Long Island Tennis Magazine January - February 2024

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

68

What at’s yo your n next mov ove?

Parsa is undoubtedly the real estate agent yo you need to give ve yo you real time inffo ormat ation and guide y yo ou through the eve ver changing marke kets. Let Parsa show ow yo you how ow he comb mbines his we wealth a of industry y knowledge, g local expertise, p extensive ve buye yers netw wo ork and Compass technology to help yo you achieve ve yo your own real estate success story y..

PA R S A S A M I I

Long Island Founding Agent | Compass Sports & Entertainment Division The Traci Conway Clinton T Te eam | Licensed Real Esstate Salesperson M 516.965.7445 | O 516.517.4751 | parsa@compass.com Long ISIsland • AFFILIA November/December •SSLITennisMag.com 69 P ARSA SAMII A REALTennis ESTA TAT EMagazine SALESPERSON AT T ED WITH COMP PA ASS.2023 COMP PA A IS A LICENSED REAL ESTA TAT E BROKER AND ABIDES BY EQUAL HOUSING G OPPORTUNITY LAW AWS. S

NMI For All Your Fence and Windscreen Needs or over 60 years National Metal Industries Fence has been one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of metal, PVC, aluminum, and wood fencing on the East Coast, and has the reputation, experience, knowledge and expertise for all of your fencing and wind screen needs.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1950, NMI began its journey by offering a complete line of commercial hardware and fence supplies, and expanded its business in 1980 and moved out to Oceanside where it operates from today. NMI is still a family-owned business with no outside partners or stockholders, and for four generations it has taken pride in the fact that its products are all American made.

“Great products, great service and fair pricing is the foundation of our business and is directly responsible for our success.”

As we move through the winter and prepare for the spring season that lies ahead, now is a great time to consult with NMI to find the best solution to your needs for your tennis courts.

F

Whether it’s a private court, high school courts or outdoor public courts, having the right windscreen and fencing is imperative to maintaining both the look and quality of your courts.

NMI offers NOW Shade Windscreens with the benefits being: • Blocks up to 90% of the Sun's harmful rays • Will not fade, shrink, mold and mildew • 90 percent visibility blockage • Applicable for all season- mildew and mold free • Water & UV resistant fabric • 75 percent Privacy These windscreens are the most

durable privacy fence screen in the market today, and are designed specifically for outdoor fence durability and to withstand the rigorous environments we deal with here in the winter.

While they come in colors green, black, brown, tan, blue, grey, white and red, NMI offers Custom Logo Banners to help showcase your brand, school colors and more. Perfect for field advertisements, construction sites or store fronts, our digitally printed banners incorporate three-to-five-year solvent inks to ensure vibrant color and a long lifespan. All four edges are reinforced with a double-stitch 3-ply hem and grommets every 12".

NMI has the ability to put full color logos digitally printed on our its eight oz mesh then cut out and sewn onto any of our windscreens. An excellent and economical way to add multiple full color logos to your windscreen!

Visit NMIFence.com, e-mail sales@nmifence.com or call (516) 5940365 to learn more about National Metal Industries and all it has to offer, and begin your spring season with a new custom windscreen!

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

1

Across Long Isl Roslyn Middle School Honors Hassenbein, Falkowitz

Commack, Port Washington Hold Annual Tennis With Teachers Events

In honor of their fallen classmates, the Roslyn Middle School Class of 2023 (High School Class of 2027) created a display dedicated to Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz who were tragically killed in the spring of 2023. Each of the students wrote a message on a tennis ball which was placed in the display to forever commemorate Hassenbein and Falkowitz.

Wygodzki Captures L5 Open Title Paige Wygodzki, who trains at the Bethpage Park Tennis Center, was the winner at the L5 Open Pinewoods tournament. Wygodzki did not drop a set throughout her five matches and lost only six total games as she captured the Girls 16s singles title.

Fully indoors and climate controlled • Lessons • Leagues • Parties & Events • Tournaments • Junior Academy 525 Eagle Ave (516) 550-5700 2

West Hempstead, N.Y. www.pickleballplusLLC.com

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Local high school tennis teams often do a great job of giving back to their communities, both in and out of season. This past winter, both the Commack and Port Washington girls’ varsity teams hosted their annual Tennis With The Teachers events to help raise money for worthy causes. Both events raised money for Play for Pink and featured a player from the team playing alongside a teacher for a friendly tournament, and included bake sales and raffle prizes.

land

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

Menon Captures L6 Championship Saje Vijay Menon took home the title at the L6 Long Island Health & Racquet Club Winter Challenger.

Menon, who trains with the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Long Island, was victorious in the Boys 18s Singles division, winning all of his matches in straight sets to capture the title.

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center Hosts USTA Eastern Sectional Camp

Pickleball Plus Donates Equipment to Hiroshima

Pickleball Plus in West Hempstead is not only looking to grow the sport of pickleball here on Long Island, but also globally. When Takashi Aoiki visited his friend Lori D’Antonio, the Leagues Coordinator at Pickleball Plus, in Hawaii, he played pickleball for the first time, and wanted to bring the sport to his local recreation center back in his hometown of Hiroshima, Japan. The center wanted to bring the sport in but did not have any equipment, so Pickleball Plus stepped in and donated equipment which included Engage nets, Engage paddles and a box of balls.

The USTA Eastern Early Development Camp (Green Ball) took place at Robbie Wagners Tournament Training Center.

These camps are designed for 7-10-year-olds and provide additional training opportunities. The camps emphasize fundamentals and overall athletic development. Athletes involved in these camps will have access to fun, educational learning while working on their skills USTA faculty coach Richard Bowie led the camp, supported by Robbie Wagner coaches Yago Granda, AB Brown, and Ali Noor. The event proved to be a valuable and positive experience for both the students and the coaching staff.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

3

LITM Thanksgiv Hits Sportim

Tay Kwak & Hun Lee, champions of the Men’s Doubles 7.0-7.5 Division, interview after their win in the finals he fourth and final Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge of 2023 brought together men’s and women’s doubles teams for a fun and competitive day on the courts of Sportime Syosset.

Players were spread out across three different divisions with round-robin play leading into the respective knockout rounds, this allowed for all the teams to play a multitude of matches against a variety of opponents.

Off the court, the event provided breakfast and lunch for all the players, as well as the signature drink of the LITM Thanksgiving Challenge, Apple Cider Sangria, which kept the event fun and socially-oriented in addition to the intense competition on the courts.

“It was a lot of fun, the tournament was very well-organized and the players were challenging but very nice, so it was a great time,” said Marisol Scherr.

Marisol Scherr & Nicole Berg, pictured here with Sher’s children, won the Women’s Doubles Division 7.0-7.5

T

4

Partnering with Nicole Berg, they captured the title in the Women’s Doubles 7.0-7.5 division, defeating Cari Solomon & Cyndi Leventhal 6-2 in the championship match.“We’ve been playing together for about 15 years, but never in a tournament like this,” said Berg. “We stayed calm and confident throughout and made sure to trust each other. I think winning the title was definitely our favorite part of the

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Samir Singh & Danny Axelro Men’s Doubles 8.0-8.5 Divisi

day.”

“When we do these events outside during the summer, we have a lot more courts to work with. With a sold-out draw, it was a bit of a challenge to keep play moving and get all the matches in, but we pride ourselves on the professionalism of the event,” said Michelle Stoerback, co-tournament director. “We have found the right format so that the tournament runs smoothly and adheres to the time frame given to the players ahead of time.”

The Men’s 7.0-7.5 division was the largest draw of the three divisions with 15 teams split into three flights of five teams each for the roundrobin portion. After many hard-fought matches, we arrived at a final where Tay Kwak & Hun Lee faced off against Larry Pleener & Gary Simeone in the finals.

Kwak & Lee were victorious, claiming the title with a 6-1 victory in the championship, with the final point

iving Challenge ime Syosset

Axelrod were the champions of the Division finishing at exactly 2:59 p.m., just ahead of the promised finishing time.

“We have played together before, but this is the first time we played in an official tournament, so it’s amazing to be able to win it,” said Lee. Kwak added: “It was great competing against

some people we didn’t know and meeting new players as well. It was a really fun day overall.”

Samir Singh & Danny Axelrod dialed up their best tennis in the semifinals and finals to come away victorious in the Men’s Doubles 8.0-8.5 division, capping off their run with a 6-

3 win over Matt Grossman & Jesse Charnoff.

“We lost to them in the second round of the round-robin matches and made a lot of errors in that match, but I think we gained confidence as the day went continued on page 6

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

5

litm challenge continued from page 5

on. Especially halfway through our semifinal, something just clicked,” said Singh.The pairing had played together last summer which helped them develop a chemistry together on-court.

“I can let balls go past me because I know Samir is back there chasing everything down,” Axelrod said.

Regarding the event as a whole, Axelrod added: “I thought the whole day was great. There were a lot of really strong players, and it was nice to have a full draw and play against everyone. Once we got to the playoff rounds, the intensity got really turned up.”

The Long Island Tennis Magazine Thanksgiving Tennis Challenge was the final installment of our 2023 event

6

series, and closed out the series in wonderful fashion.

“There are many options for local players when it comes to racquet sports, and we are appreciative that so many players came out and chose our

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

event. To get a sold-out draw into this tournament on a holiday weekend was a real success. I believe this is an indication that players see the professionalism and quality we bring to the events we host, and that they have a great time on and off the court,” said David Sickmen, co-tournament director of the Long Island Tennis Magazine Challenge. “I certainly want to thank our host facility, Sportime Syosset, for being such gracious hosts and Mike Kossoff for helping us put on this special event, as well as my codirector Michelle Stoerback, whose passion and energy for adult tennis is second to none. We look forward to more community involvement moving into the fall and winter, and are excited to see everyone at our next Challenge when we kick off the 2024 season.”

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

7

BEYOND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND

beyondthebaseline

Carefree Racquet Club

By Brian Coleman

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”

The famous line from the iconic theme song to one of America’s most popular television shows, Cheers, represents the goals many local businesses have while trying to establish themselves in a community.

But for Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick, it’s more than a goal, it’s at the core of the club’s mission and has been since it was opened in the early 1970s.

“We want to run good programs in a well-maintained club. We never wanted to 8

feel corporate, instead wanting to feel more like a family,” explained General Manager Kathy Miller. “That feeling starts at the top. The owners have always made me feel like so much more than an employee. They tell me we are a family and I have always felt that way with the hopes that that feeling trickles down to the rest of the staff and our customers.”

The top refers to owners Alan Fischl and George Haber, who bought the club from Donald Monti back in 1982. Monti opened Carefree in 1973 and, as the story goes, decided to call it “Carefree” in reference to the town Carefree, Arizona,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

which was Monti’s favorite place in the country.

And since the Fischl and Haber families took over the club in ’82, they have put a strong emphasis on cultivating a welcoming environment where all the people involved with the club, from management to staff to customers, feel like a family.

Miller began working at Carefree as a part-time desk receptionist when she was in college, and immediately enjoyed the work environment. A few years later, she would become the Club’s League Coordinator, a position she thrived in and which really opened up her eyes to

OND THE BASELINE

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE BASELINE

what Carefree was all about.

“I really enjoyed being the league coordinator,” Miller recalls. “I loved putting good level leagues together and seeing the players have good games, and I always enjoyed seeing the friendships that developed. After that, I left for a few years and came back as the Club Manager in 1996. It was more work and responsibility but I still enjoyed the people and running the programming.”

And so beginning in 1996, Miller became the face of one of Long Island’s top tennis destinations, and has been integral in maintaining the atmosphere that is at the core of Carefree’s ethos.

