New York Tennis Magazine November / December 2016 by United Sports Publications

Celebrating 50 Years in Tennis

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

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Table Of Contents

NOV/DEC 2016 • Vol 6, No 6

Kerber Dethrones Serena: German Rides a Successful 2016 to Overtake WTA’s Top Spot By Brian Coleman See page 10

Cover photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA

Highlights 20 New York Tennis Magazine’s 2016 Tennis Travel Destinations Guide 28 2016 New York Tennis Magazine’s Coaches Roundtable Discussion 48 New York Tennis Magazine’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Features 4 8 15 16 23 38 42 44 46 54 56 58 59 60 62 63 64 67 68 70 72 74 75 76 79

Across Metro New York … News and Notes From Across the New York Metro Tennis Community PowerShares Series Comes to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center The Jensen Zone: Grading the 2016 U.S. Open By Luke Jensen Beyond the Baseline: Claude Okin, Chief Executive Officer of Sportime Parental Figures By Juan Oscar Rios Tips From the Pros at Boca West Country Club Top Juniors Compete at Fifth Annual Little Mo Internationals How to Handle Cheaters (Part I) By Chris Lewit Non-Winning Strategy By Christopher Pucci At the Net With Christina McHale Breaking Down the Complexities of Tennis By Gilad Bloom Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs Tennis vs. Competitive Tennis By Xavier Luna Local Juniors Honored at Annual USTA Eastern Gala The Importance of Self-Discipline By Michael Nortey Emotional Balance: The Key to Match Management By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Tennis Numbers to Amaze Your Friends By Barbara Wyatt The Psychology of Tennis According to Carl Jung and Dr. David Burston By Dr. Tom Ferraro Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a Coach: A Two-Part Guide By Steven Kaplan 2016 New York Girls High School Recap National Tennis Center Hosts Open House to Showcase Renovated Grounds New York Tennis Club Directory New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2016 Tournament Schedule

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Across Metro Ne Centercourt’s Hughes & Gittens Head to College

Columbia’s Hadavi Finishes Runner-Up at Oracle ITA Masters

Two 2016 graduates of Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy, Katy Hughes (left) and Cole Gittens (right), will both be off to college to further their tennis careers. Hughes will be playing for Middlebury College, while Gittens join the Bison of Howard University.

Columbia’s Shawn Hadavi enjoyed a fantastic tournament at the Oracle ITA Masters on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. The senior won his first four matches on his way to reaching the singles final, coming up just short against the second-seeded Ryotaro Matsumura of Kentucky, 6-4, 3-6, 3-2 in the championship match. Pictured here are Columbia’s Shawn Hadavi, runner-up, and men’s singles champion Ryotaro Matsumura of Kentucky, along with women’s singles champ Ena Shibahara of UCLA and runner-up Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine.

Former World Number One Safina Preps MatchPoint NYC Juniors MatchPoint NYC has been hosting a training course for its top junior players with one-on-one coaching from top players in the world. Former world number one Dinara Safina worked with some of the club’s junior players to get them ready for the upcoming season.

Kings County Tennis League Hosts Annual Youth Tournament

JMTA’s Mosejczuk Wins #ChannelFederer Contest Queens native Matthew Mosejczuk of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Randall’s Island was one of three people selected as the winner of Roger Federer’s social media contest, #ChannelFederer, where contestants posted a video or photo with their best impression of the Swiss star. Mosejczuk won a Wilson RF97, Federer’s newest racquet model.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

The Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) held its Seventh Annual Youth Tournament & Community Jamboree, and despite it being cut short due to rain, the event was another success. The kids in the KCTL played exciting singles matches, and also had the opportunity to meet police officers from the NYPD PSA3, participate in a photo shoot and received free books.

New York

… News and notes from across the New York Metro tennis community

CourtSense's Tartakovsky, Yakoff Win Eastern Grand Prix Titles

Locals Take Part in 2016 Northeast Capital Clash

Sonia Tartakovsky (left) of CourtSense notched a huge tournament victory at the L1 West Rock Eastern Grand Prix, defeating the third-seeded Marcella Cruz, 6-3, 6-4, to win the Girls 18 Singles Final. At the L1 Tri-City Eastern Grand Prix Girls 12s, Stephanie Yakoff (pictured left, above) captured the title, while another CourtSense player, Kaitlyn Carnicella (pictured right, above), finished third.

A number of local New Yorkers were part of Team Eastern which headed to the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland for the 2016 Northeast Capital Clash. The team, led by coach Sasha Bluestone, competed against USTA Middle States, USTA New England and USTA Mid-Atlantic in this 10 & Under green ball competition.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Across Metro New York … News and notes from across the New York Metro tennis community

NTC Pros Take Part in Under the 7 Community Day

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center continued its participation in the local community, taking part in the recent Under the 7 event in Corona, Queens. The event brought together local businesses under the 7 train line for a day of fun, food and activities, including demos and instruction by NTC’s tennis pros.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

PowerShares Se Brooklyn’s Bar ohn McEnroe, Andy Roddick, James Blake and Jim Courier will play in the firstever tennis event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the PowerShares QQQ Cup, set for Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. In a pair of one-set semifinal matches, Roddick will face Blake and McEnroe will face Courier. The winners will play in a one-set championship match. “As a New Yorker, I’m thrilled to be part of the first-ever tennis event at Barclays Center,” said McEnroe, who won four U.S. Open Championships and three Wimbledon Championships. “New York has an incredible tennis history, so it’s fitting that Brooklyn is where we will conclude another great year of the PowerShares QQQ Series. I’m looking forward to playing in Brooklyn on Jan. 7.” This event revives professional tennis in Brooklyn, which has a storied history including the second-ever Davis Cup in August of 1902 at the Crescent Athletic Club and the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships

at Brooklyn’s Terrace Club in 1935. “We welcome to Barclays Center some of the greatest legends of American tennis, representing 22 Grand Slam titles, and we are proud to host Brooklyn’s first significant professional tennis event since the Open era began in 1968,” said Keith Sheldon, senior vice president of programming at Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “We also want to thank Jeff Gewirtz, our executive vice president of business affairs, for spearheading the effort to bring this great event to Barclays Center.” McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles in his career, four at the U.S. Open and three at Wimbledon, as well as nine Grand Slam Doubles Titles and one Mixed-Doubles Title. He was the topranked player in the world from 1981 through 1984 and holds five Davis Cup titles. McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. Roddick was the top American male in professional tennis over the last 10 years, winning the 2003 U.S. Open, while also posting runner-up finishes at Wimbledon

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

in 2004, 2005 and 2009. He achieved the world number one ranking in 2003 and guided the United States to the Davis Cup title in 2007–the first championship for the U.S. in 12 years. Courier won a pair of French and Australian Open singles titles in the early 1990s when he became the first American to reach the number one ranking since John McEnroe in the mid-1980s. Courier was also the youngest player to reach all four major singles finals in a career when he reached the Wimbledon final in 1993 at age 22. He also guided the U.S. to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and 1995, and currently serves as the U.S. team captain. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Blake ended his 14-year ATP career that saw him win 10 singles titles and reach a career-high ranking of number four, at the 2013 U.S. Open. Blake played singles for the U.S. Davis Cup team, helping the United States win the 2007 title– the first win for a U.S. team since 1995. He won the PowerShares Series event in Salt Lake City last year and finished number two on the tour’s season-long points rankings behind John McEnroe. In 2015, Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. The year before in 2014, McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte. For the second straight year, players will make their own line calls, with the assistance of electronic line-calling.

Series Comes to arclays Center

PowerShares QQQ Cup TA L E O F T H E TA P E JOHN MCENROE

vs.

Hometown: Queens, N.Y.

JIM COURIER Hometown: Dade City, Fla.

Career Record: 877-128

Career Record: 506-237

Career Single Titles: 77

Career Single Titles: 23

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 7

ANDY RODDICK

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 4 vs.

Hometown: Austin, Texas

JAMES BLAKE Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.

Career Record: 612-213

Career Record: 366-256

Career Single Titles: 32

Career Single Titles: 10

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1

Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Kerber Dethrones Serena German rides a successful 2016 to overtake WTA’s top spot By Brian Coleman

ntil Sept. 12, it had been more than three years since a woman other than Serena Williams held the distinction of world number one in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings. So when Serena lost to Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals of the 2016 U.S. Open, it snapped a streak of 186 consecutive weeks with the American atop the rest of the world, and 28-year-old German Angelique Kerber became just the 22nd woman to claim the number one ranking, and the oldest to make her debut at the top of the rankings. Kerber is also just the second German woman ever to claim the rankings’ top spot, joining Steffi Graf. “When I was growing up, Steffi was my idol, and it’s also special that she is German,” said Kerber. “She did a lot for German tennis. And now, to be the next number one from Germany after her, and win Grand Slams, this is really important for me.”

The news got to Kerber at a bit of an awkward time, however, as she found out just moments before taking the court for

her own U.S. Open semifinal match against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki. “It was not so easy to go on the court, because I knew that if Serena lost, of course, that I will be number one,” Kerber said afterwards. “It was not so easy mentally, but I was trying to not put too much pressure on myself.” And with that even-keeled mentality, she walked onto center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium with one thing on her mind: Win the match in front of her. “I’m just happy to be in the semis,” she told ESPN’s Pam Schriver just before walking out to the court. “And I’m looking forward to this match.” Kerber would handle the Wozniacki challenge with ease, breezing to a 6-4, 6-3 victory in just 87 minutes to reach the first U.S. Open final of her career. Despite knowing that no matter the result of the match, she would still be the new number one, Kerber showed no signs of complacency. continued on page 12 New York Tennis Magazine •

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

continued from page 10

Two days later, Kerber captured the U.S. Open title with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Pliskova, overcoming a late flurry from Pliskova to calmly win the second major title of her late-blossoming career. “It was everything, I think, because of all the pressure of the last few months,” Kerber said of her emotions after defeating Pliskova. “To win here at Flushing Meadows is very special for me. Everything started for me here in 2011. This Grand Slam is really, really special to me.” In those two matches of the final Grand Slam of 2016, with the pressure on and the lights shining the brightest, Kerber delivered on the biggest stage. Kerber may feel a greater sense of comfort on the Flushing Meadows courts. It was five years ago at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where Kerber made a name for herself. She entered the 2011 U.S. Open as the 92nd-ranked player in the world, but was the darling of the

tournament in a strong run to the semifinals. Although it took a few more years for her to break through with a Grand Slam title, the success of her 2011 run at the U.S. Open was a pivotal point in her career. “You saw it in the match,” Kerber’s coach, Torben Beltz, said of the biggest difference in her game. “If she’s a break down, she never gives up. I think she never gives up. She’s the fighter she was before, but right now, she believes more in herself. You really see that she doesn’t want to lose and wants to go for her shots. She has more self-confidence, and that’s very important for her.” That has been the biggest change in Kerber’s game, and what, at this point, separates her from the rest of the field. If you look at her style of play, she doesn’t wow you with a big serve, deadly groundstrokes or even dominance at the net. It is Kerber’s belief in all aspects of the game, and an unwavering and quiet confidence that makes her so tough to beat.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

She does not beat herself on the court, and her lefty forehand down the line may be one of the deadliest shots currently in the women’s game. Kerber has the skill, ability and conditioning to rally from the baseline with anyone, but also has creativity and a variety of shots which allow her to counter any opponent’s strategy. She lost a tough third-round U.S. Open match to Victoria Azarenka in 2015, but it is

what she took away from that match that still rings true and can be considered a major factor of her surge. “It was not the feeling that I lost a match to Azarenka in 2015,” Kerber told The New Yorker. “It was more the feeling that I played good and she won it at the end, and this is what gives me a lot of confidence when I come to new tournaments.” Kerber’s success in 2016 began early,

advancing all the way to the finals in the tune-up to the Aussie Open, the Brisbane International, before falling once again to Azarenka to finish runner-up. She moved on to Melbourne to win the 2016 Australian Open title as a relative unknown to the casual tennis fan, exacting revenge over Azarenka with a 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. She entered Melbourne as the only player in the top 10 (at the time)

to have never reached a Grand Slam title. Kerber erased that as a talking point with her three-set triumph over Serena, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, giving us a sign of things to come. “Kerber closed with her belief, it surprised me,” ESPN analyst Chris Evert told USA Today after the Aussie Open. “A lot of players tightened up last year against Serena. continued on page 14

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continued from page 13

They let her off the hook. She played some of her best tennis, but I also think there were times when players just didn’t believe. This was a case where Angie just kept believing.” In March, she faced a familiar foe once again in Azarenka in the finals of the Miami Open, falling once again to the Belarusian to finish runner-up. In April, she captured her second title of the year at Stuttgart at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, defeating fellow German Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-0 for the win. In the second Grand Slam of 2016, Kerber was upset by the 58th-ranked Kiki Bertens of The Netherlands which fueled the German as she hit the halfway mark of 2016. In June, Kerber took to the grass courts of the All-England Club where she advanced to the finals of Wimbledon. She downed the likes of fifth-ranked Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and eighthranked Venus Williams in the semifinals,

where she met Serena once again in the finals. Serena grinded out a 7-5, 6-3 win over Kerber to capture the crown, but with each win, the German edged closer to top of the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings. She had the opportunity to represent her nation for the second time (having played for her nation in 2012 in London) at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and did not disappoint, coming home with the Silver Medal, falling to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in the Gold Medal match. Another finals appearance in the tune-up to the U.S. Open, the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, saw Kerber fall to her eventual U.S. Open finals opponent Pliskova, but in mid-August, Kerber was firmly planted at number two in the world. Due to her success through the year, she was a true threat to Serena’s stronghold on the top spot entering the U.S. Open and the rest is history. Throughout 2016, Kerber has made sure

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

that all tennis fans and even sports fans in general, know who she is. With her quiet disposition and unflappable confidence, she has become the hunted, as opposed to the hunter, a position she enjoys being in. The year 2016 saw Kerber win three WTA titles overall, giving her 10 WTA titles total to date. In terms of prize money, she raised her career total in winnings to $17,846,784, having amassed $8,661,615 of that total in 2016 alone. Kerber’s consistency, tournament to tournament, match to match, and point to point, are the things that break her away from the rest of the field. Her physical tools wouldn’t turn many heads, but there are certain things you cannot teach or coach. That goes for all sports, and tennis is no different. Kerber possesses the desire and will, match in and match out, something that cannot be said for every single athlete out there, but is what has transformed her into the game’s top player. Brian Coleman is senior editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or e-mail BrianC@USPTennis.com.

the

jensen zone Grading the 2016 U.S. Open By Luke Jensen

Are you one of the lucky ones who had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Open this year? The anticipation for this year’s U.S. Open was extremely high, with so much going on. The new roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium was completed, and everyone looked forward to seeing how the court would play with nearly 25,000 spectators. We were also able to visit new projects like the revamped Grandstand and field courts with new added seating. All of these improvements at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center gave a roomier feel to the grounds that made it feel so much easier to float from court to court. My review is nothing but a perfect 10! Ashe Stadium has reached its full potential. Going from one of the most challenging courts to

play on in professional tennis with its swirling unpredictable winds, to one of the most unique and comfortable tennis experiences even when the roof is open! The new Grandstand is a work of tennis art. To capture the essence of the old Grandstand that had a “high five the fans in the front row” connection because the players were actually hitting returns into the laps of the fans in the front row. The one surprise was the makeover of the field courts. A new finish to the presentation made it look very aggressive and modern. It reflects what the U.S. Open will always be .. the American Tennis Classic … fast, intense and aggressive—just like its New York City DNA. It was really strange not to have Roger Federer playing in Flushing Meadows, and to see an aging Rafael Nadal never really find his game. It reminds me that Father Time is undefeated and it’s time to look to the next

generation of superstar talents, as the Americans have a bunch on both the men’s and women’s tours. My final grade for U.S. Open 2016 is an A+! Even though Louis Armstrong Stadium and the old Grandstand courts are going away in 2018, a new Armstrong with a roof will once again keep New York’s Grand Slam the very best in the world! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. Luke is currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail LukeJensen84@yahoo.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Beyond the Baseline Claude Okin holds a press conference with tennis legend Martina Navratilova while head coach of the New York Sportimes of World TeamTennis

Claude Okin

Chief Executive Officer of Sportime laude Okin grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan during the dawn of tennis’ Open Era and the tennis boom that followed in the 1970s and early 1980s. He came from humble means, as both of his parents were teachers. His father was an avid tennis player, playing on outdoor courts across New York City. “My dad was a parks player and would play all over the city, year-round,” recalls Okin. “He didn’t play indoor tennis because there weren’t many options at that time, and he couldn’t afford the options that were avail-

C 16

able. Sometimes, he would go to the armory in Harlem, which we called ‘Bill’s’ back then. But most of the time, he would play in the parks, including in January and February. When he would return home, the hair on his head was literally frozen solid. “I wanted to be a player, but other than tagging along and sometimes getting to hit a few balls with my dad after he played, there weren’t a lot of options,” continued Okin. “It was hard to find courts and we couldn’t really afford lessons. When I was about 12-yearsold, the tennis boom really hit, and they started building clubs everywhere: On top of parking garages, in vacant lots, on piers. I

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

started hanging around a new instructional facility on 56th and Broadway called Manhattan Tennis Center. It had previously been a parking garage and was on top of a Toyota Dealership. There were structural columns or masonry walls just feet outside of the doubles alleys, and the ceilings were maybe 14feet high, so no lobbing. A bunch of us kids hung around every day after school, and sometimes during school, picking up balls and doing odd jobs in exchange for courttime and the odd lesson. There was no formal junior programs back then–it was all about the adults, but we were like little tennis rascals.”

Claude Okin gives a lesson at his first tennis club in Amagansett, N.Y.

As his love for the sport continued, Okin sought opportunities to be around tennis and to earn money to support his love for the game. When he was 13, he began working for Mark Mason at the store that Mason had just opened around the corner from Manhattan Tennis Center, then called Mason’s Tennis Mart, one of New York City’s first tennis specialty stores. “I loved working at Mason’s, even though I was probably too immature to be a truly great employee, but I was certainly an eager one, and I would have been happy to live at that store! I learned a lot from Mark, about business and life,” said Okin. “I worked for Mark through part of high school and then again for a time during college. I saw how the industry was growing and changing, and I learned what it meant to be an entrepreneur. I saw how hard Mark worked.” Okin began teaching and coaching tennis during the summers, while he was still in high school and then throughout college, building a base of clients at a two-court club in Amagansett in the Hamptons. “I was never a great player, though I did enjoy playing D3 tennis at Vassar, and later at NYU, but I was good talker, and I loved sharing my love for the game with others, especially with kids,” said Okin. During his sophomore year in college, the club was put up for sale and Okin was able to buy it with his family, which marked the start of his journey as a club owner. “I had developed a client base of 20-30 kids and adults who trained with me every summer during the weekdays,” said Okin.

