New York Tennis Magazine September / October 2016 by United Sports Publications

TENNIS PROGRAM HEAD COACHING STAFF Numrud Nino Muhatasov - Co-Founder and Director of MatchPoint NYC • Former coach of top WTA and ATP players • Former Captain and #1 Single’s & Double’s player for St. John’s University Tennis Team • Big East Conference Finalist and 2X Most Valuable Player Alona Bondarenko (Featured Coach) • Australian Open Doubles Champion 2008 • Ranked Top 20 in the world in singles & Top 5 in the world in doubles MatchPoint NYC is the sports and fitness destination for the entire family. Spread across 120,000 sq. ft., our premier health and fitness complex features a cutting edge tennis facility with 9 indoor tennis courts and programs for kids and adults of all levels. MATCHPOINT NYC TENNIS PROGRAM BENEFITS • Personalized Training • Private Coaching • Intensive Drills • Match Play • Tennis Specific Fitness • Mental Conditioning SESSIONS Fall enrollment is open. Try a free lesson today.

Go to MatchPointNYC/freelesson to sign up. PROGRAMS • Quick Start Ages 7 and under • Junior Development Ages 7-18 • Beginner/ Intermediate/ Advanced group training • Adult Leagues • Private Lessons • Tournament Training (by invitation only)

THE MANHATTAN TENNIS ACADEMY AT THE MIDTOWN TENNIS CLUB

www.manhattantennisacademy.com • 341 8th Avenue (between 26th & 27th streets), NYC • (212) 359-9535

The Manhattan Tennis Academy, NYC’s premier tennis academy, conveniently located in Chelsea, still has spots in its popular QuickStart program for the Fall 2016 semester starting Monday, September 12. Our popular QuickStart program is specifically designed for children ages 4–8 years old. QuickStart with The Manhattan Tennis Academy utilizes modified court equipment such as mini nets, low pressure/progression balls and modified rackets, consistent with the USTA’s 10 and Under standards. This program is designed to teach fundamental tennis movements, eye-hand coordination and basic motor skills to our youngest players-all while maximizing FUN!

CALL TO ENROLL TODAY! (212) 359-9535

Class Times—Mon - Fri NYTennisMag.com • New York Tennis Magazine 3:00 - 4:00 • 3:15 - 4:00 • 4:00• September/October - 5:00 • 5:00 2016 - 6:00 www.manhattantennisacademy.com

nytennis MAGAZINE

New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine 1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site: www.nytennismag.com

Staff

Table Of Contents

SEP/OCT 2016 • Vol 6, No 5

Arthur Ashe Stadium’s New Retractable Roof & 2016 U.S. Open Preview See page 30

David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 • brianc@usptennis.com

Cover photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA

Highlights 10 14 18 50

A Look Back at the Inaugural New York Empire WTT Season Team Europe Beats Team USA in Second Annual Finance Cup 2016 New York City Girls High School Preview 2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Bryan Bongiovanni Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 315 • bryanb@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel Billing & Accounts Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer Lee Seidner Staff Photographer Gabi Sklar Intern

Alexandra Wald Intern

Emma Fein Intern

Trevor Mitchel Intern

Troy Haas Intern

Emily Shutman Intern Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com.

Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue. Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.nytennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in New York Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. New York Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data.

Features 4 6 12 20 22 23 24 27 32 44 46 48 62 64 65 66 67 68 70 73 74 76 78 80 81 82 84 87

NYJTL Hosts Annual Summer Gala at Central Park Boathouse Across Metro New York The Jensen Zone By Luke Jensen Be a Better Player on Your Bad Days When You Aren’t “In the Zone” By Brandyn Fisher, Ph.D. Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis and So Much More inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel USTA Eastern Metro Region Update Tips From the Tennis Pro By Damir Barisic When Good Enough Isn’t “Good Enough” By Brian Coleman The Four Sins of Tennis By Eric Faro Tennis and the Olympics By Dr. Tom Ferraro Improving Through Experience By John Curtis How I Found Out Tennis Is a Mental Sport By Gilad Bloom New York Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner By Carl Barnett MBR Builders Brings Experience and Skill to Indoor Tennis Renovations If Only Husbands Followed the Rules of Tennis in Marriage (Part II) By Barbara Wyatt ClayTech: A Better Solution for the Home Tennis Court Power Up Your Tennis Game the “Complex” Way By Richard-John Mensing Jr. Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz USTA Leagues Update: September/October 2016 More Than an Athlete By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC New York Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives: USTA Foundation, Chase Hosts Return the Serve Fun Day at Cary Leeds Center Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs Metropolitan Tennis Group Brings Liberty Open to National Tennis Center Teaching to Learn By Steven Kaplan A Look Back at the 2016 Olympic Games New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2016 Tournament Schedule

If tennis is your game, Advantage is your club! Advantage Tennis Clubs serve up tennis just the way you like it! Always with a relaxed atmosphere, friendly people and 3 unbeatable locations. All Advantage Tennis Clubs offer: Private and group lessons • Game arranging • Tennis programs & clinics • Leagues • QuickStart for ages 4 & up • Junior program • And more!

Choose from 3 fantastic locations.

Manhattan Plaza Racquet and Health Club 5 cushioned hard indoor courts 450 West 43rd St., New York, NY Contact Milos Vojvodic: 212.594.0554, milos@advantagetennisclubs.com, or Lauren Hartman lhartman@advantagetennisclubs.com

New York Tennis Club 6 Har-Tru indoor/outdoor courts 3081 Harding Ave., Throgs Neck, NY 718.239.7919 Indoors/Mike Wisniewski mike@advantagetennisclubs.com Outdoors/Mike Weisberger nytctreasurer@gmail.com

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 12 Har-Tru indoor courts 281 Main St., Roosevelt Island, NY Contact Gordon Kent: 212.935.0250, gkent@advantagetennisclubs.com, or Steve O’Keefe sokeefe@advantagetennisclubs.com

Find out more today—then choose your NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine Advantage club! advantagetennisclubs.com

Credit all photos to: Joe Ceriello

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

NYJTL Hosts Annual Summer Gala at Central Park Boathouse

ew York Junior Tennis and Learning (NYJTL) hosted its Annual Summer Gala at The Central Park Boathouse, as more than 550 people attended, the most in the event’s history. The fundraising efforts grew more than 20 percent from a year ago, as NYJTL raised more than $215,000, with that number still climbing. The event featured music,

dancing, dining, gondola rides and magicians, and raises funds to support NYJTL’s programs to make a difference in the lives of children across New York City. “It is overwhelming to see the incredible

support for NYJTL,” said NYJTL President and CEO Deborah Antoine. “Our Summer Gala has grown every year, and is a complete celebration of our scholar athletes, and the many thousands of children we serve through tennis and education. With everyone’s support, we are making a real difference in so many young lives today and our Gala is a wonderful time of celebration, fun and festivity.”

WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED Play tennis year round under a Farley bubble. The Farley Group is the world leader in air-supported structures and has provided over 20 tennis bubbles in New York and Long Island. Contact us today to learn about how you can turn your outdoor courts into a year round facility.

www.thefarleygroup.com l info@thefarleygroup.com

1-888-445-3223

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

Across Metro Ne JMTA’s Mills captures Central Park Girls U12 title

CourtSense’s Lian finds success upstate

Chantajah Mills of John McEnroe Tennis Academy didn’t let her age hold her back, as the 10-year-old entered the Central Park Girls U12 Level 2 and captured the title. She defeated the number one and three seeds before winning the final in straight sets. Mills lost just 12 games total in her four matches.

Centercourt’s Wein big winner at National Clay Court Championships

Photo credit: James Beck/The Post & Courier

Centercourt’s Evan Wein dominated the field in the Boys 12s Singles Division at the USTA National Clay Court Championships, notching a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over North Carolina’s Victor Lilov in the finals. Wein didn’t drop a set until the semifinals on his way to a come from behind victory to capture the Gold Ball. 6

James Lian of CourtSense Tennis Training Center won his first +L1 tournament in the 12 and Under Division, dropping just one set on his way to the title, capturing the title at the Binghamton Tennis Center Eastern Grand Prix in upstate New York.

Cary Leeds groups visits D.C.

Some of the kids from the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning headed down to Washington, D.C. as a part of 11 National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Excellence Teams for a weekend of tennis and education. The kids had a chance to tour the nation’s capital, partake in a coin toss during the Citi Open and learn during a clinic from Hall of Fame coach Nick Bollettieri.

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

New York

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

NTC shows its support for the NYPD The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center took part in the annual National Night Out to help support the New York City Police Department. The annual event is designed to help grow the police-community partnership, and members of Precinct 110 hit the streets to show off some of their tennis skills.

ITA honors St. John’s & Columbia players for academic excellence The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its All-Academic Teams recently, and St. John’s and Columbia were both well-represented on the teams. The St. John’s men’s and women’s tennis teams had 13 players on the All-Academic teams, while Columbia boasted 15 all-academic players from both the men’s and women’s programs.

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

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

Local campers take part in MatchPoint NYC and Stadium Tennis summer programs

The summer season is wrapping up in New York City, but not before local kids were able to improve their games while having fun at summer camps. New York Tennis Magazine traveled to many of the camps in the New York-metro area to see for ourselves. MatchPoint NYC in Brooklyn and Stadium Tennis Center in the Bronx were just two of the camps visited where campers enjoyed a great time with some quality tennis instruction.

Centercourt Tennis Academy provides camp in China

Staffers from Centercourt Tennis Academy headed to China to work with a company called Bright Future, teaching a six-day tennis camp at the Guangzhou Forever Tennis Club. The kids in the camp ranged from ages six to 16, and coaches Rich Reyes and Andres Sanchez worked on everything from technical training to live match play. “It was an unforgettable experience with the players and coaches in China,” said Sanchez. “The coaches were a pleasure to work with and they were so engaged throughout the camp. I am very happy with the friends we made there.” 8

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

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

Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III, Brian Coleman, Emma Fein & Lee Seidner

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

A Look Back at the Inaugural New York Empire WTT Season

The stars return to Forest Hills for a summer of tennis action he New York Empire played its inaugural Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) season this summer, as professional tennis returned to the historic Forest Hills Stadium at West Side Tennis Club. While the Empire didn’t finish with the record it would have liked after a 2-10 campaign, it was still a fun and exciting couple of weeks in Queens for New York tennis fans. The Empire notched the first win in the franchise’s history on Aug. 3 at home, a 19-15 triumph over the Springfield Lasers, and the first road win came against the five-time defending WTT champion Washington Kastles on Aug. 8. Despite the record, the Empire’s WTT debut season featured guest appearances by former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, Long Island native Noah Rubin and fan-favorite Marcus Willis, who played in five of the final six contests of the season. “I love the team atmosphere, it’s a lot fun and it’s competitive,” Willis said of the WTT format. “I think tennis should be fun. You don’t see a lot of smiles on the pro tour these days, and we have a pretty nice life. This is a great way to get on the court and play some of the best players in the world.” New Jersey native Christina McHale made her WTT debut this season and echoed Willis’ sentiments. “I wish we could’ve had a better record, but it’s been a fun experience,” said McHale. “Most of the time, it’s so serious when you’re playing in a tour match. But here, you have the fans cheering and getting loud, so it’s really fun. It’s been a busy two weeks, but a really fun two weeks.” The season wasn’t just highlighted by the play on the court. The Empire hosted an LGBTQ Pride Night with former NBA player Jason Collins as special guest coach, as well as a Salute to Strong Women Night, which featured a ceremony and appearances by Billie Jean King, former WNBA player Kym Hampton and Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes among other successful women. The Empire will be back and better in 2017, and will look to build on its performance this past season. “It’s been a ton of fun,” said Empire Head Coach Patrick McEnroe about the New York crowd this year. “We came up a little short, it wasn’t quite the record we were looking for, but I think for year one, we’ve got a few things to build off of. I love West Side Tennis Club, the crowds have been great, and I think it’ll serve us well going forward. Even in the matches where we were down and out, the crowd hung around and stayed until the end, so I think that’s a real positive. We’ll work hard and try to build for next year.”

1-Christina McHale sets up for a backhand against the Washington Kastles during the NY Empire’s first ever match 2-Long Island’s own Noah Rubin helped lead the Empire to its first ever World TeamTennis win in franchise history against the Springfield Lasers 3-The Empire after their 19-15 win over the Springfield Lasers, the first win in franchise history 4-Andy Roddick joined the Empire at West Side Tennis Club against the Washington Kastles, playing singles and pairing with Neal Skupski in men’s doubles 5-Mylan World TeamTennis and the NY Empire gave kids tons of access on the court throughout the season 6-Maria Irigoyen shows off her doubles skills for the Empire, including this shot against the Washington Kastles 7-Christina McHale in doubles action at Forest Hills Stadium at West Side Tennis Club 8-Neal Skupski, a late addition to the New York Empire roster, displayed excellent doubles work during his time in Forest Hills 9-Salute to Strong Women Night, featuring Billie Jean King, was one of the popular events during the inaugural WTT season for the Empire 10-Andy Roddick returns a serve during his match against the Washington Kastles 11-Despite their record, the New York Empire had a lot of fun throughout their inaugural season 12-Marcus Willis of Wimbledon fame dazzled the crowd at Forest Hills, beginning with his singles performance against the Orange County Breakers NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Passion Player: Federer’s Fire Still Burns By Luke Jensen Wow! What a day in the world of tennis. I am a big news talk radio guy, and on my bike ride to teach my lessons for the day at Sea Island, the sports report mentioned breaking news in the world of tennis. The last time there was a tennis report on this particular station, Maria Sharapova was suspended from tennis. My heart stopped with what it could be. It was reported that Roger Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam singles champion is pulling out of all remaining events in 2016 because of constant knee problems. I knew that the great Fed was close to the end of a great career, but to hear the news shocked me. Roger had to pull out of this year’s French Open because of an injury and he never looked up to par during his semifinal run at this year’s Wimbledon. So I started to think of what makes Roger

such a special athlete. He does have awesome ability and has every shot in the game in his repertoire, but the theme that just kept coming back to me was the ever-so-important element found in anything anyone does well: Joy! When I watch Roger playing the game, talking about the game and representing the sport, I think of a competitor who plays with pure enjoyment. Do we all take that for granted in our own approaches to our own play? When I work with junior players, gauging one’s passion and enjoyment of the sport is my first line of evaluation. Does the student play the game with joy, or is there torture at each miss. I find that tennis is a very tough game to play. There are so many mental hurdles and endless pressure situations, but Roger always seem to be in a good place emotionally. At the end of the day, tennis to me is the game of joy. I find that I am at my very best on the court playing, teaching and even watching.

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

Some spend endless and countless hours trying to improve and climb their own personal mountains in the game. I often feel bad for the players I see play in such torment who never fully understands losing … the missing part is winning. Now, I hate losing, but I like competing more than I like winning. We all hope for a healthy 2017 for Roger and hope to see the great one play just a little more with a lot of tennis joy! 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.

doubles, daiquiris & dinner dance 9:00 AM

1:00 PM

8:00 PM

LETS CALL IT A DAY AT BOCA WEST COUNTRY CLUB. Boca West Country Club values its partnership with tennis pro and WTA rising star Christina McHale and wishes her the best at the U.S. Open. Boca West’s Tennis Center

if you could see us now...

888.504.BOCA BOCAWESTCC.ORG

features 30 Hydro-courts, one U.S. Open Cushion court and four Pickleball courts. NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Team Europe Beats Team USA in Second Annual Finance Cup Credit all photos to Oleg Tolstoy

Members of Team USA and Team Europe gather for a group photo after the successful 2016 Finance Cup in London What began as a way he second Annual Fito get together with nance Cup took place friends and colleagues recently, as Team USA has turned into a pretty inheaded across the tense rivalry amongst the pond to take on Team Europe two teams. Last year, the at the Queen’s Club in London, Wall Street squad from England. the United States de“David Anving and I met up feated Team Europe 8-1 last year when we were in Paris at Sportime Randall’s Isfor the French Open, and I inland in New York in the invited him and his crew to come augural Finance Cup. over and play our Wall Street The teams were split crew during the U.S. Open,” into three different catesaid Team USA Captain Jeffrey gories: Out of college to Appel who, along with Anving, 36-year-olds (Open Divifounded the Finance Cup sion), 37-year-olds to 46which began last year. “We year-olds (Mid-Age hope this will be a tradition that Division) and 47-year-olds carries on for many years and Captain David Anving (far left) holds the 2016 Finance Cup trophy following plus (Senior Division). many more young people can Team Europe’s win over Team USA Teams featured six former benefit from what we do.” The teams are made up of NCAA champions, profesformer top college and professional players you have common friends, so it’s really about sional players and even a former two-time who made the transition to the finance world. getting people together. Jeffrey and I are both Grand Slam Doubles Champion in Richey “It’s great to meet people from both the contacted a lot by younger kids, former play- Reneberg (1992 U.S. Open with partner Jim United States and all over Europe,” said ers, who want to get into the finance indus- Grabb and 1995 Australian Open with partAnving, Team Europe’s captain. “There are try. We have a big group of people here, so ner Jared Palmer). Playing on its home turf, Team Europe did always links between all of us. Even if you you make a lot of new friends and connecwhat they set out to do, exacting revenge don’t know some of these people coming in, tions, and from that respect, it’s great.”

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

“There were 20 mile-perfrom last year’s defeat with a hour winds, it was the best 7-3 triumph over Team USA. of what the British Open The clinching match came golfers have to deal with,” in the Open Division, as said Csanadi. “We tried to Team Europe’s Jamie Baker take our chances when they & Barry King defeated team came. We had some opporUSA’s Kaes Van’t Hof & Drew tunities on second serves to Courtney 6-4, 6-3. pull the trigger and we were “It was great to be inable to pull it out in three volved in this and was even sets.” better to clinch it,” said King, “It is nice to get some rea former ATP ranked profesvenge on him,” Walter said sional and Davis Cup player of Delic. “Last year, they from Ireland. “It was a great gave us a pretty good beat experience to play against down, so it was nice to two former NCAA champibounce back with a win. It’s ons, and it was a pleasure to much easier when you don’t play with Jamie [Baker]. We have to take a six or seven did feel a bit of pressure towards the end, and we knew Bill Ackman (at net) and partner Pablo Salame play a point during their first round hour flight and deal with the doubles Finance Cup match jetlag.” how important this match Despite the defeat, Appel was in the overall scheme of things when the crowd got a bit louder. We The home court advantage certainly and the rest of Team USA had an outstandkept it simple, and I was able to serve it out. played a factor in Team Europe’s victory, es- ing week in London, and are ready to reclaim We were delighted to be a part of this event pecially in Zoltan Csanadi & Ludovic Walter’s the Finance Cup title next year. and want to be a part of it again next year in 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Amer Delic & Mac continued on page 16 Styslinger in the Open Division. the States.”

Wa ant long-tterm solutions to your rooff problems?

A Butler® Roof System installed d by MBR Buillders is your Best Cho oice!

MBR Builde ers

Afffforrdable Energy-Effﬁ ﬁcient

888.852.022 23

Solutions for

info@mbrbuilders s.com

Ind door Sports Facilities

New Y Yo ork 914.400 0.9115

ww ww w..mbrbuilders.com

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

second annual finance cup continued from page 15 Zubin Irani (Team Europe) defeated Walter “They brought out a really good group of Dolhare & Steven Hentschel (Team USA) players. They played really well and you have 6-4, 6-4 to give them a lot of credit,” said Appel. “They had some guys who really showed l Senior Division: Christer Gardell & Jan Vrbsky (Team Europe) defeated Bill Ackman some tremendous skill out there and there & Pablo Salame (Team USA) 6-3, 6-3 was outstanding tennis played. The level of play has greatly improved, and many of us have become good friends in a short time. Round 2 Besides being great tennis players, they are l Senior Division: Eoin Collins & Richey Finance Cup founder Jeffrey Appel (right) Reneberg (Team USA) defeated Martin shakes hands with Team Europe’s Christer also great people. We look forward to playing Persson & Mario Visconti (Team Europe) 7- Gardell (left) them again next year.” 5, 6-1 Below are the complete results of the Round 3 l Open Division: Jason Pinsky & Marc l Mid-Age Division: John Doran & Tobias matches from this year’s Finance Cup: Powers (Team USA) defeated Luben Hildrebrand (Team Europe) defeated Round 1 Pampoulov & Nejc Smole (Team Europe) Kevin Kim & Graydon Oliver (Team USA) l Open Division: Zoltan Csanadi & 6-3, 6-3 6-4, 7-6(5) Ludovic Walter (Team Europe) defeated l Mid-Age Division: Jonathan Pastel & l Open Division: Jamie Baker & Barry King Amer Delic & Mac Syslinger (Team Rodolfo Rake (USA) defeated James (Team Europe) defeated Kaes Van’t Hof & USA) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Reynolds & Philipp Stockhoff (Team EuDrew Courtney (Team USA) 6-4, 6-3 l Mid-Age Division: Oliver Freelove & rope) 6-3, 6-3 Lassi Ketola (Team Europe) defeated l Senior Division: Rupert de Laszlo & Ra- Exhibition Thomas Blake & Kunj Majmudar (team jveer Ranawat (Team Europe) defeated l Bill Ackman & Amer Delic (Team USA) USA) 7-5, 6-3 Jeffrey Appel & Pablo Salame (USA) 6-1, defeated Jan Olsson & Ludovic Walter l Senior Division: Alfredo Caturano & 2-6, 6-3 (Team Europe) 6-4, 6-4

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy (CPTA) is a one of a kind facility dedicated to the development and performance of tennis players. CPTA features eleven hard courts, one red clay court, a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning center, an indoor turf field and an academic center. Our mission is to help every student-athlete realize his or her potential athletically and academically. Our players respect the game, their peers, parents, and coaches. Our curriculum features comprehensive tennis instruction as well as physical and mental conditioning. CPTA offers both full-time and after-school programs 7 days per week with tournament coaching and travel. Both programs have rolling admissions from September 12, 2016 to June 11, 2017. CPTA also offers an 11-week summer training camp, with van shuttle transportation available for players located in the New York area. Contact us to schedule an appointment and discover the place championships come to train!

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy 65 Columbia Road, Morristown, NJ www.CentercourtAcademy.com

Contact Clay Bibbee: clay@centercourtclub.com 16

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

COMING IN NOVEMBER 2016

Distribution scheduled for 11/01/16

This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2016 Girls High School Season Recap

Distribution across New York at 300+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Country clubs • Restaurants and health food stores • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Supermarkets and • Many more!

