Long Island Tennis Magazine January/February 2015

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

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Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate Title hile most of their compatriots are prepping for semester-end finals, Wake Forest freshman and 2014 Wimbledon boys’ champion Noah Rubin from Rockville Centre, N.Y.; University of Virginia junior Julia Elbaba from Oyster Bay, N.Y.; and UCLA senior Robin Anderson from Matawan, N.J. each took a break to win singles matches leading the United States to a 4-1 victory over host France in the Master’U BNP Paribas Finals.

The victories earned the U.S. its fourth straight title at the international collegiate team competition. Boise State men’s coach Greg Patton and California women’s coach Amanda Augustus served as coaches for the team.

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

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senior Nathan Pasha (Atlanta), University of Virginia sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) and UCLA senior Chanelle Van 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’s and one men’s doubles match and a mixed doubles match.

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

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Table Of Contents 2015 Australian Open Preview

6 A Look Back at the Year That Was

By Andrew Eichenholz The 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

Feature Stories

2014 14 YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs 26

14 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 winners and 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 your child started in the sport, our guide to the top clubs in 2015 will offer the area’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 to the States and enjoyed success, and both Nassau and Suffolk Counties crowned their champions.

Features 1 9 10 12 25 40 52

Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate Title National Tennis Center Hosts Successful One-on-One Doubles Tournament Is American Tennis Down a Set to Economics? By Miguel Cervantes III Sportime World Tour Makes a Stop in Beijing BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Federer Meeting Dimitrov and Classic Matchup Between Seles and Sabatini Oyster Bay’s Elbaba Captures National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship Health & Wellness: Improving Your Match Performance by Eliminating Sweat By James Christian

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

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JAN./FEB. 2015 Vol 7, No 1

Long Island Tennis Magazine

MAGAZINE

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

Staff David Sickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. 309 • david@usptennis.com Joel M. Berman President (516) 409-4444, ext. 310 • joel@usptennis.com

the court. We take a closer nder. See page 6 Cover photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Eric C. Peck Editor-in-Chief (516) 409-4444, ext. 312 • eric@usptennis.com Joey Arendt Managing Art Director

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

Featured Columns 4 18 20 22 34 38 42 45 46

48 50 53 54 66 67 70

Across Long Island … News and Notes From Across the L.I. Tennis Community Court Six: Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column

By Emilie Katz Adult League Wrap-Up By Kathy Miller The Myths of Tennis Movement (Part 1) By Steven Kaplan The Secret to Peak Performance: More Than an Athlete, A Person First … Athlete Second By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC USTA Eastern Long Island Region Update College Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters—Getting to Know Some of New York City’s Top College Tennis Coaches By Ricky Becker The Jensen Zone: A New Booming Serve … Just a Click Away

By Luke Jensen Fitness & Nutrition: Fueling Tennis Players By Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD, CDN and The Delicate Connection Between Fitness and Focus

By Carl Barnett Tennis Injury Prevention: Battling Patellar Tendonitis on the Tennis Court By Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS A Collegiate Coach Recruiting Adventure: On the Road Again

By Lonnie Mitchel Hidden Secrets of the Greats: Billie Jean King By Dr. Tom Ferraro Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques By Lisa Dodson Long Island Tennis Club Directory Long Island Rankings USTA/Long Island Region 2015 Tournament Schedule

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

Francine Miller Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 301 • francinem@usptennis.com Matthew Cohen Director of Business Development (516) 409-4444, ext. 306 Brian Coleman Editorial Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. 314 • brianc@usptennis.com Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Beverly Bolnick National Sales Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 316 Scott Koondel Operations Manager (516) 409-4444, ext. 324 Andrew Eichenholz Editorial Contributor

Calvin Rhoden Staff Photographer

Michael Cervantes Editorial Contributor

Samantha Sklar Intern

Gary Simeone Editorial Contributor

Sarah Sklar Intern

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

Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue.

Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600.

Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication3of any articles, information or data.

Across Long Isla Carefree’s Kathy Miller to receive USTA Eastern’s Tennis Woman of the Year Award Kathy Miller of Merrick, N.Y. was named USTA Eastern’s Tennis Woman of the Year for her significant contribution to the game of tennis. Miller will receive the award at USTA Eastern’s Tennis Conference, set for Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in White Plains, N.Y. Miller has served on the Long Island Region Board for 20 years and has been a USTA

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League Coordinator for 30 years, providing approximately 4,000 Long Island tennis players with the opportunity to participate in USTA Adult, Mixed and Tri-Level Leagues.

Heavily embedded in the tennis world, Miller is also manager at Carefree Racquet Club in Merrick, N.Y. “It’s nice watching people come together playing tennis,” Miller said. “Seeing people who haven’t met before play, then set up other matches to play in the future shows how tennis brings people together.”

Along with programming a variety of leagues, running tournaments and managing a large junior program, Miller spear-

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

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

The Merrick PAL offers three 10-week sessions annually and features tennis instruction for kids, conducted by high school seniors, as well as college students.

Each session provides more than 150 kids with hands-on tennis lessons.

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

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

and

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

Long Island juniors take to the courts Ty Nisenson (pictured right), who trains at Point Set, is the son of Point Set Tennis Pro David Nisenson, and is coached

by Brett Nisenson. Ty recently participated at the Junior Orange Bowl qualifiers in Miami in December.

Long Islanders Alexus Huber and Julia Raziel at a training session at Bethpage Park Tennis Center. Alexis won a recent Girls 14s L2O event, and Julia was the runner-up.

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

Brian Shi, a Jericho, N.Y. native, recently competed at one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the country, the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships. Brian reached the finals in both singles and doubles, and eliminated some of the top juniors in the world on his way. He has experienced success at all junior levels, and currently finds himself ranked 586th in the ITF 18 & Under Division at the age of 14. Here Brian (right) is pictured is with his coach, Mihai Grecu (left) at IMG Academy.

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

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2015 Austr

The pros head Down Und

By Andrew Eichenholz eading into the 2015 Australian Open, there are many storylines with a great deal of unpredictable endings in store for the upcoming year. One great of the game proved to the world that age is no barrier in 2014, while another raised questions on just how many times he could get up from a knockout punch. In the women’s game, young stars are reaching the horizon, with the superstar looking to maintain her reign.

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The men’s side of the Aussie Open draw The contenders Credit photo: USTA

Wo u l d R o g e r Federer ever be at the top of the sport again? If 73 match wins in 2014 did not answer that question, it is hard to say what will. Federer not only showed the world that he was not done yet, but he shoved it in everybody’s face, nearly overtaking Novak Djokovic for the world number one ranking towards the season’s end. Furthermore, it is never fair to think that the man who has won more majors and held the top spot in the world rankings more than anybody else does not have a shot at the Grand Slam.

Expect Federer to be challenging Djokovic.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Not enough could be said about the fall season that Novak Djokovic had in 2014. The new father went 19-1, winning the

World Tour Finals to cap it off. When a semifinal performance at the U.S. Open is considered an extreme disappointment, it is safe to say that this man will be the favorite down under. Nobody has been more consistent at the majors in recent years, and there are no signs that he will slow down.

Up and down.

After winning the Australian Open last season, that is exactly what the new Swiss Superstar Stanislas Wawrinka was. He had a tournament here and there where he would show the groundstrokes that can compete and overpower anybody in the world, and others where it was the Stan of a few years ago who showed up. Nevertheless, Wawrinka closed his season strongly in London, looking like his Australian Open-winning self, something everybody should be scared of come the first Grand Slam of the season.

The pretenders Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

There is nobody who questions or will ever say anything about Rafael Nadal’s toughness.

Injury after injury has popped up over the years, leaving fans and players alike wondering if the man who grew to become “The Federer Slayer” would ever be “himself” again. Every time, he proved those questions silly, coming back better than ever. After quite some time off of the court, however, a hard court at that, it is

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

Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Nobody will ever take Marin Cilic’s 2014 U.S. Open title away. Nobody. But, it seems like that run in Flushing Meadows may have been a flash in the pan, because his results have not backed up his major championship. Lower-ranked players who the Croatian encounters early on will look at Cilic as a marked man, and will want that “upset match” that much more. He could still win the matches in which he is favored, but do not expect another Cinderella story for Cilic Down Under.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

There is no doubt that Kei Nishikori will be around the top tier of men’s tennis for a long, long time. Perhaps one of the very best pound for pound players in the world, his pure groundstroke game is extraordinary. However, with size does come limitations. He caught Djokovic on one of his worst days in years with the best tennis he had ever played to win their U.S. Open semifinal match, but what are the chances that it happens again? Nishikori has been playing at such a high level in the last year or even two, that he is bound for a hiccup.

The sleepers As hard as it is to call the world number six a sleeper, Andy Murray is this year in Melbourne. Ever since his Wimbledon title, Murray has been in a sort of slump. At the end of this past season, he started to hit out

ralian Open Preview Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

der to kick off the new year more on the ball, moving his feet into more aggressive positions on the court, leading to success. Murray can be a very good tennis player while constantly on the defense, but he can only be great playing offense first. Look for him to do so Down Under.

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

There are very few, if any, who have the same raw power as the big Czech.

Tomas Berdych can hit both a forehand and backhand from anywhere on the court for a winner. The question is, could he build a point effectively against the top guys and not be afraid to make the first move in a rally? Berdych can beat anybody on his given day, so why not the Australian Open

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

The women’s side of the Aussie Open draw The contenders Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Regardless of how anybody in the world plays on a given day, they will not be able to beat Serena Williams at her best. With the best serve in the game by leaps and bounds, her opponents are on their back foot in a point right off of the return. From there, few players in tennis history have been better at keeping the foot on the gas, with deep groundstrokes that push anybody and everybody around. If Serena has a good serving tournament, she may not even need her best game off of the ground to win. That is how impacting it is.

Goldberg

Maria Sharapova may possibly be the most focused and mentally tough individual on either the men’s or women’s tour. There are very few players in the sport right now who are quite as professional as Sharapova. By the way, she can hit the ball too. Her serving may be a bit too inconsistent to truly give Serena a run for her money, but her blistering groundstrokes will mow down the rest of the field.

Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

The ending of Caroline Wozniacki’s engagement must have done the trick, as the Danish marathon-running star has been nothing but successful on the tennis court since her wellknown break up

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Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Toughness is not something that can simply be taught.

David Ferrer is perhaps the toughest on the ATP Tour, and he certainly plays like it.

Nobody, from the lowest-seeded entry to Novak Djokovic, will get a free point against the Spanish speedster. Ferrer has sneakily aggressive groundstrokes, and if any of the top guys are off of their game when they meet in the back end of a tourna-

Photo credit: Kenneth B.

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

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2015 australian open preview continued from page 7 early on in 2014 with golfer Rory McIlroy. For a period of time, she tried to win matches against the better players on the WTA Tour solely with her defensive skills, which are very good. However, as she showed with her play towards the end of last season, she can do so much more when she controls points and dictates play, which will lead to a successful Australian Open campaign.

The pretenders Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Very few expected Ana Ivanovic to bring back her glory days in 2014, yet she proved that she can still play. At just 27 years of age, the still-young Serbian star feels like she has been on the WTA Tour forever, but she still has time left. She has proven in her career, she cannot serve consistently enough to stay at the top of the game, and after a break is the most convenient time for that serve to fall off track.

Without a doubt, the consistency award for 2014 should go to Simona Halep. Nobody on the WTA Tour was as daunting to those ranked The sleepers Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal below her, and even Not many players above her. At the have tested Serena year-end champiwhile she was at onships, Halep her best. Victoria bludgeoned Serena, which almost noAzarenka is one of body has ever done. The thing is, Halep’s them, and she is game had been a new commodity to coming off of a foot everybody, and now that she is at the injury that severely top, everybody will be going after her. limited her last seaShe had lost more of the matches she son. People seem should win towards the end of the seato have forgotten son, so look out at the Australian Open. about her while she has been out, but look for the Belarusian sensation to hit the ground Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden Nobody in profes- running with a big performance at the first sional women’s ten- Grand Slam of the year. nis has as large of a Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden playing range as Through battling Petra Kvitova. On with Sjogren’s Synher best day, her drome and all, serve and suffocatVenus Williams ing forehand is alhas scratched and most impossible to clawed her way beat, especially on back into the top a faster surface in 20 in the world. the heat, like one would find down under.

Many may think But, the first major of the year comes almost that with her age straight off of the offseason, leaving very litshe will be unable tle time to get into top gear. Kvitova has lost to go any further, but as Roger Federer has in the second round or earlier four times at shown, you can never count out a champion. the Australian Open, and it is very possible Venus knocked at the door of a major upset that that number will tick up again.

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at a couple of Grand Slams last season. If she manages to string together a few matches with the serve that the world grew to be in awe of years ago, look out.

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

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

What would an Australian Open preview be without any Australians?

People seem to have totally forgotten with her underwhelming results of late that Samantha Stosur is a Grand Slam champion.

No, she did not make it past the fourth round at a major last season, but her fall campaign showed the potential that the big server has.

For somebody who has possibly the best non-Serena Williams serve, especially second serve in women’s tennis, there is no reason to count the home favorite out.

Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism student at Stony Brook University, where he currently is a staff writer for The Statesman, covering tennis amongst many sports. He grew up playing tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he learned to love the game, eventually becoming a part time tennis instructor, working for the most part with the QuickStart 10 & Under Program. Andrew has also served as a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He may be reached by e-mail at andrew.eichenholz@stonybrook.edu.

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

The National Prize Money One-on-One Doubles Tournament and Live rockin’ blues concert returned to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with a great night of tennis and music. The tournament was won by former Auburn Tiger player Daniel Cochrane, who defeated former Clemson Tiger Derek DiFazio in the finals, 6-1.

Cochrane took home $1,000, while the runner-up DiFazio won $500. Former college players were all over the draw, as two former Florida Gators advanced to the semifinals.

One-on-One Doubles is the half-court serve and volley singles game played on the doubles court. All points are played crosscourt with the alley included. This event is unique to the tennis industry, as both a pro tennis tournament and live concert take place simultaneously to create a fan-friendly,

One-on-One Doubles Director Ed Krass, with event winner Daniel Cochran, formerly of Auburn; runner-up Derek DiFazio, former Clemson Tiger; and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Director of Tennis Whitney Kraft

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

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center supplied a great buffet of food and drinks as recording artists, The F&G Blues Band, played their brand of blues as the matches progressed. Many thanks to One-onOne Doubles Director Ed Krass for putting on such a successful event. For more information, visit www.oneononedoubles.com.

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

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Is American Tennis Down a Set to Economics?

By Miguel Cervantes III have, for some time now, wanted to write about why I think American tennis has suffered in the recent past. Think back to a time, not long ago, when American tennis boasted multiple champions on both the men’s and women’s side. What happened to our dominance? Where are our champions?

As of writing this, the highest ranked male is John Isner, currently ranked 19th in the world. Outside of Serena Williams, the highest ranked female is her sister Venus, ranked 18th in the world. This says a great deal about Serena’s skill

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and tenacity, but where is everyone else?

These are not easy questions to answer and there is no one thing that we can point to and say, “This is where the blame lies.” There is one aspect of the game though that frustrates me, as a coach, more than anything else, and that is the economics of the sport. Tennis can be very pricey, and the economic aspects of the sport can make it difficult or inaccessible to those outside of affluence. This, in turn, has a negative impact on the amount of American talent that can be nurtured.

Basic mathematics suggest that if you have a greater number of players, you have a better chance that some of them will become champions. I fear that the

economics of our sport make it difficult to boast the numbers that some other sports claim. Playing basketball requires very little in terms of economics. A basketball player will need a pair of sneakers and a ball. In many cases, the ball is not even necessary as a potential player can go to a local park and easily play in a pick up a game.

Tennis, on the other hand, requires that we have sneakers, have a racket, have tennis balls, and in many cases (at least in the boroughs) have a permit.

However, there are ways to cut corners.

A player could get a cheap racket online or perhaps from a sporting goods store.

They may play with dead strings or dead balls. The point is that even when cut-

ting corners, tennis is still more expensive and has more barriers to get through. I would argue that the situation is exacerbated when looking at high level competitive play. Being competitive (playing USTA Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments) usually requires a junior to get private coaching, enroll in a club’s competitive program, and perhaps even employ a fitness coach as well. There is less cutting corners since strings will break and tournaments have entry fees.

Again, I’m not arguing that there aren’t costs associated with high level basketball, but the costs associated with tennis seem far greater. The impact of these costs make it so that there will be less tennis players than basketball players.

America excels at producing talented basketball players. The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team has won the Gold Medal in 14 out of the last 17 Olympic Games (not counting the boycotted games). The Women’s National team has won seven out of the last nine Olympic Games (again not counting the boycotted games). Where are the tennis phenoms

of the United States? We haven’t won a Fed Cup since 2000, and haven’t won a Davis Cup since 2007.

I cannot go so far as to say that there is absolutely a direct correlation between the economics of the sport and our success on the world stage, but I think there is a very good argument that could be made that the economics of the sport have hindered us in growing the sport and nurturing talent. Lately, I’ve been cautiously optimistic about where we are going. I see players like Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, and feel that we’re headed in the right direction. I may yet see more than one American male and female in the Top 10.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as I don’t want to sound overly negative without seeing the silver lining. I wrote an article not too long ago about how I became a believer in the low compression balls that make it easier for young children to learn the sport and more importantly, to love the sport.

Another point I’d like to add is to bring greater visibility to the USTA’s Junior

John Isner

Miguel Cervantes III now teaches at Carefree Racquet Club and privately outdoors. Miguel specializes in teaching beginners, training juniors and coaching doubles. He may be reached by e-mail at understandingtennis@gmail.com.

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Going into a Level 3 USTA junior tournament for the first time can be nervewracking and exceptionally intimidating.

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

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Credit all photos to Sarah Sklar

Sportime World Tour Makes a he eyes of the local tennis world were recently on Sportime Kings Park, as the Sportime World Tour kicked off.

The concept is to make the kids feel as if they were real professional players by tying the event to current professional tournaments being played on the ATP/WTA Tours.

The first stop on the Sportime World Tour was “Beijing,” as more than 200 kids turned out for a day of tennis clinics, tournaments, music, food and a chance to hang out with those from all the Sportime locations across Long Island.