Sportime Randall’s Island, home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy

“And other groups of adults rented the courts on the weekends. That was my first tennis business. When we bought it, I was 19years-old and had taken some time off college. I went back to school while running it, and after I finished college, I didn’t want to give it up.” His desire to continue spending summers at his club at Amagansett, and to stay in the growing tennis industry, ultimately led Okin to take a job teaching eighth grade English and History at St. Luke’s School in Greenwich Village, where he eventually became dean of students. “I did all kinds of things early on before I really found my way,” said Okin. “I drove a yellow cab, I was a paralegal, I was a waiter. I did anything I could do, often just so I could keep playing tennis until I could figure out what to do next.” In 1989, Okin completed his first “real deal.” buying a portion of the property and tennis club that is now Sportime Amagansett, the first brick in the Sportime pillar. He relocated about 100 members and clients from his two-court club and was quickly servicing more than 300 members and program participants across 22 courts at his new location. “What I did was combine the Amagansett club business with a teaching career in NYC,” said Claude. “For a few years, I was commuting back and forth from New York City to Amagansett like a maniac. Sometimes in the spring and fall, when I had to do both jobs, I would finish school at about 3:00 p.m., have staff meetings until about 4:00

p.m., then sit in the horrendous LIE traffic, get to Amagansett around 8:00 p.m., work there most of the night, drive back to the City as the sun came up, and, sometimes, do it all over again. I must have done that 50 times. Once, I was startled awake as I drove off Montauk Highway into a cornfield. Stupid and crazy, I know, but I was 26 at the time.” In 1991, Okin was hired as principal of the Hampton Day School, allowing him to finally live in one place while he balanced two careers. When his contract at the school was not renewed in 1994, Okin was faced with the dilemma of heading back to New York City or elsewhere to take another school job, or focusing on the tennis business. At the same time, an old friend who was a commercial real estate broker approached him with the opportunity to purchase a chain of four indoor clubs on Long Island (Kings Park, Bethpage, Massapequa and Lynbrook). Okin’s decision was made. “Ironically,” said Okin, “I ended up building one of the largest tennis club companies in the United States because, for the first and only time in my life, I lost my job. I really got very lucky. I was young enough to turn a humbling experience into an opportunity. I felt that the tennis business was, and always had been, for me. I found a wonderful business partner and mentor, who remains my friend and partner to this day, and who helped me to put together a group of partners and the necessary funding to acquire these four clubs, and to grow from there.” continued on page 18

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

continued from page 17

With that purchase, in 1994, of the group of 1970s-built tennis clubs, then known as Tennis Time, Sportime was founded. In 1995, Sportime’s Quogue site was added to the group, and in 1998, Syosset, Roslyn and a large fitness facility in Syosset were acquired, and Amagansett was also incorporated and subsequently expanded. Another Bethpage facility was added in 1999, with the original Bethpage site converted to Long Island’s first stand-alone, multi-sport facility, and reopened in 2000. Sportime’s first Westchester site, in Mamaroneck, was added in 2002, and the New York Sportimes franchise in the World TeamTennis league became a Sportime property in 2003, won a WTT Championship in 2005, and continued to play at Sportime clubs through the summer of 2013. Over its first decade, Sportime had grown to become a chain of 13 tennis, fitness and multi-sport clubs. Okin had built a successful and sustainable business around tennis, across Long Island and beyond. “I wish there was a simple answer, but there isn’t, and it is definitely a work in progress, and probably always will be,” Okin explained when asked for the key to Sportime’s success. “At some of our clubs, the business grew very quickly and has been mainly stable, but at others … not so much. Tennis is a very personal and market-driven business. Our business in Syosset isn’t the same as in Roslyn, and things are different in Kings Park than they are in Lynbrook. We try to do a good job of figuring out what our members want and value. And we have a clear viewpoint about what a modern tennis club ought to offer. It starts with great programming, committed customer service and five-star facilities. And when we are able to consistently achieve all three, which is certainly the goal, we usually do fine. But it comes down to finding and keeping great employees. I don’t think we have a special sauce. You have to have great facilities in good locations, and you have to care about your employees and members as if they were your family. The bigger you get, the harder that can be, but we just try to do the best job we can every day, and to correct ourselves when we do misstep.” 18

In 2009, Okin realized a goal that had been in process for more than five years, when Sportime, having been selected by the City in a public bidding process, opened its 20court facility on Randall’s Island, Manhattan, beneath the RFK Bridge. It was Sportime’s first tennis project in Okin’s hometown of New York City, and required an investment of more than $18 million. A year later, in the fall of 2010, Sportime Randall’s Island became home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Okin and McEnroe had grown to know each other through World TeamTennis, as McEnroe had been the headliner for the Sportimes franchise since it was first owned by Patrick McEnroe, playing in the Hamptons at Sportime clubs in 2000-2002. “John wanted to see the new facility before committing to anything. But he was ready to do something close to home, and it was clear that the club was going to be a success from the beginning. New York City had lost hundreds of courts in the preceding decade, and we had somehow managed to build a tennis mecca in an amazing public park. Adding John to the mix would allow us to do things together for NYC tennis players that we couldn’t do separately,” said Okin. “What we promised each other at the start was that, while we wanted to create a good business, our partnership would not be primarily profit-driven, but would, first, be about growing tennis in New York City, especially for kids. “I remember sitting with John in his living room and we both agreed that we didn’t want the McEnroe Academy to be filled entirely with rich children of privilege,” described Okin. “We wanted diversity in our JMTA kids, and we broadly agreed on a mission to develop national and world-class players who could still live at home in New York City, where tennis could change their lives and get them into college and beyond.” And that is where the Johnny Mac Tennis Project comes in. “The Johnny Mac Tennis Project charity is about keeping the promise that John and I made to each other,” said Okin. “With every dollar we raise, the company contributes in kind, and in addition, so that we can reach

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

The John McEnroe Tennis Academy was launched in 2010 and John McEnroe spends a lot of his time at the Randall’s Island facility to continue the club’s mission out and involve more kids from the under-resourced communities around Randall’s Island–from East Harlem and the South Bronx. We can get them playing, get them into our programs at no cost, and change their lives. There is obviously a lot of athletic talent in neighborhoods where there have always been economic and social barriers to participation. Our goal is to have kids from those neighborhoods pick tennis, learn, excel, go to college and more, with tennis as their pathway.” Sportime plans to add 10 more courts to Randall’s Island by 2020, and to make its NYC site the biggest indoor club in the world, with 30 indoor courts during the coldweather months. The planned expansion, when realized, will also improve and expand the club’s social and training spaces, create more balanced use between adults and juniors, and potentially allow the club to host some larger-scale tournaments and events. With his four-plus decades in the tennis industry in our area, Okin has seen all the ups and downs. He believes that it is essential that the tennis industry and his fellow club owners accept current challenges and adapt to the changing times. He believes that a major opportunity today is the full integration of 10 & Under Tennis, a concept that he says is important for everyone in the industry to embrace. “The biggest investment we have made in resources and manpower recently is our total commitment to Sportime U10, our develop-

mental pathway for our newest and youngest players.” Okin said. “We were pretty early adopters at using the kid-sized equipment, the low compression balls and blended lines, but to really get great at U10 we chose to work with Mike Barrel from Evolve 9. Mike is really a genius about U10 and he inspires us. But everybody in our industry really needs to be investing in 10 and under, and getting kids the opportunities to love and choose tennis. Our future as an industry depends on it, because we have to rebuild and seed future generations of players and consumers. Look, kids want to have fun. It’s the parents who worry about things like rankings and winning percentages before the kids do. If kids are having fun, and if they are getting better, they will stick with tennis. And the new technology, and its skilled application, makes that happen. We were a little late to the party in the USA overall, and we spent a little too much time fighting about it, but I think 10 & Under will end up being a positive turning point for us all—but we all have to be in it together.” As he looks back on what he has built, Okin thinks about his humble beginnings. He is grateful to have been able to find work that has allowed him to keep playing tennis, and he is proud of the relationships he has built by following a dream that started on carpeted courts, glued down to the floors of a garage above a Toyota dealer in midtown Manhattan. “Most of what I really care about are people. When I feel I’ve helped to change someone’s life for the better, or that I have been someone’s friend, or just that I have tried to be a decent person in an industry that can be isolating and competitive, then I feel that I know who I am,” said Okin. “I was a teaching pro for a long time. I needed the money. I was on the court 60 hours a week for years. So I have a lot of empathy for tennis coaches and pros. I always remind myself how tough it can be, and I know how competitive our industry has become. I wish it were less so. But, to be able to see Sportime grow to the point where it has provided good careers for a lot of people—that makes me proud. “I’m also really proud of our Randall’s Island facility,” continued Okin. “I built Sportime by leaving New York City and going into business in resort areas and suburban markets on Long Island. So, to be able to come back to Manhattan almost 20 years

Claude Okin, CEO of Sportime, still plays the sport he loves every chance he can get

later and pull that project off, to have the City pick us and share the scale of our vision, and then to bring in John to create JMTA, has been quite unexpected, challenging and amazing.” Above all though, Okin feels a tremendous sense of loyalty to his partners and long-time colleagues, forging the relationships that are the foundation of his company’s success. “The fact that I made a whole career out of this still amazes me,” said Okin. “I’m proud of our longevity, because ours is not an easy business. A lot of people think that there is big or easy money in tennis, but they do not know the business. The tennis club business

is slow and steady, at best. The margins are narrow, the underlying real estate is expensive, and every court is 7,000-square feet to light, heat, cool and maintain. We have been able to keep the faith, and have great partners and great team members, many of whom are my family and closest friends. I like to think that the industry is stable and that brighter days are ahead. I plan to be doing what I do for at least another 20 years. At Sportime, we have a clear long-term plan, but we are ready to adapt to bumps in the road as quickly and effectively as we can, and we try to have some fun along the way.”

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Boca West Country Club

Elite Tennis Travel

(561) 488-6990 BocaWestCC.org

(914) 713-5074 Info@EliteTennisTravel.com EliteTennisTravel.com Elite Tennis Travel designs exclusive tennis and cultural immersion programs across Europe, the Caribbean and beyond. Whether your dream trip includes high-performance tennis training, premium access to world-class ATP tennis tournaments, or VIP-only cultural experiences, Elite Tennis Travel will create the perfect tennis holiday for you.

Located in Boca Raton, Fla. in Palm Beach County, Boca West Country Club is renowned for its first-rate recreational activities. Early 2017 will mark the opening of Boca West’s $50 million new Golf & Activities Center. The new Center will include a restaurant gallery, portecochere, golf shop, activities ballroom, and locker rooms. The Country Club’s reputation in golf is equaled by its $1.8 million Tennis Center. Fully dedicated to the racquet sport, there is a lighted stadium court and seating for more than 300, a U.S. Open Cushion court with four Pickleball courts and four more courts are under construction. Boca West members have access to USPTA staff for tennis clinics and private lessons for instructions and drills. Boca West is the proud recipient of the 2013 USTA Outstanding Tennis Facility Award. Tennis enthusiasts looking for superb amenities in a beautiful private country club setting have the opportunity to see many WTA and ATP touring pros and other world-class players who frequent the courts. Adding cachet to the Club’s brand is the partnership with Christina McHale, who most recently captured her first career singles title at the Japan Open. The Tennis Center’s courts carry a feature-worthy status of their own. There are 31 Hydro-courts, three of which are lit for night play. It is a sought-after destination, hosting championship tournaments and exhibitions. Boca West is the number one private residential country club in the country, and number one private club in Florida. Boca West has been a Platinum Club of America, Five-Star Private Club, since 1997.

2017 destinations n San Juan, Puerto Rico: Travel and train in style with Puerto Rico’s hometown hero, Gigi Fernandez. After mornings of intensive training at the renowned Conquistador tennis resort, you’ll discover the Island’s hidden treasures. n Havana, Cuba: Be part of the revival of Cuban tennis through this cultural exchange program. Forge unforgettable ties with local players at our first-ever U.S.-Cuban roundrobin events. Meet the Cuban leaders, coaches and players that are shaping the future of Cuban sports and politics. n Monte Carlo: The Monte Carlo Country Club is well worth the trip for the Rolex Masters tournament. When coupled with our VIP access to the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, the Monte Carlo experience becomes the trip of a lifetime. n Barcelona, Spain: This signature journey, built around the Barcelona Open, is a client favorite. Daily tennis coaching at the historic Club Real de Barcelona is followed by delicious indulgence in wine-tasting, private dining, and day-tripping. n Charitable Giving and Relationship Building: Each of our cultural immersion trips includes a charitable-giving and relationship-building opportunity within the host country.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (808) 882-5420 MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com The legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an architectural icon designed to coexist beautifully with the unforgettable landscape of the Kohala Coast, is located on a silky white-sand crescent beach, Kauna’oa Bay. Escape to paradise where you will find 252 luxurious guest rooms, Laurance S. Rockefeller’s private collection of Asian and Pacific artwork, impeccable service, one of the world’s finest golf courses and tennis club plus tantalizing cuisine with unforgettable settings. The 11-court Seaside Tennis Club is one of the largest and most sought-after tennis experiences in Hawaii. Each one of the 11 courts offer an incredible view of the Pacific Blue Ocean, and on a clear day, you can see Maui in the background. Craig Pautler and his team serve up some of the most thoughtful touches available at the best private luxury tennis clubs, along with a comfortable lanai to relax in the shade. Facilities and services include 11 oceanside tennis courts, a pro shop offering equipment and apparel, equipment rentals, men’s and women’s locker rooms, video instruction service, ball machine, tournament planning, racquet stringing, individual game-matching, customized special events, tennis clinics, round-robin tournaments, and private and group lessons. Enjoy the many other amenities offered at the resort, such as beach activities, children’s program, a weekly luau and clambake, 2,500-square-foot fitness room, and spa just to mention a few. Enjoy some private time at this world-class resort, improve your tennis game while taking in some of the most incredible views in the world and create memories that will be treasured for a lifetime. Mauna Kea’s timeless magic endures. Visit OnlyMaunaKea.com for details.

Peter Kaplan’s Westhampton Beach Junior/Adult Tennis Academy (631) 288-4021 • (914) 234-9462 PeterKaplan2002@yahoo.com WestHamptonBeachTennis.com Peter Kaplan’s Westhampton Beach Junior/Adult Tennis Academy, and the affiliated Grassmere Inn, is a wonderful destination for beginners to nationally-ranked players of all ages. Private instruction, clinics, one to seven full- and half-day camps are offered. The flexibility of the programming enables participants to enjoy the ocean beaches, charming village, Performing Arts Center, wine country, shopping, cafes, restaurants and nearby water park. Resident students/families/teams stay at the historic and newly-renovated Grassmere Inn, located on Beach Lane, 50 yards from the beginning of the charming village, yet less than one mile from a beautiful ocean beach. The Grassmere’s 22 guest rooms all have air conditioning, WiFi, cable TV and private bathrooms. Ideal for families are two suites or interconnected rooms. A delicious breakfast is included daily. The Tennis Academy features 12 soft courts and features an enthusiastic staff, renowned for its high-quality instruction with an average student/staff ratio of 2:1. You can play tennis during the day, go to the beach and have a glass of wine at sunset, and then dine at a great restaurant, or take in a movie or a show at the Performing Arts Center. Westhampton Beach Junior/Adult Tennis Academy is the only academy in the world the USTA selected for the members benefits program for both juniors and adults. Programs including accommodations and tennis instruction begin at $99 per person/day.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Tennis Fantasies With John Newcombe and the Legends Contact Steve Contardi: (800) 874-7788 SteveC@TowneProperties.com TennisFantasties.net Tennis Fantasies with John Newcombe and the Legends, the original tennis fantasy camp, is your chance to play tennis and rub shoulders with all-time greats. Join host three-time Wimbledon Champion John Newcombe and his “mates” at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas for a most memorable tennis event. The legendary staff will include International Tennis Hall of Fame Members John Newcombe, Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, Owen Davidson, Mark Woodforde and Charlie Pasarell, as well as Grand Slam winners Ross Case, Marty Riessen, Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Rick Leach and The Jensen Brothers. Together, more than 150 Grand Slam titles and hundreds of other major championships are assembled! Tennis Fantasies 2017 offers two great programs: n March 2-5, 2017: Tennis Fantasies for Men and Women n Oct. 20-25, 2017: Tennis Fantasies, Men Only On-court activities include clinics, team competition, and “fantasy” pro-am matches. Guests will enjoy the “Aussie-style” hospitality of the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, located in the rolling Hill country of central Texas, 30 minutes from the San Antonio airport. The crystal clear water of Canyon Lake, the Guadalupe River, and the Comal River are just minutes away. Accommodations at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch are one- or two-bedroom condominiums or a courtside room. The Ranch has 32 deco-turf and four Har-Tru courts, eight lighted and four all-weather covered courts for guaranteed tennis. You don’t want to miss this magical tennis adventure. Join us for the best tennis vacation of your life!

Topnotch Resort 3800 Mountain Road • Stowe, VT 05673 (800) 451-8686 TopnotchResort.com Set within 120 acres of woodland at the foot of Mount Mansfield in the village of Stowe, Vt., Topnotch Resort blends the gracious charm of a ski lodge with the luxurious amenities of a world-class resort. The boutique resort offers 68 guest rooms, two restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis center, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a 35,000-square-foot spa. Additional accommodations can be found in a variety of resort homes. Surrounded by Vermont’s legendary Green Mountains, Topnotch Resort provides travelers with a four-season, luxury New England retreat with skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, fishing, canoeing, swimming, biking, paddle-boarding, golfing and more all nearby. The Tennis Center at Topnotch is open year-round, featuring six outdoor courts—all with stunning mountain views—and four indoor hard courts, offering winter guests the optimal ski and tennis experience. The Tennis Center at Topnotch, an official partner of Adidas, is consistently ranked number one in the Northeast, and one of the “Top 25 Tennis Resorts” by TennisResortsonline.com. The Resort’s top-rated Tennis Academy offers more than 30 programs for all ages and levels of play, including a full lineup of lessons, clinics, private instruction, and the newest tennis technologies, such as Dartfish and iPlaymate, led by seasoned pros, including Tennis Director Milan Kubala. Designed to leave guests feeling a sense of ultimate achievement and advancement in their game, Topnotch Tennis’ “Play to Win” teaching philosophy provides students an edge in all three critical areas of tennis— strategy, technique and footwork. A Junior Academy for kids, ages five through 14 is also available.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Parental Figures By Juan Oscar Rios he reason why we are not producing more champions in America is due to our overall coaching philosophy and how parents are involved with junior tennis. We see too many junior players with different coaches, or players moving from one program to another. Sometimes, we see players with three different coaches at the same time. They have one coach for private lessons, another for an academy program or group lessons, and yet another coach/parent who takes them to tournaments. Another trend I see is parents trying to do the coaching and not allowing the coach to do their job. Parents, with very little experience in the game, are coaching and instructing their child, which interferes with the coaches, thus not allowing the student to build a solid relationship with their coach. In my opinion, having more than one coach at a time will create confusion and a lack of confidence in the student. We have many talented coaches in this country with different teaching back-

grounds and coaching philosophies. In order for the student to have consistency and confidence in their game and with their strokes, they need continuity and repetition with the same teaching method for several years. If students are moving from one program to another, they cannot build a relationship of trust with the coach and acquire consistency and confidence in the process. Confidence is vital to a successful tennis career! If we look at other major sporting programs in the United States, sports like basketball, baseball and football for example, we will see that kids generally have just one coach during their high school years and one coach throughout their collegiate years. This gives the athlete an opportunity to build a long-term relationship of trust with their coach. This could also be why the United States has the best athletes in the world in those particular sports. If we look at the sport of tennis, we realize that only when the player gets to college is when they begin to have a long-term relationship with one coach. By then, it may be too late and they cannot reach their highest potential because of not having the consis-

tency of playing for just one coach at an early age. As parents, we should not be so concerned with success at an early age, but providing our children with a long-term relationship of trust and confidence with only one coach. Our coaches should also focus on the future of the student and prepare them for college, and not be so worried about their own fame or making a business out of coaching. If we work as a team, we will not only have better players, but in the end, have better people. Juan Oscar Rios is the Academy director at Proform Tennis Academy. A native of Puerto Rico, Juan was ranked number one in the country from the ages of 10-18. He played five years on the ATP Tour, achieving a top 300 ranking in both singles and doubles, notching several wins over top 50 players. Juan represented Puerto Rico in Davis Cup play and is the only male player from Puerto Rico to compete in the Olympics, in Barcelona in 1992. As a coach, Juan was captain of the Puerto Rican Davis Cup team and coach of Team USA at the 1996 World Youth Cup 14s in Nagoya, Japan.

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

We know that Adult League play is fun, competitive and social and invites an energetic array of local players to play and compete. What we don’t know is how tennis has made a difference in your life, or in the lives of others. At USTA Eastern, we’re proud of our league players and we’re inspired by your love of the game. Tell us about your experiences – we’ve got our ears to the court. Email lamura@eastern.usta.com with your story for a chance to be featured on the USTA Eastern website or within the monthly newsletter.

“I help manage a program that lets kids get active – and also gives mom and dad a night out! Kids get dropped off in the evening at Point Set Tennis in Oceanside, N.Y. for a multi-sport “hang out” including tennis and basketball. They have a blast – 26 New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com and it’s been a joy to be a part of it!”

– ANN K. MCGRATH, League Captain and Youth Tennis enthusiast

You love tennis and want to get more involved in your community. Or perhaps you want to get your kids in the game. Here is an overview of USTA programming that’s available in your community – with tennis for all ages and levels, it’s never been easier to get started.

School Tennis: For kids: No courts are required and kids can have fun playing tennis sized right for age and ability. For you: Rally to get tennis in your local school and get your kids active. Visit usta.com/schools for more information.

Kids’ Tennis Clubs: For kids: Designed to give children the opportunity to try tennis in a safe, supportive, extracurricular setting. For you: Visit ct.usta.com/schools to receive free information and tools to start a club. Red-foam ball play areas can be set up in a school gym or on a black top – no courts required!

Play Days: For kids: Introduces kids to competition in a low pressure setting; kids have the chance to gain additional play experience through short, continuous matches over a two-to-three hour period. For you: Visit tennislink.usta.com/playdays for free resources and giveaways. Events can be small and held anywhere. Grab half a dozen neighborhood kids, book a local court and have fun!

Junior Team Tennis or Youth Tennis Leagues: For kids: Sports can be more fun played on a team. Start a Junior Team Tennis team or Youth Tennis League and give children a remarkable tennis experience so they play for a lifetime. For you: Call Joan Akpan at 917-803-1599 to learn how you can manage a team near you – no coaching experience is required! Share a great experience with your child.

For any information about Youth or Adult programming in New York, please contact Gustavo Loza Padilla at padilla@eastern.usta.com or 914-393-8377.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

VISIT USTA.COM/EASTERNEVENTS TO FIND AN EVENT OR PLACE TO PLAY NEAR YOU.