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine November/December 2016! Facebook-www.Facebook.com/NYTennisMag Instagram-@NYTennisMag • Twitter-@NYTennisMag Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by2016 October 1,Tennis 2016Magazine 17 NYTennisMag.com • September/October • New York For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@NYTennisMag.com

2016 New York City Girl Player to Watch Chelsea Williams of Brooklyn Tech The Brooklyn Tech Engineers should be one of the top teams this fall in New York City, and standout junior Chelsea Williams will be a key factor in the team’s success. Williams was outstanding in her sophomore campaign a year ago, posting an undefeated record, including three straight-set victories in her three singles matches during the Engineers’ playoff run. She recently competed in the USTA National Championships in San Diego, Calif. where she reached the Round of 64, losing just nine games in her two victories.

Teams to Watch in 2016 Bronx Science The Wolverines of Bronx Science are set to defend their PSAL Championship from a year ago, and will do so returning most of its contributing members. While decorated senior Brianna Williams has graduated, returning for Bronx Science are Sarah Rahman, Perene Wang and Christina Huynh, at first, second and third singles, respectively, from last season’s city championship team. Sofie Levine and Cassie Tian return as well to give the Bronx Science a loaded lineup as the Wolverines look to defend the crown. Brooklyn Tech A semifinalist in the PSAL “A” Division Championships a year ago, Brooklyn Tech will be out to build on last year’s success. The Engineers return its top two singles players, juniors Nicole Semenov and Chelsea Williams, as well as third singles player Maryna Bohdanovska who enjoyed a successful freshman campaign. Despite losing seniors Nanako Chung and Almaz Nizamov from first and second doubles, respectively, Brooklyn Tech has a deep roster spearheaded by two of the top players in all of New York City in Semenov and Williams. Stuyvesant High School The Stuyvesant Lady Lobsters also reached the final four of the New York City playoffs a year ago and should have another deep playoff run in them this fall. Stuyvesant returns a young but talented singles lineup which includes Jennifer Yu, Maria Ivantechenko and Clara Mohri, who will be more experienced in 2016. Stuyvesant is in a loaded division that features Bronx Science and Beacon, but the battle-tested Lady Lobsters have playoff experience and an extremely talented roster which will make them a viable threat come playoff time. The Beacon School The Beacon School had its string of consecutive New York City titles snapped a year ago as it was edged by Bronx Science in the 2015 finals. But the Blue Demons are a program that has a consistent flow of talent coming up which makes them a perennial contender each season, and 2016 will be no different. Victoria Sec returns at first singles for her senior campaign and will be joined by Aleksandra Bekirova, who will most likely rise to sec-

irls High School Preview ond singles to replace outgoing senior Alexus Gill. Benjamin N. Cardozo High School The Judges of Benjamin N. Cardozo High School return the majority of its lineup from a year ago, including its top three singles players in Katherine Kacharov, Isabel Balilo and Emily Moczulski. Cardozo HS was tripped up by Brooklyn Tech in the quarterfinals a year ago, but with just one starter gone from last year’s team, Cardozo should be one of the last teams left standing at the end. The Judges have a deep, experienced lineup that will make them a tough opponent each and every time they step on the court.

New York City Girls High School Schedule l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

Wednesday, Aug. 31—Coaches Clinic at Newtown High School Wednesday, Sept. 7—Coaches Clinic at Newtown High School Thursday, Sept. 8—2016 Regular Season Begins Saturday, Sept. 24—Girls Invitational Tournament at Francis Lewis High School Saturday, Oct. 15—Individual Singles and Doubles Qualifier Tournament Tuesday, Oct. 18—“A” & “B” Division Team Playoffs First Round Wednesday, Oct. 19—“A” & “B” Division Team Playoffs Second Round Saturday Oct. 22—Individual Singles & Doubles First Round, Second Round & Quarterfinals Monday, Oct. 24—“A” Division Team Quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 25—“B” Division Team Semifinals Wednesday, Oct. 26—Individual Tournament Semifinals Thursday, Oct. 27—Individual Finals Friday, Oct. 28—“B” Division Team Finals Saturday, Oct. 29-Monday, Oct. 31—2016 NYSPHSAA Championships Wednesday, Nov. 2—“A” Division Team Semifinals Thursday, Nov. 3—“A” Division Team Finals

Competitive Training, World-Class Education Ross School Tennis Academy (RSTA) and Junior Tennis Academy (RSJTA) offer dynamic programs for junior tennis players (grades 7–12) that combine a challenging global curriculum with the highest level of competitive tennis training available.

631-907-5162 TENNISACADEMY@ROSS.ORG WWW.ROSS.ORG /TENNISACADEMY

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

Be a Better Player on Your Bad By Brandyn Fisher, Ph.D. hroughout my travels to junior and professional tennis events, I have seen some pretty crazy things that players have to deal with, so much so that I could write an entertaining book about it all. For example, I once saw a player who was behind 0-3 in the first set, launch all three balls into a pond behind the court, and then proceed to walk slowly to the tournament desk to get a new can of balls. I guess he didn’t like how he started off in the match. While this might be an extreme example, the point is that players have to learn to deal with adversity and figure out a way to keep charging ahead. As a competitive player, you are going to be exposed to a range of situations and challenges, and to be successful, you must be resilient.

Train for adversity, not to find the zone To become more resilient, players must build a tolerance to adversity, which is achieved by attacking challenges with a different mindset and attitude. Instead of trying to get into the “zone” each day, work on building a thicker armor that cannot be pierced by pebbles (petty events that happen during competition). The days when everything you do seems to work are few and far between. Instead, competition and training is full of random challenges and adverse moments. When asked how many matches in his career he would consider to have played “in the zone,” one former world number one said “about 20.” He was on the pro tour for over a decade and played nearly 800 matches in his career. Interestingly, he said he did not really improve at the pro level until he became a better performer on his off days. Bring your bottom end up Players who improve their bad days make bigger jumps than those who want to make their good days even better. Instead of trying to find your “Zone,” work on bringing your bottom end up. You will improve more if your mental performances are consistent from the good days to the bad days. Instead of striving for the highest level of physical performance every practice or every match, work on day-to-day mental consistency, which means you have a high level of mental engagement regardless of how well you are playing. Once you can accomplish mental consistency, then you can turn your attention to reaching the top one percent of your performance.

ad Days When You Aren’t “In the Zone” Change your perception of the bad says, see the opportunity Players who are exposed to struggle with adversity have a great opportunity to fill in their holes, but only if they choose to see it this way. Very few players who I have worked with like the days when things are difficult, but eventually, they learn to roll with it and focus on what really matters. When you begin to look at adversity and bad days through a different lens, you begin seeking out challenge as a means of staying motivated and focusing on your goals. The easy days offer few challenges, and as a result, few opportunities to build your tolerance for adversity. Which matches are you the most proud of? Which matches did you learn the most from or gain the most confidence from? Most players gain more confidence from overcoming struggle and finding a way to get it done.

Redirect your bad days and challenges into opportunities. Focus on what can be controlled to level out performance A player’s mental engagement will often correlate with one’s physical play. Play well and you will see a positive and engaged player; play poorly, and you will see poor body language and inconsistent engagement. While it would be great to be mentally engaged and play well, you only need one of the two to be present to put yourself in a position to win. If you go 0 for 2, then you are in trouble. If you have ever played poorly, but managed to win, then you know what it is like to mentally grind out a victory. It won’t be pretty and you will have to dig deep, but if your mind is focused on the factors within your control (effort, making adjustments, etc.), you will be

in every match you play. If your mental engagement goes hand-in-hand with your physical performance, then you can expect a lot of ups and downs, which can be very frustrating. Get off the roller-coaster ride and become a consistent competitor— grind it out mentally on the bad days. Develop your tolerance to adversity by taking challenges head on with a different attitude. Practice and competition represent opportunities to strengthen your armor. The thicker the armor, the more you can handle and the less your opponent can get through. Brandyn Fisher, Ph.D. is founder and CEO of American Sport Psychology, a leader in elite mental training for tennis players. Discover your potential by visiting AmericanSportPsychology.com or reaching out to Dr. Fisher at Brandyn@AmericanSportPsychology.com.

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

Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis and So Much More auna Kea Resort’s 11-court Seaside Tennis Club is one of the largest and most soughtafter tennis experiences in Hawaii. Located ocean-side on the grounds of the legendary and award-winning Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the Club consistently ranks among the best in the world … and with good reason. In addition to the expected menu of lessons, clinics and round-robin tournaments, Director of Tennis Craig Pautler and his staff have long-standing relationships with guests and island residents who come regularly to play at the topnotch facility. They also work closely with local high school and junior tennis players and programs providing courts and even equipment to help aspiring young athletes. Each September, the Seaside Tennis Club serves up their annual Grand Prix and Open Class Championship and a Spring Doubles Tournament in April. Perhaps most surprising to first-time players at Mauna Kea is the Club’s prox-

imity to the ocean, unlike any other tennis facility in the state. Players on Courts 10 and 11 in particular might be distracted during humpback whale season from November until May when the giant mammals can often be seen breaching just offshore. Mauna Kea Resort, originally developed by venture capitalist and environmentalist

Got Game? Not anymore! You may need an M.D. who’s a real body mechanic

Using state-of-the art, scientiﬁcally sound, non-invasive methods (and not cortisone) to relieve rotator cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow, Achilles tendinitis, herniated discs and sciatica. Dr. Ingber is a double board-certiﬁed Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine specialist and nationally recognized authority in trigger point treatment for pain and sports injuries.

You have nothing to lose and it may help you win your next match O F F I C E S A R E L O C AT E D I N M A N H AT TA N A N D B R O O K LY N

Call (212) 213-0001 or (718) 627-7750 or browse our website for more info:

www.dringber.com 22

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

Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1965, is an 1,800-plus acre resort with beautiful homes; two stunning white sand beaches,; two 18-hole championship golf courses and two hotels, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, which opened in 1965 and its sister hotel, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, which opened in 1994. Guests are afforded signing privileges at both hotels for dining and receive guest rates at the Seaside Tennis Club and at Hapuna Golf Course and Mauna Kea Golf Course where golfers may opt to “surf the earth” aboard Golfboards. No stay at Mauna Kea Resort would be complete without experiencing the warm ocean waters fronting the two hotels at Hapuna Beach and at Kauna’oa Bay. Standup paddle boarding, snorkeling and canoe rides are among activities for anyone looking for a day of sun and fun. Mauna Kea Spa by Mandara and the Hapuna Spa, along with fully-equipped fitness centers at both hotels, provide the perfect options for indulgence and exercise. Enjoy more with Mauna Kea’s Free Nights and Breakfast Package. Visit MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com/Spring or call (877) 880-6524 for more information.

inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel nPhorm is a distinctive collection of tennis and active wear that has gained an avid following, not only amongst tennis retailers, but also among tennis players and a growing lineup of touring pros, as well as other celebrities. Creating environmentally-friendly international designer active and leisure wear has been inPhorm’s mission since the company launched in 2008. Luxurious tennis, active and lifestyle outfits are made predominantly of recycled fibers and offer sun protection of a 50 UV. inPhorm is constantly devising new processes and technology to reduce the environmental impact of apparel manufacturing. In 2017, inPhorm will offer active wear and tennis togs that have been colored with a proprietary drydye process that doesn’t use or pollute water. inPhorm crafts every fabric and stitch of clothing in their own textile mills and sewing factories to ensure high quality from start to finish. inPhorm recently announced its increase of sponsorships of young professionals on the circuit, as well as added sales representation to the brand in England, Ireland (inPhorm is the official uniform for the men, women and coaches of the Irish Tennis Federation), Germany and Switzerland. Alexandrovna (Alla) Kudryavtseva of Russia, who again reached the third

round in mixed doubles at Wimbledon this year, is just one of those sponsored by inPhorm. She has won one singles and seven doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as two singles and 13 doubles titles on the ITF Tour. Joining Kudryavtseva is American Jacqueline Cako who has won two singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Tour. There are also three other multi-national players sponsored by inPhorm: Jessica Moore of Australia, who is ranked eighth in Australia; Marina Shamayko, who resides in France; and Sabastiani Leon of Mexico. On the courts at Wimbledon, Indian Wells, U.S. Open, Davis Cup, or WTT, in-

Phorm-sponsored athletes define athleticism and beauty with an eco-conscious pedigree! For more information or to enjoy the styles that the inPhorm celebrities wear, visit inPhormNYC.com. First-time shoppers on inPhormNYC.com can use new customer code: STAYINPHORMED for a special discount. Follow inPhorm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pintrest! Expect more great things from inPhorm as we offer more athleisure, always mindful that the creation of high design does not preclude protecting the planet. You can visit the inPhorm Web site at inPhormNYC.com or call (214) 749-0300.

The Leader in Mental Training for Elite Tennis Players You Possess It. We Help You Find It.

• Fully customized programs • Training that translates to performance • Competition-based skill development Brandyn Fisher, PhD brandyn@americansportpsychology.com

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

USTA Metro Region Youth Tennis Leagues experience the World TeamTennis format Youth Tennis Leagues recently coordinated a World TeamTennis 10 & Under, Middle School and High School Level tournament at Cunningham Park Tennis and Riverside Community Tennis Asso-

ciation. Sponsored by the USTA Eastern Metro Region Board, the event gave participants a taste of the World TeamTennis format, crowing winners in each of the three divisions.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

USTA Metro Region 5

1-Winners of the 10 & Under Division was the Bethpage Tennis team, coached by Kuntal Joshi 2-Jonathan Raude led the NY Empire to the title in the Middle School Division 3-Winners of the High School Division, led by Coach Obong Akpan (not pictured), gather for a team photo 4-Members of the USTA Eastern Metro Board pause for a photo 5-Juniors enjoying their taste of the World TeamTennis format 6-Kuntal Joshi instructs the Bethpage Tennis team prior to a match in the 10 & Under Division 7-Kids discuss the World TeamTennis style with their coach prior to a match 8-Participants enjoyed the World TeamTennis experience and some quality competition learning the new format 9-USTA Metro Region Board members and volunteers sponsored the World TeamTennis/Youth Tennis League event 10-A great time was had by all at the World TeamTennis/Youth Tennis League event NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Metro Region USTA Metro Board takes part in NY Empire WTT action at West Side Tennis Club Board members and volunteers for the USTA Eastern Metro Region recently visited the historic West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills for an evening of World TeamTennis action featuring the hometown New York Empire. The Empire held a special ceremony during a break in the action to honor the

winners of the World TeamTennis 10 & Under, Middle School and High School Level tournament, sponsored by the Metro Region. Playing for the Empire that evening was Andy Roddick, who visited with the kids and entertained questions from the juniors.

Former NBA player Jason Collins met with members of the USTA Eastern Metro board and volunteers during their night at West Side Tennis Club

USTA Eastern Metro President Jackie Clark with participants in the recent World TeamTennis tournament

Winners of the 10 & Under, Middle School and High School Division Junior World TeamTennis event were recognized for their achievement

Andy Roddick takes a break from the practice courts at West Side Tennis Club for a photo with winners of the Junior World TeamTennis event 26

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

Moving Towards the Ball During a Baseline Rally By Damir Barisic ennis is a global sport with a long history and tradition. At its highest level, the professional level, the game is played at an extremely fast pace. When watching a professional match, it is easy to notice powerful serves, returns, forehands and backhands. Although the speed at which tennis is played is increasing from one generation to the next, the essence of the game remains the same—hit the tennis ball to your opponents’ side of the court in a way that they cannot return the ball. At the professional level, dictating play wins you more points on average than defending. A good start of the point, with a powerful and well-placed serve or a deep return, will help in dictating the point. After the serve and return, the winner of the point is usually decided through the baseline exchange of shots. When developing junior tennis players, it is smart to have them develop a powerful and accurate serve and solid return. It is also important to develop a good baseline game. Mastering many skills and abilities is important in order to develop a solid baseline game. One of

those skills and abilities is taking the ball early, and with that, gaining better court position relative to the opponent. By doing so, players learn to take time away from their opponent. Furthermore, together with developing this skill, players usually develop compact, simple and efficient groundstrokes. In order to become better at this skill and develop good timing on groundstrokes, it is important to start practicing this skill early on in one’s tennis development. Here is an idea on how to help a junior tennis player develop the above mentioned skill: “Make the player develop active footwork by asking them to move towards the ball whenever possible instead of waiting for it. If the speed of the drill is appropriate for the level of the player, this could be possible to do in many tennis drills. By practicing in this manner, the player is naturally learning how to use momentum of the body against the direction of the tennis ball to create efficient power. The player is also learning how to take time away from the opponent and how to feel comfortable when hitting groundstrokes from inside the baseline.” The opposite of this skill would be

planting your feet too early in preparation of the groundstroke and then waiting for the ball. As the player advances in learning this skill, on-court situations within the rally should become more complex. On a professional level, where the game is played fast and the ball is landing heavy and deep in the court, even a half step move towards the ball and against its path will make a big difference in any baseline rally. To get to that level, it’s good to start developing such skills and habits at an early stage of tennis development. Damir Barisic is a high performance coach at CourtSense-Bogota Racquet Club, and holds the highest level coaching license in Croatia. Prior to joining CourtSense, Damir competed on a professional level and achieved ATP ranking in singles and doubles, and after that he spend time coaching at the IMG Nick Bolletiery Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in the Niki Pilic Tennis Academy in Munich, Germany, as well as privately coaching players such as Anja Konjuh and Donna Vekic. At CourtSense, Damir is working with juniors and adults from all different levels, including many nationally-ranked players.

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

GET YOUR KIDS IN THE GAME – IT’S EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE TO GET STARTED You love tennis.

It keeps you active, it’s a great way to socialize and it’s really fun to get out there and compete. Have you ever considered that it may be the perfect sport for your child? The game has changed. With Youth Tennis, kids play on shorter courts, with smaller racquets and with slower-moving, lower-bouncing balls. Kids play tennis made just for them, so that they have a great time and want to keep playing and improving.

Events Close To Home We’re making it easier for you to ﬁnd the right types of events for your family – tennis fun is just one click away! Visit the “Events” tab at eastern.usta.com for a full directory of local events close to home. Also, get to know your local Tennis Service Representative who can introduce you to even more ways to get in the game. If you want to stay connected with USTA Eastern, sign up to receive ongoing updates about local play opportunities.

School Play Parents: rally to get tennis in your child’s school. Tennis is an ideal sport for your child that will allow them to stay healthy and ﬁt.

Youth who play tennis…

48% Get better grades– 48% have an “A” average

81% Have college aspirations– 81% say they will attend college

73% Are better behaved– 73% never have been sent to the principal’s ofﬁce

82% Are more well-rounded – 82% volunteer in their communities

Sabo,D., Veliz, P. and Rafalson, L. (2013) More than a Sport: Tennis, Education and Health. White Plains, NY: USTA Foundation. Published January 2013, by USTA Foundation, 70 West Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604 © 2016, USTA Eastern, All Rights Reserved.

Want to get tennis in your child’s school? York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2016 • NYTennisMag.com 28 New Contact Jocelyn Cruz at jcruz@eastern.usta.com or at 914-697-2318.

GET YOUR KIDS IN THE GAME – IT’S EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE TO GET STARTED You love tennis. It keeps you active, it’s a great way to socialize and it’s really fun to get out there and compete. Have you ever considered that it may be the perfect sport for your child? The game has changed. With Youth Tennis, kids play on shorter courts, with smaller racquets and with slower-moving, lowerbouncing balls. Kids play tennis made just for them, so that they have a great time and want to keep playing and improving.

Home Play The number 1 reason kids play sports is to have fun. Tennis sized right provides constant action to keep your child engaged – and you don’t need to go to a tennis facility or even a court to play. Create a court with chalk lines and a piece of string as a net. Play at home, at the playground, in a gym and on any ﬂat, hard surface. The most important part of home play is to have fun!

Ball Balance

Ups & Downs

Partner Ball Pass

Drop-hit Forehands

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

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

Arthur Ashe Stadium’s New Retractable Roof ne of the most exciting attractions of the U.S. Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this year is the new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. The roof officially closed and opened for the first time during a ceremony which featured executives from the USTA and architectural firm ROSETTI, as well as media and several tennis luminaries. The retractable roof, featuring two panels sitting atop a 6,500-ton steel superstructure, is covered with a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) fabric that is stretched over the framing system, which allows the sun to reflect off of the panels, making the stadium more energy efficient. “There are more than four dozen sensors and computers tracking the precise movement of the roof so that to keep it in perfect alignment all along the tracks on each side as it rolls down the tracks at approximately 25-feet per minute,” said ROSSETTI President Matt Rossetti. “That allows us to open and close the roof at a moment’s notice and in under six minutes.” The completion of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s retractable roof is only one component in the major transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This year, fans also will experience a brand new Grandstand Stadium and an expanded and enhanced southern campus. The new Grandstand will feature

8,125 seats–an addition of more than 2,000 seats over the capacity of the old Grandstand–while still giving spectators one of the most intimate viewing experiences in professional tennis. In addition, the southern campus has been completely overhauled to ease congestion, provide expanded fan amenities, and enhance visitors’ overall U.S. Open experience. The roof was closed and opened during a recent ceremony by tennis legend Billie Jean King and Jeanne Ashe, wife of the late tennis champion Arthur Ashe for whom the stadium is named, both joining USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams; USTA Executive Director Gordon Smith; USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center COO Danny Zausner; and. ROSSETTI President Matt Rossetti. “The USTA has always strived to move forward as an organization, to innovate and think boldly, and the transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center falls directly in line with that goal,” said Adams. “U.S. Open fans, viewers and players deserve the ultimate tennis experience, and the transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center provides exactly that,” said Smith. “The U.S. Open takes place in New York City, a town synonymous with excitement, and the inclusion of the retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium now truly makes the U.S. Open the ultimate center stage for the sport of tennis.”