The participants were split into three groups, based on their level, Red, Orange or Green. Each child was issued a “Passport” upon arrival and had the chance to walk the red carpet for Instagram/Facebook photos before taking to the courts for the start of the tournament. Sportime pros and coaches worked with the kids to practice fundamentals, while also competing in individual matches that won

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points for their respective teams.

The event was much different than most kids’ 10 & Under Tennis events on Long Island, as the Sportime World Tour brought an international and pro tournament atmosphere to the day. In addition to the kids and their families walking the red carpet and taking part in a miniphoto shoot, players and parents enjoyed catered food and refreshments.

Long Island Tennis Magazine set up radio interviews and on-court interviews with the kids and took photographs of all the fun, along with giving each family a copy of the latest edition.

“The goal of these events is to create a fun and social atmosphere for the players, as well as parents, around the tournament,” said Jason Wass, Sportime Kings Park director of tennis and organizer of the World Tour event. Vendors, such as Grand Slam Tennis and others, had great giveaways and helped make it

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

feel like a community event. The event was free for all who attended, and all left with a smile.

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

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

The players participated in team competition as well.

“We want players to leave with a sense of teamwork and sportsmanship during competition,” said Wass. “It’s important at this age to emphasize attitude and effort over results.”

The next stop on the Sportime World Tour will be “Melbourne,” as there will be an Australian theme as the pros will be in action at the 2015 Australian Open as Stage Two of the Sportime World Tour will take place Saturday, Jan. 31 at Sportime Bethpage.

Stop in Beijing

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

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A Look Back at the Y

BY EMILIE KATZ

2014 Grand Slam Champions

French Open

Wimbledon

l Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,140,000) l Men’s Doubles: Julien Benneteau & Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeated Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez 6-3, 76 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Women’s Singles: Maria Sharapova defeated 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’ prize money: $520,000) l Mixed-Doubles: Anna-Leon Groenefeld & Jean-Julien Rojer defeated Julia Georges & Nenad Zimonjic 4-6, 6-2, 107 (winners’ prize money $548,000)

l Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,860,000) l Men’s Doubles: Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock defeated Bob & Mike Bryan 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (winners’ prize money: $525,000) l Women’s Singles: Petra Kvitova defeated Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 (winners’ 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 & HaiChing Chan 6-4, 6-2 (winners’ prize money: $163,000)

Australian Open

l Men’s Singles: Stanislas Warwinka defeated 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’ prize money: $470,000) l Women’s Singles: Li Na defeated Dominika 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’ prize money: $135,500)

U.S. Open

l Men’s Singles: Marin Cilic defeated Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $3,000,000) l Men’s Doubles: Mike & Bob Bryan defeated Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Women’s Singles: Serena Williams defeated 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 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Mixed-Doubles: Sania Mirza & Bruno 14

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

Year That Was 2014 Soares defeated Abigail Spears & Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 2-6, 11-9 (winners’ prize money: $150,000)

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ATP Year-End Award Winners

l ATP World Tour Number One Player: Novak Djokovic clinched the ATP world number one for a third time, also accomplishing the feat in 2011-2012. Overall in 2014, he won six titles, including Wimbledon and four ATP Tour Masters 1000 crowns. l ATP World Tour Number One Doubles Team: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan will finish as the number one duo in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings for a sixth successive year and record 10th time overall.

The 36-year-old twins won nine titles in 2014, including the U.S. Open and six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. l ATP Stars of Tomorrow: This award is presented to the youngest player in the Top 100 of the ATP rankings. Borna Coric, who began the season ranked outside the top 300, broke into the top 100 on Oct. 27 and reached a career-high ranking of 92. The 17-year-old Croatian made his Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the U.S. Open. His biggest victory was a win over Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of a tournament in Switzerland. l Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Fellow players voted Switzerland’s Roger Federer as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 10th time and fourth year in a row. l ATP Most Improved Player of the Year: Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut climbed from a year-end ranking of 59 last season to a career high of 14 in 2014. He claimed his first ATP Tour title in June, and fin-

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

ATP Comeback Player of the Year: After breaking his left wrist in September 2013, David Goffin returned to the courts at the beginning of 2014 with a ranking of 110th in the world. By the end of June, he only recorded two main draw wins, but after Wimbledon, Goffin couldn’t stop winning. He compiled a 44-4 match record from July onwards. He finished the season with a career-high ranking of 22.

ATP Fan Favorite Singles Player: Roger Federer was voted Fan Favorite for a record 12th straight year.

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

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: One of Andy Murray’s best friends, former player Ross Hutchins, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, though thankfully his cancer went into remission. Another of Murray’s friends, British tennis player Elena Baltacha, was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and passed away at the age of 30. Wanting to help, Murray took part in fundraising exhibitions for Hutchins and Baltacha at Queens Club

and this fall, appeared in a sketch that was a part of Channel 4 in England’s “Stand Up to Cancer” programming.

Murray has also raised awareness for UNICEF, United for Wildlife and Malaria No More. l Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award: San Francisco-based Douglas Robson has been the lead tennis writer for USA Today since 2003. He has been a journalist for two decades, covering a variety of sports, business and generalinterest topics.

WTA Year-End Award Winners

l WTA Fan Favorite Player: Agnieszka Radwanska was voted by the fans as the WTA Fan Favorite Player for the fourth straight year. l WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team: The Italian duo of Sara Errani & Roberta continued on page 16

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

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Vinci have secured the year-end number one ranking, as well as being voted fan favorites.

WTA Fan Favorite Tournament: The fans voted for the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global as their Favorite Tournament of the Year.

Fan Favorite WTA Match of the Year: Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniaki from the 2014 WTA Finals, where Serena regained her composure after smashing her racket and being on the brink of defeat to come back to beat Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

WTA Player of the Year: American Serena Williams finished 2014 as the number one ranked player on the WTA Tour. Serena’s 2014 season was highlighted by six singles titles, including one Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. at the 2014 U.S. Open.

WTA Doubles Team of the Year: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci finished the year as the top-ranked doubles team for a third consecutive year.

They have captured five titles in 2014, including the Australian Open in Melbourne and Wimbledon.

WTA’s Most Improved Player of the Year: Eugenie Bouchard reached the semifinals at three of the four Grand Slams this year and made it to the finals at Wimbledon. She rose as high as number five in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings this season, and also qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals.

WTA Newcomer of the Year: Seventeen-year-old Belinda Bencic, who became the youngest player to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 17 years this summer, was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service: Lucie Safarova earned this award because of her support for fellow players through initiatives such as the WTA Players Council.

Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award: Petra Kvitova was voted for this award by her peers on the WTA

Tour. She was acknowledged because of her professionalism, attitude and sense of fair play. l WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was a Wimbledon semifinalist at the age of 15, semiretired in her mid-20s and is now the WTA Comeback Player of the Year at the age of 32. Mirjana’s career has come full circle, and her efforts were recognized by winning this award.

Players who retired in 2014 ATP Tour Thirty-three-year-old Nikolai Davydenko retires as one of the greatest Russian players to play on the ATP tour.

Davydenko enjoyed a career-best season in 2009, when he won three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and triumphed at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He also reached four Grand Slam semifinals and helped Russia to the 2006 Davis Cup title.

Australian Paul Hanley won 26 ATP World Tour doubles titles in a 17year career. The 36-yearold Hanley, who lived in London for 10 years, has returned to Australia to take up a coaching and management role.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ross Hutchins, who won five doubles titles and reached 14 ATP Tour finals, has decided to retire after a 13-year career. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in December 2012, but returned to competitive tennis in January of 2014 before announcing his retirement from the sport in September.

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

Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram retired at the age of 34. He had a great career, winning two Grand Slam mixeddoubles titles and one men’s doubles crown.

WTA Tour American Mallory Burdette, best known for reaching the third round of the U.S. Open in 2012, announced her retirement from professional tennis after a year of shoulder troubles. She was just 23-years-old when she announced her exit from the sport in October 2014, after being inactive for over a year due to her shoulder injury.

Li Na, Asia’s first Grand Slam singles champion retired in 2014, after a 15-year career due to “chronic” knee injuries at the age of 32. Ranked sixth in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings at the time of her retirement, she won the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014, as well as helping popularize the sport of tennis in Asia.

C O M I N G

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M A R C H

Distribution scheduled for 03/01/15

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He’s back ….!!!

Juan Martin del Potro plans to make a comeback in 2015, and he will start by participating in the seventh annual Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. The tournament begins Jan. 4, and will mark the first time the Argentine has played since Dubai back in late February.

Tying the knot After nearly a decade together, Andy Murray and Kim Sears are engaged. Murray

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and Sears have been a couple for close to nine years, showing that their decision to tie the knot is far from a whirlwind. BBC News states that the pair met at the U.S. Open in 2005 and she has since been present at a slew of his matches. One of their most memorable moments was at Wimbledon in 2013 when cameras caught Murray kissing Sears after beating Novak Djokovic in the Men’s Singles Final.

You’re out!!!!

A French chair umpire has received a lifetime ban, becoming the first official suspended for corruption by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

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

for violating four articles of the TIU’s anti-corruption program. The 22-year-old Lamri violated articles that address betting on matches and match-fixing. He said he was contacted by the TIU a year ago after he worked a couple of Futures events in France.

Crybaby During a match between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals, the focus shifted from the on-court battle, to one coming from the stands.

Wawrinka became increasingly agitated as Federer’s wife, Mirka, yelled from the stands. Wawrinka believed she was talking too loudly as he gathered his concentration. A woman’s voice was heard to be

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

calling out “cry baby” in response to Albert Hall, helping Mylan WTT Smash Hits raise more than $1 million for the Elton John Wawrinka’s objections.

AIDS Foundation, just the second time in the event’s history that they crossed the $1 Time to move on Ivan Lendl, million mark. The night featured five the eight-time matches, starting with Hingis & Watson major tennis beating Clijsters & Lisicki in women’s douchampion, re- bles, 5-4, followed by Tim Henman & Jamie cently put his Murray beating John McEnroe & Andy Roddick 450-acre estate in Goshen, Conn. on the in men’s doubles, 5-0. Lisicki then beat market. The former world number one Watson in women’s singles, 5-3, followed bought the land in the 1980s and had the by Hingis & McEnroe beating Clijsters & four-story Georgian mansion built in 1992. Murray in mixed-doubles, 5-3. The on-court It’s listed with William Pitt of Sotheby’s at action wrapped up with a 5-3 victory for $19,750,000. The 10-bedroom, 12-bath- Henman over Roddick in men’s singles. Team room house also includes an 1,800- Billie Jean beat Team Elton, 22-16. square-foot gym, tennis and basketball courts, and an exercise room. There’s an elevator, indoor and outdoor pools, along with a guest house, cabana and horse barn.

Wozniacki and the gridiron Caroline Wozniacki has had a busy offseason, running in the New York City Marathon and going on vacation with Serena Williams.

But, she reportedly still found time to meet her new boyfriend, Ryan Kerrigan, who plays defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). The two were seen attending a benefit dinner together.

Tweets from the pros

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l l Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): London I’ve missed you … Happy to be back! l Serena Williams (@SerenaWilliams): l You can do whatever you set your mind to. l Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Thx to the @iptl for the amazing 3 weeks. Very proud and lucky to be part of the first edi- l tion. You guys rocked! Thank u so much again! l Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams): RT @EleVenbyVenus: Cutting ribbon on #WilliamsArena #WashDC, renovated l @SETLC_Tennis. Six indoor courts #tennis 4 kids! l Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios): Tough

running session with the star @KikiMladenovic—anytime.

Milos Raonic (@MilosRaonic): When you want something you go out and you get it. The best feeling is having put in all that work to have your aspirations come true!

Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert): Could Gwen Stefani be any lovelier?

Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): #1.

Thank you all, especially my #nolefam. It has been a crazy and wonderful year.

Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): The great moments I spent here will forever be in my memory. Thank you New Delhi!

Tremendous crowd support! Forever grateful Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76): Not in a hurry to leave. Two weeks in paradise. Back to reality. See you soon Kohanaiki. Love Kona.

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

Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7): All about the kids today @ChildrensLA I had a great time meeting with all the kids and making their holiday more fun :) John Isner (@JohnIsner): My Canadian friend, @domesticdrew, thinks Bret Hart was better than the HBK Shawn Michaels. Can y’all please help out and settle this 4 me.

Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki): From the Dubai International Film Festival. Loved the movie, Escobar Paradise Lost. Would definitely recommend it!

Billie Jean King and Sir Elton John Raise $1 Million-Plus Billie Jean King, Elton John and a slew of WTA and ATP World Tour stars raised over $1 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at Mylan WTT Smash Hits. WTA stars Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Sabine Lisicki, Heather Watson and, of course, WTA legend and founder Billie Jean King, were all a part of a magical night at Royal

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

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B Y K AT H Y M I L L E R

efore I give the league report for this issue, I wanted to take a minute to honor a very special woman: Susan Alvy. Susan lost her battle with cancer on Nov. 10. She was the manager of Rockville Racquet, a Long Island board member for the USTA League, winner of the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award, along with being someone whose friendship I valued. Susan and I managed competing clubs. She was at Rockville and me just a few miles away at Carefree. From the start, we knew we didn’t need to compete with each other. We knew we shared many customers and instead of competing, we worked together. One would call the other and ask, “I’m putting a new 3.5 team doubles league together, what day is yours?” If I said, Tuesday, she made sure hers was Thursday and vice-versa. We bounced ideas and thoughts off each other all the time. Susan was always levelheaded, 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 friendship with Susan. A day or two after she passed, Keith and I were talking, and he pointed out how much Susan loved that tournament. He said she truly loved tennis, loved watching the guys play and also loved talking with all of the competitors afterwards. I spoke to Susan’s sister Judy and we decided we would continue the tournament, renaming it the “Susan Alvy Memorial Holiday Men’s Tournament.” The tournament was played at Carefree Racquet Club, from Dec. 20-Jan.

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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 beginning 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 all divisions, regional championships for the 7.0 & 8.0 Divisions and the Sectional Championships for all four levels the end of May/beginning of June.

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

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

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

Andrew Camacho, Captain of the 8.0 Mixed Team From Long Beach: It was an incredible experience getting to play at Nationals. Just the beauty of 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 we didn’t start out how we wanted to, but we picked it right up and swept our next two matches which still kept us in it. In our final match, 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 close to finishing first, and then getting knocked to fourth because of one court. It was bitter sweet not advancing. At least now, we didn’t have to wake up early.

The highlight had to be winning the 8.0 Captain’s Sportsmanship Award. It was a real honor. We received a big banner for the club. And you cannot win that kind of award without an awesome team of people behind you. Lori D’Antonio, especially, helped out so much behind the scenes to make sure we represented our section really well. Lori also helped get our team there by organizing fundraisers and raffles and designing sweatshirts to sell.

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

Darlene Sotomayor, Captain of the 6.0 Mixed Team From Christopher Morley: Our 6.0 Mixed-Doubles team out of Christopher Morley came in second place in our flight. Our players fought hard and the competition was very strong as was expected. We met a lot of nice people, made new 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, and is coached by Tina Buschi. Our team, Sumo Citrus, swept their respective flight 4-0. We made it to the semifinals and ended up in fourth place. Our coach, Tina, the adult director at Sportime, traveled to Arizona with the team.

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

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

Dale Conway, Nancy Johnson and myself have all been lucky enough to have had the experience of the USTA Nationals Championship and all the excitement that comes along with participating in it.

We wanted to share that experience with others, so we hunkered down and began recruiting players to try and form our own Nationals bound team. For us, it wasn’t all about tennis (even though that was important), but it was about the relationships and memories we developed that will carry on for a lifetime.

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

One of the players’ husbands who traveled with us to Sectionals and to Nationals said he had never met a team before that were all so connected and truly had that ‘all for one and one for all’ 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 chatter at Nationals with our team gift which was a CD of songs we each selected individually and on the cover was our team picture.

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

Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

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

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The Myths of Tennis Movement (Part 1) A two-part guide to better tennis mobility

By Steve Kaplan very year, players returning home from college tell me that they were “tested” in a two or three mile run for their teams. They were told, “Since you run several miles in a match, let’s test this on the track.” A three-mile run is a poor assessment for tennis, performance. In the past, I’ve called this “Dodgeball” logic (taken from the movie “Dodgeball” where it is noted, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.”)

The average run in tennis is just seven feet. It’s multi-directional, with an explosive start and precise stop. It’s about power, endurance, agility and coordination. It has lit-

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tle in common with a longer, slower and straight ahead run.

While court movement is one of the most important areas in the sport of tennis, mythology and misconceptions as described above can limit performance.

We can start to take action by recognizing that great movement is not a talent, it’s the result of learning superior neuromotor control and function. Sure, some people have better body types and possess a stronger athletic background in movement development, but it’s never too late for any athlete to improve and develop.

Tennis movements can be broken down into components of quickness, power, agility, speed and efficiency. In today’s lightning-fast game, these qualities are a requirement for achievement.

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

Myths #1 through #8 Myth #1: Great court movement is a natural talent.

Reality: Great movement is a result of great training. How many times have we heard that some players are just “naturally fast,” born and blessed with a wealth of “fast twitch” muscle fibers? Great footwork and movement is a skill, not a talent, and as with all skills, can be learned with proper training and practice. Some athletes have greater potential than others of course, but the goal is to achieve your personal best.

Myth #2: If you want to be fast on the court, focus primarily on speed Reality: Work on quickness above speed. It’s all about starting and stopping quickly.

Running has three parts: Starting, acceler-

ating and stopping. The average run in any tennis movement, as explained above, is very short, just seven feet, which means the acceleration (speed) phase is not the most important part. Remember, the first step takes the longest (a body at rest stays at rest), so you can save the greatest amount of time with an explosive start. Stopping most closely coincides with the hit, so learn to stop by landing softly and quietly by dropping and absorbing, instead of stopping by lifting and dragging your feet. This will dramatically improve your setup to the hit.

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

You run much more side to side,. or “lateral,” in a tennis match than forward or “linear,” yet most players warm up, stretch and train working on more linear than lateral skills.

Remember to keep some space between your feet when moving sideways, with your toes forward, so that you can change direction immediately. Stop by dropping, absorbing and loading to ready yourself for the next movement. Learn to coordinate, rhythmically and quickly.