2016 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion he New York tennis community has some of the sport’s finest facilities, both indoor and outdoor, and best coaches in the world. With this wealth of talent available right in our own backyard, New York Tennis Magazine recently took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these top coaches. What you will find below are some of the sport’s top instructors sharing their ideas and strategies on growing the sport locally, the state of U.S. tennis, training methods, 10 & Under tennis, and much more. Even the best coach can always learn an extra tip or two, and the following article will provide all players and coaches with a chance to learn from the cream of the area’s crop.

Meet the participants … Cesar Andrade Cesar Andrade is director of operations for Tennis Innovators, who has academies in New York City and Westchester’s Delfino Park. A native of Ecuador, Cesar moved to Queens, N.Y. as a child, and during his high school days, spent four months out of every year training at the Bolleteri Tennis Academy. He went on to play collegiate tennis at Iona College and began coaching afterwards.

Gilad Bloom

Clay Bibbee

John Curtis

Clay Bibbee is chief executive officer and founder of Centercourt Athletic Clubs and the Centercourt Sports Academy. Clay also serves as one of the lead coaches for Centercourt Tennis Academy. As a USPTA Master Professional, Clay is certified as a High Performance Coach by the USTA. Clay is a leading expert in the club/sports business and has successfully provided the vision and leadership for Centercourt. Clay oversees and supervises the executive management team, while also maintaining the relationships with investment partners.

John Curtis is executive director at Manhattan Tennis Academy. He has held a number of positions at various tennis clubs, and was head coach of the NYU Men’s Tennis team from 19962006. Afterwards, focusing on junior development, Curtis was the 2006 and 2009 PTR Coach of the Year in the Northeast Region.

Gilad Bloom is director of Gilad Bloom Tennis. He is a former Israeli Davis Cup player and two-time Olympian, played on the ATP Tour from 1983-1995, reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 1990, reached a highest ranking of 61 in singles and was Israel’s 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.

Bob Ingersole Bob Ingersole is a native of Australia, and previously played on the ATP tour. He has the highest certification by both the USPTA & PTR, has taught more than 100 nationally ranked juniors and adults and was named the

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

USPTA/Eastern Pro of the year in 1991 & 2000. He is the current Chair of USTA Professional Circuits committee and Chair of USTA Eastern Coaches Committee and is the creator of many local programs including College Showcase Day, USTA Eastern Schools Program and the Star Search Tennis Talent identification program. He holds the prestigious honor of being elected into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. Lawrence Kleger Lawrence Kleger, a native New Yorker, is recognized as one of the top developmental coaches in the United States. He was named the USTA/Long Island Region Tennis Professional of the Year in 2006 and the USTA/Eastern Section Tennis Professional of the Year in 2013. He is the personal coach of John McEnroe Tennis Academy’s Noah Rubin, now on the ATP Tour who has been Lawrence’s student since the age of seven. Lawrence has trained more ranked juniors than anyone in the history of the USTA/Eastern Section. He is most proud that his students have won numerous USTA National Junior Championships and 20 USTA Eastern Year-End Sportsmanship Awards. Lawrence joined Sportime in 1998 and became the director of John McEnroe Tennis Academy in 2012.

2016 NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Coaches Roundtable Discussion Whitney Kraft Since 2007, Whitney Kraft has been the director of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and director of player operations for the U.S. Open. Previously, he was director of tennis for the City of Fort Lauderdale Park & Recreation Department (1998-2007). He was a 1983 Singles All-American for Florida Atlantic University, and inducted into their inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class in 2006. He is a National 10 & Under Trainer, a USPPTA Platform Tennis instructor, as well as a member of the National Cardio Tennis Speakers Team (2000-2007) and the USTA National Open Clay Court and Indoor Championships (1998-present). Ajay Kumar Ajay Kumar is a head pro at Gotham Tennis Academy. His experience spans over 13 years in all levels of the game. He has played at a premier high school, a Division 1 college and on the professional tour. With a background in sports medicine and a degree in education, Ajay’s in-depth knowledge of the physiology and tennis strategy attracts players of all levels and ages. He serves as an advisor to Irina Falconi, a native New Yorker and professional player on the WTA Tour.

Vermont. He specializes in training aspiring junior tournament players using progressive Spanish and European training methods. His best-selling book, Secrets of Spanish Tennis, has helped coaches and players worldwide learn how to train the Spanish way. Xavier Luna Xavier Luna is director of junior tennis for the Advantage All-City Junior Tennis Programs. Xavier has more than 30 years of experience in tennis, commencing as a ranked junior. He was the director of junior programs at Stadium Racquet Club, owner and founder of Metro Tennis Academy, and has held many other positions within the tennis industry. Xavier inspires players with his love of tennis and possesses the professional skills to keep campers returning year after year to the All-City Junior Tennis Programs. Ognen Nikolovski Ognen Nikolovski is a former top junior from Yugoslavia, and later Macedonia. He was an AllAmerican collegiate player at Rollins College, was ATP-ranked in both singles and doubles, a Macedonian Davis Cup player and later captain, National Junior Captain and vice president of the Macedonian Tennis Federation. Ognen joined the CourtSense team in 2008 and has been its general manager since.

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes and teams, focusing on helping athletes gain the mental edge. Rob is the author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. Juan Oscar Rios Juan Oscar Rios is the Academy director at Proform Tennis Academy. A native of Puerto Rico, Juan was ranked number one in the country from the ages of 10-18. He played five years on the ATP Tour, achieving a top 300 ranking in both singles and doubles, notching several wins over top 50 players. Juan represented Puerto Rico in Davis Cup play and is the only male player from Puerto Rico to compete in the Olympics, in Barcelona in 1992. As a coach, Juan was captain of the Puerto Rican Davis Cup team and coach of Team USA at the 1996 World Youth Cup 14s in Nagoya, Japan.

Chris Lewit Chris Lewit, a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player, coaches in the New York City area and also runs a high performance boarding summer camp in Southern

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion The roundtable ...

What do you feel is the best way to grow participation in the local area? Cesar Andrade: Our program has been involved with growing tennis in the local community through programs that reach the less fortunate players in the area by linking up with the school district, local city recreational organizations and local afterschool programs. Offering “off-peak” court times and getting funding of some kind to cover some of the costs. Funding can be found through the USTA if proposed in a way that helps reach lots of players who would not have access to tennis due to its cost. After you introduce some local families to the facility, you will also find some pure talent and/or some families lucky enough to afford tennis at your facility. Ajay Kumar: I believe by associating local businesses and schools and other community organizations, tennis can reach out to more diverse communities. The attractive price point for cardio tennis, and 10& Under tennis would be a great aspect. This will allow access to many who have never been introduced to the sport. Combined with outings sponsored by local businesses, players/athletes of all ages and levels can be introduced to the sport! Xavier Luna: The good news is that tennis 30

participation is on the rise overall. According to the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), there is close to 18 million players in the U.S. But I’ve always been a big believer that the best way to grow the game is at the youth level. This is best done by getting kids interested in the game by focusing on fun and making it easy to learn. Ognen Nikolovski: There has to be more collaboration between the local schools, local commercial clubs and the local entities that operate and manage the public courts. I think we need support from a major organization like the USTA where representatives of the USTA will try to open up the doors of the clubs to go speak to the education boards in every local town and help them promote tennis for their students and employees. It would be ideal if clubs can find a way to supplement one physical education day at each local elementary school with a tennis lesson/activity, and this way, can expose each kid to the game of tennis for at least one day for one or two full trimesters. This could be followed up with special opportunities for kids who come and join the regular programs in the clubs and local courts for a period of time. I believe if the clubs are equipped with the best coaches running these programs, there is no doubt that the opportunity to expose every kid in

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the area to tennis would bring more kids and adults onto the courts and with more excitement over this great game.

How important are grassroots initiatives in local markets to growing tennis on a national level? Clay Bibbee: Grassroots initiatives are extremely important to the growth of tennis in the U.S. on both a regional and national level. Right now, I do not believe the USTA grassroots programming is aiding in the growth of tennis at the pace we need in order for our great sport to get back to where it once was. A slogan or marketing ploy will not inspire our youth to want to play. Participation is achieved through excellence, and we need to be inspired as a country in order to redefine dominance in professional tennis. When the U.S. is able to produce a great champion, we will then see a resurgence in tennis participation. The USTA needs to focus on separating participation with performance. Participation does not inspire, but achieving excellence will inspire participation. Grassroots tennis programs and companies need to also focus on investing in proper resources, such as strong coaches and philosophies, in order to give our young athletes strong mentors to help them achieve excellence. Being a coach, club owner, and passionate tennis

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion enthusiast, there is nothing more I would like to see than for U.S. tennis back at the top! We need to do it now and let’s not use the excuse that there is a lack of talent in the U.S. We are the greatest country in the world, and it is a travesty that we are not a dominant force in professional tennis. Bob Ingersole: As a sport, tennis is flat in growth, which in itself, is quite an accomplishment given that all of the traditional popular sports have been eroding steadily over the last decade. The innovations the USTA has been introducing over the last couple of years have reversed a losing trend. The creation of smaller racquets, smaller courts and lower compression balls is not original. Most good teaching pros have been teaching

with similar aids for years. However, the formalization and marketing of such equipment has made teaching the skills of tennis to young beginners much more of a focus. The progression introduced by the USTA, the United States Professional Tennis Association and the Professional Tennis Registry are logical and important. Ajay Kumar: To ensure the growth of our great sport, grassroots initiatives is a major component—whether at the local or national level. The idea gives access to everyone and anyone who, at best, either have no interest and or is directly inflicted by not having easy access to learn the sport. If tennis is to be popular amongst the masses, grassroots initiatives should be pushed as a necessity to the communities.

Does the U.S. need a top five player on the men’s side to grow the popularity of the sport? How close do you think we are to getting that top player? Gilad Bloom: It would be more helpful than all of the PR work the USTA is doing to promote the game. Mainly, it would attract kids to play tennis who wouldn’t otherwise and make the talent pool deeper, thus increasing the chances of finding another world-class player. One of the problems we have is that most athletic talents are lost to other more popular and cheaper sports. A great American-born player who wins majors will light up the imagination of young kids, and create a belief that it’s possible. We are definitely getting closer to that goal. The new crop of up and coming players are making more noise on the tour,

Off-Season Training for Top WTA & Junior Players MatchPointNYC will host a 5 week off-season training for top WTA and top Junior (14 & up) players. This is an amazing opportunity to receive one-on-one instruction from the sport’s best: Alona Bondarenko (former World No.19) and Dinara Safina (former World No. 1) who will train and guide players throughout the entire process. Under their supervision on and off the court, players will be ready to start the season. The program will run 6 days per week from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM and will include off-court training, swimming, two on court practices, match play and much more. Kateryna Bondarenko (top 50 WTA) and Anhelina Kalinina (finalist of Junior US Open) already committed to improving their game!

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion moving up in the rankings, winning medals in the Olympics, while doing really well on the pro tour. It still has not come to the point where we have a contender to win a major title, but there are a few candidates who have the potential to break through to the highest level in the next few years. There is certainly hope. Whitney Kraft: It certainly never hurts when there are U.S. players at the top of the rankings. We’ve been fortunate in the past having had so many engaging personas, from Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, the Bryan Brothers and others. A new cadre of American players, including but not limited to, Taylor Fritz, Francis Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Dennis Kudla are all poised to make their mark on the game.

just how serious the USTA is in trying to catch up with the rest of the world. This new “Mecca” of tennis will allow the USTA to operate ideally in developing players; having an on-site academy; hosting training camps, coaches seminars and research; and monitor the game around the country to help raise the general level of coaching in the early stages which is huge. Whitney Kraft: I think the new Orlando facility will bring collaboration and opportunity. The blending of community tennis with collegiate and player development will create a pathway and synergy that’s contagious. It will be a fabulous venue that will be utilized effectively.

Xavier Luna: I’m not sure that it’s essential, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. One up-andcomer to keep an eye on is Taylor Fritz. He’s only 18-years-old, but is the secondfastest U.S. player in history to have reached an ATP final.

Ognen Nikolovski: Long-term, it’s going to become a cornerstone for U.S. tennis. I believe that the USTA will succeed in the idea for the Orlando facility to become the “Central Hub” of American tennis, especially high-performance tennis. Shortterm, I believe it’s going to be a challenge as logistically and structurally, it will not be easy for the USTA to prepare and get a running start in a facility like this, so I expect one to three years of “soul searching” and adjustments and finding the right formulas that will make it the place where future tennis champions are going to be guided on their path. I believe that the USTA has made many positive moves in the past five to six years, especially in player development, and if the Orlando facility is used as a home for every deserving player and coach, it could return the United States as the leading tennis nation in the world.

What do you think the new USTA Training Facility in Orlando will bring to the American tennis landscape? Gilad Bloom: Having a state-of-the-art facility with more than 100 courts shows

Juan Oscar Rios: The new USTA training facility in Orlando will be a long process, but I believe that it will bring unity and teamwork that is currently lacking. I have faith in the head of player development and all his staff. The idea of one central location

Chris Lewit: Yes we do … and we could very well get a Grand Slam winner with our current crop of young men. Our women players are already dominating. American men’s tennis is on the rise again, with players like Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka and many more. I have my bet on Tiafoe, who is incredibly athletic, fast and powerful. Interestingly, several of the next generation players were developed by the USTA, so they should get some credit!

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where all of our players can train together will create a “One Team, One USA” concept which is crucial in producing world champions.

What are the biggest positives and negatives about the current state of tennis in the New York area? John Curtis: My take is that tennis in New York City will always be relevant, as long as we have the U.S. Open here. Clearly, the mega event in this town is what drives tennis visibility here on all levels, from interest in playing, to television interest, equipment sales, you name it, everything is up and everyone is happy about it. The real fall-off in tennis interest here in New York City comes in December and lasts until about May, unless of course you can play indoors. The primary reason being that cold weather prevents even the weekend warriors from playing outside at local parks. Tennis visibility on network television, or even ESPN, is nonexistent. The sport, as a whole, goes into hibernation until the weather breaks and the sunshine starts to bring the weekend players back out and the French Open begins to rekindle interest in the sport from a television perspective. Indoor tennis is a great bonus here, unfortunately, there are not enough of those facilities to make it appealing enough. Bob Ingersole: The grassroots programs starting with the schools outreach and creation of after-school tennis clubs has taken us back to attracting “low lying fruit” to the game. We did schools programs years ago and never really converted on that initial introduction to the sport. As we all know, once you have a junior in competition, you have them hooked for life, but the weakest part of junior progression at the present time is the middle part of the development pyramid. Getting kids hooked into competition is the real roadblock. Initial entry into competition has to be made easier, as more time-sensitive, fun, informative and

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion competitive opportunities need to be created. The events have to become much more player- and family-friendly, and have some tennis education and/or social application. It has to become easy, inclusive and fun. Ajay Kumar: The positives are that New York City has a large pool of schools, both private and public, that constantly feed players into tennis programs. The City also has the ability to attract top coaches, with tremendous education backgrounds, to thrive year-round in most tennis clubs that are open yearround. The negatives are the limited tennis facilities, expensive lessons, grinding school schedules, and heavy competition both on- and off-the-court.

Is there a difference between coaching boys and girls, and if so, what are those differences? Xavier Luna: Yes, and it’s largely due to the difference in how mental and emotional issues are handled between the two sexes. For example, girls don’t want to be embarrassed, so you have to be aware of that in how you coach them. Girls also have a tendency to let their problems from home, school or with friends impact their play, whereas boys are more apt to shut extracurricular things out. Nino Muhatasov: We all know that no two athletes are the same. Boys and girls tend to have some differences in terms of how they deal with emotions during matches. Girls tend to be more responsible and

attentive during practice at the earlier stage. They understand what they need to do in order to reach their goals. However, during matches in tournaments, some girls have challenges controlling their emotions. As a result, there are more ups and downs in their game. Boys, on the other hand, demonstrate the ability to handle their emotions during matches pretty well, however, they might struggle with commitment to the game at an early age. As a coach, I try to understand what motivates each player and help them become their best self. The coaches’ job for each player is to develop an individualized program to help them overcome those types of challenges. Rob Polishook: As a mental training coach, I work with players off the court. Whether it’s

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion working with a boy or girl, everyone is an individual and has their own story, style and spirit. For me, it’s about taking the time to ask questions and understand my players. Specifically, what each player’s “Big Y” is? What motivates them? And what are their goals? From here, we can individually create a mental training plan which suits them personally. One size NEVER fits all!

What is one thing you hope all of your students learn from you? Cesar Andrade: Perseverance and hard work are keys in life. You have to learn to demand the best from yourself every day, no excuses. My parents were not able to afford tennis in New York, and I was lucky enough to be spotted by a local coach in Queens. This coach gave me the chance to develop my tennis skills through a scholarship. The hard work and dedication it takes to become anything good in life is something I learned at a young age, and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to become a professional tennis player pass me by without true daily effort. I sometimes notice that kids take the blessing of playing tennis for granted, so I hope to always make my students appreciate and love the sport. We demand 10 things from our players here to help understand this mindset and are essential for true growth: Work ethic, Being on time, Body language, Doing extra work, Attitude, Being coachable, Effort, Passion, Being prepared and Energy. Gilad Bloom: The one thing I would want my students to learn from me is the will to learn. I find that the main thing I need from a student is their will to learn and improve. I was always eager to learn new things about the game, I wanted to figure out what I was doing wrong as a tennis player and was willing to work on it. That will to learn and improve, in whatever you do, is what moves humanity forward and also 34

what makes tennis players better. Basically, it’s about being an overachiever, not settling for mediocrity.

This helps them to develop into accomplished tennis players and be successful throughout their lives.

Lawrence Kleger: I would want all of my students to understand that attempting to be the “Best you can be” in any worthwhile endeavor is a noble quest. It is not as much about the end destination as it is about the journey. If the process is righteous, whatever level the individual attains, he or she will experience a feeling of accomplishment. And conversely, if the process is flawed, no level of achievement will provide the individual with the feeling of success. I would hope that every one of my students becomes a better person having gone through the process with me.

Rob Polishook: Again, answering from the perspective of a mental training coach … that they are “MORE” than an athlete. Person first … every time! This is paradoxically the secret to their personal peak potential. When an athlete brings who they are (the person) to what they do (the athlete), that’s when the magic happens. Having great talent and technique is not enough, what makes a top player is taking those skills and crafting a distinctive game style that accentuates their strengths and makes playing that style fun!

Ed Krass: I hope all of my students learn from me that it is most important to be a good person, besides being good at tennis. This means being respectful to others, caring for others and always being a good listener. Learn how to become a truthful, sincere person and you will go a long way in life! Have a passion to achieve, but refrain from the temptation of cheating and taking shortcuts! Chris Lewit: There is always more than one lesson I want to teach my students, but I would say the most important lessons are world-class modern technique and a good moral character. Nino Muhatasov: The fundamentals of the game serve as the building blocks for future success. Proper technique, footwork, work ethic, strategy, conditioning/stretching, and other elements are extremely important. After developing the fundamentals of the game, decisionmaking and independence on the court are the most important traits that a player can learn. I try to teach my students, from an early age, to make independent decisions and be responsible on and off the court.

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Juan Oscar Rios: The one thing I hope all my students learn from me is respect! Respect the game, respect their opponents, respect their coaches, respect themselves and respect life!

What mental traits set a top player apart from others? Cesar Andrade: To be a top player in this sport, you have to find discipline in your rituals to allow you to perform every point to your highest potential. Those players who attain their rituals earlier than others will always be ahead of the curve and mentally stronger. Lastly, once you master the ability to prepare mentally for every point, you need to have the courage to play big points, be eager to win and are never scared to lose. John Curtis: When considering this question, I think you can simply look at the top players in the world today for some answers. You can look at Novak Djokovic for his “Never say die” attitude and ability to mentally convince himself that he is only one point away from living another day. Or look no further than Roger Federer for what I like to think of as an even-tempered

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion response system. Roger seems to stay very unemotional, except for the rare ‘come-on’ when the crowd gets loud. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both bring this “mental reset” thing to the mix. If you watch either of them between points, they both seem to walk back to their towel area and just get real quiet and contemplative looking. Their breathing looks very deliberate and almost meditative. They are letting go of the last point, regardless of the outcome, and resetting the mind and body for the next mission. I’ve always admired that move and think that more players should incorporate a “one point at a time” approach. Chris Lewit: As the legendary Spanish coach Pato Alvarez, says, “Great players

are able to insulate themselves from the pressures of a match and perform at critical moments without failure.” And as another legendary Spanish coach Toni Nadal says, “Champions exhibit self-control. They can control their body and mind (under pressure), and thus can control the ball when it matters.” I agree with both these sentiments. Ognen Nikolovski: Resilience would be the first thing that comes to my mind and also the willingness to persevere through any challenge that comes your way on or off the court. Ultimately, the game of tennis is a problem-solving game, and anyone who feels that they have it all figured out is not going to last long in this sport. There are many different challenges that the

player has to face each time they step on the court. We have a saying in our highperformance program that every player has to learn how to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations, and they should embrace the challenge each time when things do not go the way they have envisioned they should go. Not many players get it right the first time, and most players get it right after trying something at least a dozen or more times … so get ready to accept failure, but at the same time, be eager to get up right away and try again. Rob Polishook: There are many individual mental traits which are important, like focus, concentration, determination and grit. However, these traits can be thought of like ingredients. The key is how are they blended

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Coaches Roundtable Discussion together, which give a player a strong emotional range of resiliency. Think of the top pros—no matter what the situation— they are able to problem-solve from a calm and centered place without spiraling out of control. A strong emotional range of resiliency enables a player to manage adversity, challenges and setbacks. This skill set enables them to reset and refocus when things don’t go their way.

