New York Tennis Magazine November / December 2023 by United Sports Publications

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

November/December 2023 • Volume 13, Number 6

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Table Of Contents

MAGAZINE

New York Tennis Magazine

Grand Gauff

New York Tennis Magazine

American star Coco Gauff shines in NYC —

1228 Wantagh Avenue, Suite 203 Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600

See page 14

Photo credit: Garrett Ellwood/USTA

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 Joey Arendt Art Director Marie Santora-Lent Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 Marie@usptennis.com

Highlights

At The Net w/ Gordon and Zen Uehling, CourtSense By Brian Coleman Ninth-Annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project Hamptons Pro-Am Raises $650,000 8 40-Love: After 40 Years of Growth, Future Stars Still Maintains Its Values By Brian Coleman 18 Beyond the Baseline: Lauren Trevor, The Farley Group 20 Centercourt’s Focus on Education Helps Coaches and Players 28 Top Juniors From Across The Globe Compete in “Little Mo” Events 32 2023 NYTM’s Coaches Roundtable 41 Chris Lewit Taking Spanish Method Teaching to The DR 52 2023 Holiday Gift Guide 4 7

Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Dr. Tom Ferraro Contributing Writer Rob Polishook Contributing Writer Barbara Wyatt Contributing Writer Interns Aryn Feldman Nyla Gershfeld Julia Isham Abby Kleiman

Brielle Marcus Sanam Mehta Saharsh Peddireddy Victoria Wroblewskii

Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue. Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.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.

PG 4

Features

PG 7

PG 18

PG 20

10 Building Confidence Within Yourself To Win! By Conrad Singh 13 Hoosac Boys Win First NEPSAC Title For First Time 22 Five Reasons Why Your Kid’s Practice Sucks By Chris Lewit 24 USTA Eastern Metro Region Update 30 Simple Musts For The Development of Very Young Players By Mike Barrell 40 The Gift Givers By Dr. Tom Ferraro 42 More Than An Athlete… By Rob Polishook 44 Why Do Tennis Coaches Matter By Armando Sandoval 45 Top Players, Celebrity Chefs Serve It Up at Gotham Hall for Citi Taste of Tennis NYC 46 Across Metro New York 48 The Guide to Choosing a Vacation Academy By Gilad Bloom 50 A Tale of Two Tennis Teams By Barbara Wyatt 51 Racquet Sport Report presented by adidas Pickleball 60 What Real Improvement Is By Jay Pinho 61 Big Data, Big Deal By Steve Kaplan 62 The Jensen Zone: Closing Out 2023 In Style By Luke Jensen 63 Adult League Wrap-Up By Cole Newsome 64 Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz New York Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Publications Ltd. • Copyright © 2023 United Sports Publications Ltd.

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at the

net By Brian Coleman

with

Gordon and Zen Uehling, CourtSense The person first, everything else is second. That is a mantra that Gordon Uehling believed in when he decided to embark and build his own tennis academy at the turn of the 21st century. A former hockey and tennis player himself, Uehling had always embraced the educational aspect of coaching. During his time spent competing on the ATP Tour, he was fortunate enough to come across some top tennis minds and was influenced by smart people in the industry, and wanted to take that knowledge and put it to good use. “Competing around the world for about seven years and playing in around 30 different countries allowed me to study the game and learn from some of the game’s great minds,” Uehling recalls. “I was always taking notes, and I ultimately knew that this is what I wanted to do, and I was lucky to be influenced by some incredible people.” So after his time on tour, Uehling decided to open up CourtSense, a tennis facility in New Jersey with the idea of creating a truly educational tennis experience. He teamed with famed Spanish coach Jose Igueras to develop many of the concepts, as well

as Dr. Jim Lehr, a renowned sports psychologist, who in tennis alone has worked with greats such as Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and Monica Seles, amongst others, to create the program’s overarching philosophies. “I grew up with dyslexia, which gave me a lot of compassion for learning, and I wanted to take that to sports,” he said. “I was gifted athletically and artistically growing up, but I found school challenging. I really wanted to create a process-driven concept, where you go from A to B to C, as opposed to

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

A to Z.” And so for the last 20 years, Uehling and CourtSense have become the home to many top junior tennis players. One of the key reasons for its success, according to Uehling, is the camaraderie between the coaches and directors, who remain on the same page, as well as its ability to combine all aspects of what it takes to develop an athlete. As Uehling says, “The Art of Coaching plus Sports Science equals Magic.” “What I found over the years is that a lot of great coaches don’t know a lot about the science, but the sports scientists don’t know a lot about coaching and dealing with people, so we wanted to bring all of that together,” he said. “I named our company CourtSense because I really wanted to emphasize that we use all of the senses in our teaching.” Uehling truly believes in connecting with the person, whether that’s a coach, player or parent, first and then everything else comes second. It’s about finding what the person is passionate about and going from there, which is how he approached the idea of getting his own children into tennis. One would think that someone who has been so heavily involved in tennis would push their own kids into the sport, but Uehling took the

opposite approach. It started with he and his wife, Rehana, and their oldest child, daughter Zia, who they put into tennis early on, but soon found out it wasn’t for her. “She’s 18-years-old now, but when Zia was around five, she whispered to her mom that she didn’t like tennis,” he said. “We thought, how can you not like tennis, you have all this access. But as I say to people that work for me, we are in the passion business, not the tennis business. I told Zia right away that she didn’t have to play tennis, but that we wanted her to find her passion and pursue that.” Their second child, son Zen, took an immediate liking to tennis. It began with him playing in a Teddy Tennis program when he was two-years-old, and was immediately in love with the sport. Once Zen found that passion for tennis, he and his father bonded over that shared love, and Zen can remember back to those early days. “He created these fun games for me to play with my friends. I didn’t realize it

at the time, but many of those games were helping me with my coordination and movement,” said Zen. “I have great memories of him setting up obstacle courses and mini-tennis in our living room…My mom was worried that we would wreck the house, but we were really careful.” With that passion and access to all the tennis resources he could want, Zen continued his tennis journey and took his training to CourtSense. But Gordon made sure not be an overbearing parent, or treat his son any different than other players in the programs. “I had the approach early on that I wanted to pull him along as opposed to pushing him. It was really about selfdiscovery and having him want to do it,” he said. “I never wanted to coach him or be his coach. I work with his coaches, and give them the power to either agree or disagree with me on things, I make sure not to dictate anything other than provide my opinion, and give the coaches the freedom to coach the best way they can.”

A key factor in that trust in his coaches come from that camaraderie he emphasized when he created CourtSense in the first place, ensuring that coaches and directors, no matter their backgrounds, are on the same page and have that open level of communication which is crucial in creating a consistent program. “CourtSense is a great place to train because they emphasize fundamentals, and all the coaches work from the same philosophy,” said Zen. “They created high performance groups that pushed me to get to the next level. CourtSense has a great competitive pathway for anyone that’s motivated to compete like me.” That hands-off approach has been crucial for Zen in finding that aforementioned motiviation as he continues to come into his own. “I think it’s good that my dad did not force me to play tennis, because I don’t think I would have loved the sport as much as I do today,” he admits. “He continued on page 6

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

at the net continued from page 5

never put an emphasis on winning or pressured me. He always talked about the journey and not the destination, and that my ability to have fun competing and working hard was the most important thing. He always focused on me more as a person, not as a tennis player.” Now at 15-years-old, Zen is one of the top-ranked players in his age group, currently inside the Top 20 in the Eastern Section and the Top 150 nationally. He still has room to grow, both in terms of his physical stature and his mental tennis approach, but as he continues that process-based outlook on his tennis, his future is extremely bright. “I’m a late bloomer physically, so I realize that I have to be patient in this whole process,” said Zen. “My short term goal is to get stronger physically by working hard on my fitness. I’m just

starting to play ITF tournaments in the Dominican Republic with a great team. I’m working toward getting a world ranking on the ITF Junior Tour as soon as possible.” Zen has a strong desire to be the best possible tennis player he can be, and has the work ethic and resources available to make that happen. Through the connections his father has made during his time as a pioneer in the tennis industry, Zen and his father have been able to share some amazing experiences together including earlier this fall at the 2023 U.S. Open. Gordon has been friends with Novak Djokovic for years now, and Gordon and Zen were in Djokovic’s player box during some of his matches, and even got to celebrate his championship victory afterwards as well.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Being able to see greatness and the unrelenting work ethic of someone like Djokovic can have a profound impact on a young player and should only add to Zen’s motivation as he continues through his tennis journey. He has dreams of moving on to play college tennis and climbing the NCAA rankings before making a push to play professional tennis. The Uehling tennis dynamic is a unique one, and Gordon’s desire to always put the person first not only applies to the business he runs at CourtSense, but the way he approached his son’s tennis career. With his own self-realized passion for tennis, and the work ethic to continue improving, Zen is the perfect representative of the type of tennis academy Gordon set out to build decades ago.

Ninth-Annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project Hamptons Pro-Am Raises $650,000

Pro Am Winners: Adam Sklar & Gui Medeiros

Pro Am Runners Up: Dave Eisenberg & Dylan Breen

Pro Am Rose Flight Winners (Rose Flight is the Nonadvancing flight): Amy Kline & Josep Baro

Jim Courier, James Blake, Rennae Stubbs, Andrea Petkovic, Mats Wilander, and Christina McHale. The courts came alive with intense matches that showcased the blend of skill and passion that defines tennis. The tournament’s structure consisted of 8 flights: the Legends Flight showcased tennis icons, while the Non-advancing Flight allowed players to participate without the pressure of advancement. The 6 Regular Flights delivered intense doubles play, with 12-minute rounds and a unique scoring system that ensured fairness and excitement. But the event wasn’t just about competition; it was a celebration of tennis camaraderie. Spectators relished in thrilling matches while enjoying delectable food and refreshing drinks.

The JMTP Pro Am After Party extended the festivities, featuring an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and music by DJ David Katz. The night also included a meaningful live auction, with ticket proceeds benefiting the Johnny Mac Tennis Project.In a nutshell, the 2023 JMTP Tennis Pro Am Tournament encapsulated the essence of tennis excellence, camaraderie, and giving back. As the sun set on a day of remarkable sportsmanship and connection, it marked another successful chapter in the event’s legacy of providing game changing tennis opportunities for inner city kids and communities and promoting aspiring tennis players. For more information or to get involved with the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, visit www.jmtpny.org.

he John McEnroe Foundation’s Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) PRO AM event at SPORTIME Amagansett raised a record $650,000 in one day, besting the previous record of $600,000. It is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, with all proceeds going towards the foundation’s mission of transforming young lives by removing the economic, racial and social barriers to success through tennis. Founded by Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe, JMTP introduces tennis to thousands of under-resourced New York City area children, particularly those living in East Harlem and the South Bronx. The tournament featured a starstudded lineup of 128 pro and amateur players, including tennis legends John and Patrick McEnroe,

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

40-Love:

After 40 Years of Growth, Future Stars Still Maintains Its Values By Brian Coleman

ere in New York, parents have an abundance of options on where they choose to send their children for camp each summer, and that abundance includes an array of tennisspecific camps. Because of this, standing out amongst the pack is imperative for any camp. For the last several decades, Future Stars Camps has done just that, establishing a culture that has not only been successful in terms of developing great tennis players, but also in creating a family-like environment that keeps generations of people coming back each year. Future Stars has been around for more than 40 years, and began with one single camp at Manhattanville College, with only about a dozen campers that first year. The following year, global soccer star Pele ran a soccer camp at the same location which attracted hundreds of kids, but he did not run the camp the following year, which was when Future Stars picked up the mantle. The rest is history, and now Future Stars operates nearly 30 different programs at seven locations throughout New York. No matter how large Future Stars has become, the relationships between the staff and the campers and their families remains at the heart of what makes Future Stars successful. Whether it’s the directors, the counselors or the campers themselves, they all rave about the welcoming nature of Future Stars, and how that breeds familiarity and comfortability year-after-year. At the core of that is Camp Director Pablo

Montesi, who has been at the healm for nearly two decades. “For me, it all actually starts with owner Charlie VanDercook, who trained many of the coaches and counselors, including myself,” said Montesi. “I worked with him closely, and then began running the camp myself. I think having the same director here helps with establishing a standard and maintaining consistency.” That standard and consistency has been at the core of Future Star’s success, as despite its massive growth and numerous locations, it has not abandoned the values that make it what it is. That is evident when you look at those who attended the camp, many of whom move on to become counselors in training and then counselors when they become old enough. By establishing essentially a pathway from camper to counselor, that consistency remains intact. “I had such good relationships with the counselors when I was younger and coming here as a camper,” said Ava Azulei, who is 15-years-old and is now a counselor. “Even ones that don’t work here anymore, I still stay in touch with them, and I’m very close with all the counselors here, and those relationships are very special to me.”

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

For Azulei, the transition of moving from a camper to a counselor was made easy because of the staff there. “I feel like it was a seamless transition. I saw how my counselors did it when I was a camper, and I used that to help me prepare to become a counselor and follow in their footsteps,” she added. “The campers here are also really wellbehaved and nice, very respectful, and it makes it such a great experience.” The Future Stars staff is comprised of people from all over the world which helps foster a diverse environment where everybody’s voice is heard, and that goes a long way in developing a report with its clientele. This collection of talented staff bring their own attributes and strengths to the table, and when they come together under the Future Stars umbrella, a truly supportive environment is formed. “For a lot of us as international students, we come here to play college tennis and are used to being a part of a vast mix of people, and working together as a team” said Tjasa Jerse, one of the directors under Montesi. “We all come with different personalities and speak different languages, but we come here to work for the same goal. That comes from the top down and Pablo really sets that example. We share the same values and have the same goals, and everybody is able to bring their own piece to the puzzle. Even though we have a large number of kids across so many different locations, we maintain that personal connection to our campers, we know their names and their parents’ names, and I think that goes a long way towards families

trusting us with their kids.” That environment has proven to be successful both in terms of developing top tennis players but also in bringing tennis to their campers in a way that makes them want to continue playing for years to come. Nine-year-old Lucas added: “I’ve been playing tennis since I was about threeyears-old. My favorite shot to hit is the drop shot. Coach Lucas is my favorite here, he speaks Portuguese like I do.” “It’s not only our job to teach forehands and backhands, but really help these kids develop and create a connection to the sport of tennis they can use for a lifetime,” said Jimmy Merah. “They are able to make friends and that’s important, because it makes the campers want to continue coming back year-after-year, and also leads to the campers eventually wanting to become counselors and counselors-intraining. They enjoyed it so much that it’s an environment they want to work in when they get older, and that helps maintain our values here at Future Stars.” Between the top level of instruction but also the family-like atmosphere,

Future Stars has a stellar reputation which has existed for nearly half a century. While Montesi and his staff maintain a standard and consistency, they are always looking to evolve and improve as times change, something they do well. Just this last summer, they began running UTR tournaments at their facilities, and are planning on doing more as we head into the winter months. Future Stars also hosts parent-child tournaments multiple times throughout the course of camp, and launched its own singles tournaments for its campers. One of its winners, James Crespi,

a six-year-old, said: “The tournaments are my favorite part of camp,” he said. “If I could play one person in the world it would be Novak Djokovic. I think I could beat him.” That confidence is an important aspect of tennis development, and its these sorts of memories that Future Stars helps create for its campers, and that they plan on continue doing for years to come. “We’re excited about what we have been able to build here, and look forward to maintaining that consistency as we move forward,” Montesi added. “We are always adjusting and trying to see what’s new to give our campers the best possible experience. We aren’t dead set in our ways, we’re always evolving and innovating, and always trying different ways to help our staffers accommodate different levels of players, and give them an unforgettable summer camp experience, and provide them a positive connection to tennis.” Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Building Confidence Within Yourself to Win!