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

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

When Good Enough Isn’t “Good Enough” Canadian Milos Raonic looks to solidify his mark in Flushing Meadows BY BRIAN COLEMAN

he country to our north is primarily known for its excellence in one sport: Hockey. The success of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays have put Canada’s basketball and baseball franchises on the map, but our neighbors from the north have begun to carve out their niche in the sport of tennis, and much of that has to do with its most successful export to date, 6’ 5” Milos Raonic. Born Dec. 27, 1990, in Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, Montenegro), Raonic is of Serbian heritage. However, due to political unrest and the impact of the Bosnian War, his family moved to Canada in 1994 when he was just three, settling in Brampton, Ontario in the outskirts of Toronto. He first discovered the sport at the age of six, taking part in a tennis camp at Bramalea Tennis Club in Brampton where the coaches began to realize his potential, and started playing in ITF Futures and ATP Challenger tournaments across Canada, teaming with fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil for a number of junior titles and appearances at the 2008 Wimbledon Junior Championships, and the 2008 Roland Garros Junior French Championships, where the duo reached the semifinals. Raonic turned pro in 2008, playing both singles and doubles, eventually capturing his first ATP title at the 2011 Pacific Coast Championships, defeating the ninth-seeded Fernando Verdasco in the finals, 7-6, 7-6. In 2012, he won his second ATP title at the Chennai Open in India, defeating Janko Tipsarevic in three sets in the finals. He followed up that win with his third career pro title, defending his Pacific Coast Championship with a victory over Denis Istomin in the finals. The year 2013 saw him win his fourth and fifth ATP titles, a three-peat at the Pacific Coast Championships with a win over Tommy Haas, and in September of that year, defeating Tomas Berdych for the Thailand Open title, 7-6, 6-3. In 2014, Raonic began to find success at the majors, beginning with a solid run at the Australian Open, reaching the third round in Melbourne before losing to Grigor Dimitrov, but sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for six weeks. He returned to the courts and made a solid NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

when good enough isn’t “good enough” continued from page 33

semifinal run at Wimbledon in 2014, where he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets. With the trip to the semis, he became just the first Canadian since Robert Powell in 1908 to reach the semifinals of a major event. “There’s a lot of good things to take from it,” said Raonic of his semifinal run and loss to Federer. “But when you get here to that point, I think it’s just human nature … the greed of human nature … you want so much more. You feel it in front of you and want to grab it.” That mentality and motivation has been growing in Raonic over the past couple of years now, and only grew larger following an up and down 2015 season. Raonic posted a record of 33-16 after a great start, which saw him reach the Brisbane finals and advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but injuries would take their toll on the 25-year-old. As he climbed to the number four spot in the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, the big Canadian just couldn’t shake the injury bug. “There wasn’t a place it wasn’t bothering me,” said Raonic of a foot injury following a loss at Wimbledon. “First my ankle, then the hip, and then the back … then when those things aren’t working, you just put too much pressure on your shoulder, and then your shoulder begins to hurt.” Raonic’s 2015 season ended with him withdrawing from three separate tournaments, leaving a lot to be desired heading into 2016. 34

But in 2016, Raonic seems to have turned the corner, shrugged off the injury bug and is taking his game to another level, showing poise, confidence and diversity in his game which has allowed him to become a consistent threat. He started off the year with a monumental win, knocking off Roger Federer in the finals of the Brisbane International in Queensland, Australia, before heading to Melbourne for the Aussie Open. Raonic put together a fantastic run at the year’s first major, knocking off Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka to advance to the semis where he would meet Andy Murray. Raonic would go up two sets to one and was on the verge of a trip to his first Grand Slam final, but the injury bug bit him once again, as an upper leg injury slowed the big Canadian and Murray completed his comeback for the win. “It was just difficult to push off my leg with my adductor midway through the third set. That’s what it was. It’s unfortunate,” said Raonic of his Melbourne run. “It was probably the most heartbroken I ever felt on court, but that’s what it is. I’m happy with where my tennis is at right now, I just wish I could play tennis.” It was yet another setback for Raonic who continued to show that he was knocking on the door of the elite level, a level he knew he could compete at. He continued to persevere though, fighting through injuries and disappointing losses to play the best tournament of his

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

career at the All-England Lawn Club at Wimbledon. With the help of John McEnroe, the newest addition to Raonic’s coaching staff, he became the first Canadian to ever reach a Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon 2016. “If you had told me before when I was just doing commentary, ‘Name five or six guys who could possibly win Wimbledon,’ Milos would have been one of them,” McEnroe said of Raonic. It wasn’t to be, as Raonic would lose to Murray yet again in the Wimbledon finals, but his play demonstrated just how far he had progressed. One of the main things McEnroe was on board to help Raonic with was playing in the big moments, dealing with the pressures and expectations of Grand Slams, and having the self-confidence to advance to the next level. “I believe I definitely have that ability within myself. There’s not a shadow of a doubt from myself. The question is: Am I going to make the most of it when those opportunities arise? Nobody’s going to give me those opportunities … I have to work extensively to give myself those opportunities,” Raonic said. “There are other guys who want it. I’m going to try to find every solution to every issue I may have … things I need to improve upon on a day-today basis to give myself that opportunity. That’s what keeps me the most motivated.” Originally known as strictly a big server, Raonic has shown the ability to mix up his shots with improved volleys and his hitting from the baseline. He began to dictate more points and control the pace of play himself, rather than cater to his opponent and strictly rely on his power. Raonic ranks among the strongest servers in the Open Era, winning 91 percent of service games to rank third all-time. “For a big guy, he moves well. He has improved upon his fitness the last few years,” Federer said of Raonic. “Tactically, he’s also better now than he’s ever been. He’s made a conscious effort to playing closer to the baseline, which before when he was working with the Spanish coaches, he was far from the baseline.” In July, Raonic raised some eyebrows

when he decided not to represent Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, citing fears over the Zika virus. “This was a difficult, personal choice and I do not wish for it to impact the decision of any other athlete heading to the Games,” said Raonic of his decision to sit out of the Olympics. Not heading to Rio, Raonic joined French Open semifinalist Dominic Thiem, American John Isner and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez to play in ATP Tour events instead of the Olympics, as these tournaments offer ranking points—while the Games do not. Like others opting-out of the Rio Games, Raonic is hoping that some rest in early August will lead to a strong push for Grand Slam glory at the U.S. Open. The hard courts in Flushing Meadows will play very well in the big-man’s power game, and his improved variety will allow him to take on any type of opponent. He has never made it out of the fourth round in Flushing Meadows, but is looking to change the tide this time around. Raonic should be considered one of the favorites at this year’s tournament. Past U.S. Open losses have occurred in heartbreaking fashion, including defeat in an overnight, five-set battle with Kei Nishikori at the 2014 U.S. Open. Losses of that nature can either make or break a player, and Raonic seems to have turned a corner in terms of building off of and learning from losses. Success for Raonic has not been limited to just tennis courts. While recovering from a hip injury at Wimbledon, he decided to become involved with philanthropic work, focusing on helping disadvantaged children. In 2012, he established the Milos Raonic Foundation to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to remove economic, physical and other barriers that might prevent them from becoming healthy, productive members of society. This includes providing kids who need them with prosthetic limbs to help them reach their full potential. As of 2016, the Milos Raonic Foundation had awarded more than $120,000 in grants to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and $30,000 to the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Having already seen the potential on Milos Raonic’s racquet, it may all come

together in a New York minute this fall, as he looks to notch the first of what he hopes to be multiple Grand Slam titles. Despite the results that lie ahead in Flushing Meadows, the sport has gained a new role model in Raonic, as success on the court and philanthropic efforts off the court have earned the big Canadian accolades from those in the sporting world and beyond. “In both my tennis game and my life off the court, I constantly strive to get better at

everything I do every day … it’s an ongoing goal,” said Raonic. “I’m never satisfied with just enough. That’s not how I think. Whether it’s on the court or off, good enough isn’t ‘good enough.’ I can always do better and I work hard to make that a reality every day.” 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.

Photo credit: Marianne Bevis

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

2016 U.S. Open Preview August 29-September 11, 2016

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center l Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Men’s Singles Preview Contenders With the 2016 U.S. Open and final Grand Slam of the year looming, Novak Djokovic has his sights set on his third Grand Slam title of the year. After an unlikely defeat at Wimbledon, Djokovic has seemed to have found his stride again as he defeated an inform Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. In his first tournament back, Djokovic captured his fourth Rogers Cup without dropping a set and is looking like he is ready to rebound on the hard courts and play his best tennis. Earlier this year, Djokovic took the first two Grand Slams in Melbourne and Paris before losing to American Sam Querrey in London. He has an ATP Tour best seven titles in 2016, with a 33-1 record on hard courts which is his favorite surface. Djokovic is a two time champion at Flushing Meadows where he has made the semifinals or better the last nine years and counting. He has made the finals five times in that span, winning the title in 2011 and 2015. After a shaky Wimbledon performance and a first36

round loss at the Olympic Games, Djokovic should be even more prepared and poised to begin his bid for a 13th Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows.

Another player familiar with triumph in New York is world number two and recent Wimbledon champion and 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Andy Murray. The U.S. Open is where Murray had his first taste of Grand Slam glory in 2012 as he looks to win the fourth Grand Slam of his career and second of the year. Murray has made the finals of all three Slams this year, losing to Novak Djokovic at both the Aussie Open and French Open. After an early exit by Djokovic in London, Murray capitalized and captured his second Wimbledon championship. Murray only has three titles to his name this year, but boasts a record of 40-6 with a 10-3 record on hard courts because of early exits in Miami and Indian Wells earlier this year. He has 26 career titles on hard courts and has been one of the more dominating players on the surface in recent years. Ivan

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

Lendl has rejoined Murray’s camp after they parted ways in 2014, which has proven to be a key factor in Murray’s Grand Slam results. After joining his team in 2011, Lendl coached Murray to victory at two Grand Slams, as well as the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Prior to this year’s Wimbledon where Lendl rejoined Murray’s squad, he was 0-9 at the Slams in Lendl’s absence. Despite a fourth round loss to South African Kevin Anderson at the 2015 U.S. Open, Murray should be considered a top contender to take home the title in 2016.

At 26-years-old, Kei Nishikori is still looking for his first Grand Slam title after reaching the finals of the U.S. Open in 2014. Nishikori turned pro in 2007, but wasn’t considered a top player or title contender until a few years ago. While currently ranked sixth in the world, he has a dismal 2-8 record against top 10 players this year. He has only one title on the hard courts, capturing the Memphis Open title this past February, but has a record of 23-7 on hard courts this year.

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW At the Rogers Cup in Toronto this July, Nishikori was seeded third in the absence of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. He looked well-rested and solid all week long, but lost to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the Toronto finals. Nishikori is now 0-5 against the Serbian this year alone, but his ability to defend make him a dangerous player at Slams.

Sleepers After entering singles, doubles and mixed-doubles at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio, Rafael Nadal may be a little worn physically entering this year’s U.S. Open. Rafa spent a couple of weeks training in Mallorca at his new academy with recent Wimbledon champion Andy Murray to get ready for the Olympics. At the first Grand Slam of the year, Rafa suffered a tough and grueling five-set loss to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco before pulling out of the French Open third round and skipping Wimbledon due to a wrist injury. Prior to withdrawing from his third round match at Roland Garros, Rafa won his first two rounds in straight sets, only losing nine games. Rafa has had an interesting year on hard courts. It began in January in Doha where he made it to the finals, but was easily dismissed by Djokovic, 6-2, 6-1. Later in March, he made it to the semifinals of Indian Wells, again losing to Djokovic in straight sets. In the second masters in March at Miami, Rafa retired in his first round match while down 0-3 in the decisive third set. While it seems his body’s health is always questionable, Rafa has come back from a long injury hiatus and won the U.S. Open. Rafa won the title in Flushing Meadows in both 2010 and 2013, and the 30-year-old’s career record in Grand Slams is an astonishing 200-30.

Nick Kyrgios is someone to look out for who is looking for his first huge breakout in winning a Grand Slam. Earlier this year, he lost to Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet and Andy Murray in the first three Grand Slams and recently chose to skip the Olympics in Rio in order to fit Atlanta in his schedule. This has proven to have paid off for the young and boisterous Aussie, as he defeated threetime defending champion John Isner 7-6, 7-6 to capture just the second title of his young career. Both of these titles have been in 2016. Kyrgios is streaky, but when his blistering serve and ground strokes are on, he can beat anyone and win any match. It will be interesting to see where he lands in the draw come the end of the month considering his recent success on the hard courts in America.

The year 2016 has been a rather exciting one for Gael Monfils, especially of late. To begin the year, Monfils appeared in his first Australian Open quarterfinal, where he lost to Milos Raonic. Monfils made it to the finals at Rotterdam, beating young guns Borna Coric and Alex Zverev along the way before losing to Martin Klizan in three entertaining sets. At the Monte Carlo Masters, Monfils waltzed his way into yet another final, finding himself paired against eighttime champion and king of clay, Rafael Nadal whom he lost to in straight sets. Monfils’ flashy crowd-pleasing style of play takes a lot of energy, and he looked as if he was drained after this solid start to 2016. In July, Monfils snagged his first ever ATP 500 title on hard courts at the Citi Open in D.C. Directly after this title, Monfils flew to the Rogers Cup in Toronto

where he made a run to the semifinals, beating Wimbledon finalist and Canadian Milos Raonic on his home court. Monfils would lose that semifinal matchup to Djokovic. If Gael is in top shape like we’ve seen lately, his court coverage and booming groundstrokes may be a factor this year at Flushing Meadows.

Pretenders Perhaps one of the most successful and most consistent players on the ATP Tour, 34-year-old Spaniard David Ferrer stands a mere 5’9” on court, but boasts some of the game’s best defensive skills and levels of fitness. Ferrer has been ranked as high as third in the world, but has recently been sinking in the rankings. Since turning pro in 2000, Ferrer has been a force, despite not having any Grand Slam titles on his resume. His slow and steady type of groundstrokes have made for a very consistent and respected career. In just five years on tour, Ferrer rose from outside of the top 500 to 14th in the world at the end of 2005. His career has been so consistent that he has not fallen outside of the top 25 in 11 years. Ferrer has 316 match wins on hard courts in his professional career, but 2016 is the first year we aren’t seeing the Ferrer we have grown so familiar with. He hasn’t played all that well, losing to Illya Marchenko, Jack Sock, Nicolas Almagro, Alex Dolgolopov, Lucas Pouille, Gilles Muller, Andreas Seppi, Nicolas Mahut and the list goes on … very uncharacteristic from Ferrer in 2016. Now ranked 12th in the world, Ferrer has some serious work to do to be considered anything but a pretender this year at Flushing Meadows, despite making it to the semis twice before.

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

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW Tomas Berdych is another one of those players who has been living in the shadows of the greats like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for far too long. Berdych has been a top 10 player for the last five years, but has not managed to capture any of the coveted Grand Slam trophies. Berdych is known for making it deeper into Grand Slam draws, but never capitalizing when given the opportunity to do so. In 2010, he reached the Wimbledon finals where he lost to Rafael Nadal, and he has made it to the semifinals of every other major at least once. This year, Berdych made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open, and then made it to the semis at the All-England Club in London. Berdych has the big hitting baseline game to win Grand Slams, but just doesn’t have the strength mentally. While he has made his fair share of runs deep into Slams, and nine of his 12 career titles have come on hard courts, he is a pretender this year at the final Slam of 2016.

Stan Wawrinka has shown us twice now that if he finds himself in the finals of a Grand Slam, he intends to win it. We have seen him hold the trophy over his head in Melbourne and Paris both in the past three years. While “Stan the Man” has the ferocious backhand and heavy serve to contend at the game’s biggest stages, the 2016 U.S. Open doesn’t look promising for the 31-year-old Swiss ace. After a strong start to 2016, winning Chennai, Dubai and Geneva, Wawrinka made his way to the semifinals of Roland Garros after winning the event in 2015. He would lose to eventual runner-up, Andy Murray. At Wimbledon, he suffered a shocking defeat to Juan Mar38

tin del Potro, who hadn’t played a grass tournament in three years. After this loss, his mind seems to be elsewhere, especially in his recent defeat at the hands of Kei Nishikori at the Rogers Cup. Wawrinka was up 4-1 in the first set of the semifinal bout before losing grip of the match and falling 7-6, 6-1. Wawrinka pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio after this loss just a week after his compatriot Roger Federer announced he was to be absent for the Olympics as well as the rest of 2016. A third Grand Slam title at this year’s U.S. Open doesn’t look too promising for Stan the Man.

Women’s Singles Preview Contenders Fresh off a Wimbledon title where she equaled Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22-career Grand Slam singles titles, world number one Serena Williams is once again the favorite in Flushing Meadows. Last year at this time, she was no doubt playing with the pressure of catching Graf, while pursuing a Calendar Slam, and it boiled over in a shocking semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci in Flushing Meadows. With that monkey off her back, expect a much freer Serena this year as she looks to win her second consecutive major title. She is prepping for the U.S. Open by competing in the Olympics in Brazil, and will be primed to win her seventh title in Queens. Madison Keys was also down in Brazil representing the United States at the Olympics, and could be due for a big U.S. Open. The 21year-old’s game is perfectly suited for

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

the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and she has played some of her best tennis this year. Keys made her first appearance in the top 10, after winning the title at the Aegon Classic, and most recently, made it all the way to the Rogers Cup final before losing to Simona Halep. Her best showing at the U.S. Open in her career was a fourth round appearance last year, and if she can stay healthy for the two weeks in Queens, she may be able to power her way deep into the tournament.

German Angelique Kerber made her breakthrough earlier this year at the Australian Open, but she showed that her performance Down Under wasn’t a fluke by reaching the Wimbledon final, falling just short to Serena in an evenly-played match. Kerber’s success at Grand Slams this year make her a threat at any tournament, and she seems to be coming into her own in 2016. She hasn’t made it out of the fourth round in Queens since reaching the semifinals in 2011, but Kerber’s best tennis is in front of her. Kerber reached the Rogers Cup semifinals, and after playing some pressure-packed matches down in Brazil, should be ready for a deep run.

Pretenders Venus Williams continues to defy the odds, playing remarkable tennis at the age of 36. She is back up to sixth in the world after reaching the Bank of the West Classic final following a run to the Wimbledon semifinals. However, Venus had the worst Olympic results of her career in Rio, falling in the first round of both her singles and doubles

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW matches. Before her quarterfinal appearance last year, she hadn’t made it out of the third round at the U.S. Open since 2010, and her last title there came all the way back in 2001. There is no doubt that Venus still has plenty left in the tank, but with the amount of tennis she has played recently, she could get tripped up early.

The previously mentioned Roberta Vinci stunned everyone last year when she knocked off Serena Williams in the semifinals last year, but her 2016 season has been inconsistent at best. The Italian did win the St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy, but her performance at the Grand Slams has been poor. She lost to Anna-Lenna Friedsam in the third round of the Australian Open, despite winning the first set 6-0, lost in the first round of the French Open and then fell in the third round at Wimbledon. Vinci has lost seven of her last 11 matches overall, and although she may have a little U.S. Open magic left, her inconsistent play will make it tough to go far this year.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won her maiden Grand Slam title earlier this summer at the French Open, knocking off Serena Williams in straight sets. But she has struggled since, playing just three matches since that title win, losing two of them, including a straight sets loss to Jana Cepelova in the second round of Wimbledon. The expectations and pressures of being a Grand Slam champion took its toll as she has admitted, and Muguruza will no doubt have a target on her back once again at the U.S. Open. She has never fared well in Flushing Meadows

with her best results being second round appearances, and rust and fatigue may play a factor in her chances this season.

Sleepers S v e t l a n a Kuznetsova has largely flew under the radar since winning the second of her two Grand Slam titles at the 2009 French Open (the first of which came at the U.S. Open in 2004), but the Russian has had an outstanding 2016 season to date. Since a slow start, Kuznetsova has re-discovered her form, returning to the top 10 and notching wins over Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Serena Williams. Kuznetsova reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and has shown she is capable of playing her top tennis in the big moments this year. With her experience at Flushing Meadows, Kuznetsova could fly under the radar right into the U.S. Open’s second week.

The beginning of 2016 was not the one that Simona Halep would have wanted, but the third-ranked Romanian has been playing top-level tennis in recent months. Halep has won her last 10 matches, resulting in titles in Bucharest and Montreal, following a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon. She is a hard-hitter from the baseline and that makes her effective on the courts of Flushing Meadows, and that was on display as she reached the U.S. Open semifinals last year. Halep chose not to participate in the Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus, so if she can shake off the rust and remain healthy, look for Halep to once again make a deep run in Flushing Meadows.

D o m i n i k a Cibulkova is one of the most fun players to watch on the women’s tour. She plays with a passion and aggressiveness which is unrivaled and can often be heard yelling “Pome!” which means “Let’s go,” which will delight the New York crowd. She has had a resurgent 2016, winning two titles and climbing up to 11th in the world. Cibulkova won what may have been the best match of the year, a Round of 16 win at Wimbledon over Agnieszka Radwanska. Cibulkova’s best performance at the U.S. Open was a quarterfinal showing back in 2008, but with her health and form back, look for the Slovak to be one of the last few ladies standing in Flushing Meadows. NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW U.S. Open Total Compensation Surpasses $46 Million

Photo credit: Lou Oates

The prize money for the 2016 U.S. Open will increase by $4 million, bringing the total purse for the tournament to a record $46.3 million, a 10 percent increase over the 2015 U.S. Open prize money totals. In all, the U.S. Open will provide the richest purse in tennis history at this year’s event. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3.5 million, the largest payout in U.S. Open history. The average increase per round for the singles competition is 10 percent above the 2015 US Open. Both the men’s and women’s doubles

2016 U.S. Open Restaurant Guide Aces and Champions Bar & Grill

Both are located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium between Gates 3 and 4 and are available to Courtside Box seat holders and Luxury Suite guests. You can access both restaurants by using the elevators on the east side of Arthur Ashe Stadium adjacent to the U.S. Open Club. Loge and Promenade Subscription Series ticket holders may purchase passes for the duration of the tourna40

Singles

Doubles (each team)

Winner: $3,500,000

Winners: $625,000

Runner-Up: $1,750,000

Runners-Up: $310,000

Semifinalist: $875,000

Semifinalist: $150,000

Quarterfinalist: $450,000

Quarterfinalist: $75,000

Round of 16: $235,000

Round of 16: $40,000

Round of 32: $140,000

Round of 32: $24,500

Round of 64: $77,200

Round of 64: $15,150

Round of 128: $43,300

champion teams will earn $625,000, the highest in U.S. Open history, and overall doubles prize money has been increased by 10.5 percent. The U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $1.9 million in prize money, a 10 percent increase over 2015. “We are proud that this year’s U.S.

Open will offer the richest purse in tennis history,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “We continue to invest in all aspects of this world-class event to provide the best services and experiences for the players, our fans, and all of the U.S. Open partners.”

ment by calling the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Ticket Office at (718) 760-6363 Enjoy local and seasoned seafood creations by Innovator Restaurant Associates and creator of Ed’s Chowder House, Ed Brown, with sushi prepared by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. You can also enjoy Aces’ flavorful and sumptuous cuisine in your suite with an Aces Suite Package. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Champions Bar & Grill is a modern take on the traditional clubhouse atmosphere, with classic leather and wood accents in a contemporary setting. The Grill features premium steaks, hearty salads and fresh seafood prepared by Celebrity Chef David Burke. Bring your friends for lunch, dinner or after the matches, and you won’t miss a moment of the action with live matches on Champions’ many TVs.

