Long Island Tennis Magazine January/February 2015

81LITennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

82 Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • LITennisMag.com

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While most of their compatriotsare prepping for semester-endfinals, Wake Forest freshmanand 2014 Wimbledon boys’

champion Noah Rubin from Rockville Cen-tre, N.Y.; University of Virginia junior JuliaElbaba from Oyster Bay, N.Y.; and UCLAsenior Robin Anderson from Matawan, N.J.each took a break to win singles matchesleading the United States to a 4-1 victoryover host France in the Master’U BNPParibas Finals.

The victories earned the U.S. its fourthstraight title at the international collegiateteam competition. Boise State men’scoach Greg Patton and California women’scoach Amanda Augustus served ascoaches for the team.

Elbaba, the USTA/ITA National Indoor In-tercollegiate Champion, went 3-0 in singlesover the three-day competition, as the U.S.team—also featuring University of Georgia

senior Nathan Pasha (Atlanta), University ofVirginia sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkowski(Charlotte, N.C.) and UCLA senior ChanelleVan Nguyen (Miami)—defeated Ireland,Russia and France to bring the U.S. its fifth

Master’U title, all coming since 2009.Each match consisted of two men’s and

two women’s singles matches, one women’sand one men’s doubles match and a mixeddoubles match.

Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate Title

22

Table Of Contents

Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports

Feature Stories14 A Look Back at the Year That Was 2014 By Emilie Katz

A closer look at the Grand Slam winners of 2014, along with award winnersand those who called it a career over the past yea

26 Your 2015 Guide to Long Island’s Top Clubs &Programs We present the area’s top clubs and programs all in one handy guide.Whether it a local adult league program or a junior program to get yourchild started in the sport, our guide to the top clubs in 2015 will offer thearea’s top picks.

56 Long Island 2014 Girls High School Recap(Part II)A look back at the 2014 girl’s high school season, as the locals headed tothe States and enjoyed success, and both Nassau and Suffolk Countiescrowned their champions.

Features1 Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate

Title

9 National Tennis Center Hosts Successful One-on-One Doubles

Tournament

10 Is American Tennis Down a Set to Economics? By Miguel Cervantes III

12 Sportime World Tour Makes a Stop in Beijing

25 BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Federer Meeting Dimitrov and

Classic Matchup Between Seles and Sabatini

40 Oyster Bay’s Elbaba Captures National Indoor Intercollegiate

Championship

52 Health & Wellness: Improving Your Match Performance by Eliminating

Sweat By James Christian

2015 Australian Open PreviewBy Andrew EichenholzThe first Grand Slam of 2015 gets underway in January as the sport’s top stars take to look at the year’s contenders, pretenders and sleepers as they vie for glory Down Un

6

14

26

56

2014

A Look Backat the YearThat Was

YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO

LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs& Programs

3

Long Island Tennis Magazine1220 Wantagh Avenue • Wantagh, NY 11793-2202

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Eric C. PeckEditor-in-Chief


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Matthew CohenDirector of Business Development

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Brian ColemanEditorial Coordinator


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AdvertisingTo receive any information regarding advertisingrates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516)409-4444 or e-mail [email protected].

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Statements of fact and opinion in Long IslandTennis Magazine are the responsibility of theauthors alone and do not imply an opinion on thepart of United Sports Publications Ltd. LongIsland Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit,reject and/or postpone the publication of anyarticles, information or data.

JAN./FEB. 2015Vol 7, No 1

s Publications Ltd.—Copyright © 2015 United Sports Publications Ltd.

Cover photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

64 New Faces in the Crowd: The ATP’s Breakout Players of 2014 By

Andrew Eichenholz

Featured Columns4 Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis

Community

18 Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column

By Emilie Katz

20 Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller

22 The Myths of Tennis Movement (Part 1) By Steven Kaplan

34 The Secret to Peak Performance: More Than an Athlete, A Person

First … Athlete Second By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC

38 USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update

42 College Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters—Getting to Know Some of New

York City’s Top College Tennis Coaches By Ricky Becker

45 The Jensen Zone: A New Booming Serve … Just a Click Away

By Luke Jensen

46 Fitness & Nutrition: Fueling Tennis Players By Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD,

CDN and The Delicate Connection Between Fitness and Focus

By Carl Barnett

48 Tennis Injury Prevention: Battling Patellar Tendonitis on the Tennis

Court By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS

50 A Collegiate Coach Recruiting Adventure: On the Road Again

By Lonnie Mitchel

53 Hidden Secrets of the Greats: Billie Jean King By Dr. Tom Ferraro

54 Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques By Lisa Dodson

66 Long Island Tennis Club Directory

67 Long Island Rankings

70 USTA/Long Island Region 2015 Tournament Schedule

the court. We take a closernder. See page 6

litennisMAGAZINE

Long Island Tennis Magazine

Andrew EichenholzEditorial Contributor

Michael CervantesEditorial Contributor

Gary SimeoneEditorial Contributor

Calvin RhodenStaff Photographer

Samantha SklarIntern

Sarah SklarIntern


Across Long IslaKathy Miller ofMerrick, N.Y. wasnamed USTA East-ern’s Tennis Womanof the Year for hersignificant contri-bution to the gameof tennis. Miller willreceive the awardat USTA Eastern’s

Tennis Conference, set for Saturday, Jan.31, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in WhitePlains, N.Y.

Miller has served on the Long Island Re-gion Board for 20 years and has been a USTA

League Coordinator for 30 years, providingapproximately 4,000 Long Island tennis play-ers with the opportunity to participate in USTAAdult, Mixed and Tri-Level Leagues.

Heavily embedded in the tennis world,Miller is also manager at Carefree RacquetClub in Merrick, N.Y.

“It’s nice watching people come to-gether playing tennis,” Miller said. “Seeingpeople who haven’t met before play, thenset up other matches to play in the futureshows how tennis brings people together.”

Along with programming a variety ofleagues, running tournaments and manag-ing a large junior program, Miller spear-

heads the Merrick Police Athletic League(PAL), which has been running for 15 years.

The Merrick PAL offers three 10-weeksessions annually and features tennis in-struction for kids, conducted by highschool seniors, as well as college students.Each session provides more than 150 kidswith hands-on tennis lessons.

Miller’s success has not gone unnoticed,as she has earned multiple awards for herdedication to the game she began playingas a teenager.

“It’s a really nice feeling to be recognizedby your peers,” Miller said. “I am honoredto receive this award.”

Carefree’s Kathy Miller to receiveUSTA Eastern’s Tennis Woman of the Year Award

Across Long Isla


andand … News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community

Long Island juniors take to the courts

Long Islanders Alexus Huber and JuliaRaziel at a training session at Beth-page Park Tennis Center. Alexis won arecent Girls 14s L2O event, and Juliawas the runner-up.

Brian Shi, a Jericho, N.Y. native, recently competed at one of the mostprestigious junior tournaments in the country, the Eddie Herr InternationalJunior Championships. Brian reached the finals in both singles and dou-bles, and eliminated some of the top juniors in the world on his way. He hasexperienced success at all junior levels, and currently finds himself ranked586th in the ITF 18 & Under Division at the age of 14. Here Brian (right) ispictured is with his coach, Mihai Grecu (left) at IMG Academy.

Ty Nisenson (pictured right), who trainsat Point Set, is the son of Point Set Ten-nis Pro David Nisenson, and is coachedby Brett Nisenson. Ty recently partici-pated at the Junior Orange Bowl quali-fiers in Miami in December.

Juniors take part in the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Training Campat Sportime Bethpage.

By Andrew Eichenholz

Heading into the 2015Austra l ian Open,there are many story-

lines with a great deal of un-predictable endings in store for theupcoming year. One great of the gameproved to the world that age is no barrier in2014, while another raised questions on justhow many times he could get up from aknockout punch. In the women’s game,young stars are reaching the horizon, withthe superstar looking to maintain her reign.

The men’s side of theAussie Open drawThe contenders

Credit photo: USTA

Wo u l d R o g e rFederer ever be atthe top of thesport again? If 73match wins in 2014did not answerthat question, it ishard to say whatwill. Federer notonly showed theworld that he was

not done yet, but he shoved it ineverybody’s face, nearly overtaking NovakDjokovic for the world number one rankingtowards the season’s end. Furthermore, itis never fair to think that the man who haswon more majors and held the top spot inthe world rankings more than anybody elsedoes not have a shot at the Grand Slam.Expect Federer to be challenging Djokovic.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Not enough couldbe said about thefall season thatNovak Djokovichad in 2014. Thenew father went19-1, winning the

World Tour Finals to cap it off. When asemifinal performance at the U.S. Open isconsidered an extreme disappointment, itis safe to say that this man will be the fa-vorite down under. Nobody has been moreconsistent at the majors in recent years,and there are no signs that he will slowdown.

Up and down.After winning theAustralian Openlast season, that isexactly what thenew Swiss Super-star Stanis lasWawrinka was. Hehad a tournamenthere and therewhere he wouldshow the ground-

strokes that can compete and overpoweranybody in the world, and others where itwas the Stan of a few years ago whoshowed up. Nevertheless, Wawrinka closedhis season strongly in London, looking likehis Australian Open-winning self, somethingeverybody should be scared of come the firstGrand Slam of the season.

The pretendersPhoto credit: Kenneth B.

Goldberg

There is nobodywho questions orwill ever say any-thing about RafaelNadal’s toughness.Injury after injuryhas popped upover the years,leaving fans andplayers alike won-dering if the man

who grew to become “The Federer Slayer”would ever be “himself” again. Every time,he proved those questions silly, coming backbetter than ever. After quite some time off ofthe court, however, a hard court at that, it is

hard to see Nadal challenging the likes ofDjokovic and Federer in Australia.

Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Nobody will evertake Marin Cilic’s2014 U.S. Open titleaway. Nobody. But,it seems like that runin Flushing Mead-ows may have beena flash in the pan,because his resultshave not backed uphis major champi-

onship. Lower-ranked players who the Croatianencounters early on will look at Cilic as amarked man, and will want that “upset match”that much more. He could still win the matchesin which he is favored, but do not expect an-other Cinderella story for Cilic Down Under.


There is no doubtthat Kei Nishikoriwill be around thetop tier of men’s ten-nis for a long, longtime. Perhaps oneof the very bestpound for poundplayers in the world,his pure ground-stroke game is ex-

traordinary. However, with size does comelimitations. He caught Djokovic on one of hisworst days in years with the best tennis hehad ever played to win their U.S. Open semi-final match, but what are the chances that ithappens again? Nishikori has been playing atsuch a high level in the last year or even two,that he is bound for a hiccup.

The sleepersAs hard as it is to call the world number six asleeper, Andy Murray is this year in Mel-bourne. Ever since his Wimbledon title,Murray has been in a sort of slump. At theend of this past season, he started to hit out

2015 AustrThe pros head Down Und

more on the ball,moving his feetinto more aggres-sive positions onthe court, leadingto success. Murraycan be a very goodtennis player whileconstantly on thedefense, but hecan only be greatplaying offense

first. Look for him to do so Down Under.


There are very few,if any, who have thesame raw power asthe big Czech.Tomas Berdychcan hit both a fore-hand and back-hand from any-where on the courtfor a winner. Thequestion is, could

he build a point effectively against the topguys and not be afraid to make the firstmove in a rally? Berdych can beat anybodyon his given day, so why not the AustralianOpen


Toughness is notsomething that cansimply be taught.David Ferrer isperhaps the tough-est on the ATPTour, and he cer-tainly plays like it.Nobody, from thelowes t -seededentry to Novak

Djokovic, will get a free point against theSpanish speedster. Ferrer has sneakilyaggressive groundstrokes, and if any ofthe top guys are off of their game whenthey meet in the back end of a tourna-

ment, there is no other person out therewho will be happier to grind them down.

The women’s side ofthe Aussie Open drawThe contenders


Regardless of howanybody in theworld plays on agiven day, they willnot be able to beatSerena Williamsat her best. Withthe best serve inthe game by leapsand bounds, heropponents are on

their back foot in a point right off of thereturn. From there, few players in tennishistory have been better at keeping thefoot on the gas, with deep groundstrokesthat push anybody and everybodyaround. If Serena has a good servingtournament, she may not even need herbest game off of the ground to win. Thatis how impacting it is.

Photo credit: Kenneth B.

Goldberg

Maria Sharapovamay possibly be themost focused andmentally tough indi-vidual on either themen’s or women’stour. There are veryfew players in thesport right now whoare quite as profes-

sional as Sharapova. By the way, she can hitthe ball too. Her serving may be a bit too in-consistent to truly give Serena a run for hermoney, but her blistering groundstrokes willmow down the rest of the field.


The ending of Caroline Wozniacki’sengagement musthave done the trick,as the Danishmarathon-runningstar has been noth-ing but successfulon the tennis courtsince her well-known break up

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ralian Open Previewder to kick off the new year



early on in 2014 with golfer Rory McIlroy. Fora period of time, she tried to win matchesagainst the better players on the WTA Toursolely with her defensive skills, which are verygood. However, as she showed with her playtowards the end of last season, she can doso much more when she controls points anddictates play, which will lead to a successfulAustralian Open campaign.

The pretendersPhoto credit: Calvin Rhoden

Without a doubt, theconsistency awardfor 2014 should go toSimona Halep. No-body on the WTATour was as daunt-ing to those rankedbelow her, and evenabove her. At theyear-end champi-onships, Halep

bludgeoned Serena, which almost no-body has ever done. The thing is, Halep’sgame had been a new commodity toeverybody, and now that she is at thetop, everybody will be going after her.She had lost more of the matches sheshould win towards the end of the sea-son, so look out at the Australian Open.


Nobody in profes-sional women’s ten-nis has as large of aplaying range asPetra Kvitova. Onher best day, herserve and suffocat-ing forehand is al-most impossible tobeat, especially ona faster surface in

the heat, like one would find down under.But, the first major of the year comes almoststraight off of the offseason, leaving very lit-tle time to get into top gear. Kvitova has lostin the second round or earlier four times atthe Australian Open, and it is very possiblethat that number will tick up again.


Very few expectedAna Ivanovic tobring back herglory days in 2014,yet she proved thatshe can still play. Atjust 27 years ofage, the still-youngSerbian star feelslike she has beenon the WTA Tour

forever, but she still has time left. She hasproven in her career, she cannot serve con-sistently enough to stay at the top of thegame, and after a break is the most conven-ient time for that serve to fall off track.

The sleepersPhoto credit: Adam Wolfthal

Not many playershave tested Serenawhile she was ather best. VictoriaAzarenka is one ofthem, and she iscoming off of a footinjury that severelylimited her last sea-son. People seemto have forgotten

about her while she has been out, but lookfor the Belarusian sensation to hit the groundrunning with a big performance at the firstGrand Slam of the year.


Through battlingwith Sjogren’s Syn-drome and all,Venus Williamshas scratched andclawed her wayback into the top20 in the world.Many may thinkthat with her ageshe will be unable

to go any further, but as Roger Federer hasshown, you can never count out a champion.Venus knocked at the door of a major upset

at a couple of Grand Slams last season. Ifshe manages to string together a fewmatches with the serve that the world grewto be in awe of years ago, look out.


What would anAustralian Openpreview be withoutany Australians?People seem tohave totally forgot-ten with her under-whelming results oflate that SamanthaStosur is a GrandSlam champion.

No, she did not make it past the fourth roundat a major last season, but her fall campaignshowed the potential that the big server has.For somebody who has possibly the bestnon-Serena Williams serve, especially sec-ond serve in women’s tennis, there is no rea-son to count the home favorite out.

Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism studentat Stony Brook University, where he cur-rently is a staff writer for The Statesman,covering tennis amongst many sports. Hegrew up playing tennis at the USTA BillieJean King National Tennis Center, where helearned to love the game, eventually be-coming a part time tennis instructor, work-ing for the most part with the QuickStart 10& Under Program. Andrew has also servedas a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He maybe reached by e-mail at [email protected].

2015 australian open preview continued from page 7

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The National Prize Money One-on-One Dou-bles Tournament and Live rockin’ blues con-cert returned to the USTA Billie Jean KingNational Tennis Center, with a great night oftennis and music. The tournament was wonby former Auburn Tiger player DanielCochrane, who defeated former ClemsonTiger Derek DiFazio in the finals, 6-1.Cochrane took home $1,000, while the run-ner-up DiFazio won $500. Former collegeplayers were all over the draw, as two formerFlorida Gators advanced to the semifinals.

One-on-One Doubles is the half-courtserve and volley singles game played on thedoubles court. All points are played cross-court with the alley included. This event isunique to the tennis industry, as both a protennis tournament and live concert takeplace simultaneously to create a fan-friendly,

One-on-One Doubles DirectorEd Krass, with event winnerDaniel Cochran, formerly ofAuburn; runner-up DerekDiFazio, former ClemsonTiger; and USTA Billie JeanKing National Tennis CenterDirector of Tennis WhitneyKraft

National Tennis Center Hosts Successful One-on-One Doubles Tournament

party-like atmosphere. The competition levelwas extremely high, as the winner of the ProOne-on-One Doubles Grand Prix Circuit,played in Florida earlier this year, was a par-ticipant at the National Tennis Center, alongwith a number of other national-level players.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center supplied a great buffet of food anddrinks as recording artists, The F&G BluesBand, played their brand of blues as thematches progressed. Many thanks to One-on-One Doubles Director Ed Krass for putting onsuch a successful event. For more informa-tion, visit www.oneononedoubles.com.


By Miguel Cervantes III

Ihave, for some timenow, wanted to writeabout why I think Amer-

ican tennis has suffered inthe recent past. Think back to a time, notlong ago, when American tennis boastedmultiple champions on both the men’sand women’s side. What happened toour dominance? Where are our champi-ons?

As of writing this, the highest rankedmale is John Isner, currently ranked 19thin the world. Outside of Serena Williams,the highest ranked female is her sisterVenus, ranked 18th in the world. Thissays a great deal about Serena’s skill

and tenacity, but where is everyone else?These are not easy questions to answerand there is no one thing that we canpoint to and say, “This is where theblame lies.” There is one aspect of thegame though that frustrates me, as acoach, more than anything else, and thatis the economics of the sport. Tennis canbe very pricey, and the economic as-pects of the sport can make it difficult orinaccessible to those outside of afflu-ence. This, in turn, has a negative impacton the amount of American talent thatcan be nurtured.

Basic mathematics suggest that if youhave a greater number of players, youhave a better chance that some of themwill become champions. I fear that the

economics of our sport make it difficultto boast the numbers that some othersports claim. Playing basketball requiresvery little in terms of economics. A bas-ketball player will need a pair of sneakersand a ball. In many cases, the ball is noteven necessary as a potential player cango to a local park and easily play in apick up a game.

Tennis, on the other hand, requiresthat we have sneakers, have a racket,have tennis balls, and in many cases (atleast in the boroughs) have a permit.However, there are ways to cut corners.A player could get a cheap racket onlineor perhaps from a sporting goods store.They may play with dead strings or deadballs. The point is that even when cut-

Is American Tennis Down a Setto Economics?

ting corners, tennis is still more expen-sive and has more barriers to getthrough. I would argue that the situationis exacerbated when looking at highlevel competitive play. Being competi-tive (playing USTA Level 1, 2 and 3 tour-naments) usually requires a junior to getprivate coaching, enroll in a club’s com-petitive program, and perhaps even em-ploy a fitness coach as well. There isless cutting corners since strings willbreak and tournaments have entry fees.Again, I’m not arguing that there aren’tcosts associated with high level basket-ball, but the costs associated with ten-nis seem far greater. The impact of thesecosts make it so that there will be lesstennis players than basketball players.America excels at producing talentedbasketball players. The U.S. Men’s Bas-ketball Team has won the Gold Medal in14 out of the last 17 Olympic Games(not counting the boycotted games). TheWomen’s National team has won sevenout of the last nine Olympic Games(again not counting the boycottedgames). Where are the tennis phenoms

of the United States? We haven’t won aFed Cup since 2000, and haven’t won aDavis Cup since 2007.

I cannot go so far as to say that thereis absolutely a direct correlation be-tween the economics of the sport andour success on the world stage, but Ithink there is a very good argument thatcould be made that the economics ofthe sport have hindered us in growingthe sport and nurturing talent. Lately,I’ve been cautiously optimistic aboutwhere we are going. I see players likeSloane Stephens and Madison Keys,and feel that we’re headed in the rightdirection. I may yet see more than oneAmerican male and female in the Top 10.

It’s not all doom and gloom though,as I don’t want to sound overly nega-tive without seeing the silver lining. Iwrote an article not too long ago abouthow I became a believer in the lowcompression balls that make it easierfor young children to learn the sportand more importantly, to love the sport.Another point I’d like to add is to bringgreater visibility to the USTA’s Junior

Team Tennis program.Junior Team Tennis is an easy way for

young children and juniors to take thenext step in developing their talent.Going into a Level 3 USTA junior tourna-ment for the first time can be nerve-wracking and exceptionally intimidating.JTT creates an intermediary place, be-tween casual player and USTA juniortournaments, to play tennis with otherjuniors in a low pressure, but still com-petitive atmosphere. Children join ateam, through the USTA Web site, andorganizers set up matches betweenteams. Age groups for the teams rangefrom 10 & Under to 18 & Under, and sev-eral clubs on Long Island are alreadyholding practices. I’d like to encourageanyone who has an interest in growingtennis to participate.

Miguel Cervantes III now teaches atCarefree Racquet Club and privately out-doors. Miguel specializes in teaching be-ginners, training juniors and coachingdoubles. He may be reached by e-mail [email protected].

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The eyes of the local tennis world wererecently on Sportime Kings Park, asthe Sportime World Tour kicked off.

The concept is to make the kids feel as ifthey were real professional players by tyingthe event to current professional tourna-ments being played on the ATP/WTA Tours.The first stop on the Sportime World Tourwas “Beijing,” as more than 200 kids turnedout for a day of tennis clinics, tournaments,music, food and a chance to hang out withthose from all the Sportime locations acrossLong Island.

The participants were split into threegroups, based on their level, Red, Orangeor Green. Each child was issued a “Pass-port” upon arrival and had the chance towalk the red carpet for Instagram/Face-book photos before taking to the courtsfor the start of the tournament. Sportimepros and coaches worked with the kids topractice fundamentals, while also com-peting in individual matches that won

points for their respective teams.The event was much different than

most kids’ 10 & Under Tennis events onLong Island, as the Sportime World Tourbrought an international and pro tourna-ment atmosphere to the day. In additionto the kids and their families walking thered carpet and taking part in a mini-photo shoot, players and parents en-joyed catered food and refreshments.Long Island Tennis Magazine set up radiointerviews and on-court interviews withthe kids and took photographs of all thefun, along with giving each family a copyof the latest edition.

“The goal of these events is to createa fun and social atmosphere for the play-ers, as well as parents, around the tour-nament,” said Jason Wass, SportimeKings Park director of tennis and organ-izer of the World Tour event. Vendors,such as Grand Slam Tennis and others,had great giveaways and helped make it

feel like a community event. The event wasfree for all who attended, and all left with asmile.

“My favorite part of the day was seeing allmy friends hanging out and getting to playtennis with them,” said Jayson, a nine-year-old who plays tennis at Sportime Kings Park.

Emily, a seven-year-old from SportimeSyosset, said, “I’m excited to play in the ten-nis tournament, and I hope I win!”

The players participated in team competi-tion as well.

“We want players to leave with a sense ofteamwork and sportsmanship during com-petition,” said Wass. “It’s important at thisage to emphasize attitude and effort over re-sults.”

The next stop on the Sportime World Tourwill be “Melbourne,” as there will be an Aus-tralian theme as the pros will be in action atthe 2015 Australian Open as Stage Two ofthe Sportime World Tour will take place Sat-urday, Jan. 31 at Sportime Bethpage.