That isn’t a sentiment only shared by the club’s management, but also its loyal customer base who continually come back and make Carefree their home-away-fromhome, a tradition sometimes passed down between generations.

“I have been playing at Carefree on and off for close to 40 years. I learned how to play tennis at Carefree as a child, my

mother spent the majority of her recreational tennis years at Carefree, and my children now play here,” said Cristina Leek. “Carefree has fostered my passion for tennis, and has positively affected me physically, mentally and socially.

In my latter years and after experiencing events with tennis friends such as celebrating milestone birthdays or grieving the loss of my friend, I realize and appreciate the level of camaraderie Carefree has given me. I have many memories at Carefree from childhood to present that underscore my gratitude and understanding of what an amazing community Carefree has developed.”

Annmarie Conniff, who has been playing at Carefree for nearly 20 years and represented the club on many different USTA League teams, echoed that notion, and discussed just how impactful playing tennis at Carefree has been for her.

“I have played at a lot of clubs, and I will tell you like I told Kathy last week: Carefree is a family, it’s not just a club.

BEYOND THE BASELINE BEYOND THE There is always a leader in a family and ours is Kathy Miller,” she said. “She sets the bar so high, and has helped us use tennis as therapy. I personally have struggled with scary health issues over the years, but I thoroughly enjoy my time at Carefree. The courts are our happy place. If you’re sad or hurting, the staff at the desk greets you so lovingly. They really take the time to get to know everyone, and the teaching professionals know what’s going on with you also. I don’t know how I personally could have gotten through all I have without the love and support from so many at the club.”

Since 1996, Sharon Austin Whiteley has been going to Carefree for all of her tennis needs, visiting the club about four to five times per week, and whether it’s drills, open court time or league play, she has always felt at home.

“I didn’t grow up on Long Island, so my circle of friends is mainly those who I’ve met continued on page 10

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

9

beyond the baseline continued from page 9

at Carefree over the years,” said Whiteley. “I actually talked to someone about this subject recently; we love the exercise and the game itself but for many it’s those we meet along the way.

I have a place where I’m guaranteed to laugh, play tennis, challenge myself, and have a great time every time I walk into the building.”

That love and support between players, members and staff begins as soon as the customers walk in the door. Miller makes a point to tell her staff during meetings that every customer is greeted when they come into the lobby.

“I want that relationship between staff and customers where the customer feels good coming here, and they can come to us with anything,” Miller added. “We try out best to take care of all their needs and want to see everyone happy and having a good time.”

And just like any family, it isn’t always about enjoying the good times, but sometimes it means coming together and being strong during difficult times. At the end of 2023, the Carefree family was devastated to learn the passing of longtime member Carol Esposito While she was battling her illness, members of Carefree

brought meals to her house, took her for walks, brought her to her favorite spots to just sit and relax and consistently checked in on her. The wake and funeral were filled with staff members and players from Carefree, truly emphasizing the care they have for each other.

“When you reached out to talk about this article, I was having a hard time sitting down to gather my thoughts,” said Miller.

“I had left the wake that day, got home and just wrote from my heart. I have to start by saying that Carol was a wonderful person and loved by so many people. I was so touched to see the amount of people from Carefree that were there to pay their respects. As we all chatted, it was them saying, ‘We are a Carefree family’, and ‘Carefree is my therapy’. It

TOPSPIN

TENNIS & FITNESS

“Long Island’s Tennis and Pickleball Store” Kids Apparel & Sneakers • Great Prices On Racquets Tennis Shoes • 1 Hour Stringing • Pickleball

Open 7 Days • Demos Available Best Selection of Tennis Gear on L.I. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

We Now Carry Oliver Thomas Bags!

218 JERICHO TURNPIKE SYOSSET • 516-364-9470 ACROSS FROM SYOSSET HOSPITAL

TopSpinTennisLI.com 10

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

was them that made me realize how true all of that was, and I was touched to be part of it. It was the same thing the next day at the funeral. The amount of people from Carefree that were there was a testament to the incredible person that Carol was, and also to the fact that Carefree brought these people together, and that means a lot.”

The goal of every local business is to be able to foster the type of environment that makes staff members want to be there, and brings back loyal customers who eventually become more than customers or clients, they become family. That is precisely what Carefree has done for 50-plus years, and will continue to do as we head into 2024.

“At this point, when I walk into Carefree, I know I’m walking into a positive atmosphere where I’m amongst friends,” said Regina Hajdu, who has been playing at Carefree for the last 20 years. “We laugh, learn, gather, celebrate milestones, swear, share, support and cry together. Carefree is my tennis home, and we are a tennis family.

We come from different backgrounds and are different levels, but we all support one another. I feel very grateful to the entire staff and it is my favorite therapy.”

With so much going on in the world today, it’s more important than ever for people to have a place to go where they can set aside troubles or negative thoughts, and it’s Carefree’s goal to continue to provide that.

“As the world gets crazier and crazier, I look forward to Carefree continuing to be a place where people can come in and play tennis or pickleball, and leave all of that craziness outside the door,” said Miller. “Hopefully everyone continues to come here and have fun, get some exercise, meet more new people, and myself and my staff can continue to feel good as we watch all of that unfold.”

Adult League Wrap-Up

By Becky Bellino his time of year always provides a moment of reflection. As I look back, Long Island has so much to be proud of in terms of its Adult League teams for there are many achievements. But here are a few to hold onto as we begin a new year and set our sights on more tennis success!

Of the seven teams that Long Island sent to Nationals this past fall, four teams finished in the Top 5: • 18+ 4.5 Men (Long Beach, Mitchell Low) finished in 5th place • 55+ 7.0 Men (Kings Park, Dan Marklin/Bill Carson) finished in 4th place • 55+ 6.0 Men (Long Island Health & Racquet, Rob Kronenberg) finished in 3rd place • 18+ 2.5 Women (Point Set, Laura Crain) finished in 1st place

T

The Invitational Tournaments are coming up in the winter and spring of 2024: • Ken Luba and Al Silverstein’s team from Christopher Morley will represent Eastern for the 65+ 8.0 Men’s League • Lydia Eitel’s team out of Syosset for the 65+ 8.0 Women’s League • Shanon Blue’s Long Beach team will represent Eastern for the 55+ 8.0 Mixed League • Tracy Kleinberg and Lisa Newell’s Huntington team will represent Eastern for the 18+ 4.0 Women’s Tri-Level League.

As you can see, the Long Island Region continues to dominate in the Adult League events in our Section.

Your grit and determination does not go unnoticed, and you all should be proud!

Now that we have peered into the past and took a glimpse into the

The 55+ 7.0 Men (Kings Park, Dan Marklin/Bill Carson) finished in 4th place

The 55+ 6.0 Men (Long Island Health & Racquet, Rob Kronenberg) finished in 3rd place

Lydia Eitel’s team out of Syosset for the 65+ 8.0 Women’s League

The 18+ 4.5 Men (Long Beach, Mitchell Low) finished in 5th place

future, let’s visit the present!

The 2024 18+ Mixed Doubles Leagues continue on and will be played throughout the winter, and our 2023 4.5 Tri-Level leagues for the men and women finish up in the early part of the year.

The 2024 Tri-Level leagues will begin now that 2023 ratings have been released. For the first time, we will have both a 5.0 men’s tri-level league and a 5.0 women’s tri-level league. This is a new tri-level format that just began in 2023 and has gained traction quickly! As always,

Long Island is on the forefront with high level tennis and these players will definitely enjoy these new leagues come the New Year!

Captain registration is now open for our 40+ and 55+ Mixed Leagues.

If you are interested in forming a team, please reach out and do so ASAP as these leagues will begin in February and March!

I’d like to close by wishing you all a very merry and bright holiday season and New Year. 2023 was full of promise and success. I look forward to an eventful 2024!

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

11

PARSA’s picks The State of the Real Estate Market with Parsa Samii he real estate market is a constantly changing one, and something that can be difficult to evaluate on the outside looking in.

We spoke with Compass Real Estate’s Parsa Samii, a Manhasset native and former Division I tennis player, about the state of the market as we head into 2024.

T

How would you assess the market as we head into 2024?

As much of the world knows, we are in historic times with low inventory and higher interest rates than we have been in the last couple years. What’s happening in the markets, because the supply is so low, is that prices are still only going up incrementally, but interest rates are making it more expensive for buyers to actually purchase. There are essentially two separate markets: people who need to buy and sell, and people who would like to buy and sell. The people that are in the market right now need to follow the 5 Ds of real estate which is diaper, diploma, diamonds, death and divorce; those 5 Ds are the basics and they account for about four million real estate transactions worldwide. And that’s basically what the current market is as we head into 2024, although we have seen a slight uptick in inventory in the last month or two, compared to a normal November or December market of years past.

What is some of the best advice you can give to both potential buyers/sellers as we move into the new year?

The best possible advice I can give to someone, and I have mentioned it before in articles in this magazine, is the importance of finding your real estate expert. Someone who really understands things and can interpret the data that is out there. As markets are constantly fluid and go through ebbs and flows; by the time you read this article, 12

the data has changed. What you should be doing is picking up the phone and calling me and saying, ‘Hey, I read this article, what’s going on?” I am happy to talk real estate at any time, and of course to my fellow tennis players, I always love talking a little tennis and real estate at the same time. That’s my best advice; find the person who knows what they are talking about and can guide you in the best possible way. It is crucial that you work with a professional who does this full-time in these current market conditions, as things are always fluid and you need to be set up for success.

What effects do sport courts, tennis specifically, have on the worth of someone's home? Is it worth someone installing one to increase their home value?

It’s a very good question. The sport court phenomenon is continuing, and we are seeing a lot of people wanting to put in pickleball courts and, in general, sport courts that can couple as a basketball court and tennis court and more. They do increase the value of a property, but not as much as you may think, in that certain expectations will exist on a property. For example, if you live on the North Shore of Long Island and you have a two acre lot, you are sort of expected to have a sprot court or tennis court on the property. If you are putting it on a smaller property, in a different house, then it takes up the entire backyard, and the question then becomes should I take out the court to increase the amount of green space. It’s a fluid situation, and the advice of a real estate professional is the most important part for your particular property.

Do you have buyers who come to you and are looking for homes with courts?

Believe it or not, it is something that is often asked for, but not necessarily like, ‘I want a tennis court and only want to look at a house that has one’. But more times than not, people will say I want a tennis court, or at least I want the room to be able to put one in or put in another sport court.

So I think there are definitely specific people who will look to put one in as they search for their properties.

How is the market different from what the landscape was heading into 2023?

Interesting question. The market itself from last year is pseudo-similar. We were on a nosedive heading into

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

PARSA’s picks 2023, but I think things are a bit more settled heading into 2024, and we know the lay of the land on how the markets are going to act. Because we know that interest rates, according to the Fed, are not going to be going up, there is definitely a settling of the dust across the marketplace, and we have a ground zero to work from. I think things will become a lot clearer.

Will the market be better or worse? I can’t really answer that, I’m not a prognosticator, but I can tell you that we will have more clarity in 2024, which is very important because you have to know what buttons to push and when to push them, and I think the answers to that will become more obvious in 2024.

What tips do sellers need to hear when listing their home in 2024?

This is crucial and the best information you can get. This is a tennis and racquet sports magazine, but you are going to get the number one real estate advice right now. Homes that are renovated and staged and put together, and are seamless through the exterior to the interior, every floor of your house, to the backyard, put together in such a way

definitely sell faster and for more money, there is no doubt about it. When you have an expectation of having the buyer trying to imagine themselves in the house or in the space post-renovation, they will generally take longer to sell and sit in the market a little longer, and a lower sales price because of the extra work the buyer has to do. Not every buyer profile is going to be in that arena, so because of that you have less buyers looking at your property, and because of that it snowballs down to having less bidders, less buyers and therefore probably a lower sales price.