The U.S. Open Club

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

The U.S. Open Club is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Club is available to all Subscription Series ticket holders for the duration of the tournament for a nominal entrance fee and is included for Silver Loge Box seat holders. With its striking contemporary décor, the U.S. Open Club is famous for its Chef’s Table and seasonal selections of eclectic American cuisine. Restaurant passes are required. To purchase passes, call Client Services at (718) 760-6363. Please note that food and beverage are not included with the purchase

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW of restaurant passes. Cost to book will vary depending on your plan.

Oyster Bar

Food Village

Oyster Bar is located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium and offers fresh oysters, lobster rolls and crab cakes in a unique setting.

Enjoy regional cuisine and specialty items at the U.S. Open Food Village, including: l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop l Curry Kitchen l Farm 2 Fork l Franks & Fries l Hill Country BBQ l Korilla BBQ l Seafood l Neopolitan Express l Prime Burger l Village Market l Mexican l Glatt Kosher l Grey Goose Bar l Jacob’s Creek Wine Bar l Lavazza Café

Patio Café & Bar

Soak up the beautiful surroundings of the U.S. Open grounds at our expanded charming outdoor café located outside the U.S. Open Club. Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal sandwiches and salads paired with summer specialty cocktails. The Patio Café is available for all ticket holders. You can dine here for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Toro Restaurant & Bar

Experience Toro’s luscious flavors with Spanish style and cool, refreshing cocktails. Seating is either indoors or outside, enhanced by multiple TVs showing the live matches. Toro is located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium near the Patio Café and is available to all ticket holders. Heineken Red Star Café

Oyster Bar 7 The new Oyster Bar 7 is located adjacent to Grandstand and offers fresh oysters, lobster rolls and crab cakes in a unique setting. South Plaza Visit the refreshing food destinations by the fountains, including Wine Bar Food and Pat LaFrieda Meat Co. l Wine Bar Food: Sample Mediterranean flavors with wines to match. l Pat LaFrieda Meat Co.: New York’s “King of Meat” Pat Lafrieda serves his signature Filet Mignon Steak Sandwich and other favorites.

Grandstand Food Village l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop l Neopolitan Express l Prime Burger

Grey Goose Bar

Five Reasons to Love the U.S. Open With two locations in the Food Village and Grandstand Food Village, the Grey Goose Bar features the Honey Deuce, the U.S. Open signature cocktail, along with Grey Goose specialty cocktails and a full-service bar. Jacob’s Creek Wine Bar New for 2016, the Jacob’s Creek Bar, located in the Food Village, will highlight a variety of Jacob’s Creek wines as well as full-service bar offerings.

The Heineken Red Star Café is located next to the South Plaza Fountains. Situated on the top level of the two-story building, it provides guests a spacious, ideal setting to unwind and keep track of the matches while enjoying the café’s laid-back atmosphere and enhanced menus.

Court 12 l Morris Grilled Cheese l Carnegie Deli l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop

Lavazza Café Lavazza brings the flavor of authentic Italian coffee to the U.S. Open. Located in the Food Village, the Lavazza Café serves hot and iced coffee, single or double espresso, café latte and more.

5. Night tennis

Night tennis at the U.S. Open is where fans will create memories for years to come. Latenight tennis has been a tradition at the Open since 1975, when New Zealand’s Onny Parun defeated American great Stan Smith at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. Last year, two top 10 players did battle under the lights, as Kei Nishikori won a fourhour, 19-minute match over Milos Raonic that

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

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW ended at 2:26 a.m., tying the record for latest finish at the U.S. Open. And who can forget Andre Agassi, at the age of 35, coming back from two sets down to defeat James Blake in five sets in 2005? After the match, Agassi said, “At 1:15 a.m. for 20,000 people to still be here … I wasn’t the winner, tennis was. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good here before.” The magical run by Jimmy Connors at 39years-old in 1991 included a five-set win over Patrick McEnroe that ended at 1:35 a.m. You never know what to expect at the Open, but it is often worth staying up late to find out.

simply turning around. The practice courts are always packed with fans looking to catch a glimpse of players or get autographs, but this new viewing area allowed people to be a bit more spread out. 2. Entertainment

Kids comment on the U.S. Open experience

Celebrities, like the rest of us, love tennis. Spotting athletes, actors and musicians in attendance throughout the tournament becomes easy. The U.S. Open has attracted the likes of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ricky Martin, Rainn Wilson, Kevin Spacey, Eva Longoria, Michael Jordan, Beyonce, JayZ, Ben Stiller, Bradley Cooper (pictured above), Sean Connery (pictured above), and many more to Flushing Meadows. When you are on grounds this year keep your eyes open for your favorite celebrities!

From live music to interactive games and kids tennis sessions, there’s something for everyone at the 2016 U.S. Open. It starts with Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Saturday, Aug. 27, which features games and activities all over the grounds of the National Tennis Center, as well as a stadium show in the afternoon featuring top stars from the worlds of tennis and music. The American Express Fan Experience offers great family fun for all ages throughout the tournament. Kids can take part in youth tennis sessions, while adults can have their swing analyzed by a teaching pro. Fans can also sit in on interviews with top players on the Fan Court or get an autograph from their favorite stars at the WTA booth. The U.S. Open includes plenty of live music, with performers ranging from solo singers to jazz bands, which can be heard throughout the tournament at the South Plaza and President’s Gate.

3. Practice court viewing area

1. The stars

A two-story practice gallery debuted at the 2014 U.S. Open. This allowed fans a better view of their favorite stars as they warmed up for matches on the practice courts. What made this area even better is that you could view Courts 4, 5 and 6 from the same spot by

Well this one is simple … the best players in the world are in our backyard, here in New York for three weeks (including qualifiers and practice days). Whether you are a fan, casual

4. Celebrities

player or a serious tennis player, you will not want to miss out on your chance to get up close with the best players when they come to town for the biggest and best tennis tournament in the world!

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

Every summer, New York Tennis Magazine visits dozens of local tennis camps. This summer during our travels, we asked kids the following question: “If you had a chance to play in the U.S. Open, how would you feel and who would they want to play against?” Here are some of the answers from our local tennis players: l Bodhi Boynovich (Tennis Innovators): “I would like to play Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open. I think I would do really well because he would be older, and it would be really cool to play him in a match.” l Ellie Carpenter (Stadium Tennis Center): “Simona Halep is my favorite tennis player because she never gives up. If I played against her at the U.S. Open, I would use strategies that I learned here at Stadium Tennis Center to try and beat her.” l Madeline Chelsea (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center): “I would love to play against Serena Williams. I would feel scared and also happy and excited.” l Rowan Cicero (CourtSense): “If I could play in the U.S. Open, I would want to play the worst player in the world so I could win and then take all the money.” l Natasha Ferrara (Tennis Innovators): “I would like to play Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. It would take a lot of running shots to beat her. It would be a lot of fun to play against Serena.” l Ben Kowalski (Sportime Randall’s Island): “I would want to play Roger Federer. It would be so much fun and everyone would watch me.” l Alex Smelyansky (Matchpoint NYC): “I would like to play in the U.S. Open against Federer. It would be hard, but fun I think.”

2016 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW

2016 US Open Schedule Date

Session

Start Time

Featured Single Matches

Monday, August 29

1 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Monday, August 29

2 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Tuesday, August 30

3 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s Women’s Singles 1st Round

Tuesday, August 30

4 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 1st Round

Wednesday, August 31

5 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Wednesday, August 31

6 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Thursday, September 1

7 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Thursday, September 1

8 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s Women’s Singles 2nd Round

Friday, September 2

9 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Friday, September 2

10 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Saturday, September 3

11 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Saturday, September 3

12 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles 3rd Round

Sunday, September 4

13 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Sunday, September 4

14 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Monday, September 5

15 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Monday, September 5

16 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16

Tuesday, September 6

17 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Tuesday, September 6

18 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 7

19 Day

11:00 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 7

20 Night

7:00 p.m.

Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarterfinals

Thursday, September 8

21 Night

7:00 p.m.

Women’s Singles Semifinals

Friday, September 9

22 Day

12:00 p.m.

Mixed Doubles Final

3:00 p.m.

Men’s Singles Semifinals

12:00 p.m.

Men’s Doubles Final

4:00 p.m.

Women’s Singles Final

12:00 p.m.

Women’s Doubles Final

4:00 p.m.

Men’s Singles Final

Saturday, September 10

Sunday, September 11

23 Day

24 Day

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

The Four Sins of Tennis By Eric Faro o become a successful tennis player, you must avoid the pitfalls. There are four tennis sins that I stress to my students:

I. Don’t be obsessed with winning It is a huge mistake to emphasize winning rather than improving. Every time you step on to the court, you want to get better. If you are only concerned with winning, you may be sacrificing stroke production for results. Over the course of time, this will impede your success. Keep improving your form and the result will take care of itself. II. Have no fear Losers let it happen, winners make it happen. As a competitor, fear or being scared are things that should never enter your mind. You should want to hit that big serve up the “T” at break point. You should want your opponent to hit their serve in the box so you can rip your return down the line for a winner. Don’t hope for a double fault. A great basketball player is the one who wants to take the last shot of the game with their team down by one point. A great 44

baseball player wants to be up at bat in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and their team down by a run. You must have the mentality of wanting to be in that big moment, not shying away from it. One of my favorite quotes comes from Michael Jordan, arguably not only the greatest basketball player of all-time, but the greatest athlete of all-time. After missing a game winner, Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.” III. Be disciplined I recently had a high level tournament player who needed a grip change. I explained to him that this change was necessary for his long-term goal of competing as a high-level Division I college player. We talked through what it would take to make the adjustment. He would have to be extremely disciplined for the next few months. There would be no games, no match play, and no tournaments for at least two months. He was not going to have much “fun” on the court. He decided he was ready for the challenge. His work

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

ethic was amazing and he is now ready to start competing again. This discipline is not easy. It takes an extreme mental toughness for a player to work through and change flaws in their game. Whether it’s changing your grip, changing your stroke, or working on your conditioning, stay disciplined and your game will thrive. IV. Avoid negativity Don’t get down on yourself after making an error. A common mistake after missing a shot is to tell yourself “I stink” or “I can’t play today.” You must avoid this negativity. Turn the mistake into a teaching moment by asking yourself “Why did I miss that shot?” or “Why did I go for that shot?” Putting yourself down won’t fix the problem … it will only make it worse. Figuring out why you made the error will help to avoid making the same mistake again in the future. Eric Faro is program director at Gotham Tennis Academy and Stadium Tennis Center, just south of Yankee Stadium. Eric attended Ohio State University and won more than 100 matches during his collegiate career. He may be reached by e-mail at Eric@GothamTennis.com, or online at StadiumTennisNYC.com or GothamTennis.com.

WWW.NYCOSMOS.COM NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

Tennis and

How the game of tennis reveals a By Dr. Tom Ferraro As I write this column the 2016 Summer Olympics are mere days away and it appears that most of the major tennis stars are headed for Rio. Unlike golf where three of the sport’s major superstars, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordon Spieth, have opted not to play, it seems that tennis pros have a more nationalistic heart and want to represent their nation on the world’s grandest stage. Good for them. This seems like the right time to talk about the character of tennis players based upon their homeland. Tennis may be the most revealing of all sports with regard to the personality of the player. Their reactions, stamina, attitude, courage and temperament are often revealing of who they are as individuals. John McEnroe’s classic “You cannot be serious” rant says something about who he is, but also about his country of origin. America is brash, bold, aggressive and highly competitive, and it’s no surprise that America gave birth to players like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Serena Williams. So let’s have some fun and review our favorite tennis stars’ behavior to see how they express national character. Roger Federer and Switzerland Roger Federer is arguably the best singles player in tennis history and his nature is elegant, unflappable and catlike. We have never seen screaming, pouting, cursing or racket throwing out of Roger and he is so mediagenic and media safe that Credit Suisse uses him as their corporate face. Switzerland has a long history of political neutrality and is known as the wealthiest and safest country on Earth, with a superb quality of life and civil liberties. Roger Federer is a true Swiss: Efficient, meticulous, relaxed, easy-going and in perfect control. Andy Murray and Great Britain The British are reserved, well-mannered, proud and love their pubs. They are also very gifted in their use of language and have a dry

nd the Olympics

als a player’s character and the character of his nation sense of humor. When asked by English sports TV commentator Cara Robinson to describe himself in three words, Andy Murray said “Boring, unfunny and miserable.” Murray is reserved, introspective and humble. British psychoanalyst Samuel Flax describes the English as pessimistic and self-doubting, and when you hear Andy Murray in interview, you understand just how right Flax is. Rafael Nadal and Spain There are many famous Hispanic athletes, including Sammy Sosa in baseball; Nancy Lopez, Chi Chi Rodriquez, Lee Trevino and Sergio Garcia in golf; and Angel Cordero, Jose Santos and Laffit Pincay in thoroughbred racing. The most obvious personality traits of these Hispanic athletes are flamboyance, openness, humor, friendliness and strong family ties. Rafael Nadal is much the same. He is instantly likable and appealing, typically has a smile for the media, and remains close to his family and hometown.

Lleyton Hewitt and Australia Australia has produced some of the best tennis players in history, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter. Australians are known to be individualistic, direct and punctual. In golf, Australia produced Greg Norman and Adam Scott. It is a nation which was settled by England and they still use English as its mother tongue. I find Australians to be athletic, attractive, outdoorsy and willing to take risks like Americans. Perhaps their sense of individuality and risk-taking ability has something to do with crossing the high seas to get there. The Williams Sisters and America Bold, brash and beautiful … that describes the Williams Sisters, as well as America. The list of bold and beautiful American sports heroes include Muhammad Ali in

boxing and Tiger Woods in golf. America is a dominant force in sports, banking, entertainment, science and politics. And their athletes reflect our competitive, energetic and optimistic nature. John McEnroe is a Stanford educated superstar who dominated tennis with his “You can’t be serious” attitude and now dominates television with his charm and wit. It will be a delight to watch tennis in the Rio Olympics, and if you watch closely, it will also serve as a lesson in cultural anthropology. We will be seeing each athlete proudly represent their nation and as they do, so they will unwittingly be revealing its national character. The British are polite, the Swiss are meticulous, Hispanics are friendly, Australians are risk-takers and Americans are brash. There may be no other sport on Earth that so plainly reveals the character of the player, and in the case of the Olympics, it will also reveal the character of a nation. 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.

T E N N I S

R U S H

Come play where the surf applauds every shot. The Seaside Tennis Club at the legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island. 866.977.4589 I MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com Director of Tennis, Craig T. Paulter

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

Improving Through Experience

By John Curtis am often asked what prepares a young tennis player for playing at the collegiate level. Over the course of 25 years in the business, my answer has evolved. Between my role as head coach of the NYU Men’s tennis team for 10 years (including scouting prospects nationwide) and my current role as owner of Manhattan Tennis Academy, I have come to believe that the answer is two-fold and the elements are largely interdependent. First, any successful player must have mastered the fundamentals. As discussed in greater detail below, a player who has not mastered the fundamentals will be limited in their ability. Second, is the more elusive element of experience. When I refer to “experience,” I’m not simply referring to the amount of time that a player has been actively engaged in learning tennis. While the length of time played is of course almost always directly correlated to success, I’m

referring more to the mental maturity and stability gained through experience. Mastering the fundamentals What does it mean to master the fundamentals? This goes well beyond developing strong forehands and backhands. Just as important are the often-overlooked fundamentals of timing, agility/footwork, coordination and balance, what I refer collectively to as core athletic skills. It is my experience that in the last few years, these fundamentals can often be sidestepped in order to fast-track a student into playing at a level beyond their own ability. This includes ensuring that a student is engaged in a level of play that is appropriate for their age and skill level. It goes without saying that, for example, a five-year-old boy cannot master his serve while playing from the baseline with a 27-inch racket. Rather, appropriate equipment in this day and age is critical to cultivate strong fundamentals. This is precisely why the USTA developed their 10 & Under initiative. It is critical for parents, instructors and students alike to ap-

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

preciate that a player can only master fundamentals when given the appropriate equipment in the appropriate setting (i.e. court size, ball colors, etc.) For instance, my academy devotes just as much time to teaching agility skills and mental awareness as we do to honing groundstrokes. If a child is rushed into learning strokes or tactical skills, even the slightest of shortcomings in their game will be exacerbated over time and ultimately exposed to their opponent as the level of competition increases. Experience and mental/emotional maturity The second most crucial aspect of preparing a student for collegiate level tennis is ensuring that their mental/emotional game is rock solid. That is, ensuring that an individual has learned how to temper themselves mentally and emotionally through difficult match situations that will be present at the collegiate level. How does one cultivate a strong mental/emotional game? In my experience, this can only be understood

through repetitive exposure to winning and losing under different circumstances. Just as fundamentals are not developed overnight, a player must be exposed to match play to see how they react to a loss, upset, or poor sportsmanship and bad line calls. Not surprisingly, often times, a child’s initial reaction is to lose their concentration, get flustered, and turn mentally soft. Over time, and with proper attention to this “skill” (and it is a skill), this part of one’s game can gradually evolve and transform into a strength. The more a child is exposed to these scenarios and is coached to pay attention to their reaction, the more likely they will develop the skills necessary to look within and achieve a sense of calm during these stressful moments. In addition to constantly evaluating and adjusting technical skills at our Academy, we evaluate and address the mental skills of the game such as concentration, awareness and good sportsmanship. In addition, our pros teach their students to try to always remain positive. This can be achieved in a number of ways. Although not always easy in the heat of competition, we often

suggest that the student take a quiet moment between points and tell themself, “The next point is mine.” This translates to carrying positive energy into the next point. When I think of the importance of the mental/emotional game, I am always impressed by Novak Djokovic’s unparalleled ability to overcome adversity in matches. From his victories against Roger Federer at the U.S. Open in 2011, to his 2015 Wimbledon victory only weeks after his upsetting loss at the French Open, Djokovic is the master of what I call “calm intensity.” That’s to say that he has this unique ability to stay razor-focused and maintain his aggressive game, while breathing calmly and making smart shot selection decisions, while maintaining a strong strategic plan. This would be impressive in normal match situations … never mind in the biggest, most pressurepacked times of the match/tournament. I was not surprised to learn in his 2013 book Serve to Win that Djokovic practices mindfulness meditation for 15 minutes every day. According to Djokovic, his mindfulness training is just as important as his physical training. Just as he dedicates himself to rig-

orous physical training and an incredible stretching regimen, he believes that his devotion to mindfulness, proper breathing and general positivity are all keys in overcoming adversity in the biggest match moments. Overall, it is critical that a budding tennis star receives the proper training. This not only means placing them in a teaching environment where they are taught age-appropriate skills, but also that they receive mental/emotional awareness both at home and at their lessons on the court. If a student can strike this delicate balance, they will most certainly be on their way to a successful college tennis career. John Curtis is the 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 1996-2006. Afterwards, focusing on junior development, Curtis was the 2006 PTR Coach of the Year in the Northeast Region and in the 2009 PTR Member of the Year in Northeast Region. He can be reached by phone at (212) 359-9535 or by e-mail at John@ManhattanTennisAcademy.com.

PGA National Resort & Spa and BallenIsles Country Club Palm Beach Gardens, Florida December 2-7, 2016 Boys & Girls: Ages 8-14 Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles “Little Mo” Yellow Ball: Ages 8-12 “Little Mo” Green Dot: Ages 8, 9, 10 “Big Mo”: Ages 13 and 14

To register, visit www.littlemoflorida.com For more info: www.mcbtennis.org Contact: cartennis@aol.com

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

2016 Guide the Top for Clubs/Programs 2016 Guide to the Topto Clubs/Programs New York Tennis Players for New York Tennis Players

BOCA WEST COUNTRY CLUB 20583 Boca West Drive l Boca Raton, Fla. l (888) 504-BOCA l BocaWestCC.org Boca West Country Club is renowned for its first-rate recreational activities. 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, plus access for members to USPTA staff for tennis clinics and private lessons for instructions, drills and strategy sessions. The number one residential country club in the United States is also 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 2015 partnership with WTA rising star Christina McHale, who, according to USA Today, has “Long been considered a could-be next star for the U.S. on the women’s tour.” Known for competing hard and pushing players such as Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic, McHale is currently ranked 59th in the world. Tennis Center courts carry feature-worthy status of their own. There are 30 Hydro-courts, with three lit for nighttime play. Keeping up with the times, they’ve added one U.S. Open cushion court, which converts to four Pickleball courts. An award-winning community, home to 6,000 residents (3,400 families), with 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 number one Private Club, of all types, in Florida statewide. In February 2016, Boca West was named a Platinum Club of the World by Club Leaders Forum (ranked 16th out of 100). 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. 50

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

CARY LEEDS CENTER FOR TENNIS & LEARNING 1720 Crotona Avenue l Bronx, N.Y. l (718) 247-7420 l CaryLeedsTennis.org l CaryLeedsInfo@NYJTL.org Open since 2015, the Cary Leeds Center houses a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse and educational facility, and is the flagship home for NYJTL coaches to provide free year-round instruction and play for young people from beginners to nationally-ranked junior players, ages five through 18. The Center serves more than 30,000 families and children in and around Crotona Park, annually providing more than 6,000 hours of free tennis court time to the community. Commercial offerings include a comprehensive range of junior and adult programs for players of all levels, private and group lessons, hourly and seasonal court rental and space rental. But the tennis programs at Cary Leeds are only part of the story. The Center also provides space for educators to help students improve their performance in school. In the facility’s three classrooms, teachers and counselors will offer young people a quiet and safe place to benefit from a wide range of programs centered on academics, healthy living and character education.

CENTERCOURT PERFORMANCE TENNIS ACADEMY 65 Columbia Road l Morristown, N.J. l (973) 539-2054 l CentercourtAcademy.com SportsAcademy@CentercourtClub.com Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy can be summarized by one phrase: “Culture of excellence.” From its training to academics to tournament travel; the coaches, academic advisors, tutors and support staff are what make Centercourt a great training base, as well as a place to call home. Centercourt’s facilities are comprised of six New Jersey locations, with more on the way. Centercourt’s Performance Tennis home base is located in Morristown, N.J., conveniently located 45 minutes from New York City with transportation and boarding options available. While Centercourt encourages a tennis culture of excellence, Centercourt also places a strong emphasis and focus on academics and work ethic. Since its full-time academic inception two years ago, Centercourt’s scholar-athletes have committed to play collegiate tennis at strong academic institutions such as Columbia University, Wake Forest University, New York University and more. Centercourt offers schooling through both Laurel Springs and The Dwight School, a prestigious preparatory school located in the heart of Manhattan. There is a strong sense of team and family at Centercourt that is pivotal in complimenting strong tennis training. Centercourt’s full-time athletes reside in a beautiful home setting on a 60-acre estate providing the luxury of a family environment. On the weekends when players are not competing, Centercourt makes sure they take advantage of its prime location by providing excursions to New York City shows or a night of bowling. Centercourt is truly a performance athletes’ home away from home. Visit CentercourtAcademy.com for more information on after school, weekend and full-time training.