By By Conrad Conrad Singh Singh

t’s no secret that confidence is the one defining factor of winners and those who remain at the top. Confidence seems to be the reason the ball drops in when it should not, that luck is on your side and that you can come back from behind and always believe in your ability to win. Have you ever wondered why players who have a great come-frombehind-win or who get over the line in a long, tough, tight battle tend to carry their momentum for a number of weeks or in tournaments afterwards? It all comes down to the magical feature named “Confidence” which, believe it or not, is all developed behind closed doors away from the competitive stage. Confidence, put simply, is that belief that you can and will do what you have set out to achieve. Research has proven that it is the one key component that separates the best from the rest. Top players at all levels do not hope or wish to be successful– rather, they are absolutely convinced in their ability to succeed. The question then must be asked: How do these players develop the complete ability to believe they are going to win? Is this something they are simply born with? Or is it something that is trained and trainable? The answer is that no one is born with confidence and it is completely trainable with daily routines. Leading sports psychologists have noted that superstar athletes in a 10

variety of sports, at the very peak of their performances, understand the importance that confidence plays in their performance. When athletes feel confident, they are more relaxed and thus feel less pressure. They remain calmer under stress and have a tendency to solve problems more intelligently. We have all heard that tennis is a mental sport, and according to Jimmy Connors, it is 95 percent played in the mind. We have read that the longest distance in tennis is the 15 centimeters between the ears. So what do we do to ensure that we are competitionready with confidence to spare and wearing a bulletproof vest when we go out to compete? For high-performance players, how do we prepare to get ready for a competitive phase? Confidence comes from repetition We know that repetition is the mother of all skill development. Confidence is no different. Whether our players are training in the areas of physical skill development and biomechanical proficiency or off-court rehearsal, it must be deliberate and planned in order for the players to have clarity and then repeated again and again under stress to be able to expect the response to come out when needed. Putting a player into a stressful situation off the court to learn how to respond to situations teaches routines and rituals that allow for the

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

automated response to emerge when under pressure. The legendary Nick Bollettieri is renowned for waiting for his players to find that point of complete self-stress before he steps in with his words of wisdom. It is that time when the player is prepared to learn and make changes. The military and police force all train under stressful situations to be able to click into automation when the “real life” moments arrive. Competitive tennis training should be no different. Other sports which are considered dangerous do the same thing. I was recently speaking with an America’s Cup Captain—who trains with his team of 12 seamen to cross the scariest and deepest oceans in freezing weather in the middle of the night. They simulate the responses by having to get up in the middle of the night and do routine development in the dark in a deep swimming pool. Developing confidence in tennis is no different to many other disciplines which require deliberate practice and rehearsal away from the competitive environment to master the mental skills needed. The skill of being confident is developed through: • Repetition under different circumstances in various environments • Committing to off-the-court reading, studying and work, both alone and with your coaches … becoming a student of the game.

• Recognizing and taking responsibility for the mental side of your game, including developing emotional control strategies and mental plans. • Deliberate work on those components which need to be improved upon. This requires being honest with yourself, which can be difficult to discuss with support circles. • Practice, repetition: Repeat this cycle over and over again until confidence becomes an ingrained natural skill, which will take time to achieve. Some other key things to work on to develop confidence into a natural part of your character include … • Planning: Know your own strengths and weaknesses and be clear on what you are working on in various sessions. Set performance goals and map out a

pathway to achieve those goals. • Evaluation: Where are you currently at? What needs to change, and by being honest with yourself, what are you actually feeling under pressure? Ask yourself … are you doing everything within your control to develop in all possible areas or are you spending too much time in too few areas like hitting? Never undervalue self-practice time away from coaches. • Review: Analyze your training, coaching, technical skills, tactical knowledge and preferences, as well as game style, personal characteristics, nutritional habits, physical programs, recovery, off the court study, and match watching or charting. • Your beliefs: Are your beliefs helping you reach goals or are they blocking you from achieving them? Remember, beliefs either turn your dreams (or nightmares) into reality.

You have the power to choose your beliefs and what you believe! • Self-talk: Do you train your inner voice (the one inside your head) to say the right things? Do you handwrite your thoughts and are you honest about keeping a training diary recording by hand your internal voice? We must learn to turn the negative inner voice to a positive. Self-talk has a direct correlation to your outcomes. The power of positivity is something that is a challenge to some personalities, but we must challenge ourselves to stay positive in everything we do! • Goals: Set mini-goals to keep yourself on track and to ensure you are learning to achieve the stages. Each time you successfully achieve a mini-goal, it will certainly grow your confidence. • See, feel and hear: Using continued on page 12

CENTERCOURT FULL L TIME

TENNIS A C ADEMY Y •W Wo orld Class Coaching Stafff and Facilities • Full Day Training with On Sit S e Qualiﬁed Teachers • Complete Training & Comp petition Dev ve elopment planning • On Going Parent / Player meetings as needed • Own Choice of A Ac cademic Programs supported • Training, Competitive, Coaching & Academic Needs in one location • Cutting Edge Mental T To oughness Program • Specialized Video Analysis & Supervised Match Play • Domestic and Internationa al Trav ve el teams for UST TA A, ITF ev ve ents • Only 25 Miles f rom NYC witth Housing and Transport Av va ailable • Renowned Toughest Playgr g ound in the Northeast

NICK SA AMIR MICHAEL L KOTZEN BAN NERJEE J ZHENG 2021 Winter National Hard Court Champion

Conta act Conrad Singh conrad@centercourtclub.com m • +1 862-308-3029 www.centercourtCTA TA .com

Wim mbledon J Junior Cha ampion 2021

US Open Junior Competitor

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

building confidence within yourself to win continued from page 11

visualization can help to create match situations and responses. It’s been shown that players who lack confidence visually tend to see their fears as opposed to the dream. As opposed to confident players who will see, hear and feel winning shots, anticipate movements and can conquer those challenging moments in their mind before they actually are real. Meditation and visual rehearsal are proven to work. Remember that fear really means “False Events Appearing Real.” • Always act like a champion: “Fake it ‘til you make it” as we say, but acting the right way certainly goes a long distance in being the right way when it counts. Remember that body language can be a huge

factor in intimidation tactics, either for you or against you. You need to maintain your posture, keep the eyes up and look for a way. “Look up and you will find a way–look down and that is where you will stay!” Confidence is the one thing that can change everything. Get to work on developing these skills both on and off the court today! Conrad Singh is the CEO at Centercourt Tennis Academy in New Jersey. He has recruited and developed team of coaches who have produced two junior Wimbledon

finalists and one champion, as well as countless athletes competing at the highest college levels. Singh is a renowned Biomechanist with degrees in Sports Science and Education. As a Grand Slam Master Coach at over 50 Grand Slams, he has a passion for Elite Player Development. Singh is a former National Coach that is heavily involved in Coach Education and holds Elite credentials from Australia, Europe and USA. He is a regular Keynote Speaker at Global Coaches Conferences and currently has multiple Touring Professionals for whom he is a Specialist Coach and Advisor.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Hoosac Boys Win First NEPSAC Title for First Time

ith New York serving as perhaps the world’s greatest melting pot, there are many prominent private schools in the greater-metropolitan area that include students from an array of different counties, backgrounds and cultures. One of those is the Hoosac School in upstate New York, and using that diverse cast of players, it made history earlier this year. This past spring, the boys’ varsity tennis team from the Hoosac School did something no other team in program history had done: win the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Championship. The boys from the Hoosac School, which resides in Hoosick, New York, just west of the border of Vermont, upended the five-time defending champions from Roxbury Farms in the finals to capture the title. The team was led by a number of seniors, and they came into the season more motivated than ever. “They were very hard-working kids,” said head coach Virginia Gilory. “Most of the boys on the team this past year were seniors, and have been here for a couple of years. It was their last year, and they knew they had to work extra hard and fight if they wanted to make it count, especially as they try to impress potential college coaches. These guys really wanted it, and I think that helped a lot. We have very hard-working and serious kids who are extremely talented, and putting that all together helped us to go all the way.” Gilroy has been at the helm of both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams at

Hoosac since December 2021, and brought her expansive experience both as a player and coach to the program. A native of Brazil, she came to the United States on a full scholarship to Concordia College here in New York. After competing at the top of the lineup during her career, she took over as the Women’s Tennis coach at Concordia shortly after graduating. She would coach there for a few years before being hired as the first woman to work in the athletic department at the very prestigious country club: Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, where she would become the head pro. Gilroy eventually headed back to Brazil to open her own tennis academy there which she operated for nearly three decades before making the decision to return to the United States and get back into coaching team tennis. That is when she was hired by the Hoosac School, and that depth of experience is an important aspect of Gilroy connecting with her players,

many of whom are international players who come from a whole host of different backgrounds. “The fact that they come from different countries and cultures makes it extremely special,” she said. “No matter where you come from, work ethic needs to be the same, and these kids know that when they get here. The melting pot is so rich here, and it’s an important experience for them to get both on and off the court.” The school itself has been extremely supportive of the tennis team, and that is something that Gilroy is grateful for. “The empowerment that the institution gives me as a coach is amazing, and it has really helped these kids,” she said. “About three years ago, we got brand new courts. The headmaster is genuinely in it for the kids, and the administration’s doors are always open. I tell the kids it is because of them; if they continue to work hard, do the right things, and earn good grades, why would they say no. I tell them to continue doing their part, and the school will always invest in this team.” That investment has helped elevate Hoosac to the 2023 NEPSAC Champions. Next up now is attempting to bring home the championship with the girls’ team, who lost in the championship match to Dover last season. “The girls were runner-ups last year, but we’re ready for it this season,” Gilroy added. “We have a great team and great girls. But it’s going to take work. Just as we work on recruiting and having good people in place, the other schools do the same, we have to make sure we are prepared and ready.”

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Grand Gauff

American star Coco Gauff shines in NYC By Brian Coleman

“New York City is the city where dreams are made of.” Those were the final words spoken by Coco Gauff as she finished up her championship press conference at the U.S. Open. Just hours before, the American teenager completed a three-set comeback in the U.S. Open Women’s Singles final. On the final point, Gauff put on full display her elite athleticism and unrelenting effort. When her opponent, Aryna Sabalenka, came to net and hit a great volley, Gauff sprinted across the court and hit a running backhand winner down the line. As she watched the ball go past Sabalenka and land safely inside the court, the 19-year-old American dropped to the ground and began sobbing on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court as her dream was realized. “Oh my goodness, it means so much to me,” Gauff said in her post-match interview. “I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. But I realized God put you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could have imagined.” Gauff referenced her defeat to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 French Open final as a pivotal turning point in her career and how she approached Grand Slam matches. “I don’t know if they caught it on camera, but I watched Iga lift up that trophy and I watched her the whole time. I said, I’m not going to take my eyes off her, because I want to feel what that felt like for her. That felt like craziness today lifting this trophy. It hasn’t sunken in.” That defeat last spring unleashed a different Gauff, and helped elevate her from a young player with Grand Slam potential, to an undeterred competitor who knew she could win a Grand Slam. It’s been a fast climb for Gauff, who went from budding young star, a teenage phenom just a few years ago, to now one of the premier players on the women’s tour. And she now has the hardware to back it up. continued on page 16

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

grand gauff continued from page 14

“It’s been a long journey to this point, I wasn’t a fully-developed player, and I still think I have a lot of development to go at that moment,” Gauff reflected. “I think people were putting a lot of pressure on me to win. I felt that at 15 I had to win a Slam at 15. I think that was…a little bit of pressure that I was feeling. Now I just realize that I just need to go out there and try my best. I t was to the point where I remember I lost when I was 17, and there was a stat that said she’s not going to win a Slam before Serena’s age. It was stuff like that that I felt like I had a time limit on when I should win one, and if I won one after a certain age it wouldn’t be an achievement. It’s just crazy the amount of things that I have heard or seen about myself, but I’m really happy with how I’ve been able to manage it all.” Gauff articulated perfectly the type of unfair pressure she felt when she first burst onto the scene at just 15-years-old, and how that affected how she approached her matches, 16

but in more abstract terms, her career as a whole. She credits the ability to overcome the pressure put on her to her upbringing and specifically her family, who have helped keep her grounded throughout these years. “My mom always reminds me that I’m a person and I’m human, and that this tennis thing is just what I do, but it’s not who I am,” she said. “I think that helped me today because I realize regardless if I came home with this trophy or not, I’m still a human person and I still do a lot of good in this world outside of the court, so I think that reminded me. I think in the past I would label myself as a tennis player, and I felt like if I didn’t do well in tennis it means I wasn’t a good person. It took a lot of growth to realize the opposite.” That maturity is something we have come to expect from Gauff, and it’s sometimes hard to imagine someone who is so young has such a strong perspective on things. And that has gone a long way in her finding

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

sustained success on the court. Prior to the U.S. Open, Gauff played the best tennis of her career during the summer. She captures titles in both Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, which set the stage for her run in New York City. And in her run, she was forced to dig deep and demonstrate those life lessons she has learned and apply it to her tennis. She dropped the opening set in two of her matches en route to the final, including her opening round match, and then proceeded to struggle in the opening set against Sabalenka in the championship. But Gauff was not going to let that get her down, and instead flipped the script on the match against Sabalenka. “The biggest thing my grandfather says is, ‘Never say die’. I was telling myself that I wasn’t going to give up after the first set. I have come too far to do that,” she said. “My parents and my dad dream big, and he has a shirt today that said ‘Imagine’. I don’t know if he was wearing it during the match,

but he showed me after the match. He showed me that imaginations can come true. It’s not always just the image in your head, you can make it a reality.” And she certainly did make it a reality. All of that pressure, hard work, belief, determination and perspective have helped Gauff achieve one of her childhood dreams. In doing so, she became the youngest American to win the U.S. Open since one of her idols, Serena Williams, won it back in 1999, and moved into a career-high ranking of third in the world. Gauff has come a long way since she stunned Venus Williams at Wimbledon at just 15-years-old, and is now in possession of a Grand Slam title. Gauff has everything she needs to maintain her spot at the top of the game, physically and mentally. On and off the court, Gauff provides the American public with a new superstar they can be proud of and root for years to come.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

BEYOND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND

beyondthebaseline

Lauren Trevor, The Farley Group

ere in the Northeast, it’s almost that time when the outdoor tennis season goes into hibernation, with the area’s players moving indoors to escape the brutal winter months that lie ahead. And that means for the local clubs and facilities, it’s time to put up those tennis bubbles that are of such importance, and for years, many clubs not just locally but also worldwide have turned to The Farley Group to ensure their bubble and dome needs, relying on the company’s unmatched expertise and dedication to servicing its clients. New York Tennis Magazine sat down with The Farley Group’s CEO and President, Lauren Trevor, to discuss the company’s commitment and the services 18

By Brian Coleman it provides. “Customer service and open communication are of paramount importance to us. We view our customers as partners, and maintaining a strong, ongoing relationship with them is fundamental to our approach.” That approach has made The Farley Group one of the leaders in the industry globally, and is the reason it has been the go-to-company for nearly 1,000 projects across the world. Ralph Farley, the company’s namesake, brought his concept of creating partnerships with his customers to North America when he arrived here from Sweden more than 50 years ago, and the current team continues that mission to this day.