How important is specific doubles training and playing doubles tournaments for a junior player? Clay Bibbee: Doubles play is very important! However, I do not think many people realize the benefits and importance of double training due to lack of marketing. Doubles training teaches skills that the singles game does not. It teaches junior players how to hit half volley, volleys, improves transitional moving into the net, etc. It also puts stress on the importance in making returns and serves. Doubles training is a great way to improve a player’s overall tennis game. Bob Ingersole: Every decade or so tennis reinvents itself, and I really think the United States has let a competitive edge slip by. For years, we were able to have players, many from California, surge through the ranks because they played a game suited for the hard courts. I feel players should learn in progression, and that clay court play teaches young players many valuable competitive skills. However, the concept of serve and volley, using slice as a weapon, change of pace, shortening distances between you and your opponent and using all the court to exploit your opponents weaknesses has been lost. Doubles is a great way to get players aware and comfortable with many of these concepts and is also a large part of what most players will play for their adult lives. It is an integral part of college tennis, league play 36

and social tennis, and is critical for any player’s development. Lawrence Kleger: At the professional level, doubles seems to be treated like the evil stepchild of tennis. Even at the collegiate level, doubles matches are constantly being shortened. Pretty soon, they will bring the four combatants together at the net and flip a coin to decide the match. But I think most tennis purists still enjoy watching a good doubles match. So as long as it still exists, juniors will be playing it and training for it. It might be important to point out that arguably the greatest doubles player in the world, John McEnroe, used doubles as a way to stay sharp for singles. Being number one in the world in singles and doubles gives John great credibility in this area. At John McEnroe Tennis Academy, doubles is part of every week’s curriculum, and we encourage all of our students to participate in doubles tournaments whenever possible. We believe that many of the skills needed to play good doubles tennis translates to singles play, and that is not just net play. Serves, returns, touch shots, lobs, etc. are all skills that can help an individual play better singles. Ed Krass: Specific doubles training is very important to prepare for that part of college tennis. I suggest for any serious collegebound player to play a few sets of One-On-One Doubles to ensure the development of the serve and volley game for your half of the court. Develop and strengthen the midcourt volleys, quick volleys and net game for doubles.

Who are the greatest players of all time on each surface? Clay Bibbee: On grass, Rod Laver won nine Grand Slam titles despite being robbed of five years of Grand Slam opportunities during his prime due to

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turning pro before the Open Era. He won the U.S. Pro Championship four times on grass between 1964 and 1968, and participated in and won the Wimbledon title four times between 1961 and 1969. As a professional, he was ineligible to compete from 1963 through 1967. Laver was probably the greatest of all time! On hard courts, Ivan Lendl revolutionized the game by putting an emphasis on off-court strength and conditioning. His hard work showed through his huge serve and forehand. He won the U.S. Open three times, reaching eight finals, plus he won the Australian Open on two occasions, reaching three finals—all on hard courts. He amassed 394 career wins, five major titles and 11 finals, all on hard courts! On clay, it would have to be Rafael Nadal! It’s not even worth having that discussion, as Nadal is the king of clay! Xavier Luna: In terms of the best female player, that honor goes hands-down to Serena Williams. I believe she should be in the discussion not just as best woman tennis player of all time, but as best overall athlete of all time. The best male tennis player is a bit more difficult, as there have been so many exceptional athletes. With all due respect to Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal, I’d have to go with Roger Federer. Nino Muhatasov: On the women’s side, I would have to say Serena Williams, and on the men’s side, Roger Federer. Juan Oscar Rios: In my opinion, the best male player is Roger Federer. He has the best technique, best footwork and is the most talented. Most of all, he has the best attitude on and off the court! This is the foundation of a champion! The best female player of all time is Martina Navratilova. Overall, she won 59 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed-doubles. She is, overall, the most complete and durable player in the history of tennis!

COMING IN JANUARY 2017

Distribution scheduled for 01/01/17

This edition will feature: • 2016 Year in Review/2017 Preview • Australian Open Preview • Tennis Fitness Feature • BNP Paribus Showdown Preview • 2016 Girls High School Season Recap

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Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine January/February 2017! Facebook-www.Facebook.com/NYTennisMag Instagram-@NYTennisMag • Twitter-@NYTennisMag Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by 2016 December 2016 NYTennisMag.com • November/December • New York 1, Tennis Magazine 37 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@NYTennisMag.com

Tennis Tips From the Pros at Boca

oca West Country Club, located in in Boca Raton, Fla., is renowned for its first-rate recreational activities. The number one residential country club in the United States is also the proud recipient of the 2013 USTA Outstanding Tennis Facility Award. Adding cachet to the Club’s brand is the partnership with WTA rising star Christina McHale, who most recently captured her first career singles title at the Japan Open. “My win at the Japan Open was really exciting,” said McHale. “It was a tough week of very long matches and to come away with the title at the end was a great feeling. It took me a few years on the WTA Tour to finally win my first singles title, but it made all the effort and hard work my team and I have put in worth it. I’m already really looking forward to putting in some good work this offseason to get ready for next season!” When asked for how she prepares for a match, McHale said, “I try to prepare the

same for all my tournaments and not treat one any different than the other. I try and always give myself a process goal going into every tournament and that helps keep me focused on how I want to play versus getting caught up in results.” McHale also stressed the importance of warming up and cooling down before a match, to avoid injuries and recover more quickly. Other tips from McHale include: l Continuous work on endurance, power, agility and speed l Develop and maintain a strong core l Hydrate extremely well before, during and after a tennis match “Fitness is a huge part of the game right now, so for an amateur, it’s really important to develop good fitness routines with a strength and conditioning coach,” said McHale, as she added that Boca West has some exciting exhibitions planned this season. John Joyce serves as Boca West Country

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Club’s director of tennis. In an interview with Joyce, he offered tennis fitness tips for all ages. “Everyone needs basic correct swing patterns in order to have consistency with their shots,” said Joyce. “But for the amount of time most seniors have to put into the game, I believe more focus should be placed into doubles and positioning drills that you actually use when playing.” In order to protect knees, shoulder and elbows, Joyce recommends: l A proper warmup with dynamic flexibility exercises before playing. l Strength training exercises for the legs, such as leg extensions, leg curls and lunges to strengthen the leg to help prevent knee injuries. l Core strengthening exercises to help with back issues. l Practicing proper techniques, which help prevent elbow and shoulder injuries.

ca West Country Club

When asked what’s new at Boca West, Joyce discussed enhancements to the very active tennis program, including placements for foursomes on a 70-inch screen on the tennis patio and game arranging six days per week for men, and four days per week for women. Boca West’s reputation in golf is equaled by its $1.8 million Tennis Center. Early 2017 will mark the opening of Boca West’s $50 million new Golf & Activities Center. The new Center will include a restaurant gallery, porte-cochere, golf shop, activities ballroom and locker rooms. Fully dedicated to the racquet sport, there is a lighted stadium court and seating for more than 300, a U.S. Open Cushion court with four Pickleball courts, and four additional Pickleball courts currently under construction. An award-winning community, Boca West is home to 6,000 residents (3,380 families) in magnificent residences, including townhomes, patio homes, villas, garden apartments and single-family homes. Boca West is the number one private residential country

club in the country, and the number one private club, of all types, in Florida statewide. Boca West is a Platinum Club of America, Five-Star Private Club since

1997, and is proudly recognized as a Distinguished Emerald Club by BoardRoom Magazine since 2013. For more information, visit BocaWestCC.org.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

Top Juniors Compete at Fifth Annual Little Mo Internationals

he youngest and brightest stars in tennis played in the Fifth Annual “Little Mo” Internationals at the historic West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills in late August. Approximately 180 players from 15 countries participated in the “Little Mo.” Congratulations to all the winners: l Boys 12s: Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) l Boys 11s: Kevin Edengren (Stockholm, Sweden) l Boys 10s: Jordan Reznik (Great Neck, N.Y.) l Boys 9s: Yubel Ubri (Miami Beach, Fla.) 42

l Boys 8s: Zen David Uehling (Alpine, N.J.) l Boys 8s (Green Dot): Sebastian Bielen (Glen Cove, N.Y.) l Girls 12s: Olivia Lincer (Windsor, Conn.) l Girls 11s: Theadora Rabma (Port Washington, N.Y.) l Girls 10s: Isabella Marquart (Pewaukee, Wis.) l Girls 9s: Akasha Urhobo (Lauderhill, Fla.) l Girls 8s: JoAnna Kennedy (Denver, Colo.) l Girls 8s (Green Dot): Kayla Moore (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

“What I like most about Little Mo …” said Jordan Reznik, Boys 10 winner. “Is that I get to make new friends from different countries and am able to keep in touch with them.” The “Little Mo” Sportsmanship Awards were given to Olivia Zuba of Morganville, N.J. and Liam Carpenter of Greebrae, Calif. The Kindness Awards were presented to JoAnna Kennedy from Denver and Jesse Hubbs from Long Beach, N.Y. The festivities began with an exciting tennis clinic with prizes at The West Side, and the Opening Ceremony was held later that day with the players parading onto the stadium court waving their country flags. Callie Todd sang the national anthem and former “Little

Mo” champion Jamie Loeb Credit all photos to Brian Coleman & Pat Mosquera Maureen Connolly is still (#205th in the WTA the youngest and the Women’s Singles Rankonly American woman to ings) was the guest have accomplished this sp e a k e r . M a u r e e n magnificent feat. The Connolly’s daughter, Cindy “Little Mo” is designed to Brinker Simmons, and be fun and provide good granddaughter, Connolly competition for the Bottum were also on hand younger player at the to speak to the players and sectional, regional, napresent trophies. tional and international Maureen “Little Mo” level. The foundation has Connolly was known for promoted junior tennis her good sportsmanship development for the past on and off the court. To 45 years and continues honor her legacy, the “Litto benefit countless tle Mo” offers colorful “Mo numbers of boys and Coins” to players who disgirls throughout the play good sportsmanship, country. help others, and are reA special congratulaspectful and kind. It is tions to JoAnna also a “Little Mo” tradi- Former “Little Mo” Champion Ryan Harrison was on hand at West Side Tennis Club for the Kennedy (Girls 8), tion that players ex- finals of the “Little Mo” Internationals, as he was playing with the San Diego Aviators in the Akasha Urhobo (Girls 9), change a small gift that Mylan World TeamTennis Finals and Yubel Ubri (Boys 9) represents their city, state for winning their divior country with their first round opponent. cluded laser tag and a video game truck. sions at the “Little Mo” Internationals, the The players enjoy the gift exchange, as A beach tennis tournament was held for second leg of the “Little Mo” Slam. All they are able to meet a new friend on the players, whereby the winners received a three players will be competing at the complimentary beach tennis set. first day of play. “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida at the The “Little Mo” tournaments are spon- PGA National Resort & Spa in early De“I think the best part about the Little Mo tournaments is that they have trophies,” sored by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Ten- cember for the third and final leg. If they said 10-year old participant Malik Trail. nis Foundation in memory of its tennis win their division in Florida, each player “And they also reward you for doing well champion namesake Maureen Connolly. will take home the tallest trophy in tennis Known by her nickname, “Little Mo,” she at six-feet tall. and showing sportsmanship.” A player party was also held for all “Lit- was the first woman to win the Grand Slam To view all results, visit LittleMotle Mo” players and parents. Activities in- of tennis at only 18 years of age in 1953. ForestHills.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

How To Handle Cheaters (Part I)

By Chris Lewit heating is a commonly used tactic of psychological warfare on the tennis court. I have many players who are not sure how to react when they are cheated or what to do about it It is a sad statement about junior tennis that cheating is so rampant in tournaments, and an in-depth discussion about cheating along with its causes and solutions would be the subject of an entire separate article. Rather than tackle the bigger picture of cheating, I’d like to explore some practical solutions to the cheating problem and share with players and parents how I discuss this issue with my own students.

Four options I tell my students that if they are cheated, they can basically respond in one of the 44

following four ways: 1. Cheat back to make it even 2. Don’t cheat back and deal with it 3. Quit the match and refuse to play a cheater I tell my students that there is a fourth option that is categorically unacceptable: Excusemaking—whining, complaining, losing emotional control and usually giving up the match. Students who choose the fourth option allow their opponent to manipulate them psychologically and they adopt a losing mentality. I tell my students that the excuse-making option is the only option that I absolutely will not allow. I think if more coaches and parents framed the options this way, kids would have a clearer understanding about how to begin to handle a cheater. The big ethical question The first step for a player is to decide whether

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

he or she believes it’s ever ethically right to cheat back. Cheating back is a controversial moral issue. Many parents and coaches will draw an ethical line and say that cheating is wrong under any circumstances. But many others argue that while cheating is wrong, cheating back to make it even is more acceptable and even ethical. Over the years, I’ve had many players and parents argue both sides of this issue, and my mind is still unresolved. The issue reminds me of ethical questions like: Is killing ever justified or is torture ever justified? These are difficult questions to answer in black and white. Certainly a moral person would never ostensibly condone killing or torture, but what if you are killing to defend your friends or family from harm? What if you are forced to torture to save citizens from an imminent threat? Indeed, this question itself was a prominent theme in the popular TV show “24” and it’s an openly debatable question. I don’t encourage my players to cheat or to

cheat back, I don’t think it’s right or responsible, but I have many families who decide that it is morally justifiable, and their students cheat only in instances where their opponent has clearly cheated them. At its core, its retaliation cheating—reactive cheating rather than proactive cheating A small minority of parents and coaches actually encourage proactive cheating. They believe a player should “win at all costs,” as they cheat with abandon at every opportunity. These folks believe “all is fair in war.” But in my experience, most people fall into the first two groups I mentioned above, believing that cheating is always wrong, or that it can be justified as a form of retaliation in certain instances. The majority of the families I work with believe in Option 2, which is that cheating is wrong under any circumstance, and that the player should have to deal with it and figure out a way to win even while being cheated. These families say “two wrongs don’t make a right” and instruct their player: “Don’t stoop to the cheaters’ level!” Some of these families, in the face of obscene and relentless cheating, will instruct

their player to choose Option 3: Quit the match and refuse to play, which is a legitimate plan of action against a determined cheater. I recommend that the player and parents sit down together and form a strategy for handling cheaters. They can start by determining which of the first three options they find acceptable and acknowledging that the “Excuse-Making” option is totally unacceptable. From that point, the family can craft a plan of action, which we will discuss in more detail in Part Two of this series In his popular book, The Tennis Parents Bible (First Edition), Frank Giampaolo has an excellent chapter on dealing with cheaters that I highly recommend. In the chapter, he mentions a survey that he took at a national tournament of more than 20 junior national championship players. Shockingly, ALL of them admitted to retaliatory cheating to win national tournaments. Indeed, most, but not all, of the top nationally-ranked kids I’ve coached are so competitive that this approach seems natural to them. They hate to lose so badly that they will take the match into their own hands and “fight fire with fire.” I have had students who have cheated

proactively, whom I admonished and encouraged to develop better sportsmanship skills. I have had students who cheated reactively, whom I didn’t judge, but I asked them to find the correct moral path and plan of action based on their family’s values in coordination with their parents. And I have had the majority of my students choose to never cheat no matter the situation. In Part Two of this series, I will discuss more specific skills and strategies to help players and parents develop a plan of action for properly handling a cheater. Chris Lewit, a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player, coaches in the New York City area and also runs a high-performance boarding summer camp in Southern Vermont. He specializes in training aspiring junior tournament players using progressive Spanish and European training methods. His best-selling book, Secrets of Spanish Tennis, has helped coaches and players worldwide learn how to train the Spanish way. He may be reached by phone at (914) 462-2912, e-mail ChrisLewit@gmail.com or visit ChrisLewit.com.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Non-Winning S By Christopher Pucci f you believe you cannot win, you won’t win. Focusing on the future will only take away from the process that will inevitably bring you to the final outcome. Think of the story “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The hare thought he was a sure thing before the race began, while the tortoise never thought of the outcome, but focused on the task at hand. His theory was slow and steady and the outcome will be the outcome. We all know who won. That story teaches us the concept and rewards of proper competitive thinking. Success and failure, although opposites, could not exist without one other. If you are a player who has difficulty coping with the idea or thought of failure, then the question you need to ask yourself is: Why do I compete? “Fail forward” is a concept that I try to install in a player’s thinking. It is okay to fail, but not learning from that failure is not okay. In competition, the task at hand isn’t about winning or losing the match, but about the process to get a desirable outcome. Many players focus on the outcome, and therefore, will not compete unless they know they can win. Excuses are often made or competition is avoided due to the possibility of losing. This is very prominent in junior tennis, where players will skip tournaments, sometimes after a draw is posted, so they do not encounter a “bad” loss. In reality, you must be prepared to accept losing, and accept it often during your development. A draw of 64 players will only have one winner, which means 63 players will lose. Take a good look at why we all like to win. Winning does not require change, whatever you are doing is working. Losing requires change, it requires you to look at your own shortcomings and address them. This takes work. A coach is supposed to train the player to implement a winning strategy during a match, but what about a “nonwinning strategy?” A good coach teaches both. To develop a good “non-winning strategy,” you need to think that winning and losing are part of the process and not the description of the final outcome. During a tennis match, you need to be able to handle the situations when your game plan is not going a certain winning way, therefore losing. While you

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Strategy must believe 100 percent in your winning strategy, you need to be able to adjust when a particular opponent, for some reason, is not succumbing to it. Coping with losing During a match, when things are not going the way you anticipated, you may become impatient, irritable, imprudent and/or uninterested. This is where having a non-winning strategy will help. To effectively implement a non-winning strategy, do not panic, as you will need all of your abilities of analysis, concentration, open-mindedness and execution to reverse the situation. All of this has to be done while you are at a vulnerable state because of the blow to your winning strategy. Making the decision to stay with your game plan, but concentrate on better execution or to forego that

game plan for a new one, is the key to begin the reversal process. Toughen up What is your level of stress tolerance? Good overall physical conditioning is important since stress—whether physical, mental or emotional—depletes us of energy. The better your physical conditioning, the more stress you can handle. On-court levels of stress vary as well as off-the-court levels. If your off-the-court (school, home, injuries, fatigue) level is high, it will ultimately affect your on-the-court level, possibly making you quicker to act negatively. Sometimes your opponent is not the player across the net, but you are your own opponent. When you chastise yourself over errors and/or act negatively toward lost points, you are not helping the reversal

process. Try to treat yourself as a third person with optimism and support. Develop an approach Learn to develop an approach regarding losing, as well as winning during matches. Anyone can win when they are playing well, however, it is the ability to win when you are not playing at your best. The implementation of your non-winning strategy is what makes champions. Christopher Pucci is director of Adult Tennis at CourtSense at Tenafly Racquet Club and also general manager of Teddy Tennis Bergen County. At Pace University, Christopher was a walk-on freshman, where he played number one singles and doubles for four straight years, and was team captain for two years. Christopher is a USPTA- and PTR-certified professional. Some of the elite players he has coached were Tim Mayotte, Martina Navratilova, David Witt, Chris Cocotos (NCAA Champion), Haig Schneiderman (Columbia University standout) and Li Fang (China’s top ranked player, WTA top 40).

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

CuteTennisStuff

inPhorm

(256) 776-8481 CuteTennisStuff.com Incorporated in Marietta, Ga. in 2005, this little company was formed on a dream, a leap of faith, some amazing friendships and a credit card! Today, 12 years later, CuteTennisStuff.com continues to bring the on-court tennis humor of daily life into both the products created and those the company represents. Available online and also at some of the most amazing tennis venues across the U.S. Great holiday gift ideas, new for holiday 2017: n CuteTennisStuff’s snuggly, butter-soft fleece tennis blanket is a generous 72” x 52” and folds into a pillow or seat cushion for easy transport. Pair with a neon “Tennis Players Have Fewer Faults” 26 ounce thermal bottle and you’re set for chilly courtside cheer. n Limited edition tennis Christmas ornaments are perfect for holiday tennis gift exchange and hostess gifts. Choose one of CuteTennisStuff’s festive embellishments or personalize with your own greeting. n The best-selling ladies’ “Little Racquet Pullovers” are a perfect winter weight warm up for play, indoors or out. Available in six colors, ladies XS-4XL.