Now, if everything was done perfectly, and you are going to be able to maximize the amount of potential buyers, therefore you are most likely be able to get the price you are looking for, and that’s where it is. I should add one more thing, pricing is absolutely crucial. Everyone has access to the data, whether it’s your agent, or the consumer themselves, and everyone knows for the most part where something should be priced, based on the available data.

And so when you price a home directly to the market or close enough to it, you will have the greatest chance of success of moving the property for the greatest amount of money possible.

www.pinehollowclub.com •Alina Volman: Director of Racquet Sports •1st Padel Court on Long Island is now open!

•Weekly Kids drills/camps •Men’s and ladies’ Practices •Weekly tennis, padel and pickleball clinics •We have so much going on “on the courts”, schedule a tour with Heidi today to see the entire Racquet Sports Area Contact Heidi Stanya, Director of Membership at 516-922-0300, x115 or hstanya@pinehollowclub.com LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

13

he 2024 Australian Open will run from Sunday, January 7 through Sunday, January 28 and serve as the year’s first major tournament. As we prepare for a new year of professional tennis, Long Island Tennis Magazine breaks down some Contenders, Pretenders and Sleepers:

T

Contenders - Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic The greatest player of all-time will be seeking another major title when he arrives in Australia, and he enters this year’s event as a pretty heavy betting favorite.

Djokovic has won the last four titles Down Under that he has played in, and in his career has 10 total.

Djokovic will be seeking to expand on his record as he pursues his 25th career major, and if someone wants to dethrone the Serb, they will have to take it from him, as Djokovic’s championship mentality is as strong as ever.

Jannik Sinner When we enter a new season on the ATP and WTA Tours, its fun to look at some of the top players and see who has a legitimate chance of winning their first major. On the men’s side, look no further than Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old Italian continues his ascent and enjoyed the best year of his career in 2023, creating momentum he hopes to bring into this year.

Sinner ended his season on a high note, defeating Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals and reaching the championship match of that event before then leading the Italian team to the Davis Cup title. Sinner finally broke through into the semifinals of a major last year, reaching the final four at Wimbledon, but has only reached the quarterfinals of the other three majors, including at the 2022 Australian Open. He is one of the hardest hitters on tour which will translate well to the fast courts Down Under, and he has seemed to find the right coaching staff to get the most out of his game after bringing on Darren Cahill, which bodes well for his chances to win this year’s Australian Open.

Contenders - Women’s Singles Aryna Sabalenka The second-ranked woman in the world will enter this year’s Australian Open in an unfamiliar position: as the defending champion. Sabalenka won her first major a year ago and will now set out to win it for the second 14

consecutive time. One of the biggest hitters on the women’s side, Sabalenka has the type of game that is perfect for the first major of the season, which makes her a favorite once again. Sabalenka’s struggles with her serve seem to be in the rearview mirror now. She followed up her Aussie title last year by winning in Madrid, and then reached the finals of the U.S. Open. Sabalenka has shown she can win on the biggest stages, and has the game that allows her to hit through anyone, making her a strong favorite to open up the year defending her Aussie title.

Iga Swiatek It’s strange to say, but Iga Swiatek did not have the typical dominant season we have become accustomed to, especially in comparison to 2022. But she still managed to win six titles, capture another French Open title and finish the year as the world number one, and is unequivocally still one of the most dominant players on tour. Swiatek was bounced early in Melbourne a year ago, falling to Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, but the year prior she reached the semifinals, and is poised to go further this time around. Despite an early exit at the U.S. Open, Swiatek finished her year in strong fashion, winning the China Open and finishing her season by dominating the WTA Finals, not losing a single set throughout the event to reestablish her position atop the women’s game. Now that she has regained the #1 spot in the WTA Rankings, look for an even more motivated Swiatek in 2024, which will begin with her pursuit of her first Australian Open title.

Pretenders - Men’s Singles Taylor Fritz For the last couple of years, while holding the highest ranking amongst Americans, Taylor Fritz has held the mantle of the best American man on the ATP Tour while holding the highest ranking. However, Fritz is still searching for Grand Slam success, at least consistently, and that struggle may continue when we begin the season at the Australian Open. Fritz has never made it out of the fourth round of this event, and that result, in 2022, is the only time he even made it to the fourth round. Fritz has never been able to find his rhythm Down Under, he was defeated in the third round in 2023, and the top-ranked American could be in for another early exit in 2024.

Andrey Rublev The notion that a player can’t win “the big one” is an often used cliché that exists across all sports. For Andrey Rublev,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

that applies to him playing in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Nine different times Rublev has reached the final eight at the majors, and all nine times he lost. Each has its own circumstances, and you never want to label someone as not being clutch enough to win the important matches, but the numbers don’t lie. Rublev has consistently been in the Top 10 and is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but his inability to win in the latter stages of the majors has been a consistent theme, and something that could persist at the 2024 Australian Open.

Pretenders - Women’s Singles Jessica Pegula Similar to Andrey Rublev, American Jessica Pegula seems to save her worst tennis for the quarterfinal stages of majors. The American is 0-6 in her career when playing in the final eight of Grand Slams, and that includes three consecutive quarterfinal losses at the Australian Open.

She has been a consistent player for the last several years now, consistently ranked inside the Top 10, and enters the year as the fifth-ranked player in the world.

When the ranking is that high and you have been so close before, expectations are different, and she has to show us she can win a quarterfinal before she can be considered a threat to win a major.

Ons Jabeur The greatest player to ever come from Africa, Ons Jabeur, has been such a consistent force in the women’s game over the last several seasons. The Tunisian has reached three Grand Slam finals in her career, and has the game style, with her craft and variety, that can frustrate the power players she goes up against. But she has not been successful in her career at the Australian Open; in fact, it has been historically her worst event.

She made the quarterfinals once, back in 2020, but other than that it has all been first, second and thirdround exits for Jabeur, including a second-round departure a year ago. Jabeur has established herself as one of the best players on tour, but her lack of success at the Aussie Open is a trend that could continue into the new season.

Sleepers - Men’s Singles Ben Shelton The darling of the 2023 U.S. Open actually burst onto the scene on the other side of the world last year. At the Australian Open, in just his second career major, he powered his way into the quarterfinals, which really opened up the eyes of tennis fans to what he could do. A few months later, Shelton was thrust into the spotlight

when he reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open. With more experience and a fresh start to the season, Shelton could be due for another deep run Down Under.

Alex de Minaur Competing in your home country for a Grand Slam comes with a lot of expectations, and players can either crumble or thrive under the pressure that it creates. For Alex de Minaur, he will look to do the latter, and use the backing the home fans to make a deep run this year. De Minaur is the highestranked Australian player and is aiming to post his best result yet in Melbourne. For the last two years, he has reached the fourth-round but that’s where his runs ended, losing to Jannik Sinner in 2022 and then Novak Djokovic in 2023. Currently ranked 12th, De Minaur will be out to represent his country in grand fashion, and try to become the first Australian man to win the event since 1976.

Sleepers - Women’s Singles Karolina Muchova Perhaps the best player on the women’s tour that mainstream tennis fans don’t know about is the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova. The hard-hitting Muchova had a resurgent season in 2023, climbing 100 spots in the early part of the year following an injury-riddled 2022 campaign. Muchova reached the finals of the French Open and then the semifinals of U.S. Open and currently finds herself ranked eighth in the world as we head into 2024. Before injuries stifled her progress in 2022, Muchova was a semifinalist at the 2021 Australian Open, and should be one of the event’s favorites.

Caroline Garcia In the middle part of 2023, Caroline Garcia peaked at number four in the world rankings and was seemingly destined to make a deep run at one of the majors. At the end of 2022, she was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open which led many to believe her 2023 season would build on that. It didn’t work out that way, however. She did reach the fourthround of the Australian Open to begin the season, but was inconsistent for much of the rest of the season, which has resulted in her dropping nearly all the way out of the Top 20.

Garcia has a fantastic forehand and an extremely aggressive game which causes her to hit many winners but also commits unforced errors. If she can find the consistency and the form from the end of 2022, Garcia is a major threat to win the 2024 Australian Open.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

15

Helping Students Overcome Anger

By Developing Self-Acceptance

By Steve Kaplan nger is often the result of a lack of self-acceptance, and this deficiency is the enemy of self-confidence. How can we help our students become grounded to develop the unconditional acceptance of their strengths and weaknesses to provide an escape from negative emotions?

It starts with surrounding students with a team of family and coaches, and a training culture that values the talents, capabilities and the individual’s general worth by placing emphasis on efforts and behaviors above status and outcomes. Students can free themselves from the emotional burden of failure if they internalize a safety net of understanding that when they prepare with diligence, care and their best efforts, it is easier to accept the outcomes. After all, if Your Best at this moment is not good enough, you are doomed to a life of endless selffailure and disappointments.

And Your Best Now is not Your Best in the Future!

Coaches can help students set realistic and manageable goals and

A

16

provide a detailed road map that gives a carefully constructed, unique, and safe progression to achieve their goals. Coaches are part of the resources and facilitation network for a player, but ultimately they are not solely responsible for a player’s education. Tennis is a sport that demands self-reliance and problem-solving skills. Therefore, we must lead our students to develop a sense of purpose, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness and personal integrity. When players accept the freedom to fail, and have the tools and desire to succeed, they gain self-confidence and will have the courage to soar.

As I talked about the tools for success, this starts with understanding. Behaviorally, it's easy to sometimes confuse anger

with effort. Both anger and effort produce identical changes in our body’s sympathetic or "fight-orflight" systems by producing a flood of hormones that trigger changes which bring oxygen to our bodies because we perceive danger. So we increase our respiration and muscle tension, and regulate body temperature. The difference between anger and effort are the external causes, but often when we are exerted, this subtle distinction is hard to recognize and both causes can trigger the same response.

I suggest that while playing, if you feel angry, take a slow deep breath and count to five. This will drop your heart rate. If you no longer feel angry, you were likely just physically stimulated and not truly angry in the first place.

Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation, executive director and founder of Serve & Return Inc. and co-director of The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally- ranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. Many of the students Steve has closely mentored have gone on to achieve great success as prominent members of the New York financial community, and in other prestigious professions. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

The Sinner Why Italy’s Jannik Sinner can take the next step in 2024

By Brian Coleman

s we head into a new calendar year of professional tennis, it’s a great time to look at the crop of players towards the top of both the men’s and women’s game and forecast who will take the next step in their careers.

On the men’s side, one of the most intriguing young players who may be due for a true breakout season is Jannik Sinner, the 22-yearold Italian. Sinner has been a top player for several years now, and with that comes high expectations as we head into the new year.

Sinner will lead a crop of young talented players in the men’s game that will be seeking their first career major in 2024, a list that also includes the likes of Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, but Sinner could be the one to rise above the rest.

That isn’t just this writer’s opinion, it’s the feelings that many of the game’s top players share.

“He is one of those guys who are able to win a Grand Slam,” said two-time Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz. “I think he’s going to reach No.1 in 2024, or

A

he’s going to give himself the chance to reach No. 1.”

At the end-of-theyear ATP Finals, Sinner defeated the all-time majors leader Novak Djokovic during the group stages, and ultimately reached the event’s final, before losing to the aforementioned Djokovic.

But he did a lot to impress during his two-week run in Torino, which is a little more than 300 miles to the southeast of where he grew up in Italy.