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“What sets us apart from the competition is our dedication to design, technology and customer satisfaction. We take pride in our long-standing industry leadership and the quality of our products and services. Our commitment to providing the best products and ensuring an excellent customer experience makes us stand out.” All of that is at the core of what has made The Farley Group the leaders in its industry, and the choice of many clubs for their airsupported structures, and that includes some right here in New York. That list includes Stadium Tennis Center in the Bronx and Sportime Randall’s Island in Manhattan, as well as some challenging locations to build domes on top of such as the top of a multistory parking structure in New York City, and

OND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE BASELINE

Roosevelt Island beneath the Queensboro Bridge. The Farley Group also takes pride in its responsibilities to its customers and partners, but also its place in the world and its obligations as a corporation, which includes a commitment to corporate responsibility and diversity. Lauren Trevor is a shining example of this, the first woman to be both the CEO and President of the company, highlighting its dedication to gender diversity and empowerment. It has also helped provide funding to the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which is dedicated to transforming young lives by removing economic, racial and social barriers to success through tennis. “This project reflects our commitment to community development and sports accessibility.” And The Farley Group isn’t committed to diversity simply for the sake of it. Instead, it truly believes that creating an environment of that kind moves it forward and helps it best serve the needs of its partners, while also understanding its duty

as a brand. “Our core belief is that diversity fosters innovation and creativity, making us a stronger, more reflective workforce of the communities we serve. Corporate responsibility is ingrained in our ethos, exemplified by our significant investments in eco-friendly lighting, focus on energy efficiencies and digital transformation efforts. These initiatives maximize efficiency and innovation while minimizing our environmental impact, contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future.” And so as The Farley Group continues to drive forward and look to the future, it will do so with the needs of its partners in mind, and doing what it can to serve the communities in which it is working. With the winter months ahead, air-supported structures and domes, not just for tennis facilities but for all multi-sport locations, are a must. The Farley Group does not take a onesize-fits-all approach to its work, and adapts its services and expertise to

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE whatever project its working on. “We work closely with our partners to design a solution that not only meets your requirements, but also maximizes efficiency, longevity and sustainability. The key is understanding your specific needs and objectives, whether it’s for sports, recreation or other purposes.” It’s precisely that dedication which has allowed the company’s founders followed by The Farley Group to remain at the forefront of its industry for a half-century, and with its reputation worldwide, it hopes to continue that success for another half-century. As a corporation, it takes pride in not only providing its partners with the best service, but does so while also being committed to diversity and inclusion. The Farley Group has been the trusted name in domes and air-supported structures for many locations right here in New York City and provides an essential aspect of the crucial indoor season in our tennis community. “Our goal is to ensure that every customer feels supported and valued throughout their journey with The Farley Group.”

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Centercourt’s Focus on Education Helps Coaches and Players World-famous tennis coach Simon Wheatley visits Centercourt to work with coaches, players and parents By Brian Coleman

he goal of any tennis coach is to maximize the experience of their students and players, and help their clientele develop the proper skills that will help them develop. That requires a commitment to teaching but also the ability to adapt and evolve as coaches and not be opposed to learning new ways to do so. With that in mind, the Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy relishes the role of having their team of coaches learn from not only each other, but also experts coming in from the outside. This past fall, the academy brought in one of the world’s foremost experts in tennis consulting, Simon Wheatley, who has a long track record of developing both players and coaches. “I think it’s a great thing that under Conrad’s leadership, Centercourt

embraces the idea of bringing in external consultants, and having his team learn from people who go around the world helping academies, federations, players, parents, etc.” said Wheatley. “By doing so you can

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

gain insights from around the world and share the best practices. If you can increase the performance of his team, then the players will get better, the members will be happy and the parents will feel more fulfilled.” That leadership comes from Centercourt Tennis Academy CEO Conrad Singh, who came to Centercourt with his own rich background in tennis coaching and development in many stops around the world, including Australia, China, Japan, Spain and more. That international approach and collaboration is an integral part of Singh’s approach at Centercourt, and is demonstrated in his desire to have his team always learning from the best. “My question is always, ‘who is coaching the coaches?’ and ‘who is mentoring the leaders?’, explains Singh. “Of course, we do this

extremely well internally. However, to have a global leader like Simon Wheatley come to our facilities and spent multiple hours with the coaches is invaluable.” That is the ultimate goal, after all, to always be improving as coaches and making sure the drills and lessons being taught to players, of all levels, are better than the ones done in the past. Wheatley brought his extensive background to the Centercourt team. Since 2007, he has served as the Coach Education Manager for the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the author of two best-selling coaching books, and has trained more than 10,000 coaches throughout 40 different countries. His visit to Centercourt consisted of multiple facets, beginning with demonstrating a variety of drills that can be used to truly maximize the time on court, and get the most out of every single lesson, as opposed to trying to extract as many lessons as you can out of a player or member. Some of those drills included three-toone serving drills, with three servers on the baseline and one returner, and from that you run through a number of different things. This creates a lesson where the players are constantly moving, and allows you to take a lot of serves in the drill. “I really focused a lot on poaching skills for doubles and net play for singles,” Wheatley explained. “Then I moved more into the return of serve and serve drills to show how you can create a lot of high-volume and highrepetition exercises.” That was at the heart of Wheatley’s demonstration to the coaches during the early stages of the day: creating lessons where players hit lots of balls. That may sound simple and obvious, but oftentimes, there is too much time spent on ball collection and chasing during lessons. Wheatley then worked with Centercourt’s full-time academy players both on and off the court, with the emphasis on explaining to

them the standards and work ethic required of players around the world, and how they can reach their potential within tennis. “What’s been really great is seeing the coaches taking notes and filming the drills while I show them,” said Wheatley. “It demonstrates that they are really open to outside people coming in and learning from them. I’m a stranger to most of these people, but as coaches, it’s important that we can all learn from each other and improve. Centercourt has created a great environment to learn under, and I do look forward to coming back because of that reason.” Rounding out the day was a seminar with parents of the academy’s players, where Wheatley spoke about different global pathways that exist as well how juniors can reach their potential while fielding questions from the parents. Centercourt takes great pride in its ability to best prepare its coaches inhouse, but they are not afraid to bring in experts like Wheatley to add to that, which illustrates its dedication to the players and club members that it serves. “The injection of energy, passion and the reinvigoration of our teams ideas keeps everyone fresh,” said Singh. “We have seen that each time we bring in an outside expert, our coaches begin to exchange more ideas and are working very well

together on court. They become more creative by seeing how many ideas the top experienced educators possess.” That culture stems from Centercourt’s Managing Partner Clay Bibbee, who Singh says has the foresight and desire to bring in the world’s leading educators to further the education of its coaches, which in turn trickles down to the players. “What I would ask of these players is that they go out and play around with the drills we went over, and see what works best for them. Nothing is better than trial-and-error,” said Wheatley. “Some of the coaches work in the mini-tennis space, some in high performance, and some in the adult market space, so it varies. But if they can play around with these ideas, and mold and adapt them for their own players to see if it increases the enjoyment of their players tennis experiences, that, at the end of the day, is the ultimate goal.” Coaching is an ever-changing art form, and it’s important that coaches and instructors in our industry are always willing to grow and improve. Centercourt has embraced that notion and integrated it into the education of its coaches and directors. “Our culture at Centercourt embraces the fact that education is a lifelong pursuit,” said Singh. “ And we encourage all of our team members to be the same.”

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Five Reasons Why Your Kid’s Practice Stinks By Chris Lewit

ne of the biggest reasons your kid may not be improving is that his or her practice is not optimal. There can be a lot of reasons why a player’s practice is not working to provide the necessary stimulus needed to develop quickly and efficiently. In this article, I will discuss five common reasons that practices fail.

1. Coach Talks Too Much Some coaches just cannot help themselves. They need to talk, talk, talk. There is nothing worse than a coach who loves to hear their own voice all the time. Kids need to maximize their practice time and get a

good workout. Coaches who talk too much interrupt the flow of a group lesson and make a class less physical. Good practices should be very physical, and the coach should restrain himself or herself to giving only necessary commentary and critiques as much as possible. Here in New York, time is a valuable commodity. Kids are very busy. Students have lots of homework. Commutes are long. We simply don’t have the luxury of spending valuable time in a class talking too much. Kids need to work, hustle, grind and sweat. Coaches can save the in-depth critiques for a debrief session or meeting with kids and parents after

class is finished. Water breaks and ball pickups should also be performed in a time-efficient manner! Many coaches waste so much time during ball pickups and water breaks that a significant portion of the lesson is lost. 2. Bad level It’s vital to have the best level possible in your kid’s class. Everyone wants to “play up,” so this makes running a class or academy program very challenging. If you want your kid to get better, he or she needs to play with strong players at the same or better level. Occasionally it may be useful to “play down” against a lower level kid to work on handling pressure or to work on a new technique or strategy—but not too often. Don’t believe it when a coach tells you the level doesn’t matter or that your kid is in the right class, even though he or she is the best one. Being the best one often means your kid is helping the lower level ones get better. Many times I recommend private hitting to escape this level trap. Parents stuck with kids in a suboptimal group can get private hitting sessions with good college players, for example, to provide more challenge. 3. Too Much Or Too Little Technique Some clubs and programs work on a lot of technique. That’s a problem if your kid already has good form. It’s a waste of time to drill and focus on technique

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

details that are already formed. On the other hand, many programs don’t work on any technique. Those types of group classes are a disaster for kids who still need technical development. As time passes, bad technique becomes more and more ingrained in this type of program and the kids can develop recalcitrant bad habits and major technical flaws in their game. The best approach is a flexible program that can customize the training for your child by providing a mix of good technical and tactical instruction. Unfortunately, many programs are rigidly tactical or technical using a dogmatic approach rather than tailoring the training plan to the actual needs of each individual player. 4. No Serving, Returning, Or Set Play One of the worst mistakes in tennis coaching is leaving serving practice to the last 10 minutes of a lesson or group. This is a very common method of arranging a practice and it fails to give enough priority or time to developing what is arguably the most important shot in the modern game. In addition, many practices neglect the return of serve. Players can often go weeks in clinics with very little serving or returning. The kids often play baseline points or participate in

drills. While there is a place for baseline points and drills, practicing points with serving and returning is paramount. Related to the importance of serving and returning, players need to play sets—preferably every day. Set play is critical for players to develop match toughness and strategy for tournaments. Many kids just play team singles or some kind of baseline points all week. Then they wonder why they never feel prepared for weekend tournaments where serving, returning and set play competence is required. 5. Bad Ratio A parent recently expressed frustration to me that her player’s high performance class was not working well because it had six players on the court. Apparently, the club “needed to get makeups in.” That kind of ratio is a development killer. I told the parent to find a new program—fast. In Spain, over the last four decades, legendary coaches like Luis Bruguera and Pato Álvarez developed a training system with two players per court and coach.

That ratio provides a tremendous quality to the player and helps to accelerate development. I fell in love with this approach when I first started studying in Spain, nearly 20 years ago. Look for a ratio of two to three players per court and coach and you will see higher quality workouts and better progress for your player. Four or more players per court is typical in NY to save money but will not provide a world-class training environment in most instances. Conclusion There are many more reasons why your kid’s practice may suck. The five above are the ones that are the most salient to me. Don’t let even a minute of your kid’s valuable development time be wasted by a bad practice. Those minutes really add up when compounded monthly and annually. If you think of any other common reasons for a bad practice, share them by emailing me directly at Chris@ChrisLewit.com. You can visit YouTube.com/ChrisLewit to view the accompanying video to this article.

Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player. He is a highperformance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationallyranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris coaches in NYC and year-round at his high performance tennis academy in Manchester, VT, where players can live and train the Spanish Way full-time or short-term. He may be reached by phone at (914) 462-2912, e-mail Chris@chrislewit.com or visit ChrisLewit.com.

www.inphormnyc.com

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Metro Region USTA Eastern hosts Adaptive Sectional Championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

little inclement weather home the trophy!” couldn’t dampen the spirits Beyond commitment, of those participating in the Wernecke said that his 2023 USTA Eastern Adaptive partner was particularly Sectional Championships, held at dialed in on service games. the USTA Billie Jean King National Down 2-3 in the final, Tennis Center in Flushing Conover hit several strong Meadows, N.Y. With players serves to hold at love and forced to compete on the facility's ultimately shift the momentum indoor courts as the remnants of of the match. It’s one of the Tropical Storm Ophelia swirled facets of his game that around the greater New York City Conover continues to improve area, Tyler Conover and partner under Wernecke’s Sebastian Wernecke—based out supervision. of Commack, N.Y.—claimed the “I have been working on title at the third annual event and my serves and [getting the] will next head down to the USTA toss up higher,” Conover National Campus in Orlando, explained. Florida in November to represent The high intensity level from the section at the national Conover and his fellow tournament. The pair will be competitors is always a From left to right: Finalists Alexander Dobrin and Lena Franklin and joined by Lena Franklin and hallmark of the competition, Champions Tyler Conover and Sebastian Wernecke Alexander Dobrin, who finished as said Mark McIntyre, the section finalists. event’s tournament director. “I was really happy,” Conover said of capturing the final “One of the highlights for me every time is seeing all of the point of the championship. “It was nice, and I have come a athletes step up under the pressure and compete,” he said. “I long way.” work with a lot of the players throughout the year, and I can The tournament was contested in a unified doubles format, honestly say they were playing at their best throughout the which means that one player with a disability competes matches. Some of the tiebreaks had some really amazing alongside another player without one. Wernecke—a tennis points. It was super fun to watch.” pro who has worked with Conover since 2019 at Sportime And no doubt fun to play. In 2024, McIntyre hopes to Kings Park and at the Old Field Club in Setauket, N.Y.— further open up the draw to give more players the opportunity echoed his partner’s sentiment, noting that his young student’s to participate. persistent enthusiasm, focus and determination ultimately “I’d like to be able to include more adaptive athletes and carried the team over the line. their families,” he said. “I look forward to the day when the “Anyone who knows Tyler knows he has a passion for USTA Eastern Adaptive Sectional Championships is a tennis,” Wernecke said. “Since the first time we set forth on a weekend affair. We would have two full days competing on tennis court together up until now, he has been unwavering in the National Tennis Center courts and maybe eventually hold his commitment. His remarkable work ethic has always stood the final matches inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.” out—he even braved outdoor sessions in the winter, and he The tournament is one of many initiatives USTA Eastern has has devoted [so much] hard work to earn his spot on the JV organized to help make the sport more inclusive at the local team at Commack High School. Over the years, I have seen level. In 2022, the section hosted a Wheelchair and Adaptive him develop into the tennis player he is today, and to be able Tennis Symposium to encourage coaches and tennis facilities to compete together was really special, never mind taking to expand their program offerings to include those with

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA Eastern Metro Region disabilities. The organization has also collaborated with the tennis non-profit Love Serving Autism to offer trainings that empower instructors to reach out to this underserved community. Dobrin—a P.E. teacher at the NYC-based Queens Transition Center—attended one of these sessions and ultimately integrated what he learned into his curriculum; months later, he and one of his students finished runners-up at the sectional, an experience neither will soon forget, he said.

And for Conover and Franklin, it offered one more chance to compete and show off their flashy serves and hot shots in a competitive environment. “I am excited to go play tennis in Florida,” Conover said of his upcoming trip to the National Campus. “I want to win every single point!” USTA Eastern hosts several adaptive training sessions for coaches throughout the year. Interested in attending? Email David Williams at williams@eastern.usta.com.

