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Courts of Dreams: How One New Yorker Found a Tennis Haven in
Courts of Dreams How one New Yorker found a tennis haven in Vermont By Brian Coleman
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Have you ever driven past an empty plot of land, or a vacant building, and thought of all the ways you could transform it? New York City native Chris Lewit had this idea. As a young tennis coach, he recalls constantly driving past an abandoned tennis club in rural Vermont.
“I really thought it was a gem,” said Lewit. “Years later, I had the opportunity to buy it. And after a long negotiation, we took control of the club in 2016. The place had been essentially abandoned. It was almost defunct with no programming, and one of the coaches was actually living there with his cat.
But I just saw the potential in the place. It has indoor courts, a gym, clubhouse and most importantly, 15 acres of land.” And it was precisely that which led Lewit to making the purchase on the place. With a vast landscape to work with, including 1,000 feet right on a riverfront, Lewit had found the dream location for his summer camp. “I fell in love with the land, and I thought that this would be a great place to put my camp,” said Lewit. “I had been running a camp in New York for 10 years, and I thought, if I could turn this place around, that this would be its new home.”
So Lewit went to work, quite literally. The amount of renovations needed was seemingly endless.
“They had these old Har-Tru courts that were basically a cabbage patch at this point. The foundation was there and they were laid out nicely, but there were just weeds everywhere. I mean, I’m 6’3 and they were taller than me,” recalls Lewit. “My whole family was back there pulling weeds and there were somehow also these giant boulders embedded into the dirt. We had to get rid of all of that and bring in all new red clay. It was my dream to have red clay courts like they do in Spain.”
So with the help of his family and a little elbow grease, Lewit turned what was once just a dream project of his while driving to work into a tennis haven in the beautiful Vermont wilderness. Now entering its fourth year of operating, Lewit’s camp has grown in each year of its existence. He trains players who are preparing for Nationals, Super Sixes, Zonals and other major tournaments, as well as young players he calls “little prodigies”. “They are talented and athletic, and a lot of them are just beginning their tournament experience,” he said. “They’re young, but I’ll coach any kid who is taking it seriously.”
The tennis instruction is rooted in the Spanish system, one that Lewit has been trained in significantly throughout the years. He has combined the models and methods of Luis Bruguera, Emilio Sanchez and Pato Alvarez, and recently began taking a course studying the Toni Nadal method, to formulate his own system of teaching.
“People can come here and train in this beautiful setting with an authentic
Spanish style, and you don’t have to go across the ocean to get it. We have players from all over the country coming to us now.”
As a result of that, a large emphasis is placed on injury prevention and physical training, and the numbers are kept down in order to ensure a small coach to player ratio to maximize the individualized instruction.
“We wanted to do something very different than most summer camps. People thought I was crazy to buy that place four years ago,” said Lewit. “Maybe it was a big risk, but I had this Field of Dreams moment. I saw what it could be. Every summer now when I see all the kids here, it makes me realize that I made the right decision.”
Being a native of New York City, Lewit says he now has the best of both worlds. He spends the majority of his year in New York, and then heads north, accompanied by his wife and children, to Vermont to spend the summers at his camp. “I’m a city mouse, I’m a country mouse. I love both places,” he said. “My
Chris Lewit turned this abandoned piece of property in Vermont into his dream tennis academy
family lives up there during the summer, so the kids get to spend those months out in nature. I was born in Manhattan and grew up in New York City, and sometimes it’s nice to get out into the country and see the beautiful scenery. We all enjoy getting out of the city, and it’s a little bit of heaven in the summer.”
USTA Metro Region
The USTA Metro Region Adult League is heating up, with the winter leagues beginning to wrap up which gives way to the spring and summer months.
Below are the winners and captains of the USTA Leagues that have finished:
Manhattan Mixed Doubles l 6.0: Scott McHugh l 7.0 Lisa Bernstein/Jeff Linderman l 8.0 Sue Robichek l 9.0 Maria Salnikowa l 10.0 Karen Garfield/Samantha Lieb
The Metro 40 & Over division finishes in early March, so check back in the May/June 2020 edition of New York Tennis Magazine for those results. Currently, we have the following USTA Leagues running: l Queens Mixed Doubles l Bronx Mixed Doubles l Metro 40 & Over Mixed Doubles l Metro 4.0 Tri-Level
Make sure to read the May/June 2020 edition of New York Tennis Magazine for results from those divisions.