“He’s definitely going to win some Slams,” Nick Kyrgios said while broadcasting for the Tennis Channel for the ATP Finals. “Next year, I reckon he might win a Slam. That’s my early prediction. He’s incredible.”

Sinner’ tennis journey began in the snowy mountain town of Tyrol in the northern part of Italy, and thus he spent a lot of his early years skiing while also playing soccer and tennis. He made the decision to focus solely on tennis when he was 13-years-old, moving down to the Italian Riviera to put more emphasis on his training.

By the time he was 16, Sinner was competing in continued on page 18

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

17

the sinner continued from page 17

professional events and was a multiple-time ATP Challenger Tour title winner. A couple of years later in 2019, he was named the ATP Newcomer of the Year and found himself inside the Top 100 of the ATP World rankings, and won the ATP Next Gen Finals that same year in Milan.

Sinner has shown himself to be a fast-riser, so the opinions of his peers should come as no surprise to anyone. He now finds himself ranked fourth in the world at just 22-years-old, which brings us to those ever-increasing expectations.

At the end of 2023, Sinner led the Italian team to the Davis Cup title. One of his opponents, Alex de Minaur, commented: “He’s seriously impressive, the level he’s showing.”

Much of Sinner’s success in 2023 has come under the tutelage of Darren Cahill, one of the top coaches on both the men’s and women’s tour, who famously worked with Simona Halep during her run to multiple major titles. In 2023, Sinner won four titles, including the first Masters 1000 trophy of his career at the Canadian Open, and achieved his highest year-end ranking.

Sinner credits Cahill for helping him take the next step in his game, particularly from the mental side of things.

“I think he was really important for me, for how I was growing as a player, because I feel like he gave me a lot of confidence in one way,” said Sinner. “Obviously gave me something new to the team. Mostly I

think the combination with him and with Simone Vagnozzi and with the whole team is really, really nice. I think this was key for me. I think every team has its own kind of stability. I have mine, and I think we have worked really well.”

Like most good coaches, Cahill heaped praise upon his player and laid the credit for Sinner’s improvement and rise at the feet of the Italian.

“His greatest virtue is his ability to adapt to all types of situations and he is a very mature boy for his age, in that sense he reminds me a little of how Borg and Wilander managed the pressure,” said Cahill. “He is always smiling, he is very intelligent and competitive, in addition to

CHRIS LEWIT TENNIS

ELITE YEAR-ROUND TRAINING IN THE NYC AREA HIGH PERFORMANCE SUMMER CAMP IN VERMONT TRAIN WITH THE BEST— CHRIS HAS RECENTLY COACHED SEVERAL #1 PLAYERS IN THE US!

CHRISLEWIT.COM 914.462.2912 CHRIS@CHRISLEWIT.COM Chris with Elana Zaretsky, Top 10 USTA National Rank 18

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

generating a very good atmosphere wherever he goes. I’m not surprised by the level at which he has played the last two weeks of the season because I know that he loves this sport and how he works.”

Cahill also discussed Sinner’s intelligence and understanding not only of tennis, but what is needed for him to continue climbing levels.

“He has learned a lot in the last two years, and his improvement has been evident in some shots as well, such as the sliced backhand. He has also polished things on his forehand, which is one of the most impressive I have seen in my career,” Cahill added. “From now on I know that he is prepared to do anything to continue improving. He has the will to do technical, tactical nutritional adjustments and everything that can be asked of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years he realized who needs something different from me, for example. I know he is going to have enormous success, regardless of the coaches who accompany him.”

Sinner is already the greatest male player in the history of Italy, achieving the highest-ranking for any Italian man. His successful season earned him a number of nominations for the 2023 ATP

Awards, including Most Improved Player and the Sportsmanship Award, and now hopes to continue to build on that momentum in the new year and capture that maiden Slam.

He has reached at least the quarterfinals of all four majors in his career, including a semifinal run at Wimbledon in 2023, and as many

of his peers and rivals have suggested, 2024 could be the year we see Sinner as the last man standing at one of the sport’s four Grand Slams.

Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

19

How To Regain The Joy of Tennis

By Dr. Tom Ferraro

How does one find the joy of tennis? ompetitive youth tennis has virtually destroyed the joy of playing the game. Thanks to the presence of social media, rankings, scouting and the need to get a Division I scholarship, tennis has changed from a fun activity to a grim vocation; even for 12-yearolds. This atmosphere destroys the fun of tennis and many young players I talk to think about quitting the game they once loved because of pressure created by these factors

C

20

as well as coaches and parents.

The competitive atmosphere of sports in America is far greater than in Europe. The French are more relaxed, as are the Spaniards. I once did an article about why Sweden produces so many good golfers despite its cold climate, and I discovered that the kids felt less pressure and less involvement from their home environment.

Competitive stress in America makes burnout a common occurrence in youth sports. In the first phase of burnout, the player’s performance flattens and they begin to play in a stale, unenthused and lackluster manner. If things don’t lighten up, the athlete then becomes prone to illnesses like colds and the flu as the immune system depletes itself due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. In the final phase of burnout, the athlete becomes injury prone as the muscles weaken. This can lead to career ending injuries and then depression. The tale of Naomi Osaka is the most recent example of severe burnout.

Unrelenting competitive stress can also lead to irritability, pouting,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

depression and being unable to handle the inevitable bad calls made by either an opponent or a referee.

Some athletes even begin to cheat as another way to find an edge. If all this competitive stress sounds grim, that’s because it is.

The stress for competitive tennis is brought on by many factors and takes its toll The piece by Matthew Stewart that appeared in The Atlantic a few years ago helps explain how youth sports got this way. His article, “The Birth of a New Aristocracy”, explained how

it has become necessary to live in the right zip code, go to the right school and be a member of the right country club in order to achieve status, privilege and safety. All of this got worse after the 2008 financial meltdown with the birth of the concept of the "one percenters." He pointed out the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots based upon income inequality. Kids become aware of all this and are encouraged to optimize their chance of success by getting into a great college via sports. This has created the obsession with ranking, scouting and weekend showcases.

Harvard sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman’s book, Playing to Win, describes the same increases in pressure felt by kids who play soccer, chess or dance. Her work shows how the pressures put upon middle class American families permeate to their children, and that the frenzy to get to the top and stay there is supported

by a huge profit-making infrastructure.

She suggests, and I think rightfully, that competition and winning can be highly addictive.

In the end, what we see is a tennis culture that is overdriven, overworked and over competitive. But rather than producing the next Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe or John McEnroe, it is producing lots of unhappy kids who contemplate quitting the game they are good at and love.

It is time to pause, take a breath and think about this. If you or your child seems frenzied and unhappy, and on the verge of burnout, you need to step back and observe yourself. If you and your family are on the treadmill of all work and no play,

please ask yourself if there is better way.

Where is it written that you have to be the next Warren Buffet, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to be happy and gain respect? And where is it written that you have to be the next Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in order to enjoy the game of tennis? The answer is that it isn’t written anywhere. If America is the land of the free, then we are free to come in second place sometimes. If the constitution urges “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, let’s push for a little more happiness. If we can’t find happiness and fun on the court while playing the sport we love, we are all in big trouble.

For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., Sport Psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

Get Your Game On ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS CENTER EAST HAMPTON, NY • Private lessons and court rentals • Adult programs for all levels • Year-round programs for all ages • Summer Tennis and Multi-sport Programs

See details on seasonal programs at ross.org/tennis 631-907-5162 TENNISCENTER@ROSS.ORG

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

21

USTA Eastern Long Island Region Locals To Be Honored STA Eastern will honor several Long Islanders for their contributions to the Sectional tennis community at the annual USTA Eastern Awards Dinner in January. The event will take place on January 27, 2024 in Tarrytown. Local awardees are:

U

Courage Award: Roslyn High School Boys Tennis Team

10 and Under Award: Sharon Rappaport

George Seewagen Award (Man of the Year): Steve Kaplan

Special Service Award: Michelle Stoerback

Lifetime Achievement Award: Lawrence Kleger

Service to People with Disabilities Award: Juan Pablo Perez

Long Island Regional Volunteer of the Year: Denise Schmidt

Better Together Tournament Launch STA Eastern's Long Island Regional Council, along with Sportime Port Washington and Advantage All Tennis Foundation, will host the First Annual "Better Together" High School team tennis tournament on Saturday,

U 22

March 16, 2024 at Sportime Port Washington. Each team will consist of up to three boys and three girls playing in a World Team Tennis format. All proceeds will go towards the Roslyn Tennis Scholarship Fund. More details to follow.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

USTA Eastern Long Island Region High School Sportsmanship

As it is proud to do every year, the USTA Long Island Regional Council provided vests to all the Long Island girls who competed at States. Pictured are the Nassau and Suffolk County participants

he USTA Long Island Regional Council is always proud to support excellent sportsmanship on the tennis court, especially when the competitors are high school students. Highlights of the 2023 girls’ tennis season included the presentation of sportsmanship awards to one Nassau and one Suffolk County participant in the New York State Girls Tournament.

Kailin Gochna of North Shore won for Section VIII and Isabella (Bella) Spilotros of Smithtown West won for Section XI. The Regional Council recognized sportsmanship awardees from the Nassau County Girls Individual Tournament with plaques. Mike Pavlides, USTA Long Island Regional Director, presented the Singles sportsmanship award to Madison Lee of Great Neck South, pictured with her high school coach Andrew Tuome. In doubles, Pavlides presented the Sportsmanship award to Syosset’s Zia Mukherjee & Stephanie Marcheret, pictured with Brian Kline (Boys Tennis Committee).

This year for the first time, the girls’ honorees also received a scholarship from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Jay Harris, director of the JMTA, presented the

T

three Nassau sportsmanship awardees with scholarships to the JMTA College Recruiting Combine, which will be held at Sportime Port Washington in June. The Combine is one of the top college tennis exposure events in the country. The scholarships are presented in memory of Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein, two Long Island boys who passed away in 2023. Ethan and Drew often spoke of their desire to play college tennis, and JMTA felt it was fitting to honor them in the presentation of this scholarship.

The Long Island Regional Council also provided sportsmanship plaques to all Long Island high school coaches who wanted to recognize one member of their team for superior sportsmanship. Nassau coaches recognized their students individually, while Suffolk County honored its sportsmanship awardees at its Girls Varsity Tennis Awards Dinner.

To see photos of the sportsmanship awardees, please visit www.longisland.usta.com.

If your school presented a sportsmanship winner who is not pictured on the website, please send a photo including the name of the school and the honoree, to ustaonlongisland@gmail.com

Long Island Regional Council Executive Committee Mike Pavlides, Regional Director Jonathan Klee, Past Regional Director Sunny Fishkind Tito Perez Jason Wass Randi Wilkins Neil Thakur, Manager, Schools Tennis and Long Island & Metro Region CTC Becky Bellino, USTA Eastern Leagues Coordinator Facebook: Play Tennis Long Island • Instagram: USTA Eastern LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

23

GAME SET LIFE

By Jay Harris and Michael Kathrein e are in the final production stages of our unique book, a book that literally creates a written conversation on the education that takes place within athletic experiences. Having grown up together and experiencing many incredible sports moments both together and apart, and now having both grown into experienced and successful coaches in different sporting arenas, our discussions in this book are an attempt to share our learned knowledge in hopes to help coaches, athletes and parents navigate all sorts of athletic challenges. The following is a snippet from one of our favorite chapters:

W

Confidence Is The Key Jay begins: On a late summer day in 1996, I nervously walked into my interview for the head coaching position at Bowling Green State

24

University when I realized something.

