New York Tennis Magazine September / October 2017 by United Sports Publications

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

nytennis New York Tennis Magazine

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 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 Joey Arendt Managing Art Director Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Scott Koondel VP of Operations (516) 409-4444, ext. 324

Sidney Beal III Staff Photographer

Lee Seidner Staff Photographer

Table Of Contents

2017 U.S. Open Preview

The stars of the sport get set to take over the New York area for the final Grand Slam of the year as we take a closer look at the men’s and women’s field vying for glory in Flushing Meadows. See page 34

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.

Cover photo credit: USTA

Highlights 8 Bringing Star Power Back to the Island By Brian Coleman 40 2017 New York City Girls High School Preview 50 2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

Features 4 10 12 13 14 16 18 20 21 22 23 24 27 36 38

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

SEP/OCT 2017 • Vol 7, No 5

42 43 44 46 47 48 49 62 64 68 70 72 74 76 78

Across Metro New York Neighborhood Pride on the Line at Annual Battle of the Boroughs Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs NYJTL Raises $200K-Plus at Annual Summer Gala New York Tennis Magazine’s Junior Player Spotlight By Brian Coleman ATP Pro Reyes-Varela & Caripi Wins Final LI Tennis Challenge of 2017 How to Win More Tiebreakers By Mike Williams ClayTech: A Better Solution for the Home Tennis Court Beyond the Baseline: John Curtis By Brian Coleman The Jensen Zone: The Vets Show No Sign of Quit! By Luke Jensen Why Kids Should Choose Tennis Over Other Sports By Stephen Annacone USTA Eastern Metro Region Update: September/October 2017 Cary Leeds Hosts Fourth Annual Return the Serve Event Coaching Spotlight: Pablo Montesi of Future Stars Camps Fundamental Roles of an Effective Coach in Player Development By Carlos Cano & Andras Putyera The Mental and Emotional Talents of Prodigies By Chris Lewit “Little Mo” North Regionals at Centercourt Chatham By Brian Coleman Functional Fitness for Tennis Players By Dr. Rob Silverman USTA Leagues Update: September/October 2017 inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel To Defer or Not to Defer: That Is the Question By Barbara Wyatt Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis, and So Much More Inaugural New York Open POP Tennis Tournament Reboot, Recharge and Rebound: The Secret to Success By Rob Polishook Super Nationals By Steve Kaplan What I Would Change About Tennis By Gilad Bloom The Athlete’s Greatest Opponent By Dr. Tom Ferraro New York Tennis Magazine’s Literary Corner By Richard Thater The Development of Motor Reaction Speed By Philip Feingold NTC Plays Host to 2017 Liberty Open By Sidney Beal III

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Across Metro Ne RCTA Presents Youth Tennis Carnival

NTC Hosts “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” Event

Riverside Clay Tennis Association (RCTA) hosted a free Youth Tennis Carnival during its annual summer picnic, designed to promote youth tennis and showcase the association’s youth programs. The clinic had about 50 young players from around New York City participate in six youth stations spread out over the two adult red-clay courts, receiving instruction from the club’s afterschool program and summer camp coaches. Glen Heroy of Big Apple Circus (pictured here), also known as the man of 83 faces, was on hand as a part of the carnival.

Wozniacki Joins JMTA Kids for Training Session

The kids at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Randall’s Island got a treat when two-time U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki stopped by the facility for a training session. The kids made sure to watch intently and learn from one of the best players in the world. 4

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hosted its annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” event, bringing together more than 700 kids from Far Rockaway along with the Queens District Attorney’s anti-violence program.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

New York

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

Local Zaretsky Advances to “Little Mo” Nationals

Cary Leeds Center Wraps Up Camp Eastern

Elana Zaretsky, a student of Chris Lewit Tennis Academy, finished in third place at the “Little Mo” North Regionals at Centercourt Chatham. As a result, Zaretsky qualifies for the “Little Mo” Nationals in Austin, Texas in late September.

West Side Tennis Participates in Anti-Crime Event The West Side Tennis Club took part in the “National Night Out Against Crime” event, an annual event that promoted policecommunity partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. In addition to sending teaching pros to the event, members of West Side Tennis Club’s junior program came out to take part in the event as well.

The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning hosted Camp Eastern, a five-day, four-night sleepaway camp featuring tennis, educational and cultural opportunities, for its fifth straight year this summer. The kids who earned scholarships to the camp were able to take part in many activities, including attending New York Empire matches and taking a tour of City Hall.

continued on page 6 NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

across metro new york

continued from page 5

at the L1B RI July Challenger at Sportime Randall’s Island, before winning the L1B West Orange Tennis Club August Challenger with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 10-7 win over Nicolas Gritz in the final.

Tennis Innovators’ Dhouib Captures PWTA Boys 18s Championship Mehdi Dhouib of Tennis Innovators Academy traveled to Long Island and won the L1 Port Washington Tennis Academy August Championships in the Boys 18s singles draw. After a long tournament, he came out on top 6-2, 6-1 over Justin Mandell in the finals.

MatchPoint Juniors Meet Isner

CourtSense’s Ohm Finds Success at Recent Challengers Ethan Ohm of CourtSense Tennis Training Center had a great run of matches competing in L1B Challengers. First, he captured the title

MatchPoint NYC was one of three programs to take part in a 10U Junior TeamTennis tournament prior to a recent New York Empire match. As part of the event, the kids were able to take part in a meet and greet with John Isner, and show off their skills on Court 17 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

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Bringing Star Power Back to the Island NY Open Tournament Director Josh Ripple brings pro tennis to revamped Nassau Coliseum By Brian Coleman

ong Island will once again play host to professional tennis when the New York Open makes its debut at NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in February of 2018. Thanks to the partnership between GF Sports LLC and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the famous Memphis Open has found a new home in Nassau County. “We conducted an exhaustive eightmonth national search to find a real growth opportunity from both a corporate sponsorship and ticket buyer standpoint,” said Josh Ripple, Executive Vice President of GF Sports LLC and Tournament Director for the New York Open. “In the end, we were fortunate to capitalize on our GF Sports Board’s relationship with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and the realization that the newly 8

renovated Coliseum could be interested in having a solid event anchor tenant so to speak. A casual conversation turned into a win-win proposition for both of us, and the partnership affords us the chance to help build tennis in the New York-metro area and offer Long Islanders an annual world-class professional sports property to support.” The Memphis Open was one of longest running American tournaments on the ATP Tour, dating back to 1976. In 1977, it was designated as the U.S. Indoor National Championships, and tennis legend Bjorn Borg captured the title that year. The tournament was acquired by GF Capital, two years ago, along with the BB&T Open in Atlanta, and both are now operated by GF Sports LLC. While Memphis possesses a strong and passionate tennis fan base, as time went on,

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

the market shrunk with attendance dropping and sponsorship interest on the decline. “Memphis is an historic tennis market with savvy tennis fans,” said Ripple. “But the tournament itself became victim to the macro changes in professional tennis, meaning many of the sports top players were no longer Americans and more and more tournaments were exiting the U.S. With that evolution, the event became pretty limited to a small core base of passionate tennis fans and not many others. With attendance dwindling, the interest from sponsors in that market also became limited.” Ripple continued, “When GF Capital purchased the tournament, it was our mid- to long-term goal to relocate closer to the New York area. When we learned that Nassau Coliseum had gone through a change, we thought we had a great opportunity to move this event

closer to our home base and reside in a newly renovated stateof-the-art arena. It became a no-brainer. When all the stars lined up, we knew we could have a potential winner by moving it to the Nassau Coliseum.” The move is one of many that GF Sports looks to make as it wants to bring its event assets closer to the company headquarters, and the New Yorkmarket presents a unique opportunity to grow the tournament exponentially. The company is making a major investment and betting on the New York Open, as well as other events that it is bringing to the area. One of those events is the American leg of the Longines Masters, an Equestrian event that has been held in Los Angeles for the last several years and will be moving to the Nassau Coliseum next April. In conjunction with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the partnership is set to build on its various event series with a strong and strategic marketing campaign. At the heart of that is the tournament that has brought excitement and intrigue to tennis fans in the Long Island and New York communities who have been starving for a professional tennis event outside of the three week-long U.S. Open. Ripple and all involved have stressed that they want the New York Open to be more than just an ATP 250 Series tennis tournament, incorporating various lifestyle extensions that will help create a festival-type atmosphere throughout the week that the tournament is in town. That marketing strategy is something he learned and was able to help execute during his time at Life is Beautiful, a Las Vegas-based inspirational content and music, food, art and learning event company, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. Ripple will serve as the New York Open Tournament Director and brings a wealth of experience in the field of event marketing and the business which encompasses it. He is also a former tennis player himself, having played his college tennis at George Washington University where he was roommates with now ITF President David Haggerty.

“Our overall strategy must never forget our core tennis base, but perhaps more important, it must cater to the general entertainment-seeking consumer,” said Ripple. “While it may take a few years to get it right, the goal is to offer the players, fans, sponsors and media something unique that differentiates ourselves from the rest. That fundamental approach was pounded into me in recent non-sports roles at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas and then at Life is Beautiful. An old boss used to preach to me that is was our mission to differentiate ourselves in a sea of sameness, and that philosophy will be applied to what we do here with the New York Open.” Ripple has been encouraged by the feedback GF Sports has received from the local community, and he says, in addition to USTA Long Island and USTA Eastern, there are so many people in the tennis world around here who want to do what’s necessary to have the New York Open become a successful platform to help promote the sport. “It is clear to us over the last few months that we have made the right decision to be here,” Ripple said. “The tennis community is truly excited over having an annual winter tennis event on the calendar which will allow players, club owners and teaching pros, and

even the media like Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines, programming to look forward to in the early part of the year.” Kathy Miller is one of those club owners who has collaborated with GF Sports and the New York Open team. Miller is the Club Manager of Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick, which will serve as the practice facility for the players during the tournament, and is located just about four miles from Nassau Coliseum. The player field for both the singles and doubles draws come February is expected to be improved over what Memphis has had in recent years. New York and Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum will be more attractive to players because of the market and the new arena. One of the early commits is current world number nine Kei Nishikori of Japan, who won four straight titles in Memphis from 2013-2016. Ripple expects that the majority of the top Americans, as well as up-and-coming U.S. stars, will be in the field as well which should create excitement amongst the fans in attendance. There will be a qualifying tournament leading into the main draw, and there have been discussions of creating something of a regional wild card tournament, where local players will have a chance to compete for a spot in qualifying. While there is no word on how long the agreement between the tournament and Nassau Coliseum is, Ripple assures that the New York Open is here to stay for a long time, and will attract tennis fans and nontennis fans alike. “This will be a professional sports franchise for everyone, not just for tennis people,” Ripple said. “In order to be successful, we need to attract a diverse audience, and the way to do that is to create something extraordinary on Long Island in the winter time. With the entertainment powerhouse Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment as our partners, we have the right combination of sports and entertainment acumen to create memories for a very long time.”

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Neighborhood Pride on the Line at Annual Battle of the Boroughs Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III

he Fifth Annual Battle of the Boroughs Tennis Challenge, presented by USTA Eastern and City Parks Foundation, took place throughout June and July across New York City parks, featuring the best of team competition and neighborhood pride. “The Battle of the Boroughs Tennis Challenge allows adult players in our parks to again compete in a friendly atmosphere and represent their own neighborhoods and boroughs,” said Mike Silverman, Director of Sports for City Parks Foundation (CPF). “We are excited for this annual tradition to continue to grow and help support CPF’s free youth tennis instruction provided to over 7,000 players each year.” The “A” Flight championship was won by the team from Brooklyn captained by Jonathan Raude.

“It was a total team effort and every player on the team had to contribute in order for us to win. If one person wasn’t playing well in a match, the next person would step up and bring us back. We all knew we could count on each other and that was a key to our success,” Raude said. “Playing on a team with close friends that I grew up playing with was awesome, especially a team that has both men and women, not something that happens very often. Being able to substitute players in and out of matches was also fun and unique, it definitely had an impact on our strategy to winning each match.” In the “B” Flight, it was the team from Fort Greene captained by Nicholas Spangler who came out on top in the end, defeating their opponents from Manhattan in the finals. “They were a formidable team who played very well and we’d like to commend

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

them on their admirable stamina and performance,” said Barnaby Cook, who played on the Fort Greene team. “We’d also like to thank the organizers for putting on such a great day. Barring some small delays, the day ran smoothly and the atmosphere was great—and it was really exciting to get to play on the U.S. Open practice courts. We all enjoyed imagining which pros had warmed up on those courts. Competitions like Battle of the Boroughs are part of what makes amateur tennis so enjoyable and it’s inspired our team to continue to getting out on there on the courts and hitting balls which, after all, is what it’s all about. The day was a great combination of competitive and enjoyable tennis—just the right mix for our level. It was a great day for Fort Green Tennis Association, a great day for Brooklyn, and a great day for tennis.”

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

he Metro Corporate Tennis League, presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs, is an initiative of the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association (MCTA). The League is divided into three levels of play, Intermediate (3.0-3.5), Advanced Intermediate (4.0) and Advanced (4.5+). Also offered is the “Hi-Five” Clinic program for teams that not quite ready to compete and for those who want to get a good workout while practicing tennis. The Metro Corporate Tennis League’s Winter 2017 season just wrapped up. Congratulations to Advanced Division Champions Credit Agricole, Advanced Intermediate Champions Bank of America and Intermediate Division Champions HBO for winning their respective Divisions. More than 48 teams took part in the in the Metro Corporate Tennis League’s Winter season. However, during the Summer season, only 27 teams can be accommodated. The Summer season runs from June to August, culminating with an end-of-season party at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. The following is the roster for the Metro Corporate Tennis League’s Summer 2017 season:

Advanced Division 1. BNP Paribas (Pierre) 2. Bloomberg (Vighnesh) 3. The Corcoran Group 4. Ernst & Young 5. Proskauer Rose Intermediate Division 1 1. Bloomberg 2. D.E. Shaw & Company 3. Deutsche Bank 4. KPMG

5. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 6. The Corcoran Group 7. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP 8. Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP 9. BNP Paribas Intermediate Division 2 1. Bloomberg (Ankur) 2. BNP Paribas 3. ING 4. Deutsche Bank 5. White & Case

6. Barclays 7. NYCEDC 8. Bloomberg (Vineet) Hi-Five Division 1. Bloomberg (Peggy) 2. Havas 3. Warburg Pincus 4. Bloomberg (Youssef) 5. Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP

New teams welcomed to the League for the Summer season include KPMG and Havas. For more information regarding the Metro Corporate Tennis League, visit Metrotennis.com under the tab labeled, “Corporate,” or contact Luis Espinoza by e-mail at Luis@Metrotennis.com.