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

COURTSENSE TENNIS TRAINING CENTERS AT TENAFLY AND BOGOTA RACQUET CLUBS 195 County Road l Tenafly, N.J. l (201) 569-1114 & (201) 489-1122 l CourtSense.com CourtSense offers the best tennis facilities in Northern New Jersey and provides a comprehensive program of tennis instruction delivered by professional coaches, using the finest techniques and technologies. With CourtSense, you’ll achieve your personal best, because our training is of the highest professional caliber—and easily tailored to suit your age and skill level. Children under 10 years of age benefit immensely from a proper training foundation—eliminating poor techniques that could mar their game later in life. If you’d like yours to take up the challenge, CourtSense is the best place—we’ll make them as great as they can and want to be. CourtSense Tennis Training Centers have a whole range of activities to support junior and adult tennis lovers. From teddy tennis and after-school clinics to high-performance full-day program, cardio tennis, internal and USTA leagues, and private and group sessions, we have something to suit everyone. Our students have access to 15 indoor tennis courts (10 PlaySight smart-courts), world-class strength and conditioning centers and luxury players’ lounges. Our club in Bogota primarily specializes on the high-performance and tournament players. We have worked with players who have become ATP- and WTA-ranked players, U.S. Olympians, as well as many college scholarship athletes. CourtSense’s highperformance coaches, in collaboration with its fitness staff and a sports psychologist, have developed a program that maximizes athletes’ strengths, both on and off the court. CourtSense uses tennis as a vehicle to teach life lessons by tapping into the spirit of every player, with passion, expertise and character. CourtSense wants its juniors to be the best tennis players they can possibly be, but at the same time, be prepared to be successful in anything they want to be once their tennis careers are over. Another unique aspect to CourtSense’s facilities is the fitness programming provided in partnership with Magnus: Expand Human Potential. Magnus’ team has the ability to assess, correct, enhance and reassess an athlete–giving you everything you need to compete like a winner. CourtSense members have access to cutting-edge strength and conditioning technology, private sessions, nutritional counseling and psychological skills training. For more information on CourtSense programs, call (201) 569-1114 and (201) 489-1122 or e-mail Info@CourtSense.com. Registration is now open for the fall clinics at CourtSense.com.

GILAD BLOOM TENNIS (914) 907-0041 l Bloom.Gilad@gmail.com Gilad Bloom Tennis has been operating in New York City since 2000, entering its 16th year of operation. Gilad Bloom Tennis is a boutique junior program geared for juniors ages six through 18, who want to take their game to the next level. It is a year-round program which offers group sessions, private lessons and tournament travel, seven days a week. The program is personally run by Gilad Bloom, there’s a strong emphasis on technique and footwork, and a lot of personal attention, as well as attention to detail, with a maximum of four kids per court, Gilad Bloom Tennis also offers two match play sessions on weekends for kids who enroll in the program (match play takes place Saturday-Sunday from 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.). During the Fall/Winter Season, Gilad Bloom Tennis runs sessions at Riverdale Tennis Center (September/October), Cary Leeds Tennis Center and New York Tennis Club (November-April 2017). Bloom is a former Israeli Davis Cup player and two-time Olympian, who has been running his own tennis program since 2000. Gilad served as director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years. He played on the ATP Tour from 1983-1995, 52

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 1990. Gilad reached a career-high singles ranking of 61st in the world and was Israel’s singles champion on three occasions. For more information, e-mail Gilad Bloom directly at Bloom.Gilad@gmail.com.

MANHATTAN PLAZA RACQUET CLUB 450 West 43rd Street l New York, N.Y. l (212) 594-0554 l AdvantageTennisClubs.com Milos@AdvantageTennisClubs.com Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club (MPRC), an Advantage Tennis Club, is located at 450 West 43rd Street (between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue) in New York City (open Monday-Sunday from 6:00 a.m. until midnight). MPRC offers luxury tennis in the heart of Manhattan, with five indoor championship hard courts, air conditioning in the summer, a luxurious duplex clubhouse with terrace, a new tennis bubble, private lessons and group lessons for all ages and levels, game-arranging, quality tennis programs for members and non-members, leagues, tennis camps, parties, doubles play, tournaments, a pro shop with stringing services, and nice locker rooms. MPRC membership includes a full membership to Manhattan Plaza Health Club. MPRC members can fully access the Health Club’s many fitness classes, climbing walls, gym, glass enclosed swimming pool, sundeck, sauna and more. There is indoor parking also available on the premises. MPRC’s most popular program for members is game arranging that follows the NTRP Rating System. MPRC has some of the best tennis-teaching professionals in New York City who offer private lessons and group lessons. MPRC offers several categories of membership, including the Advantage Passport Tennis/Sports MultiClub Membership to Roosevelt Island Racquet Club & Sports Park and the New York Tennis Club. For membership information, contact MPRC Assistant Manager and Membership Director Lauren Hartman at (212) 594-0554. MPRC also offers season/open tennis time, and for more information on these opportunities, contact MPRC Manager Milos Vojvodic at (212) 594-0554. For more information on tennis lessons and Adult Tennis Programs, contact MPRC Assistant Tennis Director Bruce Barney at (212) 594-0554. MPRC also offers QuickStart Junior Programs, for more information, contact MPRC’s Junior Program Administrator, Gabriel Slotnick at (212) 594-0554.

MATCHPOINT NYC 2781 Shell Road l Brooklyn, N.Y. l (718) 769-0001 l MatchPoint.NYC l MatchPointComplex@Gmail.com MatchPoint NYC is the sports and fitness destination for the entire family, located in Brooklyn, N.Y. only 20 minutes away from downtown Manhattan. Spread across 120,000-square-feet, MatchPoint’s premier health and fitness complex features a cutting-edge tennis facility that includes nine indoor tennis courts. MatchPoint’s Tennis Coaching Team is led by Numrud Nino Muhatasov, co-founder and director of MatchPoint NYC (a former coach of top WTA and ATP players, former captain and number one singles and doubles player for the St. John’s University Tennis Team, Big East Conference Finalist and two-time Most Valuable Player), together with featured Coach Alona Bondarenko (Australian Open Doubles Champion in 2008, ranked in the top 20 in the world in singles and top five in the world in doubles) and Head Pro Alexander Demidenko (Davis Cup Team Member, head coach of the former USSR Girls National Team). MatchPoint NYC’s world-class junior tournament training programs (by invitation only) are comprised of highly-ranked players on naNYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players tional and international levels. The club offers personalized coaching for each player, plus private lessons, intensive drills, match play, tennis-specific fitness conditioning and mental conditioning. MatchPoint has a wide range of programs for all levels, including adult leagues, QuickStart, Junior Development (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and private lessons taught by accredited USPTA-certified coaches. MatchPoint NYC’s WiFi-enabled Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Relax and unwind after a game, grab a bite to eat or relax while you watch your child on the court. Enjoy a healthy snack or get refreshed with a smoothie at the juice bar. Stop by the Pro Shop if you forgot something or if you need your racquet restrung. Free parking is also offered on premises. Additional club features include a luxury full-sized gym, three group fitness studios, a Junior Olympic pool, a basketball court and a variety of youth and adult recreational and competitive training programs. MatchPoint NYC-certified instructors and personal trainers are friendly, approachable and ready to assist in your individual fitness objectives. The group swimming and exercise classes in Matchpoint’s specialized studios or outdoor field, health metrics assessments, and one-on-one training will get you the desired results in your quest for a healthier lifestyle. Complete your day of health and fitness by winding down and relaxing in the steam sauna. Join MatchPoint NYC and FIND YOUR GAME!

MIDTOWN TENNIS CLUB 341 8th Avenue New York, N.Y. l (212) 989-8572 l MidtownTennis.com Midtown Tennis Club is Manhattan’s original indoor tennis facility, conveniently located in the heart of New York City. Situated on 8th Avenue, between 26th and 27th Streets, Midtown Tennis Club is easily accessible by public transportation. In a city filled with commitments and membership dues, it’s a breeze to reserve at Midtown for an hour or more of court time, a private lesson or one of Midtown’s clinics. Midtown has four indoor Har-Tru courts for year-round use and four outdoor Har-Tru courts which are bubbled and heated during the winter months. Midtown’s outdoor season enables City-dwellers to play on our open-air courts with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline. Midtown offers an extensive team of tennis professionals who are available to provide lessons to all ages and levels. If you are looking to develop your existing skills, learn new techniques, get a great cardio workout or prepare for your next tournament, Midtown has a pro for whatever your interest. Midtown’s clinics are offered for total beginners and all levels up to competition players. Sign up for one month, one day or all year. The Friday Night Round-Robin is a popular event in the winter season which attracts intermediate to advanced players looking for friendly doubles matches. It is a great way to meet new tennis friends. Midtown is the home of The Manhattan Tennis Academy (TMTA), New York City’s premier Junior Development Program. TMTA offers after-school classes for juniors of all ages (four years of age and up) and levels. TMTA features the QuickStart program, as well as a competitive training program, and offers small classes throughout the school year.

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

NASSAU INDOOR TENNIS CLUB 73 Fern Place l Inwood, N.Y. l (516) 239-8303 l NassauIndoorTennis.com l Info@NassauIndoorTennis.com For more than 30 years, Nassau Indoor Tennis Club has been the tennis club to go to in the Five Towns area of Nassau County. Conveniently located on the South Shore, 30 minutes from Manhattan and 10 minutes from JFK Airport in Inwood, N.Y., Nassau Indoor Tennis Club is easily accessible from anywhere on Long Island or New York City. Under new ownership, the recently reconditioned Har-Tru Tennis Courts are the perfect venue for the tennis enthusiast. Proud members of the USTA, Nassau Indoor Tennis Club offers something for everybody. Looking for an outstanding youth program, private lessons, adult leagues, seasonal or hourly court time? Looking to throw a tennis party and cannot find a facility to rent? Nassau Indoor is available for all-sized parties, big or small. Nassau Indoor Tennis is happy and able to accommodate your tennis needs. The Club is proud host to USTA-sanctioned junior tournaments and USTA Adult League Teams. Nassau Indoor Tennis Club provides unparalleled professional instruction to children and adults of all skill levels and abilities. The Club’s pros include David Brent, head pro at Inwood Country Club; Mark Harrison, head pro at Seawane Country Club; Eric Morales, head pro at Woodmere Country Club; and Chris Morales, head pro at the Village of Lawrence Country Club. Rest assured, when you join Nassau Indoor Tennis Club, you’ll get hands-on instruction from some of the region’s best and nationally-ranked professionals. Whether you are taking up tennis for the first time or have been playing for a long time, Nassau Indoor Tennis is available for all of your tennis needs. Just let them know if you want an individual or group lesson and Nassau Indoor Tennis Club’s pros will do the rest. Nassau Indoor Tennis Club is open seven days a week, and hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Hourly and seasonal court time is also available. Whether you would like to sign up for individual or group lessons, rent hourly or seasonal court time, join a league, or need some questions answered, Nassau Indoor Tennis’s friendly staff is available to assist you. For more information, visit NassauIndoorTennis.com.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB 3081 Harding Avenue l Throgs Neck (Bronx), N.Y. l (718) 239-7919 l AdvantageTennisClubs.com Mike@AdvantageTennisClubs.com l NYTCTreasurer@gmail.com Founded in 1886, New York Tennis Club is the oldest active tennis club in New York, with the year 2016 marking their 130th consecutive season. Throughout the years, the Club has maintained a reputation for its restful atmosphere, congeniality of its members and its professional approach to a truly popular sport. With a patio and viewing deck and six Har-Tru courts, the Club is a haven in a quiet corner of the City. Convenient to Manhattan, Queens and lower Westchester, it’s also the best value in the Tri-State area. Sit back and relax in the recently renovated clubhouse and lounge, grab a bite to eat at the snack bar or unwind in the remodeled locker rooms. There is also onsite racquet stringing in the pro-shop and ample free parking located on the premises. New York Tennis Club is a club for all seasons. For the upcoming indoor season, mid-October to the end of April, New York Tennis Club offers high-quality courts at competitive rates. The two climate-controlled bubbles are equipped with shadow-less, non-glare lighting, with hourly court time at rates between $43-$80 per court, as well as seasonal court options. Hours of operation are 7:00 a.m.11:00 p.m., seven days a week, and no membership is required. NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players The rest of the year is outdoor season, when the Club offers unlimited play—as much tennis as members wish. Tennis lovers can soak up the sun on lush lawns surrounded by flower gardens, sit in the shade of willow trees or have lunch on a covered patio or in the clubhouse, which offers dining facilities, locker rooms and showers. For additional information, visit NewYorkTennisClub.com. The Club offers adult programs for skill sets of all levels. Program offerings include singles and doubles leagues, a comprehensive game arranging program for both singles and doubles players, private and group instruction for all levels, cardio tennis classes, and tennis parties, where guests are welcome. Whether you are new to tennis, or want to take your game to the next level, New York Tennis Club has a program for you. The Junior Tennis Program, directed by Tennis Director Salif Mohammed, offers year-round classes, camps and programs for all ages and levels, including a High Performance program. There are QuickStart classes for ages four through 12, summer and holiday camp programs, after-school programs, tournament training for advanced competitive players and match play. During the school year, classes are offered both after-school and on Saturdays. The Junior Tennis Camp offers one-week sessions during the month of August. One more special feature: The Advantage Passport Membership, which offers members a whole new level of benefits and access. Passport memberships include free summer court time on reserved courts at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (RIRC) and New York Tennis Club, plus membership privileges at Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, Manhattan Plaza Health Club and New York Tennis Club. For more information, call (718) 239-7919. See you on the courts!

PROFORM TENNIS ACADEMY 975 Anderson Hill Road Rye Brook, N.Y. l (914) 935-6688 l ProformTennisAcademy.com Info@ProformTennisAcademy.com Proform Tennis Academy features all the amenities that a tennis player could want. Proform’s mission is to provide clients with worldclass teaching programs and coaching staff, and to create an atmosphere conducive to developing players of all ages and abilities. Proform’s facility features five championship hard courts with former ATP pros who offer group and private lessons to players of all ages and levels, in addition to a pro shop and stringing service, as well as an office and reception room with a comfortable waiting lounge. In addition to private individual and private group lessons, Proform also offers junior clinics, adult clinics, seasonal courts, summer camps and a wide range of USTA teams, with 17 USTA teams this year alone with several of them heading to USTA Eastern Sectionals. Proform’s Sports Center contains a workout room with state-of-the-art equipment, plus dressing rooms with showers, a sauna and steam rooms … perfect for any athlete’s exercise regimen. The facility also features racquetball and squash courts, indoor/outdoor heated pool, personal trainers and spa services, a nine-hole Doral golf course, luxury suites, three different restaurants and high-tech conference facilities. Come check out what Proform Tennis Academy is all about. For more information, visit ProformTennisAcademy.com or e-mail Info@ProformTennisAcademy.com.

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS CENTER 18 Goodfriend Drive l East Hampton, N.Y. l (631) 907-5162 l Ross.org/Tennis l TennisAcademy@Ross.org The Ross School Tennis Center, located on the Ross Upper School campus in East Hampton, N.Y., is a wonderful resource in the Hamptons open to seasonal and year-round residents. The Center features six Har-Tru tennis courts that are enclosed by a bubble from mid-fall through mid-spring, allowing for year-round play. The courts are directly adjacent to the beautiful, state-of-the-art Field House, featuring amenities such as locker rooms, lounge, snack bar, and ping-pong tables. The Field House is also used for a variety of special events and is available for private parties. l Junior Tennis Programs (Nursery-Grade 6): Using the QuickStart method and low-pressure balls, this program for students up to age 10 develops strong foundations in our youngest players through fun, level-appropriate games and drills. This program develops spatial awareness and locomotor skills and is designed to motivate young players into continuing the sport and taking it to the next level. l Junior Tennis Academy (RSJTA) (Grades 7-8): This program offers the same intense training program as Tennis Academy (below), but caters specifically to players in grades seven and eight. l Tennis Academy (RSTA) Grades 9-12 and Post-Graduate: Featuring intense and demanding training for national and international high school students already playing in USTA or ITF tournaments, this unusual and dynamic program combines an engaging, global curriculum with the highest level of competitive tennis training available. Designed for USTA/ITF players in grades seventh through 12th and post-graduates, the RSTA is the first in the New York City area to augment a full academic program with a complete physical and mental conditioning program. Boarding options are available, as is a tennis-only (no academics) program. l Lessons and Court Rentals: Private instruction is available for all ages and levels of play. The Tennis Center staff provides a fun and supportive atmosphere that allows for the greatest amount of success. Guests can also rent courts during the weekday, weekend, or seasonally. Call (631) 907-5162 or e-mail TennisAcademy@Ross.org for more information or to make reservations.

ROOSEVELT ISLAND RACQUET CLUB 281 Main StreetRoosevelt Island, N.Y. l (212) 935-0250 l RIRCTennis.com l GKent@AdvantageTennisClubs.com Now in its 24th year of operation, Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (RIRC) is part of Advantage Tennis Clubs. Roosevelt Island Racquet Club is conveniently located on beautiful Roosevelt Island, New York City’s oasis on the East River. The Club features 12 Har-Tru courts under new bubbles with shadowless, non-glare lighting, heated and air conditioned for comfortable year-round play. The exercise room includes a treadmill, exercise bikes, elliptical trainers and free weights to accommodate almost any workout. The Club boasts a completely stocked pro shop, locker room facilities, two social lounges, Riverview Lounge with a breathtaking view of Manhattan’s skyline, and free parking. RIRC is easily accessible by tram, subway or car (free on-site parking). The Roosevelt Island Tram (from 60th Street and 2nd Avenue) stops adjacent to the Club, and the subway (F Train) stops one block from the club. Members also have use of an indoor swimming pool and fitness center next door in the Sports Park. RIRC offers a range of adult programs for players of all levels. Program offerings range from the Advanced Singles League for the experienced competitive player, to Beginner Group Lessons for people new to the sport of tennis. Cardio tennis is one of the Club’s most popular programs and is offered daily for those looking to combine a cardio workout with tennis. Whatever your goal, NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players there is a program for you! The Advantage All-City Junior Tennis Program offers year-round classes, camps and programs for all ages and levels. There are QuickStart classes for ages four through 10, summer and holiday camp programs, after-school programs, tournament training for advanced competitive players, and match play. During the school year, classes are offered both after-school and on Saturdays. The Advantage All-City Junior Tennis Camp offers one-week sessions from mid-June through the end of August. RIRC offers a Gold Membership that includes full Club privileges, 14-day advance reservation privileges, member court fees with an average savings of $35 per court hour, game arranging and member discount on all programs. The Club is excited to offer Advantage Passport Membership, which offers members a whole new level of benefits and access. Passport Memberships include free summer court time on reserved courts at RIRC and New York Tennis Club, plus membership privileges at Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, Manhattan Plaza Health Club and New York Tennis Club. For more information, contact Gordon Kent, Steve O’Keefe or Kimberly Latif at (212) 935-0250.

SPORTIME Randall’s Island, Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and the 501(c)(3) Johnny Mac Tennis Project One Randall’s Island l New York, N.Y. l (212) 427-6150 l SportimeNY.com/Manhattan l JohnMcEnroeTennisAcademy.com JMTPNY.org l JKarl@SportimeNY.com SPORTIME Randall’s Island, a state-of-the-art, 20-court tennis and training facility located on Randall’s Island in Manhattan, is home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and the 501(c)(3) Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP). SPORTIME Randall’s Island features 160,000-square feet of tennis courts and amenities, including five indoor and five indoor/outdoor Deco-Turf tennis courts, and 10 indoor/outdoor Har-Tru clay tennis courts. This extraordinary club also features a functional training and fitness center; comfortable lounge areas with excellent viewing; a junior lounge/computer lab; a pro shop featuring top brands and 24-hour stringing; complimentary nursery care; member locker rooms with steam; a café serving healthy food, snacks and beverages; and classrooms, party rooms and meeting facilities. In September 2010, SPORTIME and tennis legend John McEnroe together launched JMTA at SPORTIME Randall’s Island. The Academy is led by SPORTIME/JMTA Managing Director Bennett Schlansky, Director of Tennis Lawrence Kleger, who has trained and coached more nationally-ranked and world-ranked juniors than anyone in the history of the USTA Eastern Section, Director of Sports Performance and Junior Athletic Development Director Richard-John Mensing Jr., and other world-class SPORTIME/JMTA directors. The SPORTIME/JMTA tennis and athletic development coaching staff is comprised of more than 40 experienced professionals from around the world, all selected by Johnny Mac and the SPORTIME/JMTA leadership team, who, under that team’s guidance, implement the innovative and unique vision of JMTA. SPORTIME/JMTA is proud to have developed hundreds of players who have received full or partial scholarships to top academic universities, and top tennis universities. Current JMTA pro players include Noah Rubin, a top 200 player on the ATP Tour and 2014 Junior Wimbledon and Jamie Champion, who was the ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest University and NCAA singles finalist in 2015; Loeb, current WTA top 250 and the 2015 NCAA singles champion from the University of North Carolina. In addition to world-class group training for top juniors, SPORTIME offers a wide variety of programming for players of all ages and levels, including our “Tennis Whizz” program for preschoolers, SPORTIME’s trademarked Under 10 red and orange ball programs for younger, developing players, and the best group programming and facilities in New York City for adult players. SPORTIME Randall’s Island also offers private tennis lessons, private athletic training, private mental toughness training, physical therapy, special events, and more. Also based at SPORTIME Randall’s Island is the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which provides scholarships for SPORTIME/JMTA players and introduces the sport of tennis as a life-long health, fitness and social activity to thousands of under-resourced New York City area kids, particularly those living in the two neighboring communities of East Harlem and the South Bronx. JMTP’s mission is to change young lives by removing the economic and social barriers to success through tennis. It’s all on Randall’s Island under the RFK/Triboro Bridge. Contact Director of Membership Sales and Services Jay Karl at (212) 4276150 or e-mail JKarl@SportimeNY.com for more information and to schedule a visit. 58

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

STADIUM TENNIS CENTER AT MILL POND PARK 725 Exterior Street at East 152nd Street and the Harlem River l Bronx, N.Y. (718) 665-4684 l StadiumTennisNYC.com Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond Park is located two blocks south of Yankee Stadium at East 152nd Street and the Harlem River. This popular facility is quickly shaking its label as “the best-kept secret in New York City tennis.” Stadium Tennis Center is the flourishing “go-to” tennis facility in NYC–with 16 cushioned, newly-surfaced U.S. Open-style Deco-Turf hard courts, including 12 indoor courts, which are now open for year-round indoor play. Stadium’s first indoor season came at the end of 2010, and today, the staff, players, and families are thrilled with the success and tremendous growth of their favorite facility. Stadium Tennis Center is certain to become your new popular public tennis facility, too. The “Bubble” continues to reign as one of the largest tennis bubbles or tennis domes of this type in the world, covering an area of over four million cubic feet and a footprint of more than 75,000-square feet. The “Bubble” features a brand new state-of-the-art lighting system to complement its high indoor ceilings and spacious backcourts. These offerings please the playing public and the many tournament level, interscholastic and collegiate players who compete at and call Stadium Tennis Center their “home court.” Stadium Tennis Center also offers complimentary on-site parking to the north of the facility. The newly-remodeled Café and Clubhouse will welcome you to host special events, birthday parties, and tennis gatherings for all of your family and friends, and the updated Pro Shop offers all your tennis necessities. The Clubhouse also features clean, secure locker rooms and lounge areas, Wi-Fi computer access, a workspace where children can do schoolwork and read, as well as an always-growing tennis library. This highly-touted facility offers a full complement of tennis programs for juniors and adults of all skill levels and ages. In partnership with Gotham Tennis Academy, a leader in developing and operating tennis programs in New York City and the Hamptons, Stadium Tennis Center employs high level, experienced tennis professionals from all over the world who have established a strong sense of ownership in the success of the total Stadium Team. Stadium’s Elite High Performance and Junior Development Programs continue to expand exponentially, and the 10 & Under Program has been reinforced to follow the true Gotham Pathway to tennis .For adult players, fast-paced group clinics and cardio tennis workouts are offered daily, in addition to indoor seasonal court rentals, private lessons, game-arranging, leagues and tournament play. More information about Stadium Tennis Center at Mill Pond Park, visit StadiumTennisNYC.com or call (718) 665-4684. More information about Gotham Tennis Academy, visit GothamTennis.com or call (646) 524-7069.