If the BG Directors were considering me at the age of 24 on par so to speak with the other more experienced coaches set to interview with them, then I wondered if they thought of not just how good I was at that moment, but how good I would be in five years. My thought was that if it was safe to assume that my speed of coaching skill growth would be much more rapid than those coaches (partially because I knew so little!), then if we were similar now, that meant that I would be a much better coach than the other candidates five years down the road! Now, I just had to sell that to the hiring committee!

After announcing my exact age early in the interview, I created some chuckles when I assured them that I WILL get older! That was the beginning of my confident persuasion, and I was happy to learn days later

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

that they bought it, making me the youngest Division I head coach of any sport in the country!

Mike jumps in: Jay shared a great example of self-confidence.

Sometimes we confuse self-confidence with arrogance; they are very different concepts. I have tried for many years to teach my players the difference between being confident and being cocky. When a player walks onto the field, court, or course, coaches want players to be confident. The big question is how do you teach confidence? What I have learned is that a player can’t simply tell themselves that they are good, and confidence happens. Self-confidence is achieved through a series of positive events, and most of those events need to occur in practice!

Jay adds: I love a mix of games and goals during practice and I also love the production of pressure, especially when the presence of pressure in practice is aimed to build confidence.

Watching my dad coach basketball at a young age gave me all sorts of free coaching lessons, and one of those was the way he operated the end of just about every practice. His simple “free-throw drill” started with his squad lined up around the key, and one by one, they would go up to the line with the simple task of making one free throw. The goal was for the team, one player at a time, to make ten straight shots, but every miss would result in a team sprint. The sprint was the “produced pressure”, and the goal of enhanced confidence was felt every time that last player hit the 10th shot.

Now, there were times that this exercise would go on longer than any

of the players hoped, and those sessions actually produced the most stress, but also the largest enhancement of confidence. As I often say, stress is a great tool, and in the most stressful of free throw sessions where the team had to run and run and run as the missed free throws added up, the feeling felt when that 10th free throw hit the bottom of the net was borderline euphoric, and not only did that clutch player attain a greater level of confidence in himself, the entire team also became more confident in him, and about themselves as well.

I learned the importance of confidence at a very young age, and as I aged, I needed all of it to compete in the sport I loved, tennis.

Tennis is an amazing sport because it REQUIRES confidence! Singles players are out there all by themselves, and they are constantly asking the question, “Can I win?” If they can get to the point where they truly believe they can, then most likely, they will. At the end of my junior year, I was still only 5’6”, 120 pounds (I’m 6’4” 220 now! And yes Mike, I know I need to lose 20 more!!). As a munchkin tennis player, everyone I played was bigger, and there were times I questioned how I could beat these bigger dudes. But then one day, I was competing with a kid almost a foot taller than me and the football team walked by the courts.

They stayed to watch for a while and started cheering me on (and maybe threatening my opponent a little). This support made me feel taller actually, and I ended up crushing the kid! That night, I wrote on a small piece of paper, “confidence is the key”, and I tacked it on my bulletin board.

As I learned how to control my own confidence, I became much more powerful on the court. I really became my own coach. When thoughts would pop into my head, I would work to only let the ones that would add to my confidence slip past my brain’s filter.

The bad ones would mostly get discarded like trash. I learned that confidence is ultimately only controlled by one thing, the person choosing to be or not to be confident.

One of my favorite Bowling Green players ever, Micael, often struggled to control his emotions. I once asked him: “What is the percentage of thoughts that soak into your focus during a match that helps you versus hurts you?” He was super honest and estimated that 90% hurt him. I then asked him if he thought it would be good if he could get to 50/50. He just smiled, and we got to work. I got Micael to first realize that HE did have control over the thoughts and how deep they were to sink in. I showed him how well he could play when allowing the helpful thoughts to occupy his focus, and I got him to learn to replace the damaging thoughts with either positive or constructive thoughts. After a month of constant mental work, Micael got to 50/50, and by no coincidence, helped us have a great season!

Mike adds: Hopefully, everyone catches that sentence of “after a month of constant mental work.” Confidence

is not achieved by a single coaching trick. It is achieved by solid coaching and practice over a period of time.

What makes everything more productive is when the player recognizes their own negative self-talk, and wants to reduce it.

Jay quickly concludes: “Confidence is the key” - that is what I wrote on that piece of paper and tacked to my bulletin board that was hung in every college dorm room. I read that note hundreds of times, and I believe strongly in it to this day. Coaches need to know when to work on physical skills and when to work on the mental and emotional side. It is one of the toughest balances to achieve, but is likely the most important coaching skill the great ones possess. I recently received this compliment from the parent of one of my most promising players, “Thanks Jay. She always walks off the court with more confidence after she spends time with you. That may be your best gift.”

Balance achieved!

Jay Harris is the Director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime Port Washington and Director of the Academy’s College Advisory Service where he has coached multiple Gold Ball winners, multiple New York state champions, and has placed over 250 players onto college tennis teams. Mike Kathrein, a current Ohio resident, is the President of the Northwest Ohio Golf Coaches Association. He is a hall of fame high school coach having coached basketball, golf, baseball and tennis for 27 years and now sends the Lexington High School girls’ golf team to the state tournament essentially every year.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

25

Mythbusters Which States Do The Strongest Junior Players Live In?

By Ricky Becker

here is some information that probably won’t actually help you much, but may still be interesting; the below table probably falls under that category. Have you ever wondered which states are the biggest producers of top junior tennis players?

The below table is a fairly empirical way of ranking the states. We did the same study in 2016 and 2019, and a few people asked if we can do a table in 2023 for comparison.

The below list was compiled by taking the top-150 kids in the TennisRecruiting.com NAational Junior

T

26

Rankings for both genders in all four high school grades, and assigning a point value for each child. The state where the number one player in the country lives gets 150-points, number two-player 149-points, and so forth.

While Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) may be used more widely, TennisRecruiting.net seemed like a better measure to use here due to the fact it actually measures who wins the matches. It has also been proven to be a more accurate predictor of match outcomes.

Would you have predicted that state

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

rankings would fall something like this?

Moving on up to No.3, let’s go New York! Three years from now let’s get to No.2!

Ricky Becker is The Director of Tennis at Glen Oaks Club. Ricky also coaches high-performance juniors throughout the year and has been the Director of Tennis at three of Long Island’s biggest junior programs. As a player, Becker was the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis team, fourtime MVP for Roslyn High School and ranked in the top-five nationally as a junior. He can be reached at rbecker06@yahoo.com, 516-359-4843 or via juniortennisconsulting.com.

2023 Total Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46-52 46-52 46-52 46-52 46-52 46-52 46-52

State

2023 Total Points

2023 Boys Rank

2023 Girls Rank

2019 Total Rank

2016 Total Rank

(6-Year Movement)

California Florida New York Texas Georgia North Carolina Illinois South Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania Michigan Virginia Connecticut Washington Massachusetts Ohio Nevada Maryland Arizona Minnesota Tennessee Missouri Alabama Oklahoma Indiana Wisconsin Arkansas Kansas Utah Kentucky Hawaii DC Oregon Colorado Louisiana Puerto Rico Mississippi Idaho Delaware Nebraska Maine Iowa West Virginia New Hampshire New Mexico Alaska Montana North Dakota Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Wyoming

19,011 14,367 7,279 6,895 4,506 3,943 3,525 3,431 3,227 1,997 1,799 1,796 1,548 1,378 1,355 1,351 1,326 1,279 1,157 1,033 948 888 818 773 745 673 637 618 528 509 394 365 363 270 240 217 159 146 144 113 103 102 53 45 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 3 4 7 5 11 6 8 9 17 14 12 10 18 20 15 19 T25 13 27 29 22 16 23 30 21 24 39 33 T25 35 28 31 42-52 38 37 42-52 42-52 32 40 34 36 42-52 41 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52

1 2 3 4 5 7 6 9 8 14 10 11 19 29 15 13 20 16 12 30 18 17 24 41 25 21 33 27 22 23 39 26 37 32 28 31 36 34 35 42-52 38 42-52 42-52 40 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52 42-52

1 2 4 3 8 10 6 7 5 12 11 13 19 14 15 9 21 20 17 26 22 40 30 18 16 29 34 25 23 35 32 33 27 28 24 31 T44 T44 T38 46-52 41 42 46-52 T38 46 46-52 43 46-52 37 46-52 46-52 46-52

1 2 4 3 5 11 8 7 6 17 12 9 19 16 15 10 25 14 13 29 28 40 30 23 18 33 30 21 37 38 39 24 31 26 20 27 35 45-52 45-52 41 42 36 40 45-52 32 45-52 45-52 45-52 43 44 45-52 45-52

Same Same +1 -1 Same +5 +1 -1 -3 +7 -1 -3 +6 +2 None -6 +8 -4 -6 +9 +7 +18 +7 -1 -7 +7 +3 -7 +8 +8 +8 -8 -2 -8 -15 -9 -2 +10 +9 +1 +1 -6 -3 +4 -13 Same Same Same -6 -5 Same Same

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

27

In the

Kitchen An in-depth look at Pickleball on Long Island

Two Years In, Pickleball Plus Continues to Serve Its Community

ince it launched more than two years ago, Pickleball Plus has placed a strong emphasis on establishing itself as a part of the local community, and using its resources and facility to benefit its neighborhood.

“Pickleball Plus is proud to offer everything from lessons for adults and juniors to leagues, ladders, tournaments and many special events that are uniquely designed based on our members' wants and needs,” said Dory Levinter, Manager at Pickleball

S

28

Plus. “We are a full-service club, fully indoors and climate controlled, and we don't charge membership fees.”

When it first took over the facility, Levinter and her team had their work cut out for them to transform what was on the property at the time into what you see now. The owners took a decrepit, falling apart tennis facility and transformed it into what it is now: Pickleball Plus, a state-of-the-art dedicated indoor pickleball club that is specifically designed for pickleball players.

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

That facility now provides the local West Hempstead community and beyond with top-notch programming plus oppourtinities to use the club and its resources for good causes.

“We have embraced West Hempstead since the start,” said Levinter. “And the community has embraced us back.”

Many Pickleball Plus employees live locally, and the club held a canned food drive for the local food pantry, while also providing scholarships for local juniors to play in its Junior

Pickleball Academy. Pickleball Plus also listens to its members and holds fundraisers and events to benefit causes that are meaningful to its community, which includes local houses of worship, Nassau County Family & Children’s Services and the Saint Vincents’ dePaul.

In addition, Pickleball Plus has run teambuilding programs with corporations and local schools including CINTAS Corp., the Gersh Academy and the Mineola Union Free School District (UFSD).

“We had a blast at Pickleball Plus,” said Sarah Berkowitz, a Social Worker at the Gersh Academy, a school in West Hempstead for students on the Autism spectrum. “We can’t thank them enough for assisting with this. The teaching pro Rocco was super patient,

informative and remembered all of our names. We had many first-timers and they left eager to set up another time for us all to play again.”

Pickleball Plus also hosts a summer camp for Edspectation Learning Center, a local organization that serves kids of all ages.

“Our campers had an amazing experience at Pickleball Plus. They were fully engaged and enjoyed learning the fundamentals of pickleball,” said Nadine Barthole, CoOwner & Director, EDspectation Learning Center. “Our campers looked forward to our weekly session. It had a positive impact on our kids. They did not know about the game of pickleball before we signed up for the summer sessions, but a lot of kids were really into it. They were fully invested in

learning the game and mastering it. It also has a lot of health benefits so our campers were able to exercise and improve their coordination.”

These examples are just a few of the community-based endeavors that Pickleball Plus has prided itself on doing since it opened more than two years ago. In that time span, the owners and team have transformed a decaying building into an asepticallypleasing (I don’t think aseptically is the right word but I’m not sure what you’re going for here) brick-and-mortar location that not only serves its community, but actively engages with it.