(214) 749-0300 inPhormNYC.com

Need a custom gift for your family, team or league? Give CuteTennisStuff a call! We are happy to work with you to create the perfect gift. Headed to a pro tour event? Stop by and see CuteTennisStuff in Dallas; Indian Wells; Sarasota; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati; and Winston-Salem to say hello! And if you happen to be playing in a USTA State or Sectional Tournament across the Southeast, you’ll likely find CuteTennisStuff there as well. Visit CuteTennisStuff.com for your tennis holiday shopping! Enter promo code “LITL” at checkout and receive free ground shipping on your November and December holiday purchases! 48

Creating environmentallyfriendly international designer athleisure wear has been inPhorm’s mission since the company launched in 2008. inPhorm’s luxurious tennis, active and lifestyle outfits are made predominantly of recycled fibers, and the company is constantly devising new processes and technology to reduce the environmental impact of apparel manufacturing. inPhorm crafts every fabric and stitch of clothing in its own textile mills and sewing factories to ensure high-quality from start to finish. Look for the six exciting multinational young tennis pros whose wardrobes inPhorm sponsors: Jacqueline Cako, Petra Januskova, Alla Kudryavtseva, Sabastiani Leon, Jessica Moore and Marina Shamayko. inPhorm proudly serves as the official outfitter for the men and women players and coaches of Tennis Ireland, the national governing body for the sport in Ireland. Expect more great things from inPhorm as the company offers more athleisure, always mindful that the creation of high design does not preclude protecting the planet. Shop the styles shown at inPhormNYC.com or to locate the retailer nearest you contact CustomerService@inPhormNYC.com or call (214) 749-0300.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

KryoMed LI

Nutrition Solutions PC

369 Glen Cove Road Greenvale, N.Y. (516) 671-8000 KryoMedLI.com Cryotherapy is the newest method of athletic treatment and recovery, and KryoMed Long Island has all the great gift options for the athlete, and non-athlete, in your life. Located on Glen Cove Road in Greenvale and led by Medical Director Dr. Konstantinos Zarkadas, KryoMed LI provides medicallysupervised and effective treatment for any type of injury. After getting the appropriate medical screening and clearance, clients step into a top-of-the-line, open-topped cryosuana, where they’re briefly enveloped by frosty air. KryoMed’s best-in-class technology lowers the temperatures inside to between -184 and -292 degrees Fahrenheit. The treatment is painless, and refreshing to many, and helps to reduce inflammation, increase energy, decrease soreness, relieve pain, and much more. KryoMed LI also offers localized cryotherapy to a specific area of the body. In addition to cryotherapy, KryoMed LI offers a variety of KryoCreams as well as KryoFacials, which use pressurized liquid nitrogen vapors applied to the face and neck, stimulating the production of collagen and decreasing pore size, which helps tighten the skin and improve blood circulation. Come see why professional athletes and others alike are trying cryotherapy as the newest form of recovery and wellness. For more information, visit KryoMedLI.com or call (516) 671-8000.

705 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, N.Y. (516) 439-5090 Irina@IrinaLehat.com IrinaLehat.com A gift from Nutrition Solutions PC for you! Get 20 percent off on your personalized diet plan! A five-day meal plan, designed just for you by Irina Belfer-Lehat, a registered dietitian, that will include a pre-match meal, recovery meal and fluid, calories and protein calculations! Call (917) 769-8031 today and see where good nutrition can take you! Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions PC is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. Irina Lehat RD Nutrition Solutions offers group classes for kids in kindergarten through high school. Small groups, affordable prices! For more information, call (917) 769-8031, e-mail IrinaLehat@gmail.com or visit IrinaLehat.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Portable Tennis Partner

Silent Partner Tennis

(813) 997-2377 Andrew@PortableTennisPartner.com PortableTennisPartner.com The holiday season is fast approaching. What do you get your athlete, especially your tennis enthusiast who already has everything? Get them Portable Tennis Partner, the gift that keeps on giving, year-round. Never go without a tennis partner again, play in your garage, driveway, basement, or yard. Never let the rain, snow, heat, or wind keep you from doing something you enjoy; hitting tennis balls. Hitting 1,200 balls in 30 minutes promotes efficient strokes, while getting a great cardio workout, all in the comfort of the location of your choice. This one-of-a-kind backboard features fast, easy set-up and disassembly, requiring no tools in less than five minutes. It provides consistent bounces, with light, but sturdy construction. The Portable Tennis Partner is truly portable, weighing only 37 pounds while fully assembled, and can be moved easily from place to place. You do not have to be a professional or a competitive player to use the Portable Tennis Partner. It can be used by players of any age or skill level. Players who have difficulty hitting the 5’ x 7’ hitting surface will quickly hone the skill required to keep a “rally” going (more so than a regular backboard). The Portable Tennis Partner does not replace a coach or parent, but rather compliments them by providing a place to practice what you have been asked to work on before your next lesson. “Not having a way to hit balls at home is like taking piano lessons and not having a piano at home to practice,” said Steve Smith. “Repetition is the mother of consistency.” Order and get your Portable Tennis Partner before the rush. Feel free to contact the company with any questions. Happy hitting …

(800) 662-1809 SPTennis@on.aibn.com SPTennis.com “Give the gift of a Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machine this holiday season!” Independently owned and operated since 1989, Silent Partner Tennis is committed to the quality of its machines and the satisfaction of its customers. Silent Partner Tennis offers a range of machines to fit any budget. The machines ship door-todoor, and shipping is always free. Silent Partner Tennis Ball Machines are perfect for beginners and experts alike. The machines don’t judge. They can help groove your strokes or simulate play at the U.S. Open. Their features will put a smile on the face of your techie tennis pros. Whether battery-powered or plugged-in, take the machine anywhere, and try to keep up! The machines are always up to play and they work around your schedule. Plus, who doesn’t love a great-looking hitting partner? Check Silent Partner Tennis out at SPTennis.com. Here is to another great year of tennis. Silent Partner Tennis hopes that it can help you make 2017 the best one yet. Happy holidays!

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Tennis Elbow Grease

Tennis Hobo, A Derailed Memoir

(800) 636-4130 Info@EliminateTennisElbow.com EliminateTennisElbow.com Do you have or know someone with tennis elbow? Now there is finally some relief for this debilitating problem. Introduced at the New York Tennis Expo at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. two years ago, Tennis Elbow Grease products are now available in retail stores across the country and online at EliminateTennisElbow.com. Tennis Elbow Grease (TEG) Pain Relief Cream is formulated as a topical analgesic to address the symptoms of tennis elbow, as well as to aid in healing the long-term underlying problems of arm and elbow pain. Utilizing a unique delivery system, the active ingredients in the TEG formula are distributed through the sub-dermal layers of the skin, where they can penetrate the affected muscles, tendons and skeletal areas. Essentially, the active ingredients in TEG target those areas in need of relief, ultimately reducing inflammation and pain. Unlike many other topical analgesics currently on the market, TEG incorporates a variety of ingredients that have been successfully proven to minimize or eliminate muscle, tendon and nerve pain. Consequently, TEG eliminates the need to buy and use multiple, less effective products. It offers efficacy, convenience and cost savings. In addition to a pain relief cream, Tennis Elbow Grease now offers a natural gut string that is high performing and extremely arm friendly, as well as an elbow brace with an insertable ice and heat gel pack for post-match maintenance. Give Tennis Elbow Grease products a try, or buy it for someone who is hoping to return to the tennis court sooner rather than later. Go to EliminateTennisElbow.com for more information and to shop now.

TennisHobo.com Available at Amazon/Barnes & Noble New book just released “Bound to be a classic.”—Gary Glassman, Stony Brook University John Gruberg has been mentioned on the Tonight Show and in Playboy Magazine. Your favorite tennis book may have to step aside for this new novel by John Gruberg. The semiautobiographical narrative offers high tennis adventure loaded with humor and witty insights to the game as two-small time tennis pros hit the road. Meanwhile, the golden years of Borg, Connors, McEnroe, King, Evert, and Navratilova haunt the background (tennis Instruction tips are a bonus). “There are tears in my eyes as I finish this book.”—Roger Kahn, USPTA “Great tale!”—Peter Smith, Men’s Tennis Coach, University of Southern California “Don’t miss it!”—Dick Gould, Stanford University “A story that begs to be told.”—Sean Sloane, Past Director of Education, USTA Now arguably among the best tennis books, John Gruberg’s Tennis Hobo has a literary vibe akin to the classic, A Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Tennis Trunk TennisTrunk.com Looking for the gift that keeps on giving? Tennis Trunk is the first and only monthly box for tennis players. Each month, get a box with a few cans of tennis balls and several items geared towards your tennis talents! How it works? Tennis Trunk’s team of players and coaches scour the country looking for the must-haves in every tennis bag. Every month, you will be sent two cans of tennis balls and other essentials, such as overgrips, protein bars, wristbands, energy chews, towels, electrolytes. If players are using it, then it’s going into a Tennis Trunk. Whether you’re an avid tennis player, fan of the sport or know someone who cannot stay away from the court, Tennis Trunk can give anyone the advantage. As we near the holiday season, Tennis Trunk could approach the top of your gift list this year. Story Tennis Trunk was started by a tennis pro, so you know every product has been tested and approved as a must-have in your tennis bag! Each Tennis Trunk is customized, based on gender, size, tennis ball and grip preference. This adds excitement to the unboxing experience! Head to TennisTrunk.com, follow the steps, and feel satisfied that you will be making a tennis player feel extra special this holiday season. Tennis Trunk will provide months of value and excitement for you or the ones closest to you. We prefer to say that you should add in (or ad-in) a Tennis Trunk to your next wish or gift list this season! Use code “ACE” for $5 off your box! 52

Total Concierge Services (516) 429-3431 NickyTCS.com Take to the serve with TCS: Total Concierge Services Picture the U.S. Open with all aspects of the VIP experience. Total Concierge Services will plan your entire day and/or vacation, from beginning to end, including all the elite amenities of the taste of mind. Total Concierge Services’ transportation division will handle your travel, from private charter jet to extended luxurious black car/SUV service, to and from your accommodations. Total Concierge Services’ hotel division includes the booking of accommodations with the amenities of early checkin, spa reservations and five-star concierge service for reservations to all restaurants. The U.S. Open experience includes the arrival to Arthur Ashe Stadium with a personal escort to your private VIP seats and/or box. Take a stroll to the VIP concession area, where you’ll be met with some of the finest libations and canapés, and rub elbows with A-list celebrities and athletes. Top your night off with a trip to Mulberry Street with the fine taste of cappuccino, coffee and dessert. While in town, take in a Broadway show with premium seating and services. Join Total Concierge Services for floor seats at a concert at Madison Square Garden, followed by backstage passes. Another stop can be an unobtainable reservation at one of the most elite restaurants in the city. What about Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles? Total Concierge Services can provide all of these services anywhere you desire and for any of the following: Sporting events, concerts, movie premieres, annual red carpet events, celebrity meet and greets, luxurious dinners, travel, and much more. Check us out at TCSConcierge.com.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

at the net wit h

c h r i s t i n a

hristina McHale played in her eighth U.S. Open main draw during the 2016 edition of the tournament, a pretty remarkable number for someone who is just 24-years-old. “This is my favorite tournament,” said McHale. “It’s my favorite time of the year. I get to stay home. Obviously, I would like to be doing better, but I love playing in Flushing Meadows.” McHale delivered a masterful performance in a 6-2, 6-2 first round win over Mona Barthel, but would fall to 2015 U.S. Open finalist Roberta Vinci in the second round. McHale hails from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., less than an hour drive from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Her start in tennis did not come from New Jersey, however, but from 5,000 miles away in Hong Kong, where she lived with her parents and sister Lauren for five years during her childhood. “My sister and I went to an international school and had the chance to meet and become friends with so many people from all over the world. We also had the chance to travel to many other countries in Asia during this time, so it was great to experience a lot of different cultures at such a young age,” McHale recalls. “I first started playing 54

m c h a l e

tennis in Hong Kong, so it’s a special place for me. In the apartment complex that we lived in, they had tennis courts with a kids’ program after school. My mom signed my sister and I up and that’s how everything started.” After five years in Hong Kong, around 2000, McHale and her family moved to the New Jersey suburb of Englewood Cliffs and she continued her tennis development. McHale now has the chance to return to Hong Kong each year, as professional tennis returned there in 2014 with the Hong Kong Tennis Open. “It was very cool getting the chance to go back to Hong Kong two years ago when they brought back the Hong Kong Tennis Open,” McHale said. “I hadn’t been there since we moved back to the states in 2000, so it was emotional for me to go back and visit where we used to live, go to school, play my tennis, etc. I also enjoy going back each year to the tournaments in China, because I can practice my Mandarin!” Soon after returning to the United States, McHale headed south to the USTA Development Training Complex in Boca Raton, where she would cultivate her game in the USTA program, officially turning pro in 2010.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

“I think it really depends on the player,” McHale said when asked whether she would advise a young player to stay local or go to a prominent academy to continue training. “I feel like different environments work for different players. Some like to be around other top players because it pushes them, but others enjoy staying home. So I think it’s really up to the player.” Since then, McHale has been a fixture on the WTA Tour and has reached a career high singles ranking of 24th in the world. Following her run at the 2016 U.S. Open, McHale captured the first WTA singles title of her career, winning five straight three-set matches on her way to the Japan Women’s Open Championship. “It’s so exciting. I really wasn’t expecting this. All of my matches were super long and super tough, but I’m so excited it ended with a title,” McHale said after winning the title. “I don’t even want to put my trophy down— I just want to hold it all the time. I’ve been coming to this tournament for a few years now and I really love it here.” The title could catapult McHale, who says her goals for the 2017 season are to try and go deeper in the Grand Slams and keep improving each day. She recently played Mylan World TeamTennis for the first time in her career as

a part of the inaugural season of the New York Empire at Forest Hills Stadium, and said that the fast-paced style and loud atmosphere of the World TeamTennis format will help her game. “It definitely helps you adapt and adjust to different situations,” McHale said. “Now when you play a real match you feel like you have so much time, you’re used to any crowd noise and the game doesn’t feel as fast.” So as McHale finishes her season during the end of the year Asian swing, she is ready to take the next step in her career, and will continue training down at the Boca West Country Club, where she is the Club’s touring pro and is often there for special events and exhibitions. “What makes Boca West really stand out is that they have state of the art facilities and the staff is extremely attentive and knowledgeable,” said McHale. “John Joyce runs an outstanding tennis program that really caters to the needs of each one of its members. The clay courts are kept in beautiful condition, and they just recently built a hard court which is great to have the option to practice on a different surface. Both the weather and location of Boca West makes it a perfect destination spot.” Boca West’s Director of Tennis John

Joyce explains, “Christina is a wonderful representative of Boca West Country Club and it’s a pleasure working with her throughout the year. Our members love to follow her tournaments and look forward to when she returns to the Club. Whether it’s doing exhibitions or functions, she’s always available and goes above and beyond for us.” Being from the local area here, McHale also had some advice for young players growing up in the USTA Eastern Section.

“The best advice I could give is that at an early age—don’t be too worried about your wins and losses,” McHale said. “Don’t get so concerned about the rankings and things like that. Just focus on improving your game and don’t be so results-oriented.” Brian Coleman is senior editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or e-mail BrianC@USPTennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Breaking Down the Complexities of Tennis

By Gilad Bloom For more than 40 years, I have gone onto the court on an almost daily basis, 20 years as a player and now 20 years as a coach. I am still in awe of the complexity of this game … its beauty, ugliness, joy and frustration. It’s all there, just like life. Roger Federer seems to be a guy who loves the game and enjoys it more than anyone alive, and has done so for a long period of time, still playing at a high level at the age of 35. But most of us regular tennis players have a love/hate relationship with the game, yet with all the frustrations and disappointments, most players continue to play for as long as they can. What is it that makes tennis such a perplexing yet captivating sport? I play and love other sports, including team sports, but in my mind, tennis is the toughest sport—from a physical, mental and technical aspect. Yes, there are many individual sports that 56

are pretty rough, boxing for example, and at the highest level, all sports require mental strength, but tennis is a unique sport in many ways. It is a taunting sport as it plays with your mind, challenges you, and takes you to great heights, but can also take you to places you would rather not be. You first need to learn a variety of shots that have different grips, footwork and swings. It is a highly technical sport that requires repetition and instruction, which takes a few years to develop. Once you have mastered the strokes, you begin to realize that it is all about movement. Even if your technique and footwork get to a high level, you then need to know how to win points, construct a rally, close out games, what shots to use in certain situations, how to perform under pressure, etc. Many of the experiences that I had in the sport of tennis have taught me about life and helped me after I retired from the game, including the fact that the paradox of tennis is that the more you lose, the more you learn,

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

which is just like life. Being a competitive tennis player is like putting a mirror in front of your face every day, testing what type of player and person you are. I have put together a few typical lessons that I have learned from tennis that have helped me in life that I am sure many of you can relate to: 1. You never own the game This happened to me more than once. You play great one day, have a great win over a higher seed, only to show up to the next match and lose to an unseeded player. The mental letdown after having a big win can easily be explained. Your coach will warn you about it, but it can still happen. The life lesson here is that you are always judged by your last performance. What you did yesterday is ancient history. Great players learn how to put the last match behind them and come back down to Earth, refresh themselves and treat it the same no matter who is across the net. The key is to not celebrate until the end of the

tournament, and even when you win, know in the back of your mind that there is another tournament next week. 2. Losing your confidence We have all been there (even Roger Federer). At some point in your career, you will go through a streak of consecutive bad results, where no matter how well you are hitting the ball in practice, you still cannot put it together in the match. The only way to come out of losing streaks is to stay positive and play the match one point at a time. If you manage to stay positive through tough periods, you will give yourself a chance to turn things around. Just like in life, nothing lasts forever, including bad streaks. Feeling sorry for yourself and panicking won’t help, but continuing to fight for every point until the turn tides your way will. 3. The random nature of tennis You can play great and lose, but you can also play horrible and win. Sometimes it’s not up to you and your outcome can be heavily influenced by the luck of the draw, your opponent, the referee, the weather, in-

juries, a bad call, etc. More than once in my life, I was on my way to losing and then something happened that was out of my control that changed course of the match. Realizing that there are things beyond your control teaches you that you should only worry about the things in your control, such as a proper warm-up, nutrition, mental preparation before a match, and being alert to situations during a match that allow you to change momentum. The lesson is that you should never take anything for granted and you never know what the next day will bring. But be prepared for it and always keep your eyes open for the next opportunity.

fidence heading into a tournament. The attitude from the practice court should carry over into your matches when your instinct takes over. You don’t want to think about movement or technique during a match … it occurs naturally because of the work you did in practice. When you watch a top player hit incredible shots with ease, you should know that they have repeated those shots in practice thousands of times.

4. Practice makes perfect I have never met a player who achieved greatness without working hard in practice. Even the great Johnny Mac didn’t train for long hours like Ivan Lendl, but was intense while on the court and left his heart out on the practice court. Performing under pressure in a tournament situation is something that starts with good practice habits. Pushing yourself to the limit physically will not only get you in shape, but will help build con-

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.

The life lesson is to hone your craft, whatever it is, and keeping working on it because no matter how good you get, there is always another level to reach.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

he Metro Corporate Tennis League, presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs, is a joint initiative of the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association (MCTA). The League is divided into three levels of play, Intermediate (3.03.5), Advanced Intermediate (4.0-4.5) and Advanced (4.5+). The Metro Corporate Tennis League has also launched its Hi-Five Program for teams that are not ready to compete, but want to get into the sport while getting a great workout. This season, the League will host more than 50 teams.

The following is the roster for the season: Advanced Division 1. Deutsche Bank 2. Bloomberg 3. Ernst & Young 4. Credit Agricole 5. BNP Paribas 6. The Corcoran Group 7. PwC (Gellert) 8. Proskauer 9. Deloitte Advanced Intermediate Division I 1. Douglas Elliman 2. Cleary 3. Bloomberg 4. Moody’s 5. HBO 6. White & Case

Advanced Intermediate Division II 1. Patterson 2. BNP Paribas 3. Bank of America 4. Nielsen 5. The Corcoran Group Intermediate Division I 1. AMC Networks 1 2. Douglas Elliman 3. Cleary 4. Sidley 5. Xaxis 6. Fried Frank Intermediate Division II 1. Moody’s 2. Bloomberg 3. Thompson Reuters 4. Paul Weiss 5. Barclays 6. HBO

Intermediate Division III 1. AMC Networks 2 2. AOL 3. Barclays 4. Bloomberg 5. BNP Paribas 6. Akin Gump 7. Sullivan Intermediate Division IV 1. ING 2. Deutsche Bank 3. Macquarie 4. Ipreo 5. D.E. Shaw & Co. 6. The Corcoran Group Hi-Five Division 1. Bloomberg 2. Warburg Pincus 3. NYJTL

The season will run from September through January, culminating with an end-of-season party at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. Please welcome the Metro Corporate Tennis League newest teams: Douglas Elliman, Macquarie and Warburg Pincus.

For more information, visit Metrotennis.com/Corporate/Main.html, call Luis Espinoza at (347) 886-3117 or e-mail Luis@Metrotennis.com. 58

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Tennis Vs. Competitive Tennis Discover the real differences By Xavier Luna any young players are baffled when their practice play doesn’t translate well to competitive play or to their performance during tennis team tryouts. What’s happening? A player may tense up on the big stage, with anxiety and nervousness that increase in direct proportion to the stakes of the game. There is also the possibility that the player has not been practicing correctly. As the old saying goes, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” If you want to earn a place on the school tennis team or perform well in tournaments or other competitions, now is the time to reevaluate the way in which you practice.