NewYork-Presbyterian doctor and former tennis coach shares insight on tennis elbow

Are there any preventative t’s an injury tennis players dread. But measures players can take? what does it actually mean when DR. LEVINE: Yes, and they relate to you’re diagnosed with “tennis stretching and strengthening of the elbow”? Dr. William N. Levine, Chief tendons in the forearm. Also it’s very of Orthopedics at NewYorkimportant to make sure that your Presbyterian/Columbia and Chair of racquet is properly sized. Many tennis the Department of Orthopedic Surgery shops can help you determine just what at Columbia, is uniquely qualified to grip size is right for you. But the most answer that question. In addition to important point is really stretching and regularly treating patients for the strengthening, which is at the heart of injury, he has a deep understanding of any preventative programming to the sport itself, having previously prevent common injuries in tennis. played competitively and serving as a tennis coach in his early 20s. We You know a lot about the sport, spoke with Dr. Levine about what and not just because some of tennis elbow is and the various your patients are players. measures players can take to prevent getting sidelined by it. Dr. Levine and his daughter Clare—who is also an Before becoming a surgeon, you were a competitive player in accomplished tennis player—attend a recent US high school and later on, a You specialize in treating paOpen together coach. When did you first begin tients with tennis elbow. Can playing? you explain what is going on in the body when DR. LEVINE: I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and a player receives this diagnosis? DR. LEVINE: Tennis elbow is the colloquial term. The techthere was a park about a three-and-a-half mile bike ride nical term in medicine is called lateral epicondylitis. The lateral from my home. I was roughly 10 or 11 when I first picked condyle is the bump on the side of your elbow, and it is an atup a racquet, and I completely fell in love with the sport. tachment site for the muscles and tendons that extend from In the summers there were no summer camps so I would your wrist. When there is repetitive overuse, when that part of just ride my bike down to the park and be on the courts the body is seeing too much stress, it leads to some mifrom eight in the morning until six at night. I was living on crotearing on the lateral side of the elbow. There are some the tennis court. Then I started to play tournaments, theories that inflammation is involved. But when you analyze traveling the Midwest circuit, competing against much the tissue under a microscope, you don’t see many inflamed better players than I was and learning life lessons. I made cells. So the injury is probably more degenerative than inflamthe varsity team at my high school as a freshman, which matory. That kind of makes sense, since anti-inflammatory was rare. I was also named captain my senior year. That medicines aren’t that successful in eliminating pain caused by year, our team finished runners-up at the state finals, and I tennis elbow. won the state doubles championships. NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Metro Region How did you get into teaching the sport? DR. LEVINE: I went to Stanford for college where clearly I was not going to be able to continue at a competitive level, though I met the legendary coach Dick Gould and ended up becoming a team manager. Then my junior year, I got a job as a high school tennis coach at [nearby] Los Altos High School. The team hadn't won a match the year before, and they lost only one match the year that I took over, which was fantastic. To see the success of these young men that I had the opportunity to teach was very gratifying. That was kind of my first foray into teaching and mentorship, which has been very instrumental in my career in orthopedics now. Clearly tennis has played a major role in your life. What do you love about the game? DR. LEVINE: It’s not about being the biggest, the strongest, the fastest. There’s so much strategy involved. There’s the whole mental element, which I think appeals to

my scientific side as a doctor and surgeon. And it’s a sport you can play for life, which is so appealing. Especially when you’re thinking about health, it can be hard to figure out how to fit exercise into your busy schedule. So, if you can go hit tennis balls for an hour, run all over the court and get the blood flowing, get the endorphins going through your body, there's something really valuable about that...I can [also] directly tie [who I am as an educator] back to my first days in tennis. I think that if you have an inclination toward teaching, there's probably nothing more gratifying than being able to see the fruits of your labor, seeing the young kid understand what it means to hit a topspin forehand, or what it means to slice a backhand. When you see that light bulb go on, there's no amount of money in the world that substitutes for that feeling. It's really incredible when I think about how much tennis has influenced my passion for teaching and education, and that's what I've spent my life and career doing, mentoring students at Columbia and from around the country.

Eastern Players Collect Statement Wins at the 2023 U.S. Open

Fonseca—as well as boys’ No. 2 n the rise. In their own seed Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez, of backyard, several Eastern Mexico—competed at USTA juniors turned in strong Eastern’s Big Apple Cup in 2019, performances at the 2023 US which was held on the same courts Open. at the USTA Billie Jean King Competing in his final junior National Tennis Center where the Grand Slam before heading off to US Open is contested. Harvard University this fall, Cooper Elsewhere, Eastern’s Shannon Williams reached the quarterfinals Lam nearly pulled off a major upset of both the boys’ singles and doubles events. The results cap off a in the girls’ singles event. The East Brunswick, N.J. resident—who solid year on the court for the NYC reached the girls’ 18s singles native, who lifted the boys’ doubles semifinals of the Easter Bowl earlier trophy at the Australian Open this year and came through earlier in January (with Learner Tien, Williams competes at the 2023 US Open qualifying to earn a spot in the of California) and earned a boys’ Photo Credit: Manuela Davies/USTA draw at Flushing Meadows—led singles semifinals berth at Wimbledon in July. Williams entered the tournament as the top- No. 10 seed Laura Samsonova by a double break in the final ranked American and showed some impressive grit en route to set of their first-round match and served for the victory twice. Samsonova ultimately reeled off five games to advance—and a final eight showing. In the second round, his opponent— eventually reached the semifinals. But Lam, at just 15 years Lucky Loser Markus Molder, of Estonia—served for the match, old, continued to prove she has a bright future ahead of her in but Williams fought back and eventually leveled the score with a scintillating return winner; soon after he claimed the two-and- the game. In doubles, she and partner Mika Stojsavljevic—of Great Britain—knocked out No. 3 seeds Lucciana Perez a-half-hour bout in a third-set tiebreak, 10-7. Alarcon and Alisa Oktiabreva, then took a set off eventual Williams ultimately lost another tight three-set battle in the runner-up team Nanaka Sato and Sara Saito—the only set the quarterfinals against Brazil’s Joao Fonseca, who would go on pair lost en route to the final. to capture the championship title. Both Williams and 26

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

COMING IN JANUARY

Distribution scheduled for 01/01/24 This edition will feature: • Guide to the Top Tennis Clubs/Programs • Australian Open Preview • Girls’ High School Recap • Look Ahead to 2024 • Mental Tennis Roundtable • And Much More!

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Top Juniors From Across the Globe Compete in "Little Mo" Events

he “Little Mo” tournament series continues to bring in some of the world’s top junior tennis players to compete in locations around the world, doing so in a sportsmanlike manner that upholds the standards set by the MCB Tennis Foundation, which runs the events. This year, two of the “Little Mo” tournaments were held in the Tri-State Area, with the West Orange Tennis Club in New Jersey hosting the 12th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals, and the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the Bronx hosting the “Little Mo” North Regionals. Below are the winners from each respective division from each tournament: “Little Mo” Internationals • Boys 8s Singles Green: Noah Jackson • Boys 8s Singles: Alexander Kedrin • Girls 8s Singles Green: Mia Jimenez Mendez • Girls 8s Singles: Mausia Toli • Boys 8s Doubles Green: Aiden 28

Finocchietti/Owen Finocchietti • Boys 8 Doubles: Alexander Kedrin/Lucas Gonzales • Girls 8s Doubles Green: Melodie Geffrard/Mia Jimenez Mendez • Girls 8s Doubles: Rhea Talari/Mausia Toli • Mixed Doubles 8s Green: Noah Jackson/Leah Davis • Mixed Doubles 8s: Lucas Gonzales/Mausia Toli • Boys 10s Singles Green: Arjun Asrani • Boys 10s Singles: Jacques Kaan Gunalp • Girls 10s Singles Green: Milana Ivanov • Girls 10s Singles: Inie Toli • Boys 10s Doubles Green: Bento Santos/Lucca Teixeira • Boys 10s Doubles: David Llovera/Jacques Kaan Gunalp • Girls 10s Doubles Green: Raquel Delarosa/Milana Ivanov • Girls 10s Doubles: Juliette Prince/Lily Bullaro • Mixed Doubles 10s Green: Bradley Cai/Hailey Lee

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

• Mixed Doubles 10s: Temo McAdoo/Jordyn Cheung • Boys 12s Singles: Stanley Oriala Jr. • Girls 12s Singles: Leala Kramer • Boys 12s Doubles: Stanley Oriala Jr./Ishan Lingamaneni • Girls 12s Doubles: Leala Kramer/Vera Koval • Mixed Doubles 12s: Mia Fedus/Stanley Oriala Jr.

“Little Mo” North Regionals • Boys 8s Singles Green: Braeden Albert • Boys 8s Singles: Harvey Baek • Girls 8s Singles Green: Zoe Anabella Vasquez • Girls 8s Singles: Rhea Talari • Boys 10s Singles Green: Ryan Driscoll • Boys 10s Singles: Christos Paizis • Girls 10s Singles Green: Umaiza Qamar • Girls 10s Singles: Juliette Prince • Boys 12s Singles: Stanley Oriala Jr. • Girls 12s Singles: Mia Long The “Little Mo” events continue to grow with each passing year, and this

year was no different. Hundreds of players from more than 24 countries participated in both the Regionals and Internationals events, and this year was even more special as the events honored the 70th anniversary of Maureen Connolly, “Little Mo”, winning the calendar Grand Slam in 1953. “The Maureen Connolly Brinker

Tennis Foundation was so proud to celebrate this important 70-year milestone of Mom’s calendar Grand Slam victory which, in turn, has tremendously inspired the talented boys and girls who compete in the “Little Mo” tournaments,” said Cindy Brinker Simmons, Connolly’s daughter and the President of the Maureen

Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. “So many of these gifted young competitors will be future champions and hope to follow in “Little Mo’s” footsteps as both a great player and an outstanding role model.” To learn more about the MCB Tennis Foundation and all the “Little Mo” events, visit MCBTennis.org.

The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy at Columbia University The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy is a selective tennis development program dedicated to creating a healthy individualized program!

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Simple Musts For The Development of Very Young Players

By Mike Barrell

ohn was a well-meaning dad who would come to the club every Saturday and Sunday. He’d say hello, grab a hopper of balls and head to the back courts to feed balls to his young son Andy. On this day though I was walking the courts and I looked across to see John telling his offspring to swing faster, accelerate his wrist and stay open. Andy was six. I had to ask, “What are you practicing John?” “I have seen the tapes, Mike, Rafa does this!” Andy was no more ready to do this drill or learn this technique than he was to pass a course in advanced statistical methods. But before I frowned too hard and bemoaned this parent’s efforts, I had to help this well-meaning dad to do the right things. So if your kid is six or under, here are some things that you can practice with them to help them develop.

Practice stopping In tennis, moving faster doesn’t help unless you can decelerate and get balanced when you arrive to strike the ball. A young child has a boy shape more like Bart Simpson: shorter arms and legs, and a proportionately larger head so while you might want them to run and run, it makes no sense unless they can balance at the end. Learning to stop also involves moving from heelto-toe rather than staying on your toes as you slow down to make sure you look at how they use their feet. Tip: Use games with lots of changes 30

of direction and if you run fast, run and stop on a line or spot, rather than running through the line. Use both sides of the body As a child gets older they progressively use their dominate side more and more, but tennis is a two sided game where your non-dominant arm crosses the midline of your body on every stroke. If you don’t use the other side of your body well on the set up and rotation for a stroke, you will quickly see one side of your body dominant and break the connection between the two sides of your body that are essential for coordinated and efficient strokes. Tip: If a player is right handed spend some time doing their left handed. Throw, catch, hit or even brush your teeth with the non-dominant hand. Practice Opposites The old approach to coaching involved learning one stroke by rote but actually it is the ability to adapt and adjust that makes us consistent. At the beginning of this process try to learn a big swing to make the ball go a long way and a short swing to make the ball travel a much shorter distance. Opposites are a very powerful framework for learning and also provide variety when young players do not have the bodies or minds to cope with mass repetition. Tip: If you have games with targets always have two. Short and deep or cross court and down the line. Practice in short blocks aiming five or six shots

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

at one and then more to the second one. Incoming Receiving the ball is a much more challenging skill for young players than sending it. Players need to adjust to the five ball characteristics – Direction, Height, Spin, Speed and Depth. This is especially challenging for young players as they need to deal with two flights of the ball from the opponent’s racquet to the bounce and then from bounce to their impact point, while at the same time aligning themselves to receive the ball to the side of their body rather than get directly behind the ball. Tip: Practice catching games using a cone or a baseball hat, where the ball must bounce and the player should try to catch to the side of the body. By catching the ball in this way the ball will be falling and they will be encouraged to make space between the bounce and the impact (catching point). Can I Kick It? It may seem a little counterintuitive, but helping a player track and move and find a balanced position to kick a soccer ball can help tennis skills but make sure that it’s done by opening the hip and kicking with the inside of the foot. The outside leg is the key to balance when moving to the ball and so adding to the points above around using both sides of the body and learning to stop and balance is crucial in developing a staple position that naturally adjusts around the ball. Tip: Use different sized balls that further

require adjustment and coordination. Try to stop the ball with the inside of the foot before kicking back with the same foot. Time Chances are at some point you will be tossing or hitting a ball to your child for them to hit. The temptation will be to make them instantly successful and to toss the ball directly to them. Actually what you should be doing is always tossing the ball a few steps away from them with an up and down motion. Give the ball enough hang time and them the opportunity to do what comes naturally, move to the object. Most children actually have the ability to move to an object but they have not refined the speed of that action. Just watch a very young child move to a balloon. After a few attempts they are able to keep it up in the air. It is not the action but the processing time that they need. Tip: A child will learn if you give

them the time to process so slow things down, use slower balls and other objects to give them the chance to build the skill before gradually increasing the speed. A few years ago I stumbled on a quote. “I am not a little version of you, I am a little version of me!” But more than that, a child is a growing, developing and learning version of themselves. They have innate and natural abilities and are still growing into their bodies. As such when we play, teach or spend time with them we should think not only about what we would love them to be capable of when they are older but

also how to set alight their passion for being active tomorrow. Hailing from the UK and a coach for more than 30 years, Mike is the Executive Director of Tennis for SPORTIME Clubs. A coach for over 30 years he is a Level Five LTA Coach, a former PTR Professional of the Year, and ITF Expert. As a coach and consultant around the world he has worked and delivered training in over 80 countries, supporting the development of tennis in five continents. He has been a keynote speaker at three ITF Worldwide Conferences, and presented at multiple USPTA World Conferences, PTR International Symposia, plus multiple National Conferences including USTA events.

Hailing from the UK and a coach for more than 30 years, Mike is the Executive Director of Tennis for SPORTIME Clubs. A coach for over 30 years he is a Level Five LTA Coach, a former PTR Professional of the Year, and ITF Expert. As a coach and consultant around the world he has worked and delivered training in over 80 countries, supporting the development of tennis in five continents. He has been a keynote speaker at three ITF Worldwide Conferences, and presented at multiple USPTA World Conferences, PTR International Symposia, plus multiple National Conferences including USTA events.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion T

he local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, New York Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches. These coaches share their thoughts on a wide variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging from junior tennis to the professional game.

Meet the participants … Israel Singles Champion three times. Mike Barrell is the Bloom has been running his own tennis Executive Director of program since 2000 and also was Tennis for SPORTIME Clubs. A coach for over director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years. 30 years he is a Level Five LTA Coach, a former Vinicius Carmo is the PTR Professional of the Year, and ITF Director of Tennis at the Expert. As a coach and consultant Ross School Tennis around the world he has worked and Academy. A former delivered training in over 80 countries, standout player from supporting the development of tennis in Brazil, Carmo attended five continents. He has been a keynote the University of Tennessee on a full speaker at three ITF Worldwide Conferences, and presented at multiple tennis scholarship, before moving on to direct several prestigous tennis USPTA World Conferences, PTR programs in the Hamptons before International Symposia, plus multiple National Conferences including USTA going to RSTA. Carmo has expanded the program to include events, events. competitive training techniques and more, using his NCAA experience and Pasha Bednarzh is the Director of QuickStart extensive connections to help RSTA Programs at MatchPoint graduates in the next stage of their tennis careers. NYC. A native of Ukraine, Bednarzh was Yesica De Lucas is the nominated for his Director of Junior country's Master of Sport award, given Programming at The to top coaches and experts in their Cary Leeds Center for respective sport, and has been Tennis & Learning.De coaching junior tennis players for 30 Lucas has previously years. coached at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, and recently completed an Gilad Bloom is a former Israeli Davis Cup outstanding career competing for the St. John's Tennis Team. 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 32

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

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 the co-director of The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationallyranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. Ed Krass coached the Harvard Women’s Tennis Team to four consecutive Ivy League titles from 1986-1990. Ed is the founder and director of the Annual College Tennis Exposure Camps, which are taught exclusively by all head college coaches for high school-aged players (15-18). Ed is also the founder of One-On-One Doubles tournaments, which have been played at USTA, ATP, ITA and USPTA national events.