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New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

NYJTL Raises $200K-Plus at Annual Summer Gala

ew York Junior Tennis & Lear ning (NYJTL) hosted its Annual Summer Gala at The Central Park Boathouse in early August, with more than 500 in attendance. The iconic Central Park location, home of the Summer Gala for the past 20 years, creates a unique celebration for the supporters of NYJTL. This signature event brings in a wide array of supporters from its millennial NYJTL Next (future organization leaders), to its tried and true long-term supporters, to elder statespersons of the organization, the likes of Honorable Mayor Dinkins and

Joyce Dinkins. The Event Chairs include Board Secretary Polly Scott and Roger

Briggs, Catherine Crystal, Kyley Herring, Logan Langberg and Deanna Lloyd. The Annual Gala features music, dancing, dining, gondola rides, magicians and more. Also include was an auction with once-in-a-lifetime prizes, such as a private lesson with Mario Ancic, golf for four at the members-only Sebonack Golf Course, and a courtside package at the new ATP Stowe Mountain Classic. The event works hard on collaborating with the industry’s hottest brands including Tory Sport, Bijou, and Racquet Magazine. All proceeds from the event go directly to funding the mission of NYJTL, as the event raised more than $200,000 for New York City youth.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW YORK TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

J U N I O R P L AY E R S P O T L I G H T BY BRIAN COLEMAN

TYLER KOROBOV M AT C H P O I N T N Y C

or as long as he can remember, Brooklyn’s Tyler Korobov has been playing tennis, getting his start playing the sport when he was around six- or seven-years-old on the public tennis courts of Manhattan Beach. “I started at a really young age, and we would just go to the courts and hit around,” Korobov said. “But I got really serious about the sport when I was about 10- or 11-yearsold, when I started competing in the highest levels in 12 & Under.” A couple of years later, Korobov is now 14-years-old and heading into his freshman year at Fort Hamilton High School. His game has come a long way over the last few years, and he is now playing up a division in 16 & Under tournaments. “It’s definitely more challenging. I’m not the biggest kid there, as there are kids who are much bigger, stronger and more developed than I am,” said Korobov. “But I think I have a big game and can match up well with them. I’m ready for the challenge.” Much of Korobov’s development has come in the last couple of years after he began training at MatchPoint NYC, working closely with his coach, Alex Roberman, who has elevated his game. 14

“He’s the best. I think I have been with him for about three years and he has just taken my game to a whole new level,” said Korobov. “He works really hard, he’s put in so many hours and he really cares about my game. A big thing is the student-coach relationship, and I definitely have that with him.” Roberman added, “Tyler has gone from

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

what seems like Level One to Level Eight. He never really had any proper training before. Plus, I really push him and make him work hard. If he continues practicing this hard, he should be somewhere in the top 20 in the nation as he gets a bit stronger and taller. It’s a process.” Korobov was hampered by some injuries last year which slightly halted his progress, but Roberman has helped him get into better shape and has worked on his fitness. He is put through rigorous drills each day during his training, and MatchPoint NYC, where he has been training since it has opened, provides him with the perfect setting, providing him with everything he needs. Prior to MatchPoint, Tyler would play outdoors at Manhattan Beach or Kaiser Park, or indoors at Mill Basin Health and Racquet Club, which has since been bought by MatchPoint NYC as its second location. But as soon as the flagship MatchPoint NYC location opened up, the Korobovs found their tennis home. “The facility is amazing,” said Korobov. “When I’m done playing tennis, I can go up to the lounge and do my homework, eat a healthy meal. If I want to work out, I can go to the gym and go on the treadmill. It’s all here. This is the perfect facility for a tennis player, or any athlete for that matter, to grow their game.”

Despite not being the biggest kid, Korobov possesses a powerful game. As a lefty, he generates big spin on his forehand, and that is the shot he uses to control points. “I think I dictate really well with my forehand,” said Korobov. “It’s kind of my power shot. Plus, since I’m a lefty, it’s kind of tricky for a lot of the players I face. I’m really crafty also, I use my slice and drop shot a lot. I like to come to the net, so I think I have developed a solid all-around game.” There are still a few facets of the game that Korobov wants to improve upon, and he has spent a lot of time trying to develop his backhand to turn that into a weapon as well. In addition, he has put in a lot of time to improve the accuracy and power on his serve, which can be an extremely difficult shot to return from a lefty.

“I’m always aiming for the top of the division. I always want to be the best and always want to advance higher,” Tyler said. “I don’t want to be the kid who is still stuck in the 14s Division when I’m 14. I want to be the 14-

year-old who is taking on the challenge of going up and playing older and bigger kids. My goals are to continue to try and compete at a higher level, and keep progressing my game to become the best player I can be.”

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ATP Pro Reyes-Varela & Caripi Wins Final LI Tennis Challenge of 2017 By Brian Coleman

Long Island Tennis Challenge winners Miguel Reyes-Varela & Vasili Caripi are joined post-match by runners-up Gustavo Loza & Michael-John Every he third and final Long Island Tennis Challenge of 2017 hit the clay courts of Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, as some of the area’s top players competed in the Men’s Pro Division. The draw brought together some highlevel doubles players, which included current ATP Tour players, as well as former and current college standouts, making for a thrilling afternoon of tennis. Miguel Reyes-Varela, who is currently ranked 351st in the world in doubles, partnered with Vasili Caripi and the pair powered its way into a semifinal matchup against the team of Miki Nobuzawa & Danilo Vukotic, who play for Farleigh Dickinson. In the other semifinal, former St. John’s players Gustavo Loza & Michael-John

Every took on Dymtro Kovalevych & Bozo Zaputovic, two pros from Christopher Morley Tennis. When the dust settled, Reyes-Varela & Caripi took on Loza & Every in the final. The match played host to phenomenal tennis, as neither team budged early, and each player held serve in their first service games to bring the final to 2-2. That is when the match met its turning point, as a backhand winner from ReyesVarela broke the serve of Every for a 3-2 lead. The pair would not be broken throughout the whole set, and would notch one more break at 5-3, once again on Every’s serve, to wrap up the 6-3 victory. “Getting that break was definitely key and allowed us to control the match and set the tone,” said Reyes-Varela. “It really made

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

it simple for us to stick to our plan and it worked out. We tried to just get a lot of balls in and make our first serves.” The pair hadn’t played much tennis together, but got a practice session in the day before the tournament which helped them develop a little chemistry. “We had a good practice session, and Miguel told me what he wanted from me,” said Caripi. “He is such a good player, so I just stuck to the game plan he wanted to have and it worked.” Reyes-Varela & Loza are good friends off of the court, and it was Loza who extended the invite to Reyes-Varela to play in the Long Island Tennis Challenge. “I was lucky to be around here and with Gustavo, and they invited me to play in the tournament,” Reyes-Varela said. “It’s a

Ben Marks takes part in the third and final Long Island Tennis Challenge of the year

Runners-up Michael-John Every & Gustavo Loza discuss strategy during the Men’s Pro Division Finals

Roey Heymann hits a forehand during Long Island Tennis Challenge action

beautiful place to play at and was very wellorganized. I think all the teams really enjoyed it. There was great competition and it was a lot of fun.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine would like to thank its sponsors of the Long Island Tennis Challenge: USTA, USTA Eastern, Sportime, John McEnroe Tennis Academy,

South Shore Auto Sales, 30fifteen, inPhorm, Connecticut Open, New York Empire, Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group and PGA Tour Superstore.

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NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

How to Win More Tiebreakers By Mike Williams ou’ve battled for 12 straight games against a formidable, evenly matched opponent and now it’s come down to one game. Your heart rate is picking up and your feet are barking. The end is inevitable, sudden and even the name, “Tiebreaker,” coined by Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Van Alan, says, “Everything is on the line!” You’re praying for divine guidance, and all the while, cursing the person that came up with this convoluted way to end it all.

Thanks a lot Jimmy Van Alen! Some of the greatest players in the history of the game have called it a “crapshoot,” and I won’t mince words either, this is the most important moment in the match so far. All the other points, games, disputes, heroics, snafus and miscues that have preceded this moment are mere prologue to the next series of points you will play. This is a tension-filled moment that has sent shivers up the spines of even the best of players. Take a moment and breathe. You have a job to do. It’s time to play one good game for all the marbles. 18

Save the prayers, have a plan The past informs the present but it won’t dictate the future. Somebody’s got to win. At this point in the match, you’ve learned enough to make an educated assessment of their strengths and weakness. You know if they have a good serve or a better return. If they are quick or slow and powerful, and whether they prefer to hit their forehand cross-court or inside-out. You know if they hit over their backhand when they’re under pressure or if they tend to slice the ball. And you know if they are prone to having outbursts in pressure situations. By this time, you have most certainly exploited your opponent’s soft spots and evaded their assets with varying degrees of success as they have exposed some of your game’s shortcomings and specialties. All of their nuances, matched against yours, create an informative backdrop for you to draw from. Now it’s time to put everything that you’ve learned in the back of your mind and refocus. Fundamentals, not trickery Getting into the habit of good fundamentals (in practice and in matches) combined with percentage tennis, especially in the biggest moments, will bring you success. There are many wrong ways players turn when they are under pressure. Some get ultra-tentative and start “pushing the ball,” while others do the opposite. They get overly anxious and try to

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

end the points too soon. This is often called “going for too much.” Another mistake undisciplined players make in tiebreakers is they look for a tricky play to win the most important points rather than relying on their fundamentals and straightforward persistence. They might try to sneak a drop shot in unexpectedly only to drop it in the net or go for a giant second serve and double fault. It’s when points become especially important that the proficiency of one’s fundamentals and their adherence to those principles will hold up or breakdown. Fundamentals such as: Deep cross-court groundstrokes, up-the-line approach shots, high first serve percentages, and making returns. Simply put, if you are more willing to keep your fundamentals intact than your opponent, then you will win more big points. And, in case you’ve forgotten, all the points in a tiebreaker are ‘big’ points. Manage your emotions So you’ve come this far and your goal is still to win this match. You have rode the mental rollercoaster this far and now, you must make sure that you keep it together and manage your emotions at all costs. It may be the most important thing that you can do in this situation. Keep the energy positive. There is no way you are going to win every point in every tiebreaker. You should actually expect it to be tough. Your opponent wants to win as much

business. He had a way of setting his emotions aside when he sensed the finish line and it allowed him to go for it in those big moments.

as you do. I can remember watching tennis legend John McEnroe play those shenanigans filled matches but when it got down to the end of a set he was almost always all-

This is your tiebreaker, be brave Take your opportunities to put pressure on your opponent when you can. Good players don’t make unforced errors for no reason. Pressure makes them miss their targets. This might mean that their balls start landing shorter in the court or their second serves are sitting up a little higher. These nuanced changes are subtle, but if you can start to recognize them, you should let it be your invitation to be brave and put some pressure on them. Take your opponent’s time away from them by moving into the court (Roger Federer and Serena Williams are masters at this concept). When you get a chance, watch how they stand closer to the baseline relative to their opponents. Oh, and don’t be afraid to come to the net and hit a couple of volleys. Thanks again, Jimmy The good news is that the end is in sight.

You’ve worked hard in this match and more importantly, at improving your game. Finish it with your best tennis. Let’s face it, even great players, have clenched up or choked in the face of a big moment. It’s okay to get nervous, but the key is to use the nerves to focus your energies into creating a clutch peak-performance. So go into your next tiebreaker knowing that you are going to stick to your fundamentals and let it go. I promise that you will win more tiebreakers and you’ll be thanking Jimmy Van Alen for getting you home before dinner. Mike Williams is the Tennis Director at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (RIRC). He captained the Clemson University Tennis Team and played on the Satellite Tour following his collegiate career. He won the Men’s Open Doubles Championship in 2013 and has more than 20 years of coaching experience, dedicated to helping players of all levels by focusing on the fundamentals of the game and designing programs that will help each individual reach their highest level. He can be reached by e-mail at MWilliams@AdvantageTennisClubs.com.

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NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

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 it 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 at ClayTech. 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 HarTru. 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 “ClayTech plays brilliantly, like clay but the traction and bounces are more consistent.” l “I am so glad I no longer have to watch the cracks on my court reappear.”

l “I love the comfort! I can now play more frequently and for longer stretches without really hurting the next day.” l “The speed of play is ideal. I get to more shots and the rallies are incredibly fun.” l “I can count on my court to be playable more quickly than any other courts in my area after all types of weather.” To learn more about ClayTech, visit AllWeatherClay.com or call the manufacturers at (877) 442-7878.

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New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

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Beyond the Baseline John Curtis—Executive Director, Manhattan Tennis Academy BY BRIAN COLEMAN

The majority of our area’s top tennis coaches and program directors are tennis lifers who picked the game up at a young age and took to it right away. That isn’t exactly the case for Manhattan Tennis Academy’s Executive Director John Curtis. “I grew up as a baseball player, which wasn’t too far of a stretch from tennis, a lot of similar mechanics,” said Curtis. Curtis first started playing tennis after his parents were divorced when he was around 10-years-old. His father moved to New Jersey, and he, his brother and his sister would play there at the public parks on the weekend with their dad. “One thing led to another, and I went on to make my high school team, wound up playing two years of junior college tennis and the rest is history as they say,” said Curtis. Curtis’ love for tennis came one Christmas when he got his first graphite racket as a present, and he was hooked. “It was the Wilson Sting, and I absolutely fell in love with it,” Curtis recalls. “There was something about the feeling of cracking a forehand with what were, at the time, revolutionary rackets. It was somewhat intoxicating. My brother and I had been bitten by the tennis bug. My dad is to thank for getting us all in the game. He is a great tennis enthusiast.” He was left with the tough decision between trying out for either the baseball or tennis teams at Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, N.Y. … his first love or his new love. Following his older brother’s lead, as he normally did throughout childhood, he decided to go out for the tennis team. “Once he committed, I committed,” Curtis recalls. “And we were both tennis guys all of a sudden.” After heading out west to play collegiate tennis at San Diego Mesa College, Curtis became

the head coach at NYU, a position he would hold for 11 years, which is where he developed his understanding of the New York City tennis scene. During his time at NYU, Curtis produced four All-Americans as well as the 2002 ITA Division III National Champion in Demetrios Leontis. In that span, he was also honored with the 2006 PTR Coach of the Year and the 2009 PTR Member of the Year Award. “I think that is where I got my grasp and where I learned about the tennis landscape in New York City,” said Curtis. “NYU didn’t have its own indoor courts, so we had to find court time for us to practice, which was always an issue. That’s how I met Jennifer [Brown], Director of Midtown Tennis Club. We would practice at Midtown, from about 10:00 p.m.-Midnight. It’s such a great location. I’ve always loved the place. I think that position set me up as someone who was visible in New York City and sort of established my reputation.” After more than a decade at the helm of the NYU tennis program, Curtis decided it was time to take his tennis career in a new direction. Because of a lack of facilities, organizing a match-schedule became a daunting task. That, in addition to recruiting, and all the travelling took its toll. “I don’t have a bad word to say about my time there,” said Curtis. “But I was just burnt out, and ready to embark on a new adventure.” That adventure would be entering the world of junior tennis, and if he were to do so, he knew he needed to do it in New York City, a place where he had made a name for himself and where he understood both the pros and cons of tennis. There was no better place to start his program then at Midtown Tennis Club. “To make the leap from a good job to an entrepreneurial endeavor, I wanted it to be in the area that I knew,: said Curtis. “I’ve always been a downtown guy; I didn’t want to go uptown. I know the area, the people and the mentality down here. I always had a very good working relationship with Jen Brown and she was willing to give me a shot. I couldn’t have

been more grateful, and wanted to make it a success because of that. The ambiance of Midtown Tennis Club really sets it apart from the rest. The courts on top of the roof provide spectacular optics, with the Empire State Building in your toss line when you serve and a convenient location right near the heart of Manhattan.” One of the main challenges Curtis faced when he launched the Manhattan Tennis Academy was adjusting from coaching college players to junior players, many of whom had never played tennis before. “You can get a kid at four-years-old and introduce them to the red ball and the perfect technique, they’re extremely malleable at that age,” said Curtis, who lives in Bergen County, N.J. with his wife Lauren, and their two daughters Helena and Charlotte. “I loved the idea of that, being able to be the person that introduced them to proper technique and, above all else, the joy of the game. That was somewhat limited at the college level.” Curtis is trained in the Van Der Meer standard method of tennis teaching, and is a big proponent of PTR. He goes back to the basics and the fundamentals of the sport, from grips to weight transfer, but is always open to changing things up depending on the player. “I’m a big proponent of PTR for the beginners. As they get more advanced, we can introduce different things. I like to collaborate with my staff because they all bring a little something that they have learned along the way,” he added. “We like to combine all of our philosophies and teaching techniques.” Curtis hopes to continue to build on the program he has established, developing top-level junior players, while also making sure his players are having fun and enjoying the game that has carved out a very satisfying life for him. “We always focus on placing a premium on fun for the young kids … that’s what grabs them,” said Curtis. “If it’s a boot camp-type experience, you lose them right away. We’ll continue to foster a boutique experience, where it’s a big facility with a small-town feel. Our main goal is to create a family atmosphere where your kids can come when they are young and learn the game in a fun, friendly environment.”

