June 2021
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From the CEO USPTA
Spring Leadership Meetings
D
uring spring of each year, one of the wonderful USPTA traditions is gathering our leadership from across the country for a series of meetings to discuss USPTA business. Because of COVID, we again resorted to a virtual format (likewise in April 2020), which was disappointing but inevitable during this extraordinary time. While there are some redeeming benefits of virtual meetings (no travel, for one), it just isn’t the same as being face to face with colleagues from each of our divisions. Nothing can replicate the social time that we typically enjoy on the tennis courts or over meals, visiting Lake Nona to see our fantastic eco-friendly and tech-savvy office, meeting with our staff, and learning about the affairs of the association. And for those of you who have had your fill of Zoom calls, you know that the dynamic of in-person meetings is irreplaceable. I am not a fan of virtual gatherings, so I cannot wait until we can get together “live and in-person” soon. That being said, we were still able to accomplish a great deal over three days of calls. On day one, the division Executive Directors met with various Executive Committee members listening in. The afternoon of day two was dedicated to a board meeting, and day three convened the Executive Committee, the governing body of our association. Materials were distributed well in advance, so everyone was prepped on the agenda and key items discussed. Committee reports were also part of the information disseminated to
John R. Embree, USPTA CEO
understand which initiatives each group is working on. Foremost on everyone’s mind was the status of our upcoming World Conference in Las Vegas. In this space last month, I posed the question about whether or not we should go. I am pleased to say that the Board and Executive Committee resoundingly approved to host the event in person! The dates are September 19-23 at the same location as in 2019, the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. Additional details are outlined further back in this edition of ADDvantage, and of course, a full download of the entire conference will be illustrated in the July issue. I hope you agree this is terrific news! The Executive Committee also approved the induction of three wonderful candidates into our USPTA Hall of Fame: Stan Smith, Trish Faulkner, and John Wilkerson. Hopefully, you will come to the Awards luncheon while in Vegas to learn about their contributions to the USPTA and our industry as they join the august group already enshrined in our Hall of Fame. While the 2022 World Conference is already scheduled for New Orleans, we also discussed the location for WC23. We have not been back to the East Coast since the TTC in NYC in 2018, so we must make a concerted effort to accommodate our friends in the Eastern time zone. Florida is the preferred destination, and ideally, we would like it to be in Orlando. There will be more to come as we reach an agreement with a suitable facility shortly. Of critical importance was reviewing our existing bylaws, which had not been updated in several years. We needed to
reflect our current business practices in our governing documents while cleaning up antiquated language. Few people like doing this agonizing work, and I credit our general counsel, George Parnell, for undertaking this painstaking task to bring our current regulations up to snuff. Other items in the works are potential deals with potential new endorsees, which will enhance the value of your USPTA membership. We are also exploring the possibility of a texting service to improve the communication efficiency that we deliver to our membership and give members the ability to text their customer base for real-time feedback. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Carol Anderson announced her retirement from the USPTA after serving 35 years as the Executive Director for USPTA Midwest. Modest by nature, Carol would likely prefer not to make a big deal out of this. But she dedicated most of her adult life to the USPTA and has been a rock throughout. It will be tough to fill her “gigantic” shoes. While Carol is short in stature, she has been a giant in our association. She and her husband Kirk will spend their next chapter enjoying their grandchildren outside of Portland, Oregon. We will miss her! I want to thank our Division Presidents and Regional Vice Presidents for all their work to promote the USPTA with their members. Kudos also goes to the Division Executive Directors that manage the dayto-day responsibilities in their divisions and, of course, to the National Board of Directors, which leads our association during these challenging times. It is an honor for me to work with all of you. *
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 43
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September 19 - 23, 2021
Dr. Jim Loehr
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Stan Smith
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Q&A WITH STAN SMITH Along with the impressive lineup of speakers scheduled to present, the USPTA is proud to have former world No. 1 tennis player, two-time Grand Slam singles champion, and successful doubles partner Stan Smith as a presenter. Stan’s session will be followed by a question and answer session.