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

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

When you push into the ground, the ground pushes back (equal in magnitude opposite in direction, thanks Mr. Rabinowitz, my 12th grade physics teacher!). You push more mass more powerfully with full foot contact than with a forward toe strike. Pushing from your toes limits your force to calf strength and ankle mobility. The best players do not stay on their Myth #5: “Hop” or “float step” to get ready toes. They start on their toes before loading for the hit Reality: In order to lift for the hit, first drop low. onto their full or mid-foot.

Great players watch movement cues carefully and reactively lower their hips right before their opponent makes contact. While this quick weight shift down and back might first lift their feet slightly off the ground (it’s called a “counter movement”) it’s NOT a hop. The goal is a lower center of mass to put force in to the ground (think “butt back”). This loads your body to explode UP, which is a lot faster than falling DOWN on the first step. Give it a try and remember to engage your core before you hinge your hips so that your body is stable. As with every movement, engage and fire muscles in the most efficient order.

Myth #6: Watch the ball to get ready to react Reality: 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 from the hit.

As explained in the previous myth, great players watch very carefully for subtle clues continued on page 24

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

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the myths of tennis movement (part 1) continued from page 23 (called “cues”) from their opponent in order to react as quickly as possible. You might say they “read” their opponent and react accordingly. This can be challenging, as the better the opponent, the better these “cues” will be disguised. The best athletes in any sport recognize and react to movement from their opponent with relaxation and poise. The result is an accurate and well-timed reaction.

Mastery of this complex skill requires tremendous awareness, concentration and experience. It’s similar to becoming an expert in a simultaneous game that fuses Lightning Chess with Liar’s Poker.

Myth #7: Your court coverage is limited by the speed of your feet Reality: The limitation to your court coverage is more likely the speed of your arms.

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

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go times how long it takes to create each step. Believe it or not, the most limiting factor in runners who are not highly trained are slow, inefficient arms, not legs since your legs move faster and you must coordinate arms to legs.

Learn to make powerful, coordinated and compact arm swings, and you will be way faster. Try thinking “hands, pockets to ears.”

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

Ask several pros what balance is and I bet you get a variety of answers. Here’s the application of what Isaac Newton has to say in his first law of inertia: Balance is zero acceleration (this is the other side of the equation which explains that balance is equal net force).

So stop and stay stopped, or move and

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

keep moving at a constant speed during the hit, and by definition, you have achieved dynamic balance. In real world applications it’s usually easier to move slowly through the hit than to go fast or to stop but styles vary based on physical stability and mobility, as well as the stroke production of each player.

Steve Kaplan is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 34 years, Steve has been the longtime coach of more than 600 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and prominent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $8 million in college scholarship money. He may be reached by e-mail at stevenjkaplan@aol.com.

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

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ennis legends Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini will face each other in a 25th anniversary rematch of their famed 1990 five-set WTA Championship final in the 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown, set for March 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Seles leads the career head-to-head 11-3 over Sabatini.

In addition to the Seles-Sabatini match, Roger Federer will face Grigor Dimitrov and headline the annual tennis showcase.

The two legendary women’s players were paired against each other in the finals of the seasonending Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden. After nearly four hours of tennis, the second-seeded Seles, a then 16-year-old from Yugoslavia, outlasted the thirdseeded Sabatini 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in front of 17,290 fans. Seles became the youngest player to ever win the tournament and it was the first time two women played a five-set professional match since the 1901 U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia.

“It will be great to be back on the court at Madison Square Garden, where I have so many fun memories from playing the WTA Championships,” said Seles. “The Showdown on World Tennis Day has become another event at The Garden that all of the players want to play so I look forward to an exciting night of tennis with Gaby, Roger and Grigor. It should be a great event.”

Seles is a former world number oneranked player and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight before the age of 20, and became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She was the year-end world number one in 1991 and 1992, and played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open.

“New York has a very special place in my heart and to be back at Madison Square Garden will be such a special moment,” said Sabatini. “I am very excited that I will see and play Monica again. Throughout my career, I loved every time I traveled to New York. I am excited and I will look forward to being part of the World Tennis Day on March 10.”

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

Headlining the night, Roger Federer will return to MSG to face Grigor Dimitrov. Federer, currently ranked second in the world, will make his third appearance in the BNP Paribas Showdown. Federer holds several men’s world records, including holding the world number one ranking for an unprecedented 302 weeks, including 237-consecu-

tive weeks from 20042008, and winning 17 Grand Slams.

The young rising star Dimitrov is often compared to Federer, and is currently ranked 11th on the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, and he will be making his MSG debut.

He recently cracked the top 10 when he climbed to number eight after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014.

Dimitrov is the only Bulgarian tennis player to ever be ranked in the top 10. He’s also the first Bulgarian to win an ATP singles title (Stockholm in 2013) and reach a final in doubles (in 2011), as well as the only one to reach the third 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 once against Andy Roddick and both nights were very special,” said Federer. “I’ve played in many arenas and many cool places around the world but, there is nothing like MSG. That is why when I heard there is another opportunity for me to come back and people wanted to see me, it got me going and I can’t wait for March 10.”

The two top players faced each other once before in Basel, Switzerland with Federer beating Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in a quarterfinal match.

“Growing up, Roger was one of my heroes,” said Dimitrov. “To play him on such a stage is definitely an honor for me. I am really happy and excited to be part of the event since it is one of the biggest sporting venues. This will absolutely be different. I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it. I’m just going to really enjoy it and embrace the moment.”

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

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YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs 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.

Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Building #4 • Farmingdale, N.Y. (516) 777-1385 Bethpage Park Tennis Center is located just a few hundred feet from the Black Course at beautiful Bethpage State Park, which has served as home to the U.S. Golf Open. Four indoor hard courts and four indoor red clay courts are air-conditioned for year-round play, along with two outdoor Har-Tru courts.

The Tennis Center offers an array of adult seasonal, leagues, lessons and walk-on court opportunities. It’s free and low-cost program for seniors and special populations is perhaps the largest of its kind in New York State. The Center is best known for its renowned junior development program, led by top coaches Steve Kaplan and Keith Kambourian. Collectively, they have developed more players than anyone else in the east.

Steve is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as the director of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation. Over the last 37 years, Steve has been the long-time coach of more than 800 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school singles champions, two NCAA Division I Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals and promi26

nent coaches. Steve’s students have been awarded in excess of $8 million in college scholarship money.

Keith, co-owner of the club, is a voice of reason in the often-stressful world of junior tournament tennis. His outlook has enabled Keith to excel as both a player and a coach.

He was ranked in the top 30 nationally in the Boy’s 18 Division. His playing career flourished at Duke University, where he received a full scholarship and was ranked nationally among the best collegiate players. He directed the Reebok Urban Youth Tennis Academy at Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and has since coached players from beginners to international touring professionals. In 1998, he was awarded the ETA Long Island Region Tennis Professional of the Year Award. Keith has a Master’s Degree is Sports Management. His levelheaded approach to junior tennis ensures that students develop and maintain a positive and productive mental outlook.

In the summer, the finest players in the east join us for summer camp on four indoor hard courts and four indoor red clay courts that are air-conditioned, along with two outdoor Har-Tru courts. Lunch is provided and transportation is available. While our standards are high … our prerequisites are not! We charge no membership fee, and encourage and value our beginners equally with our nationally-ranked players. All we require at the Bethpage Park Tennis Center is the desire to attend a serious tennis camp and to learn in an intensive, personal and fun environment … and the drive to achieve your personal best!

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

Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy 188 Maple Avenue Rockville Centre, N.Y. (516) 763-1299, ext. 10 www.catsny.com • catsrvc@gmail.com The Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy is proud to be the first of its kind on Long Island devoted entirely to the USTA’s 10 & Under Tennis Program. We feature three state-of-the-art QuickStart, U.S. Open blue green courts. We offer professional tennis programs for group, semi private and private lessons, plus birthday parties and special events.

Directed by former U.S. National Amateur Champion and former top 70 player, the Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy will use the USTA and the International Tennis Federation QuickStart tennis guidelines.

This progressive curriculum will focus on developing children’s tennis skills on a sizeappropriate scale, utilizing smaller courts, low compression balls and smaller rackets.

Drills and games will be played with particular emphasis on developing skill sets in a fun environment.

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Top Clubs & Programs

Carefree Racquet Club 1414 Jerusalem Avenue, #1 North Merrick, N.Y. (516) 489-9005 www.carefreeracquetclub.com Carefree Racquet Club is Long Island’s premier indoor tennis club. With our beautiful redone lobby along with our constant upgrading, we cannot be matched. Carefree has seven indoor tennis courts, two racquetball courts and a half-court basketball court. League Coordinator Debbie Cichon offers adult singles, doubles and team doubles leagues that are always on level to insure you a good game every time you play. Carefree has many USTA teams in the adult, senior, mixed-doubles and Tri-Level leagues.

For those new to the game or just want to improve, we have 14-week learn and play groups. Players get an hour lesson each week, along with an hour-and-a-half of practice time each week. For players looking for a more relaxed social atmosphere, Karen Guigliano has her parties on Friday nights where food is served and Karen arranges all games for the night.

Jean Tanklowitz, senior program coordinator, has many retired or people that simply have a flexible schedule, playing Monday through Thursday in the afternoon. All games are arranged by Jean.

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

week program starting at age five and running through the age of 18. Children can take group, semi-private or private lessons and get practice time and ladder match play as well. New this year is our high school program that Ronny started for children that play on their school team. Carefree also offers a QuickStart tot program for children ages three to five years old. This adorable program uses all the props to keep the children’s attention and is unmatched by any other club.

Carefree Racquet Club is managed by Kathy Miller, who is also the Long Island USTA Adult, Senior, Super Senior, Mixed and Tri-Level League Coordinator. Kathy, along with her assistant manager, Pat McIlwee, pride themselves on the organization and smooth running of the best indoor club on Long Island that has never and continues to NOT charge membership fees. So if you are looking to join a program or just rent a court now and then, we would love to see you at Carefree!

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy 65 Columbia Road • Morristown, NJ www.centercourtacademy.com (973) 539-2054 clay@centercourtclub.com The Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy (CPTA) is a one-of-a-kind facility fully dedicated to the development and performance of student athletes. CPTA utilizes 11 hard courts, one red clay court, a stateof-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 to be exceptionally talented, you do need to

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• 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 • drtferraro@aol.com LITennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs be seriously committed to your training.

Our mission is to help every student-athlete we train realize his or her full potential; athletically, academically and within life itself. We believe that the trials and tribulations that our student-athletes endure in the tennis pathway will develop our young athletes into leaders on and off the court.

CPTA curriculum features on-court and off-court lesson programs, which include comprehensive tennis instruction, complimented with both physical and mental conditioning conducted by our performance specialists. Total athletic training programs are designed to increase player development and facilitate higher overall performance by incorporating mental toughness, nutrition counseling, speed/movement, communication, and vision/reaction skills in all of our players.

Our culture is simple. We live the sport!

Continually striving for improvement, we work to get the most out of all our players.

If you are serious about your tennis and want to be the best athlete you can possibly be, you owe it to yourself to experience CPTA first hand and discover what makes us the Northeast’s premier sports training destination!

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

During the indoor season, Early Hit is a terrific value. They feature a fabulous summer camp, pro shop, restaurant and private training all year long.

Early Hit Training Center 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. (516) 455-1225 The Early Hit Training Center is located at 95 Glen Head Road in Glen Head, N.Y. Home of the ALPS Program, they specialize in accelerated learning through a combination of private lessons, group sessions and physical training in tennis-specific exercises. The program was designed by Carl Barnett with the help of Pat Etcheberry.

The program focuses on the players and their need for accessible court time, coupled with a flexible schedule and parentfriendly budget. Early Hit also features a

PREVENTATIVE NUTRITION HEART DISEASE & DIABETES ADOLESCENT BODY IMAGE SPORTS NUTRITION For groups and individuals

irinalehat@gmail.com 917.769.8031

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

Evert Tennis Academy 10334 Diego Drive South Boca Raton, Fla. www.evertacademy.com (561) 488-2001 or (800) 41SERVE As the proud home to more than 15 Grand Slam participants and 100 Division I college athletes, Evert Tennis Academy (ETA) has a proven record of success in developing champions. Chris Evert, tennis legend and winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, and John Evert, world-renowned developmental coach and ETA director, believe in designing personalized programs that consist of a strategic balance between technical, tactical, mental and physical training. Their unmatched expertise and experience with all facets of the junior, college, and professional ranks will provide students with the necessary tools to thrive in their tennis careers. l The Full-Time Academy: Recognized as the standard in player development and personal character growth, ETA’s full-time training program is geared towards players committed to maximizing their potential both on and off the court. Chrissie and John pride themselves on handpicking

YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs some of the finest developmental coaches working in the sport. The training students receive at ETA will not only provide them with all the necessary physical and mental tools they require to succeed in the game of tennis, but also in the game of life. We are renowned for constructing personalized programs to help all our students achieve their playing and career goals. ETA coaches provide on-court training that is focused and intensive, balanced with off-court mental and physical conditioning that is unparalleled in the industry. l Summer Camp and Weekly/Monthly/Holiday/Spring Break Training: ETA’s Summer Camp is a hybrid program that affords the same expert coaching staff and championship philosophy to summer campers that is present throughout the year. Intermediate to advanced tournament players who aspire to capture that last spot on the school team or even earn a college scholarship achieve incredible results through ETA’s Summer Camps.

ETA provides weekly and monthly programs for those players wanting to experience our expert training during the school year or holiday recess. Weekly and monthly sessions provide a melting pot of cultures, as students travel from all over the world to train with the country’s leading coaches. l Facilities: ETA’s location in Boca Raton puts it in the heart of the tennis capital of the United States. There’s not another area of the country than can boast as many tournaments or depth of tennis talent. When players are serious about maximizing their abilities, this is where they come to train and ETA’s facilities have everything to meet their demands, including: On-campus dormitories; academic institutions on campus; 23 on-campus courts, including 14 Har-Tru (clay) and nine hard courts; additional Har-Tru and hard courts off-site; a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning center; and a student lounge and game room.

Great Neck Estates Tennis Club 12 Shore Drive Great Neck, N.Y. (516) 233-2790 Great Neck Estates Tennis Club is located in the scenic Great Neck Estates Waterfront Park. The lobby and front desk area of the Club provides players with an incredible view of New York City. This new tennis center features a brand-new, fullyinsulated air structure and five Har-Tru courts. The air structure, manufactured by the world famous Farley Group of Canada, is the most advanced air structure of its kind and provides a tennis experience second to none. When players walk onto

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

What truly makes a facility excellent are the people who create, direct and instruct the programs. Both Howie Arons and Willie Notar have an incredible passion for tennis and for what players expect their tennis experience to be like. For the past 38 years, Arons has been one of the most successful coaches in the Eastern Section. Willie Notar has been a standout in Eastern tennis since 1980. In addition to running adult and junior programs at Great Neck Estates, Willie is also the head pro at Fresh Meadows Country Club where he currently coaches some of the area’s top senior men.

From QuickStart to tournament training, New York tennis at Great Neck Estates is striving to offer junior tennis players the best tennis experience. Arons stated, “Our goal is to motivate our juniors to want to be the best they can be.

Whether the player wants to play every day with passion to improve for tournament play, or just once a week to have fun, we get it. Our pro staff is amazing and each day, we strive to bring out the best in all of our players.”

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Top Clubs & Programs The club’s weekend junior tournament training programs is its trademark. On both Saturdays and Sundays, a three-hour tournament training program is offered, consisting two-hour lesson/drill followed by a full set of tennis. The session includes rigorous competitive drills, point play and fitness, and then each player participates in a ladder match. The results of the ladder match determines the player’s court next week. This type of experience weekly prepares juniors for both high school and tournament tennis.

During the mornings and early afternoons, Willie Notar organizes and directs programs for adult players. To burn calories, there is Boot Camp, a rigorous drill ($25 per session) that will give you that cardio boost. For players in the evenings, there are men’s drill and play leagues, or you can come in with a friend and book a court for an evening on an open or seasonal basis.

Come in and visit the all-new Great Neck Estates Tennis Club and see one of the finest tennis facilities on Long Island. From beginners to experienced tennis enthusiasts, Great Neck Estates would love to serve your tennis needs.

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John McEnroe Tennis Academy Long Island, Manhattan and Westchester (212) 427-6150 www.johnmcenroetennisacademy.com info@sportimeny.com In September 2010, tennis legend John McEnroe launched the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in his hometown of New York City at the SPORTIME Randall’s Island Tennis Center in Manhattan. SPORTIME Randall’s Island is the flagship location for the Academy and for SPORTIME’s 13 clubs.

To date, JMTA has developed hundreds of Division I college scholarship recipients, as well as a Wimbledon Junior and U.S. Na-

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

tional Champion and an NCAA number one player.

John McEnroe and SPORTIME have assembled a talented staff of world-class teaching, coaching and fitness professionals, who have joined together to make John’s vision of a New York based, nonresidential tennis academy a reality. The John McEnroe Tennis Academy’s mission is to develop world-class players, to excite New Yorkers, especially kids, about the game of tennis and to provide opportunities to motivated and deserving NYC area kids—young players who would not otherwise have the resources to reach their full potential as players and scholar-athletes.

JMTA professionals work as a team to deliver a training program that assures the best possible outcome for serious junior players; a program enables JMTA players to make the most of their abilities, while supporting them in their academic pursuits and in living balanced, healthy lives.

In September 2012, JMTA expanded its geographic reach to SPORTIME locations in Westchester and on Long Island: SPORTIME Lake Isle, a brand-new eightcourt, state-of-the art year-round facility in Eastchester, N.Y. in lower Westchester; and SPORTIME Syosset in central Long Island, an eleven-court indoor facility that has long been SPORTIME’s Long Island tennis Mecca. Find out more at www.johnmcenroetennisacademy.com.

YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs are a full-service club and your gateway to challenging yourself to explore, enjoy and improve yourself through the great sport of tennis. Experience the difference a supportive environment makes! Come play at Point Set where fun meets fitness.

Point Set Indoor Racquet Club 3065 New Street • Oceanside, N.Y. (516) 536-2323 www.pointsetracquetclub.com Extreme makeover … tennis club edition!

Upgrade yourself by enjoying the all new U.S. Open blue tennis courts, gleaming locker rooms, renovated lobby/office and redesigned social space of post-storm Point Set Indoor Racquet Club! A state-ofthe-art, spare no expense renovation out of respect to our customers!