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Vets Show No Sign of Quit! By Luke Jensen As we shut down a glorious summer of tennis and look forward to a great fall going into winter, I am just floored by the work done on the pro tour by the veterans who continue to amaze. When I played on the pro tour, players in their 30s were a rarity. Johnny Mac, Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova were out there, but not winning the same way that Roger Federer, Venus and Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal are winning these days. Today, there are so many other players in both singles and doubles rankings playing extremely well into their 30s. I believe much of it can be attributed to the evolution of nutrition and athletic recovery. Venus talks about an affinity inside that makes her feel like she can go on forever. Venus also often talks about the process of improving and

getting better. She knows that, in her heart, she will always love the game of tennis and be a tennis player who wants to improve. I am so impressed with these legendary leaders in the game. So … how is your game these days? Is it improving and moving in a direction that helps you win more key points? If not, maybe you can use this next tennis tip to win more points. I’m a big believer in moving the ball to the open court. From singles to doubles, looking to hit shots to the open court is always going to keep your opponent moving. One thing I explore during matches when my open court approach is not working is to hit down the middle of the court. This “go at your opponent” strategy forces the other side to move out of the way to hit the ball. Players are used to moving toward the ball. Tennis players are not used to getting away from the ball!

My dad took up tennis late in his athletic life and hated when the ball jammed him. He hated it so much that he thought the answer was to saw off about an inch to an inch-and-a-half of the handle to deal with a body shot. This was always a family frustration because I would leave rackets at home and come back from college or the tour with many of my frames SAWED OFF! They were useless to me! My dad really thought it helped him, so I would tell him that if he thought that shortening the racket frame is magic to his game, then do it to YOUR racquets! Not MINE! He would laugh and say he liked his racquets and that my frames get better shorter … Anyway … please don’t saw off your frames. Just move your feet to set up for a body ball. So if you are not playing well or losing a tennis battle, try going right at the net player or right down the middle and see how they handle a ball in the body. You may surprise yourself! Always remember to never change a winning tactic and always change a losing game plan … find another way to win … play tough and play smart! Keep going for the lines! 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.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

Why Kids Should Choose Tennis Over Other Sports By Stephen Annacone I started playing tennis when I was 10-years-old. My brother Paul and I would go with our parents to the park in Sag Harbor and eventually, we decided to go out and try to hit some balls. We pretty much picked it up right away and became regular hitting partners for the next 20 years. Paul became a successful professional tennis player, and I was his coach for most of his playing career. Tennis has basically been my life since I was 14. I have learned a lot through playing, teaching and coaching. My years as a tennis professional and coach have given me the ability to communicate better, understand the benefits of fitness and exercise, and also enabled me to enjoy the sport while improving my skills in all areas. Tennis teaches you the life lessons of: l How to deal with losing or not being successful l How to exhibit good sportsmanship l How to learn from your mistakes l How to organize your time efficiently l How to continue to improve over time l How to help others enjoy success Tennis gives kids a great opportunity to excel in a sport. You do not have to be a great athlete to be a very good tennis player. Discipline, hard work and desire will take you a long way in this sport. In addition, because there are so many aspects to becoming a good player, many people can be successful in tennis by competing well, having a good strategy and learning from their experiences on the court. Putting all of these elements together is a great recipe for success. Playing tennis at the collegiate level is a great goal for a young tennis player. The number of scholarships for boys (4.5 per team) makes

it difficult to get a free ride to college, but it can help you get into a school that you might not qualify for academically. For girls, there are still more scholarships available (eight per team) than players. I get phone calls regularly asking if I have any, or know of any players who might want to play tennis in college. There are many opportunities to use your tennis to help with a college education. I believe that tennis players tend to form an alliance. I have made many friends through tennis and still have contact with a large number of them. We can all relate to the different experiences and great stories on and around the tennis court, and it has bonded us in a way that no other sport can. The individual aspect of the game tends to separate us when competing, yet brings us together when we are not on the court opposing each other. Tennis teaches you that a game is a game, there are other things in life that are more important than winning the game. I strongly recommend that kids experience this great sport and I hope that I can continue to be involved in making that happen. Stephen Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis (AnnaconeTennis.com). For details on lessons and camps in Sag Harbor and throughout the Hamptons this summer, contact SAnnacone@AnnaconeTennis.com or Management@AnnaconeTennis.com.

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347.480.8074 www.philgym.com NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Metro Region

A Message From USTA Eastern Metro Region President Pablo Sierra COOP City Tennis–Milton Alexander Tennis While visiting various parks and tennis programs over the course of the past few weeks, I stopped by to see Site Director Lorraine Alexander and visited with her and the tennis staff at COOP City Tennis, also known as the Milton Alexander Tennis Center. This is one of the most highly recognized programs in New York City, and it was great catching up with Lorraine.

Ever since I became President of the USTA Eastern Metro Region, one of the things I have been meaning to do is to get out and visit the parks, especially those with tennis courts running great programs. I decided to make a quick stop by the tennis courts at Inwood Park in Washington Heights, and was surprised to see the majority of the tennis courts occupied by mature adults playing the game of tennis. They were experienced players, and were having a great time. I found this to be great to see, because sometimes, in the past, adults would ask, “What about us?” These players I met up with at Inwood Park were running down 24

shots and having a great time. I decided to also visit Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows, and again, saw many of the tennis courts filled with adults who were out enjoying themselves playing the game they love. This all leads me to say, that I would like to ensure that we give mature adults and seniors some “air time” in the news. I have been truly impressed with their sheer enjoyment and passion for the game. Bearing witness to all this reminded me of the saying I’ve always heard since I first picked up a racket, “Tennis is the sport of a lifetime.” It most certainly is.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA Metro Region Highland Park Tennis Association Takes on the Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association

This annual event brings out some of the best junior players in Brooklyn, as players of all ages and ability levels competed in this always exciting event. Players from both teams brought their “A” games to compete in a friendly atmosphere. This year, Highland Park Tennis Association (HPTA) claimed the 2017 title, as Highland Park won 24 matches of the 28 matches played. If you would like additional information, you may contact Dionne Gill, Secretary of HPTA, by e-mail at Dionne.HPTANY@gmail.com.

Metro Regional Grants Available If you have a Community Tennis Association (CTA), school or organization that is interested in or is promoting the game of tennis, you may qualify for a Metro Regional Grant for $1,000. This grant could assist your organization in continuing to promote your tennis program. To apply, you must be a legally-established organization. Submit your grant proposal, along with your program’s W-9 and annual budget. In the grant proposal, please give us a description on who you service and how you service them. We would like to receive proposals by Monday, Oct. 16. To submit proposals, please e-mail them to USTA.Metro.Region@gmail.com. We would like to have a reception inviting all grant recipients in December. The date for the holiday reception will be released at a later date. Pablo Sierra is USTA Eastern Metro Region President Pablo Sierra. Pablo also serves as Founder and President of the South Brooklyn Tennis Association (SBTA). NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

Credit all photos to Dave Dellinger

Cary Leeds Hosts Fourth Annual Return the Serve Event

he Fourth Annual Chase Return the Serve event was held recently at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the Bronx, N.Y. Through the support of the USTA Foundation and Chase, New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) has been able to host the Return the Serve event each of the last four years and receive grant funding to aid free programming that the organization

provides yearly throughout all five boroughs to underserved children in New York City. The event featured more than 150 children from NYJTL programs, as they were invited out to the Cary Leeds Center for a day of exercise, tennis, zumba, arts and crafts, healthy living, and more. NYJTL was one of 10 NJTL chapters to receive a $10,000 grant. “It’s important that we equip our kids

with the skills they need to succeed at a young age, most importantly, through education and physical activity,” said Barbara Paddock, Managing Director for Sports and Entertainment at JPMorgan Chase. “As a sponsor of the U.S. Open for 36 years, we’re proud to support the USTA Foundation and its NJTL programs’ mission to help today’s youth build confidence, camaraderie, and ultimately, pursue their dreams.”

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 U.S. Open Preview August 28-September 10, 2017 USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center l Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Credit photos to WTATennis & ATPWorldTour.com

What to watch for … 1. Can Garbine Muguruza find consistency? Spain’s Garbine Muguruza captured the second Grand Slam title of her career with a straight-sets win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon. This U.S. Open will be a huge showcase for her to see if she can follow up her win with success in Flushing Meadows. When she won her first major at the 2016 French Open, she was bounced in the second round of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open afterwards. A successful run in Flushing Meadows will go a long way towards establishing consistency for her. 2. Can Kerber regain her 2016 form? Defending U.S. Open champion Angelique Kerber has not had a good 2017 season up to this point. Now, it was always going to be tough for the German to follow up her fantastic 2016 campaign, which saw her win two Grand 28

Slam titles. She has yet to win a title and only reached one final, in Monterrey, while failing to get out of the Round of 16 in any of the three majors. Kerber’s ability to return to her form from 2016 is a top storyline heading into the U.S. Open, and will play a major factor in how the women’s singles draw shapes out. 3. How much does Venus have left in the tank? The resurgence of Venus Williams has been one of the best stories of the WTA Tour for the last 18 months, as the American has found a new start to her legendary career. She has reached the finals at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and the Round of

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

16 at Roland Garros. She is a twotime champion in Flushing Meadows and is beloved by the New York fans. It will be interesting to see how her body holds up at this point in the season, but with her power game and ability to limit errors, Venus is certainly a solid contender at this year’s U.S. Open. 4. Women’s field wide open The women’s tour has felt wide open for the last few months, and a lot of that can be linked to the absence of Serena Williams since the Australian Open. There have been four different finalists in the following two Grand Slams, and the current world number one, Karolina Pliskova, reached that pinnacle thanks to losses by other top players. As the musical chairs at the top of the WTA Rankings continue to turn, it only creates more excitement for the women’s singles draw at the U.S. Open.

2017 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 5. Young Americans The U.S. Open always serves as a nice showcase for young American players, and this year will be no different, on both sides of the draw. On the men’s side, you have young talents such as Frances Tiafoe, Jared Donaldson, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka, all of whom are still under the legal drinking age. Tiafoe could be the most intriguing, and he pushed compatriot John Isner to five sets in the opening round at Flushing Meadows a year ago. Cici Bellis highlights the crop of young American women, as she won two main draw matches at the U.S. Open last year. Seventeen-year-old Kayla Day is the reigning U.S. Open Junior Champion and could take a major step forward in her career if she is able to play in the main draw. It is also easy to forget that Madison Keys is still just 22-years-old, while Coco Vandeweghe is only 25-years of age. The 2017 U.S. Open should be an exciting one for those fans of American tennis.

announced he is shutting his season down thanks to a knee injury. There will be two new finalists this time around, leaving two of the top five players vacant from the season’s final Grand Slam. World number one Andy Murray has been slowed down by injuries, and all of these factors opens the door for someone to make a surprise run deep into the tournament. 7. Federer’s dominance The facts written above point to Roger Federer having an easier path in his quest for a third major title of the year. Nobody has looked better than the Swiss Maestro thus far in 2017, and his legion of fans who will be in New York are hoping that the diluted men’s field creates a less treacherous path for the 36-year-old. His absence from last year’s tournament left something missing, and

his presence once again in Flushing Meadows breeds excitement, as well as provides us with a clear-cut favorite to hoist the trophy at the end of the two weeks. 8. Will the reign of the Big Five continue? Since Rafael Nadal won his maiden French Open title in 2005, only twice has there been a player outside the Big Five (Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Wawrinka) to win a major trophy. Both of those came at the U.S. Open, as Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic have won trophies in Flushing Meadows. Two of the big five have already withdrawn from the tournament, so it will be interesting to see if that trend will continue, or will someone unexpected be able to topple a Federer, Murray or Nadal. Players like Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori (a former U.S. Open finalist) and Milos Raonic are due to have a deep run in Flushing Meadows, but can they overcome the mental obstacle that is playing the players who have dominated the men’s circuit for years.

6. Djokovic and Wawrinka injured, Murray banged up We already discussed the wide open women’s field, but the men’s field has become just as open as well. Two-time champion Novak Djokovic is missing the rest of the season to recover from an elbow injury, and defending champion Stan Wawrinka also NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW

2017 U.S. Open sleepers Jo-Wilfried Tsonga The big Frenchman is a three-time quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open, but could this be the year he pushes his way into the final four? He has a game well-suited for the hard, fast Flushing Meadows courts. Injuries and inconsistency have led to an underwhelming year so far for Tsonga, but he has played well as of late and is capable of a deep run at the year’s final major. Karen Khachanov The 21-year-old Russian has shot up the rankings over the past year, and it began with his run at last year’s U.S. Open. After coming through qualifying, he won his opening round match and took the first set off of Nishikori in the second round before losing. But he is up to 30th in the ATP Rankings, and has the type of game that is successful on hard courts. If the big-hitting Khachanov can be consistent, he has the ability to take down just about any opponent. Johanna Konta Great Britain’s Johanna Konta has had success so far at Grand Slams in 2017, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon. Konta doesn’t wow you with 30

any particular aspect of her game, but is incredibly consistent and possesses the ability to beat any player on any given day. Look out for Konta to make a deep run in Flushing Meadows. Svetlana Kuznetsova In 2004, Svetlana Kuznetsova captured the title at the U.S. Open and now, 13 years later, could be a factor to do so once again. She is the eighthranked player in

the world, and knows what it takes to win in Flushing Meadows. She recently reached the quarterfinals in Wimbledon before falling to eventual champion Muguruza. She was bounced early at the U.S. Open a year ago, but was dealt a tough draw by playing Caroline Wozniacki in the second round. Don’t be surprised to see the Russian to at least reach the second week in Queens this time around.

2017 U.S. Open prize money

The total prize money for the 2017 U.S. Open will be $50.4 million, making it the richest purse in tennis history, with a record $3.7 million going to the men’s and women’s champions. The total purse has increased about $4 million from a year ago, or roughly nine percent. With this increase, the U.S. Open becomes the first tennis tournament in history with the total prize money compensation topping $50 million. “Five years ago, we committed to the players that total player compensation for players would reach $50 million at the U.S. Open, and we are honoring that commitment,” said USTA President Katrina Adams. The singles competition has seen an in-

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

crease of 7.5 percent per round from last year, and the overall doubles prize money is increasing by 8.6 percent, with the men’s and women’s double champions taking home $675,000, the highest in U.S. Open history. The US Open Qualifying Tournament has also seen a notable bump, increasing an unprecedented 49.2 percent, with total prizing now totaling more than $2.9 million dollars. Besides the boost in prize money, the U.S. Open players will also have a host of new amenities to look forward to, including upgrades to Player Dining, a more generous meal allowance, upgrades to all player workout facilities and additional quiet room space.