Credit all photos to Sarah Sklar

Sportime World Tour Makes a


Stop in Beijing


2014 Grand SlamChampionsAustralian Open

l Men’s Singles: Stanislas Warwinka de-feated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3(winners’ prize money: $2,395,000)

l Men’s Doubles: Robert Lindstedt &Lukasz Kubot defeated Eric Butorac &Raven Klaasen 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prizemoney: $470,000)

l Women’s Singles: Li Na defeatedDominika Cibulkova 7-6, 6-0 (winners’prize money: $2,395,000)

l Women’s Doubles: Sara Errani &Roberta Vinci defeated Elena Makarova& Elena Vesnina 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (winners’prize money $470,000

l Mixed-Doubles: Kristina Mladenovic &Daniel Nestor defeated Sania Mirza &Horia Tecau 6-3, 6-2 (winners’ prizemoney: $135,500)

French Open

l Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal defeatedNovak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 (win-ners’ prize money: $2,140,000)

l Men’s Doubles: Julien Benneteau &Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeatedMarcel Granollers & Marc Lopez 6-3, 7-6 (winners’ prize money: $520,000)

l Women’s Singles: Maria Sharapovadefeated Simona Halep 6-4, 6-7, 6-4(winners’ prize money: $2,140,000)

l Woman’s Doubles: Su-Wei Hsieh &Shuai Peng defeated Sara Errani &Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1 (winners’ prizemoney: $520,000)

l Mixed-Doubles: Anna-Leon Groenefeld& Jean-Julien Rojer defeated JuliaGeorges & Nenad Zimonjic 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 (winners’ prize money $548,000)

Wimbledon

l Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic de-feated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7,6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,860,000)

l Men’s Doubles: Vasek Pospisil & JackSock defeated Bob & Mike Bryan 7-6,6-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (winners’ prizemoney: $525,000)

l Women’s Singles: Petra Kvitova de-feated Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 (win-ners’ prize money: $2,860,000)

l Women’s Doubles: Sara Errani &Roberta Vinci defeated Timea Babos &Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 6-3 (winners’prize money: $525,000)

l Mixed-Doubles: Nenad Zimonjic &Sam Stosur defeated Max Mirnyi & Hai-Ching Chan 6-4, 6-2 (winners’ prizemoney: $163,000)

U.S. Open

l Men’s Singles: Marin Cilic defeated KeiNishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prizemoney: $3,000,000)

l Men’s Doubles: Mike & Bob Bryan de-feated Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez6-3, 6-4 (winners’ prize money:$520,000)

l Women’s Singles: Serena Williams de-feated Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3(winners’ prize money: $3,000,000)

l Women’s Doubles: Elena Makarova &Elena Vesnina defeated Martina Hingis& Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 (win-ners’ prize money: $520,000)

l Mixed-Doubles: Sania Mirza & Bruno

A Look Back at the YBY EMILIE KATZ


continued on page 16

Soares defeated Abigail Spears &Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 2-6, 11-9 (win-ners’ prize money: $150,000)

ATP Year-End Award Winners

l ATP World Tour Number One Player:Novak Djokovic clinched the ATP worldnumber one for a third time, also accom-plishing the feat in 2011-2012. Overall in2014, he won six titles, including Wim-bledon and four ATP Tour Masters 1000crowns.

l ATP World Tour Number One DoublesTeam: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan will fin-ish as the number one duo in the ATPDoubles Team Rankings for a sixth suc-cessive year and record 10th time overall.The 36-year-old twins won nine titles in2014, including the U.S. Open and sixATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.

l ATP Stars of Tomorrow: This award ispresented to the youngest player in theTop 100 of the ATP rankings. BornaCoric, who began the season rankedoutside the top 300, broke into the top100 on Oct. 27 and reached a career-highranking of 92. The 17-year-old Croatianmade his Grand Slam debut as a qualifierat the U.S. Open. His biggest victory wasa win over Rafael Nadal in the semifinalsof a tournament in Switzerland.

l Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award:Fellow players voted Switzerland’sRoger Federer as the winner of the Ste-fan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the10th time and fourth year in a row.

l ATP Most Improved Player of the Year:Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut climbedfrom a year-end ranking of 59 last seasonto a career high of 14 in 2014. He claimedhis first ATP Tour title in June, and fin-

ished the season with 45 match wins, 19more than his previous career-high.

l ATP Comeback Player of the Year:After breaking his left wrist in September2013, David Goffin returned to the courtsat the beginning of 2014 with a ranking of110th in the world. By the end of June, heonly recorded two main draw wins, butafter Wimbledon, Goffin couldn’t stopwinning. He compiled a 44-4 matchrecord from July onwards. He finished theseason with a career-high ranking of 22.

l ATP Fan Favorite Singles Player: RogerFederer was voted Fan Favorite for arecord 12th straight year.

l ATP Fan Favorite Doubles Team: Bob& Mike Bryan set a record this year withtheir 10th time winning the award.

l Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: Oneof Andy Murray’s best friends, formerplayer Ross Hutchins, was diagnosedwith Hodgkins Lymphoma, though thank-fully his cancer went into remission. An-other of Murray’s friends, British tennisplayer Elena Baltacha, was diagnosedwith cancer of the liver and passed awayat the age of 30. Wanting to help, Murraytook part in fundraising exhibitions forHutchins and Baltacha at Queens Club

and this fall, appeared in a sketch thatwas a part of Channel 4 in England’s“Stand Up to Cancer” programming.Murray has also raised awareness forUNICEF, United for Wildlife and MalariaNo More.

l Ron Bookman Media ExcellenceAward: San Francisco-based DouglasRobson has been the lead tennis writerfor USA Today since 2003. He has beena journalist for two decades, covering avariety of sports, business and general-interest topics.

WTA Year-End Award Winners

l WTA Fan Favorite Player: AgnieszkaRadwanska was voted by the fans asthe WTA Fan Favorite Player for thefourth straight year.

l WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team: TheItalian duo of Sara Errani & Roberta

Year That Was 2014

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a look back at the year that was 2014 continued from page 15

Vinci have secured the year-end num-ber one ranking, as well as beingvoted fan favorites.

l WTA Fan Favorite Tournament: Thefans voted for the 2014 BNP ParibasWTA Finals Singapore presented bySC Global as their Favorite Tourna-ment of the Year.

l Fan Favorite WTA Match of theYear: Serena Williams vs. CarolineWozniaki from the 2014 WTA Finals,where Serena regained her compo-sure after smashing her racket andbeing on the brink of defeat to comeback to beat Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

l WTA Player of the Year: AmericanSerena Williams finished 2014 as thenumber one ranked player on the WTATour. Serena’s 2014 season was high-lighted by six singles titles, includingone Grand Slam in Flushing Mead-ows, N.Y. at the 2014 U.S. Open.

l WTA Doubles Team of the Year:Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci finishedthe year as the top-ranked doublesteam for a third consecutive year.They have captured five titles in 2014,including the Australian Open in Mel-bourne and Wimbledon.

l WTA’s Most Improved Player of theYear: Eugenie Bouchard reached thesemifinals at three of the four GrandSlams this year and made it to the fi-nals at Wimbledon. She rose as highas number five in the WTA Women’sSingles Rankings this season, andalso qualified for the season-endingWTA Finals.

l WTA Newcomer of the Year: Seven-teen-year-old Belinda Bencic, whobecame the youngest player to reachthe U.S. Open quarterfinals in 17years this summer, was awarded theWTA Newcomer of the Year.

l Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service:Lucie Safarova earned this award be-cause of her support for fellow play-ers through initiatives such as theWTA Players Council.

l Karen Krantzcke SportsmanshipAward: Petra Kvitova was voted forthis award by her peers on the WTA

Tour. She was acknowledged becauseof her professionalism, attitude andsense of fair play.

l WTA Comeback Player of the Year:Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was a Wimble-don semifinalist at the age of 15, semi-retired in her mid-20s and is now theWTA Comeback Player of the Year atthe age of 32. Mirjana’s career hascome full circle, and her efforts wererecognized by winning this award.

Players who retired in 2014ATP Tour

Thirty-three-year-oldNikolai Davydenko re-tires as one of the great-est Russian players toplay on the ATP tour.Davydenko enjoyed a

career-best season in 2009, when he wonthree ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlesand triumphed at the Barclays ATP WorldTour Finals. He also reached four GrandSlam semifinals and helped Russia to the2006 Davis Cup title.

Australian Paul Hanleywon 26 ATP World Tourdoubles titles in a 17-year career. The 36-year-old Hanley, who lived inLondon for 10 years, has

returned to Australia to take up a coachingand management role.

Twenty-nine-year-oldRoss Hutchins, whowon five doubles titlesand reached 14 ATPTour finals, has decidedto retire after a 13-year

career. He was diagnosed with HodgkinsLymphoma in December 2012, but re-turned to competitive tennis in January of2014 before announcing his retirementfrom the sport in September.

Israeli doubles specialistAndy Ram retired at theage of 34. He had agreat career, winningtwo Grand Slam mixed-doubles titles and one

men’s doubles crown.

WTA TourA m e r i c a n M a l l o r yBurdette, best knownfor reaching the thirdround of the U.S. Openin 2012, announced herretirement from pro-

fessional tennis after a year of shouldertroubles. She was just 23-years-old whenshe announced her exit from the sport inOctober 2014, after being inactive for overa year due to her shoulder injury.

Li Na, Asia’s first GrandSlam singles championretired in 2014, after a15-year career due to“chronic” knee injuriesat the age of 32. Ranked

sixth in the WTA Women’s Singles Rank-ings at the time of her retirement, she wonthe French Open in 2011 and the AustralianOpen in 2014, as well as helping popularizethe sport of tennis in Asia.

17LITennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine 17LITennisMag.com • November/December 2014 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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C O M I N G I N M A R C H


B Y E M I L I E K A T Z

He’s back ….!!!Juan Martindel Potro plansto make acomeback in2015, and hewill start byparticipating in

the seventh annual Brisbane Internationalpresented by Suncorp. The tournament be-gins Jan. 4, and will mark the first time the Ar-gentine has played since Dubai back in lateFebruary.

Tying the knotA f t e r n e a r l y adecade together,Andy Murray andKim Sears are en-gaged. Murray

and Sears have been a couple for close tonine years, showing that their decision totie the knot is far from a whirlwind. BBCNews states that the pair met at the U.S.Open in 2005 and she has since been pres-ent at a slew of his matches. One of theirmost memorable moments was at Wimble-don in 2013 when cameras caught Murraykissing Sears after beating Novak Djokovicin the Men’s Singles Final.

You’re out!!!!A French chair umpirehas received a lifetimeban, becoming the firstofficial suspended forcorruption by the Ten-nis Integrity Unit (TIU).

Morgan Lamri, an umpire on the Futuresand Challenger Tours, was banned for life

for violating four articles of the TIU’s anti-cor-ruption program. The 22-year-old Lamri vio-lated articles that address betting on matchesand match-fixing. He said he was contactedby the TIU a year ago after he worked a cou-ple of Futures events in France.

CrybabyDuring a match between Roger Federer

and Stan Wawrinka atthe ATP World Tour Fi-nals, the focus shiftedfrom the on-court bat-tle, to one comingfrom the stands.

Wawrinka became increasingly agitatedas Federer’s wife, Mirka, yelled from thestands. Wawrinka believed she was talk-ing too loudly as he gathered his concen-tration. A woman’s voice was heard to be

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calling out “cry baby” in response toWawrinka’s objections.

Time to move onIvan Lendl,the eight-timemajor tennischampion, re-cently put his

450-acre estate in Goshen, Conn. on themarket. The former world number onebought the land in the 1980s and had thefour-story Georgian mansion built in 1992.It’s listed with William Pitt of Sotheby’s at$19,750,000. The 10-bedroom, 12-bath-room house also includes an 1,800-square-foot gym, tennis and basketballcourts, and an exercise room. There’s anelevator, indoor and outdoor pools, alongwith a guest house, cabana and horsebarn.

Wozniacki and the gridiron

Caroline Wozniackihas had a busy off-season, running inthe New York CityMarathon and go-ing on vacationwith Serena Williams.

But, she reportedly still found time to meether new boyfriend, Ryan Kerrigan, whoplays defensive end for the WashingtonRedskins of the National Football League(NFL). The two were seen attending a ben-efit dinner together.

Billie Jean King andSir Elton John Raise$1 Million-Plus

Billie Jean King,Elton John and aslew of WTA andATP World Tourstars raised over $1million for the EltonJohn AIDS Founda-

tion at Mylan WTT Smash Hits. WTA starsMartina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, SabineLisicki, Heather Watson and, of course,WTA legend and founder Billie Jean King,were all a part of a magical night at Royal

Albert Hall, helping Mylan WTT Smash Hitsraise more than $1 million for the Elton JohnAIDS Foundation, just the second time inthe event’s history that they crossed the $1million mark. The night featured fivematches, starting with Hingis & Watsonbeating Clijsters & Lisicki in women’s dou-bles, 5-4, followed by Tim Henman & JamieMurray beating John McEnroe & Andy Roddickin men’s doubles, 5-0. Lisicki then beatWatson in women’s singles, 5-3, followedby Hingis & McEnroe beating Clijsters &Murray in mixed-doubles, 5-3. The on-courtaction wrapped up with a 5-3 victory forHenman over Roddick in men’s singles. TeamBillie Jean beat Team Elton, 22-16.

Tweets from the prosl Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): London

I’ve missed you … Happy to be back!l Serena Williams (@SerenaWilliams):

You can do whatever you set your mind to.l Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Thx to

the @iptl for the amazing 3 weeks. Veryproud and lucky to be part of the first edi-tion. You guys rocked! Thank u so muchagain!

l Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams):RT @EleVenbyVenus: Cutting ribbon on#WilliamsArena #WashDC, renovated@SETLC_Tennis. Six indoor courts #tennis4 kids!

l Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios): Tough

www.solowsports.com

running session with the star @KikiM-ladenovic—anytime.

l Milos Raonic (@MilosRaonic): Whenyou want something you go out and you getit. The best feeling is having put in all thatwork to have your aspirations come true!

l Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert): CouldGwen Stefani be any lovelier?

l Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): #1.Thank you all, especially my #nolefam. Ithas been a crazy and wonderful year.

l Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): Thegreat moments I spent here will foreverbe in my memory. Thank you New Delhi!Tremendous crowd support! Forevergrateful

l Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76):Not in a hurry to leave. Two weeks in par-adise. Back to reality. See you soon Ko-hanaiki. Love Kona.

l Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Today is#HumanRightsDay. All my support in cre-ating a more equal society.

l Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7): All aboutthe kids today @ChildrensLA I had a greattime meeting with all the kids and mak-ing their holiday more fun :)

l John Isner (@JohnIsner): My Canadianfriend, @domesticdrew, thinks Bret Hartwas better than the HBK ShawnMichaels. Can y’all please help out andsettle this 4 me.

l Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki):From the Dubai International Film Festi-val. Loved the movie, Escobar ParadiseLost. Would definitely recommend it!


BY KATHY M ILLER

Before I give the league report for this issue, I wanted to take aminute to honor a very special woman: Susan Alvy. Susan losther battle with cancer on Nov. 10. She was the manager of

Rockville Racquet, a Long Island board member for the USTALeague, winner of the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award,along with being someone whose friendship I valued. Susan and Imanaged competing clubs. She was at Rockville and me just afew miles away at Carefree. From the start, we knew we didn’tneed to compete with each other. We knew we shared many cus-tomers and instead of competing, we worked together. One wouldcall the other and ask, “I’m putting a new 3.5 team doubles leaguetogether, what day is yours?” If I said, Tuesday, she made surehers was Thursday and vice-versa. We bounced ideas andthoughts off each other all the time. Susan was always level-headed, smart, caring and I am going to miss her terribly.

Susan ran a holiday tournament every winter break. My son-in-law,Keith Mattes, played in it for many years, and also developed a friend-ship with Susan. A day or two after she passed, Keith and I were talk-ing, and he pointed out how much Susan loved that tournament. Hesaid she truly loved tennis, loved watching the guys play and alsoloved talking with all of the competitors afterwards. I spoke to Susan’ssister Judy and we decided we would continue the tournament, re-naming it the “Susan Alvy Memorial Holiday Men’s Tournament.” Thetournament was played at Carefree Racquet Club, from Dec. 20-Jan.

1 and will forever keep Susan’s name tied to what she loved. Susan,you will be missed.

The Mixed-Doubles League is in full swing, having begun the be-ginning of November. We have teams at the combined levels of 6.0,7.0, 8.0 and 9.0. Play will continue through April, with playoffs for alldivisions, regional championships for the 7.0 & 8.0 Divisions and theSectional Championships for all four levels the end of May/beginningof June.

Captains for the 18 & Over, 40 & Over, and 55 & Over Leagues willbe receiving information for registration by mid-January. If there anynew captains or players, please let me know.

Lastly, a few words from four of our teams that attended Nationalsthis past fall:

AndrewCamacho,Captain of the 8.0Mixed Team FromLong Beach:It was an incredibleexperience gettingto play at Nation-als. Just the beautyof the scenery and


the background made it so special. Our team, and most others,had issues with it being so cold for the morning matches. So wedidn’t start out how we wanted to, but we picked it right up andswept our next two matches which still kept us in it. In our finalmatch, we needed to win one more court to win our flight. Instead,we lost it and finished fourth in the flight. It’s crazy to be that closeto finishing first, and then getting knocked to fourth because ofone court. It was bitter sweet not advancing. At least now, we did-n’t have to wake up early.

The highlight had to be winning the 8.0 Captain’s Sports-manship Award. It was a real honor. We received a big bannerfor the club. And you cannot win that kind of award without anawesome team of people behind you. Lori D’Antonio, espe-cially, helped out so much behind the scenes to make sure werepresented our section really well. Lori also helped get ourteam there by organizing fundraisers and raffles and designingsweatshirts to sell.

I hope those who are deserving get to experience it at least oncein their lives. Every team is thrilled to be there and are so nice. You findyourself applauding good points for other teams and giving high fivesto strangers. That’s really what it’s all about.

Darlene Sotomayor, Captain of the 6.0 Mixed Team FromChristopher Morley:Our 6.0 Mixed-Doubles team out of Christopher Morley came in sec-ond place in our flight. Our players fought hard and the competitionwas very strong as was expected. We met a lot of nice people, madenew friends, and a good time was had by all.

Michelle Stoerback, Captain of the Women’s 18 & Over 4.0 Team From Sportime Kings Park:The team is captained by Michelle Stoerback and Diann Starcke, andis coached by Tina Buschi. Our team, Sumo Citrus, swept their re-spective flight 4-0. We made it to the semifinals and ended up infourth place. Our coach, Tina, the adult director at Sportime, traveledto Arizona with the team.

Jen McCormack, Captain of the 3.0 Women’s 18 & Over TeamFrom Blue Point:Our 3.0 Women’s 18 & Over team from Blue Point, N.Y., headed toNationals with an amazing 17-0 undefeated USTA season. Ourjourney to Nationals was infused with support from our family,friends and our home court. Although we left Nationals a little shyof winning the championship, only to lose by one court to the teamthat eventually took the National title, we walked away proudknowing we were part of the top three percent of the players play-ing nationwide at the USTA 3.0 Level.

Ann McGrath, Captain of the 55 & Over League 7.0 Division TeamFrom Point Set:Having been to Nationals on a 2013 55-plus Long Island team, weneeded to form our own team, including only three players fromthe 2013 team.

Dale Conway, Nancy Johnson and myself have all been luckyenough to have had the experience of the USTA Nationals Cham-pionship and all the excitement that comes along with participat-ing in it.

We wanted to share that experience with others, so we hun-kered down and began recruiting players to try and form our ownNationals bound team. For us, it wasn’t all about tennis (eventhough that was important), but it was about the relationships andmemories we developed that will carry on for a lifetime.

Our team motto was “No Coach, No Drama, No Fundraiser, NoFrills.” And that we were!

One of the players’ husbands who traveled with us to Section-als and to Nationals said he had never met a team before thatwere all so connected and truly had that ‘all for one and one forall’ attitude.

We won two out of the three matches we played at Nationals,but it wasn’t enough for us to advance. We did create a lot of chat-ter at Nationals with our team gift which was a CD of songs weeach selected individually and on the cover was our team picture.

One of our players stood and thanked all of us at our final teamdinner. She said going to the Nationals was a life-long dream ofhers and had been on her bucket list. She couldn’t wait to gohome and cross it off!

Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also theAdult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reachedat [email protected].


tle in common with a longer, slower andstraight ahead run.

While court movement is one of the mostimportant areas in the sport of tennis,mythology and misconceptions as describedabove can limit performance.

We can start to take action by recognizingthat great movement is not a talent, it’s theresult of learning superior neuromotor con-trol and function. Sure, some people havebetter body types and possess a strongerathletic background in movement develop-ment, but it’s never too late for any athlete toimprove and develop.

Tennis movements can be broken downinto components of quickness, power, agility,speed and efficiency. In today’s lightning-fastgame, these qualities are a requirement forachievement.

Myths #1 through #8Myth #1: Great court movement is a natu-ral talent.Reality: Great movement is a result of greattraining. How many times have we heard thatsome players are just “naturally fast,” bornand blessed with a wealth of “fast twitch”muscle fibers? Great footwork and move-ment is a skill, not a talent, and as with allskills, can be learned with proper training andpractice. Some athletes have greater poten-tial than others of course, but the goal is toachieve your personal best.

Myth #2: If you want to be fast on thecourt, focus primarily on speedReality: Work on quickness above speed. It’sall about starting and stopping quickly.

Running has three parts: Starting, acceler-

By Steve Kaplan

Every year, players re-turning home fromcollege tell me that

they were “tested” in a twoor three mile run for their teams. Theywere told, “Since you run several miles ina match, let’s test this on the track.” Athree-mile run is a poor assessment fortennis, performance. In the past, I’vecalled this “Dodgeball” logic (taken fromthe movie “Dodgeball” where it is noted,“If you can dodge a wrench, you candodge a ball.”)

The average run in tennis is just sevenfeet. It’s multi-directional, with an explosivestart and precise stop. It’s about power, en-durance, agility and coordination. It has lit-

The Myths of Tennis Movement(Part 1)

A two-part guide to better tennis mobility


ating and stopping. The average run in any ten-nis movement, as explained above, is veryshort, just seven feet, which means the accel-eration (speed) phase is not the most importantpart. Remember, the first step takes the longest(a body at rest stays at rest), so you can savethe greatest amount of time with an explosivestart. Stopping most closely coincides with thehit, so learn to stop by landing softly and quietlyby dropping and absorbing, instead of stop-ping by lifting and dragging your feet. This willdramatically improve your setup to the hit.

Myth #3: Stay on your toesReality: If you want to move with power, it’sall about force into the ground so “Get off yourtoes.”

When you push into the ground, the groundpushes back (equal in magnitude opposite indirection, thanks Mr. Rabinowitz, my 12thgrade physics teacher!). You push more massmore powerfully with full foot contact thanwith a forward toe strike. Pushing from yourtoes limits your force to calf strength and anklemobility. The best players do not stay on theirtoes. They start on their toes before loadingonto their full or mid-foot.

Myth #4: Straight ahead sprints are thebest way to train tennis movementsReality: Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle for agility …it’s more about lateral than linear movement.

You run much more side to side,. or “lat-eral,” in a tennis match than forward or “lin-ear,” yet most players warm up, stretch andtrain working on more linear than lateral skills.Remember to keep some space betweenyour feet when moving sideways, with yourtoes forward, so that you can change direc-tion immediately. Stop by dropping, absorb-ing and loading to ready yourself for the nextmovement. Learn to coordinate, rhythmicallyand quickly.

While we are on this topic, let’s demystifythe “split-step,” which sometimes seems tobe the universal correction I hear given toevery volley mistake. The split-step is simply atransitional movement from a narrow stance,which helps linear speed, to a wider stance,which gives you the ability to manage uncer-tainty with great multi-directional movement.

Myth #5: “Hop” or “float step” to get readyfor the hitReality: In order to lift for the hit, first drop low.

Great players watch movement cues care-fully and reactively lower their hips right be-fore their opponent makes contact. While thisquick weight shift down and back might firstlift their feet slightly off the ground (it’s calleda “counter movement”) it’s NOT a hop. Thegoal is a lower center of mass to put force into the ground (think “butt back”). This loadsyour body to explode UP, which is a lot fasterthan falling DOWN on the first step. Give it atry and remember to engage your core be-fore you hinge your hips so that your body isstable. As with every movement, engage andfire muscles in the most efficient order.

Myth #6: Watch the ball to get ready toreactReality: Of course you should see the ball,but the best athletes see a bigger picture.They learn to read an opponent’s cues to“float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”It’s all about your speed of reaction fromthe hit.

As explained in the previous myth, greatplayers watch very carefully for subtle clues



the myths of tennis movement (part 1) continued from page 23

(called “cues”) from their opponent in orderto react as quickly as possible. You mightsay they “read” their opponent and reactaccordingly. This can be challenging, asthe better the opponent, the better these“cues” will be disguised. The best athletesin any sport recognize and react to move-ment from their opponent with relaxationand poise. The result is an accurate andwell-timed reaction.

Mastery of this complex skill requirestremendous awareness, concentration andexperience. It’s similar to becoming an ex-pert in a simultaneous game that fusesLightning Chess with Liar’s Poker.

Myth #7: Your court coverage is limitedby the speed of your feetReality: The limitation to your court cover-age is more likely the speed of your arms.

Running speed is stride length multipliedby frequency of movement, or how far you

go times how long it takes to create eachstep. Believe it or not, the most limiting fac-tor in runners who are not highly trained areslow, inefficient arms, not legs since yourlegs move faster and you must coordinatearms to legs.

Learn to make powerful, coordinatedand compact arm swings, and you will beway faster. Try thinking “hands, pocketsto ears.”

Myth #8: Balance means “stillness”Reality: Balance is probably not what youthink. You can move with balance.

Ask several pros what balance is and Ibet you get a variety of answers. Here’s theapplication of what Isaac Newton has tosay in his first law of inertia: Balance is zeroacceleration (this is the other side of theequation which explains that balance isequal net force).

So stop and stay stopped, or move and

keep moving at a constant speed duringthe hit, and by definition, you haveachieved dynamic balance. In real worldapplications it’s usually easier to moveslowly through the hit than to go fast or tostop but styles vary based on physical sta-bility and mobility, as well as the stroke pro-duction of each player.

Steve Kaplan is the owner of BethpagePark Tennis Center, as well as the directorof Lacoste Academy for New York CityParks Foundation. Over the last 34 years,Steve has been the longtime coach of morethan 600 nationally-ranked junior players,16 state high school champions, two NCAADivision 1 Singles Champions, and numer-ous touring professionals and prominentcoaches. Steve’s students have beenawarded in excess of $8 million in collegescholarship money. He may be reached bye-mail at [email protected].


Te n n i s l e g e n d sMonica Seles andGabriela Sabatiniwill face each otherin a 25th anniversaryrematch of theirfamed 1990 five-setWTA Championship

final in the 2015 BNP ParibasShowdown, set for March 10 atMadison Square Garden in NewYork City. Seles leads the careerhead-to-head 11-3 over Sabatini.In addition to the Seles-Sabatinimatch, Roger Federer will faceGrigor Dimitrov and headline theannual tennis showcase.

The two legendary women’splayers were paired against eachother in the finals of the season-ending Virginia Slims Champi-onships at Madison SquareGarden. After nearly four hours oftennis, the second-seeded Seles,a then 16-year-old from Yu-goslavia, outlasted the third-seeded Sabatini 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, infront of 17,290 fans. Seles became theyoungest player to ever win the tournamentand it was the first time two women played afive-set professional match since the 1901U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia.

“It will be great to be back on the court atMadison Square Garden, where I have somany fun memories from playing the WTAChampionships,” said Seles. “The Show-down on World Tennis Day has become an-other event at The Garden that all of theplayers want to play so I look forward to anexciting night of tennis with Gaby, Roger andGrigor. It should be a great event.”