RECOGNIZE OUR MEMBERS During the Awards Luncheon, the association will recognize deserving professionals who are growing the game of tennis. The 2021 Awards Program recognizes USPTA members for their 2020 accomplishments.
TRADE SHOW EXPERIENCE Experience what’s new in the industry at the USPTA WC21 Trade Show. Visit 70-plus booths with representatives from every imaginable tennis industry manufacturer and company while enjoying evening festivities.
Experience the Premier Tennis Education Event Live in Las Vegas! The 2021 USPTA World Conference (WC21) will make a triumphant return to an in-person format September 19-23, 2021, at the Westgate Resort and Casino in glamorous Las Vegas, Nevada. The USPTA World Conference is the world’s largest gathering of tennis professionals, industry leaders, representatives, manufacturers, wholesalers, and media. In addition to robust educational offerings, including on-court seminars, the USPTA hosts meetings, industry discussions, evening social events, the 2021 Awards presentation, and so much more! Register today to save $50 with the early bird discount. The cost to attend for members is $399, while non-members who register before July 1, 2021, is $449. Once the early bird deadline passes, the member price for the four full days will be $449 – and $499 for non-members. Guess passes for WC21 are $175 and day passes are $179.
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Vice President’s Message USPTA
The USPTA: A Leader In Our Industry
O
ver 25 years ago, I decided to join the USPTA. Since then, I have been asked by many folks, “Why did you join the USPTA versus other associations?” I suppose many of you who are reading this article have likely been posed with the same question, and you were able to respond. If you are a blog or social media reader, you see the USPTA (and others) being challenged on what benefits and offerings we have for our members. Often, queries about our association are based on personal beliefs and misinformation. So, I would like to take this time to share some facts about what the USPTA has done to demonstrate our considerable leadership. Unquestionably, we are committed to improving Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. We did significant research and education in this area with a responsibility to building and executing a plan for longterm growth. Over the years, we have had people from many diverse communities come into our association. However, we also realized that our overall membership did not truly reflect what the global tennis world looks like. Toward that end, we engaged our African American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American,
Mark Faber, USPTA Vice President
Native American LGBTQ+, and Adaptive communities so that they could have a seat at the table and give them a voice that is heard. Another important goal is to continue to move the needle with engagement in the female coaching space. And so, we have partnered with one of the strongest associations that impact female coaches, the Women’s Tennis Coaching Association (WTCA). Additionally, there have been a series of webinars highlighting female professionals within coaching and administrative roles in our organization. The USPTA was also the first tennis trade association to recognize members under the age of 30. We realized that new representatives coming into the association needed to be embraced and supported right from the start. Thus, the U-30 committee has morphed into our Elevate Committee. As statistics show, we have an older population becoming certified and a higher percentage of members joining well over 30. Therefore, we wanted to make sure to include newly tested members as well. Indeed, we offer a top-notch mentoring program for our members, where current representatives happily and consistently step up and apply to become members of the USPTA mentoring and leadership team. Once the mentor is placed, they are assigned a mentee. Not only do the mentees learn
from the veteran mentors, but vice-versa. It is truly an example of our organization helping one another to become better. Continually gauging membership value is imperative. The USPTA maintains significance to our members in various ways, from high-end endorsement deals to something as subtle as rental car discounts, which can be viewed at uspta.com. One of the newest benefits is our job search vehicle called USPTA DirectorSearch. Let us also not forget to mention the fantastic educational opportunities that are readily available. Through these advancements in education, we genuinely do raise the standards of products delivered. This association is not just about paying dues to receive liability insurance and then having the USPTA letters beside your name. Because of our one-of-akind structure, you have opportunities to be involved in leadership roles within a specific division, work on a division committee, hold a seat on a national board, or even serve on a national committee. The point is there are many ways to make an impact, both on and off the tennis court. The USPTA is truly all about its membership. Daily, the national staff works tremendously hard to continue to improve matters for all of us. Likewise, those who volunteer are incredibly passionate about taking our trade association to the highest level possible. In the end, I ask each of you to spread positivity regarding the USPTA. Engage the next generation of tennis-teaching professionals and industry leaders and share with them the benefits of being a USPTA member. Let us all become USPTA ambassadors! *
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 49
USPTA Master Professional Corner
The Do’s of a Tournament Director
T
Fernando Velasco, USPTA Master Professional
he Pope and a tournament director (TD) died on the same day and went to heaven. St. Peter greeted the Pope first and asked him what he did for a living. The Pope was sent to a beautiful mansion to spend eternity. Next came the tournament director, who was asked his occupation. St. Peter placed him in one of the biggest castles in all of heaven. Surprised, the Pope challenged St. Peter on the selection. St. Peter’s response was, “Yes, you as the Pope did much good in your life, but the tournament director suffered more. Therefore, he gets the bigger place.”