2017 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW

2017 U.S. Open Prize Money Singles

Doubles

Winner: $3,700,000 Runner-Up: $1,825,000 Semifinalist: $920,000 Quarterfinalist: $470,000 Round of 16: $253,625 Round of 32: $144,000 Round of 64: $86,000 Round of 128: $50,000

Winner: $675,000 Runner-Up: $340,000 Semifinalist: $160,000 Quarterfinalist: $82,000 Round of 16: $44,000 Round of 32: $26,500 Round of 64: $16,500

2017 U.S. Open Restaurant Guide Heineken Red Star Patio Café & Bar

Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal sandwiches and salads paired with summer specialty cocktails at this charming outdoor café located outside the US Open Club.

Aces

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. Enjoy local and seasonal seafood creations at Aces by Ed Brown, creator of Ed’s Chowder House, and sushi prepared by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Loge and Promenade Subscription Series ticket holders may purchase passes for the duration of the tournament by calling the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Ticket Office at (718) 760-6363.

Mojito Restaurant & Bar Features a menu inspired by Chef Marcus Samuelsson with Latin specialties and cocktails, offering indoor and outdoor seating. It’s located just west of the Octagon outside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Emirates Sports Café The Emirates Sports Café is located near the South Plaza Fountains. Situated on the top level of a two-story building, it provides guests an ideal setting to unwind with gastropub fare in a laid-back atmosphere

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 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. Restaurant passes are required. To purchase passes, please visit the US Open Box Office. Champions Bar & Grill BLT Steakhouse imagined by Celebrity Chef David Burke in the newly transformed Champions Bar & Grill.

The U.S. Open Club The U.S. Open Club is located on the

Enjoy regional cuisine and specialty items at the US Open Food Village. l l l l l l l l l l l l

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop Curry Kitchen Farm 2 Fork Franks & Fries Hill Country BBQ Korilla BBQ BLT Fish Shack Neapolitan Express Prime Burger Angry Taco Glatt Kosher Grey Goose Bar

l l l l l l

Jacob’s Creek Wine Bar Lavazza Café Fuku Franks & Fries Crepes JoJu Modern Vietnamese Sandwiches

South Plaza l Pat LaFrieda Meat Company l Dean & DeLuca Grandstand Food Village l Angry Taco l Franks & Fries l BLT Fish Shack l Oyster Bar 7 l Hill Country Chicken l Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop l Neapolitan Express l Prime Burger l Grey Goose Bar

Five reasons to love the U.S. Open 5. Night tennis

years-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.

Bill Clinton, Ricky Martin, Eva Longoria, Michael Jordan, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Sean Connery, Ben Stiller, Michael Shannon (pictured here) and many more to Flushing Meadows. When you are on grounds this year keep your eyes open for your favorite celebrities!

4. Celebrities 3. Practice court viewing area Night tennis at the U.S. Open is where fans will create memories for years to come. Late-night 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. 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 3932

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

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

A two-story practice gallery debuted at the 2014 U.S. Open. This allowed fans a better view of their favorites stars as they warmed up for matches on the practice

2017 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW courts. What made this area even better is that you could view Courts 4, 5 and 6 from the same spot by 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. Make sure to stop by this new spot at the 2017 U.S. Open. 2. Entertainment

From live music to interactive games and kids tennis sessions, there’s something for

everyone at the 2017 U.S. Open. It starts with Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, 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.

1. The stars

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 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!

2017 U.S. Open Schedule Monday, August 28

Men’s and Women’s First Round

Tuesday, August 29

Men’s and Women’s First Round

Wednesday, August 30

Men’s and Women’s Second Round

Thursday, August 31

Men’s and Women’s Second Round

Friday, September 1

Men’s and Women’s Third Round

Saturday, September 2

Men’s and Women’s Third Round

Sunday, September 3

Men’s and Women’s Round of 16

Monday, September 4

Men’s and Women’s Round of 16

Tuesday, September 5

Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Wednesday, September 6

Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Thursday, September 7

Women’s Semifinals

Friday, September 8

Men’s Semifinals

Saturday, September 9

Women’s Final

Sunday, September 10

Men’s Final NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Former U.S. Open Champion Maria Sharapova Highlights

U.S. Op

he USTA has given former champion Maria Sharapova a wild card into the U.S. Open main draw, as the Russian star will compete in her first Grand Slam event since her 15-month doping suspension. “The USTA has granted Maria Sharapova a wild card into the main draw of the U.S. Open,” the USTA said in a statement. “Her suspension under the terms of the tennis anti-doping program was completed, and therefore was not one of the factors weighed in our wild card selection process. Consistent with past practice, a wild card was provided to a past champion who needed the wild card for entry into the main draw.” Previous U.S. Open champions who have received U.S. Open main draw wild cards include Martina Hingis, Lleyton Hewitt, Kim Cljisters and Juan Martin del Potro. Additionally, Sharapova has volunteered to speak to young tennis players at the USTA National Campus about the importance of the tennis anti-doping program and the personal responsibility each player has to comply with the program’s requirements.

Below are the rest of the men and women who received wild cards into the main draw of the 2017 U.S. Open: Geoffrey Blancaneaux, 19, received his wild card as part of the USTA’s reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation that allowed Tennys Sandgren to make his Grand Slam main draw debut at Roland Garros this year. Blancaneaux is currently ranked 328th in the world.

Christopher Eubanks, 21, is a rising senior at Georgia Tech. He is having a breakout summer playing U.S. Open Series events, having reached the quarterfinals of the BB&T Atlanta Open ATP 250 and qualified for the Western & Southern Open ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The 6-ft. 7-in. Eubanks grew up training with Top 100 American Donald Young and his family in Atlanta.

Kayla Day, 17, of Santa Barbara, Calif., ranked 123rd, is the reigning U.S. Open Girls Champion and former world junior number one. Last year, Day earned a U.S. Open main draw wild card as the USTA Girls 18s National Champion and won her first-round match. This year, Day competed in the Australian Open, after winning the USTA’s Wild Card Challenge, and advanced to the third round in Indian Wells.

Bjorn Fratangelo, 24, is ranked 130th in the world. He advanced to the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Open ATP 250 in Newport, R.I. this summer, and is a former French Open Junior Champion, competing in his third consecutive U.S. Open main draw.

Alex De Minaur, 18, received his wild card as part of the USTA’s reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which allowed Michael Mmoh to play in January’s Australian Open. De Minaur is currently ranked 186th in the world.

Taylor Fritz, 19, is a former world number 53, who is currently ranked 120th. He took a threemonth break from competition during the claycourt season to train; since then he has qualified for Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals at the ATP 250 event in Los Cabos, Mexico. Fritz won the 2015 U.S. Open Junior Title and reached the final in Memphis in 2016, becoming the youngest American to reach an ATP final since Michael Chang in 1989.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

Open Main Draw Wild Cards By Brian Coleman

Amandine Hesse, 24, of France, is ranked 206th in the world and received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation that allowed 15-year-old Amanda Anisimova to make her Grand Slam main draw debut at Roland Garros this year. Hesse also received a wild card into the 2014 U.S. Open.

Brienne Minor, 19, won the 2017 NCAA Women’s Singles Championship as a sophomore at the University of Michigan—the firstever NCAA Women’s Singles Title for the program. Minor also became the first AfricanAmerican woman to win an NCAA Division I Tennis Singles Title.

Sofia Kenin, 18, ranked a career-high 141st, won the 2017 U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge. Kenin will be making her third consecutive wild card appearance at the U.S. Open after winning the Wild Card Challenge last year and the USTA Girls 18s National Championships in 2015. She also reached the singles final at the 2015 U.S. Open Junior Championships.

Tommy Paul, 20, is currently ranked 175th in the world and earned his wild card by winning the 2017 U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge. Paul will be making his second U.S. Open appearance after qualifying for the main draw in 2015 as a qualifying wild card—just the 16th player ever to compete in the U.S. Open main draw as a qualifying wild card. This summer, Paul reached back-to-back ATP quarterfinals in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.—his first career ATP quarterfinal appearances—and defeated Donald Young to reach the second round in Cincinnati.

Ashley Kratzer, 18, ranked 341st, won the 2017 USTA Girls Singles Title in San Diego in mid-August. Kratzer will look to follow her predecessors Day (2016), CiCi Bellis (2014) and Sachia Vickery (2013) as USTA Girls 18s National Champions to win their first round matches in Flushing Meadows. This summer, Kratzer reached back-to-back quarterfinals at $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit events and then reached the finals at the $60,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Stockton, Calif. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, 22, won the 2017 NCAA Men’s Singles Championship as a senior at the University of Virginia. Kwiatkowski, currently ranked 690th in the world, was a member of three NCAA Championship titlewinning teams at Virginia (2015-2017) and earned his third All-American singles honor this past season. He also won last year’s American Collegiate Invitational at the U.S. Open. Patrick Kypson, 17, earned the wild card allotted to the USTA Boys 18s National Champion. Kypson, ranked 917th, is a top 20 world-ranked junior who reached the boys semifinals at Wimbledon this summer. He’s part of a group of American juniors to have trained with Ivan Lendl over the last several years as part of a USTA Player Development initiative.

Taylor Townsend, 21, of Atlanta, ranked 134th, became the top-ranked junior girl in the world in 2012 after winning the Australian Open Girls Title. She was the first U.S. girl to hold the yearend number one junior ranking since 1982. Townsend competed in the U.S. Open main draw in 2014 and 2016, qualifying for the main draw last year. She advanced to the third round of the French Open in 2014 for her career-best Grand Slam result.

Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or e-mail BrianC@USPTennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Coaching Spotlight Pablo Montesi of Future Stars Camps BY BRIAN COLEMAN

uture Stars Camps are in their 37th year of providing specialized camp experiences throughout Westchester, Manhattan and Long Island. Co-founded by Charlie VanDercook in 1980, the program’s tennis camps have become some of the most successful in the Tri-State area. Pablo Montesi serves as Vice President of Development for Future Stars, and has been with the company for more than 11 years. “I love coming to teach here, I love the program,” said Montesi, who hails from Santiago, Chile. Montesi moved to the United States after accepting a scholarship to Benedictine College in Kansas. “I enjoy being with our staff and the kids. I learned a lot from Charlie [VanDercook], and have been able to manage our programs here. I take a lot of pride in developing relationships amongst the coaches, and many of our coaches want to come back year after year, which I think is very meaningful.” The camaraderie between the coaches and the kids is evident if you visit any of the camps, which New York Tennis Magazine

did at Future Stars’ Southampton location, one of the sites where Montesi runs the coaching, staffing and programming. Montesi met VanDercook through a friend who had previously worked for him, and his tennis career was born. One of his first tasks was to unlock the East Hampton club after the winter, and he has worked his way up to one of the most integral members of the Future Stars team. “I came to Future Stars when I was 22years-old,” said Montesi. “I first started in East Hampton and Southampton, but was

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

exposed to all of their camps in the area. I loved it and knew then that I wanted to continue teaching tennis. I told Charlie I wanted my teaching certifications, I completed them, and he hired me as a full-time coach.” A few years later, Montesi was in charge of running his own camp and he now oversees the operations at all of Future Stars locations in The Hamptons. While each camp has its own coaches and staff which give each their own personality, they all fall under the Future Stars umbrella and embody the direction of the program that VanDercook instilled when he launched his company nearly four decades ago. “Each location has its own director’s taste, but they do have the character and personality of all the Future Stars Camps, including a spirit that was instilled by Charlie and the community,” said Montesi. “In Southampton, for example, I realized there was a huge potential for intense training and a higher level of performance, which they didn’t have here. The parents here are a little more demanding than at

other camps, and so we need to make sure we have top coaches. I don’t want any kid going home saying, ‘That was easy.’ We want them to train hard, and get the full tennis experience.” While the training for the players is hard, the camps make sure to create an overall enjoyable experience during the summer. At the end of every week, they invite the parents to come down as they host an award ceremony for the kids, which helps create the family-type atmosphere that is at the core of the Future Stars’ mission. With more than 160 kids in their Hamptons program, Future Stars has certainly put together the right formula to produce a successful tennis camp, which applies to all their locations, stretching up into Westchester. A major factor in that success is the wide variety of tennis coaches that it has, which provide a well-rounded academy with people from all types of backgrounds, something Montesi stresses is extremely important. “When I first came to the United States and I was at a different camp, the guy run-

ning it was from Brazil and had seven coaches who were from Brazil. I said I would never do that. You want to have diversity,” said Montesi. “Everyone has so much to contribute, especially those who come from overseas with tennis experience. We have people from Argentina, Germany, Australia, Sweden, France, Netherlands, England, Brazil, Serbia, the Ukraine and more … it’s important to have that diversity.” Montesi and his team don’t solely look for coaches based on their background, and on the search for coaches, he makes sure to get to know them, and understand what their goals are to make sure they are the right fit to work the kids within the program. The staff meets every week so everyone is on the same page, understanding the kids’ needs and how to improve what they are doing. “That is something we work hard here every day on,” said Montesi. “We pay a lot of attention to detail.” With that attitude and mindset, the Future Stars program continues to be one of the shining aspects of Hamptons’ tennis. Still, the program is always looking to be-

come bigger and better, and has plans to do so. “We want to grow and expand, and are always trying to figure out ways to do so,” said Montesi. “Next summer, we’re hoping to have a tennis academy. We have the camp now, but we want a difference between the camp and the academy, because we have players who are extremely competitive. Next year, we hope to build intense high school players. And with our younger players, we want them to grow with us and feed into our academy.” Montesi has become one of the most integral members of the Future Stars team and has helped bring it to where it is now. With an established program mindset, and plans to continue its expansion, Future Stars is making sure it is staying on the cutting-edge of tennis, and maintains its distinction as one of the most reputable tennis programs in the area. Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

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www.hartru.com NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Fundamental Roles of an Effective Coach in Player Development BY CARLOS CANO & ANDRAS PUTYERA

ennis is one of the most difficult sports to learn and master. The range of skills required to successfully guide the ball into a constrained area, while under pressure from an opponent, means that a lengthy period of practice, training and development is necessary for each individual student. The additional complexity of the game in terms of decision-making and the constant challenge of being in the right position to intercept an incoming shot in a balanced manner increases the difficulty of the learning process. Despite the widely-held acceptance that it takes a long time to learn how to play tennis, there seems to be a very common perception that it does not require much effort to teach this sport, let alone becoming an effective tennis instructor. Those who truly understand the nature of this profession know that coaches play a critical role in the development of tennis players. Anyone who desires to help players grow and develop as individuals needs to possess a diverse array of skills, expertise and specialized knowledge. In order to achieve higher levels of coaching competency, one must not only understand the characteristics of tennis as a sport, but also know how to apply that knowledge to the benefit of the players. While being a knowledgeable coach does not necessarily guarantee effectiveness on the court, it 38

is certainly a step in the right direction. So if knowledge alone is not enough, how does one become an effective tennis coach? Effective coaches are capable of integrating a wider range theoretical and practical knowledge into their training sessions. Effective training is very detailed and specifically designed to meet the needs of each individual student. Coaches who use effective methods to plan, organize, conduct and evaluate training sessions have significantly greater success at helping people learn tennis skills, improve performance and reach their potential. When it comes to planning and organizing a lesson, one must know who they are working with, why a particular skill is necessary for the player, how the teaching concept is best introduced, and the most beneficial sequence of the instruction process. Once this has been established, conducting the lesson must be done through a series of progressions, initially presenting the exercise(s) in a closed environment (isolate the skill being developed), and eventually, directing the flow of training in an open setting (practicing/competing with the already established skill). Evaluating what has been taught is the last stage of an effective training. A fundamental attribute of successful coaches is their revision of the teaching cycle, in other words, the assurance behind a stu-