TENNIS INNOVATORS ACADEMY 110 Lake Street l White Plains, N.Y. l (914) 428-2444 l TIAcademies.com Located in White Plains, the heart of Westchester County, Tennis Innovators Academy (TIA) serves the local tennis community and is quickly becoming the main hub for the recreational and competitive adult player, and high-performance juniors. As you walk in the lobby, you enter a tennis mecca. Modern, sleek design of the clubhouse, large glass viewing windows, and a friendly staff get you in the mood to go out there and grind. The facility offers eight brand new hydro Har-Tru courts, LED lights, and a pleasant upbeat environment. With hydro-court technology, the court conditions are truly the best in Westchester County, offering elite playing performance for all levels. Both adult and junior programs are structured, with a walking director enforcing the quality of the programs and established curriculum. The management of the Academy believes in a good balance between high quality instruction, a great workout, and lots of fun, NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players but always geared towards development. The ratio on-court never exceeds a 4:1 student to pro ratio, including the 10 & Under Academy. Every age group and level has a clear curriculum and themes change bi-weekly. For the Adult Academy players, USTA competition is offered during the indoor and outdoor season, with a dedicated traveling coach attending the matches. Whether you are a junior or an adult, there are numerous classes and clinics to choose from including private lessons, adult clinics, match play sessions for juniors, cardio-oriented sessions for adults, and others. The staff, led by Cesar Andrade, consists of premier teaching pros from around the world. They know exactly how to fine-tune your game. The level of devotion and attention towards the students is beyond anything you have experienced. The TIA pro staff constantly contributes to the development of the sport by participating in various workshops and conferences in addition to their daily responsibilities. TI Academy makes players … come and check it out! Tennis Innovators also offers a variety of programs in numerous New York City locations.

USTA BILLIE JEAN KING NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER Flushing Meadows Corona Park l Flushing, N.Y. l (718) 760-6200 l NTC.USTA.com The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, is the largest public tennis facility in the world. It is, most certainly, a “Tennis Welcome Center.” The Tennis Center is open to the public year-round and offers exciting programming, as well as numerous events throughout the year. Programs are offered for all ages and levels, as well as clinics, private lessons, leagues, tours, field trips, summer camps, corporate events, birthday parties and tournaments. The NTC also supports all USTA Community Tennis and Player Development initiatives. The professional staff of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center also conducts community tennis programs, including 10 & Under Tennis for children 10 years of age and under to learn tennis in a fun and dynamic way; USTA Junior Team Tennis for youth match play; USTA League Tennis for competitive, level-of-play competition, and an official Cardio Tennis site for on-court heart pumping fitness. Initiatives for USTA Player Development include an Invitational USTA Competition Training Center for ranked players, Player Development programs for top-ranking juniors residing in the Northeast, and a year-round USTA Tournament Training Program for ranked juniors. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis also provides for diverse community outreach programs including; the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL), the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Queens District Attorney’s Star Track/Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence program for Queens at-risk youth. The NTC hosts various tennis opportunities for special populations, including wheelchair tennis instruction for the physically-challenged from the months of October through July, HERO (Help Expand Recreational Opportunities) for developmentally challenged adults and tennis for autistic children through NYFAC (New York Families for Autistic Children). There is an extensive summer camp program which provides basic tennis instruction starting as young as 10 and under up through and including Academy level players. Camps include instruction and fitness programs; the encouragement of good sportsmanship leading to general character building for the children of all ages and levels. These services are provided at nominal cost, making it affordable for youngsters who would not otherwise get the chance to attend camp or receive tennis instruction. Lastly, the Project ACES (Alternative Classroom Environment for Students), implemented at the NTC in 2009, is geared towards children from schools from the New York City Metropolitan Area. This program provides students the opportunity to visit the NTC and learn about the history and the game of tennis. The kids are given a tour of the entire site, including Center Court in Ashe, a video presentation on the history of tennis and the great players of the sport, followed by an hour of on court tennis instruction.

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

2016 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

WEST SIDE TENNIS CLUB 1 Tennis Place l Forest Hills, N.Y. l (718) 268-2300 l ForestHillsTennis.com West Side Tennis Club is well-known for hosting the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Today, it is home to 830 members, maintaining the best of a celebrated past and rich history. West Side Tennis Club often surprises first-time visitors. Anchored by its historic stadium, the renowned Tudor-style clubhouse, along with a junior Olympic pool complex, West Side’s 12 acres are both a majestic setting and a tranquil oasis in the heart of New York City. West Side Tennis Club is located just 20 minutes from the bustle of midtown Manhattan, easily accessible by car, bus, subway or the Long Island Railroad. West Side maintains 38 tennis courts on four different surfaces: Grass, Har-Tru, Red Clay and Deco-Turf and provides year-round tennis utilizing its 10-court indoor facility. Members can take advantage of group or private lessons, clinics, tournaments, ladders, arranged matches, round-robins and a yearround junior program, including summer camp, a pro shop and swimming lessons. West Side Tennis Club also offers a full-service restaurant and bar with spectacular sunset dining, and private party and corporate outing facilities. Platform tennis, bridge, and funfilled activities and social events for all ages at all levels are scheduled year-round. On weekends and weekdays, it’s a fabulous warm weather getaway for families, with a tennis day camp that is the perfect summer activity for children. So convenient, what better way to end a day at work than with a game of tennis, a dip in the pool, and watching the sun set having drinks on the club house patio. And for getting business done in a special way, it’s a unique place to spend quality time with customers, business associates and colleagues. There is even wireless Internet access available anywhere in the clubhouse. Want to do a truly special event for a small or large group of people, West Side Tennis Club has everything you could want to create a special occasion. There is something for everyone at the West Side Tennis Club. For more information, visit ForestHillsTennis.com or call (718) 268-2300.

This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2016 Girls High School Season Recap Distribution across New York at 300+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Country clubs • Restaurants and health food stores • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Supermarkets and • Many more!

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

How I Found Out Tennis Is a Mental Sport

By Gilad Bloom eople always claim that tennis is a mental sport. This statement is true, and it’s a fact I learned early in my career, but was never more evident than during one memorable match in 1989 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. That match, a first round qualifier for an ATP Tour event, taught me a great lesson about the wonders of the human brain and the game of tennis, and it turned out to be a unique experiment. The Sao Paolo event was one of the last events of the season. I was totally burned out coming into the event, having played more than 35 tournaments in the first 11 months of the year. Being young and eager to improve my ranking, I entered many events, won many matches, and wound up playing way more than I expected. By the time I reached the Sao Paolo tournament, I was out of gas,

both physically and mentally. I just couldn’t stand the sight of a tennis court, I was a mental wreck and completely burned out. I was ready to hang it up for the year, and take some much needed time off. I had been playing for six consecutive weeks in three different continents. I had a good year and was ready to go into the offseason, but I had an obligation to play in the Sao Paolo event in order to earn a bonus from the ATP. All I had to do was show up for the match and was eligible for the bonus, which was a nice chunk for those days. My coach said to me before the match, “As far as I am concerned … the year is over. You had a great year. Let’s go out and celebrate … no need to prepare for the match tomorrow, you’re just going to sign up so you can get your bonus. Go out there and go for winners on every point, make it quick, and then we are going to Rio for a week to enjoy life on the beach.” That night, we went out and had fun, stayed out pretty late and showed up five

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

minutes before the start of the match without a warm up and without thinking about the match or stressing out about it for even a second. Going into the match, my mind was really loose and calm, I had told myself that the year was already over and that this match doesn’t count, my mind was already thinking about the beautiful beaches of Rio. I remember the strange feeling of warming up and playing a professional match on center court, but inside, I was already on vacation, I was literally smiling as I was hitting, joking with the refs and the ball kids. My opponent was a young player named Nicky Barone, who was a top American collegiate player and a rookie on the pro tour. In that match, unlike any match I had ever played, I simply went for a winner on the first shot of each point, on every point for an entire match. I played with the reckless abandon of a person who didn’t care if they lost points. I went for aces, even on my second serve. I stepped into every shot, and hit it as hard as I could. The result

was the best match I ever played in my life ... a quick 6-2, 6-1 victory with lots of winners. While I was hitting winner after winner, I felt a freedom I never felt before on the court. I was almost apologizing to my opponent after each winner, smiling and shaking my head in amazement, asking myself jokingly: “Did I just hit that shot?” At the end of the match, I shook Nicky’s hand and told him apologetically that I never play like this. He told me that he didn’t think that tennis like this existed, I told him, “It doesn’t!” Coming out of the match, my coach was laughing hard and thought it was comical, but I was excited. I had so much fun playing this freestyle-type of tennis without much thought. I just went for each shot, played high risk points and attacked relentlessly. “This is the way I’m going to play from now on,” I declared. “No more playing safe and grinding it out. I’m going to just go for it, play loose and enjoy the game.” But reality set in pretty fast. The second round of qualifying was later that day, and I had another chance to test out my new approach to the game. I was determined to

continue with the game plan and play an ultra-aggressive, high-risk game. At the start of that day, I was a burned out player who wanted to go on vacation. Walking into that second round match, I was thinking that if I won the match, I was one win away from making it to the main draw of a tour event. The beaches of Rio could wait. My competitive spirit returned, and with it, stress and anxiety. The second round match started great. I kept the same aggressive style, kept loose and won the first set 6-3. But in the second set, the low percentage shots that were going in started to miss the lines. The errors were piling up, and my attempts to play perfect tennis started to result in wildly missed shots, mishits and unforced errors. Before I knew it, I lost the second set and in the third set, I was already back to being a burned out player who was in dire need of a vacation. My bluff was called, and I went back to being a stressed out, tired and depleted player who played way too much tennis that year. I was on the edge of a mental meltdown, and in fact, I barely managed to

finish the match without defaulting. I lost that match and that was the last match of 1989 for me, but I learned a lot from that experience. I learned that playing a perfect match is possible. I learned that when you trust your shots, you can achieve unbelievable heights. But I also learned that even if you play without fear, you still need to play smart and play the percentage game. I learned that if you don’t take some risks, you will never know how good you can be. I mostly learned that tennis is the art of fooling yourself, and in not caring whether I won or lost, I tricked myself into playing my best tennis ever. 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.

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

B Y CA R L B A R NETT

“Live the Best Story of Your Life” By Bob Litwin

ob Litwin’s Live the Best Story of Your Life delivers great stories of change on so many levels. Bob’s ability to weed through peoples issues is truly remarkable. The clients make the changes, Bob is a true agent of change. The thing to know is Bob wasn’t always a Zen tennis master and legendary champion. He struggled with his health and the tragic loss of his beloved wife Carol. Bob wasn’t always the soul whisperer to the titans of Wall Street. The book follows the story of Bob’s life from his failed tryout at University of Michigan, to his contemporary success helping countless clients and returning to championship form. Bob shares his change of thinking and his new story which brought him success. He teaches you how to write the new stories of your life. 64

At the same time, the book recounts dozens of stories of change by clients in various stations of distress. These chapters serve as a self-help as readers can relate to many of the stories themselves. Parents, spouses, children and friends all can see hope for loved ones in distress. The features I really enjoyed were the “Big But” and “Try This on for Size.” At the end of every chapter, the “Big But” gives the rationalization one has to talk themselves out of action. “Try This on for Size” overcomes your argument and nudges you back to positive action. Bob’s early life as teacher and tennis coach led him to understand that teaching is also counseling and encouraging. This comes so naturally to Bob that one comes away from a chance meeting at the grocery store feeling fuller.

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

Who would have thought a tennis player would become a ground to those dealing with the success and stress of Wall Street. At the same time, Bob helps a top college runner and junior tennis player with the same care I loved the way Bob framed every chapter with quotes from people we know from all walks of life with recognized success. His encouragement of writing “Gratitude’s” has been personally helpful. Reading this book will leave anyone with a great sense of hope that with a little bit of change everything will be alright. Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Training Center over 10 years ago. He has coached countless ranked pre-college tennis players. He may be reached by phone at (516) 455-1225 or e-mail EarlyHit@optonline.net.

MBR Builders Brings Experience and Skill to Indoor Tennis Renovations

BR Builders is a nationwide expert in all facets of construction and renovations of metal buildings for the indoor tennis market. With more than 50 years of combined experience of their highly qualified staff, MBR offers a full range of services for your tennis club. Besides being a Certified Butler Builder for new construction and re-roofing systems, MBR Builders also works closely with their clientele to provide easy and

cost-efficient ways to lower operating costs of their existing buildings. With a multitude of high-quality insulation and lighting systems, MBR Builders can match your individual club needs to the perfect energy-efficient system for your facility. MBR’s offers LED lighting systems, such as The Watt Slayer Series, which have been extremely successful in reducing energy consumption, while giving their clientele the light levels they desire.

MBR Builders also offers a quality line of indoor tennis accessories, including custom backdrop curtains and divider nets. Check out MBR’s Web site at MBRBuilders.com to learn more about their services or request a free estimate. MBR’s services include: New construction, re-roofing, interior ceiling systems, lighting systems, curtains and wire work, and tennis accessories. Take that first step to the exceptional tennis facility of your dreams!

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

If Only Husbands Followed the Rules of Tennis in Marriage (Part II) By Barbara Wyatt n the July/August 2016 edition of New York Tennis Magazine, I defended the idea that the rules of tennis should carry into our everyday lives. I admire tennis players who understand the rules and apply them fairly … especially what I consider some of the essentials. Courtesy is expected, and players must stay scrupulously honest. I am amused when players demand obedience to a rule when they stand on the tennis court, while their day-to-day life is diametrically opposite. I propose dragging the Rules of Tennis into our day-today lives. We’d all get along much better. If only husbands followed the rules of tennis in their marriage.

strictions at the local tournament or USTA league courts. A warm-up is similar to a cooperative drill with players hitting the balls back and forth at a moderate pace. After the warm-up, the game begins and players engage in sweat-inducing motions. In marriage, a husband should provide a moderately paced warm-up perhaps after a dinner date or a streaming movie. Please note: On the court, if a player declines to warm up the opponent, the opponent may warm up with another person. This has happens in marriages too unfortunately.

The Code Rule 15: Audible or visible calls On the tennis court, the opponent deserves a prompt audible or visible call. No second guesses, no arguments. The “ball was out” call was made, so play on. This rule can carry over sweetly into marriage. At a neighbor’s barbeque, a husband asks for another beer. From the wife’s perspective, it’s one too many. The wife raises her hand, extends her first finger and calls it “out.” It is clear, concise and accurate, based on the wife’s perspective. The husband accepts the call and declines the beer. The game of marriage continues in peace. Note that I said “first finger.” The extension of the middle finger would fall under Section IV.D. Table 14. Point Penalty for Visible Profanity. 66

The Code Rule 23: Avoid foot faults During a serve, a player cannot walk about or run in their serving motion nor touch the line or imaginary extension of the center mark with a foot. When an opponent calls out “foot fault,” the server could move a few inches back from the line or adjust their motion to serve without touching the line. In marriage, husbands have been known to complete foot faults or foot-inmouth repeatedly. Stop it. When a husband says, “No, you don’t look fat today,” that statement is the equivalent of a foot fault. Another example is when a wife returns home after a long arduous day at work. A husband should not say, “Hard day at work, huh? So, what’s for dinner?” The Code Rule 3: Warm-up is not practice A tennis match starts with a warm-up of five to 10 minutes depending on time re-

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

The Code Rule 46: Placement of towels Towels may be placed outside of the net post or at the back fence … never on the net. In marriage, Rule 46 applies to dirty underwear. No underwear shall be left on the bathroom or bedroom floors. If you can place tennis towels where they belong on the court, you can toss dirty underwear into the laundry basket. 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.

ClayTech: A Better Solution for the Home Tennis Court

erhaps you have heard of ClayTech? Many still have not. This court surface has been around for close to 20 years in Europe and nearly 10 years in the United States, but is only just beginning to catch on here as the preferred home tennis court. If you have an existing hard court or are planning new court construction, you should definitely take a look. ClayTech is an all-weather clay court that can be installed on top of an existing hard

court in as little as two days. The surface eliminates the need to repaint every three to five years and will bridge many crack and deficiencies in the substrate. The product utilizes a specially-designed mat that acts as the base for a thin layer of green or red clay or Har-Tru. Much like a hard court, ClayTech features permanent lines that will occasionally need to be touched up with new paint. Here are some things court owners are saying about the surface: l â&#x20AC;&#x153;ClayTech plays brilliantly â&#x20AC;Ś like clay,

l l l l

but the traction and bounces are more consistent.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am so glad I no longer have to watch the cracks on my court reappear.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love the comfort! I can now play more frequently and for longer stretches without really hurting the next day.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The speed of play is ideal. I get to more shots and the rallies are incredibly fun.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can count on my court to be playable more quickly than any other court in my area after all types of weather.â&#x20AC;?

To learn more about ClayTech, visit AllWeatherClay.com on the Web or call (877) 442-7878.

A TENNIS SHOP FOR THE PROS

! ! ! CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES GROMMET INSTALLS FREE DEMOS

SHIPPING AVAILABLE! CONTACT US! WWW.HIGHCOUNTRYSKIANDTENNIS.COM ! ! ! ! !

!! ! ! NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

Power Up Your Tennis Game the “Complex” Way By Richard-John Mensing Jr. “You play how you train and train how you play.” This mantra is echoed across fields, on courts and in athletic training facilities around the world. When it comes to tennis, strength, power, speed and muscle endurance are all physical performance components vital to creating a high-performance athlete and a successful player. It is imperative that both players and their coaches understand not only the re68

lationships between these components, but more importantly, how integrating them into a sports-specific program produces the desired results, at the desired times, and utilizes athletes’ dominant abilities. Every sport requires strength training, but it is each sport’s intrinsic demands that will determine the type of strength training needed to smartly and effectively elevate an athlete’s performance. Because tennis demands power (serve and groundstrokes), power endurance (constant change of direction) and force and explosiveness (acceleration, deceleration and first-step) functional strength and

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

plyometric work serve as a potent training combination. After a player has properly progressed through the technical (proper form/stability), biological (motor control/muscle recruitment) and loading phases (amount of weight/number of sets/number of repetitions) of both strength and plyometric work, and only after the player has done so, should a coach advance the athlete using methodologies such as Complex Training. Complex Training is designed to increase strength and power. It combines heavy and slow tempo strength exercises

with explosive and fast plyometric exercises. The purpose of Complex Training is to simultaneously use the heavy-loaded movement to maximally recruit the central nervous system, and taking advantage of that heightened recruitment with a fast exercise to activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers. This is vital to enhancing speed and explosiveness, both on and off the court. This method is ideal for players who are in pre-competition or who are in-season, but have limited training time. However, Complex Training should only be used after an athlete has first successfully performed the prescribed exercises under the supervision of the athlete’s coach and with proper form. Below is an example of a single-day workout used for elite juniors, collegebound, and ATP and WTA pro players. Each set of exercises should be performed in their entirety before moving on. Dynamic Warm-up Exercises should include hip mobility, crawling, thoracic and lumbar range of

motion (ROM), lunging, skipping and pushing. Complex Training Block l Back Squat & Squat Jumps: Three sets of four to eight reps at 75-85 percent plus eight jumps (two minutes, rest and repeat) l Bench Press & Medicine Ball Chest Pass: Three sets of four to eight reps at 75-85 percent plus 10 throws (two minutes, rest and repeat) l Single Leg Deadlift & Lateral Traveling Lunge Jumps: Three sets of four to eight reps each leg plus five Lunge Jumps in each direction (two minutes, rest and repeat) l One-Arm Dumbbell Rows & SplitStance Medicine Ball Push Throws: Three sets of four to eight reps each arm plus five Push Throws for each arm (two minutes, rest and repeat) l Forearm Plank & Prone Back Hyper Superman: Three sets of 45 second Planks plus 12 Supermans (30 seconds, rest and repeat)

Cool down l Flexibility/ROM work, stretching and yoga poses Complex Training should be performed two to three times per week, and is most effective with a comprehensive and progressive conditioning program on alternate days. The program should take place over a six- to 12-week period, with the frequency and duration of Complex Training coming into clearer focus as coaches and players formulate their yearly plans. Want to train harder? Work smarter and power up your game? It’s time to incorporate Complex Training. Richard-John Mensing Jr. is the director of sports performance and junior athletic development at the JMTA and Sportime Randall’s Island. He has more than 20 years of professional experience as an athlete, coach trainer and athletic educator, coaching the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Sergei Bubka, Greg Louganis, Reggie and Cheryl Miller, and JMTA’s Noah Rubin.

Corporate Te ennis League presented e e by

The L Leagu EASTERN

Team for night afte exclusive tennis clin nics.