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player. He is a highperformance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationallyranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris coaches in NYC and year-round at his high performance tennis academy in Manchester, VT, where players can live and train the Spanish Way full- time or short-term.

passion and experience has become instrumental in developing the program.

has multiple Touring Professionals for whom he is a Specialist Coach and Advisor.

Jay Pinho is the Head Professional of 10U and High-Performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He is a USPTA Elite Professional, a former NCAA DI coach and player, and has specialized in developing competitive junior players over the past decade. Currently, he is the private coach of three national champions and a WTA touring pro.

Pablo Montesi is the Tennis Club and Camp Director at Future Stars Southampton, and has been at Future Stars Camps for more than a decade. Montesi also runs a tennis academy in Miami Beach. A USPTA Certified Professional and PTR Certified instructor, Montesi is a native of Chile who first came to the United States on a tennis scholarship to Benedictine College in Kansas, where he led the team to three conference championships.

Joel Richmond is the Co-Director of QuickStart Programs at Advantage Tennis Clubs. Originally from central New York, Joel began playing tennis at the age of 6 and started coaching at 16. Joel competed in Division III tennis and soccer for Bard College, where he was the tennis captain for three years. As a PTR L2 Certified Professional, Joel uses a game-based approach to help junior players get into the game and develop a proper technical and tactical foundation.

Ognen Nikolovski is the general manager of CourtSense and director of tennis at Bogota Racquet Club. He is a former top junior from Yugoslavia who went on to play college tennis at Rollins College where he became an all-American. He went on to become a world-ranked singles and doubles player on the ATP Tour and was a captain of the Macedonia Davis Cup team. He joined CourtSense in 2008 where his

Conrad Singh is the CEO at Centercourt Tennis Academy in New Jersey. He has recruited and developed team of coaches who have produced two junior Wimbledon finalists and one champion, as well as countless athletes competing at the highest college levels. Singh is a renowned Biomechanist with degrees in Sports Science and Education. He is a regular Keynote Speaker at Global Coaches Conferences and currently NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion The roundtable ...

Mental health is an important topic that has been brought to the forefront of athletics recently. How often and how do you engage your players on their mental well-being, both on and off the court? Barrell: As an example, this season we are launching a new component to our program called JMTA You. It’s a modular program based on developing competitive skills and wellness. All the skills we cover have huge value on and off the court. Our coaches are integrating this into our on-court delivery everyday. The subjects we cover include topics like goal setting, resetting, routines and mindfulness. We have developed this curriculum with a sports psychologist who also coaches players in fields like academic performance so we know there is a clear crossover. Bloom: The first questions I ask every student before every lesson is, how are you doing? How was your day? How’s life? It is very important to know in what state of mind the student is in, and as a coach you want to push the kid but

often it is wise to do a lighter session if the kid is tired or a more entertaining session if the kid is a bit burnt out which can happen with tournament players who train five-six days a week. Yes, it’s a competitive sport and there’s pressure involved. At the end of the day the practices and the matches should be a positive and a fun experience: a learning one and a part of a process. It’s extremely important to enjoy the process and end each session with a smile to build a healthy habit of optimism, that’s the healthy way to look at it . Richmond: As coaches and providers of tennis learning experiences, it is important to introduce players to competition and the mental game on court in a healthy way early on by promoting in equal measure sportsmanship, the will to compete, and mental strength, resilience, and fortitude, especially in a sport where failed outcomes (points, games, sets, and matches) are so rapidly and frequently accumulated. At the same time however, it is equally important that off the court we see all players as humans and therefore not only subject to mental health

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

issues, but deserving of consistent and safe channels of conversation about their experiences in order to promote and facilitate further mental health education and well-being. Montesi: It's all about health and wellness. Communication is key and not only with the students but also with the parents/guardians. Creating a safe place at practice, that is judgment free and caring for each individual, allows students and coaches to feel comfortable about sharing their feelings. It is extremely important to understand what's going on in our student's life to properly coach them. I regularly talk to my students and parents before or after practice. Gamesmanship and cheating are always controversial topics at the junior level. How do we begin to try and eliminate those sorts of things from the game? De Lucas: It is important to emphasize good behavior and fair play not only during competitions but also at practice. When someone cheats during practice you should

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion call them out and talk to them separately, without necessarily punishing them. Ask them if they would like to be on the other side of bad calls and discuss the potential ramifications of inappropriate behavior during competitions. Richmond: Unfortunately cheating is prevalent in just about every form of competition. And at its core, cheating is a security issue: it’s a constant race to catch and prevent cheaters and their dirty tactics before new ones sprout in their place. Reinforcing collaboration and introducing competition in healthy ways to our junior players is critical in their development as tennis players and as people, and it goes a long way in building the community of trust we all want and expect. Education and gamesmanship will get us most of the way there, but ironically the best practices for stamping out cheating in competition is to rig the game to prevent it: neutral referees and officials to root out cheating tactics and observe a fair game, electronic line calling to eliminate poor judgment, and standard disciplinary protocols for offenders. Singh: I am very sad to say that these problems are saturating the tennis landscape, and having coached and travelled all over the world and worked with multiple national associations - it is clear that America has the largest problem of all those other nations. I believe education of parents and monitoring parent behavior off the court is critical. Parents reacting to the matches force children to react. Coaches can make sure they emphasize good sportsmanship, but

the real impact will be felt in the home when parents teach their children that good behavior on court is more important than results. Children are passionate and let's be honest winning is the goal of all kids, but as the adults we need to maintain the reality that becoming a great sport and a true competitor is above all else, and this takes practice and encouragement from those around the player. Where do you stand on players overly celebrating points/being animated and showing emotions during matches? Barrel: Emotions show we care and it’s important to let young players know that emotions are a normal part of everyday life, the key is perspective. For example, one of my young players lost a close match and cried, she was disappointed and upset, and it showed she cared but as soon as she understood that she was not being judged on this result or the emotion, the tears stopped quickly. The issue of overly celebrating is a little different, especially if it is designed to intimidate the opponent. As coaches and parents, we need to help our young players understand what is appropriate. It is our opponent that gives us the opportunity to compete and pushes us to higher and higher levels of play. We are all different so we should not expect everyone to celebrate in the same way. Bednarzh: For me, I personally don’t care at all how my opponent reacts or celebrates. If anything, it just adds more motivation for me to

win and prevent them from doing those celebrations. Kaplan: There is no reason to provide more motivation or information to your opponent by demonstrating negative emotions or by celebrating in a disrespectful manner. While discrete displays of positive emotion can be helpful and motivating , negative displays of emotion can alter how we feel because behavior influences emotion often as much as emotions influence behaviors. What do you find most rewarding about being a tennis coach? Bednarzh: The communication and interaction you have with kids is such a rewarding aspect of being a tennis coach, and being able to mold young people in a positive way is something I think all coaches cherish. I love being able to see them grow and develop, and then seeing the looks on their faces when they achieve good results. Krass: I find tennis coaching very rewarding in these areas: Being able to help a player learn more about the game of tennis and also in the game of life. AND being able to give my energy of life to players through my sheer enthusiasm for them as people and players! Montesi: Coaching is extremely rewarding. You get to help, develop, teach and educate a student. I still admire many of my coaches growing up. They were great role models and taught me more than just tennis. I love to be in the position where I can impact

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion someone and truly help them with the sport. I’ve become good friends with my students, seeing them grow and become adults has been fulfilling. Singh: The relationships built with players and families are the most rewarding, combined with the memories we create from the adventure of the tennis pathway. I come from the old school of maintaining players over the long haul, which creates a far more healthy atmosphere to work with players as they grow and change. The wins are certainly the highlight of the time spent together but the memories created on the road, at the practice courts and through

crucial stages of life are truly rewarding. I have been fortunate to witness incredible stories unfold and being part of that adventure has been what i take away. When players are able to evolve and improve and eventually experience success is just an amazing feeling. There has been a surge in popularity of other racquet sports in recent years. What are the pros and cons of how this affects tennis? Barrell: New sports will continue to arrive. Who would ever have thought that cornhole and poker

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would both receive TV airtime or that playing Fortnite could get you a college scholarship? The key is to focus on what we do and why tennis is a valuable option for people. Some have argued that these other sports are complementary, but that same argument could be made for soccer improving a tennis player’s footwork, or chess improving strategy. There really are no pros or cons to other racket sports, just a need to stay focused on what tennis is delivering. Post covid, tennis is booming and it is important to keep it that way. Bednarzh: My opinion is that

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion every sport has the right to exist, and tennis should still be able to exist and thrive even in spite of all these other racquet sports. It’s up to the individual person to choose and play whichever sport they like, and oftentimes, there is crossover between the different paddle and racquet sports.

attention placed on racquet sports nowadays is self-evident to providers: more players and more attention means more business.

Nikolovski: Overall, the pros are that more people are getting involved with racquet sports, so hopefully with time as people get comfortable playing new sports such as padel or pickleball, they would be willing to try tennis as well. The cons are that in the short term, tennis is losing players that are moving to pickleball and padel, and also that a certain percentage of tennis courts are being transitioned to pickleball or padel courts, which technically takes away opportunities for new players to try tennis.

Kaplan: 1: The wrist does not snap. It extends and reduces to a fixed position through contact. 2: We don't bend our knees, we hinge our hips. 3: The ball does not always go where we point the racket and in the direction we swing because of physical forces like friction. 4: We should not always swing "low to high." Most balls are struck at a diagonal and high balls are often hit "high to low." 5: Balance is zero acceleration. The goal of a hit is to momentarily lose racket balance by accelerating and to regain body balance with stability and smooth movement. 6: The goal of a swing is not extension, it is momentary velocity and acceleration at impact.

Richmond: First, the major con: as expensive as it is to build and maintain tennis courts, compared to the relatively cheaper pickleball scene, it is disheartening to hear of popular tennis courts being dismantled and converted to pickleball courts when pickleball should be building its own. This is less of an issue with padel since padel courts also require a surrounding plexiglass structure to contain the court. Unused spaces – tennis courts included – are a different story and are fair game, but builders should generally be encouraged to build and utilize spaces conscientiously, and do their best to preserve original spaces for their original intended purposes. On the other hand, the pro to having more players involved in and

What fundamental beliefs about tennis technique have you questioned or changed over time?

Krass: About 33 years ago, I questioned if the traditional serving motion-- the full backswing down, around and back-- was the best and most efficient way to serve? My answer came in 1990 when I produced a video called the Biomechanically Efficient Serving Technique, aka B.E.S.T SERVE. I am credited, by many in the Tennis Industry, as being the innovator of the ABBREVIATED SERVE that Andy Roddick and others use to their advantage! Lewit: As a technician, I think about this a lot. There are many

areas of technique that have changed. First, groundstrokes need to be more elastic and players can load and explode—leaving the ground and going airborne. Second, topspin is a huge part of the modern technical game. Third, open stances are the norm now. Fourth, jumping on the serve is standard. Fifth—follow-throughs on the forehand are typically no longer around the neck and more wrist is involved in the swing. All these areas were technical taboos in the past. Unfortunately many coaches still teach old-school technique and still see these areas as taboo— which is crazy! Singh: As a biomechanist, I have certainly adapted my thoughts that technique is the most essential part of tennis. I now believe that player character and player personality are even more important than technical capacity. When I started my coaching pathway back in 1994, it was all about the technical skills and my coaching philosophy was all about this. Though the last 30 yrs as a coach and due to the multiple varied experiences, I believe it is all about the character first. Ultimately, technique is often more a mental than physical skill, and if the player does not have the character, drive or discipline to correct strokes, we won’t see changes in the competitive environment anyway. What is something you think you can improve on as a coach? Carmo: I am always looking for ways to improve as a tennis coach. Coaching is an art and there is not

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion only one way of doing it. Players learn in different ways and players need different perspectives. I learn from other coaches and players daily. I still need to improve and observe in players how much they need to be pushed and how far I can push them mentally. De Lucas: Being in the early stages of my career, there is a lot of room for improvement for me as a coach. Something I admire about the best coaches and players in the world is their commitment to ongoing education and improvement. At the Cary Leeds Center, I am surrounded by great coaches who I look up to, and I would love to incorporate more of their coaching techniques into my practices. Pinho: To maintain the same level of enthusiasm when working with groups or a demographic that I normally don't work with. As I value the personal connection that is developed with the players that I work with regularly, at times it can be more challenging to work on groups where there's less of that. What advice would you give a former player who has desires to go into coaching? Bloom: When you switch from a player to a coach you have to say goodbye to your ego and realize, first of all, that it’s not about you anymore, but instead its about your student. Do what your student needs, and say what they need to hear, not what you want to say. Also, realize that 99.9 percent of the time, you are preparing the 38

student for their next coach, it’s just reality. You should have red lines that you don’t cross. For example, don’t compromise your professional integrity because of money or pressure from parents Kaplan: Coaching is a passion and a business driven by soft skills so learn the personality, attitudes and habits of your targeted market to predict their behavior and what makes them tick. Don't overestimate your strengths and underestimate your weaknesses. Use all your resources, opportunities don't wait for you. As an entrepreneur get used to rejection and don't rely on being told what to do. Finally be realistic and reliable. Being interested is better than being interesting, being respectful is better than being respected. Lewit: Be humble. I have trained many young coaches. Sometimes a former player—if they were very good—think they know a lot because they played at a high level. While that does give them an edge, there is a still A LOT to learn about teaching and junior development. Be humble and seek out good mentors. Learn the art of coaching. Never rest on your laurels. Mentors, for me, are the most important key to becoming a great coach. Education is also crucial. Keep learning and try to get better every day! Pinho: To invest in him/herself from an education perspective and gain knowledge and expertise from others who have been in the industry for a long time. Additionally, to ensure that they go into a club that can help them to

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

develop a multitude of skills and support their continuing education efforts. How do you feel about students who question you? Barrell: Tennis players must become independent critical thinkers so in one way I would be more concerned about players that do not ask questions or engage in conversations with the coach. It is their tennis, and a two-way coachplayer relationship should be at the center of all learning. And if a player is asking difficult questions, we should ask why. It might be that they are feeling that they are not being heard or receiving enough attention. We should also not forget that classroom education has massively changed in the last 20 years and while it is important to be respectful, players are required to solve problems and ask questions every day at school. So as coaches, we must set the boundaries and then actively engage players in finding solutions. De Lucas: If a student questions me, I will always listen and try to understand their thoughts. As long as they are respectful, I will explain to them the purpose of each drill and the reasoning behind the decisions I make to avoid misunderstandings. I want them to know that I am there to help them. Lewit: Some coaches rule with an iron fist and discourage questioning. I have learned that questions from students reveal their thoughts and can help create trust and rapport between the coach and

2023 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion the student. The coach should answer in an intelligent way and explain himself or herself. The student will appreciate the honest response and this will build trust in the relationship. I try to listen carefully to the concerns of my students and answer them as honestly as I can and to the best of my ability. If a coach doesn’t want to answer questions, I think that’s a red flag for any player or parent. Montesi: I like having good open communication with my students, they should feel comfortable asking questions. If they question the next exercise or routine as a coach I have to take the time to reinforce the benefits of it and I do enjoy explaining further the reasons behind any activity. There always has to be mutual respect between coaches and students Who do you look at on the pro tour currently as a role model for your students? Why? Carmo: I know that Novak Djokovic is not everyone's favorite player. But we need to respect and learn from him. His flexibility, his technique, his enthusiasm to compete after all these years and most importantly, his mental strength makes Novak a role model for other students. Krass: Role models, on the Men's tour for my students, could be Carlos Alcaraz, for his all-court, versatile Singles game, Max Cressy for his relentless serve-andvolley Singles game and American Davis Cuppers, Austin Krajicek

and Rajeev Ram, for their relentless commitment to Serve-and-Volley Doubles play. On the Women's Side, I like Iga Swiatek for her pursuit of greatness through her disciplined shot selection, shot placement and net play!

should exercise caution with AI because it is so powerful and with great power comes great responsibility.