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

dent’s comprehension of the technical areas and application of those areas in tactical situations. In essence, effective coaches develop tennis players in a similar way as engineers build computers. An engineer first constructs the hardware in order to make the computer operate. In tennis, that would equate to building the motor skills and technical foundation of each player. Without this order, the software, which uses the hardware to interact with the user, would simply not function. Just as in tennis, no matter how good a player’s strategy and decision-making may be, limited ranges to execute efficient strokes and movement techniques will hinder the player’s ability to fully compete, reach their potential or achieve extensive success in the sport of tennis. Carlos Cano is Director of Coaches and one of the founders of CourtSense Tennis Centers. Throughout his career, Carlos has worked with world-class players like Dimitri Tursunov and Todd Martin. Andras Putyera is a Project Associate at CourtSense Tennis Centers. Prior to joining CourtSense, Andras worked for two years in coaches education at the International Tennis Federation, where he managed the ITF’s Web site and social media platforms, as well playing a key role in content creation for Tennis iCoach.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 New York City Girl Player to Watch: Kyra Bergmann, Beacon Beacon will be out this season to defend its city title from a year ago, and continue a run that has seen it become a fixture in the PSAL finals. One of the players who was key to the team’s success last year and will be even more so this fall is Kyra Bergmann. The junior, who played primarily third singles, will be moving up in the lineup this season as Beacon’s first singles player from last year, Victoria Sec, has graduated. Bergmann will move into the second singles spot, and is ready to shoulder more of the load for her team this season. “I believe I’m ready to play second this year. I played first and second in some team matches last year, and so I feel I have some more experience doing that,” Bergmann said. “That makes me more confident moving up in the lineup. By moving up, I will be playing against harder competition. I have higher expectations for myself this season.” Bergmann compiled a fantastic sophomore season, going undefeated in both the regular season and the playoffs for her team, while also reaching the finals of the PSAL Individual tournament, where she lost to Cardozo’s Daniela Hernandez in a hard-fought three-set match. “The tournament was really competitive. I played against a lot of girls who I usually play in USTA Eastern Section tournaments,” said Bergmann. “I was a little nervous playing a full two out of three set match in front of my high school coach. I was definitely upset after I lost because I didn’t qualify for the New York State Championships. But I’m going to use that loss as motivation this season, because I really want to represent my school and the PSAL at the state championships.” Bergmann understands the types of expectations that come with playing for Beacon and it is something that her and her teammates really embrace, using it to ele40

Photo credit: Damion Reid/PSAL

vate their games and continue to get better. “I feel very proud playing for one of the best high school tennis teams out there,” Bergmann said. “I always feel some sort of pressure while playing team matches; I believe that all my teammates feel the same. We always want to win and with that comes the pressure of not letting the team down. Last year, we had a very successful season by beating Bronx Science in the PSAL and the Mayor’s Cup finals. There is a lot of pressure to win both tournaments again this year, but if we play as confidently as we did last year I believe that we can do it again.” If Beacon is going to repeat this season, Bergmann will play a major role in its success. The strength of her game comes from the baseline where she has consistent groundstrokes, especially with her forehand. She has had a busy tennis summer, working on her game, which included playing her first ITF tournament down in Ecuador. “I trained in an Ecuadorian tennis camp for a week before the tournament. It was

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

incredible,” Bergmann said. “The tennis club was near the Andes Mountains, and I had to learn how to adapt to playing in higher altitudes. The air is so thin there and the balls go a lot faster. I had to change my swings, court position and footwork and it really improved my game.” The biggest thing she wanted to work on this summer was the mental side of her game. She says she sometimes has a hard time closing out sets and matches, but playing down at the USTA Zonals at Wake Forest University, she put an emphasis on closing out her matches, using her teammates support to pump her up. “Having my teammates cheering me on the whole time made me feel more comfortable on the court, and I started playing better,” said Bergmann. With an improved mental game and the valuable experiences she gained while traveling to play tennis this summer, Bergmann will be one of the best players in New York City this season, and will be a major component of Beacon’s quest for a championship repeat.

irls High School Preview 2017 Teams to Watch Beacon

Cardozo

Beacon has dominated the landscape in New York City tennis for a number of years now, and that should be no different this fall. The girls have been in the PSAL finals the last seven years, winning the city title in six of those years, including last year’s triumph over Bronx Science, in which it swept all five courts. Despite losing top singles player Victoria Sec, Beacon is still loaded with singles talent which includes Aleksandra Bekirova and Kyra Bergmann, and returns most of its doubles players to once again make it a team to be reckoned with. Bronx Science The Bronx Science Wolverines are the only team other than Beacon to win a city title in the last seven years, winning the championship in 2015, and will be on the lookout for some revenge after last year’s defeat in the PSAL finals. It will bring back the bulk of its roster, including Perene Wang, Christina Huynh & Sofie Levine. With those three girls leading the way at the top, Bronx Science should once again be one of the top teams in all of New York City this fall. Brooklyn Tech Brooklyn Tech lost a heartbreaking match to Cardozo in the PSAL quarterfinals last year, a 3-2 defeat by the slimmest of margins, and will return its entire starting lineup from that team which makes it a threat to do damage this season. Anchored by its top two singles players, Chelsea Williams and Nicole Semenov, the Engineers are one of the most talented teams in all of New York City. Alina Abramoff rounds out the singles lineup, and with experienced doubles players finishing out the team’s roster, Brooklyn Tech is poised to make a deeper run in the PSAL playoffs this time around.

A run to the semifinals for Cardozo last season was an improvement from quarterfinal runs in the previous two seasons, and look for the Lady Judges to build on that success this season. The squad returns its top three singles players from a year ago, Katherine Kachkarov at first singles, last season’s PSAL singles champion Daniela Hernandez (pictured above) at second singles and Emily Moczulski in the third spot. While it is losing three of its four starting doubles players, the talented and deep singles lineup assures Cardozo will be one of the toughest teams to play all season. Townsend Harris The Townsend Harris team could be one that sneaks up on a lot of teams this season as its young core enters 2017 with another year of experience under their belt. Liana Weitzman at first singles and Tseten Lhamo at first doubles will be the lone starters who graduated, and while that will create a void in the lineup, the Hawks of Townsend Harris will have a talented singles lineup spearheaded by sophomores Rachel Zhang and India Lott. While still a relatively young team, the Townsend Harris has the potential to be one of the top teams in New York City.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Mentaland EmotionalTalents of Prodigies By Chris Lewit ennis prodigies— gifted and precocious players—are rare, but very special. I have had the good fortune of working with many young players whom I would consider to have been tennis prodigies and they exhibit certain traits that all players, coaches and parents can learn from.

Maturity and emotional control Prodigy players that I have worked with and have spent time with have a maturity beyond their years. When you speak to them, they sound like a player many years older than their biological age. They are focused and determined, and this inner drive and vision is reflected in the language they use and the way in which they communicate. These players also often display a court presence, mannerisms and body language that is very mature and refined for their age. Prodigies often have a court presence uncannily like a top adult professional, even at a very young age, with rituals and selftalk just like the pros on television. Passion and an early love of the game Prodigy players just love tennis—more than just about anything else in the world. They love hitting the ball. They love the battle of a match. They have a tremendous passion for the sport and never tire of playing it. This passion moves them to practice and play more than other kids their age who have not yet developed a passion for the game and may love several sports or have other interests. Discipline and work ethic Prodigies have an unusual level of dedication and work ethic for their age. This relates to their unusual level of maturity and love of the game. They are often willing to train countless hours with a deep

focus when other kids their age lose concentration and want to take more breaks. Big aim and specific goal-setting Prodigies usually know exactly what they want and already have a strong goal-setting program instilled in them at a young age. I have worked with many talented children, as young as five- or six-years-old, who have remarkable clarity about their vision for the future, what the future holds for them and what they want to accomplish in the sport of tennis. These goals are often very specific and ambitious. By contrast, many good players, even highly ranked players, can struggle to explain the vision they have for their future in tennis and in seeking their goals. A growth mindset and coachability Prodigies have a great respect for the coach and a growth mindset. By that, I mean that when they come to train, they train with a purpose. They listen attentively to the coach and process advice well. Prodigies are willing to experiment to get better, and when they make a mistake, rather than dwelling on the mistake, they want to quickly learn the solution and fix

it. Because prodigies are more coachable, they progress faster than their peers. Every practice is more efficient and productive because of their mindset and positive approach to learning. One of the great joys of my coaching career has been the privilege of working with many gifted young children. I often see that my players who are struggling to make progress have deficiencies in some of the areas above where prodigies typically show strength. It would behoove all players who want to reach greatness, become champions and maximize their potential, to learn from the most talented kids to ever step onto the tennis court. While it’s true that prodigies have exceptional physical and athletic abilities that cannot be duplicated, their mental and emotional skills can be duplicated and developed, with the right amount of dedication and practice. Chris Lewit, a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player, coaches in the New York City area and also runs a highperformance boarding summer camp in Southern Vermont. He specializes in training aspiring junior tournament players using progressive Spanish and European training methods. His best-selling book, Secrets of Spanish Tennis, has helped coaches and players worldwide learn how to train the Spanish way. He may be reached by phone at (914) 462-2912, e-mail ChrisLewit@gmail.com or visit ChrisLewit.com.

“Little Mo” North Regionals at

Centercourt Chatham By By Brian Brian Coleman Coleman

he “Little Mo” North Regionals took place at Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham in New Jersey, as some of the top young junior players in the country competed over the course of a weekend for a chance to qualify for the national stage of the tournament circuit. The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation runs multiple programs, its most notable, the “Road to the ‘Little Mo’ Nationals.” “The ‘Little Mo’ tournament we had was a huge success,” said Andres Sanchez, Centercourt’s Co-Director of Junior Development Tennis, who ran the North Regionals tournament. “We had about 140 kids participating, which was a 75 percent increase from last year’s North Regional held in Chicago. We had rain on our first day of the tournament, which made it difficult scheduling-wise, but afterwards, it was clear skies and beautiful weather for the rest of the weekend.” The North Regionals consisted of players who qualified from the Eastern, Middle States, Midwest, New England and North-

ern Sectionals, and there was a player part held as well for all participants. “The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation was so pleased to welcome 130 players from 12 different states across the United States to Centercourt Athletic Club of Chatham for the 2017 ‘Little Mo’ North Regionals. It was a wonderful host site for our event with its combination of indoor and outdoor courts, beautiful landscaping, and even a Ninja Warrior Training Course for the kids,” said Matthew Cody, Executive Vice President of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. “In the past, we have had the event in Illinois, but we chose to have it on the East Coast this year as it was more centrally located between our qualifying sectionals and more people could attend. We look forward to seeing many more players next year.” Below are the winners from each respective division: l Boys 8s: Colin McPeek l Boys 9s: Sebastian Bielen l Boys 10s: Dominick Mosejczuk

l l l l l l l

Boys 11s: Aryan Badlani Boys 12s: Joshua Rosenberg Girls 8s: Ciara Harding Girls 9s: Olivia Traynor Girls 10s: Tara Kurepa Girls 11s: Ayanna Varma Girls 12s: Linda Ziets-Segura

“At Centercourt, we are very passionate about promoting the game of tennis and making it an enjoyable experience for all our players,” said Sanchez. “Having the opportunity to host the ‘Little Mo’ at our club was our chance of doing this, and the kids who came here this weekend had an unforgettable experience and a great time!” Players who reached the semifinals in their respective divisions advance to play in the “Little Mo” Nationals, which runs from Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas. Brian Coleman is Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by phone at (516) 409-4444, ext. 326 or email BrianC@USPTennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Functional Fitness for Tennis Players By Dr. Rob Silverman ennis is a great game for staying in shape. The fitness you develop from a regular tennis game has an added bonus: It carries over into the rest of your life. By playing tennis, you also improve your functional fitness or your ability to do ordinary things, like carry a sack of groceries in from the car or climb a flight of stairs. The better your functional fitness, the better you can get through all the usual activities of your typical day with ease—and with energy left over for tennis. Exercises to build functional fitness aim to mimic the activities of daily living by working several muscle groups at once. They’re designed to improve your strength, flexibility, endurance, range of motion, and balance, because you need all those abilities every time you do something like pick up a toddler, or reach for something on a high shelf, or carry a briefcase. Because they build overall fitness, they’re also great for your tennis game!

Exercises for functional fitness Functional fitness exercises focus on building a strong core and then working several major muscles groups of the body at once. 44

The five exercises I suggest here are a good basic workout that doesn’t require any special equipment—you’re going to use just your body weight. Plenty of other exercises also build functional fitness, so once you’ve mastered these, change up your routine by swapping some other exercises in and out.

l Flex your arms and push up, keeping your back straight, until you are supported only by your toes and your forearms. Look down to keep your head in a neutral position. l Hold for at least 15 seconds. As you get better at this, hold for as long as possible, at least 30 seconds.

1. The Plank

2. Two-Legged Squat

This most fundamental of exercises is key to a strong core—it engages your abs, lower back, hips, and arms. This is the one functional fitness exercise that should always be part of your workout routine, because your core muscles are continually engaged when you play tennis. l Lie face-down on a mat in push-up position. Place your forearms on the mat at shoulder width, with your elbows aligned under your shoulders.

This is a great functional fitness exercise for building up and coordinating your leg muscles, especially the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves—the muscles that control your knees and hips. By doing this regularly, you improve your ability to get up and down from chairs, pick things up off

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

the ground, and climb steps. For your tennis game, strong legs give you a strong foundation for your strokes and improve your ability to transfer your weight. l Stand upright, with your legs apart a little wider than shoulder width and your arms at your sides. l Pull your shoulder blades in toward each other a bit to tighten your abdominal muscles. l Slowly bend your knees and push your rear end and hips down behind you, just as if you were sitting down in a chair. Keep your knees aligned over your ankles and your toes pointing forward. As you lower your body, raise your arms up in front of you. l Keep lowering your body until your thighs and arms are parallel to the floor. Hold for 10 seconds. l Slowly raise yourself upright again, while lowering your arms back down to your sides. Repeat 10 times. Tip: As you get better at this exercise, try doing it as a deep squat instead. Instead of stopping when your thighs are

parallel to the floor, go down as low as you can, keeping your arms extended. 3. Push-Ups

your hands a bit more than shoulderwidth apart. Extend your legs straight back and flex your feet so you’re supported on your toes. Keep your back straight and your belly tightened. Look down to keep your head in a neutral position. l Keeping your legs straight, lower your chest toward to the floor until your elbows are bent 90 degrees, then push yourself up. Repeat 10 times. 4. Bird Dogs

The plain old push-up is one of those basic exercises we tend to overlook, but it’s great for strengthening your core, your gluteus maximus and the chest, shoulder and arm muscles. You’ll notice the difference when you’re lifting or carrying something heavy or reaching up to get something in or out of a cabinet. You’ll also see a difference in your strokes—strong arms and shoulders are key to good control. l Get on your hands and knees (the quadruped position) on a mat. Place

Bird dogs, also known as pointers, are great for the muscles of the lower back and continued on page 46

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function fitness for tennis players thighs and the upper arms. If you do these, you’ll notice the difference in anything you do that requires lifting or bending. You’ll find that you’re more flexible on the tennis court. l Start in the quadruped position, on your hands and knees. Raise your right arm until it is parallel to the floor and point it forward, like a bird dog showing where a duck is. l Simultaneously extend your left leg back behind you until it is parallel to the floor. Balance on your left arm and right leg. l Hold for 10 seconds, then bring your arm and leg back to the quadruped position and repeat with the left arm and right leg. Continue alternating arms and legs for 10 reps. 5. Lunges With Rotation This exercise builds up your quads, hamstrings and butt muscles, while also working on the abdominal muscles that help you turn from side to side. It’s a good way to improve your ability to get up and down from a sitting or squatting position and pick up things; it also helps with upper back

continued from page 45

l Hold the lunge and rotate your arms and torso to the right as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10 seconds. l Return to the neutral standing position and repeat, lunging forward on the left leg and rotating to the left. Continue alternating sides for 10 reps.

mobility and your ability to twist your torso. This exercise improves both stroke control and flexibility on the court. l Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms extended out, parallel to the floor. l Take a big step forward with your right leg into the lunge position: Upper body erect, right leg bent 90 degrees at the knee, left leg extended behind you, also bent 90 degrees at the knee.