METRO

f tennis programs for all kinds of play “All kinds o ers.” Low cost adu ult beginner group tenniss lessons throughout New N York City April thru Sep ptember. PLAY TENNIS NEW YORK

Singless and doubles competition in a team format by ability levels--fun and competitive! We'll find you a team, or bring your own team!

metrotenn tennis.com 212-244-284 2845

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

courtsix New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz Djokovic drops the puck

“It was a unique opportunity to share an experience with NHL players in their own environment,” said Djokovic. “At the same time, it was not an ice rink, so it allowed me and the other tennis players to move around freely. It was the first time that I played hockey, ice rink or not.”

Sharapova in the Ivy League Ahead of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, world number one Novak Djokovic tried his skills on a different surface, picking up a hockey stick and joining the annual exhibition ball hockey game with National Hockey League players Tyler Seguin (left) and Jason Spezza (second from right) of the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers rookie Connor McDavid (far right).

Wedding bells for the WTA

It has been a tough year for Russian su-

• Outdoor session at Riverdale Tennis Center, 3671 Hudson Manor Terrace, Riverdale • Indoor sessions at Cary Leeds Tennis Center • Groups, Private lessons, Tournament Travel, 7 days a week • Certiﬁed ATP coach with 20 years of HP experience • 13 years on the pro tour playing ATP, Davis Cup and Olympics • Former 3 time Israeli singles champion

Call 914-907-0041 or E-mail BloomGilad@gmail.com 70

perstar Maria Sharapova, who is still serving her ITF suspension, but she has found a very productive way to keep busy in her downtime by enrolling in a course at Harvard’s Business School.

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

It was wedding season for two of the world’s top tennis players recently, as Ana Ivanovic and Dominika Cibulkova both tied their knot with their respective significant others. Ivanovic wed German soccer player Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Cibulkova married her fiancé Miso Navaro.

Azarenka expecting her first child

Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): First #Olympics win!

Tweets from the pros

While rehabbing a knee injury that forced her out of the French Open, former world number one Victoria Azarenka was told by her doctor that she was pregnant, informing her fans of the news via social media.

Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): Wish I was there with you

Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33): No better cheat day than on 7/11

Bouchard and Querrey visit the White House

Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska): Finally arrived! Remember this guy??? #TeamPolska #Rio2016 During the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., some of the tournament’s participants, including Eugenie Bouchard (pictured left) and Sam Querrey (pictured above) had a chance to visit and tour the White House. “The highlight was definitely seeing the Oval Office,” said Querrey. “I didn’t think we would get a chance to look at that, so it was cool to take a peek and see where the president works. It was a Saturday, so it was pretty quiet, but it was great to see the grounds.”

Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Proud to represent #Spain in #Rio2016

Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki): Wow!! That was incredible!! Such an honor to be the flag bearer for Denmark!! Once in a lifetime! #memories

continued on page 72

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

court six continued from page 71

Stanislas Wawrinka(@StanWawrinka): Getting back on the practice court !!

John Isner (@JohnIsner): @WWERomanReigns with @JohnIsner after Raw last night!

Christina McHale (@ChristinaMcHale): Yesssss!!!! Let’s go @nyempiretennis Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Training in the mountains #view #lake #bike #memo- Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams): ries #huggy #natho Need I say more?! Playing tomorrow night #pipim #gettinand just can’t wait! #olympics #dreams gready #oklm

Serena Williams (@SerenaWilliams): Now I’m ready. @beatsbydre #wimbledon #whiteout Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): Always an honor and a lot of fun seeing you sir @richardbranson

Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic): My happy face says it all. #OverExcitedTourist Jack Sock (@JackSock): #TeamUSA

Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova): Chatting about my first #rio2016 win with Czech TV! So happy to get my Olympics underway #czechteam #pojd Nick Bollettieri (@NickBollettieri): Great time celebrating my 85th BDay w/friends & family in Capri! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful BDay messages. 72

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

adult league U S T A L E A G U E S U P D AT E September/October 2016

The Metro USTA Women’s 3.0 Division team, captained by The Women’s 3.5 team, captained by Ashley Rowe & Susan Chee, is headed to Jeffrey Dietz & Lily Lee Sectionals

Congratulations to the USTA Metro Men’s 4.0 team, captained by Dan Bindler & Ron Johnson, playoff winners he Metro USTA League held its Regional Playoffs, and a number of Metro League teams will be moving on to the USTA Sectional Playoffs. Congratulations to the 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 teams that will be attending the Sectional Playoffs, to be held at Anthony F. Veteran’s Park in Ardsley, N.Y.

Women’s Divisions l Women’s 3.0 Division, captained by Jeffrey Dietz & Lily Lee l Women’s 3.5 Division, captained by Ashley Rowe & Susan Chee

The USTA Metro 4.5 team, captained by Michael Doane, is headed to Ardsley, N.Y for the 2016 Sectional Playoffs l Women’s 4.0 Division, captained by Minnie Johnson & Adele Skillin l Women’s 4.5 Division, captained by Marsha Silverman & Jennifer Lee l Women’s 5.0 Division, captained by Pam Glick Men’s Division l Men’s 3.5 Division, captained by Michael Tarlow & Jay Weinstein l Men’s 4.0 Division, captained by Dan Bindler & Ron Johnson l Men’s 4.5 Division, captained by Michael Doane l Men’s 5.0 Division, captained by Gerald DiChiara

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

More Than an Athlete: Six Keys to Coaching the Person First ... Every Time! By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC Why is it that whenever a player in any sport wins a tournament, they are usually in a good place off the court? James Blake, in his book Breaking Back, said “My greatest professional successes occurred after I had faced my most personal challenges. I used to think this was ironic; now I realize that success flows directly from having cleared those hurdles.” Fast-forward to the winners box. We have all watched a player win a big tournament and turn to their box and thank them. Have you ever wondered how the team is working together to help create an environment where a player is able to excel? This article will highlight six keys that a coach and team can use to help create a strong foundation built on trust and unconditional support when working with their players. Utilizing these techniques will create a stronger relationship between student, coach and the team. 1. Coach the person first and then the athlete Take extra time to listen and understand your players off the court. Learn what other interests they have and the pressures they face. Begin each practice with the simple question “How was your day?” or “What’s something that happened today that you could share?” Often times, peak performance cannot happen until a player gets past the pressures they face off the court (i.e. school, tests, friends). By establishing a relationship and an outlet for them, your players will know you care about not only their game, but them as an individual as well. Your genuine interest and concern will go 74

a long way in terms of your player’s dedication, loyalty, work ethic, and most importantly, trust. Remember, more often than not, poor performance comes from the player bringing something onto the court that’s distracting to them.

4. Coach “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” Encourage the players to experiment, risk and explore the things that may be outside of their comfort zone. Ask them to identify one thing they are currently uncomfortable doing, but were they to develop, would benefit their game. When players understand that it is okay to explore the game and spend time on weaknesses, they may be surprised by the positive results. Furthermore, they will have more faith in your advice to attempt and stick with ideas or techniques that do not feel easy or natural to them right away. For example, this might include coming to the net to finish a volley when pulling the opponent across the court, or staying in the point an extra shot or two before they pull the trigger on a big shot.

2. Coach “The Big Why,” the key to success Take the time to explore and understand what drives and motivates your players. Ask them, “What do you love about the game?” or “What is one reason you play that has nothing to do with winning and losing?” All great champions have their own reason for competing. Pete Sampras said, “I just wanted to see how good I could be.” What a great reason to play! Others love the competition or being with friends. Once you understand what drives a player, you can figure out how to best motivate them. It is also helpful to remember: What’s your big why for coaching? This is the reason you come back to the court day after day. It can serve to drive your 5. Coach empowerment inner motivation. and self-responsibility by asking questions 3. Coach the process Open-ended questions stimulate the and the winning will mind and make a person think. These take care of itself questions cannot be answered with a Guide your players to become aware of and simple “Yes” or “No.” Additionally, they focused on the process while letting the out- facilitate a conversation and eliminate come (results) take care of itself. This will a player from checking out mentally. keep them focused on what they can control. For example, “What do you think we Ask any player what their goal is and they will should work on today? How will that all say, “To win!” The next question to ask is: help you in match play?” Or, “What did “What will it take?” Often times, there is si- you think of that drill? How could we lence. The true champion focuses on what make it better? What didn’t you like they need to do to make the result happen. about it? What do you think that is An example might be to manage their emo- telling you?” Players can even make tions during adversity in a match, or play to self-discoveries about their effort level their strengths and use their forehand to dic- or stamina via questions such as “How tate points early in points. The key is to un- was your energy level? What energy derstand the steps. Often times, I say “Focus level do you need in a match? What’s on the path, not the peak.” It’s the only way stopping you from providing that ento get to the peak without tripping! ergy today?”

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

6. Coach what can be controlled Too often, players are focused on what they cannot control … things such as the opponent, conditions, and the most common, the outcome of the match. This thought process is the quickest path to failure. Focusing on what cannot be controlled creates anxiety. Why? Because the player has no control over it! However, dialing back and focusing on what they can control— such as staying patient in a point, staying true to their rituals, and managing adversity under pressure—will all lead to the best result. Focusing on what can be controlled doesn’t always guarantee a win, but it puts the player in the best position to win. It also empowers the player to establish a game plan and take the responsibility to follow it.

shots. Developing a mutual trust between yourself and the player allows the player to grow with complete faith in their process. It allows and teaches the player to realize that if they lost it, it’s not because they are not good enough (as a person), but rather, their game was not good enough on that particular day. Big difference … person first, every time.

In summary, these six steps outlined above began with the individual person. All players are unique people who will have a unique process and a unique performance. There is no cookie-cutter way to develop players or even a one-sizefits-all program. Great players don’t try to hit the perfect shot, rather, they hit their

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.

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

charitable initiatives N E W

Y O R K

T E N N I S

M A G A Z I N E ’ S

USTA Foundation, Chase Hosts Return the Serve Fun Day at Cary Leeds Center

STA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the USTA, has announced that for the third consecutive year, it has partnered with long-time U.S. Open sponsor Chase to award New York Junior Tennis & Learning

U 76

(NYJTL) with a $10,000 grant. The funds will be used toward year-round tennis and education programming that engages kids in the A.C.E. curriculum (Academic Creative Engagement). Chase helped NYJTL host a Return the

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

Serve Fun Day to celebrate programming and its impact on youth. The event included a variety of tennis-related activities for the youth participants, along with their families. In addition, NYJTL was presented with a check by a local Chase representative.

“The USTA Foundation is proud to once again partner with Chase to award NYJTL with this generous grant,” said Dan Faber, executive director of the USTA Foundation. “We commend Chase for giving back to thousands of NJTL participants through the Return The Serve Fun Day that will surely bring a lasting impact to the lives of many.” In addition to NYJTL, the following NJTL chapters will each receive a $10,000 grant: A’s and Aces (New Orleans); Youth Tennis

Advantage (San Francisco); Dallas Tennis Association (Addison, Texas); MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation (Jacksonville, Fla.); Portland After-School Tennis & Education (Portland, Ore.); LA 84 Southern California Tennis Association NJTL (Los Angeles); Metropolitan Tennis & Education Group (Upper Marlboro, Md.); The ACE Project (Riverdale, Ill.); and Houston Tennis Association (Houston). “Access to physical activity and education can have a critical impact on the

health and overall wellbeing of children, particularly those in underserved communities,” said Barbara Paddock, managing director for sports and entertainment at JPMorgan Chase. “As a sponsor of the U.S. Open for 35 years, we’re proud of the USTA Foundation’s work to strengthen communities, and we’re proud to help build on the impact the NJTL programs have on the hundreds or thousands of youth involved across the country.”

Kid-sized tennis, giant-sized fun! Advantage QuickStart makes tennis fun from day one. It’s customized for girls and boys as young as 3, with stages based on age and ability. Kids love the smaller racquets, smaller courts and slow-bouncing balls. There’s something new to learn—and enjoy—in every stage! The more children play, the more fun they have.

Choose from 7 convenient locations! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

MANHATTAN Columbia Prep School Gym 4 W. 93rd St. Hunter College Lexington Ave. & 68th St. Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club 450 W. 43rd St.

The Beacon School 522 W. 44th St. United Nations International School 24-50 FDR Dr.

THE BRONX New York Tennis Club 3081 Harding Ave.

ROOSEVELT ISLAND Roosevelt Racquet Club and Sports Park Gym 281 Main St.

Sign up today! Contact Paul Fontana at 646.884.9649 or pfontana@advantagetennisclubs.com. Or visit quickstartny.com. NYTennisMag.com • September/October 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) and the USTA/Eastern Metro Region. MCTA is divided into three levels of play, Intermediate (3.0-3.5), Advanced Intermediate (4.0) and Advanced (4.5+). We also offer an Advanced Beginner Clinic program for teams that are not ready to compete. We host more than 50 teams, however, during the summer season we can only accommodate 25-plus teams.

The following is the roster for the Summer 2016 season: Advanced Division 1. BNP Paribas (Pierre) 2. Bloomberg (Vighnesh) 3. Deutsche Bank 4. Ernst & Young 5. Proskauer 6. Cleary 7. Corcoran Intermediate Division I 1. Bloomberg (Kara) 2. D.E. Shaw & Company 3. White & Case 4. Akin Gump 5. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 6. The Corcoran Group 7. Barclays (Alvaro) 8. Bloomberg (Stella) 9. BNP Paribas (Kage)

Intermediate Division II 1. Bloomberg (Ankur) 2. BNP Paribas (Nicolas) 3. Sullivan 4. Deutsche Bank (Armen) 5. Patterson 6. Barclays (Fares) 7. NYCEDC 8. Xaxis Advanced Beginner Division 1. Bloomberg (Peggy) 2. Practical Law

The season runs from June 1-Aug. 24, culminating with an end-of-season party at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. The League currently is in the playoffs stage. The following are the Advanced and Intermediate Divisions brackets for the Metro Corporate Tennis League can be found to the right.

For more information, visit Metrotennis.com/Corporate/Main.html, or call Luis Espinoza at (347) 886-3117 or e-mail Luis@Metrotennis.com. 78

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

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

Metropolitan Tennis Group Brings Liberty Open to National Tennis Center BY SI D N E Y BE AL I I I

Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III

Tavaris Delaney was crowned winner of both the Men’s Singles Open Division and Men’s Doubles Open Division at the 2016 Liberty Open etropolitan Tennis Group (MTG) hosted the Liberty Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as a part of the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Association (GLTA). Each year, MTG brings the LGBTQ community from around the globe together to compete in one of the best tournaments that the GLTA has to offer. In addition to the Liberty Open, MTG holds several events for their members and guests throughout the year, not only help raise awareness about the LGBTQ community, but to help raise money for charitable organizations in New York City. In the Men’s Singles Open Division, Tavaris Delaney of Georgia took on Jon Guerrica, a Tampa, Fla. native who has made New York his home. In a highly-competitive three-set final, Delaney fought back from a set down to defeat Guerrica, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, to win the Open Division. Delaney also teamed up with Chris Byrne to defeat the team of Casey Schnabel & Sammy Tam to capture the Men’s Doubles Open Division. Below is the list of all winners and finalists from all the Divisions: Men’s Singles Open l Tavaris Delaney (winner) l Jon K. Guerrica (runner-up)

Men’s Singles A Division l Michael Flaherty (winner) l Khiem Do (runner-up) Men’s Singles B Division l Miroslav Trunec (winner) l Justin D. Weaver (runner-up) 80

Jon Guerrica in the Men’s Singles Open Division finals of the 2016 Liberty Open Men’s Singles B (40+) Division l Christopher L. Koeck (winner) l Dennis Malone (runner-up) Men’s Singles C Division l Timothy Ryan Olson (winner) l Wei Xie (runner-up) Men’s Singles C (40+) Division l David Vansuch (winner) l David B. Hart (runner-up) Men’s Doubles Open Division l Chris Byrne & Tavaris Delaney (winners) l Casey Schnabel & Sammy Tam (runners-up) Men’s Doubles A Division l Isaac Halpern & Dennis Malone (winners) l Trent Hurst & Dennis F. Loleng (runners-up) Men’s Doubles B Division l Jonathan Li & Ben Prima (winners) l Guy E. Mallory & Justin D. Weaver (runners-up) Men’s Doubles C Division l Wenjen Cheng & Wei Xie (winners) l Shiv Paul & Kenrick I. Ross (runners-up) Sidney Beal III is a contributing writer for New York Tennis Magazine.

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

Teaching to Learn By Steve Kaplan t’s been said that to be a great teacher, you must first be an avid student. I use this wisdom as a guiding principle for my profession as a coach by relentlessly reading theory, studying technique, questioning methods and reevaluating what I think I know and may yet learn. Teaching is a great way to learn, and I have observed that in order to be a great tennis student, it’s tremendously helpful to coach. Consider for a moment that Roger Federer, perhaps the greatest player of all time, spent many successful years without a coach, yet throughout his career, his strokes are immaculate and his tactics as creative and clever as ever. In interviews, Federer proves himself to be the most astute tennis mind that I have heard, and I have heard many (most very dull unfortunately). Federer would be an outstanding commentator or coach after his playing days have ended because he sees the game from the perceptive of an analytic problem-solver. This ability is a

large part of his playing greatness and a testament to the idea that, on-court, he is his own brilliant coach. When I watch my students give instruction, I notice that they often use much of the same information and methods I have used with them. This is because teaching clarifies and reinforces existing information. It also deepens understanding and leads to a heightened sense of awareness. Teaching and mentoring is also a valuable away to gain a larger view of the world. I am proud to conduct the largest tennis program in New York for Special Olympics over the past 17 years. Many of the players at my club, as well as from other clubs, have been longtime volunteers, providing instruction and mentorship to physically- and developmentally-challenged athletes in this program. This experience has been transformative for many young players. It’s a little bit harder to get nervous at 5-5 in the third set of your match when you are reminded often that this playing challenge is insignificant when compared to the daily challenges faced by others whom you have helped. There are few experiences as empowering

and confidence-building as teaching. It is such a profound motivational tool that many top coaches will admit, Nick Bollettieri for example, who have learned as much from their students as their students have learned from them. Teaching also has intrinsic value. It is a selfless act of kindness, a way to give back, pay forward and help others. It’s also an act of enlightened self-interest for young players. Tennis is, by its nature, a selfish sport. Gathering a few teaching experiences are a way to help yourself by helping others. Be a leader on the court during practice and matches by practicing leadership and mentorship both on and off the court. Steve 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 • September/October 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at th

Murray defends the Gold, whil he tennis portion of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil came and went in midAugust, as the best players in the world competed in what many consider a fifth Grand Slam. Playing for the pride of your nation can be an incredible motivating force for an athlete, and that was on display in Rio as the sport’s brightest stars took a break from the summer grind of the ATP and WTA Tours to compete for national pride. The biggest story of the 2016 Olympic tennis games was the run of Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig, who beat two of the top three players in in the world, Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber, on her way to capturing the Gold Medal in Women’s Singles. With the win, Puig became the first

T 82

athlete ever to win an individual Gold Medal representing Puerto Rico. “I’m speechless,” said Puig after her Gold Medal victory, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win over Kerber. “I wanted it so bad. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that this would happen.” If Puig was the tournament’s biggest story, Andy Murray was a close second. Murray defended his gold medal at the 2012 Olympics with another Gold Medal in Rio, downing Juan Martin del Potro in four sets in an exciting final. Del Potro had shaken up the draw when he knocked out world number one Novak Djokovic in the opening round, and the Argentine played some phenomenal tennis which should be an encouraging sign for him heading into the U.S. Open. “I’ve enjoyed the experience again and will hopefully get another chance in Tokyo,” said

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

Murray as he looks forward to the 2020 Olympics. American Jack Sock was the only tennis player in Rio to come home with two medals. Despite a disappointing early exit in the men’s singles draw, Sock paired with Steve Johnson to win the Bronze Medal in men’s doubles, and teamed up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to capture the Gold Medal in mixed-doubles. The duo defeated the duo of Venus Williams & Rajeev Ram in an allAmerican mixed-doubles final. The Silver Medal finish for Venus was the fifth of her career, equaling the record set by Great Britain’s Kitty McKane. “Definitely a moment we’ll never forget and something we’ll always share together,” said Sock of his win with Mattek-Sands. “I grew up watching Venus and Serena … they’re

t the 2016 Olympic Games

while Puig comes up big for Puerto Rico legends of the game and have done so much for tennis. They’ve won everything under the sun. To be across the net from her was definitely an incredible experience.” Below are the full results from an exciting couple of weeks at the 2016 Olympic Games: Men’s Singles Gold: Andy Murray (Great Britain) Silver: Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) Bronze: Kei Nishikori (Japan)

Silver: Florin Mergea & Horia Tecau (Romania) Bronze: Jack Sock & Steve Johnson (United States)

Women’s Singles Gold: Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) Silver: Angelique Kerber (Germany) Bronze: Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)

Mixed-Doubles Gold: Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Jack Sock (United States) Silver: Venus Williams & Rajeev Ram (United States) Bronze: Lucie Hradecka & Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic)

Men’s Doubles Gold: Rafael Nadal & Marc Lopez (Spain)

Women’s Doubles Gold: Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina (Russia) Silver: Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) Bronze: Lucie Safarova & Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic)

CAPTIONS 1-Spain’s Rafael Nadal & Marc Lopez took home Gold in Men’s Doubles 2-The American duo of Bethanie MattekSands & Jack Sock were winners of Olympic Gold in Mixed-Doubles 3- Great Britain’s Andy Murray defended his Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympic Games 4-Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig captured Women’s Singles Gold in Rio 5-In Women’s Doubles, the Gold Medal went to the team of Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina from Russia

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

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 08/15/16)

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

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Ryuichi Nitta ..................Bronx, N.Y. 2 ........Dylan Lachmanen..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Matthew Mosejczuk ......East Elmhurst, N.Y. 4 ........Waley Chen....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 5 ........Daniel Galisteo Gordon New York, N.Y. 6 ........Connor P. Dunne............Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Gabriel Markowitz..........New York, N.Y. 8 ........Eric Dubilirer ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 9 ........George Arteaga..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 10 ......Kevin Daniel Golub ........New York, N.Y. 11 ......Neel M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 12 ......Nicholas Oblonsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 13 ......Arnav Agostinho ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ......Shane Tomonia ..............Jamaica, N.Y. 15 ......Liam J. Dunne................Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Rino Cattabiani ..............Flushing, N.Y. 17 ......Sunjay Dev Singh ..........New York, N.Y. 18 ......Jack Benavides..............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Ryan David Brandes......Rego Park, N.Y.