The following are starting in the spring: l 18 & Over Manhattan l 18 & Over Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island
Are you interesting in playing for a team, or captaining a team? Want more information? Contact Christopher Dong, the USTA Eastern Metro Region’s Adult League Coordinator at cdong@eastern.usta.com.
Grants Still Available
The USTA Eastern Metro Region still has grants available! All organizations, including CTAs and NJTLs are encouraged to apply for the Metro Council Regional Grants, which may be applied anytime during the calendar year. Grants are as high as $1,000.
For additional information, contact psierra4@gmail.com to find our more and how to apply.
USTA Metro Region
Volunteer Recognition Night Coming in April
The USTA Eastern Metro Region will be hosting its 2020 Volunteer Recognition Night at The West Side Tennis Club on Wednesday, April 22. All Community Tennis Associations (CTA) and National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) organizations are encouraged to save the date.
The evening will be a fun night while we recognize the organizations and volunteers that do so much to promote
the game of tennis, and also an opportunity to hear from the organization about future plans, and a chance to network and build working relationships.
If interested in attending, please contact Pablo Sierra at psierra4@gmail.com, indicating what organization you are from, a contact person, e-mail and telephone number. Following that, you will receive a formal invite to the event!
USTA Metro Region
Metro Region Celebrates at Conference
The annual USTA Eastern conference is a great gathering for all the different regions to come together and celebrate all the success we had the year before, and discuss new ways on how to continue growing and improving the game in the year to come.
The Metro Region was on hand for this, and we were happy to take part in the Awards Ceremony where Gregory Muhammad was named the Metro Region’s Volunteer of the Year.
Gleneagles Country Club A Destination for New Yorkers
With perfect temperatures year-round, every day feels like a vacation when you are a member at Gleneagles Country Club in Delray Beach, Florida. With 20 Har-Tru night-lit courts, one hard court, and four pickleball courts, the Gleneagles Tennis Center is a tropical paradise where former world number one ranked resident pros Ivan Lendl and Steffi Graf honed their craft. The USPTAcertified staff offers private and group lessons for all ages. Never worry about finding a game, as our tennis concierge will place you in games and monitor your satisfaction. If you are looking for competition, you can play on one of 18 teams in six different leagues for both men and women at various levels. After your game, enjoy a complimentary beverage and relax on the patio. If shopping is on your mind, the Pro Shop has the latest styles at member-friendly prices.
In addition to tennis, Gleneagles members enjoy some of the best amenities in South Florida with a larger than 92,000 square feet main clubhouse that features three restaurants and two bars, a brand new Healthy Lifestyle Center encompassing a spacious fitness center, tranquil spa, and resort-style pool, in addition to 36 holes of championship golf.
Set in the charming seaside town of Delray Beach (named America’s Most Fun Small Town by Rand McNally) between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Gleneagles Country Club is close to award-winning restaurants, shopping, museums, beaches, and a vibrant downtown. The new Delray Marketplace, an outdoor promenade with popular restaurants, live entertainment, and stores, is just a mile away.
More than $30 million has been invested into the Gleneagles clubhouse and community in recent years. A variety of real estate is available at this mandatory membership residential country club community comprised of 1,082 residences, including a variety of single-family homes, garden residences, and one midrise building. Infused with Mediterranean design, the architecture emphasizes the natural beauty of the area. Balconies and over-sized porches bring an airy, open feeling and offer sweeping views of 404 acres of fairways, lakes and green space.
Gleneagles Country Club is located at 7667 Victory Lane in Delray Beach, Fla. You can learn more by visiting www.gleneagles.cc, calling (561) 860- 8794 or e-mailing membership@gleneagles.cc.
American Dream Sofia Kenin Wins First Career Major Title
By Brian Coleman
Over the last couple of years, we have seen the new generation of stars in women’s tennis succeed on the game’s ultimate stage and win Grand Slams, including Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu.
And now we have one more name to add to that list: Sofia “Sonya” Kenin.
The 22-year-old Moscow-born Kenin hoisted her maiden Grand Slam title at the beginning of this year, winning the Australian Open by coming back to defeat Spain’s Garbine Muguruza 4-6, 6- 2, 6-2.