The benefits of practicing match play There are a host of reasons match play appeals to coaches and helps you in your overall tennis game. Practicing match play: l Match play shifts the focus to scoring. Standard tennis practice and tennis drills focus solely on technique. l Match play can simulate a game-like atmosphere when you play a best-ofthree sets match and abide by USTA time limits for changeovers and time between points. l Match play broadens your experience by taking you beyond your usual settings and opponents. l Match play can gives you the opportunity to compete in flex leagues and in individual tournaments.

l Match play provides a much valuable experience, while shortening the learning curve. l Match play builds confidence that you can apply in tryouts and during competitions. l Match play helps you adapt to the level of play you need when the stakes are high. Take a closer look at how you practice today. Including match play in your practice regimen will leave you better prepared to enjoy a higher-level game … and win! Xavier Luna is director of Advantage All-City Junior Programs (Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club and New York Tennis Club). He may be reached by phone at (917) 570-9650 or visit www.advantagetennisny.com.

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Sign up today! Contact Paul Fontana at 646.884.9649 or pfontana@advantagetennisclubs.com. Or visit quickstartny.com. NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Local Juniors Honored at STA Eastern held its annual Junior Awards Gala on the first day of the U.S. Open main draw at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, honoring and recognizing the region’s top juniors. Each of the 30 players honored are the top three in their age group as a result of their tournament performances over the past year. “The Awards Gala provides players with the opportunity to be recognized for their hard work at a young age,” said Julie Bliss Beal, senior director of competitive tennis. “Parents and kids alike find it meaningful to celebrate the players’ achievements during Day One at the U.S. Open.” Justin Gimelstob, former professional player and current Tennis Channel broadcaster, was on hand as the event’s guest speaker, and reflected on his time growing up playing in the USTA Eastern section. Gimelstob is a member of the USTA Eastern Hall of Fame.

Annual U

Below is a list of the honorees: Boys 10s l Neel Krishnaswamy (New York, N.Y.) l Jordan Reznik (Great Neck, N.Y.) l Theodore Murphy (New York, N.Y.) Girls 10s l Ligaya Murray (Yonkers, N.Y.) l Julia Werdiger (New York, N.Y.) l Victoria McEnroe (New York, N.Y.)

Boys 12s l Samir Banerjee (Basking Ridge, N.J.) l Evan Wen (Morristown, N.J.) l Cooper Williams (New York, N.Y.) Girls 12s l Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) l Stephanie Yakoff (Fort Lee, N.J.) l Filippa Bruu-Syversen (Chatham, N.J.) Boys 14s l Ryan Fishback (Geneva, N.Y.) l Jeffrey Fradkin (New York, N.Y.) l Eliot Spizzirri (Greenwich, Conn.)

Girls 14s l Rachel Arbitman (Hewlett, N.Y.) l Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) l Rosie Garcia Gross (New York, N.Y.) Boys 16s l Harris Walker (South Salem, N.Y.) l Cannon Kingsley (Northport, N.Y.) l Michael Sun (Livingston, N.J.) Girls 16s l Andrea Cerdan (Bloomfield, N.J.) l Rachel Lim (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) l Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.) Boys 18s l John Speicher (Webster, N.Y.) l Athell Bennett (Valley Stream, N.Y.) l Brenden Volk (Dix Hills, N.Y.) Girls 18s l Stephanie Schrage (Millburn, N.J.) l Rachel Lim (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) l Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.)

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New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Importance of Self-Discipline By Michael Nortey If I were to ask, “What is the most important trait a tennis player could have,” what would you say? If “discipline” is your response, then you are an astute tennis player! More important than the answer itself is the understanding of why self-discipline is held with such esteem. If you research player qualities that top college coaches in the country look for when recruiting, you will find a recurring pattern of answers along the lines of “hardworking” and “competitive.” Everyone always shrugs at the slouch who hardly makes an effort and no one wants a quitter on their team, so it makes sense why coaches are always looking for the opposing qualities. That being said, the underlying driving force behind being both hardworking and competitive is, you guessed it … discipline. It’s a no-brainer that a hardworking player will always be favorable to an indifferent individual who needs to be coaxed and dragged on to court. But it is the discipline of the individual that tells a player to do the hard work even when they don’t want to. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he states the famous “10,000 Hour Rule.” It takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery 62

in that particular field. Most people look at that daunting number and give up, meanwhile, there are those disciplined individuals marking down the hours and putting in the work, day-in, day-out. Some people love “the grind,” the repetitive drills, early morning runs and conditioning, but for everyone else, discipline gets you through the times when you’d rather lay in bed. It’s a matter of telling yourself that this is what I must do if this is what I want. This is not what you want to do to have it, but what you need to do. Discipline is being able to make that choice. As for being competitive, what comes to mind is mental toughness. The competitive player is one who never gives up, fights for every point and simply refuses to lose. Players have heard this at least once in their tennis career. In other words, mental toughness is perseverance and the ability to remain resilient, despite setback. This is the category that the on-court stoicism of Roger Federer or the legendary composure of The Ice Man, Bjorn Borg, both fall into. Both champions let nothing get in their way. Players with less discipline may get ruffled with bad line calls or distractions, but these champions are consistently able to control themselves and remain calm, cool and collected when facing match points.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Every tennis player is inevitably going to experience setbacks and failures, but the important lesson to learn is to never give up. That includes no throwing balls, rackets, tantrums or matches. Think of the player you want to be, as well as their behavior when they are not playing points. How do they practice? How do they treat their coaches? How do they act when no one is looking? Making a commitment to yourself that you will emulate a certain player’s good behavior patterns is the first step on your path to success. Making a decision and acting upon it are the first steps to creating habit cues, and habits are what governs how disciplined you become. Jim Rohn said “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments,” and the idea is not new. Most success stories are ignited by the one action that started the process. They are fueled by the discipline that keeps it going. So, ask yourself who you want to be, and take the first step. Michael Nortey is a staff pro at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. He was an ITF world ranked junior and was once ranked number two in his home country of Ghana before going on to play on the ATP Tour and in the Davis Cup.

Emotional Balance: The Key to Match Management By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC What if a tournament player could play relaxed and anxiety-free while taking risks? What if they temporarily lost focus, but could get back on track and stay emotionally balanced? My sense is that they would perform their personal best because they would not be limiting themselves. So, what’s stopping a player from playing like that? Perhaps fear of losing, anxiety about the unknown, unease about not being able to live up to expectations, uncertainty about returning from an injury, and any number of other things. Certainly, many obstacles can be worked through with mental skill techniques like visualization, goal-setting, rituals and self-talk. Other challenges can be worked though with present moment awareness skills, such as mindfulness, where the player can learn how to stay present in a match through re-focusing, anchors and breathing techniques. However, there is often an underlying emotional and physiological component related to an athlete losing control mentally. When an athlete experiences stress, and the underlying reasons are beyond the performer’s recognition, this can cause more stress! The athlete then typically expends more energy, tries harder, struggles more, gets tighter, and spirals into overwhelming themselves before completely shutting down. All athletes “get tight” at some point or another. Picture this: On-the-court and off-thecourt stress accumulates like tennis balls in a bucket. Then, when a high pressure situation occurs, the balls metaphorically tip out of the bucket. What may have looked like an easy missed shot really has nothing to do with the shot, but relates back to an accumulation of emotional stress going through the athlete (tightness). Oftentimes, to remedy a missed shot, the

player/coach goes back to the drawing board and practices thousands of shots. However, when coming from a place of overwhelming conditions, nothing is going to change by hitting more practice balls. The problem is not the missed shots, those are symptoms of something else. In reality, the missed shots are really a symptom and an accumulation of on- and off-court stresses the athlete is holding. So, how do we remedy this? The key is to look at the situation through the athlete’s experience. Only by starting with the person within the athlete can you hope to non-judgmentally recognize where they are. As a mental training coach, I have identified five emotional playing states: 1. Inside the Zone 2. Over-Charge 3. Under-Charge 4. Overwhelm 5. Shut Down Each of these states has different characteristics in regards to the emotional energy a player experiences. For example, if a player is in the over-charge state, which is characterized by rushing and pushing too

hard, an intervention can be used to help them refocus back to one thing they can control, for instance, their shot choices. Conversely, if they are in a state of undercharge, the key is to help them go from “disconnected” to “connected” by adding some movement, for instance, adjustment steps or feeling their feet on the ground. Only by looking through a players’ eyes can you understand what they may be experiencing and feeling. Then, from here, can a coach or a parent best help them get back on track. Additionally, this is the best way a player can help themselves. Anytime a player, coach or parent knows what that player is emotionally experiencing, can they understand what the player needs. Awareness is the first step to change. Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with athletes and teams, focusing on helping athletes gain the mental edge. Rob is author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail Rob@InsideTheZone.com or visit InsideTheZone.com.

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courtsix New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Sharapova’s suspension reduced

my happiest days,” said Sharapova. “In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back. Tennis is my passion, and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court.”

Tunisian Jaziri barred from action The biggest recent news in the tennis world was the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport reducing Maria Sharapova’s twoyear suspension to just 15 months, meaning the Russian star is eligible to return to the WTA Tour in April of next year. “I’ve gone from one of my toughest days of my career last March, when I learned about my suspension, until now … one of

from playing against Israeli players by the Tunisian Tennis Federation, which reportedly came to light during a 2013 Challenger event when he withdrew against Amir Weintraub. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) looked into the incident and barred the country from Davis Cup play. That ban has been lifted it seems, as Jaziri played against Israel’s Dudi Sela in a recent Challenger event in Istanbul.

del Potro honored by Argentinean soccer club

Photo credit: Flickr Commons

Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri was reportedly barred

Olympic silver medalist and U.S. Open quarterfinalist Juan Martin del Potro was set to be honored by his favorite Argentinean soccer team Boca Juniors during one of its games against Quilmes. As he was heading onto the field for the ceremony, the sprinklers went off and soaked the Argentinean. The incident didn’t ruin his excitement though, and he celebrated his birthday with his favorite team.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Murray addresses stalker situation Photo credit: Norlito Gumapac

In an interview to promote the International Premier Tennis League, Great Britain’s Andy Murray revealed the strangest thing that has happened to him while touring around the world, saying he was once stalked around Europe by a hotel maid: “At one of the tournaments I played, a maid in the hotel ... I had a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, and she came in and sat on my bed and started stroking my arm at about seven in the morning when I was still sleeping, and then turned up at a couple more tournaments in the hotels that I was playing at in Rotterdam and Barcelona. I don’t know if that’s a fan thing … that’s a bit extreme, but it happened.”

Fernandez to step down as Fed Cup captain

Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Can’t wait to have my hair back #dreadlocks #nwa #oklm #lamonf15 Mary Joe Fernandez will be stepping down as the United States Fed Cup captain. “Working with the players has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” said Fernandez. “The planned changes to the role do not fit with my other work and family commitments at this time.” The USTA said the planned expansion of Christina McHale (@ChristinaMcHale): the role will require an increased time com- Getting ready to enjoy some Peking Duck mitment from the captain.

Tweets from the pros Djokovic visits his war-torn homeland W o r l d number one Novak Djokovic showed fans his emotional side when he livestreamed his visit to Serbia and talked about his memories growing up in the war-torn region and the NATO bombings of the late 1990s, most notably the wall in Kopaonik where he played tennis for the first time. “The wall survived the bombing, and many different hits,” said Djokovic during the live stream. “The holes in the wall that you see are the consequence of the bombs. It’s unfortunate, but on the other hand, it’s nice to see that the wall itself endured.”

Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki): Title #25!!! Thank you Hong Kong for a great week!! Asia, it’s been fun! Till next time!! #europeherewecome

Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): I had a great time having a hit with Aston and Caillie from @ANZ_AU Tennis Hot Shots!

continued on page 66

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

court six continued from page 65 Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova): Monday means back to work to get ready for the final push of the season

John Isner (@JohnIsner): Happy #NationalDogDay to my best buddy, Magill.

Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic): In love with my new @MINI. Thank you to management for this amazing gift!

Stanislas Wawrinka (@StanWawrinka): So special to add a new trophy!!! @usopen #newyork #trophy #stanimal

Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska): Konichiwa! Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): We can’t believe I got into the U.S. Embassy with ripped jeans @sabinelisicki Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): Mirror mirror on the wall … who is the fastest of them all

Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams): Yes that’s the Great Wall of China folks. @elevenbyvenus

Noah Rubin (@NoahRubin33): I am thinking a must before Rosh Hashanah

Nick Bollettieri (@NickBollettieri): Look who I bumped into yesterday at @usopen ... the incredible @mhingis!!! She’s the best. Garbine Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza): Since I was young I always loved watches so I am honored to became part of the Rolex Family.

Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Good memories of yesterday. Thanks to my friends @CharlyMoya, #JohnMcEnroe & @mwilander for coming to the #rnscsportscentre’s #openday Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova): A fun night with @BillieJeanKing and #WTTSmashHits

Martina Hingis (@MHingis): Thanks to @CuraproxInt China team for taking care of me & making my 1st trip to Shanghai so memorable! see you all again soon! 66

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

Tennis Numbers to Amaze Your Friends By Barbara Wyatt he method of scoring a tennis match may have baffled you when you started playing the sport, but when the little yellow ball raced toward you, a deep organic passion compelled you to swing the racket and hit that yellow sucker with raw unbridled power … over and over again. Passion for the game won over the archaic scoring system. Today, you amaze your non-tennis friends when you explain the 15-30-40-ad scoring. Yet there are more numbers to amaze and bedazzle tennis neophytes and even a few tennis veterans.

How many buttocks must remain in contact with chair when playing Wheelchair Tennis? To hold their racket up and ready, wheelchair players grasp the racket with four fingers of their dominant hand and use the heel of the hand to push a wheel rim. Their free hand pushes the other rim to race over and return the ball. All with one buttock in the chair. The answer: One buttock. What is the highest number of tennis racquets destroyed in frustration in one match? At the 2012 Australian Open, Marcos Baghdatis smashed several rackets in a

row as he rested between sets. His energetic racket abuse didn’t help his game. He lost the match and was fined $800 for racket abuse. The answer: Four rackets. What is the highest number of doublefaults in one match? At the 1999 Australian Open, Anna Kournikova double-faulted more than this writer. Despite the large number of doublefaults, she won the match by a score of 16, 6-4, 10-8. There is hope for us all. The answer: 31 double-faults in one match. What is the most consecutive points a tennis player can lose and still win a best-of-five-sets match? Originally posed as a puzzle question on NPR, listener Harry Hilson recommended this tennis question for the radio audience. Your set score is 2-0, game score 5-0 and the last game stands at 40-0. The sweet taste of match victory is on your lips. Your opponent claws back and wins that game (five points) and the set (24 points). Match score 2-1. Your opponent wins the next set (24 points). Match score: 2-2. In the third set, you are down 0-5 game score and 0-40 for the game. You pump your fist to the sky for motivation and win the third set (23 points). Match score: 3-2. You win the next two sets for a 5-2 win. However, you lost a whole bunch of points in a row. The answer: 76 points in a row, 5+24+24+23=76.

What year is the first reported death due to tennis? Louis X of France, known as Hutin the Quarrelsome, played tennis until he was exhausted. He drank wine, fell asleep and died. Death by tennis was documented by Geoffrey of Paris in verse. “It has been said that the kind of illness From which he died was a stroke Which often kills healthy people as well. Others claimed that he played a game which he knew well, Namely tennis; he became so heated at it, And his better judgment which betrayed him …” The word for tennis in this French poem is “a la paume” from “jeu de la paume” considered the raw beginnings of tennis when it was first played with the hand rather than racquet. The answer: June 5, 1316. Barbara Wyatt is a writer, photographer, USTA official and app developer for iKnowTennis!, the mobile app for advanced players, beginners, coaches and professionals to learn and understand tennis rules. She discovered the game of tennis about 10 years ago and is striving to hit the little yellow ball inside the white lines—in both games. She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Psychology of Te BY DR. TOM FERRARO ports psychology has become a wide and diverse field. Not only do we work with an ever-growing variety of sports, we use a variety of approaches. Standard sports psychology uses what we called “suppressive techniques,” which help the athlete to control any unwanted emotion, such as anxiety, anger or despair. But the field is no longer limited to these behavior modification methods. Tennis rackets improve, footwear improves, and so does sports psychology. My method as a practicing psychoanalyst allows the athlete to talk at length about all areas of their life, analyze dreams and make an effort to understand their unconscious. Interpretations are made which help explain the athlete’s tendency toward self-defeat. We can now say with certainty that often the athlete’s greatest foe is him or herself. This method is called “supportive insight-oriented psychotherapy.” Recently, thanks to my contacts overseas, I have come to learn that there is another form of sports psychotherapy which has been pioneered by Dr. David Burston who works at Tottenham Hotspur Training Center in London, one of the world’s premier soccer academies. Dr. Burston is a Jungian analyst and uses Carl Jung’s concepts, like archetypes, collective unconscious and the shadow to explore the deepest aspects of the athletes unconscious. His book, Psychological, Archetypal and Phenomenological Perspectives on Soccer, is based upon his interviews with premier soccer players in the U.S. and England. His book is related to tennis as well. Tennis is a game that has, for a long time, attracted the musings of the finest writers and poets on Earth. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita had a chapter where Humbert Humbert describes the beauty of Lolita as she plays tennis with him.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

of Tennis According to Carl Jung and Dr. David Burston William Scammell’s poem, Bjorn Borg, contains the following description of Borg’s groundstroke: “He struck them as stepmothers once brushed their daughter’s hair.” E.B. White’s poem, The Tennis, is a wonderful and gentle soliloquy on the marvels of an afternoon tennis match at a private club. David Foster Wallace, who was once a high-level amateur tennis player and perhaps our greatest young American novelist, wrote the essay “How Tracy Austin Broke my Heart,” a review of Austin’s autobiography. Wallace was stunned to see all the superficial platitudes that the book contained. But isn’t this the nature of athletics? An athlete’s comments are usually remarkably shallow and repetitive, with most answers being scripted. They show great courage on the field, but in interviews, they take the safe and guarded route. I have met and interviewed many world famous athletes, and early on, I realized that if the article was going to be of any sustaining interest, I had better come up with most of the ideas myself. Thank goodness for Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese and new journalism.

This is why Dr. Bruston’s book and his works are so important. He is one of the very few sport psychologists in the world who has attempted to look beneath the surface to bring some depth into the field. He is one of the first that has the skills to dive into the collective unconscious of a soccer team and surfaced to tell us what he found. He talks about the meaning of rituals in sport and about the hidden strivings in athletes. He refers to losses as a social death and that the wins are the athlete’s way of transcending his former self. Tennis is a game filled with grunts and friendly handshakes, cursing and fine etiquette, low-cut dresses and proper white uniforms. It is now a game with worldwide interest and a game rich in meaning. It attracts our greatest writers, eminent philosophers like Albert Camus and religious heads like Pope John Paul II. The psychoanalyst, Dan Dervin, likes to talk about the ball as a representation of the helpless self that requires control. South American psychoanalyst Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco would say that the ball’s successful penetration into your court is tantamount to a sexual conquest. Or as Vladimir Nabokov said, “My Lolita

had a way of raising her bent left knee at the ample and springy start of the service cycle when there would develop and hang in the sun for a second a vital web of balance between toed foot, pristine armpit, burnished arm and far back-slung racket, as she smiled up with gleaming teeth at the small globe suspended so high in the zenith of the powerful and graceful cosmos she had created for the express purpose of falling upon it with a clean resounding crack of her golden whip.” Tennis inspires players to play and writers to write. And we now have a Jungian sport psychologist who happens to be smart enough and courageous enough to look under the surface and see what’s there. Yeats called this the “Spiritus Mundi.” Jung called this our “collective unconscious.” I call it “The magic of tennis.” Thank you Dr. David Burston for reminding us of just how filled with wonder the world of sports actually is. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

At Gotham Tennis Academy, we’re passionate about teaching tennis. From beginners to rising stars, Gotham’s PTR certified pros are experienced in teaching the fundamentals while stressing sportsmanship, hard work, and fun. With our prime locations throughout Manhattan and the greater NYC metro area (including Stadium Tennis Center–NYC’s newest and largest indoor/outdoor tennis center), we’re only a short trip away from you. And with our growing number of offerings at locals schools, it’s more convenient than ever to get your kids into the game.

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NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a Coach: A Two-Part Guide BY STEVEN KAPLAN

he selection of a coach is one of the most important decisions a young player can make and can be the difference between tournament success or disappointment. While there may be variations in the skill level of coaches, there is no perfect coach or coaching style, as each relationship is unique and must be a strong fit that encourages athletic and personal growth. I have listed 10 categories to consider when evaluating the suitability of a coach, but of course, each of these factors will be weighted differently by each player and their family. Choose carefully and wisely.

