Champions: Danny Burgess Jr. & Dillon McKenzie
spotlight Junior Player
By Brian Coleman
Olivia Traynor
John McEnroe Tennis Academy
Froma very early age, Olivia Traynor loved the independence and self-determination that tennis brought out of her. Even when she first started playing at five-years-old, she embraced being out on court by herself, competing and problemsolving.
Like a lot of young players, she got her start because of an older sibling. As she watched her older sister play it inspired her to try tennis for herself, and soon after, she was playing regularly at SPORTIME Lake Isle.
“I think what stood out to me about tennis was it was the only sport that I was all on my own, and I’ve always been independent,” said Traynor. “I had full control over everything on the court and was very focused at a young age, so that was the perfect combination for me. I think tennis does a really good job of preparing you for life, as it teaches you to be independent and forces you to figure things out without getting too stressed.”
have a lot of time for fitness, and I’ve been able to get a lot stronger as well as increase my stamina. Being at Randall’s Island has helped me a lot, there are so many good players there to play practice matches against, and I am able to get exposed to a lot of great players and top coaches.”
Her primary coach is Ion Efrim, JMTA and SPORTIME Randall’s Island Associate Director, and together the two have created a partnership that has produced fantastic results. Just this spring, Traynor was victorious at multiple tournaments, including the ITF J60 event in Edmonton, a USTA L2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as an ITF J30 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, bringing home singles titles in each.
Now a rising junior, Traynor still trains with SPORTIME, but is now primarily at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at Randall’s Island, and is a member of its Home School Program. She has become one of the top players in the country, ranked 21st in the country and 5th in the Eastern Section in the Girls 16-and-under division.
“I’ve been homeschooled for four years now, and it just allows me to train a lot more, and helps me incorporate more fitness into my routine which has been incredibly helpful,” she said. “When I was going to school I didn’t
“Olivia has started playing ITF events more recently and you can really see a growth in her game,” said Efrim. “She is an extremely aggressive player that wants to have the match dictated on her racquet and has a big game. She goes all out when on the court and when she is on her game, Olivia is an extremely tough player to beat.”
On her own game-style, Traynor said:
“I do try to be the more aggressive one but if for some reason that isn’t working, then I try to change the pace, go high, slice or maybe come to the net,” she explained. “Honestly, I just try to do anything that will make them uncomfortable and win points. I try to dictate play with my serves and I like to be on top of the baseline and move my opponent around. I am working on being more consistent, but also on being more comfortable coming to the net and being
able to finish points off there.
One thing I am getting better at is figuring out my opponent before it’s too late. Sometimes I have a bad habit of just trying to play my game even if it isn’t working in a particular match, so being able to adjust quicker is one of my biggest goals in the short-term.”
In addition to continuing to make strides in her game, Traynor is adjusting the equipment she uses. After playing with lighter rackets for most of her life, she switched to a heavier one.
It was a major change for her, but one that has proved to be beneficial.
“It was a pretty big change for me. It was honestly a coincidence though. I had been using a Babolat 285, but wanted to try a heavier racquet so I began using the Solinco 300 in practices and then in tournaments, and I really liked it,” she explained. “I felt like it gave me a lot of control and still had the power to hit deeper balls, especially on the run, which was
something I had never felt before. It’s sometimes hard to generate power when you get stretched out wide, but with the Solinco now I feel like I can even with a small swing. Once I started using the new racquet in tournaments I saw a big difference.”
And with two years remaining in her junior career, Traynor has now started looking to the future, and has begun the early stages of the college recruiting process. She is listed as a
five-star recruit on TennisRecruiting.net and will be a highly-sought after player in the eyes of collegiate programs.
“I’ve started the process, and I’m just talking to a few [colleges] right now, there’s like five big ones that are high on my priority list,” said Traynor. “It’s a big summer for me with it being a recruiting year, and I know there will be college coaches at all the big tournaments. I want to make sure I stand out, and be the best version of myself when playing, and emphasize enjoying the sport.”
As she prepares for the summer ahead, Traynor wants to continue evolving as a tennis player. Despite racking up trophies and titles this far in 2024, Traynor is looking forward to focusing on the process and let the results follow.
“I’m not going to get too wrapped up in the results,” she said. But I want to focus on giving 100 percent in every match and fighting until the last point.”
Tactics in Red Ball Stage?
By Cinto Casanova
Is there space in the Red Ball stage to work on tactics? Is it worth it?
The answer is yes. It’s not only worth it, but it is one of the main purposes of using soft balls in the first place! We use soft balls in order to slow down the game and allow our kids to actually play the game of tennis instead of just hitting the ball.
Obviously, there are competency requirements to be able to execute game ideas. The following “red ball tactical fundamentals” we are going to discuss are meant for players who are starting competition in red ball (they should be able to serve and sustain a medium rally).
Even though some of these ideas are general tactical concepts, in this article, we’ll center on the specific ones suitable for red ball.
What are the “Red Ball Tactical Fundamentals”?
There are three main tactical ideas I like to work with our Red Ball teams. In our programs at Centercourt, I set these three ideas as a benchmark to evaluate the maturity of our red ball competitive players:
1. Out-Rally
To be able to extend the rally until
your opponent makes a mistake first is the simplest tactical concept to understand, and the first one player’s have to strive to master, which is consistency. There are many games to develop this game idea suitable for red ball. My favorites are:
• Grinder’s Paradise: Each point has the value of the number of strokes played during the rally, so for example, if they rallied five times before the ball was missed, that is worth five points. The player who reaches 20 total points first, wins the game (adjust this number to the level of the players).
• Game of Errors: Players can only win a point if it comes from a mistake of their opponent. In this game, clean winners do not give a point, only errors.
• Points start after a set number of controlled rally shots (adjust depending on the level).
2. Move Your Opponent
To understand how to use the space left to right and deep to short is a process that needs to start during the Red Ball stage. Sending the ball to the “empty space” or “open court” is a
fundamental tactic in tennis. I like to use soccer balls or basketballs to introduce this tactical thinking before using rackets. Cross court and down the line are targets we’ll have to introduce later in this stage, however, I prefer to start always talking about “empty space” instead. “Empty space” is simpler and directly connected to the fundamental tactic.
Use progressions from easy to difficult (using hands to using rackets) to develop this tactic:
• Soccer ball cooperative rally over the net rally with recovery spot: Using two hands side throw, rally cooperatively.
Make sure you set a “recovery spot” with a marker or dot on the ground.
• Soccer ball rally with points: Encourage moving your opponent and finding the open space. Using side hand throw will help them have enough consistency to be able to understand and execute the game idea.
• Soccer Goal: Set a goal with two cones on the down the line target. Players start a cooperative rally crosscourt (with coach or other player), one of the players tries to
change direction down the line and score a goal within the two cones. Count the goals in a set time and change roles.
• Hit the empty space: The King of the Court starts touching the side singles line. Coach feeds the ball to the “challenger”, who has to hit down the line to the empty space and point starts.
3. Finish at the Net Red ball players have to be able to read short balls and transition to the net. Attack the short ball and finish at the net is a tactic that can be introduced and mastered during the red ball stage.
• Attack the short ball: Coach feeds a short ball to the “challenger”. He/she has to hit the attack and transition to the net. This game can be played to the first “challenger” who wins three points becomes the
A FUL L CENTE
“King of the Court”.
• Read the short ball and attack: Set a depth line with markers. Whenever a ball lands short of the depth marker, that player has to approach and come to the net. You can have the players shouting “short” when they read a ball about to land short (shouting it before the ball lands helps to develop anticipation).
Tactical thinking and game mind are skills we have to foster from an early age. We must include games and drills that develop these skills from red ball stages; that is one of the purposes of using soft balls. If our kids are playing the game, they’ll be more engaged, they’ll have more fun, they’ll be better players and we’ll be able to retain them in the sport.
Cinto Casanova is the Director of Coaching and Junior Development Program at Centercourt Tennis Academy. As an Elite Coach, he has held leading positions in Junior Player Development for over two decades in Spain, USA, Japan and China. He has helped to develop top junior programs that produced successful national and international junior players. He may be reached at cinto@centercourtclub.com
BIG BEN
Is American Ben Shelton the one to snap the major drought for American men?
By Brian Coleman
There is no better place to make a name for oneself than the Big Apple. As Frank Sinatra once famously said, “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere.”
New York City is a place that offers a multitude of grand stages for people of all walks of life to succeed on, from the bright lights of Broadway, to Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, NYC is the place where the best of the best want to prove themselves.
One of those premier stages in this city, and the biggest in the tennis world, is Arthur Ashe Stadium, the massive stadium that seats nearly 24,000 people, on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. And at the 2023 U.S. Open, Ben Shelton took to that stage and delivered a memorable performance, using his monster serve and whipping lefty forehand to reach the semifinals.
matches to reach the final four, and embraced the rowdy New York crowd that welcomed him.
“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Shelton said to the crowd after defeating Tiafoe, talking about their energy as well as looking ahead to the semifinals and a matchup with Novak Djokovic. “It’s been tough the last two matches, playing against Americans, but hopefully you guys can bring it for me two days from now.”
But as happens to all young, talented players, sometimes a veteran humbles them. And in the semis, Djokovic was the man standing in his way.
Djokovic would end Shelton’s run, defeating the 20-year-old in straight sets, and even hit him with Shelton’s own celebration, hanging up the imaginary phone.
It was the best showing of his career, and bookended a season that also saw him reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but something felt different about his U.S. Open run. He knocked off fellow Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe in back-to-back
Despite the loss, though, Shelton focused on the positives of his two-week run in New York as he made it clear to the tennis world that he was a force to be reckoned with moving forward.
“I think the two weeks as a whole was a good run for
continued on page 20
me. A lot of positives to take away for the rest of this year and going into next year,” he opined. “It was really fun playing my final slam of the year here and doing well in front of the American crowd. That’s pretty special for me. I think I learned a lot about myself these two weeks, knowing how deep I can go, how deep I can dig, what I can do competitively on the tennis court, because I think it’s such a mental sport. I think that’s a big side of it. I found a place where I can operate and still be calm and clear-minded, but still be a fierce competitor and get after the guy I’m playing at the same time. And really, I say this lot to the people on my team, but be a dog out there and have a dog mentality. I was pretty happy with the way I competed throughout the tournament.”
That was a mature and important takeaway for Shelton, and something that will serve him well as he continues to progress in his career.
Coming out of the University of Florida and being a National Champion, there was never any doubting Shelton’s ability and
talent. He has one of the biggest serves on tour. But as he learned against Djokovic, to take the next step in his career, he will have to do more.
Shelton has had a good season thus far in 2024, earning one title as he entered this summer’s Wimbledon Championships.
Shelton is up to No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings, a career-high, so he has proven that 2023 was not a flash in the pan.
Through the first two Slams of the year, however, Shelton had dissapointing results having lost in the third-round at both the Australian Open and the French Open. While those aren’t the results he wants, the ups and downs are all part of the process of shaping who he is as a player.