You can visit PickleballPlusLLC.com to learn more about Pickleball Plus and how it continues to use the sport of pickleball to benefit its community.

Sportime Puts A Unique Spin On Pickleball Events

ne of the most engaging parts of pickleball is not just how fun the sport is to play, but also how the social aspect lends itself to entertaining themed pickleball events.

Over the last several months, SPORTIME Pickleball has upped its game in providing players with a variety of offerings to participate in, from charity events and happy hours to competitive tournaments for the more serious players.

Last fall, SPORTIME Port Washington brought the pickleball community together to help save

O

homeless animals while enjoying a fun afternoon on the court. The first-ever Pickle & Pups Party, held in partnership with North Shore Animal League America, featured a raffle and giveaways, in addition to adorable, adoptable puppies that players cuddled during breaks in the pickleball action.

Half of the fundraising event’s proceeds were donated to the North Shore Animal League America, and generated more than $1,000 to support dogs, cats, puppies and kittens in need.

A few weeks later, the Men’s Power Pickleball Tournament – aka the Battle of the Tristate – hit the courts in Port Washington. Twenty-four of the top men’s doubles teams from across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut battled it out for the $1,000 in prize money.

“The tournament was live streamed on Clash TV, and it was their first time covering a pickleball event. We had over 500 views online and more than 80 people watching in-person,” said continued on page 30

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

29

in the kitchen continued from page 29

SPORTIME Pickleball Director David Radisch. “Everyone was impressed by the professional-level of play and the final games had a lot of exciting, come-from behind wins.”

The top three finishers of the Battle of the Tri State were: 1) Mike Winters & Kevin Monroe 2) Len Yang & Xiao Han 3) Mike Kazin & Tom Final

Since Radisch joined SPORTIME in the fall of 2022, he has applied his extensive pickleball knowledge and expertise to expand SPORTIME’s programming and bring a unique spin to typical pickleball activities.

SPORTIME Pickleball has many more events on the horizon in 2024, including an upcoming Ladies Night

sponsored by Allyoos Hair, featuring complimentary hair products and raffle prizes; as well as a Peace, Love and Pickleball Party where players can sport their best tie-dye and hippie clothing while playing pickleball to live classic rock music. For a full list of SPORTIME Pickleball events across all SPORTIME locations, please visit www.sportimepickleball/calendar.

Halftime Chiller - The Cooler You Need

ave you been searching for the perfect cooler that not only holds and keeps your drinks cold, but also doubles as a storage unit for your racquet sports needs?

Well, Halftime Chiller has you covered.

Inspired by a vintage oak whiskey barrel, the Halftime Chiller is a one-ofa-kind product, that has both an aesthetically-pleasing design that has everything you need.

The innovative four-in-one design allows it to function as a cooler, seat and dual portable storage unit.

Features include:

H

Pressure Lock System • Fill the bottom half with ice, drinks and snacks 30

• Holds 24 bottles and cans • Stays cold for hours No Chairs? No Problem • Standard stool height • Comfortable padded, sturdy seat • Telescoping handle makes it light and easy to pull • Imprinted wood grain design for visual appeal Hidden Compartment Under the Lid • Keeps personal belongings secure and easily accessible • Removable tray Mesh Back Pocket For Extra Storage Space • Perfect for clothing, towels,

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

equipment, books, games, supplies, etc.

• Two halves stack inside one another to save space when being stored The Halftime Chiller is the multifunction rolling cooler you need for all of your tailgating, picnic and outdoor activities. Halftime Chiller comes in a variety of styles, sizes and colors, and is the cooler for all of your sport-playing needs.

For more information or to see all of Halftime Chiller products, visit HalftimeChiller.com, contact info@halftimechiller.com, or check them out on social media @Halftime_Chiller.

Viking Athletics Pickleball Paddle Product Review lthough the allure of being warm and comfortable on the couch seems very enticing as we get closer and closer to winter, keep in mind that your pickle partners are probably working on their volleys in their own house.

Put down the popcorn, set aside your blankets, and grab your Shield pickleball paddles. If you want to rule the court next summer, then you better get started now! The beauty of the sport that has grasped the attention of the nation is you never truly have to stop playing.

Just because your mind has entered the state of hibernation doesn’t mean that you can’t burn

A

a few calories here and there.

With all the new indoor pickleball facilities popping up in the Long Island area, why not go show off your new Shield paddle.

This paddle truly makes you feel like a pro. The fine layer of grit makes you spin it like Rafa at Roland Garros, apparently dinking is as effortless as Federer’s footwork, and can we talk about how sweet the design is!

Everything about this paddle will help you improve your game and take home all the trophies next year... including the LITM Pickleball Challenge.

Head over to vikingathletics.com and check out the paddles! The best part about the Shield

pickleball paddle, is that you don’t have to break the bank to feel like a pro.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

31

32

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

33

2023 Long Island Girls’ High School RECAP Castka, Romano Lead Bayport-Blue Point to Third Straight Suffolk Small School Title everything back so hrough the first we wanted to stay six flights of the positive,” added Suffolk County Romano. “It was a Girls’ Small School little scary, but we Title, Bayport-Blue played with each Point and Ross were other a couple of all squared up at times this season, three-all, meaning so we looked back that the rematch of on those moments last year’s county and knew we final came down to could do it.” one court: second The Phantoms doubles. fell behind early That’s where the on in the match, as pairing of Evie the Ross School Romano & Lily jumped out to a 2Castka came up Bayport-Blue Point is the Suffolk County Girls’ Small School Champions for the third straight season 0 advantage clutch for the thanks to victories from Olivia Caruso at second singles and Phantoms of Bayport-Blue Point. Despite both being freshmen, Lola Dangin at first singles. the moment was not too big for either one of them.

But the first doubles pairing of Emilia Romano & Ava “We just tried to stay positive throughout the whole match and focus on what we had to do,” said Castka. “There were Duras got their team on the board with a win at first doubles, which was soon followed by a win from Charlotte Volpe & a few times where we lost a bit of focus but we were able to Danielle Oleksiak at third doubles. regroup when we needed to.”

Leah Richardt & Tania Mathew moved Bayport-Blue Point That focus would be crucial as with everyone looking on, in front by way of their win at fourth doubles, but Daniela De spectators and players alike, the freshman duo clinched their La Vega evened things up for Ross with her win at third team’s third consecutive Suffolk County Small School title by singles, which brought the county final down to the second winning 6-3, 6-2. doubles court, where Romano & Castka sealed their team’s “We knew when we moved our feet, we were able to get victory.

By winning all four doubles flights, the Phantoms demonstrated just how deep its roster is.

“We had some big shoes to fill with the seniors who graduated last year, and we needed people to step up,” said head coach Keith Scharf. “It’s not just the 11 who played today, we have more on our roster that played matches during the season. We need our girls to step up and they did that not only today, but throughout the season.”

A key to the Phantoms sustained success over the last couple of seasons is how close the team is with each other, and the pride they take in representing their school and their community.

T

34

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Marcus, Raza Clinch Suffolk County Large School Title for Hills East or the second and motivation time in three high.” years, the title That support of Suffolk County would go a Large School Girls’ long way as Championship Marcus and belongs to Half Raza held on to Hollow Hills East. win 6-2, 5-7, 6The Thunderbirds 2 to close out brought home the their match and championship after clinch their a thrilling 4-3 team’s county victory over title.

Westhampton “We went Beach at Eastern into the third Athletic Club in set thinking that Blue Point in a it was a clean battle between the slate, a restart,” county’s top two said Raza.

Hills East is the Suffolk County Large School Champions for the second time in three years seeds.

“That definitely “It means a lot to helped us add another title to the history of our refocus and take the pressure off. school,” said Hills East head coach It means so much to me that all of Steve Ferrantello. “It’s a real honor our hard work paid off, and I’m so to be a part of that. I am just so happy that I was able to share this proud of this team, and couldn’t be experience with Brielle today.” happier for these girls.”

Marcus added: The depth of the Hills East team “The moment was unreal. I’ve proved to be the difference as it never had so many emotions took all four doubles flights to secure going on at the same time, and to the team victory. feel the love of all my teammates Westhampton Beach got wins from made it so special. I can’t even Matilda Buchen at first singles, Ava find the words to describe the Borruso at second singles and feeling.”

Melina Pinonzek to sweep the three This Hills East team only has singles matches. three players on the roster from its But Hills East’s doubles teams previous county championship, delivered. Jayden Seff & Kayla making this win that much more Grochow won 6-2, 6-3 at fourth special to the girls. doubles while Christina Zhao & “These girls are ecstatic about Remy Buffa held on to win 6-1, 3-6, this win. They wanted it so badly 6-1 at second doubles. and now they can see the trophy At first doubles, Samantha displayed in the hallway with their Heyman & Emma Wilck posted a 7- Brielle Marcus & Anjali Raza clinched the Suffolk County names on it and say ‘we did 6(4), 7-6(7) victory which would Championship for Hills East with their decisive win at third that’,” added Ferrantello. “What bring the fate of the county title makes this team so special is their doubles down to the third doubles court. work ethic with a drive to be “I would definitely say that knowing it all came down better. We were in a position after an early season to our match made it way more stressful and I was match that they knew we had to put in the work to get extremely nervous,” said Brielle Marcus, who plays to where we wanted to be at the end of the season. third doubles for Hills East alongside Anjali Raza. “My They did just that, and the improvement they showed team cheering me on every point kept our confidence from the beginning of the season to now is amazing.”

F

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

35

2023 long island girls’ high school recap continued from page 35

Smithtown East’s Konopka Captures Suffolk County Singles Title Perez rally back to even mithtown East things at 5-5. junior Anya “It was tight, and I Konopka definitely had to focus captured the Suffolk more,” said Konopka. “I County Girls’ Singles was kind of giving it title on defeating away because I was up Middle Country’s and thought I could just Maria Perez 6-3, 3close it out, but that did 6, 7-5 in a thrilling not work. I had to find championship match that mental game.” inside Eastern She did just that, Athletic Club in Blue stopping Perez’s Point. comeback by winning Konopka, who the final two games of finished in third the match to capture the place a year ago, county title. was determined to “She is such a tough bring home the player,” Konopka said county title this year, of Perez. “She keeps and got a strong test everything in and has from Perez in the final. After taking great spin on her shots.

Anya Konopka of Smithtown East won a hard-fought three-set match to capture the Suffolk She ran down every the opening set, County singles title single ball I hit, I don’t Konopka saw Perez know how she did but she a good job of that. The match find success in the return game, and was able to break was tight, I think we both had our ups and downs, and I Konopka’s serve several times to force the match into a was glad to be able to close it out.” deciding third set.

That fighting spirit that Konopka showed proved to be There, it seemed as if Konopka had taken back the difference, according to Smithtown East head coach momentum as she raced out to a 5-1 lead, only to see Nicole Daniggelis: “Anya’s a fighter that never quits.

She works hard all-year round, and Register Now I’m so proud of the way she played today. It’s a product of all the hard for 2024 work she puts in and she deserves Summer Camp! in. Sometimes things go your way in a match, sometimes they don’t, and Junior Tennis Camp—June 24 to August 23, 2024 it’s about staying confident and Every Monday-Friday, 10:30 am - 3:00 pm - Lunch Included sticking to the game plan, and that’s Our camp combines the learning and fun of the game through personalized what she was able to do today.” instruction, interclub matches, round robins, ladder matches and drill games.

In the third-place match, Lola Dangin Safety precautions in place for indoor play! of The Ross School defeated Isabella • State-of-the-art LED Lighting • No membership fees Spilotros of Smithtown West 6-3, 6-2.