Nikolovski: Rafa Nadal and especially Novak Djokovic have really raised the level of professionalism to a level that has never been seen before. Their everevolving passion for the sport has also been something that we have not seen before. From the younger players, it would be Swiatek, Coco, Sinner and Alcaraz, as they are all very exciting to watch, as well as being professional and respectful, regardless of if they win or lose. How will the continued development of AI change the coaching landscape as we go forward? Kaplan: AI is going to continue to infiltrate tennis coaching in the very near future and it has the potential to be a great help to how effectively coaches can elevate students. The key is recognizing that it is a collaborative tool, not a substitute for knowledge , experience and understanding of the sport. As with all tools it can be used to serve us and AI can provide an enormous amount of information and analytics to give us greater insight. It also has the potential for abuse and can dumb us down with laziness, complacency, misinformation and a sense of false competence. Coaching NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Gift Givers

By Dr. Tom Ferraro

his fall, I attended the annual brunch at Pine Hollow Club hosted by Long Island Tennis Magazine’s publisher David Sickmen. The brunch is always an opulent affair held in the Vanderbilt estate that is now the main clubhouse for Pine Hollow Club. It’s a chance to network and meet new folks and this year, I sat with Saad Hajidin, the creative director of the high-end sportswear company, inPhorm. I’m certain that hosting this brunch cost plenty and it’s a good example of what we in psychoanalytic circles call altruism, or charitable giving back. Sickmen is giving this gift to his clients and supporters by throwing the party. Altruism is a valued trait and usually a part of religious doctrine as in ‘faith, hope and charity’. Athletes are expressing their altruism as they perform in front of others. The athletic quest is to perfect a skill and offer it to the world in the form of a gift though the athlete or the fan is actually

aware that this is occurring. Gifted athletes perfect their talent only through hard work, discipline, perseverance, pain tolerance and endurance. When they display the result of this disciplined effort it is a gift given back to those who watch them play. When the athlete performs their craft they are giving a gift of inspiration which connects perseverance and perfection. Contrary to what Charles Barkley said many years ago about athletes, in fact, all talented athletes are role models. Being a role model is the gift they give back to the world. This is called altruism. The psychoanalyst Phyllis Greenacre studied artists and said that the artistic product is a gift given to the world, a gift of love. I think this is also what every hardworking athlete is doing. They are giving back to the world a sample of what it means to be courageous and heroic.

It is important for athletes to see that perfecting a skill and performing it has a purpose or a meaning that is grander than they may realize. This is something to be proud of. As a sport psychologist working with many elite athletes, I can see that one of the problems they have is a lack of selfesteem. They rarely take sufficient pride in who they are or what they have done. Elite athletes are in a rarified group. They are the artists of their craft and therefore ought to be proud of who they are and what they have become. So many of my patients possess this altruistic sacrificial trait. It is their purpose, but rather than internalizing pride, they feel shame and even worthless if they lose or even if they make a mistake. But the reality is that all competitive players have achieved heroic status which is why they are admired by those who watch them play. That is why fans ask for autographs. The athlete is not only gifted but they are also gift-givers. So thank you to those young tennis players who are grinding away each day. You are the gift givers and thus you can be proud.

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New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Chris Lewit Taking Spanish Method Teaching to the DR

or New York City native Chris Lewit, tennis has always been an international sport. His tennis journey has taken him all over the world, and his coaching philosophy and approach was harnessed in Spain where he fully committed himself to the Spanish method of tennis teaching. Now, Lewit is continuing that international approach and will be running a tennis camp this winter in the Dominican Republic, as his Academy is teaming with the BTT Tennis Academy in Barcelona to host multiple camps during the months of January and March. “I take players to Barcelona Total Tennis in Barcelona and on a recent trip, the head coach there Jordi Vilaro and I discussed the joint project,” said Lewit. “The idea is to offer professional Spanish training during the winter months that is more accessible for families on the East Coast of the US— rather than flying to Spain.” Held at the Sea Horse Ranch Tennis Club in Cabarete-Sosua, in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, the camps will be representative of the Spanish teaching method that Lewit has mastered throughout this career, and will offer a chance for Americans and nonAmericans to come together for a unique tennis experience. The program is an intensive tennis training camp for players who want to improve their level and to live the experience of training as the professional players do with a system inspired by the Spanish tennis philosophy that has achieved great success. The Spanish method is what Lewit has used throughout his coaching career, one that dates back to running camps here in New York City before he decided to launch his own academy. For the last 18 years, Lewit has been one of the world’s leading experts on Spanish

By Brian Coleman

as they get older, they don’t need that as much. As their technique becomes more refined, they need more work holistically and tactically. They need to think the game from a more strategic standpoint, and that is where the Spanish system really shines. But for those who may need extra help with the technical aspect, you need to be able to use that side of teaching as well. That’s where I made my name in the beginning, and having that balance is so important.” The Spanish system has become synonymous with worldclass tennis players and the ability to harness that and pass it on to his methods of training, learning from the students is what makes Lewit’s program country’s tennis legends. When he began his coaching career, one-of-a-kind. He brought his methods Lewit spent a month each summer living to New York about two decades ago, and has established a high in Barcelona where he was like a performance program in New York sponge, soaking up knowledge and City, producing many top sectional and expertise from some of the nation’s nationally-ranked players. greatest tennis minds, including Jose As Lewit’s coaching career continues Higueras, Jofre Porta and others. “It was an interesting evolution for me to evolve, and he finds new ways to pass on the knowledge he has learned to study and travel to Spain, I spent about 10 years doing that,” said Lewit. onto the next generation of players, he finds ways to add unique ways of “In Spain, they focus a lot more on the doing so, and these winter camps are tactical side, and things like footwork another example of that. A true and movement … not the specific technique, but what you want to do with international coach, Lewit balances the ball, so it was a nice evolvement for time between New York City and his Academy in Vermont, and will now me as a coach.” spend the early months of 2024 It is those yearly trips to Spain that bringing that expertise to the DR, have shaped Lewit’s methods and are before coming back to run his program what makes him a unique part of the here in the States. tennis landscape in the Northeast. “We are incredibly excited to be Finding the proper balance between the able to offer these camps, and help Spanish method and the pure technical side of tennis is the key to teaching each players of all levels learn from the Spanish method,” said Lewit. “This will individual player. “They’re both really important,” Lewit be a great experience for them, and we’re proud to partner with the BTT in said. “When you work with a young order to do so. We hope this is the first player, they have to have a base of of many destination tennis camps we techniques, so to have the technical are able to host to help grow the next knowledge to teach them is very important. But depending on the player, generation of tennis players.” NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

More Than an Athlete Six Keys to Coaching the Person First ... Every Time! By Rob Polishook

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

Coach the person first and then the athlete Take extra time to listen and understand your players off the court. Learn what other interests they have and the pressures they face. Begin each practice with the simple question “How was your day?” or “What’s something that happened today that you could share?” Often times, peak performance cannot happen until a player gets past the pressures they face off the court (i.e. school, tests, friends). By establishing a relationship and an outlet for them, 42

your players will know you care about not only their game, but them as an individual as well. Your genuine interest and concern will go a long way in terms of your player’s dedication, loyalty, work ethic, and most importantly, trust. Remember, more often than not, poor performance comes from the player bringing something onto the court that’s distracting to them. Coach “The Big Why,” the key to success Take the time to explore and understand what drives and motivates your players. Ask them, “What do you love about the game?” or “What is one reason you play that has nothing to do with winning and losing?” All great champions have their own reason for competing. Pete Sampras said, “I just wanted to see how good I could be.” What a great reason to play! Others love the competition or being with friends. Once you understand what drives a player, you can figure out how to best motivate them. It is also helpful to remember: What’s your big why for coaching? This is the reason you come back to the court day after day. It can serve to drive your inner motivation. Coach the process and the winning will take care of itself Guide your players to become aware of and focused on the process while letting the outcome (results) take care of itself. This will keep them focused on what they can control. Ask any player what their goal is and they will

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

all say, “To win!” The next question to ask is: “What will it take?” Often times, there is silence. The true champion focuses on what they need to do to make the result happen. An example might be to manage their emotions during adversity in a match, or play to their strengths and use their forehand to dictate points early in points. The key is to understand the steps. Often times, I say “Focus on the path, not the peak.” It’s the only way to get to the peak without tripping! Coach “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” Encourage the players to experiment, risk and explore the things that may be outside of their comfort zone. Ask them to identify one thing they are currently uncomfortable doing, but were they to develop, would benefit their game. When players understand that it is okay to explore the game and spend time on weaknesses, they may be surprised by the positive results. Furthermore, they will have more faith in your advice to attempt and stick with ideas or techniques that do not feel easy or natural to them right away. For example, this might include coming to the net to finish a volley when pulling the opponent across the court, or staying in the point an extra shot or two before they pull the trigger on a big shot. Coach empowerment and self-responsibility by asking questions Open-ended questions stimulate the mind and make a person think. These

questions cannot be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.” Additionally, they facilitate a conversation and eliminate a player from checking out mentally. For example, “What do you think we should work on today? How will that help you in match play?” Or, “What did you think of that drill? How could we make it better? What didn’t you like about it? What do you think that is telling you?” Players can even make self-discoveries about their effort level or stamina via questions such as “How was your energy level? What energy level do you need in a match? What’s stopping you from providing that energy today?”

anxiety. Why? Because the player has no control over it! However, dialing back and focusing on what they can control—such as staying patient in a point, staying true to their rituals, and managing adversity under pressure—will all lead to the best result. Focusing on what can be controlled doesn’t always guarantee a win, but it puts the player in the best position to win. It also empowers the player to establish a game plan and take the responsibility to follow it. In summary, these six steps outlined above began with the individual person. All players are unique people

Coach what can be controlled Too often, players are focused on what they cannot control … things such as the opponent, conditions, and the most common, the outcome of the match. This thought process is the quickest path to failure. Focusing on what cannot be controlled creates

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

who will have a unique process and a unique performance. There is no cookie-cutter way to develop players or even a one-size-fits-all program. Great players don’t try to hit the perfect shot, rather, they hit their shots. Developing a mutual trust between yourself and the player allows the player to grow with complete faith in their process. It allows and teaches the player to realize that if they lost it, it’s not because they are not good enough (as a person), but rather, their game was not good enough on that particular day. Big difference … person first, every time.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Why Do Tennis Coaches Matter? By Armando Sandoval

ennis coaches play a vital role in the industry. There is an endless list of things that tennis coaches do every single day to make the tennis world a stronger, better, and more friendly sport. From the perspective of tennis players, it depends on where I am in my tennis journey to understand how much help I can get from them. If I am a complete beginner, a good and experienced tennis coach will be that first contact that friendly face that will make me feel confident in that sometimes scary place the tennis court can be. A good tennis coach should take me through all aspects of the game: rules, basic principles, best practices, and simple but realistic goals. I want to be able to understand and start practicing the game of tennis. A good coach will help me grasp the concepts of interacting with a hitting partner (rallying), understanding who starts the exchange of balls (serving), and, of course, playing the points (scoring), which is the fun part of the game! But that's not all. A good coach will explain to me, over time, about equipment (rackets, strings, shoes, court surfaces), some other programs their place offers that may help me get better. They can also guide me in defining my goals – whether they are social, health and fitness-related, or competitionoriented. Of course, the coach's communication skills play a vital role here, but I should also participate by asking as many questions as I want. If I have a good coach, they will motivate 44

me, encourage me, provide advice, be patient, answer my questions, and connect me with other players. If my tennis journey has taken me to a level where I can already consider myself a tennis player, which means I have some match experience, whether it's recreational or in league tournaments, it's probably a good idea to consider having a tennis coach if I really want to move up to the next level (rating, ranking, ladder, UTR). At this point, a good coach can help me define or refine my playing style, work on stroke weaknesses, and address the mental side of the game. Maybe my footwork needs improvement, or I need to develop some game plans. My questions will be different at this point, and my lessons should focus on more specific points. I already know if I get too nervous, if my forehand crumbles under pressure, or if my serve feels great or not so great, I should expect my lessons to be as specific as my needs are. Of course, my coach can tell me about other aspects of my game, but again, I want to concentrate on my areas for improvement and also understand my strengths. My coach can help me find new competition goals, discover new programs, keep me updated about tournament opportunities, fine-tune or

upgrade my equipment, and, in general, help me become a better player. The list of things a coach can do for a player's game goes on and on, but as players improve, their coach's role delves deeper into the details. Good tennis coaches always look to improve, invest in themselves, and keep up with the latest developments in the tennis world. I remember one time when a player during a clinic asked his coach for his opinion about a grand slam match played the night before, and the coach's response was, “Which tournament were they playing in?” The health benefits of tennis are wellestablished with countless studies confirming its positive impact. Tennis contributes to social, physiological, and psychological well-being, and it's even a sport that increases lifespan like no other. Always remember, you are the customer. Keep asking questions, try to understand your unique journey, and if you have a coach who can guide you effectively, you can confidently expect to achieve your goals. If tennis coaches can successfully perform their job and motivate their players, convincing and retaining them to play the 'sport for a lifetime,' participation will increase, tennis courts will become busier, and the tennis industry will grow stronger and better.