“I think everything is a step in your career, win or loss. I’m at a point where, you know, the losses don’t break me because I have very long-term goals. As a team, we are very process-oriented and we just know that this is part of the process.”
It’s a mature and level-headed approach for a player who is still very young, and one that will
serve him well as he continues to move through the early stages of his career.
“I don’t have anything in my mind that I’m really setting out for yet,” he said when asked about his goals. “I feel like I don’t want to put a ceiling on myself and what I can achieve. I just want to take things one step at a time and see where I am at the end of the year.”
There is no denying Shelton’s raw tennis ability, and he has the game to defeat any opponent. The next steps are understanding how to navigate matches and especially traverse the challenges of a two-week long Grand Slam event.
With a quarterfinal run in Melbourne and a semifinal showing here in New York, Shelton has demonstrated he can make deep runs at the majors. No American male has won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick hoisted the U.S. Open trophy in 2023. Now the next inevitable quesiton becomes: Is Shelton the guy to snap that major final drought?
While he recognizes the
drought, Shelton doesn’t want to think too much about that and instead focus on the positive trend that is taking place on the men’s side as Shelton is one of 5 Americans ranked inside the Top 30.
“I’m not really sure what it’s going to take. I don’t know if it’s going to be me. I don’t know if it’s going to be someone else who breaks through,” Shelton said when asked about it. “I always say that American tennis seems to be moving in a great direction.
We have guys making it deep in Slams…I wish I could have a [crystal] ball that says when and who is going to be the first American since Andy Roddick to win a Grand Slam, but unfortunately I don’t have that.”
None of us do, Ben. And that’s what makes sports so compelling. The drought will end eventually, and Shelton may just be the one to do it.
PARSA’s picks
Building Your Tennis Dream Home
One of the great joys of being a tennis coach is being able to make something out of a blank slate. To be able to be handed a canvas and mold it in your vision is one of the appealing aspects of coaching and teaching, and something a lot can relate to.
But what about taking that approach and instead of building your dream player, constructing your dream home.
That is what’s available at 720 Bryant Road in Roslyn Harbor, a two-acre property listed by Parsa Samii of Compass Real Estate, a former top tennis player and tennis coach in his own right. Nestled in the serene and prestigious enclave of Roslyn Harbor
lies a rare opportunity to craft your ideal sanctuary. While Samii doesn’t see an exact one-to-one comparison between the two, he explained:
“It’s an interesting question for sure. Building up a tennis player is definitely a wildly different process when looked at intimately. You have a young person, emotions attached and changing every year. In the home building process a lot of the work is done beforehand by a team of professionals who plan this out. Yes there are changes as a building process goes on but without the said emotions that a human may experience and those changes in the building of a property are only a fraction of what the overall end goal was.”
This exclusive land listing presents two sprawling acres of flare, pristine terrain, providing an immaculate canvas upon which to
PARSA’s picks
manifest the home of your dreams. This property offers unparalleled tranquility and privacy, making it an ideal setting for a custom-built resilience. Whether envisioning a sprawling estate or a cozy retreat, the possibilities are limitless on this generous parcel of land.
“Building your dream home on a spacious and flat two-acre plot in an award winning school district and within close proximity to New York City is an exciting opportunity to create a personalized sanctuary with a host of luxurious amenities,” said Samii. “Imagine a property where every detail reflects your preferences and lifestyle, from the architectural style of the house to the placement of recreational facilities like a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a cabana.”
The opportunity to transform this idyllic property
into your tennis or pickleball sanctuary is an exciting proposition for anyone seeking to build their own paradise. The total square footage is 87,120 which provides plenty of room to take this canvas and convert it however you want.
In addition to the opportunities to build, the location is perfect, and opportunities like this do not come around that often. Take it from Samii:
“These trophy properties are few and far between in this area, especially within the Roslyn school district and for the discerning buyer this is an opportunity that is very rare.”
To learn more about this property and all the opportunities that are available, contact Samii at parsa@compass.com or call 516965-7445.
USTA Eastern Metro Region
Eastern Holds Team Tennis Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center
Alittlerain couldn’t block their shine. A staggering 291 juniors representing 51 different teams participated in USTA Eastern’s Team Sectional Championships, held May 11-12 at various locations across the section: The Brunswick Hills Racquet Club (12 & Under L6 competition) and the Centercourt Athletic Club (12 & Under L5 competition) in New Jersey, Sportime Hempstead Lake (14 & Under competition) on Long Island, and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (18 & Under competition) in Queens.
At the end of the weekend, six teams emerged victorious: A squad from the Brunswick Hills Tennis Center defeated a group representing the Grand Slam Tennis Club, of Bedford, N.Y., in the 12 & Under L6 division; the Port Washington Ninjas overcame the Moonball Demons in the 12 & Under L5 division; the Lobsters—a mix of kids from different regions across the section—eased past the Fair Lawn Dragons to claim the title in the 14 & Under L6 division; Long Island’s Sportime Aces lifted the trophy in the 14 & Under L5 division over competitors from Synergy Tennis; a group from Binghamton sailed past a squad from New Jersey’s Waldwick Covered Courts in the 18 & Under L6 division; and the Sellouts, from the Westchester area, took home the championship hardware in the 18 & Under L5 division, easing past the NYC-based Metro Aces. Both Binghamton and the Sellouts will now advance to represent USTA Eastern at the 2024 Impact Team Tennis Junior Nationals, held July 15-18 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
“It felt great,” said Sellouts captain Vania Yui of her team’s win. “We had no expectations going in. I think what made this team special was that they all played doubles together in previous USTA tournaments. They were also understanding of the lineups [I created] and knew the strongest lineups were essential to results.”
Lineups and doubles are indeed critical to overall success at the event. In team tennis competition, one or two members of each team face off in five one-set matches: boys’ and girls’ singles, boys’ and girls’ doubles, as well as one mixed doubles match. Although one team wins each match, every game earned is what ultimately counts toward the final score.
Interestingly, the Sellouts faced the Metro Aces the day earlier in round robin competition and actually lost—but just by four games. With both teams reaching the Sunday championship, Yui reconfigured some of her team’s lineups in hopes of scoring a better outcome in the rematch.
Quickly, though, the team members realized they would have to dig deep. Yui’s son Ethan De Los Reyes and doubles partner Noah Vinbaytel quickly found themselves down 2-5 in the boys’ doubles match; the Sellouts had previously claimed that contest on Saturday.
“Ethan and Noah struggled initially because they overplayed some points,” Yui said of the slow start. “They started to realize that something as simple as keeping the ball low and deep was enough in many cases. They stuck with that strategy and got really pumped as they began to catch up.”
De Los Reyes also noted that the pair resolved to adjust their mindset mid-match, which ultimately resulted in a turnaround.
“We told ourselves to play freely and to keep playing our games,” he said. “That led to us coming back.”
The duo would ultimately win four of the next five games and claim the contest 7-5 in a tiebreak. Incredibly, just a court away, their teammates Sophia Bald and Kenza Kharbouch found themselves in a remarkably similar position in the girls’ doubles encounter, starting off slow and then battling back to win in a tiebreak by precisely the same scoreline.
“I really think those doubles matches were clutch
A player from the Sellouts team competes at the 2024 USTA Eastern Team Tennis Sectional Championships. Credit: Damion Reid
The Sellouts pose for a photo during competition. Credit: Damion Reid
USTA Eastern Metro Region
performances and solidified the win for us,” Yui said. “In both matches, they had to dig deep and stay positive. Those attributes helped turn things around for the team. Great job to them!”
De Los Reyes was also proud of his performance in doubles and the team’s victory overall, especially since they’d never before finished as champions at the event. He also enjoyed getting the opportunity to play on courts at the National Tennis Center—where Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff had lifted US Open trophies mere months earlier.
“I felt that the atmosphere and energy gave us a lot of motivation, [in addition to] the team chemistry and our skills on court, which also allowed us to come out on top,” he said. “Now, since we won, we can also play [together] at the National Campus in Florida.”
For the Binghamton contingent, the win in the 18 & Under L6 division was extra sweet. Over the last few years, many of the same players had been making the nearly four-hour journey from their home base in western New York to Queens to contest the event, oftentimes falling just short in the semifinals or final. This year, the team resolved to leave everything on the court.
“It was our goal to go and win, and it was amazing to watch the kids make that happen,” said Michelle Porterfield, who served as captain of the Binghamton squad. “This victory was a total team effort. We had no weak links. We set out to take advantage of each player's strengths. They all had a job to do, and they all did their jobs well!”
Quite well, in fact. During the round robin stages of the event, Binghamton faced three different teams. They amassed a perfect 3-0 record, winning all 15 sets against their opponents and dropping just ten games total. They then sailed through their semifinal, again without losing a single set.
“I think their chemistry had a lot to do with their success,” Porterfield said. “Additionally, a lot of high school players don’t have many opportunities to play doubles, and this particular
group loves to play doubles any chance they get, which I think really helped. Also, these team tennis events are super fun, and I think getting to have that fun together on court helped them stay loose and play their best tennis.”
While the early-round results showcased the team in their most dominant form, the final spotlighted their fight. Down 0-40 at 4-5 in their girls’ doubles bout against Waldwick, Lily Lengyel and Adelie Wilson saved four match points in a row to even the score and eventually win the contest 7-5. And Lucas Davis ultimately clinched the championship for Binghamton in the boys’ singles match, battling back from a 0-30, 3-5 deficit and winning four straight games to give his group an insurmountable lead in the game point total.
“This was a pretty special group,” Porterfield said. “These kids have played together through team tennis programming for years. They all have respect for each other’s games and [are willing to] go out there and just work hard through every point. And Adelie is a senior, so it was now or never for this particular team!”
Even during a rain delay on Sunday before the final, the players kept their eyes on the prize. Knowing that play wouldn’t start until the afternoon, Porterfield scheduled some court time at the Queens-based Court 16 indoor tennis facility so that the team could practice and warm up.
“We met there and had some chuckles when we realized we had, in fact, reserved a mini tennis court [for red ball players]!” Porterfield recalled. “Our kids looked like giants playing on it! Everyone got a laugh out of our high schoolers playing on that miniature setup. But they played some mini tennis and even some competitive, hard-hitting doubles. It ended up being productive and fun and kept the mood of the day light.”
And fun, ultimately, is the goal of team tennis.
“I am a big fan of the format,” Porterfield said. “The kids really enjoy the team aspect. It’s not just about tennis, it is a social experience as well. It is a great way for our serious players to step back and just have some fun.”
Members of the 18 & Under L6 Binghamton team celebrate their victory at the 2024 USTA Eastern Team Tennis Sectional Championships. Photo courtesy Michelle Porterfield
The Binghamton team traveled the furthest distance to compete at Eastern’s Team Tennis Championships, and they ultimately claimed the title
USTA Eastern Metro Region
Aching After Tennis? It Might Be An Overuse Injury
Tennis is known for its complexity:
One minute, you might feel the joy of victory; the next, you might feel the agony of an overuse injury.