• Air Conditioning and UV Air Purification System • 6 Har-Tru courts All four singles semifinalists advanced 100 Broadway l Huntington Station, NY 11746 to the New York State Public High Located next to the Huntington train station School Athletic Association Phone: 631.421.0040 Email: info@huntingtonindoortennis.net (NYSPHSAA) Individual www.HuntingtonIndoorTennis.net Championships.

S

36

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Bravo, Castellano Win Nassau Doubles Title “I tried to poach when I he freshman/senior could. Kayla was in some long pairing of Bravo & rallies from the baseline so I had Castellano won their to find my spots to put the points semifinals in straight sets and away.” had to wait a couple of hours “It’s unbelievable. Kayla has for the championship to start. been trying this year after year, But the duo came out firing and she found someone who against the Manhasset pairing she meshed with and who has a of Andrea & Lina Vases in the lot of talent,” said Boyd. “They finals, taking home the county were able to get it done. I think title with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Angelina looks up to her like a “There were a lot of long big sister, and they really points and we just tried to stay balance each other out.” in the rally but maintain our Both the Garden City and offensive position and make Manhasset doubles teams sure we stayed aggressive,” said Castellano. “We clicked Angelina Bravo & Kayla Castellano are the 2023 Nassau County Girls’ Doubles advanced to the State Championships, as did Syosset’s from the very beginning. We Champions Diya Varma & Manami Wakazono, who beat their Brave know each other’s strengths and they work well together.” teammates Stephanie Marcharet & Zia Mukherjee.

Bravo added:

T

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

37

2023 long island girls’ high school recap continued from page 37

Cold Spring Harbor Repeats As LI Small School Champions “I was just trying to stay he Seahawks repeated as aggressive while being Long Island champions after consistent, and trying to find defeating Bayport-Blue Point her weaknesses and play 4-1 in a rematch of last year’s based on that,” Kami said. championship, anchored by the Emilia Romano would get play of two of its captains, sisters the Phantoms of BayportKati and Kami Cotek.

Blue Point on the board with Kati, a senior, got her team off a win at first singles. to a fast start in Tuesday’s final Both the first and second as she raced through her match Cold Spring Harbor will head back to the NYSPHSAA Team Championships after winning doubles matches went into at second singles to put Cold the LI Championship for the second year in a row deciding third sets, but the Spring Harbor up early. second doubles pairing of Dylan Savarese & Stevie Sullivan made “I was able to angle my forehand well today and make her run, sure to stifle any hopes of a Phantoms comeback as they won their which helped me set up some winners,” said Cotek. match to seal the championship.

Her coach, Melissa McLees, raved about her player.

“After losing the second set, we knew we had to come back “She was on fire,” McLees said. “Kati has come a long way, and she really wanted this one today. She wanted the win, and wants to even stronger in the third set,” said Sullivan. “They picked it up in the second, so we had to step up our game. We wanted to play as go back to states and prove ourselves there, because she doesn’t hard and focus on every point.” feel like we did our job last year.”

Taylor Winthrop & Kaitlynn Hanna won their match at first Soon after Kati’s win, Kami delivered a victory at third singles to doubles to close out the scoring for the Seahawks. move her team within one win of a second consecutive LI crown.

T

38

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Syosset Defeats Hills East to Win LI Large School Title, Advance to NY State Championships he Syosset girls’ team because we tennis team came have great into this season as chemistry and we motivated as it has get along well. ever been. A team We have been with high expectations playing together year-in-and-year-out, for two years now the Braves were so we have disappointed to come learned each up one win short of other’s strengths the Nassau County and how to work Championship last together,” said season.

Mehta. “The “I think they were biggest thing for extremely determined us is staying especially coming off positive and of last year’s loss in cheering each the county finals,” said The Syosset Braves won the Long Island Large School Championship other on. We both Syosset head coach try to just laugh it Shai Fisher. “Every practice, every off whenever we make a mistake and match, no one wanted to take time off. just focus on the next point.”

Even in the off season, the girls were Wakazono added: practicing five times a week. The young “I think the most important thing in players buy in, and the whole team was doubles is supporting each other, so we determined all year.” always cheer each other on and stay That determination led the Braves to together. Today’s match was difficult, recapture the Nassau County title, and it but because we were calm and did took it one step further as Syosset won what we always do, we knew we could the Long Island Large School win.”

Championship with a 7-0 victory over Two days after clinching the Nassau Hills East on the outdoor courts of County championship for their team, Hofstra University. the second doubles duo of Julia Isham Zia Mukherjee got her team started as & Diya Varma won 6-1, 6-1, and the she posted a 6-0, 6-1 victory at first clinching victory on this day would singles which set the tone for the rest of come on the third doubles court as the girls.

Taylor Weinstock & Selena Wang won “I think I was able to stay aggressive The first doubles duo of Sanam Mehta & Manami 6-2, 6-2. throughout the match, especially with my Wakazono won in straight sets “It means so much to me to be able serves and I just tried to remain to clinch the Long Island title for my focused,” said Mukherjee. “The entire team was locked in from team because sadly it’s my last year on the team, and I’m the start, and I just wanted to carry that mindset through into my ecstatic that my team has gotten this far,” said Weinstock. “This own match, and that really helped me achieve the win.” season has been the best. We have worked so hard as a team Fisher added: and it’s very special that we have won the Long Island “Zia has had a great season and you can really see her Championship.” improvement from last year. She has always hit with pace but Elaine Liu was a 6-2, 6-1 winner at third singles, and the now has added variety to different parts of her game, and fourth doubles team of Manasi Pradhan & Ava Weinstock won that’s why she has had some big wins for us against high6-0, 4-6, [10-2] at fourth doubles. Stephanie Marcheret won 6quality opponents throughout this season.”

3, 7-6(2) at second singles to complete the Syosset sweep.

At first doubles, Sanam Mehta & Manami Wakazono won 6“We are definitely very motivated this year, especially with a 4, 6-1, relying on their experience together as a doubles lot of new players,” added Mehta. “We all worked so hard tandem to deliver a key victory for their team. during the off-season and during this season, and we came “Manami and I are able to work well together as a doubles back stronger than ever.”

T

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

39

2023 long island girls’ high school recap continued from page 39

Wiese Wins New York State Singles Title t was a season to remember for the NYSPHSAA Individual the Garden City girls’ tennis Championships, as did Angel team. The Trojans won the Walia of Herricks, who defeated Conference IIB title with an Lee in the third-place match. undefeated regular season record, Her state title victory capped off reached the Nassau County Large what was a fantastic high school School Championship, and also career for Wiese. She had always won the singles and doubles titles wanted to compete in the at the Individual Championships.

NYSPHSAA Championships while Senior Nina Wiese added one growing up in Queens. When she more accolade to this season as moved to Long Island prior to her she captured the New York State freshman season, she was excited Public High School Athletic for the opportunity to play at Association (NYSPHSAA) singles States. title, defeating Olivia Dartawan of However, a torn ACL just prior Niskayuna 6-1, 6-1 in the to her freshman season forced her championship. That victory came out of action in both her freshman on the heels of her 7-5, 6-4 win and sophomore seasons. When over defending champion Victoria she returned in her junior season, McEnroe in the semifinals. she was motivated to be able to “I just tried to play my best each Garden City’s Nina Wiese brought the New York State get to the State tournament, and Singles Title back to Garden City match and take it one point at a did so thanks to a third-place time,” said Wiese, who won the finish in the Nassau County event title on her birthday. “I didn’t want last season. to think too far ahead into the This year, she took it further, future and just focused on the wrapping up her high school match in front of me. Winning that career with a state title, the first semifinal match was big and it tennis state champion for Garden definitely helped me on Saturday in City since Kelsey Raynor and the finals, knowing that I played Jacqueline Raynor won doubles in my best tennis and could continue 2008. that into the next day.”

“It was so amazing to do well Garden City head coach Crystal this season, especially with my Boyd added: teammates. Missing those first two “She’s such a smart player. She years of my career made the last moves her opponent all over the two years even more fun,” said court, and you can see how she Wiese, who will be headed to the sets up her shots, and disguises University of Nebraska Omaha for them well. She has every shot in her collegiate tennis. “I couldn’t her arsenal and it makes her very ask for anything more than to tough to play against.” finish my career like this. I am Wiese advanced to the definitely going to miss being with NYSPHSAA Championships thanks the team, the bus rides, the lateThe top three finishers at the Nassau County Championships night dinners, all of that is the best to her victory in the Nassau County Individual Championships. that advanced to the State tournament: Nina Wiese, Kailin part of playing high school tennis.

Goncha and Angel Walia In that tournament, she defeated Even if I didn’t win counties or North Shore’s Kailin Goncha in the states, or any of these titles, I championship match. Wiese and Gochna qualified for wouldn’t have regretted any of it.”

I

40

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Westhampton Duo Captures NYS Doubles Championship or the third time in close out the match in four seasons, the New straight sets.

York State Doubles “They were consistent so Champions reside on we tried to be aggressive, Long Island. and poached when we The Westhampton needed to,” said Buchen.

Beach pairing of Matilda A key reason for their Buchen & Julia Stabile success is the chemistry captured the 2023 state between the two. Buchen title by beating Kay & Stabile are close off the Cottrell & Emma Ha of court, and use that to their Scarsdale 6-2, 6-3, benefit when times get becoming the first team tough on court. from Westhampton Beach “When one is down, the to win the state doubles other one is there for them. title since Kelly Federico & They are great friends off Brenda Kracke in 1980. the court which helps them “They are a really solid on it,” said Westhampton team, but Matilda and I Beach head coach Matt were able to keep our Reed. “The second set got Matilda Buchen & Julia Stabile of Westhampton Beach won its second consecutive tight, but they raised their momentum going, and boost each other up when Suffolk County Doubles Title and the New York State Championship level when they needed to. we were down, especially They have an extra gear in those tough points,” said Stabile. “It got really they can get to that a lot of teams can’t match.” competitive in that second set, but we made sure to The duo qualified for States by defeating Emilia stay focused, go point-by-point and just play our Romano & Evie Romano in the Suffolk County game.”

Championship. Joining them in Schenectady was the After controlling play in the first set, Buchen & Romanos from Bayport-Blue Point as well as Meredith Stabile were tested in the second set. But the pair Albertelli & Kylie Person of Sayville, who defeated Aya made sure to get back to being aggressive in order to Deckman & Josie Rudloff in the third-place match.

F

GH TENNIS R ES THROUG RING FUTUR EMPOWER e novan Tennis Don Strrategies

• • • • •$

•

$ $

A & ITF Levels: USTA a 508-737-2727 Call: com courtConsultingllc.c Crossc

$

$

•$

$ $

$ $

$

$

$

$ $

$

$

$

$

DTS

3 UTR Levels: Girls 4-10, Boys 6-13 Call: 617-322-9333 ennis.com Te DonovanT

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

41

After 50 Years, Eastern Athletic Clubs Maintains Family Values

By Brian Coleman unning a tennis club or facility can be a difficult business endeavor, and it takes a lot of work and effort to be able to create a sustainable business that lasts generations.

All of that is what makes what Eastern Athletic Clubs has done that much more impressive. One of the longest standing tennis clubs on Long Island, Eastern Athletic has been a family-run and operated business for more than 53 years, and its approach to its business has made it one of the pillars of the Long Island tennis community.

Founded back in 1972, Eastern Athletic Club was the brainchild of Peter Sferrazza and George Hart, both of whom were engineers at the time. However, the two wanted to go down a different road in their lives, and decided to build a tennis facility, something that wasn’t all too common at the time.