Seles is a former world number one-ranked player and was inducted into the In-ternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Shewon nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight be-fore the age of 20, and became theyoungest-ever French Open champion at theage of 16. She was the year-end world num-ber one in 1991 and 1992, and played herlast professional match at the 2003 FrenchOpen.

“New York has a very special place in myheart and to be back at Madison Square Gar-den will be such a special moment,” saidSabatini. “I am very excited that I will see andplay Monica again. Throughout my career, Iloved every time I traveled to New York. I amexcited and I will look forward to being part ofthe World Tennis Day on March 10.”

Sabatini was one of the leading players onthe women’s circuit in the late-1980s andearly-1990s. The Argentine won the women’ssingles title at the U.S. Open in 1990, thewomen’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988,two WTA Year-End Championships in 1988and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988Olympic Games.

Headlining the night, Roger Federer will re-turn to MSG to face Grigor Dimitrov. Federer,currently ranked second in the world, willmake his third appearance in the BNPParibas Showdown. Federer holds severalmen’s world records, including holding theworld number one ranking for an unprece-dented 302 weeks, including 237-consecu-

tive weeks from 2004-2008, and winning 17Grand Slams.

The young rising starDimitrov is often com-pared to Federer, and iscurrently ranked 11th onthe ATP Men’s SinglesRankings, and he will bemaking his MSG debut.He recently cracked thetop 10 when he climbedto number eight afterreaching the Wimble-don semifinals in 2014.Dimitrov is the only Bul-garian tennis player toever be ranked in the top10. He’s also the firstBulgarian to win an ATPsingles title (Stockholmin 2013) and reach afinal in doubles (in2011), as well as theonly one to reach thethird round or better at

a Grand Slam tournament.“It’s huge and I’m unbelievably excited. I

did have the honor twice already to do it,once against Pete Sampras and onceagainst Andy Roddick and both nights werevery special,” said Federer. “I’ve played inmany arenas and many cool places aroundthe world but, there is nothing like MSG. Thatis why when I heard there is another oppor-tunity for me to come back and peoplewanted to see me, it got me going and I can’twait for March 10.”

The two top players faced each other oncebefore in Basel, Switzerland with Federerbeating Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in a quarterfinalmatch.

“Growing up, Roger was one of my he-roes,” said Dimitrov. “To play him on sucha stage is definitely an honor for me. I amreally happy and excited to be part of theevent since it is one of the biggest sport-ing venues. This will absolutely be differ-ent. I’m getting goose bumps thinkingabout it. I’m just going to really enjoy itand embrace the moment.”

BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Federer Meeting Dimitrovand Classic Matchup Between Seles and Sabatini


YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs

nent coaches. Steve’s students have beenawarded in excess of $8 million in collegescholarship money.

Keith, co-owner of the club, is a voice ofreason in the often-stressful world of juniortournament tennis. His outlook has enabledKeith to excel as both a player and a coach.He was ranked in the top 30 nationally inthe Boy’s 18 Division. His playing careerflourished at Duke University, where he re-ceived a full scholarship and was rankednationally among the best collegiate play-ers. He directed the Reebok Urban YouthTennis Academy at Flushing Meadows,N.Y. and has since coached players frombeginners to international touring profes-sionals. In 1998, he was awarded the ETALong Island Region Tennis Professional ofthe Year Award. Keith has a Master’s De-gree is Sports Management. His level-headed approach to junior tennis ensuresthat students develop and maintain a pos-itive and productive mental outlook.

In the summer, the finest players in theeast join us for summer camp on four in-door hard courts and four indoor red claycourts that are air-conditioned, along withtwo outdoor Har-Tru courts. Lunch is pro-vided and transportation is available. Whileour standards are high … our prerequisitesare not! We charge no membership fee, andencourage and value our beginners equallywith our nationally-ranked players. All werequire at the Bethpage Park Tennis Centeris the desire to attend a serious tenniscamp and to learn in an intensive, personaland fun environment … and the drive toachieve your personal best!

Bethpage Park Tennis Center99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Building #4 • Farmingdale, N.Y.

(516) 777-1385

Bethpage Park Tennis Center is locatedjust a few hundred feet from the BlackCourse at beautiful Bethpage State Park,which has served as home to the U.S. GolfOpen. Four indoor hard courts and four in-door red clay courts are air-conditioned foryear-round play, along with two outdoorHar-Tru courts.

The Tennis Center offers an array of adultseasonal, leagues, lessons and walk-oncourt opportunities. It’s free and low-costprogram for seniors and special popula-tions is perhaps the largest of its kind inNew York State. The Center is best knownfor its renowned junior development pro-gram, led by top coaches Steve Kaplanand Keith Kambourian. Collectively, theyhave developed more players than anyoneelse in the east.

Steve is the owner of Bethpage ParkTennis Center, as well as the director of La-coste Academy for New York City ParksFoundation. Over the last 37 years, Stevehas been the long-time coach of more than800 nationally-ranked junior players, 16state high school singles champions, twoNCAA Division I Singles Champions, andnumerous touring professionals and promi-

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy188 Maple Avenue

Rockville Centre, N.Y.(516) 763-1299, ext. 10

www.catsny.com • [email protected]

The Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy isproud to be the first of its kind on Long Is-land devoted entirely to the USTA’s 10 &Under Tennis Program. We feature threestate-of-the-art QuickStart, U.S. Open bluegreen courts. We offer professional tennisprograms for group, semi private and pri-vate lessons, plus birthday parties andspecial events.

Directed by former U.S. National Ama-teur Champion and former top 70 player,the Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy willuse the USTA and the International TennisFederation QuickStart tennis guidelines.This progressive curriculum will focus ondeveloping children’s tennis skills on a size-appropriate scale, utilizing smaller courts,low compression balls and smaller rackets.Drills and games will be played with partic-ular emphasis on developing skill sets in afun environment.

Long Island tennis players have great choices when it comes to where to play tennis.Below is a list of Long Island Tennis Magazine’s top clubs and programs with descriptions of what each has to offer.


Carefree Racquet Club1414 Jerusalem Avenue, #1

North Merrick, N.Y.(516) 489-9005

www.carefreeracquetclub.com

Carefree Racquet Club is Long Island’spremier indoor tennis club. With ourbeautiful redone lobby along with ourconstant upgrading, we cannot bematched. Carefree has seven indoor ten-nis courts, two racquetball courts and ahalf-court basketball court. League Co-ordinator Debbie Cichon offers adult sin-gles, doubles and team doubles leaguesthat are always on level to insure you agood game every time you play. Carefreehas many USTA teams in the adult, sen-ior, mixed-doubles and Tri-Level leagues.For those new to the game or just wantto improve, we have 14-week learn andplay groups. Players get an hour lessoneach week, along with an hour-and-a-halfof practice time each week. For playerslooking for a more relaxed social atmos-phere, Karen Guigliano has her parties onFriday nights where food is served andKaren arranges all games for the night.

Jean Tanklowitz, senior program coor-dinator, has many retired or people thatsimply have a flexible schedule, playingMonday through Thursday in the after-noon. All games are arranged by Jean.

For junior players, Ronny D’Alessandro,Carefree’s director of tennis, coordinatesthe Junior Development Program, a 14-

week program starting at age five andrunning through the age of 18. Childrencan take group, semi-private or privatelessons and get practice time and laddermatch play as well. New this year is ourhigh school program that Ronny startedfor children that play on their schoolteam. Carefree also offers a QuickStarttot program for children ages three to fiveyears old. This adorable program uses allthe props to keep the children’s attentionand is unmatched by any other club.

Carefree Racquet Club is managed byKathy Miller, who is also the Long IslandUSTA Adult, Senior, Super Senior, Mixedand Tri-Level League Coordinator. Kathy,along with her assistant manager, PatMcIlwee, pride themselves on the organ-ization and smooth running of the best in-door club on Long Island that has neverand continues to NOT charge member-ship fees. So if you are looking to join aprogram or just rent a court now andthen, we would love to see you at Care-free!



SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Dr. Tom Ferraro is a noted Sport Psychologist who hasworked with professional and Olympic level athletes inmany fields. He publishes internationally and appears bothon television and radio.

Regain Confidence, Learn How To Win

• Control anger • Cope with anxiety • Re-establish confidence• Learn how to focus • Get proper diagnosis and treatment for your emotions

1-1 consultations, phone consults, family counseling, on site visits

Dr. Tom Ferraro(516) 248-7189 • 2 Hillside Avenue, Ste. E • Williston Pk, NY 11596

Drtomferraro.com • [email protected]

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy

65 Columbia Road • Morristown, NJwww.centercourtacademy.com

(973) [email protected]

The Centercourt Performance Tennis Acad-emy (CPTA) is a one-of-a-kind facility fullydedicated to the development and per-formance of student athletes. CPTA utilizes11 hard courts, one red clay court, a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning room,and an academic center.

We know that if you want to improve,you need to train. While you don’t have tobe exceptionally talented, you do need to


Top Clubs & Programsbe seriously committed to your training.Our mission is to help every student-ath-lete we train realize his or her full potential;athletically, academically and within life it-self. We believe that the trials and tribula-tions that our student-athletes endure inthe tennis pathway will develop our youngathletes into leaders on and off the court.

CPTA curriculum features on-court andoff-court lesson programs, which includecomprehensive tennis instruction, compli-mented with both physical and mental con-ditioning conducted by our performancespecialists. Total athletic training programsare designed to increase player develop-ment and facilitate higher overall perform-ance by incorporating mental toughness,nutrition counseling, speed/movement,communication, and vision/reaction skillsin all of our players.

Our culture is simple. We live the sport!Continually striving for improvement, wework to get the most out of all our players.If you are serious about your tennis andwant to be the best athlete you can possi-bly be, you owe it to yourself to experienceCPTA first hand and discover what makesus the Northeast’s premier sports trainingdestination!

6:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. adult program that isopen Friday thru Monday. Late Hit is onWednesday, Friday and Sunday.

During the indoor season, Early Hit is aterrific value. They feature a fabulous sum-mer camp, pro shop, restaurant and privatetraining all year long.

Evert Tennis Academy10334 Diego Drive South

Boca Raton, Fla.www.evertacademy.com

(561) 488-2001 or (800) 41SERVE

As the proud home to more than 15 GrandSlam participants and 100 Division I collegeathletes, Evert Tennis Academy (ETA) has aproven record of success in developing cham-pions. Chris Evert, tennis legend and winnerof 18 Grand Slam titles, and John Evert,world-renowned developmental coach andETA director, believe in designing personalizedprograms that consist of a strategic balancebetween technical, tactical, mental and phys-ical training. Their unmatched expertise andexperience with all facets of the junior, college,and professional ranks will provide studentswith the necessary tools to thrive in their ten-nis careers. l The Full-Time Academy: Recognized as

the standard in player development andpersonal character growth, ETA’s full-timetraining program is geared towards play-ers committed to maximizing their poten-tial both on and off the court. Chrissie andJohn pride themselves on handpicking

PREVENTATIVE NUTRITION

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[email protected]

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For groups and individuals

ADOLESCENT BODY IMAGE

Early Hit Training Center95 Glen Head Road

Glen Head, N.Y.(516) 455-1225

The Early Hit Training Center is located at95 Glen Head Road in Glen Head, N.Y.Home of the ALPS Program, they special-ize in accelerated learning through a com-bination of private lessons, group sessionsand physical training in tennis-specific ex-ercises. The program was designed by CarlBarnett with the help of Pat Etcheberry.

The program focuses on the players andtheir need for accessible court time, cou-pled with a flexible schedule and parent-friendly budget. Early Hit also features a


the court, they are instantly amazed by thequality of the lighting system.

What truly makes a facility excellent arethe people who create, direct and instructthe programs. Both Howie Arons andWillie Notar have an incredible passion fortennis and for what players expect theirtennis experience to be like. For the past38 years, Arons has been one of the mostsuccessful coaches in the Eastern Sec-tion. Willie Notar has been a standout inEastern tennis since 1980. In addition torunning adult and junior programs atGreat Neck Estates, Willie is also the headpro at Fresh Meadows Country Clubwhere he currently coaches some of thearea’s top senior men.

From QuickStart to tournament train-ing, New York tennis at Great Neck Es-tates is striving to offer junior tennisplayers the best tennis experience. Aronsstated, “Our goal is to motivate our jun-iors to want to be the best they can be.Whether the player wants to play everyday with passion to improve for tourna-ment play, or just once a week to havefun, we get it. Our pro staff is amazingand each day, we strive to bring out thebest in all of our players.”

some of the finest developmental coachesworking in the sport. The training studentsreceive at ETA will not only provide themwith all the necessary physical and mentaltools they require to succeed in the game oftennis, but also in the game of life. We arerenowned for constructing personalizedprograms to help all our students achievetheir playing and career goals. ETA coachesprovide on-court training that is focusedand intensive, balanced with off-court men-tal and physical conditioning that is unpar-alleled in the industry.

l Summer Camp and Weekly/Monthly/Hol-iday/Spring Break Training: ETA’s SummerCamp is a hybrid program that affords thesame expert coaching staff and champi-onship philosophy to summer campersthat is present throughout the year. Inter-mediate to advanced tournament playerswho aspire to capture that last spot on theschool team or even earn a college schol-arship achieve incredible results throughETA’s Summer Camps.

ETA provides weekly and monthly pro-grams for those players wanting to expe-rience our expert training during theschool year or holiday recess. Weekly andmonthly sessions provide a melting pot ofcultures, as students travel from all overthe world to train with the country’s lead-ing coaches.

l Facilities: ETA’s location in Boca Ratonputs it in the heart of the tennis capital ofthe United States. There’s not anotherarea of the country than can boast asmany tournaments or depth of tennis tal-ent. When players are serious about max-imizing their abilities, this is where theycome to train and ETA’s facilities haveeverything to meet their demands, includ-ing: On-campus dormitories; academic in-stitutions on campus; 23 on-campuscourts, including 14 Har-Tru (clay) and ninehard courts; additional Har-Tru and hardcourts off-site; a state-of-the-art strengthand conditioning center; and a studentlounge and game room.



Great Neck Estates Tennis Club12 Shore Drive

Great Neck, N.Y.(516) 233-2790

Great Neck Estates Tennis Club is locatedin the scenic Great Neck Estates Water-front Park. The lobby and front desk areaof the Club provides players with an in-credible view of New York City. This newtennis center features a brand-new, fully-insulated air structure and five Har-Trucourts. The air structure, manufactured bythe world famous Farley Group of Canada,is the most advanced air structure of itskind and provides a tennis experiencesecond to none. When players walk onto




Top Clubs & ProgramsThe club’s weekend junior tournament

training programs is its trademark. On bothSaturdays and Sundays, a three-hour tour-nament training program is offered, con-sisting two-hour lesson/drill followed by afull set of tennis. The session includes rig-orous competitive drills, point play and fit-ness, and then each player participates ina ladder match. The results of the laddermatch determines the player’s court nextweek. This type of experience weekly pre-pares juniors for both high school and tour-nament tennis.

During the mornings and early after-noons, Willie Notar organizes and directsprograms for adult players. To burn calo-ries, there is Boot Camp, a rigorous drill($25 per session) that will give you that car-dio boost. For players in the evenings,there are men’s drill and play leagues, oryou can come in with a friend and book acourt for an evening on an open or sea-sonal basis.

Come in and visit the all-new Great NeckEstates Tennis Club and see one of thefinest tennis facilities on Long Island. Frombeginners to experienced tennis enthusi-asts, Great Neck Estates would love toserve your tennis needs.

tional Champion and an NCAA number oneplayer.

John McEnroe and SPORTIME have as-sembled a talented staff of world-classteaching, coaching and fitness profession-als, who have joined together to makeJohn’s vision of a New York based, non-residential tennis academy a reality. TheJohn McEnroe Tennis Academy’s missionis to develop world-class players, to exciteNew Yorkers, especially kids, about thegame of tennis and to provide opportuni-ties to motivated and deserving NYC areakids—young players who would not other-wise have the resources to reach their fullpotential as players and scholar-athletes.

JMTA professionals work as a team todeliver a training program that assures thebest possible outcome for serious juniorplayers; a program enables JMTA playersto make the most of their abilities, whilesupporting them in their academic pursuitsand in living balanced, healthy lives.

In September 2012, JMTA expanded itsgeographic reach to SPORTIME locationsin Westchester and on Long Island:SPORTIME Lake Isle, a brand-new eight-court, state-of-the art year-round facility inEastchester, N.Y. in lower Westchester; andSPORTIME Syosset in central Long Island,an eleven-court indoor facility that has longbeen SPORTIME’s Long Island tennisMecca. Find out more at www.johnmcen-roetennisacademy.com.

John McEnroe Tennis AcademyLong Island, Manhattan

and Westchester(212) 427-6150

[email protected]

In September 2010, tennis legend JohnMcEnroe launched the John McEnroe Ten-nis Academy in his hometown of New YorkCity at the SPORTIME Randall’s Island Ten-nis Center in Manhattan. SPORTIME Ran-dall’s Island is the flagship location for theAcademy and for SPORTIME’s 13 clubs.To date, JMTA has developed hundreds ofDivision I college scholarship recipients, aswell as a Wimbledon Junior and U.S. Na-

Point Set Indoor Racquet Club3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y.

(516) 536-2323www.pointsetracquetclub.com

Extreme makeover … tennis club edition!Upgrade yourself by enjoying the all newU.S. Open blue tennis courts, gleaminglocker rooms, renovated lobby/office andredesigned social space of post-stormPoint Set Indoor Racquet Club! A state-of-the-art, spare no expense renovation out ofrespect to our customers!

With 350-plus juniors in developmentalprograms, 60-plus QuickStart Pee-Wees,500-plus adult players in leagues/con-tracts/drills, Point Set Racquet Club is work-ing towards fulfilling its mission statement:Point Set aspires to be the most vibrant ten-nis club on the South Shore by integratingheart with sport in the community.

The dedicated “Dream Team” staff oftennis professionals administers a top tierTournament Training Program (TTP) forthree levels of junior competitors. It ad-dresses all aspects of competition: drills,match play, fitness and mental toughness.

See what a difference the Point Set staffdelivers as the facility has added air-con-ditioning for a controlled climate for playyear-round!

Point Set Indoor Racquet Club recog-nizes that customers are our most impor-tant asset. The collegial relationship of thestaff, on and off the court, translates into afriendly environment for our customers. We


Top Clubs & Programsare a full-service club and your gateway tochallenging yourself to explore, enjoy andimprove yourself through the great sport oftennis. Experience the difference a sup-portive environment makes! Come play atPoint Set where fun meets fitness.

Port Washington Tennis Academy100 Harbor Road

Port Washington, N.Y.(516) 883-6425www.pwta.com

The Port Washington Tennis Academy(PWTA) is dedicated to young people, prima-rily from the ages of four through 18. PWTAwas created in 1966 as a non-profit facility touse tennis as a means of fostering educa-tional success for children, by developing astimulating lifelong activity that is fun, healthy,and scholastically and socially beneficial. Thisis accomplished by utilizing specialized tech-niques with a wide range of instructional pro-grams, special in-house competitions andseveral USTA-sanctioned tournaments. Ad-ditionally, graduating high school seniors getthe benefit of PWTA’s many years of experi-ences and up-to-date knowledge of schools,teams and coaches when it comes to identi-fying, selecting and the eventual placementat a university meeting their individual capa-bilities and goals. While PWTA is well-knownfor many world-class professional playersgraduating from its programs, encouragingeducational excellence will always be theclub’s main focus.

PWTA also offers an extensive variety ofadult programs at all levels. Men’s andwomen’s daytime and evening leagues, pri-vate lessons, group clinics (three players plusa professional), seasonal courts, including in-structional and season-ending doubles playsessions, are just part of the club’s broadspectrum of activities.

PWTA is the largest indoor tennis facility onthe East Coast, with 17 indoor courts (fourhard and 13 Har-Tru) and a unique elevatedquarter mile-long indoor running track. PWTAalso provides many extras not found as partof a teaching program, such as an interna-tional teaching staff, closed-circuit TV foreach court, upper TV lounge for relaxedviewing, spectator viewing galleries to ensurefull visibility of every court, comfortablelounge areas, extensive men’s and women’slocker rooms, meeting rooms, etc. Compli-mentary coffee, tea, milk, cookies, juice andpotassium rich bananas are always availableto PWTA members. In addition, the Academyhas a fully-stocked pro shop to meet theneeds of members. For more information,call (516) 883-6425 or visit www.pwta.com.

Ross School Tennis Center18 Goodfriend DriveEast Hampton, N.Y.

(631) 907-5162www.ross.org/tennis

The Ross School Tennis Center, located onthe Upper School campus in East Hamp-ton, NY, is a wonderful resource in theHamptons open to seasonal and year-



Top Clubs & Programsround residents. The Center features six Har-Tru tennis courts that are enclosed by a bub-ble from mid-fall through mid-spring,allowing for year-round play. The courts aredirectly adjacent to the beautiful, state-of-the-art Fieldhouse where players can takeadvantage of its many amenities, includinglocker rooms, lounge, snack bar, and pingpong tables. The Fieldhouse is also used fora variety of special events and is availablefor private parties.

l Jump Start Program is a junior programallows children to develop spatial aware-ness, movement, and locomotor skillsusing appropriately sized rackets. Theylearn how to volley, throw, catch and rally,building a foundation not only for tennis,but for any future athletic activities.

l Junior Development Program offersgames and level-specific drills and train-ing for building a strong foundation. De-signed with having fun in mind, theprogram improves skills and motivatesyoung players into continuing the sport.

l Accelerated Tournament Preparationfeatures drills, tennis-specific condition-ing and game strategy designed specif-ically to prepare advanced players forjunior tournaments and match play.

l High Performance (summer only) forages 10–17, is offered to players who arecurrent USTA members and have sometournament experience. Try-outs required.

l Ross School Tennis Academy (RSTA)offers an unusual and dynamic programfor national and international junior play-ers that combines an engaging, globalcurriculum with the highest level of com-petitive tennis training available. De-signed for USTA/ITF players in grades7-12 and post-graduates, the RSTA isthe first in the New York City area to havea full academic program with a completephysical and mental conditioning pro-gram. Students who attend the Acad-emy experience high-performancetennis training while studying alongside

their peers in a stimulating, collegepreparatory, learning community follow-ing a regular academic year. RSTA Sum-mer is an invitation only program forUSTA/ITF and professional players.Boarding options are available.

Adults have many programs to choosefrom at the Ross School Tennis Center, in-cluding Adult Clinics for all levels in themornings and evenings, as well as the Pro-Am Doubles League on Tuesday nights,which allows advanced players to competewith and against the pros in a competitive,high-level game.

Private instruction is available for all lev-els of play. The Tennis Center staff providesa fun and supportive atmosphere that al-lows for the greatest amount of success.Guests can also rent courts during theweekday, weekend, or seasonally. Call(631) 907-5162 for more information or tomake reservations.

Saddlebrook Resort5700 Saddlebrook Way

Wesley Chapel, Fla.(813) 973-1111

Saddlebrook Resort is a mecca of tennis, lo-cated 25 miles north of Tampa InternationalAirport. The resort has three restaurants, morethan 600 well-appointed rooms, shops, a half-million gallon super pool with inviting hot tubs,45 tennis courts, a European spa & two 18-hole Arnold Palmer signature golf courses,

Centralizing all of the major amenities cre-ates what the resort names as the “WalkingVillage.”

The tennis program is considered to be themother of all hardcore tennis camps, howeverthe resort amenities certainly provide for wel-come relief after hours from the intense rigorsof the daily on-court intensive instruction.Adult and junior athletes work on technique,shot section, singles and doubles strategy,and utilizing the geometry of the court.

Court ratios never exceed a 4:1 ratio, andthe professional staff are very cognizant ofplacing athletes in their correct ability levels bycourt. It is not unusual to see members of theUnited States Davis Cup team on the courts,including John Isner, Mike & Bob Bryan, TimSmyczek, and up and coming stars such asAlex Zverev. Performance specialist KyleMorgan heads up an elite off-court trainingprogram for those wishing to improve theiroverall conditioning, strength and movementskills. The program operates 365 days a yearand has a sports specialty reservations officeto take care of your needs and requirements.

SPORTIME Tennis Clubs12 locations across Long Island, Manhattan, Westchester and the

Capital Region(888) NY-TENNIS

www.SportimeNY.com/[email protected]

SPORTIME’s courts, programs, coaches,facilities and club environments have set


years-old, Junior Development, TennisAcademy, Summer Camps, Cardio Ten-nis, Drill & Play, private lessons and sea-sonal court time. Programs teach thenecessary skills, techniques, tactics, andsports conditioning geared to maximizingthe learning experience in a fun presen-tation. As players develop, they are ad-vanced to more challenging groups. TheNTC also offers a variety of adult andsenior programs, as well as a weeklywheelchair tennis program.

The National Tennis Center is also thehome of USTA Training Center–East, oneof USTA Player Development’s three na-tional training centers, and additionalPlayer Development programs for top-ranking juniors residing in the Northeast.Last year, the Training Center–East re-cently began its open “Feeder Program”for players ages nine through 13, whichholds open tryouts twice per year forplayers to eventually enter into the USTAPlayer Development training program.

Further, the National Tennis Centerpartners with local National Junior Tennis& Learning chapters and the CityParksFoundation to host a diverse collection ofyouth programs, such as alternativeclassroom learning opportunities for localstudents, life skills curriculum, SATpreparation and a speaker series that hasfeatured such guests as former GrandSlam champion Virginia Wade. The NTCalso offers year-round daytime schoolprograms and hosts many corporate andspecial events.

Detailed information regarding our pro-grams, availability and special events canbe found at www.NTC.USTA.com.

the standard of excellence since 1989, andwe are getting better every year. With over162 hard and soft surface courts, indoorsand outdoors, we offer great tennis pro-grams and facilities for players of all agesand abilities. When you are at aSPORTIME club you won’t want to leave!To find out more, go to www.sporti-meny.com.