Overuse injuries occur when a person repeatedly uses the same part of the body—such as during drills or while playing—which can result in strains and pain. They are one of the most common ailments a person can pick up while playing tennis, says Dr. Morgan Busko, a sports medicine physician with NewYorkPresbyterian/Columbia.
Below, Dr. Busko shares insights on why overuse injuries form, how they can be treated and what preventative measures players can take to reduce their risk prior to hitting the court.
Overuse injuries result when you don’t give the body enough time to recover.
“In the first 24-36 hours after activity, the tendons in your body lose collagen,” Dr. Busko explains. “That makes those tendons weaker and less flexible. It then takes about 2-4 days to [regain] that collagen.”
If someone plays tennis again within those 2-4 days, the tendons may not yet be back to full strength to accept the stress a person’s body incurs when chasing down a drop shot or serving repeatedly at a high MPH.
“Let’s say you play an hour a day, six days a week,” she says. “If you do too much, too soon, your body might not be ready. And if you play too many times [without proper recovery], tendons start to undergo changes at a cellular level. Tendon fibers could stop aligning perfectly and healing in between each bout of exercise.”
Changing surfaces too quickly can also lead to overuse injuries.
Prevailing wisdom suggests that playing on softer ground can somewhat alleviate the strain on the body. And in the long run, that might be true. The short term, however, is a different story, according to Dr. Busko.
“When someone who always plays on hard courts
suddenly starts playing on grass or clay, the little bit of extra give in the surface might put more stress on their tendons,” she explains. “A new surface changes the way the tendons respond to the impact and creates a little extra work for them. So that can definitely lead to an issue.”
Rehab exercises are an effective treatment.
A common misconception is that rest alone can alleviate the issue.
“I'll frequently see someone come in and they’ll say, ‘Well, I took a month off tennis, I've done nothing and my pain's actually worse or no better,’” Dr. Busko says. “And that doesn't surprise me because the tendon wants to be exercised. It wants to be loaded, just in a very gradual fashion. And stressors from rehab exercises are actually what will produce the stimulus for healing. Tendons don't get very good blood flow, so they need exercise to start to promote blood flow to the area.”
Similarly, strength training is a fantastic preventative measure players can take to reduce the risk of an overuse injury diagnosis in the first place. Dr. Busko says that core exercises, along with something as simple as working with exercise bands for 20-30 minutes on both the upper and lower parts of the body, can help muscle groups adjust and prepare for more frequent tennis outings.
Still, tennis remains one of the best sports for the body.
“Tennis involves multidirectional movement, and that's really important when we're talking about loading the skeletal system,” Dr. Busko says. “Running is great for bone density, but it's only loading the body in one direction. The great thing about tennis is that you're loading in multiple directions. Tennis also involves a lot of start-and-stop movements, it uses both upper and lower body strength and it can improve your hand-eye coordination. And then there are lots of other things it can help you strengthen, like agility, flexibility, balance, footwork.”
Sign up to get health and wellness news from experts at NewYork-Presbyterian, the official hospital of USTA Eastern.
Why Is Har-Tru Sponsoring Two Out Of Eight U.S. Open Series Tournaments?
Har-Tru
Sports Coatings is the official hardcourt surface for the Mubadala Citi DC Open and the National Bank Open presented by Rogers—two of the eight prestigious US Open Series tournaments. Their involvement in these events is not just about sponsorship; it plays a critical role by providing specialized surfaces, consulting, and court care to ensure the highest standards of play. But the commitment extends far beyond the paint.
At Har-Tru, their passion for tennis drives them. Their partnerships are designed to foster community engagement, promote the growth of the sport, and support youth players in Washington, DC, and across the Canadian provinces. As avid players themselves, they understand the nuances of player performance and leverage their nearly 100 years of industry experience to create the best courts possible. This deep connection to the game inspires them to continually innovate and enhance our products and services.
Their specialized surfaces are renowned for their performance and durability. Engineered to provide vibrant, long-lasting color and optimal playing conditions, Har-Tru Sports Coatings ensure that courts remain visually stunning and functional over time. This commitment to quality is why major tournaments like the Mubadala Citi DC Open and the National Bank Open trust Har-Tru to enhance their events.
Beyond providing top-tier surfaces, Har-Tru actively engage with local communities to support the development of young players by partnering with various programs and initiatives to offer opportunities for youth to learn and excel in tennis. Supporting the next generation of players is a cornerstone of Har-Tru’s mission. By fostering a love for the game and providing essential resources, they help cultivate future champions.
Har-Tru’s dedication to tennis is not just about the present; it is about the future. They are committed to the longterm growth of the sport, both nationally and internationally. The vision extends beyond the immediate needs of a single tournament or season, rather they empower players for generations to come, ensuring the sport continues to thrive and evolve.
This long-term perspective is reflected in their continuous efforts to innovate and improve their products and services.
The nearly century-long history of Har-Tru in the industry testifies to their enduring commitment to excellence. Over the years, they have developed a deep understanding of what it takes to create the best playing surfaces and environments. This expertise is evident in every court they work on, from local community courts to world-renowned tournament venues.
Har-Tru is more than just a sponsor of the Mubadala Citi DC Open and the National Bank Open. They are a dedicated partner, committed to enhancing tennis through superior surfaces, community engagement, and support for players. By choosing HarTru, you are choosing a partner in the love and growth of tennis.
2024 New York City Boys’ Hi
Bronx Science Upends Hunter To Win PSAL 2A Championship
There is a new champion in PSAL’s 2A Division, and the title belongs to Bronx Science.
The Wolverines dethroned two-time defending champion Hunter inside the bubble at Queens College, edging the Hawks 3-2.
“I’m just really happy. I’m extremely proud of everyone, and we stand out as the best team in PSAL,” said Bronx Science’s Henry Bardey. “We went undefeated and we’re elated. We really wanted this.”
Bronx Science struck first in the championship as Leif Emery & Shaunak Thamke notched a 6-0, 6-3 victory at second doubles to put their team in front early. Kevin Diao bolstered his team’s advantage as he won 6-2, 64 at second singles, bringing the Wolverines within one victory of the championship with three flights remaining.
But Hunter would not go away easily. Jeffrey Tsai put his team on the board with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph at third singles, and Kyler Swiatocha evened the overall match
The Wolverines of Bronx Science ended Hunter’s reign atop PSAL 2A and can now call itself the NYC Champions
gh School Recap
up as he was a 7-5, 6-4 winner at first singles.
That meant the city championship would come down to the first doubles court as both teams as well as the spectators gathered by that court.
“We knew it would come down to one match,” said Bronx Science head coach Andrew Kilkenny. “When two teams are this closelymatched, it’s about the mental aspect of it.”
And Bronx Science’s first doubles pairing of Bardey & Ishaan Bhagat were up to the challenge of being mentally tough. After winning the first set 6-2, the duo went up 5-2 in the second set, only to see their lead evaporate and the set eventually headed into a tiebreaker as the pressure rose.
But Bardey & Bhagat answered and won the first five points of the ensuing tiebreaker to take back control. A few points later and the Bronx Science duo would close out the set, the match and the PSAL Championship.
“We had a solid team all the way through. Kevin [Diao] stepped up today against a tough opponent,” added Bhagat. “For us it was about being consistent at the end, and having our team cheering for us helped a lot. It was tough when the lead slipped away and their crowd got loud, but when we won a couple of points our team was loud and we got our confidence back. I’m just really happy and proud of my teammates.”
Kevin Diao delivered a win at second singles for Bronx Science
Bronx Science celebrates after winning the PSAL Title
Kyler Swiatocha did his best to try to continue Hunter’s championship run as he won at first singles
2024 new york city boys’ high school recap
continued from page 00
Leon Goldstein Captures PSAL 1A Championship
Leon Goldstein captured the 2024 PSAL 1A Championship on Thursday as the Dolphins edged High School of American Studies at Lehman College 3-2.
“To be city champions means a lot because the players really pushed themselves hard this season and to see all that pay off with a championship is amazing,” said Leon Goldstein head coach Johnny Rolando. “It means a lot to our school with it being the first championship since 2001, and our first overall sports championship since 2015 when girls’ flag football won. We will be putting up this championship banner with a lot of pride.”
The Dolphins got on the board early as Vlajko Lalic notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory at first singles, while Leonid Shynder posted a 6-3, 6-4 win at second singles.
American Studies responded as Santiago Efron won his third singles match 6-0, 6-3 to keep his team alive.
But Leon Goldstein’s Gilad Robinson & Michael Tesis would close out the match for their team as the duo won 6-3, 6-3 at second doubles, sealing the city
championship.
“The match was a close out but I had total confidence in my team that in the end we would be able to close it out with our doubles team,” Rolando added. “The team went through the same pressure in the semifinals so they were comfortable in that position, and knew what it would take to win.”
To round out the scoring, Adam Ripp & Ezra Dipietra won 6-3, 6-3 at first doubles for American Studies.
The win for Leon Goldstein not only delivered it the PSAL 1A Championship but also concluded its undefeated season at 10-0.
“To go undefeated and win the division itself was an accomplishment for us because that was the first time in many years for our school,” added Rolando. “So to go on and win the championship showed how hungry and determined this team really was. Every player from first singles to the substitutes motivated each other on and off the court and it showed the type of team we are. It’s hard to stop players that all know their role on the team, support each other and believe in the same goal which was to have a perfect season.”
Leon Goldstein was crowned the PSAL 1A champs after edging American Studies in an exciting city championship
Cardozo’s Chang Wins PSAL Individual Singles Title
Thetop singles and doubles players from New York City’s PSAL hit the courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens to compete in this season’s Individual Championships.
The top seed in singles was Vincent Chang of Benjamin Cardozo who entered the championships with an undefeated record in the regular season. In the finals, Chang, a sophomore, took on Bronx Science senior Colin Hui in a 10game pro-set.
Chang was the aggressor from the start and managed to build a commanding 8-0 lead before Hui got on the board. But a couple of games later, Chang continued to be on the attack and closed out the victory and the championship with a 10-1 victory.
In doubles play, the Brooklyn Tech pairing of Samuel Ginsburg & Lukasz Rossochacki took on Francis Lewis’ Alex Pierides & Josiah Tsang.
Ginsburg & Rossochacki used their experience from playing doubles together all season to outplay their opponents in the finals. However, while serving for the title at 9-6, the Brooklyn Tech duo was broken while serving for the championship, and a game later, saw their lead trimmed to 9-8. But Ginsburg & Rossochacki saved their best for last, dialing up key winners at 9-8 to hold serve and clinch the title.