50 - ADDvantage Magazine
Over the past 60 years, I have had the honor to play, organize, and lead city, state, national, and international tournaments. As with many other experienced TDs, our goal is to learn from each event and improve the many more tournaments we will work. The following are some of the challenges that tournament directors face.
site directors and volunteers may be sought. Based on projected participants, tennis balls, trophies, and players’ gifts need to be ordered. Once budgets are determined and approved, it is then time to find sponsors to defray overall costs.
Planning
Players need to know the guidelines for the specific event. Detailed writing and posting of said guidelines must be included on the tournament home page, with the hopes that players will read them. The TD also makes all efforts to communicate with players not appropriately registered prior to the deadline. If players are expected to travel to the tournament, arrangements
Tournaments are planned almost a year ahead of time. And so we try to find the proper date, not to conflict with similar events in the area (usually a 75mile radius). The next step is to locate and confirm sites to host the event and, of course, find referees and officials. Depending on the size of the tournament,
June 2021
Organizing
Master Professional Corner USPTA need to be made with hotels located near the playing site. If allowed, add “late” registrants to the tourney field. Once the final deadline has passed, TDs must contact players who do not have partners for the tournament. The same goes for doubles selections, if not done correctly.
Scheduling Now it is time to review each division and decide on formats based on the number of entries. If divisions need to be combined or eliminated, players need to be aware before confirming any moves. If using several sites, selecting where each division takes place depends on available courts and the size of draws. Then, it’s time to choose seeds and post them for player dissemination while matches are scheduled. However, be on the lookout for possible conflicts when players participate in more than one event. Publish everything in a timely fashion to allow players to plan their trip accordingly.
Operation On the day of the tournament, TDs must ensure that all sites are open and available to host events and communicate directly with site directors and volunteers. The
goal is to start the tournament on time as conditions dictate and connect with players when delays or changes are necessary. If unsafe conditions occur, the TD must make respectful decisions and communicate them through text, email, phone, match app, etc. The same must be done as conditions improve and matches resumed.
Post Tournament When medals or trophies are awarded to the winners, use this fantastic opportunity to solicit photos for advertisement, celebration, and record-keeping. As the tournament winds down, you’ll want to begin the process of sending documents and payments to each specific section. A good TD will have staff, referees, officials, site directors, and host clubs write an evaluation describing the many wonderful things that occurred — any challenges they met and recommendations on improving operations moving forward. The TD next completes a profit and loss analysis to share with the committee. Thank you notes should be sent to players for participating, and asking for suggestions on what they would like to see from future events provides additional value. If other sites were used, mail notes of appreciation
to hosts, site directors, volunteers, and officials — and finally, meet with committee members and staff for an indepth recap and initial concept discussion for the next event.
Only by completing this cycle can TDs offer and improve tournaments. Sure, players can be impatient and sometimes insulting both in person and on social media — not understanding the challenges we face to conduct memorable experiences. Yet, whenever I played in local, state, national, and international tournaments, I always made a point to write a thank you letter (yes, at one time, that is all we had). Now an email or a phone call will suffice. My four children followed that tradition when playing junior tournaments and still do whenever we play national family events. The TDs are very appreciative of this “small” gesture. Next time you participate in a tournament, please understand and appreciate the efforts that the tournament management puts together. We, the tournament directors, are trying to get to the “castle” in heaven without much “suffering.” *
Photo courtesy of Leonard Zhukovsky
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 51
PRO-READY PERFORMANCE TO POWER YOUR LOOK.