With 350-plus juniors in developmental programs, 60-plus QuickStart Pee-Wees, 500-plus adult players in leagues/contracts/drills, Point Set Racquet Club is working towards fulfilling its mission statement: Point Set aspires to be the most vibrant tennis club on the South Shore by integrating heart with sport in the community.

The dedicated “Dream Team” staff of tennis professionals administers a top tier Tournament Training Program (TTP) for three levels of junior competitors. It addresses all aspects of competition: drills, match play, fitness and mental toughness.

See what a difference the Point Set staff delivers as the facility has added air-conditioning for a controlled climate for play year-round!

Point Set Indoor Racquet Club recognizes that customers are our most important asset. The collegial relationship of the staff, on and off the court, translates into a friendly environment for our customers. We

Port Washington Tennis Academy 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, N.Y. (516) 883-6425 www.pwta.com The Port Washington Tennis Academy (PWTA) is dedicated to young people, primarily from the ages of four through 18. PWTA was created in 1966 as a non-profit facility to use tennis as a means of fostering educational success for children, by developing a stimulating lifelong activity that is fun, healthy, and scholastically and socially beneficial. This is accomplished by utilizing specialized techniques with a wide range of instructional programs, special in-house competitions and several USTA-sanctioned tournaments. Additionally, graduating high school seniors get the benefit of PWTA’s many years of experiences and up-to-date knowledge of schools, teams and coaches when it comes to identifying, selecting and the eventual placement at a university meeting their individual capabilities and goals. While PWTA is well-known for many world-class professional players graduating from its programs, encouraging educational excellence will always be the club’s main focus.

PWTA also offers an extensive variety of adult programs at all levels. Men’s and women’s daytime and evening leagues, private lessons, group clinics (three players plus a professional), seasonal courts, including instructional and season-ending doubles play sessions, are just part of the club’s broad spectrum of activities.

PWTA is the largest indoor tennis facility on the East Coast, with 17 indoor courts (four hard and 13 Har-Tru) and a unique elevated quarter mile-long indoor running track. PWTA also provides many extras not found as part of a teaching program, such as an international teaching staff, closed-circuit TV for each court, upper TV lounge for relaxed viewing, spectator viewing galleries to ensure full visibility of every court, comfortable lounge areas, extensive men’s and women’s locker rooms, meeting rooms, etc. Complimentary coffee, tea, milk, cookies, juice and potassium rich bananas are always available to PWTA members. In addition, the Academy has a fully-stocked pro shop to meet the needs of members. For more information, call (516) 883-6425 or visit www.pwta.com.

Ross School Tennis Center 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, N.Y. (631) 907-5162 www.ross.org/tennis The Ross School Tennis Center, located on the Upper School campus in East Hampton, NY, is a wonderful resource in the Hamptons open to seasonal and year-

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Top Clubs & Programs round residents. The Center features six HarTru tennis courts that are enclosed by a bubble from mid-fall through mid-spring, allowing for year-round play. The courts are directly adjacent to the beautiful, state-ofthe-art Fieldhouse where players can take advantage of its many amenities, including locker rooms, lounge, snack bar, and ping pong tables. The Fieldhouse is also used for a variety of special events and is available for private parties. l Jump Start Program is a junior program allows children to develop spatial awareness, movement, and locomotor skills using appropriately sized rackets. They learn how to volley, throw, catch and rally, building a foundation not only for tennis, but for any future athletic activities. l Junior Development Program offers games and level-specific drills and training for building a strong foundation. Designed with having fun in mind, the program improves skills and motivates young players into continuing the sport. l Accelerated Tournament Preparation features drills, tennis-specific conditioning and game strategy designed specifically to prepare advanced players for junior tournaments and match play. l High Performance (summer only) for ages 10–17, is offered to players who are current USTA members and have some tournament experience. Try-outs required. l Ross School Tennis Academy (RSTA) offers an unusual and dynamic program for national and international junior players that combines an engaging, global curriculum with the highest level of competitive tennis training available. Designed for USTA/ITF players in grades 7-12 and post-graduates, the RSTA is the first in the New York City area to have a full academic program with a complete physical and mental conditioning program. Students who attend the Academy experience high-performance tennis training while studying alongside 32

their peers in a stimulating, college preparatory, learning community following a regular academic year. RSTA Summer is an invitation only program for USTA/ITF and professional players.

Boarding options are available.

Adults have many programs to choose from at the Ross School Tennis Center, including Adult Clinics for all levels in the mornings and evenings, as well as the ProAm Doubles League on Tuesday nights, which allows advanced players to compete with and against the pros in a competitive, high-level game.

Private instruction is available for all levels of play. The Tennis Center staff provides a fun and supportive atmosphere that allows for the greatest amount of success.

Guests can also rent courts during the weekday, weekend, or seasonally. Call (631) 907-5162 for more information or to make reservations.

Saddlebrook Resort 5700 Saddlebrook Way Wesley Chapel, Fla. (813) 973-1111 Saddlebrook Resort is a mecca of tennis, located 25 miles north of Tampa International Airport. The resort has three restaurants, more than 600 well-appointed rooms, shops, a halfmillion gallon super pool with inviting hot tubs, 45 tennis courts, a European spa & two 18hole Arnold Palmer signature golf courses,

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

Centralizing all of the major amenities creates what the resort names as the “Walking Village.”

The tennis program is considered to be the mother of all hardcore tennis camps, however the resort amenities certainly provide for welcome relief after hours from the intense rigors of 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, and the professional staff are very cognizant of placing athletes in their correct ability levels by court. It is not unusual to see members of the United States Davis Cup team on the courts, including John Isner, Mike & Bob Bryan, Tim Smyczek, and up and coming stars such as Alex Zverev. Performance specialist Kyle Morgan heads up an elite off-court training program for those wishing to improve their overall conditioning, strength and movement skills. The program operates 365 days a year and has a sports specialty reservations office to take care of your needs and requirements.

SPORTIME Tennis Clubs 12 locations across Long Island, Manhattan, Westchester and the Capital Region (888) NY-TENNIS www.SportimeNY.com/tennis info@sportimeny.com SPORTIME’s courts, programs, coaches, facilities and club environments have set

YOUR 2015 GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND TENNIS MAGAZINE’S

Top Clubs & Programs the standard of excellence since 1989, and we are getting better every year. With over 162 hard and soft surface courts, indoors and outdoors, we offer great tennis programs and facilities for players of all ages and abilities. When you are at a SPORTIME club you won’t want to leave!

To find out more, go to www.sportimeny.com.

Programs for everyone Juniors: From our new Tennis Whizz program for preschoolers, to our SPORTIME U10 tennis pathways for our red and orange level players, to our Junior Tennis Kinetics and EXCEL Tennis—programs for our green and yellow level juniors, to SPORTIME’s ultimate opportunity to train with New York tennis icon Johnny Mac and the John McEnroe Tennis Academy team at Randall’s Island and at our JMTA Annex locations in Syosset on Long Island and at Lake Isle, Eastchester in Lower Westchester, SPORTIME offers a complete menu of tennis programming for every level of play. Our games approach gets kids playing fast and blends technical and tactical learning and coaching from the very first lesson. SPORTIME students turn their weaknesses into strengths and their strengths into winning games!

Adults: SPORTIME‘s Adult Tennis Kinetics program is the largest adult group lesson program in the country. For those looking for the ultimate challenge, we offer Adult EXCEL, modeled after our highly successful Junior EXCEL and JMTA programs. Major League Tennis, Cardio Tennis, and our signature “Zone” high-intensity competitive games program all provide great workouts and skills development and are a lot of fun! Mixed doubles parties, round robin mixers, club tournaments and other special events round out our adult schedule throughout the year.

We offer SPORTIME Camps SPORTIME offers the best tennis camps anywhere and we have a camp location near you! SPORTIME summer camps and Excel player development camps utilize our fun and fast-paced training methods, competitive games, technical instruction and tactical training for match play, along with tennis-specific conditioning tailored to all camper levels. SPORTIME campers develop positive self-esteem and a laserlike focus, while having FUN! We also offer Multi-Sport camps and school break camps.

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows Corona Park Flushing, N.Y. (718) 760-6200 www.ntc.usta.com The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, home of the U.S. Open, is one of the world’s largest public tennis facilities, offering year-round programs for all ages and skill levels. We have 18 outdoor courts, 12 indoor courts, four bubbled clay courts, four stadium courts and five outdoor 10 & Under courts on our new DeckZone, all of which are available for public, year-round rental.

The National Tennis Center’s yearround programs encompass 10 & Under Tennis, for players as young as four-

years-old, Junior Development, Tennis Academy, Summer Camps, Cardio Tennis, Drill & Play, private lessons and seasonal court time. Programs teach the necessary skills, techniques, tactics, and sports conditioning geared to maximizing the learning experience in a fun presentation. As players develop, they are advanced to more challenging groups. The NTC also offers a variety of adult and senior programs, as well as a weekly wheelchair tennis program.

The National Tennis Center is also the home of USTA Training Center–East, one of USTA Player Development’s three national training centers, and additional Player Development programs for topranking juniors residing in the Northeast.

Last year, the Training Center–East recently began its open “Feeder Program” for players ages nine through 13, which holds open tryouts twice per year for players to eventually enter into the USTA Player Development training program.

Further, the National Tennis Center partners with local National Junior Tennis & Learning chapters and the CityParks Foundation to host a diverse collection of youth programs, such as alternative classroom learning opportunities for local students, life skills curriculum, SAT preparation and a speaker series that has featured such guests as former Grand Slam champion Virginia Wade. The NTC also offers year-round daytime school programs and hosts many corporate and special events.

Detailed information regarding our programs, availability and special events can be found at www.NTC.USTA.com.

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

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

Athlete Second

By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC What’s the secret to sustained peak performance?

Let’s face it … this is the million dollar question! Federer, Monfils, Sharapova … all competitors are trying to solve this great mystery.

In the next six articles through 2015, I will highlight a key principle called “More Than an Athlete: Person First. Athlete Second (MTAA.A1.P2)” which I believe is the essential starting point and guiding light to solving the mystery of sustained peak performance. In some ways it’s a paradox, it doesn’t require working harder, pushing, or even pulling. However, it does require that the athlete “let go” and “be themselves” so they are able to play from a grounded place inside their zone. From this state, they will have the capacity and resiliency to deal with challenges, obstacles, and adversity.

Ultimately being able to navigate pressure situations from a clear perspective.

But, before we try to solve the mystery,

let’s take a step back. Imagine a time when you watched a player who got nervous, was tight or seemingly just froze during competition. You know that “Deer in the Headlights” look? We wonder … how can this happen especially when the athlete (maybe it’s even your own child) has performed the shot hundreds of times in practice? In fact, if we are honest with ourselves … many of us have experienced that situation when we compete. We know, and even feel, that there is that “little something” that gets in the way of us reaching the next level.

What is usually holding an athlete back is NOT what’s on the outside. Yes, you read that right, it’s not the part that everyone can see: The athletic talents, skills and technique. These skills can always be improved upon. Isn’t it safe to say hitting 100 extra forehands won’t make a difference if the anxiety that the athlete is holding on the inside pervades and makes him or her tight? In fact, it could actually be counterproductive because your developing bad habits.

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

The key is to look at the whole person, not just what’s on the outside. We always need to look at what’s on the inside of the person, what’s going on below the surface. The block might be a confidence thing, a bad test result at school, the anxiety of losing, an argument with a friend, fear of a reoccurring injury, or a combination of things. But whether it’s a single issue or an accumulation of issues, carrying an overwhelming load on the court can impact your performance every time!

Competitors are not robots, what’s on the inside affects how we play on the outside.

Let me repeat … what’s on the inside affects what’s on the outside—it’s one and the same.

As coaches, parents and even players, we must look at the entire picture to properly get the context of any situation. We must try to understand what the person is experiencing and exactly which triggers these errors/mistakes. The only way to do this is to look through the lens of the athlete as a person first and an athletic performer second. From this lens, we immediately see a wider perspective, that of the whole person, not just the athletic performance.

This newfound visibility allows us to explore the entire picture, what’s happening both on the inside and on the outside.

From the person first, athlete second perspective, it’s clear to see playing tight blocks performance, or even choking is not the problem. Rather, it’s a symptom to something else that the athlete is consciously or unconsciously holding which overwhelms them. It’s interesting to note, this overwhelm or otherwise known as a “freeze” response is actually an instinctual defensive reaction that is normal and employed by animals in the wild and humans for self-preservation. However, in the sports arena this isn’t helpful.

When an athlete competes, they are not just a tennis player, but a whole per-

son. They are “More Than an Athlete!”

Their unique story, distinctive spirit and authentic self are what makes them who they are. This is where their resilience, determination and unique style come from.

This is the foundation on which the athlete should build on, NOT the characteristics of others. We all have our own DNA and way in which we are wired, that makes us unique individuals. The key is tapping into this uniqueness, not assimilating to a one-size-fits-all mentality.

Greatness (or flow) at any level starts with the person, and then transcends through the performance.

So what happens if an athlete does not understand the synergy between themselves, the person within the athlete? Usually, it’s a fast track to burnout, fears and tears. Certainly they won’t be getting the most of themselves because they are pushing and pulling so hard that they neglect their innate talents. If the coach does not understand the synergy, they will be unable to connect with the player. The player will not trust the coach because they know the coach doesn’t care about them

“Competitors are not robots, what’s on the inside affects how we play on the outside.” as a person, but only about the sport. Of course you can see how that is counterproductive to motivating and inspiring a player/team. If the parents don’t understand the synergy, they will unknowingly put heavy pressure and expectations on their kids. The kids will feel burdened and understand that the only way to connect or get their parents approval is to play and succeed more. Clearly this is an impossible uncontrollable situation for a child and leads to bad performance.

In the next edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I will further expand on solving the mystery of sustained peak performance on the court. Specifically, I will detail the five reasons that “More Than an Athlete.

Person First. Athlete Second” is so important and essential to your child’s long-term success both on and off the court. This idea is so intuitive, simple and a clear way to guide and strive for the best results.

Once it’s been seen, it cannot be unseen!

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. He works with athletes in all sports at all levels helping them to break through mental barriers and be their best both as a person and an athlete. Rob has spoken to athletes, coaches, and parents both nationally at USTA, USPTA, ITA conferences, and internationally in India and Israel. Additionally, he is author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. His work was recently featured in ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 film called Fields of Fear. In prior years, Rob received the USPTA-Eastern Division High School Coach of the Year Award and coached USTA’s 16 and under Zonals. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email rob@insidethezone.com or visit www.insidethezone.com.

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

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Programs may vary at each and JMTA location. 37 LITennisMag.com • January/February 2015 SPORTIME • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA Eastern Lo USTA Eastern Announces 2014 Annual Award Winners Kathy Miller, manager at Carefree Racquet Club in Merrick and coordinator of USTA Leagues on Long Island, has been named USTA Eastern’s Woman of the Year The USTA Eastern Section has announced its honorees for 2014. According to the Section, it will recognize “Greatness, not only in attitude, but also in performance and dedi-

cation. As USTA Eastern looks forward to the greatness of next year, it honors those who made an impact last year …”

The Long Island Region is proud to congratulate the local Eastern Section adult awardees, all of whom have made a great impact on both our Region and all of Eastern: l Tennis Woman of the Year: Kathy Miller l Regional Volunteer of the Year (Long Island): Bob Coburn l 10 & Under Tennis Award: Tito Perez l Junior Team Tennis Award: Pat Mosquera The 2014 Junior award winners from

Long Island are as follows: l Richard D. Lynch II Boys 12 Sportsmanship Award: Ian Kaish l Lawrence A. Miller Girls 16 Sportsmanship Award: Ester Chikvashvili l Ron Smyth Parent Sportsmanship Award: Sean Hannity The Annual Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, recognizing the work of each individual who helped make a tennis boom. Information about attending is available at www.eastern.com.

Please join our deserving honorees at this special event!

Manhasset Teens Spread Joy of Tennis

In the last issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, we introduced you to Matt Holweger, a Manhasset High School tennis player who, together with his friends, collected gently used equipment and launched a free tennis clinic for kids 10 and under this past summer. They also donated equipment to a needy tennis program in Brooklyn.

Holweger, along with Courtney Connors, Brooke DiGia, Brett Weisberg and some others, launched the Long Island Chapter of Kids Serving Kids (www.kidsservingkids.com), and so far, have collected 38

more than 170 tennis rackets and other equipment as well as more than $1,500 in cash donations to support their efforts. The group’s inaugural program was a tennis clinic at the Manhasset Equal Opportunity Center Summer Program. This program served 95 at-risk children ages five through 13, with Kids Serving Kids providing tennis instruction, drills and games two days a week for six weeks. The group also donated rackets, QuickStart nets, tennis balls, ball hoppers and sport cones to the program.

“In addition to learning the basics of ten-

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

nis, the children received a weekly takehome packet containing information covered that week on the court, a tennis word puzzle, coloring page and a mentorship message on topics including the importance of healthy eating, exercise, being a good sport and respecting your opponent,” said Holweger.

During a recent presentation about their work to the USTA Long Island Region Board, Holweger, DiGia and Weisberg explained that plans are underway to continue the Manhasset summer tennis program in 2015, as well as to launch a

ng Island Region new program at the Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club this spring.

The group is seeking donations of new and gently used tennis rackets and equipment as well as cash to help fund its programming. Drop-off bins are located at Christopher Morley Tennis Center, Manhasset High School and Strathmore Vanderbilt Country Club. For more information or to arrange a drop off at a different location, please contact Kids Serving Kids Long Island by e-mail at longislandKSK@gmail.com.

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

Tennis for Teens at Rikers Island Members of the USTA Long Island regional board, along with three tennis instructors from Sportime’s John McEnroe Tennis Academy, recently joined forces to run the first-ever tennis clinic at the Rikers Island Correctional Center juvenile jail.

Rikers Corrections Deputy Chief, Greg McLaughlin, and Warden James Perrino coordinated this effort with LI Region board member Bob Coburn. It took many months to clear the way for this event to take place.

“This was a wish for a long time and only came about because of our terrific volunteers and the great leaders at Rikers who realized the benefits of offering tennis to their inmates,” Coburn said.