Results:
• Singles Champion: Vincent Chang (Benjamin Cardozo)
• Singles Runner-Up: Colin Hui (Bronx Science)
• Doubles Champion: Lukasz Rossochacki & Samuel Ginsburg (Brooklyn Tech)
• Doubles Runners-Up: Alex Pierides & Josiah Tsang (Francis Lewis)
The PSAL Individual Championships took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Cardozo’s Benjamin Chang is the 2024 PSAL Boys’ Singles Champion
Lukasz Rossochacki & Samuel Ginsburg of Brooklyn Tech held on to win the PSAL Boys’ Doubles Championship
Lluis Bruguera, Pato Alvarez, and the Six Secrets
An excerpt from the new Secrets of Spanish 2, the second edition of Chris Lewit’s best-selling book, which examines the difference in philosophy between the two famous spanish tennis coaches
By Chris Lewit
Althoughhistorically there has been some personal conflict— and competition—between Bruguera and Alvarez, together they have had a profound influence on the trajectory of Spanish tennis, and have been instrumental in shaping the Spanish style, philosophy, and methods that are being used across the country by thousands of coaches. While their methods and philosophies are different—they are also similar in many ways. In this book, I have tried to highlight those similarities to give coaches, players, and parents a practical guide that is not rooted in one coach’s particular dogma only.
Bruguera, who do not stress the double rhythm and still have achieved fantastic results. In the six secrets of Spanish tennis in this book, I have tried to outline more broad commonalities that the great coaches in Spain would have trouble disagreeing with each other about.
The six secrets are the result of this search for universality and harmony between the different teaching
lineages in Spain. For example, Alvarez is a passionate proponent of using the double rhythm footwork as much as possible, and he makes it a primary part of his technical work. However, it would be wrong to focus primarily on the double rhythm technique and label it, “The Spanish Way”, because there are many other elite coaches in Spain, including
Pato and Lluis, despite their philosophical differences on some areas of the tennis game, would agree on the importance of training these six core fundamentals:
• Movement, footwork and balance: Spanish players are taught to run and move with great balance and agility.
• Racquet speed and weapon building: Spanish players often have big, powerful topspin forehand weapons. The shot is cultivated from a young age.
• Consistency: Spanish players are taught to be stingy with errors and to play with patience.
• Defense: Coaches stress defense in addition to offense. Players have well-rounded games and they can attack and defend skillfully as the situation demands.
• Physical conditioning: Spanish players are well known for their superior stamina and fitness.
• Suffering: This is the most famous mental strength that Spanish players have. They love to battle and suffer.
As I have mentioned in the
“Secrets” section of the book, many of these areas can be taught in an integrated way, rather than separately piece by piece. Indeed, as Luis Mediero, a leading Spanish coaching educator, has asserted, one hallmark of the Spanish approach is to teach elements simply and holistically, which is the preferred method of both Pato and Lluis. The exercises that they designed work the technical, tactical, physical, and mental, often all together. However, the drills often have the versatility to allow the coach to prioritize the areas that are the most vital for the student. Coaches, parents, and players can feel confident adding these core Spanish elements to their own training regimens because they are endorsed by the two greatest coaches in Spain, Lluis and Pato. There are other unique methods that individual Spanish coaches teach, and more
specialized and varied approaches from academy to academy and coach to coach, but the purpose of this book is to highlight common themes to get to the essence of the Spanish way. However, to study the differences between coaches across Spain is a fascinating exercise.
For the curious reader, I will be adding to the book website and the Chris Lewit YouTube channel, my exclusive interviews with other leading Spanish coaches such as Pancho Alvarino, Antonio Martinez, Jose Altur, Jofre Porta,
Albert Costa, Sergio Casal, Emilio Sánchez, Andres Gimeno, Jose Perlas, Javier Piles, Jordi Vilaro, Javier Duarte, Francis Roig, Alvaro Margets and more. Many of these greats will also be discussed in Chapter Eleven.
You can also check out the brand new chapter on Toni Nadal and his system, and the rise of Carlos Alcaraz. Please visit SecretsOfSpanishTennis.com to read or listen to these interviews. The Secrets of Spanish 2 is now available on Amazon and other venues for preorder.
Chris Lewit is a leading high-performance coach, educator and author of the best-selling book, The Secrets of Spanish Tennis, and a new technique book, Winning Pretty, which will be published in 2025. Secrets of Spanish Tennis, Second Edition will be published in September 2024. As a coach, he has trained hundreds of nationally ranked juniors. He directs a full-time academy for homeschool/online players and a high performance summer camp program, as well as bespoke high performance training for all ages and levels, all at his club in the beautiful green mountains of Vermont. Contact Chris directly by phone/WhatsApp 914-462-2912 or chris@chrislewit.com.
FULL-TIME ACADEMY FOR HOMESCHOOL PLAYERS WEEKEND HIGH PERFORMANCE ACADEMY TRAINING FOR ALL LEVELS HIGH PERFORMANCE SUMMER CAMP IN VERMONT TRAIN WITH THE BEST— CHRIS HAS RECENTLY COACHED SEVERAL #1 PLAYERS IN THE US!
U.S. Open to Kick Off With Fan Week
As we move through the summer, it means that the U.S. Open is on the horizon, and the eyes of the tennis world descend on New York.
The first week of the U.S. Open provides fans with unparalled access to watch the world’s best tennis players as well as other special events, many of which are completely free to attendees.
There is something for everyone at the first, full-weeklong tennis and entertainment festival preceding the U.S. Open. Fan Week runs August 19-25 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The U.S. Open Main Draw begins on August 26.
"This is the biggest and most exciting year yet for US Open Fan Week, and we hope everyone comes to enjoy a full week of world-class tennis and entertainment, all with free grounds admission to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center,” said US Open Tournament
Director Stacey Allaster. “With a lineup of unique signature events
starring tennis icons and headlining entertainers, upclose access to the sport at its pinnacle and a variety of fun activities available every day, the US Open is truly open and accessible for all as we welcome all fans and families alike to experience this one-ofa-kind festival the week before the US Open Main Draw.”
US Open Fan Week’s anchor competition – the US Open Qualifying Tournament – will run from Monday, August 19, to Thursday, August 22, and is free to attend. Played on the field courts of the US Open, the 128-draw men’s and women’s tournaments determine the final 16 players to gain entry into each of the US Open Men’s and Women’s Singles Main Draws, which begin on Monday, August 26. Fans can also enjoy free access to see the biggest stars in tennis practice on the US Open’s practice courts and stadiums throughout Fan Week, including
featured practices in Louis Armstrong Stadium and Grandstand, as well as inside Arthur Ashe Stadium via the Arthur Ashe Stadium Experience, accessible with Fan Access Pass.
Fans can download the free Fan Access Pass – a digital pass that grants special access to certain areas and events during Fan Week, including: the Arthur Ashe Stadium Experience, the Media Day Fan Event inside Arthur Ashe Stadium; VIP seats to featured practices inside Louis Armstrong and Grandstand stadiums and Monday’s Legends of the Open presented by FAGE exhibition.
Registration is available at fanpass.usopen.org, with the ability to download your pass to your mobile wallet for easy access.
Fan Week set a record last year with nearly 160,000 fans attending, including a record 40,868 on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. Below is the full list of events during Fan Week:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2024
Sounds of the Open Concert
headlined by Dierks Bentley and featuring Chase Rice (Ticketed)
Details: Country music superstar Dierks Bentley will headline the inaugural concert played inside Louis Armstrong Stadium on the eve of Fan Week to kick off the three weeks of tennis and entertainment to come.
Location: Louis Armstrong Stadium
Time: 7:30 p.m.
MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2024
US Open Qualifying Tournament Begins (Free)
Details: 128 men and 128 women battle for the final 16 spots in the singles Main Draws on the US Open’s field courts, beginning on Monday, August 19, and running through Thursday, August 22. Players in the Qualifying Tournament traditionally are ranked between No. 100-250 in the world, and the field includes everything from rising young stars to veterans on the comeback trail.
Legends of the Open presented by FAGE (Free)
Details: A free-to-attend Legends exhibition match featuring New York hometown favorite and former
continued on page 36
world No. 4 James Blake, former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza and former world No. 2 Tommy Haas. Attendance is free, with VIP seating available by registering for Fan Access Pass.
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium
Time: 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2024
US Open Mixed Madness presented by IHG Hotels & Resorts (Ticketed)
Details: A new, blockbuster mixed doubles event featuring four teams of current men’s and women’s stars competing for $500,000 in prize compensation, with $250,000 going to the winning team. The teams include: defending US Open champion Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton; twotime US Open champion Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios; Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa; Taylor Fritz and Aryna Sabalenka.
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium
Time: 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2024
Stars of the Open presented by CHASE (Ticketed event, to benefit USTA Foundation)
Details: A ticketed event of exhibition matches featuring some of the biggest names in tennis to benefit the USTA Foundation. The match and player lineup includes four-time and defending US Open Champion Novak Djokovic, twotime US Open champion Venus Williams, 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, Jessica Pegula, Frances Tiafoe, Caroline Wozniacki, and former US Open Champions Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Gabriela Sabatini, Andy Roddick, and more.
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium
Time: 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024
Flavors of the Open presented by Dobel Tequila (Ticketed event to Benefit USTA Foundation)
Details: Returning for its third year in 2024, “Flavors of the Open'' is a chance to experience the US Open’s wide-ranging culinary menu, while attendees can interact with a number of celebrity chefs and players.
Location: Louis Armstrong Stadium (Concourse)
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Chef Participants: Ed Brown, Josh Capon, Alex Guarnaschelli, Pat LaFrieda, Kwame Onwuachi, Benjamin Steakhouse and more.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2024
US Open Media Day (Free, via US Open Fan Access Pass)
Details: The game’s biggest stars will participate in US Open Media Day inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, with a fan-facing portion of their interview circuit allowing fans in Ashe to hear directly from the players up close and personal.
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium Time: Beginning at noon.
US Open Block Party (Free)
Details: New this year, the US Open Block Party is a dynamic, festival-style celebration on the Fountain Plaza featuring music from a variety of well-known DJs, player appearances and much more.
Location: Fountain Plaza
Time: 7-10 p.m.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2024
Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day (Free)
Details: The long-running Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, the largest grassroots tennis event in the world, honors Arthur Ashe’s legacy of instilling the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence alongside promoting the sport of tennis to young people, will take place on Saturday, August 24, with kids and family activities all throughout the grounds, featuring top players, music acts, face painting and a free special show in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Grounds
Time: 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2024
Open Practice Day (Free)
Details: Watch the game’s top players practice as they prepare for the US Open main draws throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including featured practices inside Louis Armstrong Stadium and Grandstand, as well as the Arthur Ashe Stadium Experience.
adult leaguewrap-up
Thespring & summer seasons are well underway and the USTA Adult Leagues in the Metro Region are booming. The seasons will wrap up in mid/late July, and we wish all our teams best of luck as they look towards postseason play.
While those leagues come to an end, our Winter League Regional winners competed in the USTA Eastern Sectionals and saw great success.