ELEMENTAL AESTHETICS.
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Member Feature USPTA
Like Father Like Coach: A Father’s Perspective on Coaching Tim Fitzgerald, USPTA Elite Professional
A
Photo courtesy of Tim Fitzgerald
s tennis professionals, we are given a unique opportunity to guide students through their evolution as tennis players. Various positive and negative methods help our students grow, adapt, improve, and share a passion for the game. When I became a parent for the first time, I began to examine my coaching style in light of my parenting style. I realized, just as a parent tries to mold their child into a thoughtful and respectful adult, coaching is also about influencing players over a period of time while enjoying the process. In the past, I was an adamant coach with high expectations and a short fuse to students that didn’t work hard, both on and off the court. I was lucky enough to work with some high-performance juniors who responded well to sprints, pushups, squats, and other negative reinforcement when they did not perform a required task. I found myself raising my voice, punishing players, and focusing on errors
and mistakes instead of encouraging and concentrating on positivity to support their growth and development. Over time, my attitude and style of coaching exhausted me, and to be frank, likely drained my players as well. Although this type of coaching did have its merit and produced some successful players at a Division I level, I now look at that point in my career as a learning experience. Things changed both personally and professionally after my first son was born, gradually sparking an essential shift in my coaching mentality. Six years ago, I was blessed to become a father. I will spare you the details, but being a dad of two boys is pretty amazing, especially now that they both have racquets in their hands at ages four and six, respectively! Becoming a parent changed my life and outlook in so many ways, and it also dramatically improved my coaching. I began to identify the many
parallels between parenting and coaching. Like parenting, coaching should involve a positive attitude, teaching repetition, discipline, adaptation, and acting as a role model. Whether you are a parent or not, working these elements into your coaching repertoire will ensure your students have fun, learn the proper skills, apply what they learn, and develop a love for tennis.
Positive Attitude Coaching can be challenging, and like dealing with a misbehaved toddler, your attitude will directly affect the situation. Former NFL Head Coach Tony Dungy is quoted as saying, “You can’t always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response.” Whether it is crayon all over the wall or double faults on crucial game points, children and students look to us for a reaction, and it is our job to respond calmly. Sometimes the process is frustrating for both parties, but by keeping a positive attitude when emotions are high, we will encourage growth, improvement, and sportsmanlike behavior.
Repetition Creating good habits and muscle memory requires countless hours and sometimes even months and years of repetition. Things do not always click immediately, and that is okay. From getting your toddlers to brush their teeth daily to teaching your students how to hit a
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 53
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Member Feature USPTA backhand slice, consistency and repetition are key. I find myself getting frustrated at times with repeating tasks or requests, but it is helpful to accept this as part of the learning process. Difficulty grasping or executing a concept does not constitute an ultimate failure. Most importantly, is teaching them how to learn from their mistakes to create positive habits and routines. I will never forget my high school teacher saying that repetition is the mother of learning. It is a simple concept but one of the most important elements we can impart to our children and students.
we fail to discipline these behaviors, we risk seeing them escalate or develop into harmful habits. Discipline is not the most glamorous part of parenting or coaching, and we can be tempted to ignore poor behavior rather than deal with it. However, the short-term effort it takes to discipline yields long-term benefits. Children and students who are held accountable for their behavior are less likely to become out of control as they develop and mature.
likely be less nervous about making an error, hopefully, learn from their mistakes quickly, and not repeat them in the future. Once children and students start to figure out how to problem-solve, they will gain the confidence to confront increasingly challenging situations.