Part One 1. Core values Coaches spend a great deal of time

with their students and leave a profound impression that extends beyond the tennis court. It’s not the coach’s job to impart values, but rather, to reinforce the values that are important to the player and their family. Coaches will have values that are important to them and should not attempt to undermine the values they disagree with. They should, however, not compromise stressing what they hold dear, like hard work, diligence, fitness, preparation, cooperation, intellect and critical thinking. One of the first tasks I perform before coaching a player is to try to understand what matters most to them and their family, and I encourage them to understand my values as well. If we are not on the same page, our relationship will not be productive or sustainable.

2. Mechanics Some players have a strong need and willingness for mechanical focus. They want to understand the minute details of how to produce a stroke. They understand and accept that when changing stroking patterns, it is often necessary to take one short-term step backwards to progress two long-term steps forward. Others prefer a coach who will just “shut up and hit.” It’s a function of personality, stage of development, age and gender. Find a coach both willing and able to provide the mechanics, tools, focus and style that you need and want. 3. Underlying development philosophy Some coaches see a fluid tactical paradigm as the pathway for development. They believe that it’s best to first understand which skills are most important for a player’s given abilities, interest, goals, personality, body type and functional limitations before choosing a development focus and teaching style. Other coaches like to progress a player in a more rigid, systematic style that is less dependent on the individual and more driven by a formula. For example, I strongly believe that the common so-called “mistake” of an “Eastern” Grip results from poor ground to upper body energy transfer and inadequate core stability. I view a “bad” serving grip as often

New York Tennis Magazine • Novem-

a good, temporary correcting compensation and changing to a conventional Continental Grip before first addressing and correcting the underlying functional issues will hinder the player’s progress and even lead to injury. Many coaches do not share this view and will seek to correct a serving grip issue as soon as they can. It’s worthwhile to understand and choose a coach who shares your philosophy. 4. Facilitation Often choosing a coach is a practical issue. How far do they live from you? What do they cost? Do they go above and beyond your time on the court to ensure success? Do they have other players who you can practice with? Can they provide extra court time? Do they have a network to help you train off the court? Do they have the knowhow and credibility to help you with the college process? Do they have the skills and contacts to help you avoid and overcome injuries? Can they help you with performing community service or even help find you a job? A few words of caution. I have not seen,

at any time in my 36-plus years of coaching, a time in which coaching choices are dictated less by the quality of the relationship and more by the offer of a discounted “deal.” I understand how expensive the sport can be in the local area and the limitations of the economic challenge. However, I also see that all too often, these “deals” are not based on economic need, but marketing opportunism. If you frequently get offers for “free Disney vacations” that you turn down because you know that “you get what you pay for” and “if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t,” then maybe it’s worthwhile to consider that when it comes to tennis education. What may seem like a good deal at first may not turn out to be a good value. Remember, you cannot ever get back the critical formative years where the greatest development is possible. 5. Fitness and injury prevention Power and endurance have become increasingly more important in tennis. As physical demands increase in athletes at younger ages, the potential for injury and

the need to train to avoid long-term consequences of subjecting an undeveloped body to enormous stress grows. I spoke at The New York Tennis Expo two years ago about the need for coaches to work alongside trainers to perform assessments of young athlete’s functional movements before starting hardcore training. I think this need has grown, as I see way too many injuries in young tennis players that could have been avoided with careful and thoughtful preparation and planning. Protecting the physical health and well-being of a developing player should be a coaching priority, and finding a coach willing and prepared to do so is a wise choice. Steven Kaplan is owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016

NEW YORK GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Francis Lewis’ Ally Wins PSAL Midseason Girls Invitational Tournament

the semifinals. In the semis, Banks beat Batool Mulla, second singles from Susan E. Wagner High School, 10-3, setting up the finals with Ally. Finishing in third place was Curtis HS’s Shaw, who defeated Loviena Motijall from Richmond Hill High School, by a score of 103. She then beat Chloe Minieri, second singles from Eleanor Roosevelt, 10-0 setting up the semifinal match with Ally. Shaw, a freshman, fought valiently, but came up just short, as Ally won 119 to move into the finals. In the fight for third place, Shaw came back from a semifinal loss to defeat Mulla, 6-4. 6-2.

Lab Museum Beats Long Island City for NYC PSAL “B” Title 2016 PSAL Girls Invitational runner-up Coney Banks from Frank Sinatra, Girls Invitational champion Alleyah Ally from Francis Lewis, with thirdplace winner Briana Shaw from Curtis High School and fourth place Batool Mulla from Susan E. Wagner High School lleyah Ally, playing first singles for Francis Lewis High School, took top honors at the 2016 PSAL Girls Invitational Tournament. Ally kept her head in the game each match and outplayed her opponents with well-placed shots and lots of consistency. Ally beat Coney Banks, first singles from Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, in the finals in a hard fought match, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Banks said, “I gave it my all and ran out of energy at the end.” Despite having split sets, Alleyah dug deep and kept the pressure on to come back and take the third set despite suffering from leg cramps in the second set. Ally breezed to a win in the second round beating Morgan Greifer from Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 10-1. She then went on to sweep Fatoumata Ouattara, Seward Park High School’s second singles player, 10-0, setting up a semifinals match with Curtis High School’s Briana Shaw. Alleyah took the match 11-9. Banks, a third place finisher in 2016, finished in second place this year. She defeated Myat Su, Newtown High School’s first singles player, 10-4, moving on to beat Ariel Klein, second singles player for Lab Museum United High School, 10-5 to advance to

The Lab Museum United Girls Tennis team, winners of the 2016 New York City PSAL “B” Division Championship he Lab Museum United Girls Tennis team captured the 2016 New York City PSAL “B” Division Championship, beating Long Island City 4-1 in the city final. Long Island City would take the first singles, match as Diwa Rana came back from a set down to beat Alexis Wiseman 4-6, 64, 6-3, but Lab Museum would win the final four matches in straight sets. Arielle Klein notched a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Yasmin Cabello at second singles, and Sheiva Hodjati rounded out singles play with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Wendy Bermejo in the third singles flight. Needing just one victory from its doubles play, the Gators would win both first and second doubles. Samantha Bodin &

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

2016

NEW YORK GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL RECAP Huynh & Levine of Bronx Science Win NYS Federation Girls Cardozo’s Hernandez Tennis Title Wins PSAL Singles Individuals, as Levine & Huynh of Bronx Science Take Doubles Honors

Sophia Demeo won 6-4, 6-4 over Kunchok Gurung & Leslie Aguilar at first doubles, and Liberty An Abordo & Orli Rein defeated Rishika Lama Tamang & Tamanna Hoque 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles.

enjamin N. Cardozo High School’s Daniela Hernandez captured the PSAL Individual Singles title, coming back from a set down to defeat The Beacon School’s Kyra Bergman, 46, 6-3, 6-1, in the 2016 PSAL Individual Girls Singles Tennis Finals. Hernandez, a freshman, posted a dominant run through the singles draw, beginning with a 10-0 win over Emmanuella Nortey of Seward Park High School, and following it up with a 10-0 triumph over Francis Lewis’s Alleyah Ally to move into the quarterfinals. In the final eight, Hernandez would receive a walkover into the semifinals, as Bronx Science High School’s Perene Wang was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury, setting up a semifinal showdown between Hernandez and Townsend Harris High School’ Liana Weitzman. Hernandez would drop her first game of the tournament in the semifinals, but still managed a 10-1 victory over Weitzman to put her into the finals against Bergman, who defeated McKee/Staten Island Tech’s Miriam Aziz. Hernandez shook off the first adversity she faced all tournament long after dropping the first set to Bergman, rallying to win the next two sets by winning 12 of the final 16 games to claim the title. In the doubles final, the Bronx Science duo of Sofie Levine & Christina Huynh notched a 6-0, 6-0 win over Beacon’s Sofie Shen & Niki Truszkowski to win the PSAL Girls Doubles title. Levine & Huynh had to get past their Bronx Science teammates and top-seeds Alana Rosenthal & Klara Wichterle in the quarterfinals, doing so with a 10-1 victory. The pair then carried the momentum into the semifinals, nailing down a 10-0 win over the Cardozo duo of Kristine Ngo & Renuka Surujnarain, before posting the straight-set win in the finals.

Christina Huynh & Sofie Levine of Bronx Science, winners of both the 2016 PSAL Girls Doubles Title and NYS Federation Girls Doubles Tennis Title or the first time in history, the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) had representatives compete in the New York State Federation Tournament, where the winners of the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) tournaments faced off against the PSAL Champions. PSAL Doubles Champions Sofie Levine & Christina Huynh of Bronx Science took on the CHSAA winners, Marianna Zehas & Andrea Stopanjac of St. Francis Prep in the semifinals, beating the pair 6-0, 6-0 to book their spot in the Federation Cup final. The pair would square off with Friends Academy’s Calista Sha & Morgan Wilkins, the NYSPHSAA champions, in the doubles final. Both teams came out firing, with a lot of hard-hitting shots and aggressive net play, but in the end, Levine & Huynh edged Wilkins & Sha 7-5, 6-4 to win the first ever Federation Cup title. PSAL 2016 Girls singles champion, Daniela Hernandez of Cardozo, fell to Julia Syzmanska of Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity senior would beat Hernandez 6-3, 6-0, before moving on to defeat NYSPHSAA Champion Caitlin Ferrante of Yorktown High School 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 in the federation tournament final.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

National Tennis Center Hosts Open House to Showcase Renovated Grounds

ith the 2016 U.S. Open in the books, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows hosted a recent open house to give free tours, clinics and provide other activities to showcase the new grounds throughout the complex. “The purpose of this event is to reintroduce our beautiful campus to people that have not been able to play outside here the last couple of years because of the construction,” said Debra Russell, senior business manager of National Tennis Center Tennis Programs. “We will be undergoing construction until probably 2020, but at least some of the field courts are open and they are absolutely beautiful. We expanded a lot, and it is really breathtaking for people who haven’t been here to actually see all of it.” Those who attended the event were able to participate in clinics put on by Wilson and Cardio Tennis on the indoor courts, and then were taken around the vast grounds to check out how much work has been done over the past few years, including the reworked outer courts and the new Grandstand. The tour allowed for attendees to play on the outer courts and experience what it is like to play on the courts that many of the world’s top players have practiced on, as well as the courts where fans pour in to watch the U.S. Open. “What we are really excited about is to get back a lot of the excitement and energy for people to be playing outside here,” Russell said, saying that the outdoor courts have always been accessible to the public, but will now be more readily available. “The indoor courts are great, but it is really exciting to be playing outside on those courts where you know the main pro players played. Just to have all the indoor and the outdoor courts going, and the whole place filled up again, with not only our junior players, but also our academy players and the senior players, is what is really exciting.” The event was helped put on by many non-profit organizations in the New York City area, including the New York Korean American Tennis Association, Chinese American Tennis Society of New York, New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) and the City Parks Foundation. “The goal is to continue to grow the great game of tennis. So by offering a host of different programs for all levels and ages we just hope people give tennis a try and stay with it for life,” said Whitney Kraft, director of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “The other exciting part of today is that we are featuring our community partners, all the non-profits that do such great work in the metro area. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to grow the participation of tennis, and that makes us really excited about the celebration today.” 74

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB CARY LEEDS CENTER FOR TENNIS & LEARNING Elena Bantovska—Director, Advanced Training 1720 Crotona Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. (347) 417-8168 EBantovska@NYJTL.org NYJTL.org CENTERCOURT PERFORMANCE TENNIS CENTER Clay Bibbee—Managing Partner and Academy Founder 65 Columbia Road • Morristown, N.J. (973) 635-1222 Clay@Centercourtclub.com CenterCourtClub.com CHRIS LEWIT TENNIS ACADEMY Tennis Club of Hastings 100 River Street • Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. (914) 462-2912 ChrisLewit@gmail.com ChrisLewit.com COURTSENSE TENNIS TRAINING CENTER Gordon Uehling—Founder and Managing Director 195 County Road • Tenafly, N.J. (201) 569-1114/(201) 489-1122 Info@CourtSense.com CourtSense.com GOTHAM TENNIS ACADEMY Eric Faro—Director of Tennis 358 West End Avenue #3A • New York, N.Y. (646) 524-7069 Info@GothamTennis.com GothamTennis.com MANHATTAN PLAZA RACQUET CLUB Gertrud Wilhelm—General Manager 450 West 43rd Street • New York, N.Y. (212) 594-0554 GWilhelm@AdvantageTennisClubs.com AdvantageTennisClubs.com MATCHPOINT NYC Nino Muhatasov—Co-Founder and Director 2781 Shell Road • Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 769-0001 MatchPointComplex@gmail.com MatchPoint.NYC MIDTOWN TENNIS CLUB Jennifer Brown—Director 341 8th Avenue • New York, N.Y. (212) 989-8572 MidtownTennisNYC@gmail.com MidtownTennis.com

DIRECTORY

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB Mike Wisniewski—General Manager 3081 Harding Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. (718) 239-7916 LHartman.NYTCI@gmail.com AdvantageTennisClubs.com PROFORM TENNIS ACADEMY Juan Oscar Rios—Academy Director 975 Anderson Hill Road • Rye Brook, N.Y. (914) 935-6688 Info@ProformTennisAcademy.com ProformTennisAcademy.com RIVERDALE TENNIS CENTER 3671 Hudson Manor Terrace • Riverdale, N.Y. (718) 796-7400 RiverdaleTennis.com ROOSEVELT ISLAND RACQUET CLUB Tom Manhart—Membership Director 281 Main Street • Roosevelt Island, N.Y. (212) 935-0250 TManhart@RIRCTennis.com AdvantageTennisClubs.com ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS ACADEMY 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. (631) 907-5162 Ross.org/TennisAcademy SPORTIME RANDALL’S ISLAND Flagship Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Allison Hodgkins—Assistant General Manager Jared Karlebach—Assistant General Manager One Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. (212) 427-6150 AHodgkins@SportimeNY.com JKarlebach@SportimeNY.com SportimeNY.com/Manhattan SPORTIME HARBOR ISLAND Carlos Campo—Regional General Manager, Westchester Clubs Guillermo Ripoll-Brenot—Assistant Director of Tennis Cathi Pizzo—Assistant Regional General Manager, Westchester Clubs Harbor Island Park PO Box 783 • Mamaroneck, N.Y. (914) 777-5151 CCampo@SportimeNY.com SportimeNY.com/Harbor-Island

SPORTIME LAKE ISLE John McEnroe Tennis Academy, Westchester Carlos Campo—Regional General Manager, Westchester Clubs Fritz Buehning—Director of Tennis, JMTA Cathi Pizzo—Assistant Regional General Manager, Westchester Clubs 660 White Plains Road • Eastchester, N.Y. (914) 777-5151 CCampo@SportimeNY.com SportimeNY.com/Lake-Isle SPORTIME SCHENECTADY Jed Murray—General Manager Philippe Ceas—Director of Tennis 2699 Curry Road • Schenectady, N.Y. (518) 356-0100 JMurray@SportimeNY.com SportimeNY.com/Schenectady STADIUM TENNIS CENTER AT MILL POND Joel Kassan—Executive Director 725 Gateway Center Boulevard • Bronx, N.Y. (718) 665-4684 Joel@GothamTennis.com StadiumTennisNYC.com TENNIS INNOVATORS NYC Juan Andrade—Executive Director 520 2nd Avenue (Kips Bay Court) 899 10th Avenue (John Jay Court) New York, N.Y. (646) 476-5811 TennisInnovators.com USTA BILLIE JEAN KING NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park • Flushing, N.Y. (718) 760-6200 Kraft@USTA.com USTA.com WEST SIDE TENNIS CLUB Bob Ingersole—Director of Tennis 1 Tennis Place • Forest Hills, N.Y. (718) 268-2300 TennisDirector@ForestHillsTennis.com ForestHillsTennis.com

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 10/18/16)

BOYS Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Safin Shaikh ..................Bayside, N.Y. 2 ........Joshua Staroselskiy ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Sebastian Brustein ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 ........Akash Mahesh Hongal ..Flushing, N.Y. 5 ........Cal R. Wider ..................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Ronald Aaron Fridlyand Forest Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Nicholas Jozef Zagora ..Staten Island, N.Y. 8 ........Benjamin Elliot Emag .... Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Arnav Agostinho ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ......Michael Zlatnik ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 11 ......Jack Griffin ....................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Bobby Duskin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......London Mosquera ........Howard Beach, N.Y. 14 ......Milo Kessler....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Charles Robertson ........Whitestone, N.Y. 16 ......Colin Hui ........................Bayside, N.Y. 17 ......Federico Bentivoglio......New York, N.Y. 18 ......Ryan Friedman ..............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Santiago Espejel ............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Ryan Mark......................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Dominick Mosejczuk ....East Elmhurst, N.Y. 22 ......Romero Jones................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Noah Roussel ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Noah Katzer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ......Andrew R. Ena ..............Rego Park, N.Y. 26 ......Zecheng Fang................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Soren Aulenbach ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Arjun N. Agostinho ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Theodore R. Murphy......New York, N.Y. 30 ......Ty Justin Staco-Towns ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Jake Srebnick ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Santiago Soto ................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Fela Fieulleteau ..............Bronx, N.Y. 34 ......Vinay Palta......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 35 ......Daniel A. Ellis..................Laurelton, N.Y. 36 ......Gabriel Alberto Garcia ..Staten Island, N.Y. 37 ......Max Meyer ....................New York, N.Y. 38 ......Maret Rudin-Aulenbach Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ......Andrew Lance Gordon ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......John Wu ........................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Dylan Lachmanen..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Matthew Mosejczuk ......East Elmhurst, N.Y. 3 ........Waley Chen....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 4 ........Daniel Gordon................New York, N.Y. 5 ........Ryuichi Nitta ..................Bronx, N.Y. 6 ........Connor P. Dunne............Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Gabriel Markowitz..........New York, N.Y. 8 ........Eric Dubilirer ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 9 ........Nicholas Oblonsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ......Kevin Daniel Golub ........New York, N.Y. 11 ......Franco Manriquez..........Sunnyside, N.Y. 12 ......Arnav Agostinho ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Guy Ferrera ....................New York, N.Y. 14 ......Nicholas Jozek Zagora..Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Liam J. Dunne................Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Shane Tomonia ..............Jamaica, N.Y. 17 ......Neel M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 18 ......Sunjay Dev Singh ..........New York, N.Y. 19 ......Jack Benavides..............New York, N.Y.

YORK

20 ......Gunnar S. Overstrom ....New York, N.Y. 21 ......Sabian Kosinov..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 22 ......Ethan Cintron ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 23 ......Michael Zlatnik ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 24 ......Sebastian Chavarro ......Jackson Heights, N.Y. 25 ......Charles Robertson ........Whitestone, N.Y. 26 ......Joshua Ashvil ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 27 ......Oliver Samuel Peck ......New York, N.Y. 28 ......Isadore Jude Axinn........Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Matthew LeCorps..........New York, N.Y. 30 ......Bhawick Singh ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 31 ......Christian Bobko ............Bronx, N.Y. 32 ......Dylan Harris Gottheim ..New York, N.Y. 33 ......MG Nastase ..................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Jasper Hunt Thomas ....New York, N.Y. 35 ......Alex Stolarz ....................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Ronald Fridlyand............Forest Hills, N.Y. 37 ......Daniel Ivko......................Staten Island, N.Y. 38 ......Nicholas Benavides ......New York, N.Y. 39 ......Sebastian Taylor ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Hyat Oyer ......................New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Matthew Mosejczuk ......East Elmhurst, N.Y. 2 ........Simon Camacho............New York, N.Y. 3 ........George Manuel Arteaga East Elmhurst, N.Y. 4 ........Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 5 ........David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 6 ........Daniel Vascones ............Middle Village, N.Y. 7 ........Richard Wickman ..........Bayside, N.Y. 8 ........Alfonso Laffont ..............New York, N.Y. 9 ........Rino Cattabiani ..............Flushing, N.Y. 10 ......Michael Kaydin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Andreas Adedeji ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......John C. Bricker ..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Albert Y. Wan..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 14 ......Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 15 ......True Waaktaar-Savoy ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Tadd Long ......................Woodside, N.Y. 17 ......Amyas Alfred Ryan ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Shanay Ashesh Amin ....New York, N.Y. 19 ......Alex Robert Goldstein ..New York, N.Y. 20 ......Connor P. Dunne............Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Eugene Fishman............Rego Park, N.Y. 22 ......Christopher Mohri..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Robert Ivko ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 24 ......Waley Chen....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 25 ......Liam J. Dunne................Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Teddy Brodsky ..............New York, N.Y. 27 ......Jeffrey Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 28 ......Lucas Miller....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Sadi Gulcelik ..................New York, N.Y. 30 ......Michael McDonough ....New York, N.Y. 31 ......Jonathan Glinsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Kaiki Matsuo ..................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ......Jaime Gomez ................New York, N.Y. 35 ......William Kofman..............Queens Village, N.Y. 36 ......Daniel Leon Maseyev ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Max Schindel ................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Shane Tomonia ..............Jamaica, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Robert Ivko ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 2 ........Richard Wickman ..........Bayside, N.Y. 3 ........Jeremy Breland..............Fresh Meadows, N.Y.