Our 18 & Over Mixed Doubles teams traveled to Greenburgh in early June, while our 4.0/3.5/3.0 and 5.0/4.5/4.0 Tri-Level and 55 & Over Mixed Doubles played in Schenectady in late June.
Congratulations to the following teams who were victorious and will represent the Section at the National Championships.
l Queen’s 18 & over 7.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Alina Lekserand Jessica Sasaki
l Metro 18 & Over 10.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Issa Kintanar
By Ainslie Ellis
l 5.0/4.5/4.0 Women’s Tri Level captained by Huan Zhou
l Metro Men’s 4.0/3.5/3.0 Tri-Level captained by Alvin Choy
Congratulations as well to the following teams that were runner-ups at the Sectional tournament.
l Manhattan 18 & over 6.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Jessica Sasaki and Erica Korngut
l Metro Women’s 4.0/3.5/3.0 Tri-Level captained by Daniel
and Tran Lam
l Metro 55 & over 8.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Shanon Blue
Thanks to all our players and captains this season. Be on the lookout for information about our fall leagues later this summer
Bindler
Ainslie Ellis is the Metro Region Adult League Coordinator for USTA Eastern. She may be reached at ellis@eastern.usta.com.
Metro Men’s 4.0/3.5/3.0 Tri-Level captained by Alvin Choy
Manhattan 18 & Over 6.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Jessica Sasaki and Erica Korngut
Metro Women’s 4.0/3.5/3.0 Tri-Level captained by Daniel Bindler and Tran Lam
Metro 55 & Over 8.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Shanon Blue
Queen’s 18 & Over 7.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Alina Lekserand Jessica Sasaki
Metro 18 & Over 10.0 Mixed Doubles captained by Issa Kintanar
5.0/4.5/4.0 Women’s Tri Level captained by Huan Zhou
TheJohn McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) once again brought tennis players and college coaches together at its College Recruiting Combine, this time in a different location as SPORTIME Port Washington hosted the eighth annual event.
The event has been held at JMTA’s flagship location, SPORTIME Randall’s Island, for the last seven years. This year however, the event was moved to SPORTIME Port Washington, formerly Port Washington Tennis Academy, the location where McEnroe and his brother Patrick trained when they were young tennis players.
After an $8 million renovation, SPORTIME Port Washington now features 7 oversized, sub-irrigated, soft-
SPORTIME Port Washington Hosts Eighth Annual JMTA College Recruiting Combine
surface, Har-Tru tennis courts, 6 new hard-surface tennis courts as well as many other upgrades and amenities, making it an ideal location for the Combine.
“JMTA is committed to preparing our players for college tennis, and to working with them to identify and to help them to attend the colleges and universities that best suit them,” said John McEnroe.
The Combine was open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors and featured 50 boys and 50 girls who showcased their technical and tactical tennis skills, and their athletic abilities, in front of coaches from top colleges and universities. The event features match play, both in singles and doubles, as coaches surveyed the courts.
All players were put through an athletic peformance assessments and are invited to also take part in Sports Vision Testing. In addition, there were two separate College Coaches’ Panel Discussions which provided players and parents the opportunity to ask questions on a variety of topics, including recruitment, academics, campus life and more.
“The Coaches Panel was very helpful as I got answers to many questions I had and answers to things I didn’t know about,” said Ethan Solop, a rising senior at Roslyn High School. “My main goal during matches was to show off my game and my ability to compete. My game is based off playing with aggression, going for big shots and getting to every single ball. I believe I did all that very well as I stuck to
my game-plan and the patterns I go over in practice. All the eyes watching and the pressure made me play better actually. I believe that the coaches that attended, really got a good understanding of my game and myself as after my matches I was able to talk to coaches and break down my game and what went well and what I’d like to improve.”
College Coaches from Adelphi, Brown, Baylor, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn
State, William & Mary, Wake Forest, Bentley, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Stony Brook, Bryant, St. John’s, Hofstra, Union, Colgate and others were in attendance.
"The 2024 JMTA College Combine was one of the highest level Combines in terms of UTRs since we started nine years ago! We also had so many incredible seminars with talks from John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Touby from the College Planning Alliance, Tony from Novella
Prep, Ryan from ASM, and of course the infamous College Coaches Panel,” said Jay Harris, Director of Tennis and JMTA at SPORTIME Port Washington and the JMTA College Combine Director. “It was a truly special event and especially because of the move to the iconic SPORTIME Port Washington. Parents and players loved having it there as this facility has truly the best overall viewing capabilities of any facility in the east. ”
Engineered for professional p
gpp
Our high-performance hardcourts deliver a consiste durable playing surface for homes, clubs, cities, or Made with 100% liquid organic pigments, Har-Tru Sports Coatings are vibrant, environmentally frien and UV-stable for a court that lasts longer and fade
The Best and The Worst Ways to Handle Tournament Pressure
By Dr. Tom Ferraro
YouRoger Federer was one of the healthiest and most successful tennis players on tour largely because he possesses and uses many mature and adaptive defenses to cope with stress
may have noticed that some tennis players seem to handle pressure better than others. Roger Federer is always cool and stays focused while others such as Nick Kyrgios will often lose control, have temper tantrums and defeat themselves. The reason players vary so much in the way they handle setbacks and pressure is because they all come onto the court with different psychological defenses. Defenses are defined as naturally-developed involuntary behaviors or feelings designed to alleviate stress or anxiety. Some
defenses are more primitive and maladaptive while others are more mature and effective in managing competitive stress.
I’ve recently published a book about this, Athletes and Their Mechanisms of Defense, and in this column I will outline the four most ineffective, and the four most effective defenses used by tennis players.
The
Four Worst Defenses
1. Acting out: When John McEnroe screams and when Nick Kyrgios breaks a racket, they are acting out or acting without reflection or without regard for the negative consequences. This is a primitive childlike defense often seen in toddlers who are having tantrums if they don’t get their way. Acting out in tennis often causes unforced errors with players who are unable to deal with the tension of longer rallies, lose patience and go for winners. They need to learn of the cause of this acting out in order to learn greater patience.
2. Drug use: Drug use is another form of common acting out in sports and is used to defend against anxiety, self-doubt, fatigue or pain. However, as Gary Wadler’s book about drugs and the athlete explains, there is not a drug on earth that has proven to be effective in enhancing performance since they all have such immediate and nasty side effects. Most drugs are used to quell anxiety and bolster self-esteem and confidence, but the bad news about drugs is that, whether it’s an anti-depressant, alcohol, steroids, pain killers or stimulants, they all carry some form of negative impact on athletic performance.
3. Perfectionism: Perfectionism is a remarkably common defense defined as the tendency to view the self in idealized, grandiose fashion. This tendency is often seen in the young star who has gained some measure of fame and develops unrealistically high expectations of performance. This is what is referred to as perfectionism and invariably leads to trouble since no one can win every match or hit every shot perfectly. The player can be helped to escape from the trap of perfectionism by discussing the importance of acceptance of mistakes and by role modeling using players who demonstrate acceptance.
4. Reaction formation: Reaction formation is best described as “smiling on the outside but crying on the inside” and is a defense used by many, with Naomi Osaka being a prime example. Reaction formation is defined as substituting an unacceptable feeling with its opposite, like when a player wants
to scream but instead smiles a lot. The problem with overly kindly behavior in sports is that over time, when the anger is not allowed to be expressed it leads to depression which is what happened in the case of Naomi Osaka. Players need to be taught how to use assertive behavior in these cases.
The Four Best Defenses
1. Anticipation: Anticipation is the willingness to plan ahead for any and all possible stressors during a match. A great example of anticipation is when Novak Djokovic was to play Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Final in 2019. Djokovic anticipated that the crowd would be behind the more popular Federer on every point so rather than be upset when the crowd was silent after he won a point, he rehearsed this event and imagined he was hearing cheers instead. This strategy worked well and he won that match. Anticipation is generally known as Murphy’s Law named after the mountain climber who realized he must be prepared for all contingencies as he climbed Mount Everest. If he failed to plan in any way, it could cost him his life.
2. Humor: Humor is the way some individuals are able to deal with emotional stress by looking at the amusing or ironic aspects of the situation. It relieves tension, allows others to share in the joke and is a sign of both intelligence and maturity. Again, Novak “The Joker” Djokovic is famous for being able
to joke around during a match which alleviates tension.
3. Suppression: Suppression is the defense of voluntarily avoiding thinking about a disturbing problem or situation. This is what they mean by staying in the moment and not getting ahead of yourself by worrying about match outcome or point outcome. This is also what they refer to as the zone or being in a calm and relaxed, yet focused state of mind. This state of mind is surprisingly difficult to achieve and the practice of Buddhist meditation facilitates this state of mind. Perhaps the very best at suppression was Tiger Woods and it is no surprise that his mother was Buddhist and taught little Tiger how to meditate from an early age. He was famous for being able to suppress all worry and distraction and stay zoned in throughout the tournament.
4. Self-observation: This defense shows the ability to reflect
upon feelings, mistakes or setbacks without self criticism or judgment. This skill allows individuals to grow and learn from their mistakes rather then get angry, depressed or self-critical. This trait means one is able to see them objectively or as others see them, and is the sine qua non of mental health. Billie Jean King, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are good examples of great tennis players who were mature, stable and able to see themselves in a realistic way.
If you find yourself using the worst more maladaptive defenses like acting out, perfectionism, drugs or reaction formation it is likely you will never be able to reach full potential until you get some help with this. On the other hand if you use anticipation, humor, suppression or selfobservation it is likely that you are doing quite well and can consider yourself a healthy tennis player.
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.
The use of humor while playing can relax you
My journey as a tennis coach for New York Junior Tennis & Learning has opened many doors for me, and it continues to do so.
Starting as a group leader at a middle school in the Bronx, I never thought learning tennis could be so much fun. Teaching it has given me even more passion for this sport, second only to basketball. When I first assisted the tennis coach at the school, I realized this game could help kids with discipline, sportsmanship, and staying active. I quickly became an activity specialist and underwent training to become a tennis coach, and the rest is history.
I worked for five years as the tennis coach at ICAHN 2 Charter
The Impact of Tennis
By Victor Ayudant
School's NYJTL ACES Afterschool Program in the Bronx. This opportunity allowed me to meet new students from sixth to eighth grade who knew nothing about tennis. While sports like basketball, soccer, baseball, and volleyball are more popular, I made sure tennis gained recognition.
The school ended up winning back-to-back middle school tennis team tournaments and secured second place two years in a row. For a tennis coach, dedication is not only about winning but also about impacting students' lives. It's rewarding when students return to tell you how much you meant to them, especially how tennis has boosted their self-esteem, improved their academic performance, and
helped them try out for and make their high school tennis teams.