Role Model
As parents and coaches, we are often seen as celebrities — my boys are now at an age where I am a superhero that can do no wrong! Children and students look Whether a child is told that they have to up to us whether we are demonstrating a go to school virtually or a player is dealing positive or negative attitude. Our job is to with an opponent who consistently makes show them healthy habits and routines, bad line calls, adaptation in undesirable confidence, persistence, respect toward Another parallel between parenting situations is crucial for success. Tennis is others, and attention to etiquette – and coaching is the necessity of discipline undoubtedly a game of problem-solving, amongst many other attributes. We are when our children and students make and that can be said for parenting as well. constantly in the spotlight as children and unacceptable mistakes. Whether it is Figuring out weaknesses, adjusting to students mimic our attitude and repeat siblings hitting one another or a disruptive different environmental or peer influences, what we say. Our duty is to demonstrate student in a group setting, we have a and modifying reactions and behaviors can the characteristics we would like to see responsibility to make sure specific impact development and performance both reflected in them as they develop and grow actions and behaviors are not repeated. If on and off the court. By using language into young adults. We are all role models such as, “What for the next generation, so it is necessary were you trying to constantly act like it. to accomplish?” After becoming a parent, my coaching and “Good try, attitude dramatically changed. It but let’s attempt took years of yelling, focusing on this instead,” we adverse outcomes, and punishments help children and to realize, improved outcomes come students identify from a multifaceted approach to player the correct path development. There are challenges and forward. When frustrations in parenting and coaching, they have the but there are also moments of success confidence to and reward when we learn to enjoy adapt, they will the process and understand our role in a young persons growth. Through a positive attitude, repetition, discipline, adaptation, and acting as a role model, we can guide students to reach their Tim Fitzgerald is the Director of Tennis at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, highest potential. *
Adaptation
Photo courtesy of Tim Fitzgerald
Discipline
AUTHOR BIO
Delaware. Tim specializes in running a high-performance junior academy (RAW Academy) that has produced numerous Division I athletes since its inception in 2006. Tim currently sits on the USPTA Executive Committee as the Vice President of the Middle States Division and was formally the USPTA Delaware District President. Tim has been involved with teaching tennis for over 20 years and has been a USPTA member since 2009.
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 55
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Opening DORS
T
he University of Florida (UF) has partnered with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to provide certified tennis professionals with an exciting new educational curriculum. The program is focused on developing the business and leadership competencies required to successfully manage a tennis and racquet sports operation either in the for-profit club setting, the member-owned club setting, or the public facility setting — and here’s why: Business success depends on many factors, including a unique and differentiated value proposition for the customer, a solid internal business culture, a prudent business plan, a passionate and committed team, an intentional marketing strategy, and proper capitalization. Yet, even when all these attributes are present, the single most significant influence on whether a business will be successful and profitable for the long haul depends on its leader. Leaders, especially great ones, and therefore terrific racquet sports directors, are the most critical influence on any club or tennis business’s ability to succeed, and the industry’s most difficult challenge is identifying, cultivating, and putting in place qualified leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges to the tennis/racquet industry initially, but it ultimately boosted participation numbers by the conclusion of the year. By the end of 2020, year-overyear comparison to 2019’s tennis player participation showed a 4 million player increase, not including the rapid rise of pickleball as a complimentary racquet sport. Challenges the racquets industry now faces are to capture the new or returning players for the future, continue bringing more people into the game of tennis, and drive continuous growth in racquet sports
USPTA Communications Department
participation over the next century. The industry must build a reserve of tennis professionals who are fully capable of leading and managing a tennis/racquets business, driving participation, revenue, and profits to further grow the business. Today’s demand is for both teaching professionals, as well as From left to right: Fred Viancos (USPTA COO), Kim Bastable (UF), Ramona Husaru (USPTA DOE), and John Embree (USPTA CEO) individuals capable of acting as leaders of a racquets business. Qualified candidates for the program The USPTA Director of Racquet Sports are USPTA Elite Professionals with three Certification Program was developed or more years of experience as a tennisby a committee of leading industry teaching professional. Candidates must professionals and an educational include a letter of recommendation advisor — and is intended to create an from a superior explaining evaluation of academic pathway to leadership for tennis their leadership capability, including the professionals. Members of the Curriculum candidate’s current role, the nature of the Committee were Len Simard, John relationship, and the working capacity. Embree, Scott Shultz, Gordon Collins, Once begun, a candidate has one year to Kathy Woods, Harry Gilbert, Chuck Gill, complete the certification program at their Jean Mills, Larry Haugness, Billy Freer, own pace. and Fred Viancos. The education advisor is To complete the program, candidates Steven Tharrett. will have to achieve 70 percent or The curriculum is delivered as an better on all quizzes and exams. Upon online program and comprised of a satisfactory conclusion, students will comprehensive educational program receive a certificate of completion from constructed to be entirely self-directed, UF. They can then present that proof though also interactive with peers, to the USPTA to receive recognition as through a unique, private, social mediaa USPTA Certified Director of Racquet type website. Students are taught through Sports. Tennis Professionals who earn educational models, problem-based, this prestigious certification must keep it critiqued, and graded projects, and a current, remaining a USPTA member in certification midterm and final exam. good standing. *
Program Begins June 1, 2021 USPTA.com/UFDORS
Questions and Inquiries – Contact Kim Bastable at kimbastable@UFL.edu
June 2021
ADDvantage Magazine - 57
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USPTA What’s the Dill?