Programs for everyoneJuniors: From our new Tennis Whizz pro-gram for preschoolers, to our SPORTIMEU10 tennis pathways for our red and or-ange level players, to our Junior TennisKinetics and EXCEL Tennis—programsfor our green and yellow level juniors, toSPORTIME’s ultimate opportunity to trainwith New York tennis icon Johnny Macand the John McEnroe Tennis Academyteam at Randall’s Island and at our JMTAAnnex locations in Syosset on Long Is-land and at Lake Isle, Eastchester inLower Westchester, SPORTIME offers acomplete menu of tennis programmingfor every level of play. Our games ap-proach gets kids playing fast and blendstechnical and tactical learning and coach-ing from the very first lesson. SPORTIMEstudents turn their weaknesses intostrengths and their strengths into winninggames!

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The USTA Billie Jean King National TennisCenter in Flushing Meadows-CoronaPark, home of the U.S. Open, is one ofthe world’s largest public tennis facilities,offering year-round programs for all agesand skill levels. We have 18 outdoorcourts, 12 indoor courts, four bubbledclay courts, four stadium courts and fiveoutdoor 10 & Under courts on our newDeckZone, all of which are available forpublic, year-round rental.

The National Tennis Center’s year-round programs encompass 10 & UnderTennis, for players as young as four-




By Rob Polishook, Mental Training CoachMA, CPC

What’s the secret to sus-tained peak performance?

Let’s face it … this is the million dollar ques-tion! Federer, Monfils, Sharapova … all com-petitors are trying to solve this great mystery.

In the next six articles through 2015, I willhighlight a key principle called “More Thanan Athlete: Person First. Athlete Second(MTAA.A1.P2)” which I believe is the es-sential starting point and guiding light tosolving the mystery of sustained peak per-formance. In some ways it’s a paradox, itdoesn’t require working harder, pushing, oreven pulling. However, it does require thatthe athlete “let go” and “be themselves” sothey are able to play from a grounded placeinside their zone. From this state, they willhave the capacity and resiliency to dealwith challenges, obstacles, and adversity.Ultimately being able to navigate pressuresituations from a clear perspective.

But, before we try to solve the mystery,

let’s take a step back. Imagine a time whenyou watched a player who got nervous,was tight or seemingly just froze duringcompetition. You know that “Deer in theHeadlights” look? We wonder … how canthis happen especially when the athlete(maybe it’s even your own child) has per-formed the shot hundreds of times in prac-tice? In fact, if we are honest with ourselves… many of us have experienced that situ-ation when we compete. We know, andeven feel, that there is that “little some-thing” that gets in the way of us reachingthe next level.

What is usually holding an athlete backis NOT what’s on the outside. Yes, you readthat right, it’s not the part that everyone cansee: The athletic talents, skills and tech-nique. These skills can always be improvedupon. Isn’t it safe to say hitting 100 extraforehands won’t make a difference if theanxiety that the athlete is holding on theinside pervades and makes him or hertight? In fact, it could actually be counter-productive because your developing badhabits.

The key is to look at the whole person,not just what’s on the outside. We alwaysneed to look at what’s on the inside of theperson, what’s going on below the sur-face. The block might be a confidencething, a bad test result at school, the anx-iety of losing, an argument with a friend,fear of a reoccurring injury, or a combina-tion of things. But whether it’s a singleissue or an accumulation of issues, carry-ing an overwhelming load on the courtcan impact your performance every time!Competitors are not robots, what’s on theinside affects how we play on the outside.Let me repeat … what’s on the inside af-fects what’s on the outside—it’s one andthe same.

As coaches, parents and even players,we must look at the entire picture to prop-erly get the context of any situation. Wemust try to understand what the person isexperiencing and exactly which triggersthese errors/mistakes. The only way to dothis is to look through the lens of the athleteas a person first and an athletic performersecond. From this lens, we immediatelysee a wider perspective, that of the wholeperson, not just the athletic performance.This newfound visibility allows us to ex-plore the entire picture, what’s happeningboth on the inside and on the outside.

From the person first, athlete secondperspective, it’s clear to see playing tightblocks performance, or even choking isnot the problem. Rather, it’s a symptom tosomething else that the athlete is con-sciously or unconsciously holding whichoverwhelms them. It’s interesting to note,this overwhelm or otherwise known as a“freeze” response is actually an instinc-tual defensive reaction that is normal andemployed by animals in the wild and hu-mans for self-preservation. However, inthe sports arena this isn’t helpful.

When an athlete competes, they arenot just a tennis player, but a whole per-

The Secret to Peak PerformanceMore Than an Athlete, A Person First ...

Athlete Second


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son. They are “More Than an Athlete!”Their unique story, distinctive spirit andauthentic self are what makes them whothey are. This is where their resilience, de-termination and unique style come from.This is the foundation on which the ath-lete should build on, NOT the character-istics of others. We all have our own DNAand way in which we are wired, thatmakes us unique individuals. The key istapping into this uniqueness, not assimi-lating to a one-size-fits-all mentality.Greatness (or flow) at any level starts withthe person, and then transcends throughthe performance.

So what happens if an athlete does notunderstand the synergy between them-selves, the person within the athlete? Usu-ally, it’s a fast track to burnout, fears andtears. Certainly they won’t be getting themost of themselves because they arepushing and pulling so hard that they neg-lect their innate talents. If the coach doesnot understand the synergy, they will beunable to connect with the player. Theplayer will not trust the coach because theyknow the coach doesn’t care about them

as a person, but only about the sport. Ofcourse you can see how that is counter-productive to motivating and inspiring aplayer/team. If the parents don’t under-stand the synergy, they will unknowinglyput heavy pressure and expectations ontheir kids. The kids will feel burdened andunderstand that the only way to connect orget their parents approval is to play andsucceed more. Clearly this is an impossi-ble uncontrollable situation for a child andleads to bad performance.

In the next edition of Long Island TennisMagazine, I will further expand on solvingthe mystery of sustained peak performanceon the court. Specifically, I will detail thefive reasons that “More Than an Athlete.

Person First. Athlete Second” is so impor-tant and essential to your child’s long-termsuccess both on and off the court. Thisidea is so intuitive, simple and a clear wayto guide and strive for the best results.Once it’s been seen, it cannot be unseen!

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founderand director of Inside the Zone Sports Per-formance Group. He works with athletes inall sports at all levels helping them to breakthrough mental barriers and be their bestboth as a person and an athlete. Rob hasspoken to athletes, coaches, and parentsboth nationally at USTA, USPTA, ITA con-ferences, and internationally in India and Is-rael. Additionally, he is author of TennisInside the Zone: Mental Training Workoutsfor Champions. His work was recently fea-tured in ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 film calledFields of Fear. In prior years, Rob receivedthe USPTA-Eastern Division High SchoolCoach of the Year Award and coachedUSTA’s 16 and under Zonals. He may bereached by phone at (973) 723-0314, e-mail [email protected] or visitwww.insidethezone.com.

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USTA Eastern LoUSTA Eastern Announces 2014 Annual Award Winners

The USTA Eastern Section has announcedits honorees for 2014. According to the Sec-tion, it will recognize “Greatness, not only inattitude, but also in performance and dedi-

cation. As USTA Eastern looks forward to thegreatness of next year, it honors those whomade an impact last year …”

The Long Island Region is proud tocongratulate the local Eastern Sectionadult awardees, all of whom have made agreat impact on both our Region and allof Eastern:l Tennis Woman of the Year: Kathy Millerl Regional Volunteer of the Year (Long Is-

land): Bob Coburnl 10 & Under Tennis Award: Tito Perezl Junior Team Tennis Award: Pat Mosquera

The 2014 Junior award winners from

Long Island are as follows:l Richard D. Lynch II Boys 12 Sports-

manship Award: Ian Kaishl Lawrence A. Miller Girls 16 Sportsman-

ship Award: Ester Chikvashvilil Ron Smyth Parent Sportsmanship

Award: Sean Hannity

The Annual Awards ceremony will beheld on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, recogniz-ing the work of each individual who helpedmake a tennis boom. Information about at-tending is available at www.eastern.com.Please join our deserving honorees at thisspecial event!

Manhasset Teens Spread Joy of Tennis

In the last issue of Long Island TennisMagazine, we introduced you to MattHolweger, a Manhasset High Schooltennis player who, together with hisfriends, collected gently used equipmentand launched a free tennis clinic for kids10 and under this past summer. They alsodonated equipment to a needy tennisprogram in Brooklyn.

Holweger, along with Courtney Connors,Brooke DiGia, Brett Weisberg and someothers, launched the Long Island Chapterof Kids Serving Kids (www.kidsserv-ingkids.com), and so far, have collected

more than 170 tennis rackets and otherequipment as well as more than $1,500 incash donations to support their efforts. Thegroup’s inaugural program was a tennisclinic at the Manhasset Equal OpportunityCenter Summer Program. This programserved 95 at-risk children ages five through13, with Kids Serving Kids providing tennisinstruction, drills and games two days aweek for six weeks. The group also do-nated rackets, QuickStart nets, tennisballs, ball hoppers and sport cones to theprogram.

“In addition to learning the basics of ten-

nis, the children received a weekly take-home packet containing information cov-ered that week on the court, a tennis wordpuzzle, coloring page and a mentorshipmessage on topics including the impor-tance of healthy eating, exercise, being agood sport and respecting your opponent,”said Holweger.

During a recent presentation about theirwork to the USTA Long Island RegionBoard, Holweger, DiGia and Weisberg ex-plained that plans are underway to con-tinue the Manhasset summer tennisprogram in 2015, as well as to launch a

Kathy Miller,manager atCarefree RacquetClub in Merrick andcoordinator ofUSTA Leagues onLong Island, hasbeen named USTAEastern’s Womanof the Year


ng Island Region

Turkey Tournament Raises Funds for Food BankCarefree Racquet Club recently teamed up with USTA Long Island and USTAMetro for the 1st Annual Thanksgiving Throwdown Women’s Doubles Round-Robin tournament. All proceeds went to Island Harvest Food Bank.

Tennis for Teens at Rikers IslandMembers of the USTA Long Island regionalboard, along with three tennis instructorsfrom Sportime’s John McEnroe TennisAcademy, recently joined forces to run thefirst-ever tennis clinic at the Rikers IslandCorrectional Center juvenile jail.

Rikers Corrections Deputy Chief, GregMcLaughlin, and Warden James Perrino co-ordinated this effort with LI Region boardmember Bob Coburn. It took many monthsto clear the way for this event to take place.

“This was a wish for a long time and onlycame about because of our terrific volun-teers and the great leaders at Rikers whorealized the benefits of offering tennis totheir inmates,” Coburn said.

Many boys participated in this event, atwhich each player received a copy of NewYork Tennis Magazine. The Long Island Re-

gion also donated new racquets and ballsto the facility. Discussions are underway todevelop an ongoing tennis program at thisfacility.

USTA volunteers included Marian Morris,

Akiko Tohmatsu, Daniel Burgess and KevinTuohy. Jamie Moore, Sportime’s director ofcommunity outreach, and pros MichaelMoore and Chidi Gabriel represented theJohn McEnroe Tennis Academy.

new program at the Glen Cove Boys andGirls Club this spring.

The group is seeking donations of newand gently used tennis rackets and equip-ment as well as cash to help fund its pro-gramming. Drop-off bins are located atChristopher Morley Tennis Center, Man-hasset High School and Strathmore Van-derbilt Country Club. For more informationor to arrange a drop off at a different loca-tion, please contact Kids Serving KidsLong Island by e-mail at [email protected].

USTA Long IslandRegion volunteers andSportime pros ran thefirst-ever tennis clinic

for teens at RikersIsland



Virginia’s Julia Elbaba of Oyster Bay,N.Y. captured the women’s singlestitle at the 2014 USTA/ITA National

Indoor Intercollegiate Championships atthe USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center,hosted by Columbia University.

In the women’s singles championship,Elbaba strung together her second straightconvincing win. After defeating BrookeAustin 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinals,Elbaba nearly duplicated the score in a 6-2, 7-5 championship win over California’sMaegan Manasse.

Elbaba gained the early advantage whenshe broke Manasse’s serve at love for a 3-1 first-set lead. Elbaba consolidated thebreak with a hold for 4-1, and nearly brokeManasse again in the following game.

“Megan has had an amazing semester,”said Elbaba. “I had a game plan and exe-cuted it well and thought I stayed prettysteady throughout the match.”

At 1-4 down, Manasse’s strong servepropelled her to the net and she held for 2-4. But Elbaba countered with a service holdof her own and broke Manasse for a sec-

ond time to win the first set, 6-2.“I came in playing aggressive, which was

the main plan, I was glad I was able to ex-ecute our game plan and that was the mostimportant thing,” said Elbaba. “She playeda tough match and hung in there until thelast minute, so I was really happy to pullthrough.”

The two players traded breaks backand forth into the heart of the second set.Elbaba broke the four-break streak firstand led 4-3. She had two break chancesin Manasse’s next service game, but theCal sophomore held on at 30-40 andagain at deuce to even the score at 4-all.

The no-ad format proved a bounty forManasse, who won all five of the gamesthat went to deuce.

Elbaba rebounded and held again for 5-4. Manasse followed suit with a hold of herown for 5-5. From there, Elbaba won eightof the next 10 points, including four in a rowto break Manasse’s serve for the champi-onship, winning 6-2, 7-5.

“I’ve been working a lot with mark on mygame—strengthening my forehand and

Oyster Bay’s Elbaba Captures National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship

backhand—really sharpened up my gameand can’t wait for the regular season tostart in the spring,” said Elbaba.

Elbaba was proud of her ability to refo-cus after losing four games to no-ad scor-ing in the second set.

“The five no-ad games I lost in the sec-ond set, it was really important for me tostay mentally tough,” Elbaba said. “It’s re-ally easy to get distracted and lose confi-dence after that. On those points,anything can happen, and I was glad Iwas able to put it past me and focus onthe future.”

The junior may be looking forward to thefuture, but she relied on her past to getpsyched up for this championship. One ex-perience in particular helped her.

“I got to the finals of All-Americans in myfirst year, so I really did want to win thisone,” Elbaba said. “That was the only kindof pressure I felt. I didn’t want to go homeas a second place runner-up again. I justused that pressure to my advantage andtold myself to stick with the plan, and that’swhat we did.”

Julia Ebalba accepts herchampionship trophy fromITA Executive Director DavidBenjamin and former NYCMayor David Dinkins

Oyster Bay’s Julia Elbabawas crowned winner of the

2014 National IndoorIntercollegiate Championship

Women’s singles finalists, California’s Maegan Manasse and Virginia’s JuliaElbaba, with men’s singles finalists, Braden Schnur of North Carolina andVanderbilt’s Gonzales Austin

Credit all photos to the ITA


MYTHBUSTERSGetting to Know Some of New York City’s

Top College Tennis Coaches

college tennis spotlight

By Ricky Becker

New York City has everything. This includessome premier national collegiate tennis pro-grams. While colleges and universities in

warm weather regions often win the national cham-pionships, New York City has many schools which fare quite well onthe national ranking list. As far as cities go that play indoor tennis inthe wintertime, I truly believe NYC has the highest quality collegetennis programs of any city. I had the opportunity to speak with afew of the coaches to get the ins-and-outs of their program.

Horace ChoyNYUMen’s and Women’s Head Tennis CoachDo you prefer local players or does it reallymatter whether or not the player is local?The reach of NYU is both national and interna-tional, so I do not have a “preference” for localplayers as I look for any players who will help

our programs. That being said, I know that the East produces alot of strong players and is sometimes undervalued as a region,so I make every effort to attract local players. I am looking forplayers that are three-star players or higher to recruit.

How do you sell NYU to recruits?The biggest advantage for the student attending NYU is the di-versity that it offers.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive ornegative in recruiting?New York City can be both a positive and a negative. Some studentscan be overwhelmed by the size and energy of the City, while othersembrace it, looking for a unique educational experience. It is aboutthe right fit. I ultimately want players here who will be happy here.

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who wouldlike to play college tennis?I would tell players to do their research. There is high level tennisin all divisions, and players should make sure they are a “fit” ifthey want to play.

Ilene WeintraubColumbia UniversityHead Women’s Tennis CoachDo you prefer local players or does it reallymatter whether or not the player is local?Ideally, I would like our program to be a micro-cosm of the university by including a diverseroster with players from all over the country.

However, since I grew up in New York and played in the ETA Sec-tion myself, I have formed strong relationships with many localcoaches in Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey, which hasled to many local players coming to play for me at Columbia.

How do you sell Columbia to recruits?Columbia is ranked number four in the world according to U.S.News & World Report. We were Ivy League Champions in 2013,finished last season ranked 39th in the nation and received an at-large bid to the NCAA’s. We are one of the only programs in thecountry that can offer both a world-class education and the op-portunity to play on a top nationally-ranked team. Usually, play-ers have to choose between going to a top tennis program orgoing to a prestigious academic school. With Columbia, you nolonger have to choose, you really can have it all.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive ornegative in recruiting?I see New York as a positive in every way. Who doesn’t loveBroadway shows, fabulous restaurants, fashion week, wall street,celebrity sightings, movies being filmed on campus, shopping in


SoHo, museums, art, music, delivery any time day or night, youname it. Attending Columbia in New York City, with its fast-pacedprofessional and competitive environment, helps to prepare ourstudents best for the real world and whatever career path theychoose. It gives them an edge that no one else has.

Many of our alumni still live and work in New York, and theybecome a large part of our student-athlete’s experience. Theywatch our matches, we teach some of their children tennis andthey provide mentoring and excellent job opportunities to ourgraduating seniors.

What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit?I focus on the top 100 players in the USTA national rankingsand/or the top 300 players in the world junior ITF rankings. Interms of personality, we are looking for strong work ethic, goodcommunication skills, independence, high energy and a fightingspirit. We have a really positive team culture and environment thatI am extremely protective of. I only want to bring in players whoare going to help us improve and continue to contribute to the en-vironment in which players can learn, grow and succeed.

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who wouldlike to play college tennis?You can never contact a coach enough. The more I hear from a re-cruit, the more I get to know them and begin to develop a rela-tionship during the recruiting process, the better. My advice wouldbe that it cannot hurt to be persistent and go for what you want.

Alan NagelQueens CollegeHead Women’s Tennis Coach/InterimHead Men’s Tennis CoachDo you prefer local players or does it reallymatter whether or not the player is local?I always prefer New York State players becausethey cost me less in scholarship money, but be-

cause I only recruit D1 type players (Queens College is Division 2),

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I find it hard to come by local talent. The three-star and four-starNew York players want to either go out of town, or maybe to Co-lumbia. Therefore, in order to fulfill my objective, I usually need tolook out-of-state, as well an internationally. I always get a few localnon-scholarship players. More recently, when I do get a localplayer, they are usually transfer players from a D1 school.

What is the biggest draw of Queens College to recruits?The biggest draw of Queens College is that Queens is consideredone of the finest academic schools in New York City. In a surveyof all American colleges, Queens College was voted number twoin best value by the Washington Monthly. Our outstanding tennisrecord as stated above and the fact that we have a permanent ten-nis facility with six indoor courts used exclusively for tennis all con-tribute to our draw. According to Kaplan/Newsweek’s, “How toGet Into College Guide,” Queens College was named one of Amer-ica’s hottest schools.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive ornegative in recruiting?New York City is one of the most positive influences for my re-cruiting. It is one of the most famous cities in the world and hasso much to offer in terms of culture, entertainment and job op-portunities. Therefore, it is one of my biggest draws. This year, Ihave players from Morocco, Poland, the Ukraine, India andParaguay (by way of Florida). Some of these players transferredfrom more rural D1 schools across the country in states includ-ing: Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia because they wanted toexperience the Big Apple.

What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit?I am looking for a player who has had a great junior record either in-ternationally or in the USTA. I only recruit players who I feel couldplay successfully in D1 and would likely be offered D1 scholarships.Last year, we played several D1 schools, including St. Peters, who



college tennis spotlight continued from page 43

we beat 9-0, and Georgetown, who we beat 4-3 and they finishedwith a .500 record playing some of the best D1 teams in the East.In order to compete against the best, you need the best!

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who wouldlike to play college tennis?My advice to New York area juniors who are seeking to play col-lege tennis is to enter college showcases. Make a good video ofthemselves and do their homework during their junior and senioryears, and research coaches/schools of interest and send thosecoaches a resume, including grades and SAT/ACT scores, as wellas the video. Be assertive in making sure that these coaches knowwho you are.

Eric RebhuhnSt. John’s UniversityMen’s Tennis Head CoachDo you prefer local players or does it reallymatter whether or not the player is local?Obviously, most Northeast kids would rather goand sit at an Ivy League school than have achance to compete for a spot at St. John’s;

which is the most popular school in the Tri-State area in terms ofathletic success.

What is the biggest draw of St. John’s to recruits?My focus has always been New York and the chance to live in thebest city in the world. I always take recruits to the City and showthem all of the things they can do during their career. I also talkabout the U.S. Open where we play all of our home matches andpractice throughout the year at the USTA Billie Jean King NationalTennis Center. The last thing is that all of my former players get

jobs in many fields, including finance, sports management, phar-maceuticals, etc. after they graduate.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive ornegative in recruiting?New York City is a big positive … it’s the best city in the world.

What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit?Top 150 ITF or have had ATP points! Occasionally, I look for top 75in the USTA’s rankings and five-star players. I have four-star play-ers who did not play enough USTA events. An example is my cur-rent freshman Elio Livi, who beat Reilly Opelka within the last year.He was a four-star recruit, but has many wins over blue chip andfive-star players. We also have a former blue chip on the team, RJDel Nunzio, who is currently a junior!

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who wouldlike to play college tennis?Come to one college match and see the level! The Northeast hasalmost 10 ranked teams currently, and over my career, I have seenso few players who want to play college tennis even watch amatch. We recently held the ITA Regionals at the U.S. Open forone week, and I did not see one Eastern junior at the event. Thirty-two coaches in one place for almost a week … what’s the excuse?

Ricky Becker is the founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, direc-tor of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independentlycoaches high-performance juniors year-round. Ricky was namedthe Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stan-ford Tennis Team and was a top-five nationally-ranked junior. Hecan be reached by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at(516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.


By Luke Jensen

It’s a new year and time topick up the pace. Haveyou taken inventory of

where your game is now andwhere it has to go to reach your full potential?

I always found the offseason on the ATPTour was an opportunity to attack the areas ofconcern in my game that needed to pick upthe pace. I continue to be amazed by theevolving game at all levels, where the equip-ment technology and training methods con-tinue to improve.

There are so many helpful hints thesedays, from highly-detailed instruction on theInternet and visual guides and videos onYouTube. Thousands of tips from the globalguides in tennis that have many differentperspectives that may just click into whatyou may need to win more big points are lit-erally just a click away.

My tip for you in this edition of The JensenZone is the most important shot in tennis … itis the serve because it starts out every point.

The serve is complex and can be the differ-ence between your game going forward orbackwards. A confident shot can shine or foldunder pressure.

My entire game revolved around a big firstserve. When I was serving well, I could holdserve against any player on the planet, andthat made me a very dangerous competitor.

The key to my cannonball, also known asthe “canon bomb,” in certain parts of Asia—for some reason when I would announce myserve, it would get lost in translation so I justwent with it.

Ah yes, I named my serves like my “Slip-pery Pete,” “Mommas Meatloaf,” “Pot Roast”

and then there was the “FedEx” that had toreach my target absolutely, positively RIGHTNOW! There were many others like my“Arnold Palmer” that had some hybrid 50/50action on it. My ability to serve effectivelywith my left and right arms gave me manyoptions and advantages.

With my serves being coded, only my dou-bles partner, my younger brother Murphy,would know what I was throwing and hewould adjust accordingly at the net or if he sawsomething at the net by the other team hewould audible for another serve.

My main concern hitting the cannonballwas having the right toss. I didn’t need a per-fect toss, I just needed one that lifted up to mycontact point that would synchronize with mymotion. If my toss was too high or low, my tim-ing and serve would go off the mark.

My mechanics were pretty basic for bothmy left- and right-handed serves. I worked ona consistent starting point, where my racquetmet with the ball in front of my body whilestanding fairly upright. Then, my focus was tobring both arms up at the same time. Thegreat Pete Sampras would stagger his armswith the racquet arm dragging a little slowerand longer to develop more of a whipping ac-tion through the contact point. For me, assoon as the toss paused at arm and racquet

reach, it was time to throw as much torqueinto the ball.

The motion was designed after the 1972Wimbledon Champion and fellow Universityof Southern California Trojan Stan Smith. Hisserve was much smoother, but the power themotion produced made me a flame thrower of130 mph-plus from both sides.

To make your serve smoke like my idol StanSmith, go to YouTube search for a video of hisserve. You will really see one of the classicserving deliveries of all time!

And until the next issue … go for the linesand create a cannonball serve for your owngame!

Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s re-sume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titlesand singles victories against Andre Agassi,Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe,Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker,Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen andhis brother, Murphy, won the 1993 FrenchOpen doubles title. He was also a memberof the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. Hisambidextrous play, including his ability toserve the ball with either hand at 130 mph,earned him the nickname “Dual HandLuke.” He may be reached by phone at(315) 443-3552 or e-mail [email protected].

A New Booming Serve ... Just a Click Away


litennisMAGAZINE

Long Island Tennis Magazine

Happy New Year from Long Island Tennis Magazine!w w w . l i t e n n i s m a g . c o m

What should tennis players eat beforeand after a workout?When possible, eat three to four hoursbefore a hard practice or competition.Aim for a low-fat meal with about 200 to300 grams of carbohydrates and 30grams of lean protein. This will ensurethat you have enough fuel on board, butwill leave time for your stomach to emptybefore you play. A turkey sub sandwichwith baked chips and a side of fruit, or agrilled chicken wrap on a flour tortillawith pretzels and fruit juice or low-fatmilk, are fine examples of meals that willmeet the energy demands of a longpractice or match.