Many boys participated in this event, at which each player received a copy of New York Tennis Magazine. The Long Island Re-

USTA Long Island Region volunteers and Sportime pros ran the first-ever tennis clinic for teens at Rikers Island

gion also donated new racquets and balls to the facility. Discussions are underway to develop an ongoing tennis program at this facility.

USTA volunteers included Marian Morris,

Akiko Tohmatsu, Daniel Burgess and Kevin Tuohy. Jamie Moore, Sportime’s director of community outreach, and pros Michael Moore and Chidi Gabriel represented the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

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

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Oyster Bay’s Elbaba Captures National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship

Julia Ebalba accepts her championship trophy from ITA Executive Director David Benjamin and former NYC Mayor David Dinkins

Women’s singles finalists, California’s Maegan Manasse and Virginia’s Julia Elbaba, with men’s singles finalists, Braden Schnur of North Carolina and Vanderbilt’s Gonzales Austin irginia’s Julia Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y. captured the women’s singles title at the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, hosted by Columbia University.

In the women’s singles championship, Elbaba strung together her second straight convincing win. After defeating Brooke Austin 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinals, Elbaba nearly duplicated the score in a 62, 7-5 championship win over California’s Maegan Manasse.

Elbaba gained the early advantage when she broke Manasse’s serve at love for a 31 first-set lead. Elbaba consolidated the break with a hold for 4-1, and nearly broke Manasse again in the following game.

“Megan has had an amazing semester,” said Elbaba. “I had a game plan and executed it well and thought I stayed pretty steady throughout the match.”

At 1-4 down, Manasse’s strong serve propelled her to the net and she held for 24. But Elbaba countered with a service hold of her own and broke Manasse for a sec-

V

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Credit all photos to the ITA

Oyster Bay’s Julia Elbaba was crowned winner of the 2014 National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship

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 execute our game plan and that was the most important thing,” said Elbaba. “She played a tough match and hung in there until the last minute, so I was really happy to pull through.”

The two players traded breaks back and forth into the heart of the second set.

Elbaba broke the four-break streak first and led 4-3. She had two break chances in Manasse’s next service game, but the Cal sophomore held on at 30-40 and again at deuce to even the score at 4-all.

The no-ad format proved a bounty for Manasse, who won all five of the games that went to deuce.

Elbaba rebounded and held again for 54. Manasse followed suit with a hold of her own for 5-5. From there, Elbaba won eight of the next 10 points, including four in a row to break Manasse’s serve for the championship, winning 6-2, 7-5.

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

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

backhand—really sharpened up my game and can’t wait for the regular season to start in the spring,” said Elbaba.

Elbaba was proud of her ability to refocus after losing four games to no-ad scoring in the second set.

“The five no-ad games I lost in the second set, it was really important for me to stay mentally tough,” Elbaba said. “It’s really easy to get distracted and lose confidence after that. On those points, anything can happen, and I was glad I was able to put it past me and focus on the future.”

The junior may be looking forward to the future, but she relied on her past to get psyched up for this championship. One experience in particular helped her.

“I got to the finals of All-Americans in my first year, so I really did want to win this one,” Elbaba said. “That was the only kind of pressure I felt. I didn’t want to go home as a second place runner-up again. I just used that pressure to my advantage and told myself to stick with the plan, and that’s what we did.”

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

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college tennis spotlight

MYTHBUSTERS

Getting to Know Some of New York City’s Top College Tennis Coaches

By Ricky Becker ew York City has everything. This includes some premier national collegiate tennis programs. While colleges and universities in warm weather regions often win the national championships, New York City has many schools which fare quite well on the national ranking list. As far as cities go that play indoor tennis in the wintertime, I truly believe NYC has the highest quality college tennis programs of any city. I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the coaches to get the ins-and-outs of their program.

N

Horace Choy NYU Men’s and Women’s Head Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local?

The reach of NYU is both national and international, so I do not have a “preference” for local players as I look for any players who will help our programs. That being said, I know that the East produces a lot of strong players and is sometimes undervalued as a region, so I make every effort to attract local players. I am looking for players 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 diversity that it offers.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting?

New York City can be both a positive and a negative. Some students can be overwhelmed by the size and energy of the City, while others embrace it, looking for a unique educational experience. It is about the right fit. I ultimately want players here who will be happy here.

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Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis?

I would tell players to do their research. There is high level tennis in all divisions, and players should make sure they are a “fit” if they want to play.

Ilene Weintraub Columbia University Head Women’s Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local?

Ideally, I would like our program to be a microcosm of the university by including a diverse roster with players from all over the country.

However, since I grew up in New York and played in the ETA Section myself, I have formed strong relationships with many local coaches in Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey, which has led 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 atlarge bid to the NCAA’s. We are one of the only programs in the country that can offer both a world-class education and the opportunity to play on a top nationally-ranked team. Usually, players have to choose between going to a top tennis program or going to a prestigious academic school. With Columbia, you no longer have to choose, you really can have it all.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting?

I see New York as a positive in every way. Who doesn’t love Broadway shows, fabulous restaurants, fashion week, wall street, celebrity sightings, movies being filmed on campus, shopping in

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

SoHo, museums, art, music, delivery any time day or night, you name it. Attending Columbia in New York City, with its fast-paced professional and competitive environment, helps to prepare our students best for the real world and whatever career path they choose. It gives them an edge that no one else has.

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

What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit?

I focus on the top 100 players in the USTA national rankings and/or the top 300 players in the world junior ITF rankings. In terms of personality, we are looking for strong work ethic, good communication skills, independence, high energy and a fighting spirit. We have a really positive team culture and environment that I am extremely protective of. I only want to bring in players who are going to help us improve and continue to contribute to the environment in which players can learn, grow and succeed.

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis?

You can never contact a coach enough. The more I hear from a recruit, the more I get to know them and begin to develop a relationship during the recruiting process, the better. My advice would be that it cannot hurt to be persistent and go for what you want.

Alan Nagel Queens College Head Women’s Tennis Coach/Interim Head Men’s Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local?

I always prefer New York State players because they cost me less in scholarship money, but because I only recruit D1 type players (Queens College is Division 2),

I find it hard to come by local talent. The three-star and four-star New York players want to either go out of town, or maybe to Columbia. Therefore, in order to fulfill my objective, I usually need to look out-of-state, as well an internationally. I always get a few local non-scholarship players. More recently, when I do get a local player, 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 considered one of the finest academic schools in New York City. In a survey of all American colleges, Queens College was voted number two in best value by the Washington Monthly. Our outstanding tennis record as stated above and the fact that we have a permanent tennis facility with six indoor courts used exclusively for tennis all contribute to our draw. According to Kaplan/Newsweek’s, “How to Get Into College Guide,” Queens College was named one of America’s hottest schools.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting?

New York City is one of the most positive influences for my recruiting. It is one of the most famous cities in the world and has so much to offer in terms of culture, entertainment and job opportunities. Therefore, it is one of my biggest draws. This year, I have players from Morocco, Poland, the Ukraine, India and Paraguay (by way of Florida). Some of these players transferred from more rural D1 schools across the country in states including: Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia because they wanted to experience 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 internationally or in the USTA. I only recruit players who I feel could play successfully in D1 and would likely be offered D1 scholarships.

Last year, we played several D1 schools, including St. Peters, who

T E N N I S

continued on page 44

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college tennis spotlight continued from page 43 we beat 9-0, and Georgetown, who we beat 4-3 and they finished with 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 would like to play college tennis?

My advice to New York area juniors who are seeking to play college tennis is to enter college showcases. Make a good video of themselves and do their homework during their junior and senior years, and research coaches/schools of interest and send those coaches a resume, including grades and SAT/ACT scores, as well as the video. Be assertive in making sure that these coaches know who you are.

Eric Rebhuhn St. John’s University Men’s Tennis Head Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local?

Obviously, most Northeast kids would rather go and sit at an Ivy League school than have a chance to compete for a spot at St. John’s; which is the most popular school in the Tri-State area in terms of athletic 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 the best city in the world. I always take recruits to the City and show them all of the things they can do during their career. I also talk about the U.S. Open where we play all of our home matches and practice throughout the year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The last thing is that all of my former players get

44

jobs in many fields, including finance, sports management, pharmaceuticals, etc. after they graduate.

Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative 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 75 in the USTA’s rankings and five-star players. I have four-star players who did not play enough USTA events. An example is my current freshman Elio Livi, who beat Reilly Opelka within the last year.

He was a four-star recruit, but has many wins over blue chip and five-star players. We also have a former blue chip on the team, RJ Del Nunzio, who is currently a junior!

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis?

Come to one college match and see the level! The Northeast has almost 10 ranked teams currently, and over my career, I have seen so few players who want to play college tennis even watch a match. We recently held the ITA Regionals at the U.S. Open for one week, and I did not see one Eastern junior at the event. Thirtytwo coaches in one place for almost a week … what’s the excuse?

Ricky Becker is the founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independently coaches high-performance juniors year-round. Ricky was named the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and was a top-five nationally-ranked junior. He can be reached by e-mail at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

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

A New Booming Serve ... Just a Click Away

By Luke Jensen t’s a new year and time to pick up the pace. Have you taken inventory of where your game is now and where it has to go to reach your full potential?

I always found the offseason on the ATP Tour was an opportunity to attack the areas of concern in my game that needed to pick up the pace. I continue to be amazed by the evolving game at all levels, where the equipment technology and training methods continue to improve.

There are so many helpful hints these days, from highly-detailed instruction on the Internet and visual guides and videos on YouTube. Thousands of tips from the global guides in tennis that have many different perspectives that may just click into what you may need to win more big points are literally just a click away.

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

The serve is complex and can be the difference between your game going forward or backwards. A confident shot can shine or fold under pressure.

My entire game revolved around a big first serve. When I was serving well, I could hold serve against any player on the planet, and that made me a very dangerous competitor.

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

Ah yes, I named my serves like my “Slippery Pete,” “Mommas Meatloaf,” “Pot Roast”

I

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

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

My main concern hitting the cannonball was having the right toss. I didn’t need a perfect toss, I just needed one that lifted up to my contact point that would synchronize with my motion. If my toss was too high or low, my timing and serve would go off the mark.

My mechanics were pretty basic for both my left- and right-handed serves. I worked on a consistent starting point, where my racquet met with the ball in front of my body while standing fairly upright. Then, my focus was to bring both arms up at the same time. The great Pete Sampras would stagger his arms with the racquet arm dragging a little slower and longer to develop more of a whipping action through the contact point. For me, as soon as the toss paused at arm and racquet

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

The motion was designed after the 1972 Wimbledon Champion and fellow University of Southern California Trojan Stan Smith. His serve was much smoother, but the power the motion produced made me a flame thrower of 130 mph-plus from both sides.

To make your serve smoke like my idol Stan Smith, go to YouTube search for a video of his serve. You will really see one of the classic serving deliveries of all time!

And until the next issue … go for the lines and create a cannonball serve for your own game!

Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. He was also a member of the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail lbjensen@syr.edu.

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

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Fueling Tennis Players

By Irina Belfer-Lehat RD, CDN ennis is a high intensity sport that requires short bursts of activity. Most points in tennis last fewer than 10 seconds, but there are only 25 seconds of rest between points and 90 seconds between games. A strong endurance base is necessary for competitive tennis.

Analyses of tennis matches show that the sport requires about 300 to 500 bursts of energy over the course of a match. Quickness and agility are the hallmarks of a good tennis player.

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What should tennis players eat before and after a workout?

When possible, eat three to four hours before a hard practice or competition.

Aim for a low-fat meal with about 200 to 300 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of lean protein. This will ensure that you have enough fuel on board, but will leave time for your stomach to empty before you play. A turkey sub sandwich with baked chips and a side of fruit, or a grilled chicken wrap on a flour tortilla with pretzels and fruit juice or low-fat milk, are fine examples of meals that will meet the energy demands of a long practice or match.

2013 ETA Recipient “Innovative Tennis Program of the Year” LI’s first Tennis Academy devoted to the USTA’s 10 & under Initiative.

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

Going gluten-free Some high-profile professional tennis players have adopted a gluten-free diet.

Will switching to a gluten-free diet improve my performance?

A gluten-free diet is necessary for those athletes who have an intolerance to gluten (a protein found in wheat and some other grains). However, there is no evidence that adopting a gluten-free diet improves your ability to play tennis. One potential risk of following a gluten-free diet is lack of carbohydrates, because gluten-containing foods are a staple of most athletes’ diets. There is no reason to avoid gluten if you do not have a medical condition that requires a change in diet.

The best resource to personalize your diet is a registered dietitian nutritionist, especially one who specializes in sports nutrition.

Call or e-mail today to schedule an appointment with Irina Belfer-Lehat, RD, CDN at (917) 769 8031, e-mail irina@irinalehat.com or visit www.irinalehat.com .

Irina Belfer-Lehat of Nutrition Solutions Co. is a New York State-licensed dietitian and certified dietitian-nutritionist. Irina Lehat RD Nutrition Solutions offers group classes starting in September, for kids in kindergarten through high school. Small groups, affordable prices! Mention this article and receive 20 percent off any services. For more information, call (917) 769-8031, email irinalehat@gmail.com or visit www.irinalehat.com.

The Delicate Connection Between Fitness and Focus

By Carl Barnett hy is it that most coaches have only one or two number one players in a career, yet Pat Etcheberry, Trainer Emeritus, has had more than 15 players.

Granted a coach spends a much greater amount of time with a player than a trainer. The partnership between coach and trainer, however, as we have seen time and time again takes a player to a level they have struggled to attain.

A trainer can have a dramatic input on the fitness and the mindset of a competitive player. A quiet and confident mindset is one of the great paybacks of the rigors of training. See Andre Agassi’s acceptance speech upon induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame regarding Gil Reyes’ impact on his career and life.

Training happens in an honest place where the work is accomplished without luck, bad calls or the help of superior hand eye coordination. You set your mind and just do it. We tell players we know what they are capable of by what they can do in the training room.

I once heard Maya Angelou ask Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Russell to describe money. He said, “It makes you bigger. It makes you a bigger nice guy if you

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are nice and it makes you a bigger jerk if you are a jerk.” Likewise, if you train honestly, it makes your game bigger and cleanses your pursuit resulting in a quiet confidence in the toughest of matches.

Does it surprise you that Pat Etcheberry never saw Pete Sampras lose in medicine ball on the court, or that Justine Henin could do 32 in the line touch test in the service box? Is this where God-given speed and strength meet mental toughness and a competitive personality?

Everyone would agree that all the players in the top 100 have these qualities. The difference that players like Sampras and Henin possess is the “Mind of a Champion.” Federer, Nadal and Serena Williams all have these qualities.

The truth is speed, strength, mental toughness and competitive personality win. The Mind of a Champion WINS REPEATEDLY. It wins both in tennis and in life.

The length and height of a player cannot be coached or developed. Technique is coached and a particular game is developed. Speed, strength, toughness and competitive personality can be developed through the team work of coach and trainer.

Junior players find much of this in the training room long before technique on the court is fully developed. The mind

comes first. They think success. They start completing repetitions previously impossible and then increasing those reps.

They DREAM BIG. Both in the training room and on the court. They want and seek to achieve more. It starts with the speed rope, burpies and push-ups. This builds confidence.

They HAVE DESIRE. Do you really want it? The intersection where workouts, practice, group, lessons and matches meet social life. When study on the weekend and three or four work outs trump a party. These sacrifices build determination.

An evolving junior makes it happen.

THEY ARE ALWAYS IMPROVING. The fit player can work longer and harder with less chance of injury. The more fit a player is, the quicker they improve.

Fitness builds confidence and quiets the mind. Good players win with these qualities. Great players win repeatedly with these qualities. These are four of our eight pillars of success. The last four pillars will be examined in the March/April edition.

Carl Barnett started the Early Hit Training Center over 10 years ago. He has coached countless ranked pre-college tennis players. He may be reached by phone at (516) 455-1225 or e-mail at earlyhit@optonline.net.

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

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TENNIS INJURY PREVENTION

Battling Patellar Tendonitis on the Tennis Court Dr. Charles Ruotolo, MD, FAAOS ny athlete knows that taking care of the lower extremities is the most important thing to ensure success.

Two healthy knees are just as valuable to a tennis player as a powerful serve and a deadly backhand. One injury that plagues tennis players the most is patellar tendonitis, which also goes by the more commonly used name “Jumper’s Knee.”

Jumper’s Knee is an injury that comes about simply due to repetitive strain and overuse. The injury affects the patellar tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the tibia.

The explosive movements involved in the sport can cause micro-tears and degeneration in the tendon.

The name “Jumper’s Knee” was coined when a basketball player’s knee would become inflamed after repeatedly jumping off of a hard-court surface. The casual tennis player will find themselves playing almost exclusively on a similarly hard surface, which

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will increase the chance of this injury plaguing the knee.

Whether we are talking about a “weekend warrior” or a professional tennis player, measures can always be taken to minimize the risk of jumper’s knee: l Warming up and stretching properly before a match is crucial, because there is no way to just ease into a tennis match.

From the first serve to the last the ball will be bouncing baseline to baseline. l Strengthening the leg muscles, especially the quadriceps. Having a strong quadriceps muscle will help any player withstand the constant pressure put on the knee during play. l Be sure to wear the right type of shoes.

It is surprising how many injuries occur just because the player neglects to wear a shoe that fits properly. A player should purchase a shoe that offers comfort and support. Also they should be fitted for the proper orthotics if need be. l A player with a history of knee pain or injuries should consider playing with a knee brace. The same goes for any type

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

of physical activity. This knee brace should be as light as possible and fit properly.

A player already suffering from jumper’s knee will complain of anterior knee pain, while the knee will become inflamed. There will be tenderness at the inferior aspect of the knee-cap and it will become painful to bend the knee. This injury can and will diminish the strength of the quadriceps muscle, which will not only take its toll on their quality of play but it also will put the player at major risk for exacerbation of the problem and secondary injury.

As is the case with many overuse injuries, the only way for this injury to heal is for the player to take some time off. It will generally take one or two months of complete rest for this condition to fully heal. Rehabilitation should also be performed at this time. Recent exciting studies on eccentric strengthening programs have shown better success rates than standard concentric muscle

strengthening programs. Eccentric strengthening is strengthening the muscle as the muscle and tendon are lengthening or being stretched. Injections of platelet rich plasma (PRP), an in-office procedure, can also be performed to stimulate tendon healing. In the rare case that rest and rehabilitation does nothing to subside the pain, a tendon excision procedure can be performed to remove the frayed tendon and begin the healing process.