June Membership Dept. Update
H
Dillon Chustz, USPTA Director of Membership
arvey Rubin has spent his tennis career wearing two hats: coach and photographer. You might find him on court demonstrating groundstrokes, while others spot him in the photographer’s section of a Grand Slam snapping pictures of some of the greatest players of all time. When it comes to evangelizing the game of tennis, Harvey makes his contribution in more ways than one. Harvey recently regaled me with stories of how he began incorporating photography into his work as a tennis professional. What started as simply trading tournament photos for free tickets turned out to be Harvey’s segue into an area of the tennis industry that satiated his creative side and gave him
new insight for teaching his students on court. Having already been certified as a USPTA Pro, he expanded his relationship with our association by becoming one of the contributing photographers for USPTA ADDvantage Magazine. Altogether, Harvey provided cover photos for 11 issues of ADDvantage and represented the USPTA as a member of the press at a total of 50 tournaments, including seven Grand Slams! The photographer’s section gave Harvey a sightline that many tennis enthusiasts would kill for. Behind his lens located at court-level, Harvey witnessed players like James Blake, Maria Sharapova, Marat Safin, the Williams sisters, and members of the Big Three– as they formed their legacies. One of Harvey’s career highlights was capturing that epic five-set Australian Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco in 2009! These experiences inspired not only Harvey Rubin, the tennis fan, but also Harvey Rubin, the teaching pro. “Being behind the camera taught me so much about how to teach the game to my students,” Rubin said. “It’s hard to understand the mechanics of Federer’s strokes watching him in full motion. Snapping 10 shots a second at court-level allowed me to notice nuances that I could pass along to my students.”
Harvey was one of the many teaching pros ushered into the profession by the late Don Henson, who instilled in him a passion for giving back to the game in many ways. Harvey has taught over 1,000 classes for ACEing Autism, wrote a popular book on tennis phrases from around the world, and trains ball kids for tournaments when the need presents itself. Needless to say, Harvey still has the passion for tennis that Don instilled in him many years ago. Harvey even proposed to his wife on a tennis court by spelling out “Will you marry me?” in tennis balls! Hearing Harvey’s story reminded me that pride for our sport, whether you are striking a ball or snapping a photo, will always be the bedrock of what makes the USPTA great. Keep contributing and keep growing, folks! *
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE
President................................................................. Feisal Hassan First Vice President.............................................Richard Slivocka Vice Presidents...............Lane Evans, Mark Faber, Trish Faulkner, Jason Gilbert, Bill Mountford Immediate Past President............................................ Gary Trost CEO...........................................................................John Embree Legal Counsel........................................................George Parnell
Editor...................................................................................... Jim Burke Managing Editor......................................................... Mike Calendrillo Layout/Design.............................................................Kevin Karczewski Editorial Assistance .............................Alegna Hollis, Ramona Husaru, Sid Newcomb, Fred Viancos, Ellen Weatherford Circulation..................................................................... Trevor Trudelle USPTA World Headquarters 11961 Performance Dr. Orlando, FL 32827 407-634-3050 – www.uspta.com
60 - ADDvantage Magazine
June 2021
ADDvantage is published monthly by the United States Professional Tennis Association. The opinions expressed in ADDvantage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ADDvantage or the United States Professional Tennis Association. Copyright© United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of the magazine is not permitted without written permission from the USPTA.