Armando Sandoval is a tennis Coach at CourtSense Tennis Training Center. Originally from Mexico, Sandoval is a highly experienced tennis professional who recently joined the CourtSense team. With a comprehensive background that includes being a director for various tennis academies, and National Coordinator for the Mexican Tennis Federation, he has a deep understanding of the sport.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Top Players, Celebrity Chefs Serve It Up at Gotham Hall For Citi Taste of Tennis NYC

op tennis players and worldrenowned celebrity chefs offered up a fantastic evening in New York with the return of Citi Taste of Tennis at Gotham Hall. The celebration was hosted by Food Network’s Chopped Champion, Founder and Executive Chef Bao Bao and Former Tennis Player Prakash Amritraj. Servin’ It Up Citi-Style: Pro tennis players including Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Belinda Bencic, Sascha Zverev, Ons Jabeur, Noah Rubin, Alycia Parks, Liudmila Samsonova, Desirae Krawczyk, Sachia Vickery, JJ Wolf, Holger Rune and more (full list upon request) sampled incredible cuisine including Watermelon & Shrimp Carpaccio & Cauliflower & Couscous Tabbouleh courtesy of Chef Alain Allegretti of Fig & Olive, Salt Fish & Shrimp Fregola courtesy of Chef Damian Leach of Barbados Tourism, Gnocchi Bolognese courtesy of Chef Chad Brown of Hunt & Fish Club, and so much more. Throughout the evening, guests sipped on delicious espresso cocktails from Segafredo Zanetti Coffee, bubbles from Zonin USA, “Voss-Tails” courtesy of VOSS,

along with inventive cocktails from Gin Mare and Chambord. The Experience: Upon arrival, guests were welcomed into Gotham Hall’s iconic event space in Midtown, entering into the elegant ballroom with 70 foot ceilings with an ornate stained-glass skylight. As the night continued, guests mingled with their favorite tennis stars while enjoying endless food from NY’s best chefs, all set to the tunes of talented DJ Ravi Drums, showcasing his unique brand of music, live drums and custom percussion remixes throughout the evening. The Citi Taste of Tennis event in New York was the final installment of another successful year of global events hosted by AYS Marketing. The culinary and tennis events kick off some of the world’s major tennis tournaments and this year events were held in Indian Wells, Miami, London, Washington D.C. and New York. They are a great way for players to enjoy a night out in the tournament’s host city, where they can walk a red carpet and show off their fashion sense, while getting to mingle with

some of the greatest celebrity chefs in the world. The combination of culinary expertise and tennis greatness continues to provide players with some of their favorite events of the year. You can learn more about what Citi Taste of Tennis has planned for 2024 by visiting www.tasteoftennis.com or www.instagram.com/tasteoftennis.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Across Metro Ne N Hoo Takes Doubles Title in Virginia

Carrie-Anne Hoo, who trains out of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, was successful at the L3 Open Event in Virginia Beach. Hoo reached the finals of the Girls 18s singles event to finish as the runner-up, and paired with New Jersey’s Sarah Ye to capture the Girls 18s Doubles title.

Locals Present Gauff With U.S. Open Trophy

Vustsina Commits to Boston College

One of MatchPoint NYC’s premier junior players, Agnia Vustsina, made her decision on where she will be playing her collegiate tennis. Still only a sophomore, the Brooklyn native has verbally committed to Boston College, and plans to join the Golden Eagles when she begins her collegiate career.

Pleskun Takes Home L4 Title

The U.S. Open provides some amazing memories for local junior tennis players by giving unique access, including oncourt activities. At this year’s event, two of those local players got the opportunity of a lifetime, as NYC’s Izyan “Zizou” Ahmad and Blake Chang of Manhasset got to share a memory with Coco Gauff as they presented her with the U.S. Open trophy, her first ever major trophy. 46

Anastasia Pleskun, who trains at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, was victorious at the L4 Closed Autumn Championships in New Windsor, N.Y. Pleskun delivered a dominant performance in the tournament by winning all five of her matches in straight sets, including a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the finals to capture the title in the Girls 14s Singles division.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

New York Slatky Wins Discovery Open

… News and notes from across the N.Y. Metro tennis community

Banerjee Returns to Centercourt To Work With Orange Ball Team

New York City native Alex Slatky, who trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, was the winner of the L6 Discovery Junior Open in Old Tappan, N.J. Slatky travelled across the river to bring home the title in the Boys 16s Division, coming back from a set down in the championship The 2021 Wimbledon junior champion and current Stanford match to earn the standout Samir Banerjee returned to Centercourt Tennis title. Academy where he trained throughout his junior days, and helped out with the academy’s Orange Ball players. Banerjee gave a live demonstration at the academy’s Wallin Brothers Earn Top Results Chatham location, and spoke to the players about his experiences and offered advice and tips, displaying the Harrison and strong alumni network at Centercourt. Hudson Wallin, two brothers that train at CourtSense Tennis USTA Eastern Welcomes Training Center, Other Sections for Player both enjoyed a successful Development Camp weekend at their respective tournaments. Harrison reached the finals of the L6 event in Manasquan, N.J. in the Boys 12s The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hosted a singles division to Team USA Player Development Camp featuring players from finish as runnerthe Eastern Section as well USTA Mid-Atlantic, USTA Middle up, while Hudson States and USTA New England. The camp was led by captured the title USTA Player Development National staff including Lori at the USTA Junior Riffice, Melanie Oudin, Reshard Langford, Darnesha Moore Circuit Green Ball Challenger in Marlboro, N.J. in the Boys and Dr. Earlyn Lauer. 12s singles division. NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Guide to Choosing a Vacation Academy By Gilad Bloom

s a pro that runs an after-school program in NYC, I deal a lot with students that go away for the summer to one of the numerous “academies” in other parts of the country or elsewhere around the world. When the kids get back home after summer vacation and return to my program, they always have a great tan, and are usually rusty and out of shape. I have to admit, my first question is, “how was summer camp?” Mostly they are disappointed and tell me that it wasn’t what they expected; very few kids come back excited and happy. Many of my student’s parents ask me for advice on how to choose the right vacation camp, and my short answer is: you won’t know how good it is until you get there. But to minimize the chance of shelling out thousands of dollars on a mediocre tennis camp, I prepared a guide to choosing the right vacation academy for your child.

Less is More Tennis is an individual sport and each player needs customized coaching and personal attention. When you sign your kid up, find out how many kids play on the court, a maximum of two-three per court is

a must. Also, find out the ratio of pros/students, one pro for each court is required, and pick a small one without hundreds of courts and kids, it’s hard to keep the kids disciplined and organized in high numbers. Make sure that you are getting what you paid for before signing up Ask very specific questions about the daily curriculum, and also make sure that the person’s name who is on the logo of the academy is actually there. The large tennis academies are brand names and the actual camp has nothing to do with the bearer of the name. In fact, in many of the places, the “tourist students” don’t even train with the regular full-time players, which creates uneven levels during the practice and, many times, it becomes a total waste of time. It’s best to talk to people who did different camps and get their reviews. Let The Kids Play! Summer is all about competition and improving in match play, that’s the ultimate way to improve and is the most fun. It’s especially important that when they’re away from their familiar environment and regular coach they learn to fight on their

After school season starts September 5 (38 week season) Groups, Privates, Tournament Travel Find out about fall sessions starting in September Come train with Gilad Bloom: 27 years of High Performance coaching 13-year career on Pro Tour, including Davis Cup & Olympics Call 914-907-0041 or E-mail Bloom.Gilad@gmail.com www.GiladBloom.com 48

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

own and develop their tennis identity. They’ll have enough drills during the school year, so I encourage the parents to go to camps that guarantee a few hours of match play daily. Hey, Teachers, Leave The Kids Alone! This always baffles me. The student will travel to some big name academy and come back with a completely reconstructed game, new grips, new technique and different swings. Some temporary summer pro thought that it would be beneficial for the student to make major technical changes even though this is a coach-player relationship that will last two-three weeks, after which the coach will never see that student again. This is unprofessional because without a follow up all the instructions will evaporate. The professional thing to do of is for that pro to contact the player’s regular yearround coach and communicate their thoughts and suggestions on the student’s game…but that rarely happens. As a coach I actually like that my students get exposed to other pros. I want them to keep an open mind, and it’s always interesting for me to get another opinion. One can always learn. However communication between the different coaches is essential and when it doesn’t happen, it can cause more damage than good. My advice to the parents is to insist that the pro is introduced to the regular coach by email and have a line of communication so the kid doesn’t hear conflicting instructions. 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.

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A Tale of Two Tennis Teams By Barbara Wyatt

experienced the highs and lows of tennis teams in a single weekend. During the same Sectionals weekend, I played on both a competitive team and a team with more of a social focus. The difference in team dynamics was as diverse as an ace versus an unforced error. On the competitive team, our captain was all about partner development. Most players understood and accepted that the final lineup was about the skill and performance that partnerships developed during league play. We zoomed to the number one ranking and headed to Sectionals. Then, a player suggested all players should play the same number of matches at Sectionals. My heart sank. It was like suggesting that a top seed and a Wild Card have equal court time in a Grand Slam. Why toss a competitive team to the curb? You know why. The suggestion came from a weaker player who knew they would most likely compete in one match at Sectionals, while stronger partnerships play two or three.

The captain held her ground. She continued to organize practices to assess skills and match performance objectively. Team unity came from the shared goal of winning. On my second team, the social team, it was a different story. No practices during league; no recommended partnerships to develop. A few days before a competitive match, the captain haphazardly assigned names on the courts. This team received a slot at Sectionals—through the Wildcard system. Not many members of our team opted to go. The strongest players feigned conflicts to avoid paying travel costs. They believed court partners would again be random placement, and sometimes relegated to “show up dressed to play at warmups and if’s there’s an injury, you can sub in.” It was disheartening to see our team's potential go to waste. At the first match at Sectionals with the “social team”, my partner and I lost our match in a tiebreak. Partially because we had to answer the most

basic questions, including, “Do you prefer to play deuce or ad?” Looking back, I can't help but appreciate the fairness and competitiveness of the first team. Playing against the strongest opponents in regular practice made me a better tennis player. The social team taught me about the fun of camaraderie but at the expense of competitiveness. It was enjoyable on a personal level, but it didn't help me grow as a player. The end of the story? Neither team made it to Nationals. The competitive team lost in the finals yet walked off the courts thrilled with the memories. We enjoyed the thrill of pursuing victory. A post-Sectional celebration is in the works. Players are gearing up for the next season. The social team ended dead last; every match lost. We shared a casual weekend hit, without the thrill of the chase. With no goals and switching partners arbitrarily, the weekend ended in deafening silence. There will be no celebration. Striking the right balance between competitiveness and camaraderie is essential. It's a fine balance, but when done right, a tennis team with a competitive goal thrives both on and off the court. Will you see me on another team? Absolutely! I’ll be a competitive player, with a smile on my face, honing my tennis skills and building friendships off the court.

Barbara Wyatt is a Writer, Photographer, USTA Official, and Mobile App Developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Racquet Sport

Report presented by

adidas Pickleball

adel is following in the footsteps of pickleball and growing in the United States with new players discovering the sport on a daily basis. Padel is a sport which combines action with fun and social interaction. It's a great sport for all ages and skills, usually played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and steel mesh. Whitney Kraft of All Racquet Sports has teamed up with Jose Manuel Delgado of AFP Courts of Spain to construct an adidas branded showcase padel and pickleball court at the Brook Bound Inn in the picturesque town of Wilmington, Vermont. Hotel guests and members can enjoy these brand new courts and sample the adidas branded surfaces and paddles. The aluminum courts with AFP turf are state of the art and create an incredible environment to play in alongside the new pickleball court also using the latest paint and sealing products. If you are considering a court of your own come see the showcase court. Please contact Whitney Kraft at wkraft@brookboundinnvt.com for more information or to schedule a visit. Lessons, clinics and private instruction available by appointment, Brookboundinnvt.com for hotel reservations or call 802430-2001. NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 40 Love Lifestyle

39 Plandome Rd. • Manhasset, NY 11030 •(516) 570-0781 Instagram: @40LoveLifestyle

Tennis inspired fine jewelry locally designed in New York by female Designer and tennis mom, the Yasmine Collection New York is the perfect gift for the tennis lover in your life this holday season. Order now in time for the holidays!’ Available now, these one of a kind Diamond Tennis racquet & ball necklaces in 14K yellow or rose gold, featuring pink sapphires and 0.25 carats of diamonds. Necklaces are 17” with additional loops for wearing at adjustable lengths. Custom orders available by request! Come stop by 40 Love Lifestyle to learn more about our tennis-inspired jewelry and find the ideal gift. 40 Love features an array of tennis, pickleball, racquet ball and golf apparel, accessories, bags and more, including niche items that will help you style up your game. Visit 40LoveLifestyle.com to see more!

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

40LoveLifestyle.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE adidas Pickleball info@allracquetsports.com

A Racket Tailored to Your Needs The new ESSNOVA CARBON CTRL HD will give a new dimension to your game. The 3K CARBON composition alongside the POLYPROPYLENE HONEYCOMB CORE will give you the power you demand. Its CTRL format will endow absolute precision that will make you dominate the game at will. Power Its 3K CARBON composition and Hi-Density POLYPROPYLENE HONEYCOMB Core provides excellent power. Comfort Its CTRL format and the materials used provide excellent comfort. Materials Essnova Carbon Frame: Carbon Reinforcement Surface: Carbon 3K Core: High Density Polypropylene Honeycomb Specifications Dimensions: 16 x 8” Weight: 7.7-8.2 oz Thickness: 14.28 mm Sweet Spot: Center Grip Size: 4 1/8 Grip Length: 4 3/4

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

allracquetsports.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Halftime Chiller

info@halftimechiller.com • Instagram: @Halftime_Chiller

The Rolling Cooler Have you been searching for the perfect cooler that not only holds and keeps your drinks cold, but also doubles a storage unit for your racquet sport needs? Well, Halftime Chiller has you covered. Inspired by a vintage oak whiskey barrel, the Halftime Chiller is a one-of-a-kind product, that has both an aesthetically-pleasing design that has everything you need. The innovative 4-in-1 design allows it to function as a cooler, seat, and dual portable storage unit. Features include: Pressure lock system • Fill the bottom half with ice, drinks & snacks • Holds 24 bottles and cans • Stays cold for hours

Hidden compartment under the lid • Keeps personal belongings secure and easily accessible • Removable tray

No chairs? No problem • Standard stool height • Comfortable padded, sturdy seat • Telescoping handle makes it light and easy to pull • Imprinted wood grain design for visual appeal

Mesh back pocket for extra storage space • Perfect for clothing, towels, equipment, books, games, supplies, etc. • Two halves stack inside one another to save space when being stored

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

HalftimeChiller.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE inPhorm NYC

inPhorm, known for its “simple elegance and classic” outfits for tennis, pickle ball and golf, is introducing vibrant colors of green and purple with deep blue to its holiday collection. We asked the creative director, Saad Hajidin, what inspired his color palettes this season? We called the two collections ‘Ivy & Imperial.’ This is a nod to Wimbledon. We’ve had the privilege of designing outfits for the members of the All England Tennis and Croquet Club (Wimbledon), and I have attended the Grand Slam tournament with a VIP pass. The club and the grounds were so mesmerizing that it stayed with me. When I designed the collections for this holiday, I wanted to elevate our tennis and golf looks with the green and purple colors that are inspired from my trip to Wimbledon. The styling for the collection is traditional and classic with a modern twist - - staying true to the DNA that inPhorm’s customers have come to expect from us. “I was very careful when I used color block in some of the pieces to make sure that each color variation blends and compliments the others tastefully. In addition to the Ivy and Imperial, we also offer white in our classic collection that work well on their own or pair with the new collection.” “inPhorm’s Holiday 2023 collection is replete with styles that translate from the daytime court or course to the evening’s activities — stylish tennis, pickle ball and golf looks that easily blend in at any occasion. “In the last few months, inPhorm’s team has been engaged in conversations with its customers, gathering reviews of products, fits and functionality. We like to say that by listening to our customers, we Stay inPhormed,” Saad notes. You can learn more about inPhorm by visiting its website, www.inphormnyc.com

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

inPhormNYC.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Inside the Zone Pickleball

By Author Rob Polishook Facebook.com/InsideTheZone • rob@insidethezone.com When you play pickleball, would you like to be able to: • Adapt and adjust when your opponent dinks? • Bounce back effortlessly after losing a game? • Manage adversity after missing that third shot drop? • Avoid getting emotionally down and overthinking after losing a lead? • Stay focused in the moment, not the past point or future game? • Compete like a champion despite who your opponent or partner is? • Focus on what you can control and let go of what you cannot? Now you can!