YORK

20 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Gunnar S. Overstrom ....New York, N.Y. 22 ......Eugene Fishman............Rego Park, N.Y. 23 ......Franco Manriquez..........Sunnyside, N.Y. 24 ......Sabian Kosinov..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 25 ......Michael Zlatnik ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 26 ......Guy Ferrera ....................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Daniel Ivko......................Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ......Michael Cooper ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Brandon Torres ..............Bronx, N.Y. 30 ......Joshua Ashvil ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 31 ......Andres Fente..................New York, N.Y. 32 ......Sebastian Chavarro ......Jackson Heights, N.Y. 33 ......Yesh Nikam ....................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Bhawick Singh ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 35 ......Ethan Cintron ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 36 ......Jasper Hunt Thomas ....New York, N.Y. 37 ......Christopher Boonting Chi Bayside, N.Y. 38 ......Alex Stolarz ....................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Nicholas Jozek Zagora..Staten Island, N.Y. 40 ......Nicholas Benavides ......New York, N.Y.

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

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Robert Ivko ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 2 ........Richard Wickman ..........Bayside, N.Y. 3 ........Michael McDonough ....New York, N.Y.

RANKINGS 4 ........Lucas Larese DeSanto ..New York, N.Y. 5 ........Yarden Hahn ..................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Daniel Usvyat ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Alexander Chiu ..............New York, N.Y. 8 ........Daniel Ivko......................Staten Island, N.Y. 9 ........Connor Ryan Crowley ..Bronx, N.Y.

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

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name ..............................City 1 ........Anya Barteck..................New York, N.Y. 2 ........Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 3 ........Jordan Ben-Shmuel ......New York, N.Y. 4 ........Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 5 ........Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ........Nadzeya Fliaha ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Emma Eisenberg............New York, N.Y. 8 ........Sofie Shen......................New York, N.Y. 9 ........Sheyna Esther Karen ....New York, N.Y. 10 ......Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 11 ......Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 12 ......Leah Margulies ..............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 14 ......Jasmine Leon Soon ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Nia Simone Benjamin....Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Jamila Akhmedjanova ..New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

18 ......Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 19 ......Leila M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Celina Liu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 21 ......Natalie Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 22 ......Tess Ariel Whitman ........New York, N.Y. 23 ......Abigail Hammer ............Astoria, N.Y. 24 ......Ellie Sullivan ..................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Tess Anna Price ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Katrine Zlatnik ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 27 ......Sofia Allinson ................New York, N.Y. 28 ......Nicolette Fundator ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 29 ......Maxie Molly Karen ........New York, N.Y. 30 ......Alleyah Katherine Ally ....Bellerose, N.Y. 31 ......Laura Coleman ..............New York, N.Y. 32 ......Ella Liv Price ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 33 ......Greer S. Goergen ..........New York, N.Y. 34 ......Isabelle Grace Casimir ..New York, N.Y. 35 ......Nia Lashawn Dabreo ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 36 ......Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 37 ......Nadezhda M. Blot..........Arverne, N.Y. 38 ......Julia Dementyev ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ......Claire de Saint Phalle ....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 ........Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 3 ........Natalie Marguiles ..........New York, N.Y. 4 ........Maryna Bohdanovska ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ........Gianna Gaudio ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 6 ........Celina Liu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 7 ........Rebecca Macdonald ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Gabrielle Hernandez......Ridgewood, N.Y. 9 ........Nicole Koi Massa ..........Astoria, N.Y. 10 ......Danielle P. Kezeli ............Staten Island, N.Y. 11 ......Nia Simone Benjamin....Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Bella Kaplan ..................New York, N.Y. 13 ......Jordan Ben-Shmuel ......New York, N.Y. 14 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 17 ......Michelle Iosipov ............Staten Island, N.Y. 18 ......Theodora Vrailas............New York, N.Y. 19 ......Kristina Pali ....................Briarwood, N.Y. 20 ......Alleyah Katherine Ally ....Bellerose, N.Y. 21 ......Tomi Alalade ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 22 ......Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 23 ......Mia Simone Parrish ......Queens Village, N.Y. 24 ......Prthvi Srinivasan ............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Sophia Africk..................New York, N.Y. 26 ......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 08/02/16)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 3 ........Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 4 ........Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 8 ........Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 11 ......John-Thomas Bilski ......New York, N.Y. 12 ......Joseph Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 14 ......Donovan Spigner ..........New York, N.Y. 18 ......Jace Alexander ..............New York, N.Y. 21 ......Nicholas Steiglehner......New York, N.Y. 23 ......Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 26 ......Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y. 27 ......Ari Hercules Cotoulas....Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 33 ......Sacha Maes ..................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Astro Brundo Pilipovic ..New York, N.Y. 38 ......Nicholas Laffont ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Benjamin Kantor ..........New York, N.Y. 45 ......Andrew R. Ena ..............Rego Park, N.Y. 49 ......Rafe Photopoulos..........New York, N.Y. 52 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 54 ......Alexander Aney..............New York, N.Y. 56 ......Ty Justin Staco-Towns ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 60 ......Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 67 ......Samuel Zeitlin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Dominick Mosejczuk ....East Elmhurst, N.Y. 79 ......Stephan M. Gershfeld ..New York, N.Y. 82 ......Theodore R. Murphy......New York, N.Y. 87 ......Luca Photopoulos ........New York, N.Y. 89 ......Nicholas Iantosca ..........New York, N.Y. 90 ......David Dove Hendon ......New York, N.Y. 91 ......Cal R. Wider ..................New York, N.Y. 93 ......Ryan Friedman ..............New York, N.Y. 98 ......Nicholas Jozef Zagora ..Staten Island, N.Y. 99 ......Joshua Staroselskiy ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 100 ....Safin Shaikh ..................Long Island City, N.Y. 106 ....Noah Katzer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 113 ....Romero Jones................New York, N.Y. 114 ....Santiago Espejel ............New York, N.Y. 117 ....Bobby Duskin ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 125 ....Dylan Lachmanen..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 127 ....Sebastian Brustein ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 136 ....Arjun N. Agostinho ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 139 ....Giuseppe Cerasuolo......Bayside, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 2 ........Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 12 ......Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 13 ......John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 16 ......Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 17 ......Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 18 ......Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ......Robbie F. Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 25 ......Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 34 ......Kai Yuminaga ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 37 ......Ryan McCook................Saint Albans, N.Y. 42 ......Oliver Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 48 ......Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 50 ......Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y.

YORK

55 ......Anton Semenov ............New York, N.Y. 58 ......Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 62 ......Noah Abels Eisenberg ..New York, N.Y. 64 ......Oliver Worth ..................New York, N.Y. 65 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 67 ......Sidharth Chawla ............New York, N.Y. 71 ......Nash Crofoot Johnson ..New York, N.Y. 73 ......Mitchel Pertsovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 75 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 76 ......Albert Y. Wan..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 83 ......Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 84 ......Charles Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 87 ......Winter Fagerberg ..........New York, N.Y. 89 ......Anthony Cataldo............Brooklyn, N.Y. 90 ......Marcos Souza Lee ........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Bradley Bennett ............New York, N.Y. 97 ......Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 98 ......Milan Kavi Jain ..............New York, N.Y. 101 ....Jonathan Laforest..........Queens Village, N.Y. 103 ....Luca Anthony DeMare ..New York, N.Y. 105 ....Jeffrey Yu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 107 ....Sabian Kosinov..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 112 ....Neel M. Epstein..............New York City, N.Y. 120 ....Benjamin TEbanks ........New York, N.Y. 121 ....Scott Fischer..................New York, N.Y. 127 ....Waley Chen....................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 134 ....Gunner S. Overstrom ....New York, N.Y. 136 ....Ryuichi Nitta ..................Bronx, N.Y. 138 ....Dylan Lachmanen..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 139 ....Donovan Brown ............New York, N.Y. 147 ....Zachary Portnoy ............New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region

RANKINGS 128 ....Richard Zusman ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 141 ....Zachary G. Targoff ........New York, N.Y. 147 ....Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 148 ....Ethan Finley....................New York, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 14 ......Peter Lohrbach ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 19 ......Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y. 25 ......Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y. 44 ......Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 45 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 51 ......Cole Gittens ..................New York, N.Y. 52 ......Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 65 ......Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 69 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 74 ......Adam Bryan Borak ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 76 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 89 ......Christopher Kolesnik ....Staten Island, N.Y. 92 ......Philip Belmatch..............Staten Island, N.Y. 99 ......Kemel Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 103 ....Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 116 ....Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 119 ....Michael Tyutyunik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 121 ....David Mizrahi ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 135 ....Dominik Pajor ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 142 ....Xavier Pacthod ..............New York, N.Y. 14 ......Andreja Radevic ............New York, N.Y.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region

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

11 ......Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 18 ......David Mizahi ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 22 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 24 ......Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 29 ......Steven Daniel Nazaroff..Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 41 ......Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 42 ......Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 48 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 57 ......Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 58 ......Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 60 ......Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 61 ......Christopher Tham..........Flushing, N.Y. 64 ......Shand Stephens ............New York, N.Y. 67 ......Derek Raskopf ..............New York, N.Y. 69 ......Sam Vagner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 70 ......Gabriel Isaac Rissman ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Kai Yuminaga ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 86 ......John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 91 ......Oliver Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 93 ......William Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 95 ......Robbie F. Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 99 ......Felix Levine ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 106 ....Kemal Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 110 ....Julian Szuper ................New York, N.Y. 111 ....Blake Frank ....................New York, N.Y. 113 ....Dominik Pajor ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 119 ....Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 121 ....Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 122 ....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 123 ....Ilya Semenov..................New York, N.Y. 125 ....Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

7 ........Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 9 ........Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 10 ......Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 23 ......Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 25 ......Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 30 ......Nina Wiese ....................Flushing, N.Y. 33 ......Lara Rose Berliner ........New York, N.Y. 41 ......Julia T. Werdiger ............New York, N.Y. 43 ......Sofia Iantosca ................New York, N.Y. 47 ......Bukky Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 48 ......Blakely Duskin................New York, N.Y. 49 ......Taylor Overstrom............New York, N.Y. 51 ......Linda Ziets-Segura ........New York, N.Y. 64 ......Sophia Cisse..................New York, N.Y. 74 ......Ronit Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y. 79 ......Alina Ongeyberg ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 81 ......Charlie Eve Liss..............New York, N.Y. 85 ......Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 86 ......Natalie Bergmann ..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 90 ......Emma Voykhanskaya ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 99 ......Patricia Grigoras ............Middle Village, N.Y. 101 ....Ava Dahl ........................New York, N.Y. 104 ....Bianca Dumitru ..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 107 ....Rosie Isabella Seccia ....New York, N.Y. 110 ....Jasmine Leon Soon ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Victoria McEnroe ..........New York, N.Y. 123 ....Mia Saveljic ....................New York, N.Y. 134 ....Anna Becker ..................New York, N.Y. 135 ....Julia Hornak ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 138 ....Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 144 ....Allegra Noelle Wong ......New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 1 ........Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 9 ........Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 20 ......Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 26 ......Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 28 ......Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 29 ......Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 34 ......Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 36 ......Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 38 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 46 ......Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 51 ......Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 54 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 56 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 60 ......Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 62 ......Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y. 65 ......Deliala Friedman ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 70 ......Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 85 ......Jamila Akhmedjanova ..New York, N.Y. 90 ......Leila M. Epstein..............New York, N.Y. 91 ......Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 98 ......Nia Lashawn Dabreo ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 100 ....Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y. 103 ....Alyssa An........................New York, N.Y. 111 ....Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 112 ....Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 115 ....Celina Liu........................Forest Hills N.Y. 125 ....Sofia Allinson ................New York, N.Y. 127 ....Rebecca Sitkovetsky ....Staten Island, N.Y. 131 ....Nicole Wooyin Lee ........New York, N.Y. 136 ....Emma Eisenberg............New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 5 ........Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 11 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 22 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 25 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 32 ......Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 34 ......Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 38 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 39 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 42 ......Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 48 ......Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 51 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 53 ......Valicia Browne................Brooklyn, N.Y. 57 ......Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 58 ......Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 64 ......Diana Sosonkin..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 65 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 75 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 84 ......Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 85 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 88 ......Anastasya Menshikova ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 90 ......Nicole Mika ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 91 ......Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 96 ......Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 104 ....Isabella T. Hartman ........New York, N.Y. 106 ....Sofie Kate Levine ..........New York, N.Y.

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

NEW

YORK

107 ....Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 118 ....Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 119 ....Najah Love Dawson ......Rosedale, N.Y. 122 ....Amalia M. Parrish ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 123 ....Josephine Kimball ........New York, N.Y. 133 ....Celina Liu........................Forest Hills, N.Y. 135 ....Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 138 ....Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 141 ....Nicole Koi Massa ..........Astoria, N.Y. 142 ....Jamila Akhmedjanova ..New York, N.Y. 143 ....Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 148 ....Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y.

225 ....Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 307 ....Nicholas Steiglehner......New York, N.Y. 322 ....Sacha Maes ..................New York, N.Y. 380 ....Benjamin Kantor ............New York, N.Y. 388 ....Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 398 ....Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 461 ....Nicholas Laffont ............New York, N.Y. 522 ....Astro Brundo Pilipovic ..New York, N.Y. 647 ....Alexander Aney..............New York, N.Y. 666 ....Ari Hercules Cotoulas....Brooklyn, N.Y. 814 ....Luca Photopoulos ........New York, N.Y. 815 ....Rafe Photopoulos..........New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region

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

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

9 ........Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 22 ......Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y. 25 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 27 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 31 ......Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 38 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 41 ......Valicia Browne................Brooklyn, N.Y. 43 ......Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 44 ......Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 45 ......Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 47 ......Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 53 ......Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 56 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 57 ......Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 62 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 63 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 67 ......Kiara A. Rose ................New York, N.Y. 70 ......Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 74 ......Yuka Lin..........................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 84 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 85 ......Anna Maite Kaplan ........New York, N.Y. 87 ......Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 102 ....Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y. 103 ....Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 107 ....Sydney Lynn Katz..........New York, N.Y. 111 ....Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 113 ....Dea Koiava ....................New York, N.Y. 123 ....Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 129 ....Jillian Rose Auteri ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 132 ....Emma Kassan................New York, N.Y. 134 ....Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 138 ....Najah Love Dawson ......Rosedale, N.Y. 139 ....Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 142 ....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y.

13 ......Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 116 ....Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 134 ....Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 143 ....Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 151 ....Noah D. Edelman ..........New York, N.Y. 165 ....Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 170 ....John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 181 ....Robbie Werdiger............New York, N.Y. 186 ....Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 228 ....Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 433 ....Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 458 ....Oliver Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 475 ....Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 480 ....Kai Yuminaga ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 511 ....Oliver Worth ..................Long Island City, N.Y. 793 ....Winter Fagerberg ..........New York, N.Y. 822 ....Mitchel Pertsovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 908 ....Zachary Portnoy ............New York, N.Y. 954 ....Anton Semenov ............New York, N.Y. 967 ....Ryan McCook................Saint Albans, N.Y. 975 ....Eitan Khromchenko ......Staten Island, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 08/10/16)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 19 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 37 ......Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 48 ......John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 80 ......Donovan Spigner..........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 121 ....Jace K. Alexander..........New York, N.Y. 179 ....Joseph Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 184 ....Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 130 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 183 ....Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 236 ....Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 287 ....Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 321 ....Steven Daniel Nazaroff..Brooklyn, N.Y. 344 ....Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 377 ....David Mizrahi ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 447 ....Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 564 ....Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 611 ....Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 688 ....Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 689 ....Jo Takakura....................New York, N.Y. 747 ....Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 760 ....Sam V. Vagner................Staten Island, N.Y. 766 ....Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 789 ....Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 155 ....Peter Lohrbach ..............Little Neck, N.Y. 310 ....Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y. 370 ....Calvin Chung..................Bronx, N.Y. 378 ....Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 440 ....Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 477 ....Cole Gittens ..................New York, N.Y. 608 ....Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 814 ....Adam Bryan Borak ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 872 ....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 914 ....Mitchell Ostrovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y.

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 23 ......Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 88 ......Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 100 ....Sarah Lucy Youngberg..New York, N.Y. 225 ....Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 314 ....Catalina Haberman........New York, N.Y. 426 ....Nina Wiese ....................Flushing, N.Y. 555 ....Julia T. Werdiger ............New York, N.Y. 595 ....Linda Ziets-Segura ........New York, N.Y. 734 ....Sofia Iantosca ................New York, N.Y. 874 ....Bukky Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 887 ....Claire An ........................New York, N.Y. 909 ....Sophia Cisse..................New York, N.Y. 910 ....Blakely Duskin................Brooklyn, N.Y. 915 ....Mia Saveljic ....................New York, N.Y. 918 ....Charlie Eve Liss..............New York, N.Y. 938 ....Lara Rose Berliner ........New York, N.Y. 950 ....Kelly Chen ......................Forest Hills, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 15 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 47 ......Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 224 ....Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 233 ....Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 273 ....Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 320 ....Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 322 ....Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 383 ....Rebecca Elaina Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 388 ....Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 508 ....Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 549 ....Nathalie Williams............New York, N.Y. 591 ....Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 597 ....Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 931 ....Zoe Kava ........................New York, N.Y. 937 ....Anna Borovinskaya........Bronx, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 19 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 46 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 96 ......Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 233 ....Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 282 ....Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 285 ....Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 364 ....Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 377 ....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 384 ....Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 402 ....Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 444 ....Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 486 ....Perene Wang..................New York, N.Y. 505 ....Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 509 ....Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 566 ....Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 692 ....Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 849 ....Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 855 ....Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 912 ....Anastasya Menshikova..Brooklyn, N.Y. 929 ....Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y.

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

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 181 ....Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 192 ....Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 248 ....Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 429 ....Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 449 ....Victoria Sec ....................New York, N.Y. 457 ....Shelly Yaloz ....................Little Neck, N.Y. 594 ....Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 655 ....Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 826 ....Jennifer Yu......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 846 ....Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 849 ....Najah Love Dawson ......Rosedale, N.Y. 885 ....Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 908 ....Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2016 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. SEPTEMBER 2016 Friday-Sunday, September 2-4 L2O MatchPoint NYC September Open MatchPoint NYC • 2781 Shell Road • Brooklyn, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 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, Aug. 29 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Klastique@yahoo.com or call (718) 769-0001. Sunday-Sunday, September 4-11 U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championships USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows, Corona Park • Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $3 per player For more information, e-mail USOpenJrs@USTA.com or call (718) 760-6200. Friday-Sunday, September 9-11 L1B Haffen Park Challenger at Crotona Park Crotona Park • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail EBWaldron@aol.com or call (917) 609-3648.

Saturday, September 10 Youth Progression Orange Level 1 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: 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, Sept. 4 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail BrianQuiban@gmail.com or call (718) 740-6800. Saturday, September 10 Youth Progression Orange Ball L2 Bronx The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 L1A Cary Leeds September Championships The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Friday-Sunday, September 9-11 Surface Type: Unknown L1B Sportime Randall’s Island September Challenger Sportime Randall’s Island • 1 Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call 14-18 (SE) (347) 417-8100. Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is MonFriday-Sunday, September 16-18 day, Sept. 5 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MTrumino@SportimeNY.com L1B Cunningham Tennis September Challenger Cunningham Sports Center or call (212) 427-6150. 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Friday, September 9 Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball Orange Level 3 UPS Fresh Meadows 12, 16 (SE) Cunningham Sports Center Surface Type: Hard 19600 Union Turnpike • Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) and Co-ed 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 12 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Klastique@yahoo.com or call Ball 10 (NEF) (718) 740-6800. Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $38.13 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, September 16-18 & September 23-25 L1B Sportime Randall’s Island Fall Challenger Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 125 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail MTrumino@SportimeNY.com or call (212) 427-6150. Saturday-Sunday, September 17-18 L3 Alley Pond TC Sept 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 14-16 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600. Friday-Sunday, September 23-25 L2O Cary Leeds September Open The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100. Saturday, September 24 L3 Orange Ball UPS, Harlem Harlem Junior Tennis Program 40 West 143rd Street New York, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $28 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Sept. 17 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail DanteBrown@HJTEP.org or call (212) 491-3738.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 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. Saturday, September 24 Youth Progression Orange Level 2 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800. Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1 Cary Leeds Fall Championship The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100. Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2 L1B Cary Leeds September Challenger The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100. OCTOBER 2016 Saturday-Monday, October 8-10 USTA National Selection Tournament-October Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (FIC-R16) and Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (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 (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 8 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Lauren@StadiumTennisNYC.com or call (718) 665-4684.

Saturday-Monday, October 8-10 L1A Cary Leeds UTR Championship The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 18 (SE) and Championships Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100. Friday-Monday, October 14-16 L2O Cunningham Tennis October Open Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Klastique@yahoo.com or call (718) 740-6800. Sunday, October 16 Youth Progression Orange Level 2 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys Doubles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800. Friday-Sunday, October 21-23 L1B APTC October Challenger Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate 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, Oct. 17 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

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

Friday-Monday, October 28-31 L1B Cary Leeds Tennis Center Fall Challenger The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 24 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (347) 417-8100. Friday-Sunday, October 28-30 L2O APTC October Open Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, 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: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles/$28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 24 at 9:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600. Saturday-Sunday, October 29-30 Youth Progression Green Level 1 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles 78’ Green Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail Brian@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800. Sunday, October 30 L3 APTC October 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 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

SPORTIME TENNIS HOME OF THE JOHN McENROE TENNIS ACADEMY, ADULT TENNIS PROGRAMS, JUNIOR PROGRAMS AND MORE...

Tennis Whizz Preschool Programs - Ages 3 - 5

SPORTIME U10 Red Ball Levels - Ages 5 - 6

Junior TK Recreational - Ages 9 and Up

EXCEL Tennis High Performance - Ages 9 and Up

SPORTIME U10 Orange Ball Levels - Ages 7 - 10

John McEnroe Tennis Academy Ages 9 and Up

Adult League Tennis, Lessons and More All Levels

Adult Series and Per Diem Programs All Levels

SPORTIME offers more than 150 indoor and outdoor courts, in a variety of surfaces, exclusive member benefits, online court booking and account management, and more. Why play anywhere else? Call the SPORTIME location near you to find out more or visit us online today.

TENNIS FITNESS MULTI-SPORT z

888/NY TENNIS www.SportimeNY.com/Tennis

SPORTIME TENNIS LOCATIONS Manhattan: Randall’s Island - 212-427-6150 Westchester: Harbor Island - 914-777-5050 | Lake Isle - 914-777-5151 Long Island - Nassau: Bethpage Tennis - 516-933-8500 | Lynbrook - 516-887-1330 | Roslyn - 516-484-9222 | Syosset Tennis - 516-364-2727 Long Island - Suffolk: Amagansett - 631-267-3460 | Kings Park - 631-269-6300 | Quogue - 631-653-6767 Capital Region: Schenectady - 518-356-0100 JOHN McENROE TENNIS ACADEMY LOCATIONS Manhattan/Randall’s Island - 212-427-6150 | Westchester/Lake Isle - 914-777-5151 | Long Island/Syosset - 516-364-2727 NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2016 • New York Tennis Magazine

114

115 New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2016 • NYTennisMag.com