Now, in my ninth year, I am the tennis and recreation coordinator for all 30 ACES Programs. This role gives me the chance to work with various schools and teach tennis to students from kindergarten to fifth grade and middle school. My job is to oversee the tennis coaches and support tennis activities. Teaching tennis at schools can be challenging due to limited space, and some schools host more than two afterschool programs in the building, but we always find a way. Whether it's teaching in the gymnasium, courtyard, or even the cafeteria by folding tables to create a mini tennis court, tennis is always displayed.
Working for ACES, I visit many schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. This has connected me with different principals, teachers, parents, and students. Sometimes, school principals even request fun tennis clinics for their staff after seeing and hearing how much their students enjoy learning tennis.
Despite all the challenges, being able to bring tennis to so many new students across New York City is an incredibly rewarding experience, and I have seen first-hand just how impactful this great sport can be.
Victor Ayudant is the New York Junior Tennis & Learning’s ACES Afterschool Recreation Coordinator. He can be reached at vayudant@nyjtl.org.
Bloomberg Continues Dominance And Wins Metro Corporate League Advanced Championship
TheWinter 2024 season in the Metro Corporate League came to a close as Roosevelt Island Racquet Club hosted the end-of-season party and finals for the three different divisions, bringing to an end another successful year in the league.
The end-of-season parties featured high-level competition on the courts while catered food and an open bar kept both players and spectators happy and entertained. The parties are open to all players in the Corporate League which makes
it the ideal way to wrap up the season. Below are the winners of the three divisions. The winners of the Intermediate Division move up to the Advanced Intermediate Division for the next season, while the winners of the Advanced Intermediate Division move up to the Advanced Division.
Winter 2024 Intermediate Division Champions: Corcoran Group
What Happened To Tennis During My Lifetime? Both A Lot And Nothing
By Gilad Bloom
Oneof the benefits of being old (but not too old) is that you remember how things used to be from actual experience. As a competitive player from age 9 to 29, I witnessed the changes the game has gone through literally on my flesh. My first racquet was a wood one but at age 10 I was introduced to a metal racquet which was a whole new world. Since retiring from playing and turning into a coach, I have seen the game evolve even further through the lens of a teaching pro.
All things evolve constantly and nothing stays static, a doctor once told me, but it seems that tennis, more than other sports, has taken off in a direction that was not intended by the inventors. In tennis, so it seems, they allowed the move to metal without any hesitation, and then in the early 80s they allowed the oversized head and wide body frames to take over the market and dominate the professional game, changing the essential character of the game forever.
When I was growing up I was taught to hit deep, build up the point and construct it so I could get a short ball, and come to the net to finish it with a volley. Running around the forehand was an option, not a must. A slice backhand was a weapon; serve and volley was an actual style that some people used on every point, and the chip and charge was a very popular tactic.
In the old days there were multiple ways to win tennis points, more than today. There were the patient grinders who would play the counter punching style and wait for the other person to self
destruct. There were the “artists” who massaged the ball and used placement, touch, finesse and imagination to move the opponents around. There were the big servers who would build their game around that and come to the net behind both serves.
In those days the contrast between the surfaces was very evident, on clay you would see endless rallies and on grass and indoors you would see incredibly short points with almost no rallies. Many players had some weaknesses and used smart strategy to hide those flaws. Players had to make major adjustments when switching surfaces. For example, Bjorn Borg, who won Wimbledon five times in a row, had to adopt a serve and volley style for those titles even though it was not his preferred style. The grass was so worn out that it would be inefficient to stay back after the serve because the opponent would chip and charge, and passing shots were too difficult due to the low and unpredictable bounce. Two weeks prior to winning Wimbledon, Borg would dominate the French Open in a completely different style, rarely coming to the net.
As a coach that grew up in the old school, I had to re-invent myself more than once to adapt to the ever changing game. There is nothing stronger than natural evolution and inevitably what you see on the pro tour is the best version of tennis possible even if it doesn't fit with what I grew up learning. Many of the changes in the game don't make sense to me, but it is a reality that I have to accept. But still, a lot of the old school truths are still applicable. Here is a list of what the
game used to be like compared to what it is today.
1.Grips: In the old days, a forehand would be hit with either a continental grip or an Eastern grip, the semiwestern or the full western were considered too extreme. With the wood frames, it was too hard to generate power with that grip and most importantly it was hard to hit the low balls off a slice shot with that extreme grip. When Borg emerged with an eastern grip it was thought of as an extreme grip and his use of the wrist to create topspin was considered revolutionary.
Nowadays the vast majority of forehands are hit with a semi-western or even a western grip, even eastern grips on the forehand are rare, and the continental forehand is only used in club tennis. The semi-western generates the most power and topspin and is the safest grip, its flaws on the low balls and on deep passing shots are not exposed because the slice is not used by most players and players hardly go to the net.
2.The one handed backhand is a lost art: Growing up in the 70s the one hander ruled and was played by 90 percent of the players. But now, there is no way around it, the twohander is more efficient and easier to master. The fact that kids start playing so early contributes heavily to this trend. The heavier pace on the balls makes it an easy decision to play with both hands on the backhand.
3.Nobody goes to the net anymore unless they have to: The game of tennis has become very much a slugfest of ground strokes. The
improving ground stroke techniques and the powerful frames have created a generation of very clean ball strikers who master the ground strokes at an early age. The slow surfaces and the high-bouncing balls encourage long rallies from the baseline, the accurate strokes and the heavy spin doesn't allow kids to come to the net effectively which results in a lot of matches that feature similar styles clashing against each other resulting in monotonous marathon matches. In fact one of the strategies is to hit short so the opponent has to come to the net.
4.No serve and volley, even in doubles!: In my time on the tour (1980s and 1990s) a person who would serve and stay back in doubles would be too embarrassed to come to the locker room after the match. Nowadays some of the top teams on tour stay back on their own service games, this is unthinkable to me but it's the norm
and I have to accept it. In singles, the serve-and-volley is gone as a style and is used only as a surprise tactic and apparently rightfully so. The serves are too fast which doesn't allow the server to go to the net quickly enough and the returns are too powerful. the serve and volley is making a mini comeback for a short time during grass season but still, even in Wimbledon the main style of play is the conventional baseline game and nobody plays that style in the same way John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg or Boris Becker used to.
5.The slice is rarely used: It's a lost art, naturally with the majority of players hitting a two-handed backhand the slice suffers, is rarely used and when used it's usually hit poorly. When I was growing up
many players were using the slice as a weapon. Stefi Graf one of the best female players of all-time relied on that shot, so did Edberg, McEnroe, Laver and many others. In today's game with a high bouncing ball, the slice is less effective, the modern heavy ground strokes will punish a soft slice and take control of the point unless you have very good penetrating slice, like Federer had. It is still used by one handers mostly, my students hate when I slice, that’s how I still beat many of them. It makes them bend and they are not used to it.
In the next issue, I will examine five additional ways the game has changed, but also break down some of the similarities between today’s game and my era.
Gilad Bloom, former Israeli Davis Cup player and two-time Olympian, played on the ATP Tour 1983-1995, reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 1990, reached a highest ranking of 61 in singles, was Israel Singles Champion three times. Bloom has been running his own tennis program since 2000 and also was director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years. He can be reached by e-mail at Bloom.Gilad@Gmail.com.
In the Kitchen
An in-depth look at Pickleball
Long Island Pickleball Challenge Hits SPORTIME Hempstead Lake
The2024 Long Island Tennis Magazine Summer Series continued with the Long Island Pickleball Challenge as doubles teams gathered together at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake on a beautiful Saturday morning to compete across three different divisions.
The day featured great pickleball action on the court with a fun and social vibe off the court, as players enjoyed catered breakfast and drinks which were available throughout the day. The divisions competed in round-robin play
which led into the knockout rounds.
In the Men’s Doubles 8.0-8.5 division, Brad Berger & Andy Rousseau used their experience playing together to win the title and earn the Gold Medal, defeating David Gabby & Alex Winston 15-4 in the finals.
“We played well, and just made fewer mistakes throughout the day,” said Rousseau. “We won Silver at the New York Open and Bronze at another event, and now we have added a Gold Medal to our name.”
Talking about the event as a whole, Berger said:
“Good people, good fun and good energy. The pickleball tournament series run by New York Tennis Magazine are always great, and it’s why we keep coming back.”
Gabby & Winston were the runners-up and earned the Silver Medal. In the thirdplace contest, Evan Seidenberg & Brandon Weinstein defeated Candrin Chris & Colin Liotta 15-5 to earn the Bronze.
The Mixed Doubles 7.0-7.5 Division Championships: Andy Peeke & Tabasun Mir
The Men’s Doubles 8.0-8.5 Division Champions: Brad Berger & Andy Rousseau
For Katie Figgie & Lorraine O’Hanlan, teaming up together for the first time in a pickleball event proved to be a good decision. The pairing have competed together in other racquet sport events, and now have a Gold Medal in pickleball after they defeated Lisa Goldberg & Darlene Pergola 15-3 to win the Women’s Doubles 7.5-8.0 division.
“We made sure to have fun and stay loose,” said O’Hanlan. “Our strategy was adjusting to who we were playing against, finding their weaknesses and trying to take advantage when we could.”
Figgie added:
“This is our first time playing pickleball together and it was nice being able to find chemistry and adjust to each other’s games.”
Goldberg & Pergola won the Silver Medal as the finalists, while Emilie Katz & Abby Lerner won the Bronze Medal with a victory over Renee Lemmerman & Diann Starcke in the third-place match.
Andy Peeke & Tabasun Mir made sure to remain positive and encourage each other throughout the tournament and as a result were victorious in the Mixed Doubles 7.0-7.5 division. Peeke & Mir won the Gold Medal with a 15-9 victory over Ricky Becker & Julie Becker in the championship match.
Some“Being supportive to one another, understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses and sticking together,” Peeke said when asked what their key to victory was. “There was times when I was struggling in the semifinals and she told me, ‘come on, you got this’.”
Mir added:
“The key was just getting balls back and staying engaged throughout the day. Also, and I’m not joking, just listening to him and doing what he said on the court helped a lot.”
The pairing of Ira Rosmarin & Danielle Rosmarin won 15-12 over Richard Nessim & Elsia Cokkinos to earn the Bronze Medal.
“The entire tournament ran smoothly and featured great competition,” said NY Tennis Magazine Owner and cotournament director David Sickmen. “As we continue our foray into the pickleball world, we have received great feedback from players and spectators which only motivates us more to use our platform and media apparatus to run pickleball events. Thank you to SPORTIME Hempstead Lake for their hospitality, and my co-tournament director Michelle Stoerback for helping us put on another professionally run event, and we are excited to host more tournaments throughout this year and into 2025.”
We would like to thank our event
sponsors, including SassyLI who had pickleball bags and other accessories showcased throughout the day, Doterra for displaying its essential oils and offering raffles, iPlayMe2 for providing event software to display our tournament results, and Halftime Chiller and OSIM USA for giving out prizes to the tournament winners.