Any player in need of inspiration can look at one of the greatest professional players of all time. Rafael Nadal is known for his quickness and determination to get to every single ball, no matter how far away it may seem. While this style of play has won him multiple grand slam titles and propelled him to super-stardom, it had also taken its toll on his knees. In 2009, he was suffering from jumper’s knee in both knees, and it forced him to sit out of Wimbledon. As any tennis fan knows, it takes a lot for a player to sit out of Wimbledon, especially when that player was the defending champion.

However, Nadal sat out and received the proper treatment for his knees. Nadal would later say that while it’s hard to sit out a tournament like Wimbledon, he had to keep his long-term interests in mind.

Fully-rested and recovered, he came back in 2010 with a vengeance, taking his game to new heights and reclaiming his world number one ranking. He ended up winning three Grand Slam titles that year,

including his first ever U.S. Open title. The U.S. Open of course, is famously played on a hard court.

If you or a loved one is feeling knee or any other type of pain while out on the court, do not hesitate to contact Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Dr. Charles Ruotolo is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and the founder of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine with locations in Massapequa, East Meadow and the Bronx, N.Y. Dr. Ruotolo completed his orthopedic residency program at SUNY Stony Brook in 2000. After his residency, he underwent fellowship

training in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the prestigious Sports Clinic of Laguna Hills, Calif. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. As an Associate Master Instructor of Arthroscopy for the Arthroscopy Association of North America, Dr. Ruotolo actively teaches other orthopedic surgeons advanced arthroscopic skills in shoulder surgery. As an avid researcher he has also published multiple articles on shoulder injuries and shoulder surgery in the peer review journals of Arthroscopic Surgery and of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. For more information, visit www.totalorthosportsmed.com.

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

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A Collegiate Coach Recruiting Adventure:

On the Road Again

By Lonnie Mitchel t’s recruiting season again for us college coaches. I’m on the road quite often, driving my car to different tennis venues, diners and

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homes, meeting several families who want their children to get a great education and the opportunity to be a student/athlete playing tennis in college. The dilemma for parents rears its head over and over, Division I or II vs. Division III? I now have a theme to write about while

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

navigating my vehicle on the country roads en route to an indoor tennis facility in chilly Rochester, N.Y. I want to be controversial, and I want to get your attention in this article. What do I have to do?

Education first … not tennis.

So, here is the latest adventure in my recruiting adventures as I fill out my roster for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. I met a young woman on this trip who is possibly what many tennis coaches would consider Division I tennis talent. They had another child who had played Division I sports, and they quickly discovered their error as the amount of time spent practicing the sport to fulfill the scholarship requirements was quite disproportionate to the time spent on studying and preparing for life after college.

So here I am, talking to a family whose daughter is now committed to and is going to play high-level tennis, and get a great education at a Division III institution. This is all happening right here at the college where I coach! I was successful.

I got the message across to this nice family. They got it ‌ education will make the ultimate difference.

Another tennis director of a New York area academy laughed when one of my male players decided to commit and get an education while playing collegiate tennis at the college where I coach. That was not a misprint, the director really did laugh. That same director, an individual with more than 250 young children in his program, has maybe three or four students in the academy that would actually get a sniff at my starting lineup.

Maybe I should chuckle too, but I know that there are so many institutions and divisions to choose from. However, laughing at a student for playing collegiate tennis and getting a good education is deplorable. I do, however, have wonderful relationships with tennis academies who want to do right by their students by giving choices, and I commend them for it.

I am declaring war! I am declaring war on tennis academies that tout their program as the best and celebrate the students who go only to Division I colleges. Please give your students and parents the right information. Here is a statistic for you, 87 percent of Division III athletes graduate, and only 81 percent do so at the Division I level. Seventy-five percent of student/athletes at the Division III level receive some form of non-athletics grants or scholarships

and only 53 percent of Division I athletes receive athletic scholarship money. The grants and scholarships received at Division III usually are more than the athletic scholarship itself. Division III schools may not offer athletic scholarships, but they certainly know how to use grants and aid to help reduce cost. Furthering the good news for athletes is that your ability in athletics can help you even if it is a nonscholarship school that you are looking at. This program could be at the Division III level, but if they think you are good enough, they are going to find a number of different ways to help you out financially.

Scholarship money for sports is hard to come by–only the most talented athletes will qualify–and even if a coach is considering you for an athletic scholarship, most of these scholarships are not the “free rides� that we all hear about. Many coaches are given a fixed amount of scholarships, but then may divide them among several recruits, so the result is that no single player receives more than a few thousand dollars. That is the truth. Then the coach will have the players up at 5:30 a.m. three days a week or late at night in the offseason doing their workouts. Don’t you want your sons and daughters rested and studying? Don’t you want them getting into professional organizations and interning in their intended

profession as well? Now, make no mistake about it, we work hard at Division III in season and only in season. We travel, we dine together, we stay at hotels, travel to warm destinations and work hard at the craft of tennis ‌ work very hard! We also turn out students who are very ready to tackle their intended profession.

I am not declaring war on Division I or II institutions that all do a great job in their athletic programs of course. I am only declaring war on the tennis academies that think only outstanding success lies in sending their tennis pupils to a Division I institution.

Turn your nose up at us if you want to, but if you really want to add value to your programs, give your students the choices that are really out there in the college marketplace. Parents want choices, kids want choices and you will be adding to your credibility in a way that you never thought possible. Variety is the spice of life and there are more than 440 Division III institutions to choose from, with 183,500 student athletes. They all could not be wrong.

Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta.

Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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

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Health and Wellness: Improving Your Match Performance

by Eliminating Sweat

BY JA MES CHRISTIAN

Visualize a tennis match where you don’t have to worry about your grip slipping from sweat or embarrassing sweat stains. Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a circumstance that affects millions of Americans, despite the type of climate they live in. If you are managing hyperhidrosis, which can include excessive underarm sweat, you might surmise summer is the worst of the seasons for the condition. One would naturally assume the cooler temperatures in the spring and fall—and especially the winter—should yield you with some relief and make it eas-

ier to prevent underarm sweating, right?

Sadly, that is not always the case. Hyperhidrosis is a problem all-year round, and each season brings its own distinctive challenges for preventing underarm sweat from becoming uncomfortable and embarrassing.

In the winter, you wear layers of clothing to stay warm, but the materials are often not breathable and block the natural evaporation of sweat. In addition, you may get clammy hands and feet when excessive wetness from hyperhidrosis occurs in the wintertime.

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you losing your grip due to sweaty palms.

A few injections in your problem areas are all you need for a better, excessive perspiration, version of yourself, both on and off the court.

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

HI DDEN SEC R E T S O F T H E G RE AT S

Billie Jean King Gifted revolutionary, idealist, women’s rights activist and, oh yeah ... she could play some excellent tennis too

By Dr. Tom Ferraro his marks the final installment in a series which explored the unique character and hidden secrets of the top seven players in modern tennis. We talked about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Serena Williams. But today, I will explore the person who President Bill Clinton described as “The most important female in sports history.” President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Honor for her work advocating for women and gay rights. Of course I am talking about Billie Jean King, the Southern California girl born in 1943 into a religious family and grew up playing public tennis. She was lucky enough to find a great coach in Clyde Walker, who nourished her psychologically. She went on the win 32 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles.

But her importance far exceeds her physical achievements. Billie Jean King is really a gifted moralist and political activist of the highest order.

She was awarded Sportsman of the Year in 1972 by Sports Illustrated, founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and was the first to demand and obtain an equal share of revenue on the tennis tour. When she first started playing the men were earning 12 times what the women earned. Billie Jean King was the one that changed all that. She did it with tenacity, moral courage, focus and determination.

On the court she was an aggressive net rusher with excellent speed. There is no question that she was a great player in her day. But clearly she will go down in history for more then what she did on the court.

The reason we now see the name Billie

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Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. is because of her leadership skills. If Charles Barkley was not a role model then, Billie Jean King surely was.

So when we ask the question, “What was Billie Jean King’s secret and how do we learn from her we do not turn to her on court prowess?” We ask instead of her moral leadership skills. John McEnroe stated she was unquestionably the most important person in the history of women’s sports. So to get at the answer to how all this happened answer this, we must look at her childhood development. ethical development more than her athletic development.

She was the first born in a conservative Methodist working class family and her parents taught her the value of “never giving up.”

Research on moral giftedness suggests that certain children are born with a heightened sensitivity, compassion, intensity and sense of right and wrong. They are often very protective of others and introverted.

One of the leading researchers in this area, Kazimierz Dobrowski describes the morally gifted as delicate, gentle and idealistic. They can be unusually advanced in the areas of psychomotor development, sensuality, imagination, intellect or emotionality. It is obvious that Billie Jean King was one of

these children. She can be compared to Jackie Robinson in men sports, a moral and courageous leader that transcended and revolutionized her sport.

I am delighted that I got to end this series on the modern champions by talking about Billie Jean King. Sport is a crucial function that allows the culture to remove themselves from the stress of work and the occasional disappointments in one love life.

In psychoanalysis, we refer to sports as an essential sublimatory activity, or in laymen’s terms, something that insures that you have some fun in life. But Billie Jean King has transcended even that function and places her on a political level. This is extremely rare to see. In comparison, recall how Tiger Woods responded to any media questions when Martha Burke was making headlines addressing the lack of women members at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods answered with scripted-near-perfect political neutrality.

Billie Jean King will be remembered as that rare athlete that transcended her sport and had global and cultural impact. My guess is that her secret was partly because of good parenting and partly good genetics. The world of women’s sports is deeply indebted to her. What we can learn here is that you ought not ignore or underestimate the power of the shy little idealists that you will encounter in your life. These are the ones who maybe just maybe will lead the world into a better place. Thank you Billie Jean King for all of your guts and all of your goodness.

For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail drtferraro@aol.com or visit www.drtomferraro.com.

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

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Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques

By Lisa Dodson ennis is ever evolving.

Professional players are getting faster, stronger and bigger at a greater rate. Rackets, strings, training methods and strokes are changing just as fast. A broad spectrum of online teaching and information is at our fingertips. Watching videos of the top players and emulating them is thought to be the “best” way to do things. The result is an epidemic of misinformation given to the masses of players. Confusion abounds and it is very disturbing.

Many club players, USTA league players, tournament players and tennis professionals are highly influenced by what they see and hear. This can be a good thing, given that the information or task an individual is attempting to perform is realistic and timely for their game. This can also be disastrous and end up halting good technique development and causing injury. The problem is that players are not able to tell whether they are ready for, or even need, the

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change that they think is so important.

We’ll use the serve as an example. There is no question that the serve is a pretty complex stroke. It’s hard enough to produce the basics without adding layers of difficulty.

Here is a list of basics that you need before you can think about moving on to bigger and better things: l Continental grip l Racket edge traveling up to the ball l A feeling of pronation (a throw like action using elbow/forearm/wrist/hand) l Trunk and hip rotation for the racket take back and toss arm l A continuous and full drop of the racket in the back of the motion l Stance set so that feet don’t have to move (except lifting and turning the back foot) l A straight-armed toss placed in front of the hitting shoulder l Knowledge that as the front leg pushes up, the back leg pushes forward (and up) l A slice serve

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

Here is a list of things to leave at the court door until you have your basics in place: l Pinpoint stance (moving the back foot up to the front foot) l Bringing toss arm parallel to the baseline l Leaving the ground l A toss located over your head l A kick or topspin serve l Attempts to hit hard, flat serves The basics list above is pretty hefty.

Make it your priority to check each item off of your list. If you do you should have some pretty solid form. Then and only then, should you attempt to branch out.

Remember, advanced technique is simply the basics done extremely well. With good basics, broadening your game and developing shot selection comes naturally.

Let’s create a fun scenario that compares a diver and a server at degree of low difficulty. The beginner diver is really just looking to stop belly flopping and the

server just wants the ball to go over the net and into the box. The diver stands at the edge of the pool, nose plug on, bent over at the waist forming an upside down U, head down and hands pointed like and arrow overhead. They say a quick prayer and hope that they will land without pain or hit the pool bottom. Success! They know how to go head first into the pool safely.

The tennis player hitting a serve with a degree of difficulty of one has many similar baseline characteristics. The server stands at the baseline, holds a ball, holds a 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 the ball into the box safely.

Should the diver now attempt to do a jackknife off the diving board and the server attempt to hit a slice out wide because they saw it on a video? Well, of course not. Both need to keep developing the right techniques, habits and skills necessary to perform the more difficult movements. Most players lack a realistic picture of what they are doing and it is

common for players to think they are doing a certain thing when, in fact, they are not. It is an easy mistake to unknowingly skip ahead and attempt a movement that does not fit into your game.

This is where the modern game can backfire. Players see a serve that looks cool and are told by “experts” that this is the way to do it. Don’t we realize that the people who are making this look so easy are dedicated students of the game and high level, highly motivated athletes?

They have already checked off the list of basics above (plus some) years earlier.

Those basics are the foundation of the game from which they have made individual modifications and changes.

These days the most over used and misunderstood technique currently taught is the pinpoint stance. It is unnecessary for a majority of players and adds many degrees of difficulty to the timing of the serve. There is a time and place for everything. There are far more important elements to address and conquer on the serve. On the other hand, some players feel more natural with the pinpoint. If this

is the case be sure to find a pro to help you that really knows how to make the most of it.

If you are a beginner player, it’s best to get some individual instruction initially from a real, live pro, who knows how to teach solid basics and holds you accountable. Anyone who lets you slide is not doing the right thing by you. Remember, as a beginner, you don’t know what you don’t know. Likewise, if you are an intermediate or advanced player, consult a professional who knows their stuff and can figure out what is needed for you at your stage in the game. Don’t get sucked into all of the conflicting and confusing information available on our smartphones and tablets. If you have questions, consult someone you trust with your tennis game. It’s a whole lot more fun that way.

Lisa Dodson is owner of Servemaster at The Total Serve, a USPTA Elite Pro, a formerly world ranked player and radio show host. She may be reached by e-mail at lisa@thetotalserve.com or visitwww.thetotalserve.com.

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

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Long Island 2014 Gir Long Island Girls Win Singles and Doubles Titles at 2014 State Championships

By Brian Coleman 2014 NYSPHSAA Singles Champion Ester Chikvashvili from Half Hollow Hills East, with the 2014 NYSPHSAA Doubles Champions, Oyster Bay’s Celeste Matute & Courtney Kowalsky

Long Island was wellrepresented this year at the 2014 NYSPHSAA Championships in Latham, N.Y. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships took place in Latham, N.Y., as the top girls high school tennis players from Long Island traveled upstate to compete for statewide glory. It was a great showing for Long Island, as Half Hollow Hills East’s Ester Chikvashvili captured the state singles title, and Oyster Bay’s Courtney Kowalsky & Celeste Matute won the doubles title.

Chikvashvili, the number five seed, took on the third-seeded Tomo Iwasaki of Edgemont High School in the finals. Iwasaki had eliminated 2014 Nassau County Champion, 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 the match. Iwasaki would try and work her way back into the set, getting within 2-5 at one point, before Chikvashvili took back the break advantage and won the final game to capture the set 6-2.

The second set would turn to out to be just the opposite of the opening set. This time, Iwasaki raced out to a lead, winning the first three games of the frame to go up 3-0. Chikvashvili would notch a break point and a couple of holds to pull within 3-4, before the senior from Edgemont took the 56

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 deciding frame.

With the set even at 3-3, Chikvashvili would take over, winning three of the next four games to outlast Iwasaki 6-4 and capture the state championship.

“I didn’t really worry about whether it was fourth or first place. I just wanted a medal. To finish my high school career off with a championship of some sort, like a win,” said Chikvashvili, who, despite being only a junior, will be graduating from high school this year. “This definitely beats anything I could have ever thought of and I couldn’t have asked for a better finish.”

On her way to the championship match, Chikvashvili defeated fellow Long Islander Alex Koniaev of Locust Valley.

Chikvashvili came back from a set down to beat Koniaev 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in the quarterfinals in a very tough encounter.

She then moved into the semifinals and a potential rematch with 2014 Suffolk County High School Girls runner-up Courtney Provan of Half Hollow Hills West. Unfortunately, the rematch, which would have been the fourth time the two met this year, was not to be.

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

Provan had to retire from her quarterfinal match with a back injury. At the time, she was trailing 2-6, 2-3 to Yuka Lin of Mary Louis Academy. Chikvashvili took care of Lin in the semis, though, with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Koniaev ended up also winning a medal, when she won the fourth place match against fellow Long Islander, Jackie Bukzin from Eastport-South Manor. Bukzin had reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Iwasaki. Shanice Arthur of Jericho lost her first-round matchup to Kahlei Ressinger of Baldwinsville, but bounced back to win the back draw.

Cosme finished third and medaled in Latham.

In the doubles final, Kowalsky & Matute drew a matchup with the top-seeded duo from Suffern, N.Y., Sydney Kaplan & Courtney Ollis. As they had done all tournament long, the Oyster Bay duo did not lose a set, defeating Kaplan & Ollis 6-4, 6-4.

“We both played amazing, it was really hard for us to do,” said Kowalsky. “I don’t think we’ve ever played this good before.”

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

In a battle between 2014 Nassau County

rl’s High School Recap PART II Champions Kowalsky & Matute and 2014 Suffolk County Champions Stephanie Chikvashvili & Vanessa Scott from Half Hollow Hills East, Kowalsky & Matute were 64, 6-2 winners in the quarterfinals.

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

before the pair fell to second-seeded Gillian Perrotta & Caroline McAtee of Eastchester.

Perrotta & McAtee would go on to lose to eventual champions Kowalsky & Matute in the semifinals.

Manhasset’s Amanda Foo & Madeline Clinton 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 doubles draw were Floyd’s Kelci Henn & Lisa Lin, and Half Hollow Hills West’s Danah Han & Nikaylah Williams, who both lost their respective first-round matches.