Dr. Robert G. Silverman is a White Plains, N.Y.-based sports chiropractor and certified clinical nutritionist, specializing in functional medicine and the treatment of joint pain with innovative, science-based, nonsurgical approaches. He is also on the advisory board for the Functional Medicine University and a health contributor to various major TV networks. He is the author of Amazon’s Number One Best-Seller, Inside-Out Health. In 2015, he was honored with the prestigious Sports Chiropractor of the Year award by the ACA Sports Council. He can be reached by phone at (914) 287-6464, email Info@DrRobertSilverman.com or visit DrRobertSilverman.com.

USTA Leagues Update September/October 2017 The Metro 18 & Over Regional Playoffs were held at the following clubs in New York City: l July 28, MatchPoint NYC, Queens College, USTA National Tennis Center and Sportime at Randall’s Island l July 29, Cary Leeds Tennis Center and Crotona Park The winners will be representing the USTA Metro Region at the Sectional Championships in Schenectady, N.Y. The winning teams and the boroughs they represent include: l 3.0 Men: Reyes & Lagaspi, Queens, N.Y. l 3.0 Women: Xu & Leung, Manhattan, N.Y. l 3.5 Men: Ragione, Queens, N.Y.

l l l l l l l

3.5 Women: Queens, N.Y. 4.0 Men: Moramarco, Queens, N.Y. 4.0 Women: Queens, N.Y. 4.5 Men: Doane, Manhattan, N.Y. 4.5 Women: Salnikowa, Manhattan, N.Y. 5.0 Men: Dorin & Alcayago, Manhattan, N.Y. 5.0 Women: Glick, Manhattan, N.Y.

Upcoming League Opportunities for USTA players: l Manhattan Mixed: Tentative start date of Nov. 1, 2017. l 40 & Over Men and Women: Tentative start date of Dec. 1, 2017.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

inPhorm: Setting the Trend in Tennis Apparel inPhorm 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 50 UV. inPhorm is constantly devising new processes and developing technology to reduce the environmental impact of apparel manufacturing. This year, inPhorm began offering active and tennis wear that have been colored with a proprietary dry-dye 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, added to their innercity fundraising to help young adults expand in their tennis goals, as well as added to their international sales force. On the courts at Wimbledon, Indian Wells, the U.S. Open, Davis Cup, or World TeamTennis, inPhorm-sponsored athletes define athleticism and beauty with an ecoconscious pedigree! You can visit the inPhorm Web site at inPhormNYC.com or call (214) 749-0300 First time shoppers on inPhormNYC.com

can use Customer Code: STAYINPHORMED for a special discount. Follow inPhorm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! Expect more great things from inPhorm as we offer more athleisure, always mindful that the creation of high design does not preclude protecting our planet.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

To Defer or Not to Defer: That Is the Question By Barbara Wyatt he tennis racket spins on its head. Someone says “Up.” Four tennis players crowd around the spinning racquet. It falls to the ground. A player examines the butt of the racquet and says, “It is up and I defer.” “Oh, fudge. Gosh darn it,” I think. “The dreaded ‘defer’ … now what do I do?” After the racket spin or coin toss, the winner can choose to serve first, receive first, pick a side to start, or defer to the opponent. The opponent has the choice of what remains, but may not defer again. When you choose “defer,” you opt for the best of your services and sides. It is like throwing the gauntlet on the ground and saying, “We know our priorities. Pick whichever you want. We are ready.” Most recreational doubles players choose to serve first, not understanding why that is a good or bad decision for their game. A good doubles team will recognize the talent each player brings to the court. Which player is more likely to hold their serve? Which player serves better into the wind? Or who serves better into the sun? Does a player face initial jitters at the start of the match? Does one

partner become fatigued in a match? Who plays strongest after the rest at the changeover? If you have a left- and righthanded player, should you switch serving order to avoid the sun or wind? As an example, you and your partner decide your partner holds their serve more often when serving on the shady side on the court, not into the sun. You win the toss and select to defer. Your opponents decide to serve first and you select the shady side, forcing them to serve that first game into the sun. You win the toss, defer and your opponents select to receive. Select the shady side and start serving. You win the toss, defer and opponents select the shady side, choose to receive and if needed, change your serving order. If they select the sunny side, choose to receive. Does your partner suffer from nerves and initial jitters in the first game? Forget defer and select receive. Many recreational players do not serve at their peak at the start of a match and often need a serving game to warm up. Does your partner tire easily? Choose to receive and have your partner be the second server in the match. They may hold their serve more frequently in the first set after the rest period at the changeover. The choice to defer can place immedi-

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New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

ate pressure on the other team. They squirm and stumble about discussing what to do in the face of the dreaded defer. If you are familiar with your opponents’ strengths, use defer to interfere with their serving order. I know a 4.5 left-handed server with a dynamic kick-serve that is most effective when he serves from the shady side. However, this is well-known by his opponents. For the last four years, he has yet to be the first server. His opponents continue to defer and force his team to switch serving order relegating him to serve after his partner. When you win the toss, your decision to serve first, receive first, select the side or defer depends entirely on the priorities of your doubles partnership. Whichever you select, you want to maximize the potential for holding serve while setting up the strongest opportunity to break your opponent’s serve. Barbara Wyatt is a Writer, Photographer, USTA Official, and Mobile App Developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

Mauna Kea Resort Is Tennis, and So Much More

auna Kea Resort’s 11court Seaside Tennis Club is one of the largest and most sought-after 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 top-notch 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 takes place in April. Perhaps most surprising to first-time players at Mauna Kea however, is the club’s proximity 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 December until May when the giant mammals can often be seen breaching just offshore. Mauna Kea Resort, originally developed by venture capitalist and environmentalist 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 paddleboarding, 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 perfect options for indulgence and exercise. Enjoy more with Mauna Kea Resort’s Free Nights and Breakfast Package. For more information, visit MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com or call (877) 880-6524.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide the Top for Clubs/Programs 2016 Guide to the Topto Clubs/Programs New York Tennis Players for New York Tennis Players

Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue • Bronx, N.Y. • (718) 247-7420 • CaryLeedsTennis.org • CaryLeedsInfo@NYJTL.org The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning houses a two-story, 12,600-square foot clubhouse, educational spaces, and access to 20 courts (10 bubbled for winter/indoor use) and two stadium courts that seat up to 800 spectators. Commercial offerings are led by Executive Director of Tennis Rick Ferman, who has assembled a world-class coaching staff including former world doubles number one Liezel Huber and WTA coaching veteran and husband, Tony Huber. Programming includes juniors, adults, camps, tournaments, and private lessons for beginner, intermediate and advanced play levels. The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning is the flagship home of New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL), the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation. In serving its larger mission, the Cary Leeds Center provides 6,000 hours of free tennis court time to the community. 50

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy 65 Columbia Road • Morristown, N.J. • (973) 539-2054 • 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 fulltime 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.

CourtSense Tennis Training Centers at Tenafly and Bogota Racquet Clubs 195 County Road Tenafly, N.J. • (201) 569-1114 & (201) 489-1122 • 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 high-performance 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, NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players 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 • 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. 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, 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.

Gotham Stadium NYC 725 Exterior Street at East 152nd Street and the Harlem River • Bronx, N.Y. • (718) 665-4684 • StadiumTennisNYC.com Gotham Stadium NYC 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”, featuring 16 cushioned, newly-surfaced U.S. Open-style DecoTurf 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. 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 up52

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players dated 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.

Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club 450 West 43rd Street • New York, N.Y. • (212) 594-0554 • 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 and for more information, contact MPRC’s Junior Program Administrator Gabriel Slotnick at (212) 594-0554.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

MatchPoint NYC 2781 Shell Road • Brooklyn, N.Y. • (718) 769-0001 • MatchPoint.NYC MatchPoint NYC Mill Basin 2350 East 69 Street • Brooklyn, N.Y. • (718) 444-3600 • 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 national 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.

Midtown Tennis Club 341 8th Avenue • New York, N.Y. • (212) 989-8572 • 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 HarTru courts for year-round use and four outdoor HarTru 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 look54

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players ing 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.

Nassau Indoor Tennis Club 73 Fern Place • Inwood, N.Y. • (516) 239-8303 • NassauIndoorTennis.com • 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 HarTru 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 • Throgs Neck (Bronx), N.Y. • (718) 239-7919 • AdvantageTennisClubs.com Mike@AdvantageTennisClubs.com • NYTCTreasurer@gmail.com Founded in 1886, New York Tennis Club is the oldest active tennis club in New York, with the year 2017 marking their 131th consecutive season. Throughout the years, the Club has maintained a reputation for its restful atmosphere, congeniality of its members and its NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players professional approach. With a patio and viewing deck and six HarTru 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. 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. 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.

Roosevelt Island Racquet Club 281 Main Street • Roosevelt Island, N.Y. • (212) 935-0250 • RIRCTennis.com • GKent@AdvantageTennisClubs.com Now in its 25th 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 HarTru 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, 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 56

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players 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.

Ross School Tennis Center 18 Goodfriend Drive • East Hampton, N.Y. • (631) 907-5162 • Ross.org/Tennis • 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 HarTru 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

SPORTIME Randall’s Island, Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and the 501(c)(3) Johnny Mac Tennis Project One Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. • (212) 427-6150 • SportimeNY.com/Manhattan • JohnMcEnroeTennisAcademy.com JMTPNY.org • 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 HarTru 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, Co-Directors of Tennis Patrick McEnroe and Lawrence Kleger, 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 Loeb, who was the ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest University and NCAA singles finalist in 2015. Loeb, is a top 150 WTA player 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.

Tennis Innovators Academy 110 Lake Street • White Plains, N.Y. • (914) 428-2444 • TIAcademies.com Located in White Plains, N.Y., 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 58

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players 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 HarTru 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, 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 • Flushing, N.Y. • (718) 760-6200 • NTC.USTA.com The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, is open to the public year-round and offers exciting programming and 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 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, levelof-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 in the Northeast, and a year-round USTA Tournament Training Program for ranked juniors. The NTC also provides for diverse community outreach programs including; the 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 also 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, Acing Autism Programs 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 tennis instruction, multi sports, and fitness programs; the encouragement of good sportsmanship leading to general character building for the children. 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 in the New York City Metropolitan Area. This program provides students the opportunity to visit the NTC and learn about the history of tennis and play on court. 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.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

2017 Guide to the Top Clubs/Programs for New York Tennis Players

West Side Tennis Club 1 Tennis Place • Forest Hills, N.Y. • (718) 268-2300 • ForestHillsTennis.com The West Side Tennis Club is well-known for hosting the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Today, it is home to 680 members, maintaining the best of a celebrated past and rich history. 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. Located just 20 minutes from the bustle of midtown Manhattan, West Side is easily accessible by car, bus, subway or the Long Island Railroad. West Side maintains 38 tennis courts on five different surfaces: Grass, HarTru, Red Clay, Deco-Turf and Synthetic Grass 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. The 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. In the 1960s and 70s, the historic stadium hosted iconic performances such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand and Simon and Garfunkel. Over the past few years the stadium has seen a revivification for concerts and World TeamTennis matches. A newly surfaced center court, a state-of-the-art stage, speakeasies, added stadium seating, a newly constructed Rose Garden gazebo for entertaining and other amenities redefine Forest Hills Stadium as a unique concert experience. Today, performances featuring talented artists such as Paul Simon, The XX, Mumford & Sons, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Van Morrison, John Mellencamp and Chance the Rapper keep The West Side Tennis Club grounds a NYC destination. 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 Wi-Fi 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.

COMING IN NOVEMBER 2017

nytennis New York Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2017 Girls High School Season Recap

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine November/December 2017!

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

COMING IN NOVEMBER 2017

Distribution scheduled for 11/01/17

This edition will feature: • Top Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2017 Girls High School Season Recap

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Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of New York Tennis Magazine November/December 2017! Facebook-www.Facebook.com/NYTennisMag Instagram-@NYTennisMag • Twitter-@NYTennisMag Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by2017 October 1,Tennis 2017Magazine 61 NYTennisMag.com • September/October • New York 2016 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@NYTennisMag.com

Michelle Greco and Austin Doerner Dominate Inaugural New York Open POP Tennis Tournament

Women’s Doubles Champions Michelle Greco & Viviana Rojas de Heil, winners of the New York Open POP Tennis Tournament

New York Open POP Tennis Tournament Men’s Doubles Champs Scott & Austin Doerner

he New York Open POP Tennis Tournament, hosted by International POP Tennis Association and sponsored by Adidas and TuffTec Lockers, took place in late July at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Former WNBA champion Michelle Greco

Notably, athletes from other racquet sports participated, including Beach Tennis National Champions Nadia Johnson and Nicole Melch, and Platform Tennis National Champions Mark Parsons and Stephen DeRose. Both teams qualified for the finals in their respective divisions, as well as a group of former collegiate tennis athletes