Visit Facebook.com/LongIslandTennis to see more photos from the Long Island Pickleball Challenge.
The next Long Island Pickleball Challenge will be held not too far from New York City and is set for Saturday, September 14 at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Doubles
Gold - Brad Berger & Andy Rousseau
Silver - David Gabby & Alex Winston
Bronze - Evan Seidenberg/Brandon Weinstein
Mixed Doubles
Gold - Andy Peeke/Tabasun Mir
Silver - Ricky Becker/Julie Becker
Bronze - Ira Rosmarin/Danielle Rosmarin
Women’s Doubles
Gold - Katie Figgie/Lorraine O’Hanlan
Silver – Lisa Goldber/Darlene Pergola
Bronze – Emilie Katz/Abby Lerner
National Tennis Center Hosts APP New York City Open
of the world’s best pickleball players once again arrived in New York City to compete in the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) New York City Open as more than 1,400 players arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
The finals of the events were nationally televised on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 1, with seven different champions sharing the $150,000 prize pool. Megan Fudge won two golds, Chris Haworth won his third men’s singles title, and Mario Barrientos, Jack Munro and Yana Newell won their first APP gold medals of 2024.
Fudge was victorious in two divisions, winning the Women’s Singles Gold Medal, and also pairing with Newell to win the Women’s Doubles Gold.
“The big thing was stepping up and letting myself rip the ball,” said Fudge about her singles win. “I got really lucky in that first game to sneak that one out and in the second game, I relaxed a little bit more, went after my shots, and was able to his some good passing shots to help me.”
In regards to the Women’s Doubles title, Newell said:
“Allison and Simone came out firing in that second game,” Newell
Credit photos to Andrew Ong/APP
Women’s singles champion Megan Fudge
continued from page 47
commented. “The ball was moving so fast back and forth that I couldn’t see anything. Every time I see Megan smiling it just calms my nerves. I continued trusting her shots and her decisions, and it just works for us.”
In the Men’s Singles division, Chris Harworth defeated defending APP Tour champion Grayson Goldin to earn the Gold.
“It feels amazing,” Haworth said after his third APP Tour men’s singles gold in five tournaments. “With rally scoring, it’s hard to win consistently so I’m really proud of myself for doing that. I was telling myself not to give up, but unfortunately for me Grayson wasn’t giving up either. He played a great match and hopefully we play a lot more.”
Jack Munro & Mario Barrientos defeated Erick Pailet & Ben Newell to walk away with the Men’s Doubles title.
“It was crazy,” Munro said following the win. “We had the hands, the drops, the energy, it was perfect.”
“My determination to get out there, play my best, and have fun got us the win,” added Barrientos.
“I want to give a big shoutout to all my Hispanic friends and people who’ve been following me along to the US to play pickleball.”
Rounding out the Pro results was the pairing of Bobbi Oshiro & Will Howells who won the Mixed Doubles Gold Medal.
“We had the right gameplan,” said Oshiro. “It was all about executing and trusting each other, and we got it done.”
“Bobbi is a great player and we
had to step it up,” Howells added.
“Execution was huge. We have a lot of trust in each other since we play so much together, and trust goes a long way.”
Full Pro Results of the APP
New York City Open
Women’s Singles
Gold: Megan Fudge
Silver: Yana Newell
Bronze: Bobbi Oshiro
Men’s Singles
Gold: Chris Haworth
Silver: Grayson Goldin
Bronze: Alexander Crum
Mixed Doubles
Gold: Bobbi Oshiro/Will Howells
Silver: Mari Humberg/CJ Klinger
Bronze: Susannah Barr/Rob Nunnery
Women’s Doubles
Gold: Megan Fudge/Yana Newell
Silver: Allison Harris/Simone Jardim
Bronze: Susannah Barr/Mari Humberg
Men’s Doubles
Gold: Mario Barrientos/Jack Munro
Silver: Erik Pailet/Ben Newell
Bronze: Will Howells/CJ Klinger
Women’s Doubles Champions Megan Fudge & Yana Newell
Men’s Singles Champion Chris Haworth
Mixed Doubles Champions Bobbi Oshiro & Will Howells
Men’s Doubles Champions Mario Barrientos & Jack Munro
A Turning Point In The Unit Turn?
By Steve Kaplan
Currenttennis terminology often uses the phrase “Unit Turn” to refer to the ideal and complete way to perform a take-back on forehands and backhands. This is unfortunate because while this concept has value, it is neither ideal nor complete.
The unit turn is not the complete turn that forms the take-back. Rather ,it is an individual component of a larger and more complex whole that form the takeback and the magnitude of this movement in modern tennis is diminishing as the coiling phase of the take-back is gaining emphasis.
We do start and complete the initial phase of a ground stroke take back with little or no separation of our hips and torso which is the foundation of our body being turned as a unit. We complete the remainder of the take back, however, by separating our lower and upper segments to add more eccentric tension in the core
and hip muscles and increase torque that transfer into velocity and acceleration force.
Further, we move forward with this same uncoiling hip and torso body dissociation.
In the traditional square or closed forehand stance, the first phase unit turn is about 70 to 90 degrees with the second phase separating phase of the take back that is the coiling movement adding about 10 to 20 degrees.
In the more modern forehand with common and greater degrees of open stance used, the first phase unit turn is
closer to 10 to 50 degrees, with the second coiling phase being upwards of 50 to 90 degrees plus.
Backhands follow a similar pattern however as a squared or closed stance is more common on this side compared to the forehand the magnitude of the second phase is lessened.
So we “Start the take back as a unit” and then “complete the take back with an upper and lower body separating the hip and torso to coil.”
Maybe it's time to update our language and reconsider our recognition of this universally important tennis topic?
Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation, executive director and founder of Serve & Return Inc. and co-director of The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally- ranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone on to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.
An Athlete’s Guide to Dealing with a Tough Loss Five Steps to Handling the Disappointment
By Rob Polishook
Imagine this: you’re playing in front of 200 spectators, grinding it out on the hard courts under the hot sun. The first set you’ve won 7-5. Then in a tight second set you narrowly lose 6-7 and that was after holding two match points! You’re now in the third set tie-breaker and the score is 5-6. Your opponent hits a net cord which trickles over the net. You hear an echo in your head… game, set, match. It’s another disappointing loss! 7-5, 6-7, 6-7. But this one hurts even more as you had two match points in the second set and opportunities to break in the third.
Slowly you walk up to the net and shake your opponent’s hand. Your hand feels limp and your body feels like the energy has been sucked out by a vacuum cleaner. Your legs are wobbly and your eyes are glazed over. You simply can’t believe what has happened.
So what’s a player to do? How can you get over this disappointment? Your parents and friends tell you it’s nothing, just move on. You’ll do better next time, they say. Don’t you just hate that phrase?! However, still covered in sweat and feeling partially paralyzed, you hear them but can barely say anything. You feel as if you have lockjaw, unable to mutter a word. In your mind you are still replaying the points that you feel you should have won,
holding on to the advantages with dear life.
So let me repeat…what’s a player to do? How do you cope with the disappointment? How do you bounce back from a painful defeat? First off, lets acknowledge, it’s not easy and it hurts! However, at some point, when the pain starts lessening, anywhere from a few hours to a day or so, it becomes imperative to view the match through another lens. That is, how do you begin to pick the pieces up? And what must you do next time to get better? How will you take advantage of certain situations and continually put yourself in a position to get over the hump?
The following are five steps to help you, the broken player, experience and move past a disappointing performance. Equally so, this list is great for parents, coaches, and friends as they try to support the player during the process of disappointment, release, and rebounding.
1. A right to be disappointed: You’ve earned the right to be disappointed. Let’s face it, after putting it all on the line, competing with all your heart, it is practically impossible to put on a smiling face and just forget things after a close loss. Give yourself some time. It’s OK to be disappointed. In fact, it’s
even expected. Why wouldn’t you? You care, you practiced, you’re a warrior, and you fought like one! Disappointment is a natural emotion, it even hurts, and that’s ok too. It’s not something that needs to be fixed. It is time that usually heals it. Disappointment can be equated to mourning a loss. Allow yourself the time to decompress, feel your feelings, and settle down. Paradoxically, by allowing yourself the disappointment you also allow yourself the opportunity to release and resolve the painful feelings. One of the things that makes victory so sweet, and motivates us so, is knowing the feeling and experience of disappointment.
2. One step closer: Believe it or not, you are actually one step closer to your goals! The great Babe Ruth used to say every time he struck out, “I’m one step closer to hitting a home run!” Babe would learn from being up at bat, and change his strategies every time he stepped up to the plate. You can do the same. Don’t forget, slumps fit in here too. It may look like you’re going nowhere, even backwards, but keep on plugging away and learning. Maybe the competition is getting stronger or the match-up is not as favorable. Remember the saying: it’s always darkest before dawn. In other words, the sun
rises after the darkest hour! Keep plugging away. That slump may be a major learning curve that just needs to be ridden out, much like a wave. And just beyond the wave is smooth sailing. Hang on…
3. Failure provides feedback: If you listen you become aware. Failures, setbacks and obstacles always throw us for a loop, but it’s the true champion that can readjust and glean valuable feedback. Feedback should be viewed without judgment and as a learning opportunity in which you can make changes and adapt, adjusting to the situation next time. Think about it Was there ever a great champion, individual or team, that didn’t learn from failures, setbacks and obstacles?
All great champions know why they are competing and use this big “Why” to get themselves back on track.
4. Reframe it! Simply stated, after you have decompressed ask yourself the basic questions. What’s another way to look at this loss or situation? How can I find something positive from it? What’s the lesson here? Even though you lost, what can you learn? And don’t forget, at some point; give yourself some credit for showing up and putting yourself on the line. How many others are competing with such a heart as yours?
5. Focus on the process, not the outcome. This is probably one of the most important points and the major one that all other points can probably be folded into. While you lost this performance it is another step toward your ultimate goal. The match gave you valuable experience and exposed you to the situational pressure of match play. This is highly valuable and can’t be duplicated in practice. Remember, all great champions have to pay their dues and earn their experience.
Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with the whole human athlete helping them to unleash their mental edge (heart.energy.spirit) through mindfulness, somatic psychology, animal wisdom and mental training skills. Rob is author of 2 best-selling books: Tennis Inside the Zone and Baseball Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He can be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, by e-mail rob@insidethezone.com, by visiting insidethezone.com, following on Instagram @insidethezone
Tennis Ratings: Pros and Cons
Tennis
players have always been ranked regionally, nationally, and internationally dependent on their age and tournament results. More recently, new rating systems have been developed to further understand the level of different players without necessarily even watching them play. Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) is the most accurate system as it uses the most advanced algorithm to differentiate the level of players based on their results. Its mission is to have players compete worldwide at their level, regardless of age and gender.