RANKINGS 4 ........Michael McDonough ....New York, N.Y. 5 ........Daniel Usvyat ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 6 ........Justin Mikael Vasquez ..Rego Park, N.Y. 7 ........Lucas Larese DeSanto ..New York, N.Y. 8 ........Alexander Chiu ..............New York, N.Y. 9 ........Daniel Ivko......................Staten Island, N.Y. 10 ......Connor Ryan Crowley ..Bronx, N.Y. 11 ......Amir Azizi........................Flushing, N.Y.

GIRLS Metro Girls 12 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Jordan Ben-Shmuel ......New York, N.Y. 2 ........Angelina Rose Bittan ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 4 ........Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 5 ........Tess Ariel Whitman ........New York, N.Y. 6 ........Alina Ongeyberg ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Rosie Isabella Seccia ....New York, N.Y. 8 ........Jasmine Leon Soon ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Abigail Hammer ............Astoria, N.Y. 10 ......Rianna Mariotti ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 11 ......Jala Atkinson..................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Ava Dahl ........................New York, N.Y. 13 ......Talia Helen Kahan ..........New York, N.Y. 14 ......Blakely Dushkin ............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Chantajah Mills ..............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Diya Emine Chawla........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Caitlin Bui ......................Flushing, N.Y. 18 ......Laurentia Bentivoglio ....New York, N.Y. 19 ......Kira Diaz ........................Richmond Hill, N.Y. 20 ......Isabella Sofia Mandis ....New York, N.Y. 21 ......Patricia Grigoras ..........Middle Village, N.Y. 22 ......Jenna Kleynerman ........Staten Island, N.Y. 23 ......Isabella Haley Saul ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Ronit Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 25 ......Nadia Barteck ................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Anna Becker ..................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Juliana Hornak ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Charlie Eve Liss..............New York, N.Y. 29 ......Victoria Penny McEnroeNew York, N.Y. 30 ......Karah C. Augustin..........Saint Albans, N.Y. 31 ......Allegra Noelle Wong ......New York, N.Y. 32 ......LeAsia Robinson............Bronx, N.Y. 33 ......Kaitlyn E. Mendoza........Rego Park, N.Y. 34 ......Nicole Sniadowski ........Staten Island, N.Y. 35 ......Nicole Korsunskiy..........Staten Island, N.Y. 36 ......Anias Jenkins ................Bronx, N.Y. 37 ......Gabrielle Usvyat ............Forest Hills, N.Y. 38 ......Mia Saveljic ....................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Carmen Hornillos ..........New York, N.Y. 40 ......Langley Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Anya Barteck..................New York, N.Y. 2 ........Jordan Ben-Shmuel ......New York, N.Y. 3 ........Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 4 ........Sofie Shen......................New York, N.Y. 5 ........Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 6 ........Emma Eisenberg............New York, N.Y. 7 ........Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 8 ........Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Nadzeya Fliaha ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ......Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 11 ......Sheyna Esther Karen ....New York, N.Y. 12 ......Tess Ariel Whitman ........New York, N.Y. 13 ......Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 14 ......Leah Margulies ..............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ November/December 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

16 ......Abigail Hammer ............Astoria, N.Y. 17 ......Jasmine Leon Soon ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Laura Coleman ..............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Nia Simone Benjamin....Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Nicolette Fundator ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Greer S. Goergen ..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Katrine Zlatnik ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 24 ......Emma Sofia Ostlund ....New York, N.Y. 25 ......Maxie Molly Karen ........New York, N.Y. 26 ......Tess Anna Price ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Alleyah Katherine Ally ....Bellerose, N.Y. 28 ......Ella Liv Price ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Leila M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 30 ......Nia Lashawn Dabreo ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 32 ......Nadezhda M. Blot..........Arverne, N.Y. 33 ......Julia Dementyev ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ......Catherina Krespi ............New York, N.Y. 35 ......Claire de Saint Phalle ....New York, N.Y. 36 ......Ellie Sullivan ..................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Piper Sydney Brown......New York, N.Y. 38 ......Maya Arnott ..................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Olivia Rosenfeld ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Alina Abramoff ..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Alanna Levitt ..................New York, N.Y. 2 ........Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 3 ........Natalie Marguiles ..........New York, N.Y. 4 ........Maryna Bohdanovska ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ........Celina Liu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 6 ........Rebecca Macdonald ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Gabrielle Hernandez......Ridgewood, N.Y. 8 ........Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 9 ........Nicole Koi Massa ..........Astoria, N.Y. 10 ......Danielle P. Kezeli ............Staten Island, N.Y. 11 ......Bella Kaplan ..................New York, N.Y. 12 ......Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Jordan Ben-Shmuel ......New York, N.Y. 14 ......Masha Serjantov............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Nia Simone Benjamin....Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Michelle Iosipov ............Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ......Kristina Pali ....................Briarwood, N.Y. 20 ......Alleyah Katherine Ally ....Bellerose, N.Y. 21 ......Gianna Gaudio ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 22 ......Tomi Alalade ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 23 ......Tatiana Mandis ..............New York, N.Y. 24 ......Mia Simone Parrish ......Queens Village, N.Y. 25 ......Prthvi Srinivasan ............New York, N.Y. 26 ......Sophia Africk..................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Emma Sofia Ostlund ....New York, N.Y. 28 ......Carolyn Silverstein ........New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y.

NEW Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 10/18/16)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 2 ........Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 7 ........Joseph Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Donovan Spigner ..........New York, N.Y. 14 ......Jace Alexander ..............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y. 19 ......Nicholas Steiglehner......New York, N.Y. 21 ......Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 22 ......Ari Hercules Cotoulas....Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Benjamin Kantor ............New York, N.Y. 27 ......Astro Brundo Pilipovic ..New York, N.Y. 29 ......Andrew R. Ena ..............Rego Park, N.Y. 34 ......Alexander Aney..............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Rafe Photopoulos..........New York, N.Y. 43 ......Ty Justin Staco-Towns ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 52 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 54 ......Theodore R. Murphy......New York, N.Y. 57 ......Cal R. Wider ..................New York, N.Y. 64 ......Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 68 ......Dominick Mosejczuk ....East Elmhurst, N.Y. 71 ......Nicholas Laffont ............New York, N.Y. 74 ......Ryan Friedman ..............New York, N.Y. 77 ......Samuel Benjamin ZeitlinBrooklyn, N.Y. 82 ......Romero Jones................New York, N.Y. 84 ......Giuseppe Cerasuolo......Bayside, N.Y. 87 ......Nicholas Jozef Zagora ..Staten Island, N.Y. 90 ......Luca Photopoulos ........New York, N.Y. 95 ......Akash Mahesh Hongal ..Flushing, N.Y. 96 ......Joshua Staroselskiy ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 98 ......Safin Shaikh ..................Long Island City, N.Y. 101 ....Bobby Duskin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 104 ....Noah Katzer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 108 ....Arjun N. Agostinho ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 120 ....MG Nastase ..................New York, N.Y. 125 ....Sebastian Brustein ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 134 ....Benjamin Elliot Emag ....Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 1 ........Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 11 ......Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Maxwell Igor KachkarovFlushing, N.Y. 13 ......Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 17 ......John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 18 ......Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 21 ......Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 22 ......Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 34 ......Ryan McCook................Saint Albans, N.Y. 41 ......Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 43 ......Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 47 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 50 ......Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 55 ......Noah Abels Eisenberg ..New York, N.Y. 59 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 64 ......Sidharth Chawla ............New York, N.Y. 66 ......Albert Y. Wan..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 69 ......Mitchel Pertsovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 72 ......Donovan Spigner..........New York, N.Y. 74 ......Milan Kavi Jain ..............New York, N.Y.

YORK

RANKINGS

75 ......Winter Forest Fagerberg ..New York, N.Y. 81 ......Bradley Bennett ............New York, N.Y. 83 ......Jeffrey Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 84 ......Luca Anthony DeMare ..New York, N.Y. 92 ......Sacha Maes ..................New York, N.Y. 93 ......Benjamin Ebanks ..........New York, N.Y. 95 ......Charles Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 98 ......Jace K. Alexander..........New York, N.Y. 101 ....Neel M. Epstein..............New York City, N.Y. 106 ....David Dove Hendon ......New York, N.Y. 112 ....Sabian Kosinov..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 118 ....Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 121 ....Eric Dubilirer ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 128 ....Jonathan Laforest..........Queens Village, N.Y. 129 ....Dylan Lachmanen ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 130 ....Rod Rofougaran ............Bronx, N.Y. 134 ....Anthony Cataldo............Brooklyn, N.Y. 135 ....Gunner S. Overstrom ....New York, N.Y. 138 ....Bhawick Singh ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 140 ....Waley Chen....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 148 ....Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y. 149 ....Ryuichi Nitta ..................Bronx, N.Y. 150 ....Donovan Brown ............New York, N.Y.

36 ......Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y. 42 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 49 ......Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 57 ......Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 77 ......Kemel Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 81 ......Sam V. Vagner................Staten Island, N.Y. 82 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 84 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 88 ......Philip Belmatch..............Staten Island, N.Y. 95 ......Adam Bryan Borak ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Christopher Kolesnik ....Staten Island, N.Y. 118 ....David Mizrahi ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 121 ....Gabriel Isaac Rissman ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 130 ....Michael Tyutyunik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 131 ....Allan Ethan Magid..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 133 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 137 ....Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 144 ....Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region

5 ........Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 8 ........Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 9 ........Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 20 ......Nina Wiese ....................Flushing, N.Y. 22 ......Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 29 ......Lara Rose Berliner ........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Sofia Iantosca ................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Julia T. Werdiger ............New York, N.Y. 46 ......Bukky Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 47 ......Sophia Cisse..................New York, N.Y. 49 ......Taylor Overstrom............New York, N.Y. 50 ......Linda Ziets-Segura ........New York, N.Y. 56 ......Patricia Grigoras ............Middle Village, N.Y. 62 ......Charlie Eve Liss..............New York, N.Y. 77 ......Ronit Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 80 ......Victoria McEnroe ..........New York, N.Y. 85 ......Ava Dahl ........................New York, N.Y. 92 ......Alina Ongeyberg ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 94 ......Natalie Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 97 ......Emma Voykhanskaya ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 98 ......Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 106 ....Bianca Dumitru ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 108 ....Jasmine Leon Soon ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 110 ....Mia Saveljic ....................New York, N.Y. 122 ....Rosie Isabella Seccia ....New York, N.Y. 125 ....Allegra Noelle Wong ......New York, N.Y. 126 ....Angelina Noelle Wong ..New York, N.Y. 129 ....Isabella Sofia Mandis ....New York, N.Y. 130 ....Laurentia Bentivoglia ....New York, N.Y. 133 ....Anna Becker ..................New York, N.Y. 135 ....Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 137 ....Jenna Kleynerman ........Staten Island, N.Y. 145 ....Gabrielle Usvyat ............Forest Hills, N.Y. 146 ....Nadia Barteck ................New York, N.Y. 147 ....Diya Emine Chawia........New York, N.Y. 148 ....Julia Hornak ..................Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rank Name............................City 11 ......Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 17 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 19 ......Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 22 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Steven Daniel Nazaroff..Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 30 ......David Mizahi ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 33 ......Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 46 ......Sam Vagner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 48 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 50 ......Shand Stephens ............New York, N.Y. 51 ......Derek Raskopf ..............New York, N.Y. 53 ......Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 54 ......Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 57 ......Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 60 ......Christopher Tham..........Flushing, N.Y. 70 ......Kai Yuminaga ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 71 ......Robbie F. Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 75 ......Gabriel Isaac Rissman ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 79 ......Joshua Berman..............New York, N.Y. 80 ......Jo Takakura....................New York, N.Y. 81 ......Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 85 ......Oliver Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 94 ......Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 95 ......William Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 97 ......John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 99 ......Julian Szuper ................New York, N.Y. 105 ....Felix Levine ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 106 ....Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 116 ....Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 119 ....Blake Frank ....................New York, N.Y. 132 ....Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 137 ....Zachary G. Targoff ........New York, N.Y. 147 ....Ethan Finley....................New York, N.Y. 148 ....Eugene Fishman............Rego Park, N.Y. 149 ....Simon Camacho............New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 15 ......Peter Lohrbach ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 21 ......Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 2 ........Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 7 ........Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 16 ......Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 20 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 26 ......Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y.

30 ......Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 33 ......Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 37 ......Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 41 ......Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 42 ......Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 43 ......Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 48 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 52 ......Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 55 ......Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 59 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 60 ......Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y. 63 ......Deliala Friedman ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 64 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 76 ......Jamila Akhmedjanova ..New York, N.Y. 78 ......Leila M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 93 ......Nia Lashawn Dabreo ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 94 ......Alyssa An........................New York, N.Y. 99 ......Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 113 ....Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 116 ....Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 122 ....Lina Mohamed ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 123 ....Nadzeya Fliaha ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 128 ....Sofia Allinson ................New York, N.Y. 132 ....Anya Barteck..................New York, N.Y. 133 ....Sofie Shen......................New York, N.Y. 134 ....Rebecca Sitkovetsky ....Staten Island, N.Y. 139 ....Nicole Wooyin Lee ........New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 6 ........Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 24 ......Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 27 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 28 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ......Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 35 ......Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 37 ......Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 39 ......Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 49 ......Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 52 ......Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 55 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 61 ......Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 65 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 71 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 74 ......Diana Sosonkin..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 76 ......Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 86 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 90 ......Isabella T. Hartman ........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 94 ......Nicole Mika ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 97 ......Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 98 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 104 ....Sofie Kate Levine ..........New York, N.Y. 112 ....Amalia M. Parrish ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 114 ....Josephine Kimball ........New York, N.Y. 115 ....Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 121 ....Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 122 ....Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y. 124 ....Jamila Akhmedjanova ..New York, N.Y. 128 ....Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 131 ....Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 132 ....Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 135 ....Celina Liu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 144 ....Nicole Koi Massa ..........Astoria, N.Y. 145 ....Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW 149 ....Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 150 ....Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 10 ......Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 15 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 35 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 36 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 44 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 46 ......Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 47 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 49 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 51 ......Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 56 ......Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 61 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 63 ......Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 64 ......Kiara A. Rose ................New York, N.Y. 69 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 70 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 72 ......Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Federica Bilardo ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 80 ......Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 85 ......Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 86 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 89 ......Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 92 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 95 ......Anna Maite Kaplan ........New York, N.Y. 98 ......Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y. 100 ....Anastasya Menshikova Brooklyn, N.Y. 110 ....Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 112 ....Yuka Lin..........................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 125 ....Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 129 ....Emma Kassan................New York, N.Y. 132 ....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 146 ....Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 10/20/16)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 11 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 68 ......Donovan Spigner ..........New York, N.Y. 89 ......Joseph Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 118 ....Jace K. Alexander..........New York, N.Y. 153 ....Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y. 198 ....Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 227 ....Nicholas Steiglehner......New York, N.Y. 244 ....Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 340 ....Benjamin Kantor ............New York, N.Y. 390 ....Astro Brundo Pilipovic ..New York, N.Y. 470 ....Alexander Aney..............New York, N.Y. 517 ....Ari Hercules Cotoulas....Brooklyn, N.Y. 644 ....Andrew R. Ena ..............Rego Park, N.Y. 769 ....Rafe Photopoulos..........New York, N.Y. 770 ....Luca Photopoulos ........New York, N.Y. 991 ....Giuseppe Cerasuolo......Bayside, N.Y. 995 ....Nicolas Iantosca ............New York, N.Y. 999 ....Theodore R. Murphy......New York, N.Y.

YORK

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 5 ........Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 93 ......Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 125 ....Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 126 ....Noah D. Edelman ..........New York, N.Y. 127 ....Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 145 ....Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 167 ....John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 199 ....Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 217 ....Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 416 ....Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 534 ....Oliver Worth ..................Long Island City, N.Y. 725 ....Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 739 ....Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 782 ....Winter Fagerberg ..........New York, N.Y. 808 ....Mitchel Pertsovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 841 ....Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 895 ....Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 961 ....Charles Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 989 ....Ryan McCook................Saint Albans, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 148 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 170 ....Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 179 ....Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 254 ....Steven Nazaroff ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 296 ....Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 362 ....Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 372 ....David Mizrahi ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 409 ....Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 483 ....Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 616 ....Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 645 ....Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 690 ....Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 695 ....Jo Takakura....................New York, N.Y. 941 ....Derek Raskopf ..............New York, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 155 ....Peter Lohrbach ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 226 ....Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y. 270 ....Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y. 408 ....Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 502 ....Cole Gittens ..................New York, N.Y. 597 ....Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 668 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 814 ....Adam Bryan Borak ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 919 ....Charlie Eve Liss..............New York, N.Y. 920 ....Mia Saveljic ....................New York, N.Y. 956 ....Taylor Overstrom............New York, N.Y. 959 ....Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 973 ....Patricia Grigoras ............Middle Village, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 15 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 51 ......Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 225 ....Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 226 ....Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 267 ....Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 319 ....Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 331 ....Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 337 ....Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 357 ....Rebecca Elaina Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 467 ....Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 495 ....Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 505 ....Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 511 ....Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 842 ....Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 919 ....Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y. 924 ....Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 996 ....Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 25 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 55 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 103 ....Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 210 ....Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 290 ....Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 323 ....Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 362 ....Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 365 ....Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 370 ....Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 380 ....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 402 ....Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 428 ....Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 453 ....Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 592 ....Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 666 ....Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 758 ....Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 808 ....Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 817 ....Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 894 ....Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 944 ....Diana Sosonkin..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region

GIRLS

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

National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region

183 ....Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 252 ....Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 349 ....Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 424 ....Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y. 427 ....Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 459 ....Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 527 ....Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 734 ....Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 754 ....Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 823 ....Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 910 ....Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rank ..Name ..........................City 28 ......Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 62 ......Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 67 ......Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 217 ....Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 346 ....Nina Wiese ....................Flushing, N.Y. 542 ....Julia T. Werdiger ............New York, N.Y. 574 ....Sofia Iantosca ................New York, N.Y. 583 ....Linda Ziets-Segura ........New York, N.Y. 862 ....Bukky Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 886 ....Claire An ........................New York, N.Y. 898 ....Lara Rose Berliner ........New York, N.Y. 907 ....Sophia Cisse..................New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2016 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. NOVEMBER 2016 Friday-Sunday, November 11-13 Eastern Sweet 16 at NYJTL The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (COMP) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $151 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420. Friday-Sunday, November 11-13 L2O Cunningham Tennis November Open Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles, maximum fee charged per player is $75 plus the processing fees for the number of events you select (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Klastique@yahoo.com or call (718) 740-6800. Friday-Sunday, November 11-13 Eastern Sweet 16 at APTC Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Boys Singles & Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (COMP) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $151 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, November 11-13 L1B RI November 2016 Challenge Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MattyTrumino@gmail.com or call (646) 783-53010.

Saturday-Sunday, November 12-13 L3 Alley Pond November UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-16 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday-Sunday, November 19-20 Youth Progression Green Level 1 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, November 18-20 Eastern Super Six at Cary Leeds Center (National L4) The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Super 6 Event Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $116.60 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

Friday-Sunday, November 25-27 L1B APTC Thanksgiving Challenger Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, November 18-20 Eastern Super Six at APTC (National L4) Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Super 6 Event Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (FIC-R16) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $113.38 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, November 25-27 USTA November Open Regional Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (FICR16) and Advanced Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $134.88 for one event, $135.38 for two events (additional fees may apply if registered in three or more events) For more information, e-mail AlleyPondTennisCenter@gmail.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, November 18-20 & November 25-27 L2O Sportime RI October 2016 Open Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 14 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MattyTrumino@gmail.com or call (646) 783-53010.

Friday-Sunday, November 25-27 USTA Open Regional Tournament-November USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, Corona Park Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FIC-R16) and Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $134.88 for one event, $135.38 for two events (additional fees may apply if registered in three or more events) For more information, e-mail NTCTournaments@USTA.com or call (718) 760-6200.

NYTennisMag.com • November/December 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2016 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Saturday, November 25-26 L3 Sportime Randall’s Island Winter UPS 2016 Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Green Ball 12 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 21 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MattyTrumino@gmail.com or call (646) 783-53010.

Saturday, December 3 Youth Progression Orange Level 2 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Nov. 27 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Saturday-Sunday, December 10-11 & Friday-Sunday, December 16-18 +L1 APTC Eastern Grand Prix Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (FICQ) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday-Sunday, November 26-27 L3 Alley Pond TC Thanksgiving UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-14 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, December 9-11 L1B Cary Leeds Winter Challenger The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100.

Sunday, December 11 L3 Alley Pond Winter UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Green Ball 12, 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

DECEMBER 2016 Friday-Sunday, December 2-4 L1B APTC December Challenger Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, December 9-11 L1B Cunningham Tennis December Challenger Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Klastique@yahoo.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Monday-Friday, December 19-23 L1B Winter Classic 2016 at Randall’s Island Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MattyTrumino@gmail.com or call (646) 783-53010.

Friday-Sunday, December 9-11 & December 16-18 L1B RI December 2016 Challenger Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Dec. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MattyTrumino@gmail.com or call (646) 783-53010.

Saturday-Monday, December 24-26 L2O NYJTL Holiday Open The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100.

Saturday-Monday, December 3-5 L1B Cary Leeds Center December Challenger The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100.

New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2016 • NYTennisMag.com

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115 New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • NYTennisMag.com