Life Transformed by Tennis: Beck Saltzman

On the last Sunday in January Beck Saltzman set his alarm for 2:30 a.m. to watch the Australian Open final. Alert and fixated in front of the television, Beck witnessed his idol, Novak Djokovic, defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to win a 10th AO title.

That might seem like a fairly typical thing for a die-hard 13-year-old tennis fan to do, but Beck is no ordinary fan. He grapples with autism spectrum disorder and before finding tennis he suffered from high anxiety, antisocial behavior, and an inability to follow a series of simple directions.

All that changed when his parents, Eric and Staci Saltzman of Lake County, enrolled him in the junior tennis program at Highland Park’s Deer Creek Racquet Club. Today, Beck plays tennis every day. He wins about 70% of his matches, soaks up player statistics like a sponge and aspires to deliver a speech at school titled, “U.S. History by Beck.”

“Beck is one of the most passionate students I have,” says his longtime tennis coach Hristo Pandulev at Deer Creek. “There is no one now who is more dedicated.”

Katy Wilhelm, Beck’s 7th-grade teacher at the Fusion Academy, says the teenager’s new attitude has spilled over to school. He’s more focused and he has made new friends.

“When you meet him, he is the coolest kid,” Wilhelm says. “He brings so much light to the campus.”

It wasn’t always this way. Beck is a highfunctioning autistic youngster, but the disorder challenged nearly every aspect of his early life, Staci Saltzman said. He had trouble tying his shoes, he couldn’t ride a bike, he didn’t enjoy being with other children his age, and didn’t say a word until he was three years old.

“Reading and learning in school has always been a problem,” Staci says. “Autism also affects motor skills. A lot of people with autism have decreased strength. It’s where the brain literally has trouble connecting and sending signals to the body.”

Beck’s commitment to tennis and the support of Coach Pandulev and Coach Kevin Aquino at the College Park Athletic Club in Bannockburn played a vital role in his development and maturity, Staci said.

Experts agree that an individual sport like tennis is a useful tool for helping autistic children learn and function better in life.

“Tennis is so unique because it is primarily an individual sport unlike soccer or football or basketball,” says Miles Vidreiro, a certified behavioral analyst and program manager at the nonprofit ACEing Autism. “As an individual sport and a social sport, it allows players to be met at their skill level and it offers opportunities for cooperative play.”

Scientists who study the positive effects of physical activity point to the release of chemicals known as endorphins, which promote positive feelings in the body. For individuals with autism, these positive emotions can lead to higher cognitive functioning, better social skills, fewer tantrums, and less need for moral support.

“Tennis promotes learning, thinking, and socialization,” said Jeannie Lozowski, a registered nurse and former DI college player who ran clinics at Love Serving Autism and ACEing Autism. “Tennis has a lot of amazing aspects that make it so beneficial, especially for individuals with autism.”

Yet Beck said he felt no joy from tennis in the beginning. Coach Pandulev remembers that when Beck joined his class at age seven, the boy would drop his racquet or fall on the court and cry during each lesson.

“It was almost like the first time each day,” Coach Pandulev said. “I tried to connect. I’d ask him questions. His mother told me he was good at math so I created games where he could add up points I gave for little things. He was staying engaged by calculating how he was playing.”

Humor also played a role. “When he would drop to the ground, it was very dramatic,” Coach Pandulev said. I called him Mr. Hollywood and told him, ‘You’re going to be a good actor one day.’”

Beck and his mother both agree that the coach’s approach, sometimes with humor but always with empathy and a focus on form and fundamentals, helped Beck stay in the game.

“I didn’t like tennis at first,” Beck says. “But he stayed patient with me and keep going, and he got me to love it.”

At school, teachers use Beck’s passion for tennis as a bridge to science and history, which appeals to Beck – a self-proclaimed numbers guy – because it’s chock full of dates.

“Tennis for him is a way to get him engaged initially,” Wilhelm said. “We can get him roped in by channeling his affinity now for tennis into a subject like science. We can ask questions: how does the arm moves for tennis, where does the energy come from?”

Staci agrees that tennis has gotten him to read more as he sops up internet statistics on his favorite American players like Frances Tiafoe and pro tour newcomer, Ben Shelton. His new favorite book: Winning Ugly by former Top 10 player Brad Gilbert, a mustread book for any high-intensity player.

Everything about Djokovic’s game appeals to Beck and he tries to emulate the world’s No. 1 player.

“He’s got a great return of serve, and that’s probably my favorite shot as well,” Beck says. “He’s also got an amazing backhand and I like my backhand, too. He’s beautiful to watch.”

Does Beck plan to play tennis in high school, college and beyond?

“Oh yea,” he says. “That’s what I want to do.”