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swept all three divisions in which she participated, capturing the Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles Championships. POP Tennis star Austin Doerner won the Men’s Singles title, defeating his brother, Scott Doerner, in the finals and then partnering with his brother to capture their 12th consecutive Men’s Doubles Championships.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

making a strong presence in the late rounds. Champions and finalists in the 2017 POP Tennis Pro Divisions include: l Women’s Singles: Champion Michelle Greco/Finalist Michaela Kratochvilova l Women’s Doubles: Champions Michelle Greco & Viviana Rojas de Heil/Finalists Nicole Melch & Nadia Johnston l Mixed Doubles: Champions Michelle Greco & Russ Garber/Finalists Dana & Mark Parsons l Men’s Singles: Champion Austin Doerner/Finalist Scott Doerner l Men’s Doubles: Champions Scott & Austin Doerner/Finalists Stephen DeRose & Mark Parsons “The tournament attracted a diverse group of players from various racquet

sports,” said Whitney Kraft, New York Open Tournament Director and Director of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “Players of all levels quickly

adapted to POP Tennis, and the shorter formats enabled everyone to play multiple matches in a short amount of time.” POP Tennis is in growth mode and looking for facilities, instructors and ambassadors interested in joining TEAM POP to onboard POP Tennis programs and host tournaments in their respective areas. “In addition to the professional level competition, it was so gratifying to see such diversity of first time players, family pairings of parents and children, and adults of all ages,” said Jerry Pham, President of the International POP Tennis Association. “I’ve witnessed a large number of tennis tournaments in my life, and I can safely say that I’ve never seen so many smiles after matches, win or lose.” The third tournament in the 2017 POP Tennis Tournament Series will take place in Venice Beach, Calif., Oct. 78. To find out more about joining TEAM POP, visit POPTennis.com or e-mail Info@POPTennis.com.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Reboot, Recharge and Rebound The Secret to Success By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC We all saw Roger Federer win yet another Grand Slam victory, totaling 19, undoubtedly making a strong case for being the GOAT â&#x20AC;Ś Greatest Of All-Time. However, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the purpose of this article. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leave that debate to others and bring our focus to the story behind the story. What is Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s driving force? How can he continue to rebound? And, most importantly, what can we learn from him and other greats? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discuss the driving force first. Whenever Federer talks about tennis and his longevity, he always speaks to his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love of the game.â&#x20AC;? His enjoyment of competing. During Wimbledon, Federer said to the Guardian, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you understand that playing tennis is great fun? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to win three Slams a year to be content. If the body doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to do it, if the mind doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to do it, if

my wife doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want me to do it, if my kids donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like it, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll stop tomorrow. Zero problem.â&#x20AC;? Clearly, Roger is in tune with himself, his unique process and his supporting cast, his family. These components, together, allow him the freedom to play and be grateful for each match he plays. The secret to Federerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustained performance is that he is more than an athlete, he brings who he is (the person) to what he does (tennis). As a result, he is able to play from a grounded, centered place. What about the question of rebounding, aka bouncing back? During Wimbledon, I remember seeing an advertisement on a New York City bus: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reboot, Recharge and Rebound.â&#x20AC;? This struck me as making so much sense both in life and on the court. Think about it â&#x20AC;Ś we spend so much time trying to â&#x20AC;&#x153;get somewhere.â&#x20AC;? Very often, we over-try, pushing the limits and grinding. Grinding almost becomes a rite of passage. Think of how many times, off the court, you reboot your computer, your phone or Kindle, and everything resets. Often, that act of rebooting is preceded by panic, pressing buttons,

imagining the worst. But stepping away and a simple rest or reboot is usually all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary to clear the way. Federer and Serena Williams are two great examples of this. Last year, Federer took six months off to allow his mind and body to heal. The result? A victory at the 2017 Australian Open, followed by time off and then Wimbledon. Years back, I remember announcers lamenting that: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If only Serena would play more, dedicate herself more, she would have so many more Grand Slams, and have a stronger imprint in the game.â&#x20AC;? Certainly, Serena also values the saying on the bus: Reboot, Rebound and Recharge. For many, it can be difficult to take such protracted periods away from the game. However, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the point, the real point is that many times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about continuing to grind and push forword. Often times, the best strategy is to stop rather than step forward and simply allow things to settle, clear your mind, loosen up, be free and then continue your journey. In my previous article on page 71 of the May/June 2017 issue of New York Tennis Magazine, titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Untangling the

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Knot,” I spoke about this same idea. As players, coaches and fans, it’s important to give some thought to what we can learn from all the players who continue to rebound, bounce back from adversity and never give up. In a nutshell, these players are the ones who don’t force, don’t over-try and don’t continue to do the same thing … that is not working, with more intensity. They are also not focused on outcome, but rather, on their unique process. They dial back to small things like positioning, targets and contact point. They are eliminating the excess noise of what they cannot control and bringing their focus back to what they can control: Playing their game, not comparing and staying patient on their journey. It’s not so much about confidence, but about inner belief and trust. They know if they lose a match, they are more than an athlete. The match is only a reflection of the score on that particular day, not a reflection of who they are as a person. From this place, they can Reboot, Recharge and Rebound from a place of

clarity, allowing their journey to be their best. 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, email Rob@InsideTheZone.com or visit InsideTheZone.com.

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courtsix New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz From the Gridiron to the Baseline

Ahead of the 2017 U.S. Open, two New York Jets, linebacker Demario Davis and running back Matt Forte, squared off in the Ultimate NYC Sports Challenge. Davis had challenged Forte to a bet on the tennis court, and the loser agreed to donate $10,000 to the winner’s charity. After a set of uninspiring tennis, it was Forte who came out on top 6-0 in the end.

Amazon Outbids Sky for Exclusive ATP Tour Rights

Amazon has outbid Sky Sports for the rights to broadcast the ATP World Tour, its first major live TV sports rights deal outside of the United States. Amazon Prime Video will now be the home for nearly all the ATP World Tour tournaments, other than the four Grand Slams, including the ATP World Tour Finals. The contract with Sky Sports ends in 2018, when Amazon’s deal will begin.

WTA Launches WTA TV

The WTA has launched its new subscription service, WTA TV, which offers matches streamed both live and on-demand. Subscribers pay either a monthly or annual fee, with access to nearly 2,000 matches from WTA tournaments.

Wimbledon’s Strict, Strict Dress Code Enforced

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During the Ladies’ Invitational Doubles Tournament, an exhibition for fans to see older or retired players, Kim Clijsters asked a fan to come out of the stands and play. Due to the strict Wimbledon dress code, Clijsters went into her bag for a skirt for the man to wear, which led to a funny and awkward moment as they helped him put it on.

Errani Suspended for Doping

Citi Open Names Fifth Female Tournament Director

Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Cycling with my cousins!

Italy’s Sara Errani received a two-month suspension from the ITF after testing positive for Letrozole, a drug used to treat breast cancer patients. An adjudication panel ruled that Errani’s positive test was “at the lower end of the scale,” but still deemed it worthy of a two-month suspension, which bans her from taking part in the 2017 U.S. Open. Errani said that the substance comes from her mother’s cancer medication and that she ingested it while eating tortellini.

Federer Names Wimbledon Trophy

Keely O’Brien became just the fifth female Tournament Director on the ATP Tour when she took over duties for the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. O’Brien began her career as an intern at the Citi Open back in 2004. “I’ve had unbelievable mentors, both men and women, throughout the process,” said O’Brien. “And I think just trying to carry on a legacy is, for me, what I focus on.”

Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): Tennis meets golf! All day with @TheMichelleWie on my snap and insta stories

Tweets from the pros Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova): Just in. Publishers Weekly #Unstoppable book review

Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): #19 tastes great

Roger Federer has given his eighth Wimbledon trophy a name: Arthur. The name pays tribute to Arthur Gore, who won the title in 1908. In a bit of subliminal messaging, “19” is the number of Grand Slams Federer has won, and “08” is the number of Wimbledon titles he now owns.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Super Nationals By Steve Kaplan don’t travel to tournaments as much as I used to earlier in my career, but I decided to journey with a terrific student to Virginia Beach to the Girls’ 16 Clay Court Super Nationals this past July. I was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised at the performances of these top girls. Here are a few observations and comparisons about the Girls’ 16s tournament experience of today with that of years ago …

are selected to host Summer Nationals. Here’s my take on it … it’s about economics. You need a large facility to serve as the host, and cooler areas are busy in the summer while warmer areas are busy in the winter and ghost towns in the summer. Enter the bid to host a Nationals while sane people stay in air conditioning. The Board of Health In New York City recently adopted a heat alert policy for scholastic sports for a sound reason. A heat index of over 100 cannot be healthy to exercise in, and Virginia Beach, while not scary hot every day this time around, was very toasty.

The weather I’m sure that I’m not the first person to wonder why the hottest places on Earth

The club The Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club is the perfect venue (except for lo-

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

cation, see above) to host Nationals. It has more than 25 outdoor clay courts, 10 indoor courts and it’s spread out. Wide open areas at Nationals seem to be soothing to the frayed nerves of the parents and coaches watching. It’s a nice place, but by no means, toney and stuffy … just good ole’ southern hospitality at a club happy to be given the opportunity to host a Super Nationals. The behavior The on and off court behavior of players was just outstanding. Players at this event were polite, fair and focused. Perhaps cheating is rampant at some junior events, but the girls here let their rackets do the talking.

Sure, a few players could use finishing school and perhaps my experience was unique, but it gives me cause for optimism that athletes’ behavior in the sport has progressed and matured. The tennis Girls hit ground strokes really hard these days. A former student who was top 20 nationally in the Boys’ 18s, 35 years ago swears that National Level 16-year-old girls hit groundstrokes as hard as Jimmy Connors did back in the day with his Wilson T2000. The athletes are bigger and stronger, and move side to side well, but forward and backward movement is still as much of a problem as ever. While more girls have a usable slice, fewer girls than ever seem to have a very good slice. Not many girls had very sound service motions. They get more power because of advancements in technology, but efficient linkage from the ground to contact seems to be as elusive as ever. While I suspect that girls volley bet-

ter today, it’s difficult to evaluate the singles volleys of the Girls’ 16s in comparison to a generation ago. First, because they don’t come to net often, and second, when they do, their opponents have huge power to defend. When I watch doubles, I am pleased to observe that more girls than before have developed a strong sense of court position and doubles competency. Pre-match preparation The fitness world has changed and progressed, but the junior tennis world seemed stuck in the practices of yesterday. I saw a few players perform functional movements for a minute or two, but most did not demonstrate good form. An overwhelming number of players just hit to warm up. It’s better than eating potato chips, but still not a best practice. The parents and coaches This was a very low key event. There was surprisingly little cheering, obnoxious clapping, clandestine attempts to

communicate and self-talking. It was almost calm … almost. Overall impressions Over the years, many of the institutions that define a National Summer Tournament experience, i.e. bad hotel breakfast, boring pre-tournament meeting, the sales pitch for extra car rental insurance and that very long walk back to the tournament desk after a loss, have remained the same. The weather is still hot, but tempers have cooled. It was a kinder and gentler tournament scene in Virginia Beach, and if this experience is representative of a wider trend, it is a very large step in the right direction. 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.

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Photo credit: STRINGERimage

What I Would Change About Tennis

By Gilad Bloom ’ve been involved with tennis for more than 40 years now, and have seen the game evolve to what it is now. There is no doubt in my mind that the racket size should have remained their original size when invented. That decision, which was ultimately a commercial decision, would change the game forever. The newer, bigger and more powerful frames allowed the average club player to produce cleaner and powerful strokes, and prolonged the careers and the quality of play of older, aging players. However, this change in racket size altered the pro game forever, shifting the

game from a game of precision, variety of strokes and strategic flexibility, to a game that is more one-dimensional. Today’s game is based on huge first serves and controlling points with big weapons from the back of the court. Two other major sports faced similar issues in the past, golf and baseball, and both sports chose to stick to old equipment at the pro level. This is what tennis should have done. In baseball and golf, we can compare the levels of the old greats to those of today since they played with the same bats and clubs. In tennis, any comparison between Rod Laver and Roger Federer, arguably the two greatest of all time, is doomed because of the advantage that Federer’s racket gives him.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

The wheel will never turn back on that issue unfortunately, so let me focus on a few issues that can still change in today’s game in this country and in general. I am realistic and realize that things in the tennis world move slow, but hopefully in the near future, someone will solve the following burning issues … 1. The cheating problem Tennis is a unique sport in many ways, but this is ridiculous! Can you imagine a baseball or soccer little league game without an official? Each game would end in a brawl! Tennis is the only sport that lets the players call their own lines, and this is not fair to the kids. The USTA should make it mandatory that from the

age

quarterfinals onward of a tournament, that there is an official, at least in Level 1 tournaments. Also, there are technologies now available that allow for cheaper electronic refereeing. This should be the future of the sport. It has been the oldest problem in tennis, and as a coach who respects the game, it disgusts me every time there is a bad call and this issue needs to be taken care of. Another way of attacking this issue is punishing kids who get overruled a certain amount of times per year. If more kids would get caught and suspended for cheating, it might set a precedent and keep kids from blatantly cheating, which unfortunately is the case today in most big tournaments, making it very difficult to watch junior tennis these days. 2. The (other) cheating problem I’m sick of hearing about those minor players who were caught throwing matches on the Futures Tour as part of a gambling scam. It is very easy to fix a tennis match and for every person who gets caught, there are probably a few who got away with it and tainted the purity of the sport. The solution is to ban betting on tennis altogether! Let those who gamble wager on horses, soccer and other sports that are harder to fix. There is no reason that an otherwise meaningless match on the Futures Tour should be bet on. It doesn’t do anyone any good and will save those (literally) poor players from being tempted to make the wrong choice. 3. NCAA status and amateur status This is a case where the NCAA is shooting itself in the foot in my opinion. The strict rules that the NCAA apply force many young players to make the decision to go to college and not turn pro because of fear of losing their “Amateur Status.” It’s a well-known fact that until you are in the top 300 in the world, you don’t really break even, let alone make money, because of the nature of the profession in terms of travel expenses, hotels, coaching, etc. The solution is to set a certain ranking level that if you make, will make you a

professional. If a player plays on the minor pro tour for one or two seasons and doesn’t make it, he or she should have a chance to play some college tennis. This would encourage more players to try their luck on the tour, knowing that they will still be eligible to play collegiate tennis. In an era when NBA players are allowed to play the Olympics, it’s ridiculous that a player who played a few matches on the Futures Circuit would not be allowed to play college tennis. 4. The doubles issue/second tier players Tennis is one of the most capitalistic sports. There are only about 200 players who make a decent living, and the top 20 rake in most of that purse. Once you dip below 200th in the world rankings, there are plenty of very good players, but their struggles are real and many of them need to retire due to the grind of the tour. The reward is minimal below the 200th ranking, and many times, survival is impossible without a sponsor. There should definitely be a better distribution of money to lower-ranked players. A player ranked 400th in the world should be able to make a comfortable living. It is important to have that type of depth in the game. Which brings me to the issue of doubles … Now, I love doubles and played doubles in almost every single tournament I ever played in, but it was a supplement to my singles game, which is the way it was meant to be. So, sorry Bryan Brothers and other doubles specialists, but I would eliminate doubles as it is on the tour and allow only singles players in the main draw to play doubles. If any of the main draw players choose not to play doubles, then the players from the singles qualifying would go into the doubles draw. This would allow the singles players from the qualifying draw to make a little extra money. Even though doubles is a part of the game traditionally, it is a fact that the crowd flocks to see mainly the big name singles players and often, the double

events are played in front of empty stadiums. The doubles draw is usually filled with very good players that are mostly unknown to the average tennis fan unless he or she is a doubles buff. Allowing only singles players to play doubles would not only allow second tier players to make money, but will also let the public enjoy top players playing doubles in a more relaxed atmosphere and make it entertaining. There will be a small group of doubles specialists allowed, but you would need to have some kind of a singles career first in order to qualify for it. To me, it is unhealthy for the pro tour that there are players who travel all over the world and play only doubles and never play a set of singles tennis. 5. The coaching “issue” … to allow or not allow? Another thing that makes tennis unique is that no coaching is allowed. As a tennis coach, I’m not allowed to even say “good shot” during a match. This should change as it makes no sense anymore. After each set, there should be an allowed one minute talk with the coach if both players have one and agree. If one player doesn’t have a coach or parent around, they can choose that their opponent doesn’t get coaching, but if both players agree on it, there is no reason not to allow it (after each set only). I don’t see the harm in it. Kids are clueless many times out there, and a one minute talk can help them raise their level and learn more from the match. It is, after all, a coach’s job. They still need to win all the big points by themselves, and there is nothing wrong with giving them a little guidance if it’s fair. 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 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

By Dr. Tom Ferraro ven the most confident of champions can experience a loss of confidence and self-defeat, and this occurs far more often than you may think. In the world of golf, we recently saw the possibility of self-sabotage show up at the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale in England. The world’s newest superstar, 23-year-old American Jordan Spieth, was cruising to victory until the last day of play. On the final day of play, he bogeyed three of the first four holes and appeared to fall into a lethargic despair as he walked along. It took his caddy, Michael Geller, a former school teacher, to remind him of his talent when he stepped off the seventh tee box. That well-timed comment allowed Spieth to snap out of his funk, start believing in himself again and go on to win the Open in dramatic fashion. During the trophy ceremony, Spieth publicly thanked his caddy for the help on the seventh tee. Tennis players are not as lucky as golfers. They are on their own when they play their matches and must deal with changes in mood without the support of others. And when they begin to fail, it is often difficult for them to right the ship. Here is the process which leads to self-defeat and what you can do to change this.