By Irina Belfer-LehatRD, CDN

Tennis is a high inten-sity sport that re-quires short bursts of

activity. Most points in tennis last fewerthan 10 seconds, but there are only 25 sec-onds of rest between points and 90 sec-onds between games. A strong endurancebase is necessary for competitive tennis.Analyses of tennis matches show that thesport requires about 300 to 500 bursts ofenergy over the course of a match. Quick-ness and agility are the hallmarks of a goodtennis player.

Going gluten-freeSome high-profile professional tennisplayers have adopted a gluten-free diet.Will switching to a gluten-free diet im-prove my performance?A gluten-free diet is necessary for those ath-letes who have an intolerance to gluten (aprotein found in wheat and some othergrains). However, there is no evidence thatadopting a gluten-free diet improves yourability to play tennis. One potential risk of fol-lowing a gluten-free diet is lack of carbohy-drates, because gluten-containing foodsare a staple of most athletes’ diets. There isno reason to avoid gluten if you do nothave a medical condition that requires achange in diet.

The best resource to personalize your dietis a registered dietitian nutritionist, especiallyone who specializes in sports nutrition.

Call or e-mail today to schedule an ap-pointment with Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD, CDNat (917) 769 8031, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.irinalehat.com .

Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions Co.is a New York State-licensed dietitian andcertified dietitian-nutritionist. Irina Lehat RDNutrition Solutions offers group classesstarting in September, for kids in kinder-garten through high school. Small groups,affordable prices! Mention this article andreceive 20 percent off any services. Formore information, call (917) 769-8031, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iri-nalehat.com.

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By Carl Barnett

Why is it that mostcoaches haveonly one or two

number one players in acareer, yet Pat Etcheberry, Trainer Emer-itus, has had more than 15 players.Granted a coach spends a much greateramount of time with a player than atrainer. The partnership between coachand trainer, however, as we have seentime and time again takes a player to alevel they have struggled to attain.

A trainer can have a dramatic input onthe fitness and the mindset of a com-petitive player. A quiet and confidentmindset is one of the great paybacks ofthe rigors of training. See AndreAgassi’s acceptance speech upon in-duction into the International Tennis Hallof Fame regarding Gil Reyes’ impact onhis career and life.

Training happens in an honest placewhere the work is accomplished withoutluck, bad calls or the help of superiorhand eye coordination. You set yourmind and just do it. We tell players weknow what they are capable of by whatthey can do in the training room.

I once heard Maya Angelou ask Hall ofFame basketball player Bill Russell to de-scribe money. He said, “It makes you big-ger. It makes you a bigger nice guy if you

are nice and it makes you a bigger jerk ifyou are a jerk.” Likewise, if you train hon-estly, it makes your game bigger andcleanses your pursuit resulting in a quietconfidence in the toughest of matches.

Does it surprise you that PatEtcheberry never saw Pete Sampraslose in medicine ball on the court, orthat Justine Henin could do 32 in theline touch test in the service box? Is thiswhere God-given speed and strengthmeet mental toughness and a competi-tive personality?

Everyone would agree that all the play-ers in the top 100 have these qualities. Thedifference that players like Sampras andHenin possess is the “Mind of a Cham-pion.” Federer, Nadal and Serena Williamsall have these qualities.

The truth is speed, strength, mentaltoughness and competitive personalitywin. The Mind of a Champion WINS RE-PEATEDLY. It wins both in tennis and inlife.

The length and height of a player can-not be coached or developed. Tech-nique is coached and a particular gameis developed. Speed, strength, tough-ness and competitive personality can bedeveloped through the team work ofcoach and trainer.

Junior players find much of this in thetraining room long before technique onthe court is fully developed. The mind

comes first. They think success. Theystart completing repetitions previouslyimpossible and then increasing thosereps.

They DREAM BIG. Both in the trainingroom and on the court. They want andseek to achieve more. It starts with thespeed rope, burpies and push-ups. Thisbuilds confidence.

They HAVE DESIRE. Do you reallywant it? The intersection where work-outs, practice, group, lessons andmatches meet social life. When study onthe weekend and three or four work outstrump a party. These sacrifices build de-termination.

An evolving junior makes it happen.THEY ARE ALWAYS IMPROVING. The fitplayer can work longer and harder withless chance of injury. The more fit aplayer is, the quicker they improve.

Fitness builds confidence and quiets themind. Good players win with these quali-ties. Great players win repeatedly withthese qualities. These are four of our eightpillars of success. The last four pillars willbe examined in the March/April edition.

Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Train-ing Center over 10 years ago. He hascoached countless ranked pre-collegetennis players. He may be reached byphone at (516) 455-1225 or e-mail [email protected].

Improve your Tennis Match Performance with BotoxVisualize a tennis match where you don’t have to worry about your grip slip-ping from sweat, or embarrassing sweat stains. In 2015 you won’t need toworry about such mediocre things; with the help of BOTOX® James ChristianCosmetics is your solution and your excessive sweating willbe the least of your concerns for the next 6 to 7 months!Call/text to set up your FREE consultation 917-860-9003 orvisit www.jameschristiancosmetics.com.

The Delicate Connection Between Fitness and Focus


Dr. Charles Ruotolo,MD, FAAOS

Any athlete knows thattaking care of thelower extremities is

the most important thing to ensure success.Two healthy knees are just as valuable to atennis player as a powerful serve and adeadly backhand. One injury that plaguestennis players the most is patellar tendonitis,which also goes by the more commonlyused name “Jumper’s Knee.”

Jumper’s Knee is an injury that comesabout simply due to repetitive strain andoveruse. The injury affects the patellar ten-don, which attaches the kneecap to the tibia.The explosive movements involved in thesport can cause micro-tears and degenera-tion in the tendon.

The name “Jumper’s Knee” was coinedwhen a basketball player’s knee would be-come inflamed after repeatedly jumping offof a hard-court surface. The casual tennisplayer will find themselves playing almostexclusively on a similarly hard surface, which

will increase the chance of this injury plagu-ing the knee.

Whether we are talking about a “weekendwarrior” or a professional tennis player,measures can always be taken to minimizethe risk of jumper’s knee:l Warming up and stretching properly be-

fore a match is crucial, because there isno way to just ease into a tennis match.From the first serve to the last the ball willbe bouncing baseline to baseline.

l Strengthening the leg muscles, espe-cially the quadriceps. Having a strongquadriceps muscle will help any playerwithstand the constant pressure put onthe knee during play.

l Be sure to wear the right type of shoes.It is surprising how many injuries occurjust because the player neglects to weara shoe that fits properly. A player shouldpurchase a shoe that offers comfort andsupport. Also they should be fitted forthe proper orthotics if need be.

l A player with a history of knee pain or in-juries should consider playing with aknee brace. The same goes for any type

of physical activity. This knee braceshould be as light as possible and fitproperly.

A player already suffering fromjumper’s knee will complain of anteriorknee pain, while the knee will become in-flamed. There will be tenderness at theinferior aspect of the knee-cap and it willbecome painful to bend the knee. Thisinjury can and will diminish the strengthof the quadriceps muscle, which will notonly take its toll on their quality of playbut it also will put the player at major riskfor exacerbation of the problem and sec-ondary injury.

As is the case with many overuse in-juries, the only way for this injury to healis for the player to take some time off. Itwill generally take one or two months ofcomplete rest for this condition to fullyheal. Rehabilitation should also be per-formed at this time. Recent excitingstudies on eccentric strengthening pro-grams have shown better success ratesthan standard concentric muscle

Battling Patellar Tendonitis on the Tennis Court

TENNIS INJURY PREVENTION


strengthening programs. Eccentricstrengthening is strengthening the muscleas the muscle and tendon are lengtheningor being stretched. Injections of plateletrich plasma (PRP), an in-office procedure,can also be performed to stimulate tendonhealing. In the rare case that rest and re-habilitation does nothing to subside thepain, a tendon excision procedure can beperformed to remove the frayed tendonand begin the healing process.

Any player in need of inspiration canlook at one of the greatest professionalplayers of all time. Rafael Nadal is knownfor his quickness and determination toget to every single ball, no matter how faraway it may seem. While this style of playhas won him multiple grand slam titlesand propelled him to super-stardom, ithad also taken its toll on his knees. In2009, he was suffering from jumper’sknee in both knees, and it forced him tosit out of Wimbledon. As any tennis fanknows, it takes a lot for a player to sit outof Wimbledon, especially when thatplayer was the defending champion.However, Nadal sat out and received theproper treatment for his knees. Nadalwould later say that while it’s hard to sitout a tournament like Wimbledon, he hadto keep his long-term interests in mind.Fully-rested and recovered, he cameback in 2010 with a vengeance, taking hisgame to new heights and reclaiming hisworld number one ranking. He ended upwinning three Grand Slam titles that year,

including his first ever U.S. Open title. TheU.S. Open of course, is famously playedon a hard court.

If you or a loved one is feeling knee orany other type of pain while out on thecourt, do not hesitate to contact Total Or-thopedics and Sports Medicine.

Dr. Charles Ruotolo is a Board-CertifiedOrthopedic Surgeon and the founder ofTotal Orthopedics and Sports Medicinewith locations in Massapequa, EastMeadow and the Bronx, N.Y. Dr. Ruotolocompleted his orthopedic residency pro-gram at SUNY Stony Brook in 2000. Afterhis residency, he underwent fellowship

training in sports medicine and shouldersurgery at the prestigious Sports Clinic ofLaguna Hills, Calif. He is also a fellow ofthe American Academy of OrthopedicSurgeons. As an Associate Master In-structor of Arthroscopy for theArthroscopy Association of North Amer-ica, Dr. Ruotolo actively teaches other or-thopedic surgeons advanced arthroscopicskills in shoulder surgery. As an avid re-searcher he has also published multiplearticles on shoulder injuries and shouldersurgery in the peer review journals ofArthroscopic Surgery and of Shoulder andElbow Surgery. For more information, visitwww.totalorthosportsmed.com.

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By Lonnie Mitchel

It’s recruiting seasonagain for us collegecoaches. I’m on the road

quite often, driving my carto different tennis venues, diners and

homes, meeting several families whowant their children to get a great educa-tion and the opportunity to be a stu-dent/athlete playing tennis in college. Thedilemma for parents rears its head overand over, Division I or II vs. Division III? Inow have a theme to write about while

navigating my vehicle on the countryroads en route to an indoor tennis facilityin chilly Rochester, N.Y. I want to be con-troversial, and I want to get your atten-tion in this article. What do I have to do?Education first … not tennis.

So, here is the latest adventure in myrecruiting adventures as I fill out myroster for the upcoming 2015-2016 sea-son. I met a young woman on this tripwho is possibly what many tenniscoaches would consider Division I ten-nis talent. They had another child whohad played Division I sports, and theyquickly discovered their error as theamount of time spent practicing thesport to fulfill the scholarship require-ments was quite disproportionate to thetime spent on studying and preparingfor life after college.

So here I am, talking to a family whosedaughter is now committed to and isgoing to play high-level tennis, and get agreat education at a Division III institu-tion. This is all happening right here at thecollege where I coach! I was successful.

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I got the message across to this nicefamily. They got it … education will makethe ultimate difference.

Another tennis director of a New Yorkarea academy laughed when one of mymale players decided to commit and getan education while playing collegiatetennis at the college where I coach. Thatwas not a misprint, the director really didlaugh. That same director, an individualwith more than 250 young children in hisprogram, has maybe three or four stu-dents in the academy that would actu-ally get a sniff at my starting lineup.Maybe I should chuckle too, but I knowthat there are so many institutions anddivisions to choose from. However,laughing at a student for playing colle-giate tennis and getting a good educa-tion is deplorable. I do, however, havewonderful relationships with tennisacademies who want to do right by theirstudents by giving choices, and I com-mend them for it.

I am declaring war! I am declaring waron tennis academies that tout their pro-gram as the best and celebrate the stu-dents who go only to Division Icolleges. Please give your students andparents the right information. Here is astatistic for you, 87 percent of DivisionIII athletes graduate, and only 81 per-cent do so at the Division I level. Sev-enty-five percent of student/athletes atthe Division III level receive some formof non-athletics grants or scholarships

and only 53 percent of Division I ath-letes receive athletic scholarshipmoney. The grants and scholarships re-ceived at Division III usually are morethan the athletic scholarship itself. Di-vision III schools may not offer athleticscholarships, but they certainly knowhow to use grants and aid to help re-duce cost. Furthering the good newsfor athletes is that your ability in athlet-ics can help you even if it is a non-scholarship school that you are lookingat. This program could be at the Divi-sion III level, but if they think you aregood enough, they are going to find anumber of different ways to help youout financially.

Scholarship money for sports is hardto come by–only the most talented ath-letes will qualify–and even if a coach isconsidering you for an athletic scholar-ship, most of these scholarships arenot the “free rides” that we all hearabout. Many coaches are given a fixedamount of scholarships, but then maydivide them among several recruits, sothe result is that no single player re-ceives more than a few thousand dol-lars. That is the truth. Then the coachwill have the players up at 5:30 a.m.three days a week or late at night in theoffseason doing their workouts. Don’tyou want your sons and daughtersrested and studying? Don’t you wantthem getting into professional organi-zations and interning in their intended

profession as well? Now, make no mis-take about it, we work hard at Division IIIin season and only in season. We travel,we dine together, we stay at hotels, travelto warm destinations and work hard atthe craft of tennis … work very hard! Wealso turn out students who are very readyto tackle their intended profession.

I am not declaring war on Division I orII institutions that all do a great job intheir athletic programs of course. I amonly declaring war on the tennis acade-mies that think only outstanding successlies in sending their tennis pupils to a Di-vision I institution.

Turn your nose up at us if you want to,but if you really want to add value to yourprograms, give your students thechoices that are really out there in thecollege marketplace. Parents wantchoices, kids want choices and you willbe adding to your credibility in a way thatyou never thought possible. Variety is thespice of life and there are more than 440Division III institutions to choose from,with 183,500 student athletes. They allcould not be wrong.

Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s andwomen’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta.Lonnie was named an assistant coach toTeam USA for the 2013 MaccabiahGames in Israel for the Grand MasterTennis Division. Lonnie may be reachedby phone at (516) 414-7202 or [email protected].

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Visualize a tennis match where you don’thave to worry about your grip slipping fromsweat or embarrassing sweat stains. Hy-perhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a cir-cumstance that affects millions ofAmericans, despite the type of climatethey live in. If you are managing hyper-hidrosis, which can include excessive un-derarm sweat, you might surmise summeris the worst of the seasons for the condi-tion. One would naturally assume thecooler temperatures in the spring andfall—and especially the winter—shouldyield you with some relief and make it eas-

ier to prevent underarm sweating, right?Sadly, that is not always the case. Hyper-

hidrosis is a problem all-year round, andeach season brings its own distinctive chal-lenges for preventing underarm sweat frombecoming uncomfortable and embarrassing.In the winter, you wear layers of clothing tostay warm, but the materials are often notbreathable and block the natural evaporationof sweat. In addition, you may get clammyhands and feet when excessive wetnessfrom hyperhidrosis occurs in the wintertime.

Botox is the simple answer to your solu-tion. Avoid sweat dripping in your eyes or

you losing your grip due to sweaty palms.A few injections in your problem areas areall you need for a better, excessive perspi-ration, version of yourself, both on and offthe court.

James Christian is founder and owner ofJames Christian Cosmetics in various loca-tions throughout Manhattan, Queens andLong Island. He trained under some of thebest plastic surgeons in the metropolitanarea and has become one of the leaders inanti-aging injectable procedures. He may bereached by phone at (844) iBotox-Now.

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By Dr. Tom Ferraro

This marks the final in-stallment in a serieswhich explored the

unique character and hiddensecrets of the top seven players in moderntennis. We talked about Roger Federer,Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, PeteSampras, Jimmy Connors and SerenaWilliams. But today, I will explore the personwho President Bill Clinton described as“The most important female in sports his-tory.” President Barack Obama awardedher the Medal of Honor for her work advo-cating for women and gay rights. Of courseI am talking about Billie Jean King, theSouthern California girl born in 1943 into areligious family and grew up playing publictennis. She was lucky enough to find a greatcoach in Clyde Walker, who nourished herpsychologically. She went on the win 32Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles.But her importance far exceeds her physicalachievements. Billie Jean King is really agifted moralist and political activist of thehighest order.

She was awarded Sportsman of the Yearin 1972 by Sports Illustrated, founded theWomen’s Sports Foundation and was thefirst to demand and obtain an equal shareof revenue on the tennis tour. When she firststarted playing the men were earning 12times what the women earned. Billie JeanKing was the one that changed all that. Shedid it with tenacity, moral courage, focusand determination.

On the court she was an aggressive netrusher with excellent speed. There is noquestion that she was a great player in herday. But clearly she will go down in historyfor more then what she did on the court.The reason we now see the name Billie

Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. isbecause of her leadership skills. If CharlesBarkley was not a role model then, BillieJean King surely was.

So when we ask the question, “What wasBillie Jean King’s secret and how do welearn from her we do not turn to her on courtprowess?” We ask instead of her moralleadership skills. John McEnroe stated shewas unquestionably the most importantperson in the history of women’s sports. Soto get at the answer to how all this hap-pened answer this, we must look at herchildhood development. ethical develop-ment more than her athletic development.She was the first born in a conservativeMethodist working class family and her par-ents taught her the value of “never givingup.”

Research on moral giftedness suggeststhat certain children are born with a height-ened sensitivity, compassion, intensity andsense of right and wrong. They are oftenvery protective of others and introverted.One of the leading researchers in this area,Kazimierz Dobrowski describes the morallygifted as delicate, gentle and idealistic. Theycan be unusually advanced in the areas ofpsychomotor development, sensuality,imagination, intellect or emotionality. It isobvious that Billie Jean King was one of

these children. She can be compared toJackie Robinson in men sports, a moraland courageous leader that transcendedand revolutionized her sport.

I am delighted that I got to end this serieson the modern champions by talking aboutBillie Jean King. Sport is a crucial functionthat allows the culture to remove them-selves from the stress of work and the oc-casional disappointments in one love life.In psychoanalysis, we refer to sports as anessential sublimatory activity, or in laymen’sterms, something that insures that youhave some fun in life. But Billie Jean Kinghas transcended even that function andplaces her on a political level. This is ex-tremely rare to see. In comparison, recallhow Tiger Woods responded to any mediaquestions when Martha Burke was makingheadlines addressing the lack of womenmembers at Augusta National Golf Club.Woods answered with scripted-near-per-fect political neutrality.

Billie Jean King will be remembered asthat rare athlete that transcended her sportand had global and cultural impact. Myguess is that her secret was partly becauseof good parenting and partly good genet-ics. The world of women’s sports is deeplyindebted to her. What we can learn here isthat you ought not ignore or underestimatethe power of the shy little idealists that youwill encounter in your life. These are theones who maybe just maybe will lead theworld into a better place. Thank you BillieJean King for all of your guts and all of yourgoodness.

For consultations, treatment or on-site vis-its, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sportpsychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189,e-mail [email protected] or visit www.dr-tomferraro.com.

Billie Jean KingGifted revolutionary, idealist, women’s rights activist and,

oh yeah ... she could play some excellent tennis too

HIDDEN SECRETS OF THE GREATS



By Lisa Dodson

Tennis is ever evolving.Professional playersare getting faster,

stronger and bigger at agreater rate. Rackets, strings, trainingmethods and strokes are changing justas fast. A broad spectrum of onlineteaching and information is at our finger-tips. Watching videos of the top playersand emulating them is thought to be the“best” way to do things. The result is anepidemic of misinformation given to themasses of players. Confusion aboundsand it is very disturbing.

Many club players, USTA league players,tournament players and tennis profession-als are highly influenced by what they seeand hear. This can be a good thing, giventhat the information or task an individual isattempting to perform is realistic and timelyfor their game. This can also be disastrousand end up halting good technique devel-opment and causing injury. The problem isthat players are not able to tell whetherthey are ready for, or even need, the

change that they think is so important. We’ll use the serve as an example. There

is no question that the serve is a prettycomplex stroke. It’s hard enough to pro-duce the basics without adding layers ofdifficulty.

Here is a list of basics that you need be-fore you can think about moving on to big-ger and better things:

l Continental gripl Racket edge traveling up to the balll A feeling of pronation (a throw like ac-

tion using elbow/forearm/wrist/hand)l Trunk and hip rotation for the racket

take back and toss arml A continuous and full drop of the racket

in the back of the motionl Stance set so that feet don’t have to

move (except lifting and turning theback foot)

l A straight-armed toss placed in front ofthe hitting shoulder

l Knowledge that as the front leg pushesup, the back leg pushes forward (andup)

l A slice serve

Here is a list of things to leave at thecourt door until you have your basics inplace:

l Pinpoint stance (moving the back footup to the front foot)

l Bringing toss arm parallel to the base-line

l Leaving the groundl A toss located over your headl A kick or topspin servel Attempts to hit hard, flat serves

The basics list above is pretty hefty.Make it your priority to check each itemoff of your list. If you do you should havesome pretty solid form. Then and onlythen, should you attempt to branch out.Remember, advanced technique is sim-ply the basics done extremely well. Withgood basics, broadening your game anddeveloping shot selection comes natu-rally.

Let’s create a fun scenario that com-pares a diver and a server at degree oflow difficulty. The beginner diver is reallyjust looking to stop belly flopping and the

Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques


server just wants the ball to go over thenet and into the box. The diver stands atthe edge of the pool, nose plug on, bentover at the waist forming an upside downU, head down and hands pointed like andarrow overhead. They say a quick prayerand hope that they will land without painor hit the pool bottom. Success! Theyknow how to go head first into the poolsafely.

The tennis player hitting a serve with adegree of difficulty of one has many sim-ilar baseline characteristics. The serverstands at the baseline, holds a ball, holdsa racket, throws the ball up and hits it.They say a quick, “I hope this goes in,”and let it fly. Success! They can get theball into the box safely.

Should the diver now attempt to do ajackknife off the diving board and theserver attempt to hit a slice out wide be-cause they saw it on a video? Well, ofcourse not. Both need to keep develop-ing the right techniques, habits and skillsnecessary to perform the more difficultmovements. Most players lack a realisticpicture of what they are doing and it is

common for players to think they aredoing a certain thing when, in fact, theyare not. It is an easy mistake to unknow-ingly skip ahead and attempt a move-ment that does not fit into your game.

This is where the modern game canbackfire. Players see a serve that lookscool and are told by “experts” that this isthe way to do it. Don’t we realize that thepeople who are making this look so easyare dedicated students of the game andhigh level, highly motivated athletes?They have already checked off the list ofbasics above (plus some) years earlier.Those basics are the foundation of thegame from which they have made indi-vidual modifications and changes.

These days the most over used andmisunderstood technique currentlytaught is the pinpoint stance. It is unnec-essary for a majority of players and addsmany degrees of difficulty to the timing ofthe serve. There is a time and place foreverything. There are far more importantelements to address and conquer on theserve. On the other hand, some playersfeel more natural with the pinpoint. If this

is the case be sure to find a pro to helpyou that really knows how to make themost of it.

If you are a beginner player, it’s best toget some individual instruction initiallyfrom a real, live pro, who knows how toteach solid basics and holds you ac-countable. Anyone who lets you slide isnot doing the right thing by you. Remem-ber, as a beginner, you don’t know whatyou don’t know. Likewise, if you are anintermediate or advanced player, consulta professional who knows their stuff andcan figure out what is needed for you atyour stage in the game. Don’t get suckedinto all of the conflicting and confusinginformation available on our smartphonesand tablets. If you have questions, con-sult someone you trust with your tennisgame. It’s a whole lot more fun that way.

Lisa Dodson is owner of Servemaster atThe Total Serve, a USPTA Elite Pro, a for-merly world ranked player and radio showhost. She may be reached by e-mail [email protected] or visitwww.theto-talserve.com.

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Long Island 2014 GirLong Island Girls Win Singles and Doubles Titles

at 2014 State ChampionshipsBy Brian Coleman

final two games for the 6-3 set win.The third set was a thriller, as the two

would trade the first six games of the de-ciding frame.

With the set even at 3-3, Chikvashviliwould take over, winning three of the nextfour games to outlast Iwasaki 6-4 and cap-ture the state championship.

“I didn’t really worry about whether itwas fourth or first place. I just wanted amedal. To finish my high school career offwith a championship of some sort, like awin,” said Chikvashvili, who, despitebeing only a junior, will be graduating fromhigh school this year. “This definitelybeats anything I could have ever thoughtof and I couldn’t have asked for a betterfinish.”

On her way to the championshipmatch, Chikvashvili defeated fellow LongIslander Alex Koniaev of Locust Valley.Chikvashvili came back from a set downto beat Koniaev 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in thequarterfinals in a very tough encounter.

She then moved into the semifinals anda potential rematch with 2014 SuffolkCounty High School Girls runner-up Court-ney Provan of Half Hollow Hills West. Un-fortunately, the rematch, which would havebeen the fourth time the two met this year,was not to be.

Provan had to retire from her quarterfinalmatch with a back injury. At the time, shewas trailing 2-6, 2-3 to Yuka Lin of MaryLouis Academy. Chikvashvili took care ofLin in the semis, though, with a 6-0, 6-1victory.

Koniaev ended up also winning a medal,when she won the fourth place matchagainst fellow Long Islander, Jackie Bukzinfrom Eastport-South Manor. Bukzin hadreached the quarterfinals before losing toeventual runner-up Iwasaki. Shanice Arthurof Jericho lost her first-round matchup toKahlei Ressinger of Baldwinsville, butbounced back to win the back draw.Cosme finished third and medaled inLatham.