Pickleball Inside the Zone: 32 Mental Training Workouts for Champions is the first book of its kind that allows you to be the player, coach and champion of your own game! It inspires, empowers and guides you to look deep inside yourself to play and be your best. The highly interactive format offers individualized mental training articles, quotes, stories and exercises which encourage you to reflect, highlight, and journal your personal experiences in drills, practice and competitive situations. Then, ultimately, creating your best mental practices specific to you which will help you compete and be the best version of yourself. You are a Whole Human Athlete-Person First. Get ready to bring who you are to what you do. Get ready to unlock your potential in ways you never thought possible! The book is out this December and will be available on Amazon!

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

InsideTheZone.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE OSIM USA

2039-630 Old Country Road • Garden City, NY 11530 online@osim.com • +1 (626) 528-7339

For more than 40 years, the OSIM brand has been committed to pleasing its customers and inspiring well-being. 2023 marks the 44th anniversary of this mission, with 11 stores across North America and OSIM continues to be at the forefront and the global leader in well-being and healthy lifestyle products. While OSIM’s products are universal in their need, tennis players and racquet sports players benefit greatly from the usage of them, primarily the OSIM uLove3 wellbeing chair. It’s the perfect gift this holiday season! OSIM uLove3 isn’t simply a massage chair, but features the array of innovative technology that OSIM prides itself on, including: AI stress analysis technology, measuring heart rate and respiratory rate, personalized body tension program, specialized lifestyle programs for everyone in the family – can focus on the sports recovery program here for tennis players, patented massage techniques – 4-hand and V-hand massage Sports recovery is a crucial aspect of athletic performance and overall wellbeing, especially for tennis players and racquet sports players like you. After engaging in matches in court, your body needs time to reset and repair. Not only recovery helps in preventing injuries and reducing muscle soreness, it also improves flexibility and enhance overall fitness. OSIM uLove3 wellbeing chair offers the sports recovery massage program, with the massage techniques like kneading, rolling, and tapping to improve circulation and aid in the body’s natural healing process. For Long Island and New York residents, there is a convenient location at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City. At the location, customers can test out a variety of products and learn which ones are the best fits for them.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

US.OSIM.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Sassy Li

Lili@sassyli.com • Instagram: @SassyLi.tennis

Pickleball Bag/Travel Bag: Machine washable, large compartments, Removable pouch padded, Crossbody strap, cell phone pocket, water bottle holder. This bag is large enough to carry six pickleball paddles, and is made of a special light weight and durable material, and comes in fuschia and black colors. The main compartment offers more than enough space for pickleballs, golf shoes, tennis shoes, etc as well as built-in pockets for keys, cell phones, and the side water bottle holder. The adjustable strap allows you to wear the bag tight or loose. • Hold up to 6 paddles • Adjustable shoulder straps • Built in cell phone, key storage • Side water bottle holder • Machine washable • Holds tennis shoes, golf shoes, pickleball shoes. For more information and to see more bags, visit SassyLi.com, or contact lili@sassyli.com or 888-808-3664

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

SassyLi.com

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Viking Athletics

1071 Olmsted Drive • Lake Forest, IL 60045 • (827) 227-1002

Although the allure of being warm and comfortable on the couch seems very enticing as we get closer and closer to winter, keep in mind that your pickle partners are probably working on their volleys in their own house. Put down the popcorn, set aside your blankets, and grab your Shield pickleball paddles. If you want to rule the court next summer, then you better get started now! The beauty of the sport that has grasped the attention of the nation is you never truly have to stop playing. Just because your mind has entered the state of hibernation doesn’t mean that you can’t burn a few calories here and there. With all the new indoor pickleball facilities popping up in the Long Island area, why not go show off your new Shield paddle. This paddle truly makes you feel like a pro. The fine layer of grit makes you spin it like Rafa at Roland Garros, apparently dinking is as effortless as Federer’s footwork, and can we talk about how sweet the design is! Everything about this paddle will help you improve your game and take home all the trophies next year... including the LITM Pickleball Challenge. Head over to vikingathletics.com and check out the paddles! The best part about the Shield pickleball paddle, is that you don’t have to break the bank to feel like a pro. Hopefully this will give you the boost of energy to get back on the court.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

VikingAthletics.com

What Real Improvement Is By Jay Pinho

egardless of a player’s objective with his/her tennis, most players want to progress and develop their skills. One common trap that many junior and adult players, as well as parents, fall into is to focus harder on getting an upgraded rating rather than developing skills. The list below will include some of the most common rationales that are seen in our sport, and a superior alternative to those logics. “In order to get better, I need to play with better players.” While there is value in playing with more advanced players, as they can challenge you differently and expose flaws more consistently, there are many issues with this rationale, including: For a player to play “up” it means that someone else needs to play “down”, and since most want to play up this is an equation that does not add up. Instead, players should play up, at their level, and below, as all three stages allow the players to work on different aspects of their game and mindset. Playing up takes away the pressure, thus making it “easier” to play freely as there is less ego involvement. If a player who is playing up wins, it’s great! Similarly, if s/he loses it’s not a big deal as the opponent is better. On the other hand, when playing at your level, and especially down, players feel the losses very differently. Instead of avoiding that pain, learn how to 60

conquer it. Playing a mix of levels allow for a player to build his/her confidence, through some wins, while getting challenged by better players at times. “Playing with low compression balls will slow down the development.” This is a common incorrect thought that many players fall into, that could not be further from the true. Learning how to play in a progressive manner, from smaller courts and slower balls, to larger courts with faster balls, allows players to learn tactics and better technical foundation at a faster pace than playing exclusively with yellow balls into a full court. While the player will eventually “graduate” to a full-size court with a yellow ball, it’s important that s/he already has the understanding of fundamentals and is able to play purposefully, meaning with intent behind his/her shots, at simpler stages before experiencing the most difficult scenario. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to actually be able to rally (even if with slower balls) on day one than to struggle for longer with a fastmoving tennis ball (yellow). “I did a group X two or three times, therefore I should move up.” Not necessarily. One aspect that people often oversee is that while most do

improve overtime, so do others in the levels above. Therefore, in order to move up the player needs to ensure that s/he closed the gap between where s/he is and the next level. Depending on the frequency of play, overall technical and physical skills, and other factors, it can take several sessions before a player can move up. So, be patient and trust the process. Overall, while tennis can be a challenging sport to truly master, it offers many rewards for those who strive to improve. Not only from a mastery perspective, but also from developing an improved ability to “get good” at something, which can be highly transferable to other fields. Regardless of one’s goals, there is always room for improvement and everyone can improve if they put some work into it. Having patience and focusing on the 1-3 aspects that you need to focus on for the short-term is a healthier and better way to progress, than to constantly focus on outcomerelated goals. Real improvement is about skill acquisition, which can be technical, tactical, physical, and mental, not about just rating improvement. While ratings are important for a classcreation perspective, focus on the skills and the rest will come.

Joao Pinho is the Head Professional of 10U and High-Performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He is a USPTA Elite Professional, a former NCAA DI coach and player, and has specialized in developing competitive junior players over the past decade. Currently, he is the private coach of three national champions and a WTA touring pro.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

Big Data, Big Deal? By Steve Kaplan “What happens in matches, and what the numbers say can be very different.” - Andy Murray. Big data using quantitative and qualitative analysis to uncover tennis play patterns has become a big deal in the tennis world. Can these analytics really help us to develop and use better tactics and strategies? Of course we can look at data derived from matches and learn a lot about what happened by recognizing patterns, but is such knowledge useful to guide us on what to do to get the best results in future matches? Let's start with the idea that for such analytics to be useful they must be predictive, and to be predictive, they must be precise or repeatable and representative or accurate. To understand the answer to the above questions here are a few definitions that are relevant to addressing this complex concept. 1. Chaos Theory is a part of math that deals with the complex systems in which behavior is highly sensitive to conditions which make it move from order to disorder. Mike Tyson described it well when he said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

focused on analysis of strategies in competitive situations where the outcome of one participant's actions depends greatly on the actions of the other participants. Tennis can be seen as one big game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in which we formalize If/Then statements. So data can get skewed easily and that's just a part of this issue because what transforms data into analytics is interpretation, which is highly subjective and only as good as the coach performing the process. Still, a good coach can find value in numbers, but as the old saying goes, “statistics are like a bikini: what they reveal is important, but what they conceal is vital.” So to put all this together let's consider the song by One Direction, “You Don't Know You’re Beautiful”. The

lyrics tell a girl “you don't know you’re beautiful, that's what makes you beautiful.” Of course if she believes what is told to her, she now knows she is beautiful and according to the lyrics, this self awareness makes her no longer beautiful. And since she now knows she can no longer be beautiful, she is thus beautiful again in this never ending cycle of interdependent cause and effect. We can simplify big data as a popular website, Brain Game Tennis, attempts to do as it tries to find play patterns with profound meaning in chaos. However, without recognizing the principles of causation, the conclusions we reach are too simple to solve the complex issue of how to predict future patterns and prepare with a better plan of action. I think that Andy Murray is right that the numbers don't always reflect play because they don’t travel in only one direction.

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 nationallyranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone 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.

2. The Butterfly Effect is a part of chaos theory in which a tiny local change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. So if I come to the net eight times in a match and win six points, I win 75 percent of those points and that's great, so maybe I should come in more? Well, the Butterfly Effect would suggest that by even coming in just 16 times total I change the dynamics in such a way that now my opponent is ready for my new strategy and thus I win only four of the 16 points, or 25 percent. 3. Game Theory is that part of math

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

Closing Out 2023 in Style By Luke Jensen Tennis Stars, how are we doing?!? In my last Jensen Zone, I spoke about the AWESOME underdog from the ATL, Chris Eubanks. I’ve been so impressed with his ability to handle the fame while maintaining the focus on his game. He’s only going to continue to RISE! As we close out another year with some amazing tennis, I have to touch on the incredible U.S. Open. Over 950,000 fans attended over the three weeks! The very best value in the tennis world is U.S. Open Fan Week. It’s the week of qualifying and the extremely important week of preparation for the main draw players. The Open traditionally has always had free admission to this week and it still does. The biggest difference is that the event has really promoted the fact that tennis fans from around the world can come in free of charge with opportunities to watch unique exhibitions and interviews with your favorite tennis stars. There were over 150,000 fans during Fan Week alone this year and I expect it to grow in 2024. If there is just ONE event I would recommend you put on your tennis bucket list on the SUPER COOL list for 2024, it’s Fan Week…… it is such a unique experience. I saw many tennis directors from clubs bringing their members and young students by the dozens to experience the free entry to see the brightest tennis stars in the world, up close! Fan week was really a springboard to all the must see tennis of the tournament, 62

and the event’s matches did not disappoint. I am soooo impressed with Coco Gauff. To really evaluate her game at Wimbledon and see that she needed a Jedi Master like Brad Gilbert shows a ton of maturity. Players are stubborn and that’s what makes them great in such a tough merit-based system. No free lunches on tour with so much amazing global competition. So the smart players are coachable to reach their full potential. Gauff went on a tear over the summer with Gilbert and lost only one singles match. She was always a player that didn’t know her tactical identity. Inspired by the Williams Sisters it always seemed to me like she was trying to play like Venus and Serena. There are similarities but Gauff sees the game differently than those legends. She plays her best when she is running and rallying into long exchanges from the baseline. The confident power comes from an elite serve and locked in backhand. It’s the management of her below average forehand that has been the difference. Under pressure, Coco used to rip away at the forehand that spit out numerous errors. When that happened, her overall confidence suffered and that,

effectively, messed up the rest of her game. The Williams Sisters were raised to be mentally bulletproof. No matter how many errors, they were going to play that way: basically always on their terms, and missing never affected their supreme mindset. When Gilbert takes a player they must have the ability to win majors. He doesn’t want to work with pretenders. Then he takes what they do well and makes that the focus of the battle plan. BG makes sure that the weaknesses do not lose points with errors making sure the weaker shots are steady while the weapons WIN the matches. Gilbert had Coco fall back on the returns to create long extended rallies that turned into physically PUNISHING her opponents with fitness. This was the Andre “The Punisher” Agassi mode during the years he worked with Gilbert. Agassi is one of the greatest pure strikers in tennis history and was EXTREMELY ACCURATE with his placement. When Andre began grinding you down it was just a matter of time before your legs began cramping. I’m super excited to see how BG preps Gauff for the Aussie Open in 2024. One thing for sure, he won’t mess up something that is working.

Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. Luke is currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or email lukejensen84@yahoo.com.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

adult league

wrap-up USTA Metro Region Adult League Update: November/December 2023 By Cole Newsome

The Men’s 18 & Over 4.0 team from Queens finished in third place at the National Championships

ew York City is home to some of the top tennis talent in the country, and this fall’s USTA League championships provided Metro-area teams a chance to demonstrate their strength on the national stage. Regional winners from NYC traveled to Phoenix and Tucson to take on USTA’s best, finishing among the nation’s highest-ranked teams in their respective divisions: l Queens 4.0 Men 18 & Over (Simon Chong, pictured) Final Ranking: 3rd l Queens 3.5 Women 18 & Over (Patricia Gould) Final Ranking: 8th

l Manhattan 10.0 Mixed 18 & Over (Samantha Lieb & Matt Hansen) Final Ranking: 5th Later this year, the Queens 7.0 Mixed (Lina Lekser & Hazel Zaldivar) and Manhattan 9.0 Mixed (Sonia Danon & Mohammad El-Haj Ahmad) teams will travel to Orlando for the final mixed doubles championships of 2023. The 2024 mixed doubles season will begin soon and team captains are urgently seeking players to join the competition. If you’re interested in joining USTA Leagues, please contact Metro League Coordinator Cole Newsome at newsome@eastern.usta.com.

l Manhattan 3.5 Men 18 & Over (Kuo Wu & Julien Li) Final Ranking: 10th l Manhattan 4.5 Women 18 & Over (Akiko Tohmatsu) Final Ranking: 14th l Queens 6.0 Mixed 18 & Over (Adam Moramarco & Lina Lekser) Final Ranking: 5th

Cole Newsome is the Adult League Coordinator for the USTA Eastern Metro Region. He can be reached at newsome@eastern.usta.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

court Svitolina Graces Cover of Vogue Ukraine

Elina Svitolina is on the cover of the fall issue of Vogue Ukraine, an issue that centers on female athletes as she is joined by other Ukrainian female athletes, fencer Olga Kharlan and high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Svitolina conducted an interview for the edition while here in New York at the U.S. Open where Svitolina discusses how she became an ambassador for United24, the Ukrainian state fundraising platform for humanitarian relief efforts during its war against Russia, and how she's become a voice for Ukrainian sports diplomacy on the international stage.

By Emilie Katz

McEnroe Visits Denver to Raise Money for Local Tennis Organization

New York’s own John McEnroe headed west to help raise money for the Denver Tennis Park a non-profit organization which provides tennis to under-resourced youth, an initiative he helps with here in New York. McEnroe helped run a tennis clinic with the organization’s players, and attended the Raise a Racquet Charity Bash event where he played live music with his band, the Johnny Smyth Band.

Sabalenka and Beckham Link Up

Djokovic, Gauff Named Among Most Marketable Tennis Players

The two U.S. Open champions from 2023 were named to SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable list, topping the list of tennis players in the report. Djokovic came in at No. 11 on the list right before Gauff at No. 12. Former U.S. Open champions Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu also made the list despite their absence from competition. Aryna Sabalenka, Rafael Nadal, Petra Kvitova and Ons Jabeur were the other tennis players listed inside the Top 50. 64

New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • NYTennisMag.com

U.S. Open finalist Aryna Sabalenka had a “low key Miami morning” recently as she hung out with legendary soccer star David Beckham. Sabalenka was in Miami preparing for the end of the WTA season while Beckham now resides in the South Florida city as the co-owner of the Inter Miami MLS soccer team.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2023 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2023 • NYTennisMag.com