Manhasset Beats Roslyn for Nassau Conference I Title

By Brian Coleman

The top-seeded Manhasset Indians defeated the secondseeded Bulldogs of Roslyn to capture the 2014 Nassau County Conference I Championship The Manhasset Indians came up one match short in the 2013 Nassau County Girls Tennis championship, falling to the Port Washington Vikings 4-3. This year, the girls from top-seeded Manhasset would not be denied, defeating the second-seeded Bulldogs of Roslyn 5-2 to capture the Nassau County Conference I Championship.

“I am incredibly proud of each and every one of these girls,” said Manhasset Head Coach Eileen Cuneo. “They worked hard all season.”

This year’s Manhasset team looked vastly different than the one that reached the Nassau County title match a year ago. Seven players graduated from last year’s team, opening the door for a crop of new players.

“It was clear from the beginning that the

Nassau Conference I runners-up the Roslyn Bulldogs gather for a team photo

team was dedicated, and willing to work, and had a common goal,” said Cuneo. “This team just came together from the beginning, they knew what they had to do, adjusted when they need to and supported each other throughout every match. They became close both on and off the court.”

Manhasset’s Amanda Foo, a junior, knocked off Marissa Luchs of Roslyn 6-4, 63 to clinch the match for the Indians. Foo’s teammates had swept the first three doubles matches, and celebrated on the court with Foo once her match had ended.

The Nassau County title is the first for the Manhasset program since 1988, according to 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 singles in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

The strong play came from the Manhasset doubles teams, who won three of the four matches on the afternoon, all in straight sets. Courtney Connors paired up with Lei Frankis for a 6-2, 6-4 win at first doubles, while Alina Zhitnik and Kyleigh Harmon won by the same score at second doubles.

Rounding out the Manhasset victories was the team of Grace Catlett & Yuhan Wang who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win at third doubles.

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

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Long Island 2014 Gir Floyd Shocks Hills East for Suffolk Championship

By Matthew Cohen

Credit all photos to Matthew Cohen

William Floyd upset the three-time defending Suffolk County Champions Half Hollow Hills East 4-3 for the Suffolk County Championship William Floyd High School Girls Tennis pulled off a huge upset to beat the threetime defending Suffolk County Champions Half Hollow Hills East 4-3 in the Suffolk County Championship Match.

The win snapped Hills East’s 69 consecutive Suffolk County match winning streak and also avenged Floyd’s loss to Hills East in last year’s Suffolk final, as well as a regular season loss earlier this year.

With the score tied at three matches, it all came down to a fourth singles match between Floyd’s Christina Cali and Gabby Raziel of Hills East. Cali and Raziel were stuck in an epic battle, and their match ran so long that the sun set and the 58

match was postponed until the next day.

When play resumed, the girls had split sets and Raziel led 3-2 in the third set.

Both girls played very well and were able to handle the pressure-filled situation. In the end, it came down to just a couple of big points and Cali was able to come back in dramatic fashion from a deficit to win the deciding set 6-4 and lifting Floyd to It’s the first ever Suffolk County Girls Championship.

The stage was set for a “David vs. Goliath” situation, as described by Floyd Coach Dave Pia of his school facing the three-time defending champs.

“Our goal was to get back here to the final and we were able to do that,” said Pia. “To beat Hills East is just amazing.

My kids played super, it was an amazing job all around, and I’m just so happy for them.”

“It feels amazing,” said Floyd Senior Christina Cali after the match. “It was a really long season, and I had to put a lot of work in, but in the end, it was all worth it. It’s such a great way to finish.”

Although fourth singles ended up as the deciding match it was Floyd’s strong doubles play which was the key to the victory as they won all three doubles courts.

At first doubles, Kelci Henn & Lisa Lin

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

defeated Dinya Rao & Melissa Achenbaum 6-2, 6-1. Second doubles saw Kayla D’Addario & Zoe Dasilva defeat Mary Kravitz & Ariana Malik 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, and at third doubles, Kaitlin Hibbert & Victoria Panicola defeated Joanna Wang & Brynn April 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

“Second doubles was the one we let get away,” said Hills East Coach Tom Depelteau, who will be losing six of his seniors next year and described the upcoming 2015 season as a “transitional” year.

Hill’s singles looked as strong as it has been all season, as Ester Chikvashvili defeated Emily Fernandez 6-0, 6-2 at first singles; Vanessa Scott defeated Brooke Fernandez 6-3, 6-0 at second singles; and Stephanie Chikvashvili defeated Antonette Viglione 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 playing with my team and it’s really exciting/upsetting at the same time.”

The 2014 high school season wasn’t over for four of William Floyd’s girls and three of Hills East’s. Antonette Viglione, Kelci Henn, Lisa Lin and Kayla D’Addario of Floyd, along with Ester Chikvashvili, Stephanie Chikvashvili and Vanessa Scott of Hills East took part in the 2014 New York State Championship in Latham, N.Y.

rl’s High School Recap Friends Academy Defeats Great Neck South in Conference II-A Finals

PART II

By Gary Simeone

Credit all photos to Gary Simeone

out with a win like this.”

Baxter said the season consisted of matches that were pushed back because of inclement weather and a schedule that included a stretch of nine matches in 12 days.

“After beating Friends Academy was crowned Nassau Girl’s Conference II-A champions North Shore in the after their win over Great Neck South quarterfinals and traveling to Hewlett It had been a long time coming, but the and winning the semis it’s like icing on the Friends Academy Quakers Girls Tennis team cake to come here and get this win over an finally got a win over the Great Neck South undefeated and regular season champ Great Rebels when it mattered the most. The Neck South team.”

Rebels had beaten the Quakers in both regAll of the Friends Academy singles players ular season matches but the third time was won their matches, but it was Friends Acadthe charm for the Quakers who pulled off a emy’s second singles player, Morgan Wilkins, spectacular 4-3 win in the Conference II-A who clinched the victory for her team. She Nassau County Championship at Wheatley faced a tough opponent in South’s Marisa High School.

Menist, who she lost to twice in the regular How did Friends coach Brian Baxter feel season. about the win?

“I played her a lot smarter this time “Relieved,” said Baxter. “After a long around,” said the sophomore Wilkins, who season, I am glad to get this win and parcould barely contain her smile after learning ticularly happy for our seniors who worked she was the deciding match. “I came to the so hard this year fighting through a tough net more, threw in a lot more drop shots and conference schedule and they get to go

held serve throughout the match.”

Wilkins won her match 6-4 6-2 and said she was extremely happy that she pulled it together for the seniors on the team.

In the other singles matches, senior, Julia Ciardullo defeated Mollie Blank 6-0, 6-1 at first singles and eighth grader, Calista Cha won in straight sets against Angela Chi 6-0, 6-1 at third singles.

In the doubles matches, Friends Academy’s first doubles, Devina Kedia & Marina Hilbert were victorious 6-1, 6-2 over Megha & Haarika Reddy.

Great Neck South wrapped up the remaining doubles matches with the second doubles team of Ashley Yu & Shannon Nassi defeating Gabby Bloom & Amanda Yaraghi 6-0, 6-2. In fourth doubles, Parker Spector & Amanda Zeitlin beat Danielle Kahn & Jessie Friedman 7-6(7-3), 6-1 and the third doubles team of Lily Kimmel & Parker Spector won in a third set super tiebreaker over Sasha Levin & Elizabeth Quick.

“Despite the loss, we had a great season with a very deep team,” said Great Neck South Coach Brad Krauz. “The girls had a lot of fun and we had a lot of high notes on the season such as our second doubles team going 16-0 and a rotating fourth doubles team that never lost.”

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Long Island 2014 Gir Glen Cove Captures the Nassau County Conference III Title record of 9-3, Glen Cove earned a first round home playoff match against Plainedge. They were able to defend their home court advantage and win 5-2.

The win moved Glen Cove to the conference semis, where they faced off against undefeated The Glen Cove Girls High School Tennis team were victorious over East Meadow (12-0).

Calhoun to take home the Nassau County Conference III title Glen Cove was able The Girls Varsity Tennis team from Glen to play their best match of the season Cove took a unique journey to their Con- though and upset East Meadow 5-2, adference III Title. After a regular season vancing to the Conference Finals against

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

En route to the finals, Calhoun had defeated Glen Cove in both regular season matchups, but the third time proved to be the charm for this team, as they edged out Calhoun 4-3 to take the Conference III Title.

Congratulations to Glen Cove’s First Singles: Trinity Chow, Second Singles: Lauren Rizzo, Third Singles: Jenny Armstrong, First Doubles: Alex Casale & Tristyn Hudson, Second Doubles: Diana Delgrosso & Amanda Heavey, Third Doubles: Elizabeth Kwiatek & Anastasia Chsileva; and Fourth Doubles: Elena D’Ambrosio & Grace Brady.

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

Commack Varsity Team Hosts Annual Tennis With Teachers Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness A great time was had by all at the Commack Varsity fundraiser for breast cancer awareness

Participants gather for a photo after the Annual Tennis With Teachers Fundraiser in Commack

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

rl’s High School Recap Spotlight on the Locals

PART II

By Brian Coleman Long Island’s high school girls had a great year. The Island was very well-represented at the 2014 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships in Latham, N.Y., and the 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 Hills East’s Ester Chikvashvili, winner of the NYSPHSAA Singles Championship; the Oyster Bay duo of Courtney Kowalsky & Celeste Matute, winners of the NYSPHSAA Doubles Championship; and Amanda Foo from Manhasset, 2014 Nassau County Conference I champions.

Half Hollow Hills East’s Ester Chikvashvili Captures State Title

Last year, Half Hollow Hills East sophomore Ester Chikvashvili was one of the final eight players left in the 2013 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships before falling in the quarterfinals.

Now a junior, Chikvashvili used the experience she earned in her sophomore campaign to get back to the state tournament in Latham, N.Y. This time around, she would not be denied, capturing the first state championship in tennis for Hills East in 30 years.

“At first I was in shock,” said Chikvashvili.

“I couldn’t believe I just did something I never thought I would be able to do.”

Chikvashvili knocked off Tomo Iwasaki of Edgemont 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the title match, illustrating the mental toughness and 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 focused. “I played really smart and depended on my brains to get me out of those tight matches.”

That was no more evident than in the tournament’s quarterfinals when she trailed Locust Valley’s Alex Koniaev 6-1, 4-0, two games away from being eliminated from the quarters for a second straight year.

Instead of folding, the junior stormed back and rattled off the next six games to take the second frame. She would go on to win the third set in a tie-breaker on her way to the semifinals.

In the semis, she disposed of Mary Louis Academy’s Yuka Lin 6-0, 6-1 before taking on Iwasaki in the final.

A major reason for her success in

Latham was due to her conditioning.

Chikvashvili said that 2014 saw her play less tennis than she had in past years, therefore keeping her fresh late in the tournament while others were tiring.

Chikvashvili spent a lot of time in the past year training with the help of her family, something that she says allowed her to relax during practice sessions without feeling any pressure. Her younger sister Stephanie, 15, won the Suffolk County Doubles title as a sophomore, while her younger brother, Daniel, 13, is an eighthgrader.

“When I’m playing with them, I’m also making sure that they are improving and we could train without having any outside problems so there was no pressure at all,” said Chikvashvili. “I couldn’t have won this tournament without the support of my two siblings, Stephanie and Daniel, and my entire family.”

Chikvashvili became the first girls tennis player from Suffolk County to win a state title since Hauppauge’s Jennifer Kellner in 2008.

More importantly, for her, she was able to bring her Hills East team a state championship.

“It was my high school coach’s first state championship, so I thought that was pretty cool,” said Chikvashvili. “It was nice to be able to win, not just for myself, but also for

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Long Island 2014 Gir

Spotlight 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 her singles matches.

“Ester provided us with an all but certain win at first singles,” said Hills East Head Coach Tom DePelteau. “This enabled me to divert considerable strength to the doubles part of the lineup. I am extremely proud of what Ester accomplished this year, both in-season and at the state tournament. She displayed true tenacity and a gritty sense of poise in some pretty tense moments.”

One of those losses happened to

come in the individual county championship to Hills West sophomore Courtney Provan, just two weeks prior to the state tournament.

“I basically told myself I have to accept my losses,” said Chikvashvili of her mindset after losses. “Nobody can ever win all the time. Just take every loss as an experience, learn from it and only improve. And I think that’s exactly what I did. I definitely did not get down on myself for losing that match. I accepted that she played amazingly and she just beat me that day.”

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

chance to defend her state title in the fall next season. The junior is graduating from Hills East in the spring after just three years.

“Ever since I was a young kid, I valued academics over my tennis. But it was very difficult,” Chikvashvili said of balancing tennis and school work. “I think it is going to prepare me for college. I’ll admit, it was hard. I had to make a lot of sacrifices, but I am proud of myself.”

Chikvashvili will continue her tennis career on Long Island, as she has verbally committed to play at Stony Brook University.

Kowalsky & Matute Win First State Title in Oyster Bay History Credit photos to Keith Kowalsky

The Oyster Bay High School Tennis program had gone its entire history without having a state champion in girls’ tennis.

Now it has two.

Courtney Kowalsky and Celeste Matute became the first girls tennis players from Oyster Bay, N.Y. to win a state championship in early November, defeating the top-seeded Suffern High School pair Sydney Kaplan & Courtney Ollis 6-4, 6-4 in the state finals in Latham, N.Y. “It was the most amazing feeling,” said Matute, a junior. “I felt so proud of myself and Courtney and it was just such a big accomplishment.”

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Despite both being underclassmen, the Oyster Bay duo dominated at each level of both the county and state tournaments.

The duo was able to shake off the nerves of playing in a huge competition by relaxing each other and just enjoying the moment.

“We were definitely nervous going into counties and then heading to states,” said Kowalsky, who is just a sophomore. “But we tried to calm each other down by laughing on the court and just having fun. We knew whatever happens happens, but it was unbelievable that we came away with the title.”

In the state final, naturally, Kowalsky &

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

Matute faced their toughest test against the top-seeded duo from Suffern. Each set was even at 4-4 before the Oyster Bay girls hung tough and won the final two games of each frame to clinch the championship.

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

Kowalsky added, “We just told each other to calm down and we did really good with that. All we focused on was getting that next ball onto the court.”

The ability to refocus and stay poised throughout the match comes from the offcourt friendship the two have. Despite both being excellent singles players, the two bring out the best in each other when they take the court as a doubles tandem.

“Courtney and I have been playing doubles together since we were little but this is the first time we have ever done something this big together,” said Matute. “I think the reason we work so well on the court is because we have such a close relationship off the court.”

rl’s High School Recap

ocals • Spotlight on the Locals • Spotlight on the Locals • Their friendship keeps them relaxed during matches, but it is their skill sets that allow them to control the action.

“I have the power serve and she has the power volley, so both of them together create a dream team basically,” said Kowalsky.

“We’re so lucky that we both have decent volleys because that’s what we really need and most teams don’t have.”

The fact that the two complement each

other so well allows them to be aggressive and go for shots that some teams don’t normally go for. That confidence is a unique trait in such young players and is something that has developed the more the pair plays together.

While the girls high school tennis season is over, it is hardly an offseason for Kowalsky and Matute. The two are training together in order to get ready to defend their titles

PART II

and attempt to lead Oyster Bay to a Nassau County Championship.

“Celeste and I are practicing and we’re playing doubles tournaments now outside of school because we now know we can go far with this,” said Kowalsky.

Matute added, “I expect nothing less than a second win. Courtney and I will be practicing hard through this year. It will take determination, but we can do it.”

Foo Leads Manhasset to First County Title in 25 Years It had been nearly 25 years since the Manhasset Indians could call themselves Nassau County Champions in Girls Varsity Tennis.

That all changed in late October, as Manhasset defeated Roslyn 5-2 for the Nassau County Championship at Wheatley High School.

Amanda Foo clinched the victory for the Indians with her 6-4, 6-3 win over Marissa Luchs at first singles.

“It is such an honor being a part of Manhasset history,” said Foo. “The team has had individual county champions before, but never a team championship. This year, it meant a lot to us.”

Manhasset entered 2014 as the defending Nassau County runner-ups, and were motivated to get back to the county title match after falling to Port Washington 4-3 in 2013.

“From the first day of practice, the team was so pumped,” said Foo. “We worked really hard every day and were determined to go all the way.”

The Indians lost seven seniors, including two singles players, from the 2013 team, but did not miss a beat. Foo, a junior, got a taste of first singles action last year as a sopho-

more before a tendinitis injury forced her to miss some time.

She came back from the injury this season and became the leader of her Manhasset team. The junior dominated play in Nassau this year, helping the Indians post a record of 15-1, with the lone loss coming to Port Washington early in the regular season.

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

Foo credits a lot of her success to her training over the past year. She saw a fitness trainer in the offseason that helped her get over the tendinitis, and received some words of advice from one of her coaches.

“My private coach Ricky Becker told me that everyone’s a duck,” said Foo. “Basically what that means is that no matter what your opponent looks like or how they play, treat them all as the same duck and go into every match with the same passion.”

That attitude and mindset has allowed Foo not to get too high or low during matches, something she considers her strong point.

“The strongest part of my game is that I never give up, no matter what the score is,” said Foo. “My weakest part is that I can

sometimes over think my strategy. But all I need to do then is just take a step back and relax.”

It becomes easier to relax when playing high school tennis as opposed to other tournaments, says Foo, as you have the support of your school and the community on your side.

“My classmates, teammates and all our parents come out and cheer for us during every match,” said Foo of the supportive Manhasset community. “In high school tennis, the team comes first and it doesn’t matter whether you’re playing first singles or fourth doubles, the team just needs to win four courts. The camaraderie and support is great!”

As a junior, Foo says she has not really thought hard about where she wants to continue her tennis career when high school is over, but knows that she wants to play tennis at the next level.

“I’m definitely looking for a college with the right balance of academics and a competitive tennis team,” said Foo. “I don’t know where I want to go yet, but I do know that I want to play tennis.”

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

“We are only losing one senior starter and there are a lot of talented junior varsity players coming up,” said Foo. “I definitely think we can repeat again.”

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New Faces i T HE

E

ATP’S

BREAK OU

By Andrew

very year, many of the top players in the sport of tennis prove that they belong, using unbelievable shotmaking and fight to stake their spot towards the peak of the rankings. Season in and season out, fresh faces make an appearance, trying to show the world why they belong amongst the best as well. So, who will make their arguments to join the elite in 2015? There are young guns on their way up, but do not be surprised when a 30-something journeyman shows up on the biggest stages of the tennis world, and makes his name known under the spotlight. So, when the Australian fans open up the Grand Slam season with their trademark, “Aussie! Aussie!