In the doubles final, Kowalsky & Matutedrew a matchup with the top-seeded duofrom Suffern, N.Y., Sydney Kaplan & CourtneyOllis. As they had done all tournament long,the Oyster Bay duo did not lose a set, de-feating Kaplan & Ollis 6-4, 6-4.

“We both played amazing, it was reallyhard for us to do,” said Kowalsky. “I don’tthink we’ve ever played this good before.”

Matute added, “It’s definitely beennerve-racking in getting here and makingthe finals. We have faith in each other andhave a good bond on the court.”

In a battle between 2014 Nassau County

2014 NYSPHSAA Singles ChampionEster Chikvashvili from Half HollowHills East, with the 2014 NYSPHSAADoubles Champions, Oyster Bay’sCeleste Matute & Courtney Kowalsky

Long Island was well-represented this year at

the 2014 NYSPHSAAChampionships in

Latham, N.Y.

The New York State Public High SchoolAthletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Champi-onships took place in Latham, N.Y., as thetop girls high school tennis players fromLong Island traveled upstate to competefor statewide glory. It was a great showingfor Long Island, as Half Hollow Hills East’sEster Chikvashvili captured the state sin-gles title, and Oyster Bay’s CourtneyKowalsky & Celeste Matute won the dou-bles title.

Chikvashvili, the number five seed, tookon the third-seeded Tomo Iwasaki of Edge-mont High School in the finals. Iwasaki hadeliminated 2014 Nassau County Cham-pion, Herricks High School’s Taylor Cosme,in the semifinals.

Chikvashvili came out of the gate firing,jumping out to a 4-0 lead to start thematch. Iwasaki would try and work her wayback into the set, getting within 2-5 at onepoint, before Chikvashvili took back thebreak advantage and won the final gameto capture the set 6-2.

The second set would turn to out to bejust the opposite of the opening set. Thistime, Iwasaki raced out to a lead, winningthe first three games of the frame to go up3-0. Chikvashvili would notch a break pointand a couple of holds to pull within 3-4, be-fore the senior from Edgemont took the


rl’s High School RecapPART II

Champions Kowalsky & Matute and 2014Suffolk County Champions StephanieChikvashvili & Vanessa Scott from Half Hol-low Hills East, Kowalsky & Matute were 6-4, 6-2 winners in the quarterfinals.

The team of Katie Cirella & Riha Malhotrafrom Syosset also reached the quarterfinals

before the pair fell to second-seeded GillianPerrotta & Caroline McAtee of Eastchester.Perrotta & McAtee would go on to lose toeventual champions Kowalsky & Matute inthe semifinals.

Manhasset’s Amanda Foo & MadelineClinton won their first-round match over

Connie Li & Connie Hou of Coming, N.Y.before losing in the second-round.

The other Long Island pairs in the dou-bles draw were Floyd’s Kelci Henn & LisaLin, and Half Hollow Hills West’s DanahHan & Nikaylah Williams, who both losttheir respective first-round matches.

Manhasset Beats Roslyn for Nassau Conference I TitleBy Brian Coleman

The Manhasset Indians came up one matchshort in the 2013 Nassau County Girls Ten-nis championship, falling to the Port Wash-ington Vikings 4-3. This year, the girls fromtop-seeded Manhasset would not be de-nied, defeating the second-seeded Bulldogsof Roslyn 5-2 to capture the Nassau CountyConference I Championship.

“I am incredibly proud of each and everyone of these girls,” said Manhasset HeadCoach Eileen Cuneo. “They worked hard allseason.”

This year’s Manhasset team looked vastlydifferent than the one that reached the Nas-sau County title match a year ago. Sevenplayers graduated from last year’s team,opening the door for a crop of new players.

“It was clear from the beginning that the

team was dedicated, and willing to work,and had a common goal,” said Cuneo. “Thisteam just came together from the beginning,they knew what they had to do, adjustedwhen they need to and supported each otherthroughout every match. They became closeboth on and off the court.”

Manhasset’s Amanda Foo, a junior,knocked off Marissa Luchs of Roslyn 6-4, 6-3 to clinch the match for the Indians. Foo’steammates had swept the first three doublesmatches, and celebrated on the court withFoo once her match had ended.

The Nassau County title is the first for theManhasset program since 1988, accordingto Cuneo.

“It was an amazing feeling,” said Cuneo.“Twenty-six years is a long time.”

Along with Foo’s win at first singles,Madeline Clinton won her match at third sin-gles in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

The strong play came from the Manhas-set doubles teams, who won three of thefour matches on the afternoon, all instraight sets. Courtney Connors paired upwith Lei Frankis for a 6-2, 6-4 win at firstdoubles, while Alina Zhitnik and KyleighHarmon won by the same score at seconddoubles.

Rounding out the Manhasset victorieswas the team of Grace Catlett & YuhanWang who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win at thirddoubles.

Manhasset wraps up the season at 15-1overall, while Roslyn finishes the 2014 cam-paign at 12-4.

The top-seeded Manhasset Indians defeated the second-seeded Bulldogs of Roslyn to capture the 2014 Nassau CountyConference I Championship Nassau Conference I runners-up the Roslyn Bulldogs gather for a team photo


Floyd Shocks Hills East for Suffolk ChampionshipBy Matthew Cohen

William Floyd High School Girls Tennispulled off a huge upset to beat the three-time defending Suffolk County Champi-ons Half Hollow Hills East 4-3 in theSuffolk County Championship Match.The win snapped Hills East’s 69 consec-utive Suffolk County match winningstreak and also avenged Floyd’s loss toHills East in last year’s Suffolk final, aswell as a regular season loss earlier thisyear.

With the score tied at three matches, itall came down to a fourth singles matchbetween Floyd’s Christina Cali and GabbyRaziel of Hills East. Cali and Raziel werestuck in an epic battle, and their matchran so long that the sun set and the

match was postponed until the next day.When play resumed, the girls had splitsets and Raziel led 3-2 in the third set.Both girls played very well and were ableto handle the pressure-filled situation. Inthe end, it came down to just a couple ofbig points and Cali was able to comeback in dramatic fashion from a deficit towin the deciding set 6-4 and lifting Floydto It’s the first ever Suffolk County GirlsChampionship.

The stage was set for a “David vs. Go-liath” situation, as described by FloydCoach Dave Pia of his school facing thethree-time defending champs.

“Our goal was to get back here to thefinal and we were able to do that,” saidPia. “To beat Hills East is just amazing.My kids played super, it was an amazingjob all around, and I’m just so happy forthem.”

“It feels amazing,” said Floyd SeniorChristina Cali after the match. “It was areally long season, and I had to put a lotof work in, but in the end, it was all worthit. It’s such a great way to finish.”

Although fourth singles ended up asthe deciding match it was Floyd’s strongdoubles play which was the key to thevictory as they won all three doublescourts.

At first doubles, Kelci Henn & Lisa Lin

defeated Dinya Rao & Melissa Achenbaum6-2, 6-1. Second doubles saw KaylaD’Addario & Zoe Dasilva defeat MaryKravitz & Ariana Malik 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, andat third doubles, Kaitlin Hibbert & VictoriaPanicola defeated Joanna Wang & BrynnApril 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

“Second doubles was the one we letget away,” said Hills East Coach TomDepelteau, who will be losing six of his sen-iors next year and described the upcoming2015 season as a “transitional” year.

Hill’s singles looked as strong as it hasbeen all season, as Ester Chikvashvili de-feated Emily Fernandez 6-0, 6-2 at firstsingles; Vanessa Scott defeated BrookeFernandez 6-3, 6-0 at second singles; andStephanie Chikvashvili defeated AntonetteViglione 6-0, 6-2 at third singles.

“I’m definitely feeling some nostalgia,”said Hills East Senior Vanessa Scott.“This is the last time I’m going to be play-ing with my team and it’s really excit-ing/upsetting at the same time.”

The 2014 high school season wasn’tover for four of William Floyd’s girls andthree of Hills East’s. Antonette Viglione,Kelci Henn, Lisa Lin and Kayla D’Addarioof Floyd, along with Ester Chikvashvili,Stephanie Chikvashvili and Vanessa Scottof Hills East took part in the 2014 NewYork State Championship in Latham, N.Y.

Long Island 2014 Gir

Credit all photos to Matthew Cohen

William Floyd upset the three-time defendingSuffolk County Champions Half Hollow HillsEast 4-3 for the Suffolk County Championship


Friends Academy Defeats Great Neck South in Conference II-A Finals

By Gary Simeone


It had been a long time coming, but theFriends Academy Quakers Girls Tennis teamfinally got a win over the Great Neck SouthRebels when it mattered the most. TheRebels had beaten the Quakers in both reg-ular season matches but the third time wasthe charm for the Quakers who pulled off aspectacular 4-3 win in the Conference II-ANassau County Championship at WheatleyHigh School.

How did Friends coach Brian Baxter feelabout the win?

“Relieved,” said Baxter. “After a longseason, I am glad to get this win and par-ticularly happy for our seniors who workedso hard this year fighting through a toughconference schedule and they get to go

out with a win likethis.”

Baxter said theseason consisted ofmatches that werepushed back be-cause of inclementweather and a sched-ule that included astretch of n inematches in 12 days.

“ A f t e r b e a t i n gNorth Shore in thequarterfinals andtraveling to Hewlett

and winning the semis it’s like icing on thecake to come here and get this win over anundefeated and regular season champ GreatNeck South team.”

All of the Friends Academy singles playerswon their matches, but it was Friends Acad-emy’s second singles player, Morgan Wilkins,who clinched the victory for her team. Shefaced a tough opponent in South’s MarisaMenist, who she lost to twice in the regularseason.

“I played her a lot smarter this timearound,” said the sophomore Wilkins, whocould barely contain her smile after learningshe was the deciding match. “I came to thenet more, threw in a lot more drop shots and

held serve throughout the match.”Wilkins won her match 6-4 6-2 and said

she was extremely happy that she pulled ittogether for the seniors on the team.

In the other singles matches, senior, JuliaCiardullo defeated Mollie Blank 6-0, 6-1 atfirst singles and eighth grader, Calista Chawon in straight sets against Angela Chi 6-0,6-1 at third singles.

In the doubles matches, Friends Acad-emy’s first doubles, Devina Kedia & MarinaHilbert were victorious 6-1, 6-2 over Megha &Haarika Reddy.

Great Neck South wrapped up the re-maining doubles matches with the seconddoubles team of Ashley Yu & ShannonNassi defeating Gabby Bloom & AmandaYaraghi 6-0, 6-2. In fourth doubles, ParkerSpector & Amanda Zeitlin beat DanielleKahn & Jessie Friedman 7-6(7-3), 6-1 andthe third doubles team of Lily Kimmel &Parker Spector won in a third set super tie-breaker over Sasha Levin & ElizabethQuick.

“Despite the loss, we had a great seasonwith a very deep team,” said Great NeckSouth Coach Brad Krauz. “The girls had alot of fun and we had a lot of high notes onthe season such as our second doublesteam going 16-0 and a rotating fourth dou-bles team that never lost.”

Credit all photos to Gary Simeone

Friends Academy was crowned Nassau Girl’s Conference II-A championsafter their win over Great Neck South


The Girls Varsity Tennis team from GlenCove took a unique journey to their Con-ference III Title. After a regular season

Long Island 2014 GirGlen Cove Captures the Nassau County Conference III Title

record of 9-3, GlenCove earned a firstround home playoffmatch against Plain-edge. They were ableto defend their homecourt advantage andwin 5-2.

The win movedGlen Cove to theconference semis,where they faced offagainst undefeatedEast Meadow (12-0).Glen Cove was able

to play their best match of the seasonthough and upset East Meadow 5-2, ad-vancing to the Conference Finals against

rival Calhoun who was also undefeated(13-0) on the season.

En route to the finals, Calhoun had de-feated Glen Cove in both regular seasonmatchups, but the third time proved to bethe charm for this team, as they edged outCalhoun 4-3 to take the Conference III Title.

Congratulations to Glen Cove’s First Sin-gles: Trinity Chow, Second Singles: LaurenRizzo, Third Singles: Jenny Armstrong, FirstDoubles: Alex Casale & Tristyn Hudson, Sec-ond Doubles: Diana Delgrosso & AmandaHeavey, Third Doubles: Elizabeth Kwiatek& Anastasia Chsileva; and Fourth Doubles:Elena D’Ambrosio & Grace Brady.

Varsity players for Glen Cove include:Hanna Ali, Breana Mundell, JasmineRosario and Roselle Cacio.

The Glen Cove Girls High School Tennis team were victorious overCalhoun to take home the Nassau County Conference III title

Commack Varsity Team Hosts Annual Tennis With TeachersFundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness

A great time was had by all at the CommackVarsity fundraiser for breast cancer awareness

Participants gather for a photoafter the Annual Tennis With

Teachers Fundraiser inCommack



By Brian Coleman

Long Island’s high school girls had a great year. The Island was very well-represented at the 2014 NewYork State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships in Latham, N.Y., andthe competition was fierce across the Island over the entire fall season.

Long Island Tennis Magazine had the chance to sit down with four players recently, Half Hollow HillsEast’s Ester Chikvashvili, winner of the NYSPHSAA Singles Championship; the Oyster Bay duo ofCourtney Kowalsky & Celeste Matute, winners of the NYSPHSAA Doubles Championship; and AmandaFoo from Manhasset, 2014 Nassau County Conference I champions.

Spotlight on the Locals

Half Hollow Hills East’s Ester Chikvashvili Captures State Title

Last year, Half Hollow Hills East sopho-more Ester Chikvashvili was one of the finaleight players left in the 2013 New YorkState Public High School Athletic Associa-tion (NYSPHSAA) Championships beforefalling in the quarterfinals.

Now a junior, Chikvashvili used the ex-perience she earned in her sophomorecampaign to get back to the state tourna-ment in Latham, N.Y. This time around, shewould not be denied, capturing the firststate championship in tennis for Hills Eastin 30 years.

“At first I was in shock,” said Chikvashvili.“I couldn’t believe I just did something Inever thought I would be able to do.”

Chikvashvili knocked off Tomo Iwasakiof Edgemont 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the titlematch, illustrating the mental toughnessand experience she gained to win the final

set after dropping the second.“Mentally, I was just extremely tough,”

said Chikvashvili of being able to stay fo-cused. “I played really smart and dependedon my brains to get me out of those tightmatches.”

That was no more evident than in thetournament’s quarterfinals when she trailedLocust Valley’s Alex Koniaev 6-1, 4-0, twogames away from being eliminated fromthe quarters for a second straight year.

Instead of folding, the junior stormedback and rattled off the next six games totake the second frame. She would go on towin the third set in a tie-breaker on her wayto the semifinals.

In the semis, she disposed of Mary LouisAcademy’s Yuka Lin 6-0, 6-1 before takingon Iwasaki in the final.

A major reason for her success in

Latham was due to her conditioning.Chikvashvili said that 2014 saw her playless tennis than she had in past years,therefore keeping her fresh late in the tour-nament while others were tiring.

Chikvashvili spent a lot of time in thepast year training with the help of her fam-ily, something that she says allowed her torelax during practice sessions without feel-ing any pressure. Her younger sisterStephanie, 15, won the Suffolk CountyDoubles title as a sophomore, while heryounger brother, Daniel, 13, is an eighth-grader.

“When I’m playing with them, I’m alsomaking sure that they are improving andwe could train without having any outsideproblems so there was no pressure at all,”said Chikvashvili. “I couldn’t have won thistournament without the support of my twosiblings, Stephanie and Daniel, and my en-tire family.”

Chikvashvili became the first girls tennisplayer from Suffolk County to win a state titlesince Hauppauge’s Jennifer Kellner in 2008.

More importantly, for her, she was ableto bring her Hills East team a state cham-pionship.

“It was my high school coach’s first statechampionship, so I thought that was prettycool,” said Chikvashvili. “It was nice to beable to win, not just for myself, but also for


Long Island 2014 GirSpotlight on the Locals • Spotlight on the Locals • Spotlight on the Lo

my high school team and my teammates.”Chikvashvili led Hills East to an unbeaten

regular season, going 20-2 overall in hersingles matches.

“Ester provided us with an all but certainwin at first singles,” said Hills East HeadCoach Tom DePelteau. “This enabled meto divert considerable strength to the dou-bles part of the lineup. I am extremelyproud of what Ester accomplished thisyear, both in-season and at the state tour-nament. She displayed true tenacity and agritty sense of poise in some pretty tensemoments.”

One of those losses happened to

come in the individual county champi-onship to Hills West sophomore Court-ney Provan, just two weeks prior to thestate tournament.

“I basically told myself I have to acceptmy losses,” said Chikvashvili of her mind-set after losses. “Nobody can ever win allthe time. Just take every loss as an experi-ence, learn from it and only improve. And Ithink that’s exactly what I did. I definitelydid not get down on myself for losing thatmatch. I accepted that she played amaz-ingly and she just beat me that day.”

Despite only being in her third year ofhigh school, Chikvashvili won’t have a

chance to defend her state title in the fallnext season. The junior is graduatingfrom Hills East in the spring after justthree years.

“Ever since I was a young kid, I valuedacademics over my tennis. But it was verydifficult,” Chikvashvili said of balancing ten-nis and school work. “I think it is going toprepare me for college. I’ll admit, it washard. I had to make a lot of sacrifices, but Iam proud of myself.”

Chikvashvili will continue her tenniscareer on Long Island, as she has ver-bally committed to play at Stony BrookUniversity.

Kowalsky & Matute Win First State Title in Oyster Bay History

Credit photos to Keith Kowalsky

The Oyster Bay High School Tennis pro-gram had gone its entire history withouthaving a state champion in girls’ tennis.

Now it has two.Courtney Kowalsky and Celeste Matute

became the first girls tennis players fromOyster Bay, N.Y. to win a state championshipin early November, defeating the top-seededSuffern High School pair Sydney Kaplan &Courtney Ollis 6-4, 6-4 in the state finals inLatham, N.Y.

“It was the most amazing feeling,” saidMatute, a junior. “I felt so proud of myselfand Courtney and it was just such a big ac-complishment.”

Despite both being underclassmen, theOyster Bay duo dominated at each level ofboth the county and state tournaments.The duo was able to shake off the nervesof playing in a huge competition by relaxingeach other and just enjoying the moment.

“We were definitely nervous going intocounties and then heading to states,” saidKowalsky, who is just a sophomore. “Butwe tried to calm each other down by laugh-ing on the court and just having fun. Weknew whatever happens happens, but itwas unbelievable that we came away withthe title.”

In the state final, naturally, Kowalsky &

Matute faced their toughest test againstthe top-seeded duo from Suffern. Each setwas even at 4-4 before the Oyster Bay girlshung tough and won the final two games ofeach frame to clinch the championship.

“At 4-4 in the first set it was stressful,and Courtney and I were nervous, but wejust had to refocus,” said Matute. “Ourmental toughness had to increase and weneeded to just work together to win it.”

Kowalsky added, “We just told eachother to calm down and we did really goodwith that. All we focused on was gettingthat next ball onto the court.”

The ability to refocus and stay poisedthroughout the match comes from the off-court friendship the two have. Despite bothbeing excellent singles players, the twobring out the best in each other when theytake the court as a doubles tandem.

“Courtney and I have been playing dou-bles together since we were little but this isthe first time we have ever done somethingthis big together,” said Matute. “I think thereason we work so well on the court is be-cause we have such a close relationship offthe court.”


rl’s High School RecapPART IIocals • Spotlight on the Locals • Spotlight on the Locals •

Their friendship keeps them relaxed dur-ing matches, but it is their skill sets thatallow them to control the action.

“I have the power serve and she has thepower volley, so both of them together cre-ate a dream team basically,” said Kowalsky.“We’re so lucky that we both have decentvolleys because that’s what we really needand most teams don’t have.”

The fact that the two complement each

other so well allows them to be aggressiveand go for shots that some teams don’tnormally go for. That confidence is a uniquetrait in such young players and is some-thing that has developed the more the pairplays together.

While the girls high school tennis seasonis over, it is hardly an offseason for Kowalskyand Matute. The two are training togetherin order to get ready to defend their titles

and attempt to lead Oyster Bay to a Nas-sau County Championship.

“Celeste and I are practicing and we’replaying doubles tournaments now outsideof school because we now know we cango far with this,” said Kowalsky.

Matute added, “I expect nothing lessthan a second win. Courtney and I will bepracticing hard through this year. It will takedetermination, but we can do it.”

Foo Leads Manhasset to First County Title in 25 Years

It had been nearly25 years since theManhasset Indianscould call them-selves Nassau Coun-ty Champions inGirls Varsity Tennis.That all changed inlate October, asManhasset de-feated Roslyn 5-2

for the Nassau County Championship atWheatley High School.

Amanda Foo clinched the victory for theIndians with her 6-4, 6-3 win over MarissaLuchs at first singles.

“It is such an honor being a part of Man-hasset history,” said Foo. “The team has hadindividual county champions before, butnever a team championship. This year, itmeant a lot to us.”

Manhasset entered 2014 as the defendingNassau County runner-ups, and were moti-vated to get back to the county title matchafter falling to Port Washington 4-3 in 2013.

“From the first day of practice, the teamwas so pumped,” said Foo. “We worked re-ally hard every day and were determined togo all the way.”

The Indians lost seven seniors, includingtwo singles players, from the 2013 team, butdid not miss a beat. Foo, a junior, got a tasteof first singles action last year as a sopho-

more before a tendinitis injury forced her tomiss some time.

She came back from the injury this seasonand became the leader of her Manhassetteam. The junior dominated play in Nassauthis year, helping the Indians post a record of15-1, with the lone loss coming to Port Wash-ington early in the regular season.

“As a co-captain this season, her drive,ambition, enthusiasm and love of the gamewas apparent to her teammates,” said Man-hasset Head Coach Eileen Cuneo of Foo.“She encouraged all to do their best and wasa good role model. All of these traits madeher an asset to the team and the overall ten-nis program at Manhasset.”

Foo credits a lot of her success to hertraining over the past year. She saw a fitnesstrainer in the offseason that helped her getover the tendinitis, and received some wordsof advice from one of her coaches.

“My private coach Ricky Becker told methat everyone’s a duck,” said Foo. “Basicallywhat that means is that no matter what youropponent looks like or how they play, treatthem all as the same duck and go into everymatch with the same passion.”

That attitude and mindset has allowed Foonot to get too high or low during matches,something she considers her strong point.

“The strongest part of my game is that Inever give up, no matter what the score is,”said Foo. “My weakest part is that I can

sometimes over think my strategy. But all Ineed to do then is just take a step backand relax.”

It becomes easier to relax when playinghigh school tennis as opposed to othertournaments, says Foo, as you have thesupport of your school and the communityon your side.

“My classmates, teammates and all ourparents come out and cheer for us duringevery match,” said Foo of the supportive Man-hasset community. “In high school tennis, theteam comes first and it doesn’t matterwhether you’re playing first singles or fourthdoubles, the team just needs to win fourcourts. The camaraderie and support is great!”

As a junior, Foo says she has not reallythought hard about where she wants to con-tinue her tennis career when high school isover, but knows that she wants to play tennisat the next level.

“I’m definitely looking for a college with theright balance of academics and a competi-tive tennis team,” said Foo. “I don’t knowwhere I want to go yet, but I do know that Iwant to play tennis.”

Before she decides where she wants toplay her college tennis, Foo is ready to helpManhasset defend its county title in 2015.

“We are only losing one senior starter andthere are a lot of talented junior varsity play-ers coming up,” said Foo. “I definitely thinkwe can repeat again.”

Nick KyrgiosAmericans havespent time wor-rying about howfar along theiryoung playerswill get. Thesediscussions have

revolved around 18-, 19- and even in somecases 20-year-olds still in college. Newsflash, the best of those guys have been inthe hundreds of the world rankings. Nine-teen-year-old Nick Kyrgios of Australia isalready on the verge of the top-50, and bythe way, he is a Grand Slam quarterfinalist.Yeah, he beat some guy named RafaelNadal in that tournament too. Just to listsome names who the up-and-comer ofGreek-Malaysian heritage defeated: RichardGasquet, Mikhail Youzhny and RadekStepanek, three well-established veteranswho have plenty of experience in usingtheir guile to outlast young guns like Kyrgios.The thing is, on those given days, the bigright-hander was too good. For tennis fansout there who have not seen Kyrgios play,

imagine a player with the athleticism andball-striking prowess of Jo Wilfried Tsongaand the raw power of Tomas Berdych.Pretty hefty comparison, no? Nick Kyrgioshas that much talent, and he flashed it for23,000 to see during the third round of theUnited States Open in Arthur Ashe Sta-dium against the always-feisty TommyRobredo. To make one of the quickestand physically toughest players on tourlook slow for a set and a half leaves theworld to wonder what we can see fromKyrgios in the future, when he physicallyand mentally matures.

Thanasi KokkinakisWhen anybodyrises over 400spots in the rank-ings in a singleseason, f lagsshould go up.When that same

player is 18-years-old, eyes bulge, as theyshould throughout the rest of young Aus-tralian Thanasi Kokkinakis’ career. A year

younger than his compatriot Kyrgios,there is not one particular result or oneparticular shot that grabs anybody’s at-tention. He will not be challenging JohnIsner’s serve or Novak Djokovic’s back-hand anytime soon, but he can do a littlebit of everything, which can get a playerpretty far in this sport. Look at AndreasSeppi, who has spent much of the pastfew years hovering around the top-30 inthe world, even poking his nose into thetop-20 on occasions. Kokkinakis couldend up being a more explosive and dan-gerous Seppi, which bodes well for theyoung gun. As he did in 2013, a 16-year-old hanging tough in grinding ground-stroke rallies with Fernando Verdasco,although it was an exhibition at the Hop-man Cup, shows that the kid can play.Look out in 2015 for the second half ofthe Aussie takeover.