“When I saw Naomi win, Bianca win a Grand Slam, I was super excited. That young age and winning a Slam, I mean, super exciting. You get so much attention,” Kenin told WTA Insider following her victory. “I remember I was just like, ‘you know what? What if it would be me? How incredible would that be?’ I’m just super happy and it’s an honor just to be on that beautiful trophy with so many great champions there. And it will forever be there. So it’s just incredible.” That envisioning has been a part of Kenin’s DNA since she was young. By now, most people have seen the videos of her as a little girl talking about returning Andy Roddick’s serve, and her getting a tour of a WTA tournament from Kim Clijsters in 2005.
From the beginning, Kenin’s parents put in the necessary sacrifices in order to give Kenin a platform to succeed. Her parents, Alexander and Lena, had moved to the United States briefly, before returning to Russia for Sofia’s birth so that her extended family could assist in raising her.
A few years later they would move back to the United States, where Kenin began playing tennis at the age of five and immediately showed signs of promise, most notably working with famed tennis coach Rick Macci at his academy in Florida. From the beginning, Macci recognized there was something special about Kenin.
“She came to me at five-years-old and the very first lesson I gave her, her ability to focus and just the way she was locked in mentally already was really startling,” said Macci. “For most players, that’s the last piece of the puzzle, so that was the first thing that jumped out to me. Even
though the racket was almost as big as her, I had her take the ball right off the bounce and she did it so easily, it was innate timing. You can teach people timing, but it can be hard to take in.
So right after that I’m going, ‘what is this?’ Mentally, there is a focus that I have never seen in a child this young and her hand-eye coordination just to take the ball right off the bounce. I said, ‘this girl is the scariest little creature I’ve ever seen’. I knew it straight away, and then as time went on I said she’d be top 10 in the world by age 20 and win many Grand Slams. I was a year off, but I think the age-eligibility rule that held her back a little bit.”
In addition to the unparalleled natural ability she had, Macci recalls Kenin having a relentless drive to play and compete.
“When she started competing, even at age seven, her thirst for competition was just so uncanny. She was competitive and she would say, ‘I never lost, I just ran out of time’”, he said. “Every time she lost, and I had her play boys a lot even though
she was a little pip-squeak, the next day or that afternoon she’d want to play them again. It was like a mosquito that wouldn’t leave me alone; but you want that, you want people to feel pain and want to come back for more. To already have that inside of you, to be all about the competition that is how you handle pressure better, and that has been in there since five-years-old, so this doesn’t surprise me at all.”
From the onset, Kenin had a desire to win and a drive to be great that you simply can’t teach, and that was evident from an early age for the young phenom. And coupled with that desire to win was an unrelenting toughness, something her father said was a result of her upbringing.
“I think it gave her some toughness. I don’t think she realized all the sacrifices we had to go through but she knows about them and when we got to this country. It was very, very, very tough,” said Alex Kenin. “I had to work at night, and go to school in the morning. Without speaking English, just driving in New York
was tough. It’s amazing the things you do when you need to survive. She knows about them, but thank God she didn’t have to experience them.”
It’s a natural instinct for parents to do whatever it takes to provide the best possible life for their children, and often times they try to shield their child from the necessary stress and struggles in order to do so. But Kenin is well-aware of the immense sacrifices that her parents made for her, and so from the very beginning she was determined to succeed. And that is why there is no one who is harder on Kenin then herself. This is evident when you watch her play; she is a firey player who is not shy about leaving all of her emotions and energy out on the court.
For a two-week stretch in late January, Kenin channeled all of that into dominating tennis in Australia with an unwavering determination to be the last player standing.
“I mean, all of this,” she said when WTA Insider asked her what the “American Dream” means to her. “Winning a Grand Slam, I’ve always wanted to. I wanted to be a name on the trophy with those great champions and I’m forever going to be on it. It was just super exciting.”
And Kenin still carries a chip on her shoulder, something that probably won’t be removed any time soon.
“All the hard work I’ve done is really paying off,” she said. “And yeah, I’ve been overlooked. But you know what? I proved them all wrong. And this is just incredible. I did this for myself and for my family. Sharing this with them is everything to me.”
Despite being born in Moscow and raised in Florida, it’s safe to say that Melbourne has rented out a permanent spot in Kenin’s heart.
“I’m on cloud nine. I still can’t believe what just happened,” she said. “This is just so surreal. My dreams came true and it’s just super exciting…It’s going to be pretty emotional for me to leave. It’s been a great past two weeks. I love Melbourne. I love coming back here.”
Brian Coleman is senior editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at BrianC@USPTennis.com.