Aussie! Oy! Oy! Oy!” they may very well have more of a nationalistic reason to do so, which can last in the tennis world for years to come.

Nick Kyrgios Americans have spent time worrying about how far along their young players will get. These discussions have revolved around 18-, 19- and even in some cases 20-year-olds still in college. News flash, the best of those guys have been in the hundreds of the world rankings. Nineteen-year-old Nick Kyrgios of Australia is already on the verge of the top-50, and by the way, he is a Grand Slam quarterfinalist.

Yeah, he beat some guy named Rafael Nadal in that tournament too. Just to list some names who the up-and-comer of Greek-Malaysian heritage defeated: Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny and Radek Stepanek, three well-established veterans who have plenty of experience in using their guile to outlast young guns like Kyrgios.

The thing is, on those given days, the big right-hander was too good. For tennis fans out there who have not seen Kyrgios play, 64

imagine a player with the athleticism and ball-striking prowess of Jo Wilfried Tsonga and the raw power of Tomas Berdych.

Pretty hefty comparison, no? Nick Kyrgios has that much talent, and he flashed it for 23,000 to see during the third round of the United States Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium against the always-feisty Tommy Robredo. To make one of the quickest and physically toughest players on tour look slow for a set and a half leaves the world to wonder what we can see from Kyrgios in the future, when he physically and mentally matures.

Thanasi Kokkinakis When anybody rises over 400 spots in the rankings in a single season, flags should go up.

When that same player is 18-years-old, eyes bulge, as they should throughout the rest of young Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis’ career. A year

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

younger than his compatriot Kyrgios, there is not one particular result or one particular shot that grabs anybody’s attention. He will not be challenging John Isner’s serve or Novak Djokovic’s backhand anytime soon, but he can do a little bit of everything, which can get a player pretty far in this sport. Look at Andreas Seppi, who has spent much of the past few years hovering around the top-30 in the world, even poking his nose into the top-20 on occasions. Kokkinakis could end up being a more explosive and dangerous Seppi, which bodes well for the young gun. As he did in 2013, a 16-yearold hanging tough in grinding groundstroke rallies with Fernando Verdasco, although it was an exhibition at the Hopman Cup, shows that the kid can play.

Look out in 2015 for the second half of the Aussie takeover.

Dominic Thiem

It is safe to say that at least in some respects, the young Austrian’s mentor, Ernests Gulbis, has rubbed off on Dominic Thiem in the “being interesting” department. Fans may enjoy his almost-daily Facebook posts in which everything he describes is in some way “mega” or “noble,” on top of the fact that he has no problem sharing the holes in his own game with the fans. The bottom line is, forgetting the shenanigans, the kid has a ton of potential. When people talk about Stan Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer and Nicolas Almagro, sooner rather than later, Thiem will start coming up. His one-handed backhand, like those

n the Crowd

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Eichenholz other stars of the game is tremendous.

His serve will need a bit of work, as the higher he climbs, the less impact it will have on the returners, and once a player gets to the highest level, free points off of the serve are mandatory to compete.

One thing is for certain: once Thiem matures mentally and physically, as he is still only 21 years of age, he will learn how to control his switches. He was down two sets to Gulbis at the United States Open this year, and turned it around to beat his mentor, which is not easy when Gulbis is focused as he was against his protégé.

Thiem, already in the top-40, will have some hard work ahead of him, but should be comfortably in the Grand Slam seedings by the end of next year.

Gilles Muller

In every sport, there is a player who everybody has heard of in some way, but has not struck an image in the viewer’s mind. That guy is Gilles Muller. For those questioning why they recognize his name, maybe this will ring a bell. In 2008, he beat Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagro and then fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals, where he made Roger Federer work for the victory. That is not to ignore the Grand Slam victories Muller has had over Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, as on the big stage, he has shown that the pressure does not phase him in the least.

Now after reading all of that, think about this statistic. Muller has reached a career high of 42nd in the world rankings. How could that possibly be? Injuries have

constantly plagued the Luxembourg-native, who looks like he may finally be getting healthy. If he can manage to stay on the court for a full season, who knows what the crafty left-handed pro can do.

Blaz Rola

college tennis shows, he will have the competitive juices flowing to push him towards the top. The lefty follows in the footsteps of John Isner and Kevin Anderson, who along with the likes of Steve Johnson have been college athletes to make a dent in the tennis world. Technique wise, Rola is somewhat similar to Martin Klizan, who has taken his fair share of upsets over the last few years, except Rola is a tad bit taller.

Both lefties have the ability to dictate with their forehand, and could make a tough matchup for anybody when serving well.

Eventually, there are going to be analysts making the terrible pun of saying that Blaz Rola is “on a roll,” as he ascends the world rankings. The Ohio State Buckeye left the program after winning the 2013 NCAA Singles Championship, after flying under the radar of many college tennis followers throughout his three year stay. Just a year later, and Rola is solidly inside the top-100 in the world and has participated in the main draw of three Grand Slams, reaching the second round of two. Now, not many people know this guy, but if the history of

Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism student at Stony Brook University, where he currently is a staff writer for The Statesman, covering tennis amongst many sports. He grew up playing tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he learned to love the game, eventually becoming a part time tennis instructor, working for the most part with the QuickStart 10 & Under Program. Andrew has also served as a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He may be reached by e-mail at andrew.eichenholz@stonybrook.edu.

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LONG ISLAND TENNIS CLUB

directory

Bethpage Park Tennis Center Andrea Pappas—Manager 99 Quaker Meeting House Road #1 Farmingdale, NY 11735 (516) 777-1358 • bptcenter@aol.com Butch Seewagen Tennis Academy @ Rockville Centre CATS Jami Madison—Director 188 Maple Avenue Rockville Centre, NY 11570 (516) 763-1299, ext. 10 • catsrvc@gmail.com Carefree Racquet Club Kathy Miller—Manager 1414 Jerusalem Avenue Merrick, NY 11566 (516) 489-9005 • carefreetennis@aol.com Deer Park Tennis Club Afzal Ali—Director of Tennis 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, NY 11729 (631) 667-3476 • www.deerparktennis.com Eastern Athletic Club Betsy Johnson—Manager 854 Jericho Turnpike Huntington Station, NY 11746 (631) 271-6616 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club 9A Montauk Highway Blue Point, NY 11715 (631) 363-2882 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Eastern Athletic Club 100 Ruland Road Melville, NY 11747 (631) 420-1310 • www.easternathleticclubs.com Early Hit Training Center at Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, NY 11545 Carl Barnett: (516) 455-1225 earlyhit@optonline.net Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, NY 11545 Stephanie Leo: (516) 676-9849 glenheadrc@verizon.net Huntington Indoor Tennis Club Richard Rottkamp—Manager/Owner 100 Broadway Huntington Station, NY 11746 (631) 421-0040 • hitennis@myway.com

Point Set Indoor Tennis Tonny vandePieterman—Director of Tennis 3065 New Street Oceanside, NY 11572 (516) 536-2323 • tonny@pointsettennis.com www.pointsettennis.com Port Washington Tennis Academy Manny Iqbal—Director of Tennis 100 Harbor Road Port Washington, NY 11050 (516) 883-6425 • tennis@pwta.com www.pwta.com Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center at Glen Cove Stephen Alcala—Managing Partner 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, NY 11542 (516) 759-0505 • www.rwtt.com Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center at Glenwood Landing Adrian Chirici—Director of Tennis 142 Glenwood Landing Road Glenwood Landing, NY 11547 (516) 676-9107 • www.rwtt.com Ross School Holly Li—Manager 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, NY 11937 (631) 907-5162 • hli@ross.org www.ross.org/tennis SPORTIME Amagansett Sue de Lara—General Manager 320 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930 (631) 267-3460 • amagansett@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/amagansett Eric Scoppetta—Camp Director (631) 267-2267 • ehsc@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/ehsc SPORTIME Amagansett Multi-Sport Mike Ritsi—General Manager 385 Abrahams Path • Amagansett, NY 11930 (631) 267-3460 • mritsi@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/amagansett-multi-sport SPORTIME Bethpage Tennis Joe Siegel—General Manager 101 Norcross Avenue • Bethpage, NY 11714 (516) 933-8500 • jsiegel@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-tennis SPORTIME Bethpage Multi-Sport Randy Louie—General Manager 4105 Hempstead Turnpike • Bethpage, NY 11714 (516) 731-4432 • rlouie@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/bethpage-multi-sport

New York Tennis Academy at Great Neck Estates Howie Arons—Director of Junior Tennis Program 12 Shore Drive • January/February 2015 • LITennisMag.com 66 Long Island GreatTennis Neck, NYMagazine 11021 (516) 233-2790 • bightennis@aol.com

SPORTIME Kings Park Bea Bielik—General Manager Jeff Morys—Co-Director of Tennis Jason Wass–Co-Director of Tennis 275 Old Indian Head Road • Kings Park, NY 11754 (631) 269-6300 • bbielik@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/kings-park SPORTIME Lynbrook Bea Bielik–General Manager Danny Casesa—Director of Tennis 175 Merrick Road • Lynbrook, NY 11563 (516) 887-1330 • dcasesa@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/lynbrook SPORTIME Massapequa Chris Leahy—General Manager Emanuel Ponce—Director of Tennis 5600 Old Sunrise Highway • Massapequa, NY 11758 (516) 799-3550 • cleahy@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/massapequa SPORTIME Quogue Rene Bond—General Manager Greg Meyer—Director of Tennis 2571 Quogue-Riverhead Road • East Quogue, NY 11942 (631) 653-6767 • rbond@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/quogue SPORTIME Randall’s Island Flagship Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Allison Hodgkins—Assistant General Manager Jared Karlebach—Assistant General Manager One Randall’s Island • New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 • ahodgkins@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/manhattan SPORTIME Roslyn Jay Harris—General Manager Jordan Dolberg—Director of Tennis 1 Landing Road • Roslyn, NY 11576 (516) 484-9222 • jharris@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/roslyn SPORTIME Syosset Tennis & Multi-Sport Long Island Annex of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Joe Siegel—General Manager Mike Kossoff—Director of Tennis JMTA 75 Haskett Drive • Syosset, NY 11791 (516) 364-2727 • mkossoff@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/syosset-tennis USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park • Flushing, NY 11568 (718) 760-6200 • www.usta.com

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

BOYS Long Island Boys 12 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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.

ISLAND

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 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......Christopher McGorty..........Bellmore, N.Y. 2 ......Jordan Diamond ................Mt. Sinai, N.Y. 3 ......Marco Ammirati ..................Halesite, N.Y.

RANKINGS

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.

GIRLS Long Island Girls 12 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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. 23 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, 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.

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LONG Long Island Girls 18 Singles Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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

ISLAND

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.

(as of 12/16/14)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 1 ......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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 3 ......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.

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Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 4 ......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. 37 ....Brian Shi..............................Jericho, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 6 ......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.

RANKINGS

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. 48 ....Brian Shi..............................Jericho, 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.

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 3 ......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. 88 ....Madelyn Kay Germano ......Islip, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 8 ......Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 18 ....Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 22 ....Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y. 34 ....Amy Delman........................Great Neck, N.Y. 37 ....Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y.

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

38 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 2 ......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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 2 ......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.

LONG 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)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Long Island Players

ISLAND

National Boys 18 Singles— Long Island Players

RANKINGS

National Girls 18 Singles— Long Island Players

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

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

24 ....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.

51 ....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. 483 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, 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.

Rank Name ......................................City 5 ......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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 30 ....Cannon Kingsley ................Northport, N.Y. 54 ....Ronald P. Hohmann............Oyster Bay, N.Y. 61 ....Patrick Maloney ..................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 63 ....Brian Shi..............................Jericho, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 30 ....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.

GIRLS National Girls 12 Singles— Long Island Players Rank Name ......................................City 25 ....Rachel Arbitman ................Hewlett, N.Y. 43 ....Maryam Beshir Ahmad ......Albertson, N.Y. 99 ....Amy Delman........................Great Neck, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 14 ....Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, N.Y. 130 ..Merri Kelly ..........................Oyster Bay, N.Y. 350 ..Jacqueline Rae Bukzin ......Manorville, N.Y. 514 ..Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, 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 Players Rank Name ......................................City 27 ....Madison Battaglia ..............Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 30 ....Alexa Graham ....................Garden City, N.Y. 170 ..Claire Handa ......................Point Lookout, N.Y. 201 ..Lea Ma ................................Dix Hills, 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. 970 ..Francesca Karman ............Port Washington, N.Y.

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

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USTA/Long Island Region 2015

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

JANUARY 2015 Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 L1B GHRC Winter Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 L1B Bethpage State Park Winter Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, 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 rbecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 L1B January Blue Starz Challenger Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) and Challenger Mixed Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry 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, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 L1B Christopher Morley Tennis Center January Challenger Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Jan. 25 at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

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Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 & February 6-8 L2R Long Island Regional at Deer Park TC Deer Park Tennis Center 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry 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 deerparktennis@optimum.net or call (631) 667-3476.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L2O WG February Open World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Saturday, January 31 L3 10U UPS & 8U Playday at Sportime Syosset Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 36’ Red Ball 8, 60’ Orange Ball 10 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L1B Warriors Classic Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) and Challenger Mixed-Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry 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, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

FEBRUARY 2015 Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L1B GHRC February Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L1B Sportime at Kings Park February Regional Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, call (631) 269-6300.

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

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L2O Bethpage State Park Winter Open Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, 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 rbecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L2O Sportime Lynbrook February Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 60’ Orange Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $48.88 per player For more information, e-mail tournamentslyb@sportimeny.com or call (516) 887-1330.

USTA/Long Island Region 2015

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

Friday-Sunday, February 6-8 L1B CMTC Winter Challenger Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 1 at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Saturday-Sunday, February 7-8 L3 RWTTC February UPS Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12-14 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 1:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail superscoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15 L2O GHRC Winter Open Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15 L3 Sportime Kings Park Eastern UPS Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys’ & Girls’ Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14-18 (RR) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 8 at 9:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail tvanepps@sportimeny.com or call (631) 269-6300.

Friday-Sunday, February 13-15 L2O Ketchup Open Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long 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: Unknown Entry 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, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16 L1A Sportime Bethpage February Championships Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16 L1A CMTC February Championships Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16 L1A Deer Park February Championships Deer Park Tennis Center 30 Burt Drive Deer Park, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail deerparktennis@optimum.net or call (631) 667-3476.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16 L1A Huntington February Championships Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway Huntington Station, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry 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 14-16 USTA National Selection Tournament—February at RWTTC Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Boys Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (FIC-R16) and Boys Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $134.88 for one event; $135.38 for two events; additional fees may apply if registered in three or more events (deadline for entries is Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11:59 a.m.)

For more information, e-mail superscoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L1B GHRC Winter Challenger Glen Head Racquet Club 95 Glen Head Road Glen Head, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail tenniscoach.mc@gmail.com or call (516) 676-9849.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L2O Sportime Syosset February Open Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, 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: Unknown Entry 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, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727.

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

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USTA/Long Island Region 2015

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L2R Sportime Bethpage February Regional Sportime Bethpage 101 Norcross Avenue Bethpage, 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 Indoor Entry 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, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 933-8500.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L1B CMTC February Challenger Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L1B Sportime Quogue February Challenger Sportime of The Hamptons 2571 Quogue Riverhead Road East Quogue, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail gmeyer@sportimeny.com or call (631) 653-6767.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L2O Sportime Kings Park February Open Sportime-Kings Park 275 Old Indianhead Road Kings Park, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail tvanepps@sportimeny.com or call (631) 269-6300.

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Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B WG 10U Winter Challenger World Gym Racquet & Sports Arena 384 Mark Tree Road East Setauket, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Clay Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail vtapr@hotmail.com or call (631) 751-6100.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B Tennis Gladiatorz Championships Long Beach Tennis Center 899 Monroe Boulevard Long Beach, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls 10 and Under Singles: 78’ Green Ball 10 (FMLC) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail sid@longbeachtenniscenter.com or call (516) 432-6060.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B Sportime Syosset Winter Challenger Sportime Syosset 75 Haskett Drive Syosset, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player For more information, e-mail tournamentssyt@sportimeny.com or call (516) 364-2727.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B Bethpage State Park Winter Challenger Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 22 at 10:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail rbecker06@yahoo.com or call (516) 359-4843.

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

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B CMTC February Challenger Christopher Morley Tennis Center 500 Searingtown Road Roslyn, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail ruiz.clark@yahoo.com or call (917) 991-0088.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L2O Sportime Lynbrook Winter Open Sportime Tennis Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road Lynbrook, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles: 78’ Yellow Ball 12, 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $48.88 for first singles, $23 for first doubles For more information, e-mail tournamentslyb@sportimeny.com or call (516) 887-1330.

Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B RWTTC Winter Challenger Robbie Wagner Tournament Training at Glen Cove 60 Sea Cliff Avenue Glen Cove, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles: 78’ Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 20 at 5:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail superscoot@aol.com or call (516) 759-0505.

Dr. Drew Tortoriello, M.D. Medical Director of SIRM New York Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist

Sher Institute - New York State-of-Art Fertility Center

425 Fifth Avenue • New York, NY 10016 Toll Free: (866) 747-6692 Phone: (646) 792-7476 Fax: (646) 274-0600 newyork@haveababy.com “We help complete your journey to parenthood”

Sher Institute - Westchester Phone: (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-NY We are pleased to be affiliated with Michael Bennett L.Ac., Dipl. O.M. from Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, LLC in our SIRM-New York office. Michael Bennett is a Licensed Acupuncturist in New York and New Jersey and is a Board Certified Herbal Medicine Consultant by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). As our in-house acupuncturist and herbalist, Michael specializes in the treatment of female and male infertility, stress and pain. He offers free consultation to new patients.

Did you know that Acupuncture can positively impact your chances to conceive?

It is a safe and scientifically-proven method to enhance fertility 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. 347.565.4255 For more information, please visit: www.metropolitanacupuncture.com

Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, LLC LITennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine 73 425 Fifth Avenue at 38th St. | Third Floor | New York, NY 10016 | Office: 347.565.4255

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