1. Tension The first trigger to self-defeat occurs based upon heightened tension. Tension may be felt at the beginning or at the end of big matches. 2. A series of mistakes A player may double-fault once or twice, get a bad call or lose some points they should have won. This series of mistakes will then break the player’s confidence and they begin to sink into anger, self-doubt and anxiety. 3. Loss of confidence When negative emotions are not held in check, they will shatter the feeling of confidence and overwhelm the player. When confidence goes, the player is now on shaky ground. 72

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

The Athlete’s

Greatest Opponent 4. Despair and loss of focus When confidence disappears, the players’ will to win and focus is lost, and with it, they lose energy and aggression. If this is not checked, it is inevitable that they will lose the match. All of this can occur within a very short period of time. It may only take five minutes for this transition to occur and the player will be left all alone in shame and humiliation in front of the crowd. This is truly “The agony of defeat.” RX The player cannot turn to an understanding coach during a match. They must be able to make attitude adjustments on their own. Here is the best way to do so …

Tension in big matches is inevitable. You will also make unforced errors based upon this anxiety. So be it. This is not unusual. But if you begin to feel selfdoubt or shame, you must have an internal check at this point. I usually talk to my players about the concept of belief and toughness. This is your go-to psychological position when things go wrong. It’s good to rehearse this beforehand and have a believable script to recite to yourself. It should include a phrase about how good you really are and also how tough you need to be. You are on the court all by yourself, so you must have a script in your mind to go to when bad calls, bad luck and bad mis-

takes happen. You need to learn how to be your own very best friend rather than your worst enemy. This occurs unconsciously, and as a psychoanalyst, I know how important it is to help guide the athlete through that murky place and back to the light. Hold onto your toughness and believe in your talent. If you need some help in doing this, do not be afraid to give me a call. I am always delighted to help. 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.

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NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

Grandpa McEnroe ... Seriously? By Richard Thater any of us read biographies about celebrities to learn the whys and wherefores of their success. Sometimes we just want to get the dirt on them so we can feel judgmentally superior. A bonus for careful readers is the chance to glean better insight into themselves. Compare the cover photos of John McEnroe’s latest book, But Seriously, with his 2002 book, You Cannot Be Serious. Back

then, he seemed to model himself after Bob Dylan with the long black coat, upturned collar and distancing stare. I found the tone of the earlier book to be defensive and self-justifying. And I was, at the time, more swayed by my own resentful envy. After all, I grew up less than a mile from McEnroe, so why wasn’t I on TV? On the cover of his new book, his posture is open and exposed, and he stares right at you, as if the physical image mirrors his personality. He wants to communicate. Which I think is exactly to point of this book. In the opening pages of But Seriously, he

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

addresses a subject that he calls a “dark moment in his career,” his loss to Ivan Lendl in the finals of the 1984 French Open. He half-heartedly tries to weasel out by writing that a friend left halfway through the match, apparently violating an unwritten rule that friends and family do not leave before a match is finished. Then, he ranted at one of those perennially irksome cameramen whose headphones were set to a distractingly loud volume. But after five long sets, Lendl was the winner and McEnroe admits, “I lost my grip on the match. I tried and tried, but in the end, I was the one walking to the

net with my head down.â&#x20AC;? This is not a â&#x20AC;&#x153;how-to-play tennisâ&#x20AC;? book. The only two paragraphs of this nature I found while reading But Seriously suggest tactics that most of us would find difficult to apply. McEnroe states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes I would try to wear the other guy down mentally and physically by extending a point on purpose. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d try to get it to a 20-shot rally so that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be expending some energy, then heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be breathing hard on the next point.â&#x20AC;? Pages later, he writes that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been a big hitter, but relied on quick hands, good movement and a smart tennis brain to overcome opponentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;my style was to try and help the guy on the other side of net to beat himself.â&#x20AC;? Incendiary responses followed his comments during the 2017 broadcast of the Wimbledon Championships about Serena Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chances against himself or even the number 900 male player. In the book, he writes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The subject of me playing Serena has never gone away. Do I think I could beat her? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell anybody, but I may still be able to do it. Okay, so my daughters no longer think I can. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Are you crazy, Dad?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Being one

of their more supportive responses. Back in 2002, Donald Trump put $1million on the table for a winner-takes-all match between John and Serena. No one took him up on the offer. I caught McEnroe referring to himself as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silver Foxâ&#x20AC;? a few times. The topic of aging does come up frequently in this book. That he seems to be comfortable with the process he attributes to the love he shares with his wife and children. He also works out three times a week and frequently competes against young athletes at his tennis academy, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Randallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island. The book is brightened by a chapter written by his wife, and includes an

essay and a poem by his daughters. When grandchildren arrive, I can see him putting their first artistic efforts on the refrigerator with magnets. Because of his outbursts over the years, his image went from brat to super brat, and that image still shadows him. He sometimes wonders, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is this ever going to stop? Am I going to be a caricature of myself for life.â&#x20AC;? Despite the mellowing that comes with age, I think McEnroe still wears that Nike shirt with the invisible logo that says â&#x20AC;&#x153;CAUTION.â&#x20AC;? He is like that discomfiting distant uncle. You might love him, but for your own safety, you do not want to get too close. Remember that normal does not get you to number one. Richard Thater is a long-time teacher and player on New York City courts. He is PTRcertified in both Junior and Adult Development, and has played in senior tournaments in the Greater New York area. Richard currently teaches at the West Side Tennis Club. He may be reached by phone at (917) 7493255 or e-mail RichThater@aol.com.

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The Development of

Motor Reaction Speed

By Philip Feingold otor reaction is a response to a sudden signal with particular movements or actions. There are two types of reaction time: Sensory stimuli and reaction time of mental processes. But, as it can be not only one but several simultaneous or successive stimuli, and, therefore, one or more possible reactions, so two types of time exist: The time of simple and time complex reaction. Complex reactions, in turn, are divided into reactions of choice and reactions to the moving object. The speed of motor reaction can be used for almost any professional activity related to the performance of any motor actions. In the course of solving the following professional tasks, there are cases when it is required to respond to some signal with a minimum time delay. Modern

technical systems, operator activities, for example, often require a quick response. Responsiveness plays an important role in various martial arts used for the training of military personnel, law enforcement and various security forces. In single combat, there can be one or more simultaneous or successive actions of the opponent. To respond to them, one should be able to protect themself, avoid a punch or hold, move quickly to take an advantageous position, react with counterpunches, etc. For simple reactions, a significant transfer of speed is typical. The training of various speed exercises improves the speed of simple reactions, and those whose reactions are fast in some situations will have the same reaction speed in others. When performing intensive muscular work, some well-trained individuals experience a decrease of the time of simple motor reaction and an increase of the irritability of the neuromuscular apparatus.

New York Tennis Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ NYTennisMag.com

Lesser-trained individuals experience an increase in reaction time, and a decrease of the irritability of the central nervous system. After short-term intense muscular work, reaction time may decrease because of the weakening of inhibitory processes and the overstimulation of the central nervous system. Such conditions are usually accompanied by the disruption of small motor differentiation and reduces the efficiency of work. Repeated disjoint and sensory methods are the most effective for focused development of the speed of simple motor reaction. The repeated method occurs when trained actions are executed at maximum speed on a signal. The duration of these exercises should not exceed four to five seconds. It is recommended to perform 3b repetitions of a training exercise in a 2-3 series. The disjoint method includes analytical training of reaction speed in a more com-

fortable environment, as well as the speed of subsequent movements. For example, when improving the starting speed in sprinting, it can be used the following scheme of disjoint training method of reaction speed to the starting signal: l At first sprint, the start is performed on command with the control of time in easy conditions (from a special starting block, downhill or with the help of a rubber tube stretched forward). l Then, a 10-20 sprint is performed independently without a command, but with control of running time to practice the starting acceleration. l Finally, the group start is performed on 20-50 m, responding to movement of one of the participants of the race. “Leader” is changed in turn in each race. The sensory method is based on the close connection between the speed of response and the ability to distinguish micro intervals. This method is aimed to develop the ability to distinguish between periods

of tenths and even hundredths of a second. Training according to this method is divided into three stages: l A sportsman performs motor actions with the maximum speed. After each attempt, the trainer tells the time of the exercise. l The initial motor actions are repeated, but the sportsmen estimate the time of their performance according to their own perception, and then compare their results with the real time of exercise. Constant comparison of their perceptions with the actual time of performance of exercises improves the accuracy of time perception. l They should perform the exercise with different predetermined speeds. The result is monitored and compared. By doing so, they learn how to control the responsiveness. The complexity of disjoint and the sensory methods of training of responsiveness is that to the implementation of certain technical means is required: An electronic

stopwatch with automatic registration of the beginning and end of a task on command and without. In everyday life, we often have to deal with complex reactions, to perform which we should: l Estimate the situation adequately. l Make the required motor decision. l Find the best way to fulfill the decision. It should be remembered that the more solutions exist to resolve a motor task, the more difficult it is to make a decision and more time is required to react. The time of a complex reaction, the minimal, if it’s motor component is improved significantly. Philip Feingold is the Founder and Owner of Philgym Academy in Red Bank, N.J. He was a centerpiece of the Israeli Track and Field team from 1992-1999, and has a lifetime of training experience with world-class athletes, including tennis players such as Dudi Sela and Elina Svitolina. He can be reached by phone at (347) 480-8074 or email Philgym@gmail.com.

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NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

NTC Plays Host to 2017 Liberty Open By Sidney Beal III Credit all photos to Sidney Beal III

wenty-seven years ago, “And Justice for All” took on a new meaning in the LGBTQ community, and The Liberty Open was born. Today, it is the only Gay Lesbian Tennis Association (GLTA) that can boast holding its yearly tournament at a Grand Slam facility, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open. Players from all over the globe attend this annual event, and this year was no different as more than 180 players competed in singles, doubles and mixed doubles elimination draws spanning five levels, ranging from beginner to highly advanced. It is considered a GLTA Master Series Event. This year, the Liberty Open said goodbye to Stuart Levy. Stuart served on the Board of Metropolitan Tennis Group for 17 years in varying roles, most recently, as Commissioner. For over half of the existence of the Liberty Open, Stuart has served as either Tournament Director or Co-Director. The tournament has remained a highlight on the GLTA Tour and Stuart’s dedication has allowed the event to flourish even more. Stuart has moved onto other projects, but his love for tennis and the Liberty Open remains. This year was special to several players, as they received their trophies from Stuart and had the opportunity to wish him well on his next project. This is the second year Tavaris Delaney was a winner in both

the Singles and Doubles in the Open Division. Winners of the 2017 Liberty Open include: l l l l l l l l l l l l

Men’s Singles Open: Tavaris Delaney Men’s Singles A: Michael Bumgarner Men’s Singles B: Danilo Schmogro Men’s Singles B (40+): Dennis Malone Men’s Singles C: Arturo Samaniego Men’s Singles C (40+): Pete L. Ta Men’s Singles D: Oscar Quispe Men’s Doubles Open: Tavaris Delaney & Garnett Taylor Men’s Doubles A: Gregg Leib & Colin Noble Men’s Doubles B: Massimo Astrologo & Edison Borja Men’s Doubles C: Conall O’Cleirigh & Arturo Samaniego Men’s Doubles D: Vincent Argiro & Henry Vera

l Mixed Doubles Open: Kathryn Taylor & Casey Schnabel l Mixed Doubles A: Stephanie Maria Chung & Dearin A. Priester l Mixed Doubles B: Kat Brown & Steve Eye l Mixed Doubles C: Christine Mellon & Charlie Vreeland l Women’s Singles B: Christine Mellon

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2017 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JULY 2017 Friday-Sunday, September 1-3 L2 Randall’s Island Summer 2017 Open Sportime Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 5:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail TournamentsRI@SportimeNY.com or call (646) 783-5301.

Friday-Sunday, September 15-17 L1B Staten Island Tennis Summer Challenger Staten Island Community Tennis Center 2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles; $28 for first doubles; maximum fee charged per player is $75 plus the processing fees for the number of events you select (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 982-3355.

Friday-Sunday, September 29-October 1 L2 Cunningham Tennis Summer Open Cunningham Tennis 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, 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; maximum fee charged per player is $75 plus the processing fees for the number of events you select (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 740-6800.

Saturday-Sunday, September 9-10 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 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail AlleyPondTennisCenter@gmail.com or call (718) 2642600.

Friday-Sunday, September 22-24 L2 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. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

Saturday-Sunday, September 30-October 1 L3 Alley Pond Tennis Center 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 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday, September 9 L2 Youth Progression Orange Ball at Cary Leeds The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

Saturday, September 23 Youth Progression Orange Level 2 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Tennis 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Sept. 17 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Victor@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, September 15-17 L1A Cary Leeds September Championships The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail WWiese@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

Friday-Sunday, September 29-October 1 L1B Cary Leeds Fall Challenger The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 22 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail EBantovska@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420.

OCTOBER 2017 Friday-Monday, October 6-9 L1 Cary Leeds Fall Championship The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 2 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail EBantovska@NYJTL.org or call (718) 247-7420. Saturday-Monday, October 7-9 USTA National Level 2 Tournament Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street • Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Advanced Boys’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (FIC-R16) and Advanced Boys’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $145.63 for one event; $146.12 for two events; additional fees may apply if registered in three or more events (deadline for entries is Thursday, Sept. 14 at 11:59 a.m.) For more information, e-mail Lauren@StadiumTennisNYC.com or call (718) 665-4684.

NYTennisMag.com • September/October 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2017 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, October 13-15 L1A APTC Fall Championships Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday-Sunday, October 21-22 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 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday, October 14 Youth Progression Orange L2: Bronx Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 2 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (NEF) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Saturday, Oct. 7 at 11:00 a.m.) For more information, e-mail Lauren@StadiumTennisNYC.com or call (718) 665-4684.

Friday-Sunday, October 27-29 L1B Stadium Tennis Center Fall Challenger Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 13 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Lauren@StadiumTennisNYC.com or call (718) 665-4684.

Sunday, October 15 Youth Progression Orange Level 1 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Tennis 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Orange Level 1 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, Oct. 8 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Victor@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

Friday-Sunday, October 27-29 L1B Alley Pond Tennis Center Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12,18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 20 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail AlleyPondTenniscenter@gmail.com or call (718) 2642600.

Friday-Sunday, October 20-22 Eastern Empire Cup National Doubles at APTC Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (MFIC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Saturday-Sunday, October 28-29 Youth Progression Green Level 1 Fresh Meadows Cunningham Tennis 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Green Level 1 Boys’ & Girls’ 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Oct. 22 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, e-mail Victor@CunninghamTennis.com or call (718) 740-6800.

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com

Editor’s Note: USTA Eastern’s Junior Competition Committee is currently reworking its Junior Regional Standings and it will be replaced by a system similar to UTR and NTRP. The Junior Rankings are not available at this time.

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NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2017 • New York Tennis Magazine

New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2017 • NYTennisMag.com