Dominic Thiem

It is safe to say that at least in some re-spects, the young Austrian’s mentor,Ernests Gulbis, has rubbed off on DominicThiem in the “being interesting” depart-ment. Fans may enjoy his almost-dailyFacebook posts in which everything hedescribes is in some way “mega” or“noble,” on top of the fact that he has noproblem sharing the holes in his owngame with the fans. The bottom line is,forgetting the shenanigans, the kid has aton of potential. When people talk aboutStan Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, RogerFederer and Nicolas Almagro, soonerrather than later, Thiem will start comingup. His one-handed backhand, like those

New Faces iT H E A T P ’ S B R E A K O U

By Andrew

Every year, many of the top players in the sport of ten-nis prove that they belong, using unbelievable shot-making and fight to stake their spot towards thepeak of the rankings. Season in and season out,fresh faces make an appearance, trying to show theworld why they belong amongst the best as well. So,who will make their arguments to join the elite in2015? There are young guns on their way up, but donot be surprised when a 30-something journeyman

shows up on the biggest stages of the tennis world, and makes hisname known under the spotlight. So, when the Australian fans openup the Grand Slam season with their trademark, “Aussie! Aussie!Aussie! Oy! Oy! Oy!” they may very well have more of a nationalisticreason to do so, which can last in the tennis world for years to come.


other stars of the game is tremendous.His serve will need a bit of work, as thehigher he climbs, the less impact it willhave on the returners, and once a playergets to the highest level, free points off ofthe serve are mandatory to compete.One thing is for certain: once Thiem ma-tures mentally and physically, as he is stillonly 21 years of age, he will learn how tocontrol his switches. He was down twosets to Gulbis at the United States Openthis year, and turned it around to beat hismentor, which is not easy when Gulbis isfocused as he was against his protégé.Thiem, already in the top-40, will havesome hard work ahead of him, but shouldbe comfortably in the Grand Slam seed-ings by the end of next year.

Gilles Muller

In every sport, there is a player whoeverybody has heard of in some way, buthas not struck an image in the viewer’smind. That guy is Gilles Muller. For thosequestioning why they recognize hisname, maybe this will ring a bell. In 2008,he beat Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagroand then fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenkoto reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals,where he made Roger Federer work forthe victory. That is not to ignore theGrand Slam victories Muller has had overRafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, as onthe big stage, he has shown that thepressure does not phase him in the least.Now after reading all of that, think aboutthis statistic. Muller has reached a careerhigh of 42nd in the world rankings. Howcould that possibly be? Injuries have

constantly plagued the Luxembourg-na-tive, who looks like he may finally be get-ting healthy. If he can manage to stay onthe court for a full season, who knowswhat the crafty left-handed pro can do.

Blaz Rola

Eventually, there are going to be analystsmaking the terrible pun of saying that BlazRola is “on a roll,” as he ascends the worldrankings. The Ohio State Buckeye left theprogram after winning the 2013 NCAA Sin-gles Championship, after flying under theradar of many college tennis followersthroughout his three year stay. Just a yearlater, and Rola is solidly inside the top-100in the world and has participated in themain draw of three Grand Slams, reachingthe second round of two. Now, not manypeople know this guy, but if the history of

college tennis shows, he will have the com-petitive juices flowing to push him towardsthe top. The lefty follows in the footsteps ofJohn Isner and Kevin Anderson, who alongwith the likes of Steve Johnson have beencollege athletes to make a dent in the ten-nis world. Technique wise, Rola is some-what similar to Martin Klizan, who hastaken his fair share of upsets over the lastfew years, except Rola is a tad bit taller.Both lefties have the ability to dictate withtheir forehand, and could make a toughmatchup for anybody when serving well.

Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism studentat Stony Brook University, where he cur-rently is a staff writer for The Statesman,covering tennis amongst many sports. Hegrew up playing tennis at the USTA BillieJean King National Tennis Center, where helearned to love the game, eventually be-coming a part time tennis instructor, work-ing for the most part with the QuickStart 10& Under Program. Andrew has also servedas a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He maybe reached by e-mail at [email protected].

n the CrowdU T P L A Y E R S O F 2 0 1 4

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directoryLONG ISLAND TENNIS CLUB

Bethpage Park Tennis CenterAndrea Pappas—Manager

99 Quaker Meeting House Road #1Farmingdale, NY 11735

(516) 777-1358 • [email protected]

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ Rockville Centre CATSJami Madison—Director

188 Maple AvenueRockville Centre, NY 11570


Carefree Racquet ClubKathy Miller—Manager1414 Jerusalem Avenue

Merrick, NY 11566(516) 489-9005 • [email protected]

Deer Park Tennis ClubAfzal Ali—Director of Tennis

30 Burt DriveDeer Park, NY 11729

(631) 667-3476 • www.deerparktennis.com

Eastern Athletic ClubBetsy Johnson—Manager

854 Jericho TurnpikeHuntington Station, NY 11746

(631) 271-6616 • www.easternathleticclubs.com

Eastern Athletic Club9A Montauk HighwayBlue Point, NY 11715


Eastern Athletic Club100 Ruland RoadMelville, NY 11747


Early Hit Training Center at Glen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head Road

Glen Head, NY 11545Carl Barnett: (516) 455-1225

[email protected]

Glen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head Road

Glen Head, NY 11545Stephanie Leo: (516) 676-9849

[email protected]

Huntington Indoor Tennis ClubRichard Rottkamp—Manager/Owner

100 BroadwayHuntington Station, NY 11746


New York Tennis Academy at Great Neck EstatesHowie Arons—Director of Junior Tennis Program

12 Shore DriveGreat Neck, NY 11021


Point Set Indoor TennisTonny vandePieterman—Director of Tennis

3065 New StreetOceanside, NY 11572


Port Washington Tennis AcademyManny Iqbal—Director of Tennis

100 Harbor RoadPort Washington, NY 11050


Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center atGlen Cove

Stephen Alcala—Managing Partner60 Sea Cliff Avenue

Glen Cove, NY 11542(516) 759-0505 • www.rwtt.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center atGlenwood Landing

Adrian Chirici—Director of Tennis142 Glenwood Landing RoadGlenwood Landing, NY 11547

(516) 676-9107 • www.rwtt.com

Ross SchoolHolly Li—Manager

18 Goodfriend DriveEast Hampton, NY 11937

(631) 907-5162 • [email protected]/tennis

SPORTIME AmagansettSue de Lara—General Manager

320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930(631) 267-3460 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/amagansettEric Scoppetta—Camp Director

(631) 267-2267 • [email protected]/ehsc

SPORTIME Amagansett Multi-SportMike Ritsi—General Manager

385 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930(631) 267-3460 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/amagansett-multi-sport

SPORTIME Bethpage TennisJoe Siegel—General Manager

101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, NY 11714(516) 933-8500 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-tennis

SPORTIME Bethpage Multi-SportRandy Louie—General Manager

4105 Hempstead Turnpike • Bethpage, NY 11714(516) 731-4432 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-multi-sport

SPORTIME Kings ParkBea Bielik—General Manager

Jeff Morys—Co-Director of TennisJason Wass–Co-Director of Tennis

275 Old Indian Head Road • Kings Park, NY 11754(631) 269-6300 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/kings-park

SPORTIME LynbrookBea Bielik–General Manager

Danny Casesa—Director of Tennis175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, NY 11563

(516) 887-1330 • [email protected]/lynbrook

SPORTIME MassapequaChris Leahy—General Manager

Emanuel Ponce—Director of Tennis5600 Old Sunrise Highway • Massapequa, NY 11758

(516) 799-3550 • [email protected]/massapequa

SPORTIME QuogueRene Bond—General ManagerGreg Meyer—Director of Tennis

2571 Quogue-Riverhead Road • East Quogue, NY 11942(631) 653-6767 • [email protected]

www.sportimeny.com/quogue

SPORTIME Randall’s IslandFlagship Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy

Allison Hodgkins—Assistant General Manager Jared Karlebach—Assistant General ManagerOne Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035

(212) 427-6150 • [email protected]/manhattan

SPORTIME RoslynJay Harris—General Manager

Jordan Dolberg—Director of Tennis1 Landing Road • Roslyn, NY 11576

(516) 484-9222 • [email protected]/roslyn

SPORTIME Syosset Tennis & Multi-SportLong Island Annex of the John McEnroe Tennis

AcademyJoe Siegel—General Manager

Mike Kossoff—Director of Tennis JMTA75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, NY 11791

(516) 364-2727 • [email protected]/syosset-tennis

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis CenterWhitney Kraft—Director of Tennis

Flushing Meadows Corona Park • Flushing, NY 11568(718) 760-6200 • www.usta.com

L O N G I S L A N D R A N K I N G S


Boys & Girls Long Island Rankings(as of 12/15/14)

BOYSLong Island Boys 12 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Peter Anastasakis ..............East Norwich, N.Y.

2 ......Zachary David Gruber ........Port Washington, N.Y.

3 ......Alex Eli Vinsky ....................Westbury, N.Y.

4 ......Brandon Lee ......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

5 ......Justin Shen ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

6 ......Amani Siddiqui....................West Babylon, N.Y.

7 ......Dylan D’agate ....................Melville, N.Y.

8 ......Peter Albert Bukary ............Jericho, N.Y.

9 ......Mark Ryan Taranov ............Valley Stream, N.Y.

10 ....Aryan Kumar Sethi..............Dix Hills, N.Y.

11 ....Sujay Alluri ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y.

12 ....Brandon Lin ........................Great Neck, N.Y.

13 ....Joseph Monticciolo ............Coram, N.Y.

14 ....Rushikesh Patel ..................Albertson, N.Y.

15 ....Joshua Elenowitz................Syosset, N.Y.

16 ....Brandon Zhu ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

17 ....Ryan Shayani ......................Old Westbury, N.Y.

18 ....Cameron Levchuck ............Greenlawn, N.Y.

19 ....Michael Koscinski ..............Center Moriches, N.Y.

20 ....Ian Kaish..............................Northport, N.Y.

21 ....Samuel Perlman ................Great Neck, N.Y.

22 ....Azim Gangat ......................Syosset, N.Y.

23 ....Justin McMackin ................North Baldwin, N.Y.

24 ....Adam Lammers ..................Central Islip, N.Y.

25 ....Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y.

26 ....Bilal Rashidzada ................Dix Hills, N.Y.

27 ....Martin Gonzalez-Zurro ......Huntington, N.Y.

28 ....Taylor Brooks Thomas........Water Mill, N.Y.

29 ....Matthew Zeifman................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

30 ....Kyle Zhou ............................Commack, N.Y.

31 ....Blake Brown........................Glen Head, N.Y.

32 ....Peter Lau ............................Great Neck, N.Y.

33 ....Andrew Thaler ....................Old Westbury, N.Y.

34 ....Kyle Ress-Liere ..................Yaphank, N.Y.

35 ....Matthew Strogach ..............Commack, N.Y.

36 ....Pius Lo ................................Massapequa, N.Y.

37 ....Daniel Chikvashvili ..............Melville, N.Y.

38 ....Sean Kelly ..........................Glen Head, N.Y.

39 ....Ethan Sims..........................Roslyn, N.Y.

40 ....Dylan Siegman....................Melville, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 14 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Avi Anand............................Dix Hills, N.Y.

2 ......Josh Gelfond ......................Port Jefferson, N.Y.

3 ......Adrian Kristofer Tsui............Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

4 ......Aaron Marcos Vinsky..........Westbury, N.Y.

5 ......Griffin Schlesinger ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

6 ......Sol Yoon ..............................Commack, N.Y.

7 ......Valentine LeGoupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y.

8 ......David Ammendola ..............Massapequa, N.Y.

9 ......Zachary David Gruber ........Port Washington, N.Y.

10 ....Amani Siddiqui....................West Babylon, N.Y.

11 ....Nicholas Mark Newell ........Huntington Station, N.Y.

12 ....Evan Brady..........................Glen Head, N.Y.

13 ....Brandon Lee ......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

14 ....Jagger Gillman....................Glen Head, N.Y.

15 ....Andrew Marc Nakhjavan....Dix Hills, N.Y.

16 ....Christopher Grisham ..........Huntington, N.Y.

17 ....Ruskikesh Patel ..................Albertson, N.Y.

18 ....Varun Gaddam Reddy........Glen Head, N.Y.

19 ....Jonathan E. Brill ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

20 ....Luke Karniewich ................Glen Head, N.Y.

21 ....Matthew T. Roberts ............Setauket, N.Y.

22 ....Yash Samantaray................Syosset, N.Y.

23 ....Aryan Kumar Sethi..............Dix Hills, N.Y.

24 ....Jacob Buchbinder ..............Roslyn, N.Y.

25 ....Zachary Chan ....................Woodbury, N.Y.

26 ....Tommy George Srisuro ......Garden City, N.Y.

27 ....Evan Kirsh ..........................Roslyn, N.Y.

28 ....Alexander Rzehak ..............Centerport, N.Y.

29 ....Richard James Kelly ..........Manhasset, N.Y.

30 ....Alexander Benanti ..............East Setauket, N.Y.

31 ....Alex Childs ..........................East Setauket, N.Y.

32 ....Bradford J. Lin ....................Great Neck, N.Y.

33 ....Michael Wexler....................Old Westbury, N.Y.

34 ....Justin Ullman ......................Huntington Station, N.Y.

35 ....Brandon Zhu ......................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

36 ....Kyle Ress-Liere ..................Yaphank, N.Y.

37 ....Ryan Ng ..............................Roslyn, N.Y.

38 ....Jonah Mikhael Khorrami ....Old Westbury, N.Y.

39 ....Thomas Campbell ..............Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

40 ....Pavel Dmitrievich ................North Bellmore, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 16 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Marco Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y.

2 ......Matthew G. Levine..............Dix Hills, N.Y.

3 ......Matthew Kolkhorst ............Sea Cliff, N.Y.

4 ......Luke Sandoval ....................Garden City, N.Y.

5 ......Jordan Diamond ................Mount Sinai, N.Y.

6 ......Jagger Gillman....................Glen Head, N.Y.

7 ......Shane Darius Terry..............Southampton, N.Y.

8 ......Adrian Kristofer Tsui............Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

9 ......Faran Nazir..........................Deer Park, N.Y.

10 ....Varun Gaddam Reddy........Glen Head, N.Y.

11 ....Jonathan E. Brill ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

12 ....Matthew T. Roberts ............Setauket, N.Y.

13 ....Evan Lander........................Old Bethpage, N.Y.

14 ....Jason Gerber ......................Commack, N.Y.

15 ....Alexander Hazarian ............Garden City, N.Y.

16 ....Evan Kirsh ..........................Roslyn, N.Y.

17 ....Patrick Sean Lombardi ......Halesite, N.Y.

18 ....Matthew Ramsay................Bay Shore, N.Y.

19 ....Avi Anand............................Dix Hills, N.Y.

20 ....James Kyrkanides ..............East Setauket, N.Y.

21 ....Nicholas M. Sica ................Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

22 ....Brandon Nomberg..............Deer Park, N.Y.

23 ....Andrew Marc Nakhjavan....Dix Hills, N.Y.

24 ....Christopher Kokkinos ........Manhasset, N.Y.

25 ....Valentine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y.

26 ....Matthew Musalo ................Massapequa Park, N.Y.

27 ....Jake Landsberg ..................Huntington, N.Y.

28 ....Evan Hirsch ........................Old Westbury, N.Y.

29 ....James P. Ryan ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

30 ....Saiteja Damineni ................Albertson, N.Y.

31 ....Curran Varma......................Manhasset, N.Y.

32 ....Chase Greenberg................Roslyn, N.Y.

33 ....Yash Samantaray................Syosset, N.Y.

34 ....Hunter M. Pomerantz ........Old Westbury, N.Y.

35 ....Andrew Thomas Wood ......Garden City, N.Y.

36 ....Martin Charles Racanelli ....West Islip, N.Y.

37 ....Ian Bank ..............................Old Westbury, N.Y.

38 ....Rohan Mathur ....................Dix Hills, N.Y.

39 ....Connor Wright ....................Commack, N.Y.

40 ....Nicholas Mark Newell ........Huntington Station, N.Y.

Long Island Boys 18 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Christopher McGorty..........Bellmore, N.Y.

2 ......Jordan Diamond ................Mt. Sinai, N.Y.

3 ......Marco Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y.

4 ......Benjamin Doron..................Hewlett, N.Y.

5 ......Jason Gerber ......................Commack, N.Y.

6 ......Nicholas Gajda....................Smithtown, N.Y.

7 ......Kyle Hudson Gower ..........Oceanside, N.Y.

8 ......James George Blatchly ......Locust Valley, N.Y.

9 ......Steven Kucharczyk ............Rocky Point, N.Y.

10 ....Roberto Sangirardi..............Lynbrook, N.Y.

11 ....Faran Nazir..........................Deer Park, N.Y.

12 ....Evan Kober..........................Wantagh, N.Y.

13 ....Robert Mattia ......................Farmingdale, N.Y.

14 ....Jonathan Matros ................East Islip, N.Y.

15 ....Rishav Mukherjee ..............Syosset, N.Y.

GIRLSLong Island Girls 12 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y.

2 ......Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y.

3 ......Anna Vanessa Malin ..........Oceanside, N.Y.

4 ......Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y.

5 ......Olivia N. Fermo ..................Smithtown, N.Y.

6 ......Sydney Simmons................East Northport, N.Y.

7 ......Julia Gentile ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

8 ......Janelle Chen ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

9 ......Julianna Marie Romeo........Massapequa, N.Y.

10 ....Isabella Sha ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

11 ....Daniella Victoria Paikin ......Valley Stream, N.Y.

12 ....Sadhana Sridhar ................Stony Brook, N.Y.

13 ....Sofia Rose Anzalone ..........Center Moriches, N.Y.

14 ....Ariana Pursoo ....................Westbury, N.Y.

15 ....Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y.

16 ....Jade Eggleston ..................Stony Brook, N.Y.

17 ....Madeline Richmond ..........Syosset, N.Y.

18 ....Nicole Kyrkanides ..............East Setauket, N.Y.

19 ....Sophia Elizabeth Schutte ..Great Neck, N.Y.

20 ....Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y.

21 ....Lauren Hutton ....................Huntington, N.Y.

22 ....Anastasia Hoffman ............North Massapequa, N.Y.

23 ....Gabriela Sciarrotta..............Woodmere, N.Y.

24 ....Gabriela Glickstein..............Commack, N.Y.

25 ....Skylar Blake Semon ..........Melville, N.Y.

26 ....Olivia Broder ......................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

27 ....Kaitlyn Gerstin ....................Hewlett, N.Y.

28 ....Olivia Zhang ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

29 ....Lauren Zola ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

30 ....Andrea Irta Brazyte ............Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

31 ....Ida Nicole Poulos................Manhasset, N.Y.

32 ....Vivian Wu ............................Old Westbury, N.Y.

33 ....Sarah Gunasekera..............Mount Sinai, N.Y.

34 ....Jessica Wang......................Albertson, N.Y.

35 ....Jolie Nemshin ....................Syosset, N.Y.

36 ....Emily Moran ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

37 ....Michaela Liz Ben-Sorek ....Great Neck, N.Y.

38 ....Ella Griffiths ........................East Hampton, N.Y.

39 ....Sarah Gabrielle Faber ........Roslyn, N.Y.

40 ....Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 14 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Hannah Vinod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y.

2 ......Jill Olga Lawrence ..............Hauppague, N.Y.

3 ......Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y.

4 ......Kaitlyn Schwarz ..................Oceanside, N.Y.

5 ......Janae Fouche ....................Freeport, N.Y.

6 ......Ashley Yu ............................Great Neck, N.Y.

7 ......Ivanna Nikolic......................Glen Head, N.Y.

8 ......Daniella Victoria Paikin ......Valley Stream, N.Y.

9 ......Bryn Schlussler ..................Bay Shore, N.Y.

10 ....Gina LaRusso ....................Melville, N.Y.

11 ....Brooke Ann Fernandez ......Shirley, N.Y.

12 ....Denise Lai............................Setauket, N.Y.

13 ....Kaitlyn Byrnes ....................Massapequa, N.Y.

14 ....Kristen D. Cassidy ..............Wantagh, N.Y.

15 ....Natalia Caroline Krol ..........Greenvale, N.Y.

16 ....Jillian Rebecca Shulder......Setauket, N.Y.

17 ....Elena Gabriela Hull ............Locust Valley, N.Y.

18 ....Isabella DiScipio ................Woodmere, N.Y.

19 ....Sofia Walzer ........................Port Washington, N.Y.

20 ....Olivia Anne Nakhjavan........Dix Hills, N.Y.

21 ....Lauren Ann Bishop ............Woodbury, N.Y.

22 ....Cecilia H. Scheuer ..............Southampton, N.Y.

23 ....Ariana Malik ........................Melville, N.Y.

24 ....Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y.

25 ....Jade Fixon-Owoo ..............Lynbrook, N.Y.

26 ....Rose B. Hayes ....................East Moriches, N.Y.

27 ....Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y.

28 ....Jean Woon ..........................Commack, N.Y.

29 ....Julia Gentile ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

30 ....Hannah Rose Niggemeier ..Sayville, N.Y.

31 ....Carly Menker ......................Great Neck, N.Y.

32 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, N.Y.

33 ....Rachel Bernstein ................Plainview, N.Y.

34 ....Madeline Lane ....................Port Washington, N.Y.

35 ....Riley Elizabeth Katzman ....Halesite, N.Y.

36 ....Emily Moran ........................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

37 ....Julia Kinalis..........................Amity Harbor, N.Y.

38 ....Julia Amelie Raziel ..............Melville, N.Y.

39 ....Anastasia Hoffman ............North Massapequa, N.Y.

40 ....Haley Raphael ....................Great Neck, N.Y.

Long Island Girls 16 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Alexandra Waldman ..........East Hampton, N.Y.

2 ......Hannah Vimod Abraham....Syosset, N.Y.

3 ......Elinor Simek ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

4 ......Montaine LeGoupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y.

5 ......Christina Lorraine Jud ........Glen Head, N.Y.

6 ......Janae Fouche ....................Freeport, N.Y.

7 ......Emily Kate Shutman ..........Huntington, N.Y.

8 ......Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

9 ......Samantha Lena Galu..........Jericho, N.Y.

10 ....Elena Artemis Vlamakis......Garden City, N.Y.

11 ....Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y.

12 ....Jessica Schwarz ................Oceanside, N.Y.

13 ....Mina Sarcevic ....................Dix Hills, N.Y.

14 ....Lakshmi Babureddy ..........Dix Hills, N.Y.

15 ....Olivia Rose Scordo ............Glen Head, N.Y.

16 ....Kaitlyn Byrnes ....................Massapequa, N.Y.

17 ....Bryn N. Schlussler ..............Bay Shore, N.Y.

18 ....Emily Rose Fernandez........Shirley, N.Y.

19 ....Amanda Ress-Liere............Yaphank, N.Y.

20 ....Nicole Lin Chin....................Selden, N.Y.

21 ....Natalia Caroline Krol ..........Greenvale, N.Y.

22 ....Carly Menker ......................Great Neck, N.Y.


24 ....Jill Olga Lawrence ..............Hauppauge, N.Y.

25 ....Emily Davidow ....................Glen Head, N.Y.

26 ....Andrianna Kaimis................Commack, N.Y.

27 ....Juliana Shenker ..................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

28 ....Madeline Lane ....................Port Washington, N.Y.

29 ....Gabrielle Raziel ..................Melville, N.Y.

30 ....Isabella Diane Dusanenko..Massapequa, N.Y.

31 ....Emily R. Victorson ..............Northport, N.Y.

32 ....Rachel Bernstein ................Plainview, N.Y.

33 ....Fallon Berger ......................Syosset, N.Y.

34 ....Amy Schlussler ..................Bay Shore, N.Y.

35 ....Jennifer Rose Cox ..............West Islip, N.Y.



Long Island Girls 18 SinglesRank Name ......................................City1 ......Rebecca Elizabeth Stern....Dix Hills, N.Y.

2 ......Bridget Connors ................East Quogue, N.Y.

3 ......Ellen Huhulea ......................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

4 ......Grace Graham ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

5 ......Elena Nastasi ......................Bayville, N.Y.

6 ......Claudia Ruiz ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

7 ......Larissa Danovitch ..............Sagaponack, N.Y.

8 ......Victoria Evelyn Villalba........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

9 ......Montaine Le Goupil-Maier Oceanside, N.Y.

10 ....Nicole Lin Chin....................Selden, N.Y.

11 ....Alexandra Waldman ..........East Hampton, N.Y.

12 ....Julia Khan............................Port Washington, N.Y.

13 ....Tayler Bradford....................Sea Cliff, N.Y.

Boys & Girls

Sectional Rankings(as of 12/16/14)

BOYSSectional Boys 12 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City1 ......Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y.

2 ......Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y.

8 ......Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y.

9 ......Sujay Sharma......................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

10 ....Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y.

11 ....Maxwell Moadel..................Brookville, N.Y

20 ....Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y.

21 ....Isaac Smith ........................Glen Cove, N.Y.

24 ....Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y.

27 ....Rohan Gaddam Reddy ......Glen Head, N.Y.

38 ....Alexander Karman..............Port Washington, N.Y.

55 ....Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y.

64 ....Sean Pesin ..........................Woodmere, N.Y.

67 ....Peter Anastasakis ..............East Norwich, N.Y.

69 ....Justin Benjamin Oresky......Syosset, N.Y.

76 ....George Scribner Bader ......Water Mill, N.Y.

81 ....Alex Eli Vinsky ....................Westbury, N.Y.

83 ....Mark Ryan Taranov ............Valley Stream, N.Y.

86 ....Michael Weitz......................Roslyn, N.Y.

87 ....Jared M Phillips ..................Plainview, N.Y.

96 ....Adam Lammers ..................Central Islip, N.Y.

98 ....Michael Hayden Singer ......Greenlawn, N.Y.

105 ..Anthony Casale ..................Old Bethpage, N.Y.