The pros and cons of UTR or other rating systems are as follows:
Pros
• Identifies a players’ level, regardless of location, so that players can register for level appropriate tournaments and practice sessions
• The more matches one participates in, the more accurate their rating becomes
• Provides a great way to track one’s progress over a period of time – 36 months and beyond
• Motivates players to have long term goals that they can work to achieve
Cons
• Hyper fixation on achieving a
By Ion Efrim
higher UTR or rating over a short period of time by parents and or players
• Tendency to become overly concerned about improving UTR rating as opposed to their actual game
• Players defining themselves by rating and think they should no longer practice with even slightly lower rated players
• Players expecting wins and losses based on ratings and, as a result, do not believe in potential victories or upsets
In conclusion, rating systems and, more specifically, UTR, are the best way to get to know a player that you’ve never seen play tennis. However, the most negative characteristic about any rating system is that it tends to make players lose sight of what is actually important, especially in practice. Unfortunately, most players that I see in tournaments and on the
practice courts are so focused on UTR ratings, that they actually believe practicing with a lower rated player is meaningless. Tennis is a sport where you have to compete with yourself every day in practice so that you are ready to beat other players in matches. Competing with yourself and improving your game have little to do with who is on the other side of the net. The best professional players in the world practice with juniors and players ranked much lower than them, and still find ways to improve. Rating systems, such as UTR, happen to be excellent additions to the modern tennis game, but they do have to be used properly. Players and parents need to understand that a player’s rating is a solid indicator of one’s level, but it does not define a player and should not be used in a vacuum. Tennis players should ultimately focus more on themselves by improving their games and competitiveness, rather than focusing on the results and ratings of others.
Ion Efrim is the Associate Director and Camp Director at SPORTIME Randall’s Island & the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Efrim was a top-ranked junior in his home country, as well as the European Champion in the Boys’ 14s Division. He spent his freshman year at the University of Texas in Arlington, and then transferred to Alabama State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Management in 2019. Efrim spent three summers at the SPORTIME/JMTA during college, before joining the team full-time as a tennis coach and the site's Tournament Director in 2020. He was promoted to Assistant Academy Director and Camp Director in 2022. He can be reached at iefrim@sportimeny.com.
WhenI began to coach tennis for a living there was definitely a lot to learn. Sure, I knew what a continental grip was, but how do you make sure your students have it when they are learning the serve? What kind of continental grip drills are appropriate to use during different developmental stages? What are the right things to suggest when the student is struggling with the grip?
The answers to these questions are just the tip of the iceberg when trying to develop someone’s serve properly. And the serve is just one stroke/aspect of the game!
It took a few years for me to get to the knowledge and experience level (obviously there is always more to learn) of how to coach the sport of tennis to a point where I had a clear blueprint of what I could do to help a player reach their goals.
However, once I reached that level of proficiency, I felt like something was still missing. It was difficult to put my finger on. The students I worked with were getting better technically and tactically, but didn’t seem as excited about it as I was. Sometimes they weren’t very engaged. So, I did some research and asked my colleagues for advice. The conclusion we came to was that I needed to work harder on truly connecting with my students.
What is it that makes them tick? What analogies can I make to tennis that would be easy for them to retain? When do I make jokes? How hard can I push them on a given day? When do I back off?
The list of these questions can go on forever and the answers are completely different for each individual. This makes the serve ‘iceberg’ seem tiny. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by these aspects of a student and keep track of them all. And it can be frustrating when your tactics to connect with them fail and you have to go back to the drawing board. However, once you figure out these ways to connect, coaching becomes much more successful and enjoyable for both coach and student. Then you combine your tennis knowledge with your connections with them, and the sky is the limit.
The Art of Coaching
By Daniel Bednarek
Whether its superheroes, TikTok vocabulary, or any other topic that interests them; it is worth the effort of figuring out how to use this power of connection to develop long-term student relationships.
It’s easy to look across the net and say ‘keep your eye on the ball’. A robot could do that all day. But to look across and see a puzzle of a student waiting to be connected: well, that unlocks a world of possibilities which makes our craft incredibly rewarding. Being a great coach is a form of art. And like any successful artist, you have to be open to constant evolving.
Daniel Bednarek is a tennis coach for CourtSense at Tenafly Racquet Club,and has been there full-time since 2009. He was an all-county player at Bergen Catholic High School and a nationally-ranked junior while training at CourtSense. He is a Cum Laude graduate of Bucknell University, with a degree in Business Administration, and he finished with the fifth most career wins in Bucknell history. Bednarek is certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at daniel.b@courtsense.com.
For more than 50 years we’ve been the year-round, full-service retail tennis, paddle, squash and pickle ball store of choice for East End racquet sport enthusiasts. Tennis East has an extensive in-stock selection of men’s, women’s and junior’s racquets, sneakers, apparel and accessories from the top manufacturers for players of all ages and skill levels. Please call or e-mail us at tenniseastsh@gmail.com to place orders SOUTHAMPTON l 73 Main Street l (631) 283-9535
Asa coach who spent over fifteen years on the court and taught over 15,000 children, ranging from ages 4 to 8, I have had the privilege of creating a big impact on their life. Being a coach for me was not just about teaching children how to play, or how to win, but more importantly, it was to love and respect the game. Once they love and respect tennis, it’s a matter of time before it becomes a gift that they want to keep.
In many cases, kids learn the basics in their backyards, whether it is playing catch with their dad or kicking the ball back and forth with their mom. This fun family experience gets them excited about the sport and helps them build teamwork. I play different sports myself and I was a very good soccer player.
After spending so many years teaching tennis, I found out why tennis is a gift for life for both children and adults. I have seen amazing things happen to so many children, such as developing engagement, productivity, and diligence because they want to improve. Most importantly, they become so successful in their life and in school, all because of the game of tennis. That’s the gift that I get to give as a coach, especially when they keep sharing with me their success playing high school/college tennis or when they become highly ranked players.
From R.O.G.Y juniors to highperformance players, parents want
the best for their children. They want them to be happy and healthy. They want them to learn skills that can help them become better people in life. I have seen many kids who were struggling in the beginning, but the fact that they didn’t care because they were having fun shows that it never bothers them. It may take them a while to get it. But because of their patience, they improve their game. All of a sudden, they become quick thinkers with split second reactions. The fact that they have to make their own decisions in games or matches will allow them to grow. That’s the greatest gift that an athlete can ask for.
Yes, there is a pathway that allows students to be able to move from one level to another. Within the USTA, there are many tools which embrace all levels of junior players, including Net Generation, Play Days, and Team Challenges. These offerings promote a healthy variety of welcoming competitions and opportunities for players to be exposed to a variety of different playing styles and strategies, helping them adapt to their opponents’ style of play. Here at the National Tennis Center, we welcome the opportunity to share
Nouri
The Gift of Life
By Nouri El-Hajjar
is
this welcoming gift of tennis in our Red, Orange, and Green Ball Programs.
Kids playing tournaments is not about winning trophies. It's a gift that they are able to play. They know ahead of time that they are going to play match play at the club, or play with their level or in a tournament at a different club. As competitors overcome their fears and improve their skills, they start to develop more confidence. Given enough time, almost all participants will eventually experience success in competition while also developing poise and overcoming their fear of performing in front of others.
Many studies have found that tennis makes you happier, healthier, and adds over 9 years to your life. It’s good for your bones and your balance as well, and it also makes you more agile with quicker reflexes. Plus, the fact that you are making your own choices improves your mental health. And all of these create a beautiful journey for children to bring passion and excitement into their daily life so they can become very successful in their professional careers.
So give them the Gift of Life. Give them tennis.
El-Hajjar
a Red Ball Specialist Coach at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and has been at the NTC since 2006. Before joining the USTA, he coached at the Haworth Country Club in New Jersey and the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Tennis in Massachusetts. Nouri regularly participates in the community outreach programs of the USTA Foundation. He enjoys contributing to the Arthur Ashe Kids Day, AMEX Fan Zone, and Queens Day during the U.S. Open; inspiring thousands of children to play and to develop a love of the game.
Summer Tennis Is Here
By Luke Jensen
U.S. Open Fan Week Is A Treat for Tennis Fans
TennisStars! Summer tennis is here and in full swing. The pro tour is down to the final major of the year as the tennis world arrives in the BIG APPLE, New York City for the U.S. Open!
Are you going? If experiencing one of the major championships is on your bucket list, the U.S. Open is a good one to enjoy!
The first thing you notice is the giant Arthur Ashe Stadium. Over 23,000 seats, Ashe is the largest tennis stadium in the world. There is so much to do with so many matches and practice sessions going on. I really enjoy the practices because it’s fun to see how the best in the world prepare to play great tennis. The times for all practices are on a video board and many find just hang in the practice court stands to see a behind the scenes view of the pro game.
One of the best values in pro tennis is the U.S. Open Fan Week. It is the week of qualifying and the week before the main draw begins. It’s the best value in tennis because admission is free and once you are on the grounds, there is so much going on. Qualifying is a very high level but the manic is the access to go into the big stadiums for free and watch all the tennis superstars practicing. Main draw players will practice two times a day so hanging courtside in a seat that usually costs
thousands of dollars is a wonderful thing the tournament offers fans. Last year Fan Week had over 150,000 attendees and a bigger audience is expected this year. There are also exhibitions, live music and player interactions throughout the week. I highly recommend heading to enjoy everything the U.S. Open has to offer the tennis fan!
Thoughts on Coaching Tennis
I have really enjoyed my coaching years and developing players to full potential. The very first aspect to be successful is to help the player compete better emotionally under pressure. I take a great amount of responsibility as a coach to help the player keep the emotional unforced errors low throughout the matches and practices. Connecting players with ways to fill their minds with positivity and approaches to keep negativity out is more important in my experience than any technical or tactical aspect of my coaching. It’s all important but advising and training a powerful mind will more matches and improve the game more than any other area of the game.
As a player with my siblings, we were
very fortunate to have parents that were both former athletes, high school teachers and coaches. Growing up in a competitive and a fun-filled environment helped shape our competitive way. The way was always about F.U.N! In all my years as a player and coach it always amazing how UNFUN the competitive sport of tennis can be. Knowing what I know now, the ability to have more fun than our opponents and enjoy practice sessions was the most powerful weapon the Jensen family brought to the tennis court as well as all the tennis travels. My advice to you is to find ways to make the toughest of matches and practices FUN! Playing music at practices always stayed in my brain when I would take the court. I constantly would play songs in my head that keep me loose and smiling. Think of the ways that you laugh and smile to enjoy the task at hand. Bring that to the court and give it a try. Allow yourself to try different things with going to the result but just stay in the point you’re about to play. I think you will find that your smile will bring out a quality of tennis you always had but we’re not able to bring out. It always worked for me and I’m positive it will work for YOU too!
Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete
currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or email lukejensen84@yahoo.com.
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
Specia expert Contin al events pract supervision uous developm ice sessions ment with life-lon Proven and co ng tennis playe success - crea mpetitions al events, pract ers happy, ting ,