116 ..Arin Siriamonthep ..............Greenvale, N.Y.

119 ..Sujay Alluri ..........................Old Westbury, N.Y.

128 ..Brandon J Lin......................Great Neck, N.Y.

131 ..Joseph Perry Boyle ............Setauket, N.Y.

132 ..Justin Y. Shen ....................Glen Head, N.Y.

139 ..Peter Albert Blukary............Jericho, N.Y.

142 ..Cameron Levchuck ............Greenlawn, N.Y.

143 ..Ty Nisenson ........................Port Washington, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City3 ......Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y.

4 ......Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y.

5 ......Ronald Hohmann................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

7 ......Patrick Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

8 ......Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

10 ....Brian Shi..............................Jericho, N.Y.

13 ....Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y.

28 ....Michael Medvedev ............Oceanside, N.Y.

38 ....Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y.

39 ....Karan Amin..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

42 ....Abinhav Srivastava ............Melville, N.Y.

51 ....Jack Flores..........................Huntington, N.Y.

56 ....Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y.

59 ....Sujay Sharma......................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

62 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y.

74 ....Zachary Ian Khazzam ........Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

80 ....Gardner Howe ....................Locust Valley, N.Y.

82 ....Oliver Worth ........................Locust Valley, N.Y.

83 ....Maxwell Moadel..................Brookville, N.Y.

91 ....Avi Anand............................Dix Hills, N.Y.

92 ....Lazar Ivan Markovic............Lattingtown, N.Y.

99 ....Benjamin Reichbach ..........Syosset, N.Y.

101 ..Luke Karniewich ................Glen Head, N.Y.

108 ..Alexander Roti ....................Locust Valley, N.Y.

114 ..Matthew Terlovsky..............Merrick, N.Y.

121 ..Niles Ghaffar ......................Massapequa, N.Y.

122 ..Jack Louchheim ................Sagaponack, N.Y.

133 ..Valentine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y.

134 ..Adrian Krisofer Tsui ............Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

137 ..Sol Yoon ..............................Commack, N.Y.

144 ..Josh Gelfond ......................Port Jefferson, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City4 ......Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

6 ......Athell Patrick Bennett ........Valley Stream, N.Y.

12 ....Yuval Solomon....................Plainview, N.Y.

14 ....Sean Mullins........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

17 ....Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y.

25 ....Sean Patrick........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

26 ....Colin Francis Sacco............Brightwaters, N.Y.

34 ....Daniel Shleimovich ............Syosset, N.Y.

35 ....Alan Delman........................Great Neck, N.Y.


39 ....Chris Kuhnle........................Shoreham, N.Y.

42 ....Kyle Hudson Gower ..........Oceanside, N.Y.

43 ....Finbar Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y.

47 ....Mark Julian Baker ..............North Baldwin, N.Y.

50 ....Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

53 ....Rajan Vohra ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

59 ....Daniel Weitz ........................Roslyn, N.Y.

60 ....Michael Medvedev ............Albertson, N.Y.

62 ....Aziz Rashidzada ................Dix Hills, N.Y.

63 ....Keegan James Morris ........Franklin Square, N.Y.

68 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y.

75 ....Patrick Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

88 ....Andy Zhou ..........................Commack, N.Y.

102 ..Nicholas Braden Gunther ..East Hampton, N.Y.

106 ..Matthew Franklin Porges ..Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

113 ..Julian Thomas MacGurn....Amagansett, N.Y.

115 ..Brady Berman ....................Glen Head, N.Y.

119 ..Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

123 ..Timothy Hayden Nacca......Garden City, N.Y.

126 ..Athanasios Bilis ..................East Hampton, N.Y.

128 ..Xin Eric Yu ..........................Manhasset, N.Y.

130 ..Marco Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y.

131 ..Bruno Paolino Alves ..........East Hampton, N.Y.

136 ..George Kaslow ..................Port Washington, N.Y.

137 ..Nicolas Demaria..................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

144 ..Gardner Howe ....................Locust Valley, N.Y.

145 ..Daniel Hyunjae Chang........Manhasset, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City6 ......Daniel Grunberger ..............Great Neck, N.Y.

9 ......Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y.

14 ....Noah B. Rubin ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

15 ....Josh Silverstein ..................Great Neck, N.Y.

19 ....Jesse M. Levitin ..................Manhasset, N.Y.

20 ....Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

26 ....Eric Wagner ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

27 ....Bryant J. Born ....................Manhasset, N.Y.

31 ....Sean Mullins........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

36 ....Athell Bennett......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

47 ....Dylan Appel ........................Locust Valley, N.Y.


50 ....Brian Hoffarth......................Fort Salonga, N.Y.

53 ....Alexander Lebedev ............Island Park, N.Y.

59 ....Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

67 ....Kyle Alper ............................Dix Hills, N.Y.

73 ....Michael James DeNigris ....Islip, N.Y.

81 ....Colin Francis Sacco............Brightwaters, N.Y.

86 ....Julian Zlobinsky ..................Greenvale, N.Y.

94 ....Chris Kuhnle........................Shoreham, N.Y.

98 ....Mark Julian Baker ..............North Baldwin, N.Y.

101 ..Dylan Granat ......................Woodbury, N.Y.

102 ..Justin Park ..........................Huntington, N.Y.

103 ..Palmer T. Clare....................North Bellmore, N.Y.

110 ..Fernando Fernandes Filho..East Hampton, N.Y.

120 ..Joseph James D’Orazio ....Saint James, N.Y.

124 ..William Bader......................Water Mill, N.Y.

125 ..Jake Sandler ......................Lynbrook, N.Y.

130 ..Duane Davis........................Dix Hills, N.Y.

135 ..Sean Patrick........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

136 ..Stephen Gruppuso ............Bayport, N.Y.

138 ..Daniel Khodosh ..................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

140 ..Florimond Le Goupil-Maier..Oceanside, N.Y.

143 ..Cooper Francis Lacertera ..Speonk, N.Y.

146 ..Rajan Jai Vohra ..................Glen Head, N.Y.

147 ..David Henry Reinharz ........Rockville Centre, N.Y.

148 ..Kyle Hudson Gower ..........Oceanside, N.Y.

149 ..Ross Reiffman ....................Melville, N.Y.

GIRLSSectional Girls 12 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City3 ......Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y.

10 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y.

19 ....Amy Delman........................Great Neck, N.Y.

21 ....Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y.

35 ....Ivanna Nikolic......................Glen Head, N.Y.

47 ....Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y.

49 ....Janae Fouche ....................Freeport, N.Y.

52 ....Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y.

53 ....Rose Hayes ........................East Moriches, N.Y.

57 ....Kavina Amin ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

62 ....Alina Rebeca Lyakhov........Great Neck, N.Y.

63 ....Kaya Amin ..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

74 ....Sofia Rose Anzalone ..........Center Moriches, N.Y.

80 ....Madison Smith....................Glen Cove, N.Y.

83 ....Madeline Sarah Richmond Syosset, N.Y.


94 ....Janelle Chen ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

100 ..Alexis Madison Huber ........Melville, N.Y.

102 ..Julianna Romeo..................Massapequa, N.Y.

106 ..Rebecca Suarez..................Huntington, N.Y.

112 ..Jade Eggleston ..................Stony Brook, N.Y.

116 ..Emily Tannenbaum ............Commack, N.Y.

117 ..Bianca Rose Lorich ............Southampton, N.Y.

121 ..Olivia N. Fermo ..................Smithtown, N.Y.

134 ..Sydney Simmons................East Northport, N.Y.

140 ..Andrea Irta Brazyte ............Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 14 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City8 ......Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y.

18 ....Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

22 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y.


37 ....Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y.


53 ....Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y.

64 ....Denise Lai............................Setauket, N.Y.

67 ....Alexa Susan Goetz ............Greenlawn, N.Y.

74 ....Trinity Chow ........................Glen Cove, N.Y.

80 ....Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y.

85 ....Kimberly Liao ......................Commack, N.Y.

89 ....Ivanna Nikolic......................Glen Head, N.Y.

97 ....Madeline Clinton ................Manhasset, N.Y.

110 ..Lucia Hu ..............................Roslyn, N.Y.

122 ..Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y.

126 ..Hannah Vinod Abraham ....Syosset, N.Y.

134 ..Madeline Richmond ..........Syosset, N.Y.

139 ..Steffi Antao..........................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

147 ..Calista Sha..........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

150 ..Jade Fixon-Owoo ..............Lynbrook, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City2 ......Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

5 ......Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y.

14 ....Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y.

15 ....Jasmine Olivia Abidi ..........Glen Head, N.Y.

20 ....Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y.

23 ....Ashley Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y.

28 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y.

38 ....Celeste Rose Matute..........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

47 ....Courtney B. Kowalsky........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

52 ....Ester Chikvashvili................Melville, N.Y.

53 ....Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

70 ....Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

74 ....Amanda Allison Foo ..........Manhasset, N.Y.

88 ....Oliva Rose Scordo..............Glen Head, N.Y.

95 ....Stephanie Nakash ..............Great Neck, N.Y.

102 ..Trinity Chow ........................Glen Cove, N.Y.

104 ..Michelle Roitgarts ..............Roslyn, N.Y.

114 ..Morgan Wilkins ..................Huntington, N.Y.

118 ..Rachel Weiss ......................Great Neck, N.Y.

120 ..Alexandra Waldman ..........East Hampton, N.Y.

121 ..Julia Kielan ..........................Valley Stream, N.Y.

122 ..Stephanie Chikvashvili ......Melville, N.Y.

125 ..Samantha Lena Galu..........Jericho, N.Y.

126 ..Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y.

127 ..Montaine Le Goupil-Maier ..Oceanside, N.Y.

133 ..Emily Shutman....................Huntington, N.Y.

141 ..Ellen Nicole Huhulea ..........Rockville Centre, N.Y.

145 ..Dominique Woinarowski ....Syosset, N.Y.

146 ..Theodora Brebenel ............Glen Head, N.Y.

149 ..Julieta Eulau........................Oceanside, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City2 ......Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

4 ......Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y.

10 ....Aleksandra Mally ................Franklin Square, N.Y.

12 ....Madison Courtney Appel ..Locust Valley, N.Y.

18 ....Taylor S. Cosme..................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

35 ....Mia M. Vecchio ..................Manhasset, N.Y.

61 ....Aimee Manfredo ................Shoreham, N.Y.

62 ....Nicole Koskovolis ..............Manhasset, N.Y.

63 ....Eirini Margarita Kontaki ......West Islip, N.Y.

70 ....Lauren Ann Livingston........Sands Points, N.Y.

81 ....Courtney Provan ................Dix Hills, N.Y.

85 ....Ashley Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y.

88 ....Rebecca Elizabeth Stern....Dix Hills, N.Y.

91 ....Shanice Nadia Arthur ........Glen Head, N.Y.

102 ..Nicole Kielan ......................Valley Stream, N.Y.

105 ..Katie Jane Cirella ................Woodbury, N.Y.

108 ..Stephanie Nakash ..............Great Neck, N.Y.



114 ..Bridget Elaine Harding........Northport, N.Y.

120 ..Julia Khan............................Port Washington, N.Y.

122 ..Sunaina Vohra ....................Glen Head, N.Y.

125 ..Claudia Ruiz ........................Glen Head, N.Y.

128 ..Dominique Woinarowski ....Syosset, N.Y.

131 ..Mara Danielle Stewart ........Oceanside, N.Y.

132 ..Vanessa Scott ....................Dix Hills, N.Y.

140 ..Celeste Rose Matute..........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

141 ..Montaine Le Goupil-Maier Oceanside, N.Y.

142 ..Michele Sheila Lehat ..........Great Neck, N.Y.

143 ..Danielle Mirabella................Wantagh, N.Y.

149 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y.

Boys & Girls

National Rankings(as of 12/17/14)

BOYSNational Boys 12 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City5 ......Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y.

6 ......Billy G. Suarez ....................Huntington, N.Y.

59 ....Logan Paik Chang ..............Old Westbury, N.Y.

69 ....Sujay Sharma......................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

89 ....Sam Reichbach ..................Syosset, N.Y.

125 ..Isaac Smith ........................Glen Cove, N.Y.

128 ..Maxwell Moadel..................Brookville, N.Y.

187 ..Aman K. Sharma ................Glen Head, N.Y.

222 ..Rohan Reddy......................Glen Head, N.Y.

339 ..Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y.

533 ..Alexander Karman..............Port Washington, N.Y.

905 ..Ty Nisenson ........................Port Washington, N.Y.

907 ..Ian Schunk ..........................Westhampton Beach, N.Y.

National Boys 14 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City30 ....Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y.

54 ....Ronald P. Hohmann............Oyster Bay, N.Y.

61 ....Patrick Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y.


65 ....Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y.

70 ....Neel Raj ..............................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

160 ..Michael Medvedev ............Oceanside, N.Y.

400 ..Karan K. Amin ....................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

466 ..Spencer Brachman ............Commack, N.Y.

572 ..Billy Suarez..........................Huntington, N.Y.

694 ..Abhinav Raj Srivastava ......Melville, N.Y.

980 ..Kabir Rajpal ........................Syosset, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City30 ....Brenden Andrew Volk ........Dix Hills, N.Y.

65 ....Patrick Athell Bennett ........Valley Stream, N.Y.

127 ..Sean Mullins........................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

153 ..Yuval Solomon....................Plainview, N.Y.

231 ..Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y.

296 ..Colin Francis Sacco............Brightwaters, N.Y.

316 ..Sean Patrick........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

320 ..Finbar Talcott ......................Sea Cliff, N.Y.

354 ..Brian Shi..............................Jericho, N.Y.

402 ..Daniel Shleimovich ............Syosset, N.Y.

508 ..Alan Delman........................Great Neck, N.Y.

519 ..Pete Siozios ........................New Hyde Park, N.Y.

674 ..Rajan Jai Vohra ..................Glen Head, N.Y.

730 ..Chris Kuhnle........................Shoreham, N.Y.

828 ..Mark Julian Baker ..............North Baldwin, N.Y.

931 ..Daniel Weitz ........................Roslyn, N.Y.

947 ..Daniel Eric Pellerito ............Syosset, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City24 ....Noah B. Rubin ....................Rockville Centre, N.Y.

25 ....Daniel Grundberger ............Great Neck, N.Y.

39 ....Josh Silverstein ..................Great Neck, N.Y.

128 ..Lubomir Cuba ....................Massapequa Park, N.Y.

152 ..Alexander Lebedev ............Island Park, N.Y.

172 ..Eric Wagner ........................Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

180 ..Brenden Volk ......................Dix Hills, N.Y.

246 ..Bryant Born ........................Manhasset, N.Y.

294 ..Julian Zlobinski ..................Greenvale, N.Y.

302 ..Jesse Levitin ......................Manhasset, N.Y.

398 ..Sean M. Mullins ..................Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.

586 ..Dylan Hobbs Appel ............Locust Valley, N.Y.

624 ..Brian Hoffarth......................Fort Salonga, N.Y.

825 ..Brian Shi..............................Jericho, N.Y.

892 ..Ryan Goetz ........................Greenlawn, N.Y.

914 ..Billy Suarez..........................Huntington, N.Y.

GIRLSNational Girls 12 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City25 ....Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y.



119 ..Madison Jane Williams ......Glen Cove, N.Y.

325 ..Ivanna Nikolic......................Glen Head, N.Y.

960 ..Soraya Koblence ................Jericho, N.Y.

970 ..Janae Fouche ....................Freeport, N.Y.

974 ..Madison Smith....................Glen Cove, N.Y.

987 ..Rebecca Suarez..................Huntington, N.Y.

National Girls 14 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City14 ....Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y.

130 ..Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y.

350 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y.


604 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y.

634 ..Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y.

671 ..Amy Delman........................Great Neck, N.Y.

904 ..Alexa Susan Goetz ............Greenlawn, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City27 ....Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

30 ....Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y.

170 ..Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y.


302 ..Jasmine Abidi ....................Glen Head, N.Y.

334 ..Ashley Lessen ....................Old Westbury, N.Y.

373 ..Celeste Rose Matute..........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

471 ..Courtney B. Kowalsky........Oyster Bay, N.Y.

694 ..Courtney Provan ................Dix Hills, N.Y.

758 ..Jacqueline Rae Buzkin ......Manorville, N.Y.


National Girls 18 Singles—Long Island PlayersRank Name ......................................City51 ....Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y.

83 ....Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

222 ..Madison Courtney Appel ..Locust Valley, N.Y.

263 ..Aleksandra Mally ................Franklin Square, N.Y.

356 ..Taylor S. Cosme..................New Hyde Park, N.Y.


720 ..Nicole Koskovolis ..............Manhasset, N.Y.

732 ..Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y.

754 ..Mia Vecchio ........................Manhasset Hills, N.Y.

874 ..Aimee Manfredo ................Shoreham, N.Y.

989 ..Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y.


USTA/Long Island Region 2015

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULEFor detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

JANUARY 2015

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1L1B GHRC Winter ChallengerGlen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head RoadGlen Head, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, e-mail [email protected] orcall (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1L1B Bethpage State Park Winter ChallengerBethpage Park Tennis Center99 Quaker Meeting House RoadFarmingdale, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14(SE)Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Jan. 25 at 10:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1L1B January Blue Starz ChallengerLong Beach Tennis Center899 Monroe BoulevardLong Beach, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 16 (SE) and Challenger Mixed Doubles: 78’ Yel-low Ball 16 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1L1B Christopher Morley Tennis Center January ChallengerChristopher Morley Tennis Center500 Searingtown RoadRoslyn, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Jan. 25 at 5:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 & February 6-8L2R Long Island Regional at Deer Park TCDeer Park Tennis Center30 Burt DriveDeer Park, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Sin-gles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $48.88 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 23 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] call (631) 667-3476.

Saturday, January 31L3 10U UPS & 8U Playday at Sportime SyossetSportime Syosset75 Haskett DriveSyosset, N.Y.Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles:36’ Red Ball 8, 60’ Orange Ball 10 (RR)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries isWednesday, Jan. 28 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 364-2727.

FEBRUARY 2015

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L1B GHRC February ChallengerGlen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head RoadGlen Head, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’Green Ball 10 (FMLC)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, e-mail [email protected] call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L1B Sportime at Kings Park February RegionalSportime-Kings Park275 Old Indianhead RoadKings Park, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, call (631) 269-6300.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L2O WG February OpenWorld Gym Racquet & Sports Arena384 Mark Tree RoadEast Setauket, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ YellowBall 14, 18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE)Surface Type: Clay IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doublesFor more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L1B Warriors ClassicLong Beach Tennis Center899 Monroe BoulevardLong Beach, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 14 (SE) and Challenger Mixed-Doubles: 78’ Yel-low Ball 14 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 2 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L2O Bethpage State Park Winter OpenBethpage Park Tennis Center99 Quaker Meeting House RoadFarmingdale, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 16 (SE)Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 1 at 10:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L2O Sportime Lynbrook February OpenSportime Tennis Lynbrook175 Merrick RoadLynbrook, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles:60’ Orange Ball 10 (FMLC)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $48.88 per playerFor more information, [email protected] or call (516) 887-1330.


Friday-Sunday, February 6-8L1B CMTC Winter ChallengerChristopher Morley Tennis Center500 Searingtown RoadRoslyn, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Feb. 1 at 5:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(917) 991-0088.

Saturday-Sunday, February 7-8L3 RWTTC February UPSRobbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove60 Sea Cliff AvenueGlen Cove, N.Y.Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12-14 (RR)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday,Feb. 3 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15L2O GHRC Winter OpenGlen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head RoadGlen Head, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’ Yel-low Ball 12 (SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doublesFor more information, e-mail [email protected] orcall (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15L3 Sportime Kings Park Eastern UPSSportime-Kings Park275 Old Indianhead RoadKings Park, N.Y.Divisions: Entry Level Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball14-18 (RR)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Feb. 8 at 9:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] orcall (631) 269-6300.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15L2O Ketchup OpenLong Beach Tennis Center899 Monroe BoulevardLong Beach, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) and Intermediate Mixed-Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 9 at 3:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16L1A Sportime Bethpage February ChampionshipsSportime Bethpage101 Norcross AvenueBethpage, N.Y.Divisions: Championships Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thurs-day, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16L1A CMTC February ChampionshipsChristopher Morley Tennis Center500 Searingtown RoadRoslyn, N.Y.Divisions: Championships Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thurs-day, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(917) 991-0088.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16L1A Deer Park February ChampionshipsDeer Park Tennis Center30 Burt DriveDeer Park, N.Y.Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ YellowBall 18 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thurs-day, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] call (631) 667-3476.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16L1A Huntington February ChampionshipsHuntington Indoor Tennis100 BroadwayHuntington Station, N.Y.Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ YellowBall 16 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday,Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)For more information, call (631) 421-0040.

Saturday-Monday, February 14-16USTA National Selection Tournament—February at RWTTCRobbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove60 Sea Cliff AvenueGlen Cove, N.Y.Divisions: Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (FIC-R16) andBoys Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE)Surface Type: Clay IndoorEntry Fee: $134.88 for one event; $135.38 for two events;additional fees may apply if registered in three or moreevents (deadline for entries is Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11:59a.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22L1B GHRC Winter ChallengerGlen Head Racquet Club95 Glen Head RoadGlen Head, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball14, 18 (SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, e-mail [email protected] call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22L2O Sportime Syosset February OpenSportime Syosset75 Haskett DriveSyosset, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(FMLC); Intermediate Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18(SE) and Intermediate Boys Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18(SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 364-2727.




Friday-Sunday, February 20-22L2R Sportime Bethpage February RegionalSportime Bethpage101 Norcross AvenueBethpage, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(FMLC); Intermediate Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18(SE) and Intermediate Girls Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-18(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles(deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m.)For more information, [email protected] or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22L1B CMTC February ChallengerChristopher Morley Tennis Center500 Searingtown RoadRoslyn, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12(SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Feb. 15 at 5:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22L1B Sportime Quogue February ChallengerSportime of The Hamptons2571 Quogue Riverhead RoadEast Quogue, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16(SE)Surface Type: Clay IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, e-mail [email protected] orcall (631) 653-6767.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L2O Sportime Kings Park February OpenSportime-Kings Park275 Old Indianhead RoadKings Park, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ YellowBall 16-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 12, 16-18 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doublesFor more information, e-mail [email protected] orcall (631) 269-6300.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B WG 10U Winter ChallengerWorld Gym Racquet & Sports Arena384 Mark Tree RoadEast Setauket, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’Green Ball 10 (FMLC)Surface Type: Clay IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B Tennis Gladiatorz ChampionshipsLong Beach Tennis Center899 Monroe BoulevardLong Beach, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’Green Ball 10 (FMLC)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doublesFor more information, [email protected] or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B Sportime Syosset Winter ChallengerSportime Syosset75 Haskett DriveSyosset, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball16 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 per playerFor more information, [email protected] or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B Bethpage State Park Winter ChallengerBethpage Park Tennis Center99 Quaker Meeting House RoadFarmingdale, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Feb. 22 at 10:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 359-4843.



Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B CMTC February ChallengerChristopher Morley Tennis Center500 Searingtown RoadRoslyn, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball18 (SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday,Feb. 22 at 5:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L2O Sportime Lynbrook Winter OpenSportime Tennis Lynbrook175 Merrick RoadLynbrook, N.Y.Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ YellowBall 16-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’Yellow Ball 12, 16-18 (SE)Surface Type: Hard IndoorEntry Fee: $48.88 for first singles, $23 for first doublesFor more information, [email protected] or call (516) 887-1330.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1L1B RWTTC Winter ChallengerRobbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove60 Sea Cliff AvenueGlen Cove, N.Y.Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball14 (SE)Surface Type: UnknownEntry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday,Feb. 20 at 5:00 p.m.)For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call(516) 759-0505.


Dr. Drew Tortoriello, M.D. Medical Directorof SIRM New YorkBoard Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist

Sher Institute - New YorkState-of-Art Fertility Center425 Fifth Avenue • New York, NY 10016Toll Free: (866) 747-6692 Phone: (646) 792-7476 Fax: (646) [email protected]

Sher Institute - WestchesterPhone: (914) 696-7476

From the moment you walk into our state-of-the-art fertility center located on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan,you'll feel the warmth and compassion that will define your experience at our reproductive center.

Our professional services include: General Infertility, In Vitro Fertilization, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), ICSI,Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Reproductive Surgery, and Egg Donation and Surrogacy.

Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Affiliates With SIRM-NYWe are pleased to be affiliated with Michael Bennett L.Ac., Dipl. O.M. from Metropolitan Acupuncture & HerbalMedicine, LLC in our SIRM-New York office. Michael Bennett is a Licensed Acupuncturist in New York and NewJersey and is a Board Certified Herbal Medicine Consultant by the National Certification Commission for Acupunctureand Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). As our in-house acupuncturist and herbalist, Michael specializes in the treatmentof female and male infertility, stress and pain. He offers free consultation to new patients.

Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, LLC425 Fifth Avenue at 38th St. | Third Floor | New York, NY 10016 | Office: 347.565.4255

Did you know that Acupuncture can positively impact your chances to conceive?

It is a safe and scientifically-proven method to enhancefertility and increase your chances of conception!

At Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, we specialize in helping couples make the journey from infertility to family. We are conveniently located in Manhattan on the third floor of 425 Fifth Avenue at the

corner of 38th street, across the street from Lord & Taylor.We are the official acupuncture and herbal medicine practice for the renowned Sher Institute

for Reproductive Medicine in Manhattan.

To discuss your condition or to schedule an appointment call:

Michael Bennett L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.

347.565.4255For more information, please visit: www.metropolitanacupuncture.com

“We help complete your journey to parenthood”

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© 2014 Feld Motor Sports, Inc. Competitors shown are subject to change.

Kids’ Tickets $10!

Ages 2-12. Limit of four (4) kids’ tickets with purchase of a full-price adult ticket. Prices vary by performance. Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability.

Buy Tickets: Ticketmaster.com

FEB. 6 – 8


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Long Island Tennis Magazine January/February 2015