“My dad had been many things in

R

his life. He worked on a lot of highlevel projects with the government, he was also a school teacher at one point, but he decided to quit the engineering business,” said Marc Sferrazza, Peter’s son and one of eight siblings. “He and George Hart decided they wanted to do something different, and that was the impetus behind it. They built the first location themselves in Melville in 1972; there were a few clubs at the time on Long Island, but our club had elasta turf, the same surface they use at the U.S. Open. From the beginning, we wanted to have that quality, that was extremely important to us. When we

Tennis Court Equipment & Material Now Available:Graco SaniSpray HP Airless Disinfectant Sprayers

Tennis Posts & Nets • Court Accessories Windscreen • Netting & Hardware (631) 427-5904 velvetop.com

1455 New York Ave Huntington Station, NY 42

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

first opened, we had four courts, and they were immediately successful.”

From the beginning, Eastern Athletic Club was a total family business, which consisted of Marc and his siblings, brothers Davide and Kenneth, and sisters Alexa, Cira and Jani, and is something that continues to this day and part of what has made it so sustainable. Marc and his siblings worked at the club as they grew up. Marc graduated from Columbia University, and he would work a day job and then come to the club to work the desk at night.

After the success of the Melville location, the Sferrazza’s looked to expand and take their approach to other locations. They would open a new club in Dix Hills in 1974, and soon after take over an existing clay-court facility in Commack in 1975. A year later, they built the new location in Blue Point, and demonstrated quick growth and expansion which made it the premier tennis brand on Long Island. At the end of the 1970s, they built a big multi-sport facility that didn’t have tennis in Brooklyn, but was a huge facility that featured, squash, racquetball and more.

“A big part of our success is that we just have had good people working for us over the years, and that we have always made sure to keep evolving and changing with the times,” said Sferrazza.

As Marc mentions, having good people working for Eastern Athletic has been such an integral part of its sustained success over the last halfcentury. Laurie Fehrs is at the heart of that idea. She came to Eastern Athletic after a successful career playing on the WTA Tour, turning pro as a teenager and going on to compete at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and French Open,

among others.

Fehrs moved into the coaching profession and began working at the Melville and Dix Hills locations of Eastern Athletic.

“Laurie came to us about 30 years ago, and filled our courts with lessons, and developed a tremendous following because of her expertise and teaching style,” said Alexa Sferrazza. “When her son, Michael, finished college, he began teaching here with his mother, and between the two of them, grew the sport here and really established our tennis program.

As we added more courts to the Melville location, Laurie and her team continued to fill them up.”

As the brand grew and expanded, it was important to bring in pros that would be able to maintain the standard set by the Sferrazzas and Fehrs, so Laurie is the one that handpicks the pros and interviews them, to this day, to ensure they bring in the right people for their programs.

“We have a very professional staff, and Laurie and Michael are always evolving our programs to fit the needs of our customers, and adapt to the ever-changing tennis world. Laurie, Michael and I work side-by-side to develop these programs and continue the growth. When you have a love for the sport, you fully immerse yourself into it, which is something they both do.”

Eastern Athletic Club is truly a family-owned and operated facility, evidenced by the Sferrazza family that has been at the heart of its ownership throughout its existence.

The Fehrs, along with all their tennis professionals and reception staff, are all an integral part of Eastern Athletic Club’s family as is their clientele.

“For as long as I can remember, I played on the courts at Eastern Athletic Clubs. Whether it was the Dix Hills, Melville or Blue Point

facilities, I always felt at home,” said Michael Fehrs. “Eastern Athletic is a home for kids and adults who really enjoy the sport. The care for the players from the professionals are unlike I have ever seen. I’ve traveled all across the nation to grow as a player at a young age and as a coach after college, and I’ve still yet to feel the way I feel from each Eastern Athletic Club facility and staff.”

In recent years, Eastern Athletic Club closed the Melville facility, which allowed them to focus more on and put more resources into the Dix Hills and Blue Point locations. The

attention to detail, and desire for quality over quantity, has always been a part of the Eastern Athletic ethos.

“It’s important to keep evolving and adding things. We’ve added pickleball courts to our Blue Point facility years ago, we had badminton for awhile, we were big on racquetball when it was very popular many years back,” added Marc Sferrazza. “So we always keep shifting and making sure we keep doing what our people are interested in, and understanding what our clients and customers want. As owners, we expect a lot of each other, but also support each other which has helped us grow together. It took all of us to be successful.”

As Michael Fehrs said, Eastern Athletic Clubs has always felt like home, and that is the sort of environment that they take pride in fostering. For the last 50-plus years, Eastern Athletic Clubs has used that environment to become a staple of the local tennis community, and will continue that approach for the next 50 years and beyond.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

43

S&C RT

ILS 202

3 COU

Courts & Coc

OCKTA

Courts & Cocktails Wraps Up

ver the last two years, Long Island Tennis Magazine’s newest event series, Courts & Cocktails, has provided a fun time out on a Saturday night for adults to play tennis and socialize with old friends and also meet new ones, while helping to raise money for worthy causes.

Tennis, food and fun were on the menu at the latest Courts and Cocktails event in December as the 2023 Courts & Cocktails event series concluded with a soldout event at Sportime Syosset. A great group of people came out to enjoy more than two hours of tennis, featuring drills and games across multiple courts.

The events are an ideal way to spend a Saturday night, and serve as both a great way for tennis players to remain active in the winter months, and also benefit

O

44

newer tennis players as well.

“For some, tennis can be an intimidating sport to learn as an adult. As someone who picked up a racquet for the first time this summer, Courts & Cocktails was

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

like a culmination in debunking that expectation,” said Kris Passett. “The players and pros couldn’t have been more welcoming or friendly, and the environment was casual and fun. The two hours of play flew by, and if you’re reading this, don’t miss the next one!”

While the players were on court, bartenders served cocktails, as Long Island Tennis Magazine’s event staff served drinks to all the players. A full catered dinner was provided to players post-event as attendees were treated to both delicious food and amazing drinks, all making for a wonderful evening of good times with good people.

“Our latest Courts & Cocktails reinforced the need for social tennis options,” said David Sickmen. “We love being in the

ILS 202

S&C RT

OCKTA

ocktails Recap

3 COU

Up 2023 With Sold-Out Event

community and bringing together players of all levels. The night allowed for everyone to meet new people and get away from the monotony of the typical Saturday night plans. We know for a fact that many of our attendees have enjoyed our events so much that

they have begun playing more tennis outside of Courts & Cocktails. Some have begun taking lessons for the first time while others have taken to the courts more often than they had previously, which was one of our goals and rewarding to hear.

It was another sold-out event, and Mike Kossoff and the Sportime Syosset staff were perfect hosts.

We want to thank them for helping us put this on, and we look forward to hosting many more of these events as we move into 2024.”

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

45

Your 2024 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. We have compiled a list of some of the top clubs and programs 46 Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com with descriptions of what each has to offer.

Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Building #4 Farmingdale, N.Y. l (516) 777-1358 Bethpage Park Tennis Center is located just a few hundred feet from the Black Course at beautiful Bethpage State Park. Four indoor hard courts and four indoor red clay courts are air-conditioned for year-round play, along with two outdoor Har-Tru courts. Bethpage Park Tennis Center offers an array of adult seasonal court opportunities, Men's and Women's leagues, Lesson and Junior Development Programs, Quickstart, Zone tennis and walk-on court opportunities. New this year is the addition of Pickleball and Saturday night tennis/pickleball parties. It’s free and low-cost program for special populations and veterans 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 coach Steve Kaplan who has developed more top players than anyone else in the East.

Steve is the owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, director emeritus of City Parks Foundation Lacoste Academy and Executive Director of Serve and Return Inc. Steve has been the long-time coach of more than 1,100 nationally-ranked junior players, 16 state high school singles champions, two NCAA Division I Singles Champions, and numerous touring professionals, prominent coaches and many prominent members of the New York financial. Steve's students have been awarded in excess of $11 million in college scholarship money.

In the summer, the finest players in the East join Bethpage Park Tennis Center for summer camp on four indoor hard courts, four indoor red clay courts that are air-conditioned, along with two outdoor Har-Tru courts and six nearby outdoor hard courts. Lunch is included and transportation is available. Bethpage Park Tennis Center charges no membership fee and values all of its beginners equally with its nationally-ranked players.

STEVE KAPLAN’S

BETHPAGE PARK TENNIS CENTER

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

BethpageParkTennis.com

47

Carefree Racquet Club 1414 Jerusalem Avenue, #1 l North Merrick, N.Y. CarefreeTennis@gmail.com l (516) 489-9005 Carefree Racquet Club is Long Island’s premier indoor tennis club, offering seven indoor tennis courts, two half-court basketball courts and four pickleball courts.

League Coordinator Kristen Cassidy offers adult singles, doubles and team doubles leagues that are always on the correct level to ensure you have a good game every time you play. Carefree has many USTA teams in the 18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles Leagues, along with Tri-Level Leagues.

For those new to the game or just want to improve, Carefree offers two 14-week sessions of learn and play groups, coordinated by Ryan White. Players get an hour lesson each week, along with 90 minutes of practice time each week.

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

For junior players, Ben Marks, Carefree’s director of tennis, coordinates the Junior Development Program with two 14week sessions starting at the age of five, running through the age of 18. Children can take group, semi-private or private lessons, along with practice time and ladder match play as well. Ben also runs a high school prep program and an Elite program.

Carefree is very proud of its QuickStart Tot Program for children ages three- to five-years-old, which uses props to keep the children’s attention and is coordinated by Vikki Roberto.

Carefree Racquet Club is managed by Kathy Miller, along with Assistant Manager Pat McIlwee, who pride themselves on the organization and smooth running of Long Island's premier indoor tennis club that has never and continues to not charge membership fees.

Carefree offers a summer camp for Juniors from the end of June until mid August. We offer a Red Ball Camp (10 years of age and under) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday's from 9am to noon with Kristen Cassidy. In addition we have a camp for all ages (6-18) that runs Monday- Friday 1:00-5:00 run by Ryan White. Call us for more details!

So if you are looking to join a program or just rent a court now and then, come down and visit Carefree Racquet Club!

48

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

CarefreeTennis.com

Chris Lewit Tennis Academy 3997 VT-100 l Londonderry, Vt. l (914) 462-2912 Chris@ChrisLewit.com l YouTube.com/Chris Lewit Chris Lewit Tennis Academy (CLTA) is a serious high performance academy set in the natural paradise of Vermont. The club offers European style red clay courts and indoor hard courts, gym and clubhouse.

We never get rained out! Families love to visit nearby Manchester, Vermont, known internationally as a mountain tourist destination for its quaint village and charming shops and restaurants. We are also looking for families to move to Manchester full-time to train with Chris personally every day!

CLTA offers year-round full-time training, short-term training, and a world-famous high performance boarding summer camp. All players get to work on court directly with Chris. Chris is not just a figurehead; he is active on court working with players in the trenches daily. That’s what makes CLTA unique and special, and that’s why players come to train with Chris from all over the world.

Chris Lewit is one of leading high-performance junior development coaches in the United States. Author of the best-selling book, The Secrets of Spanish Tennis, Chris has spent the last 17 years studying with many of the legendary coaches in Spain and Europe. He brings the most cutting-edge training methods from Europe back to the U.S. for his students.

Chris is known as an expert in technique and biomechanics, and in Spanish training methods. He has recently coached the number 1 player in the US and gold ball winner Maggie Sohns, Ukrainian phenom Vlada Hranchar, and numerous top 10 nationally-ranked juniors, one Little Mo National champ Elana Zaretsky, and one national finalist Henry Holtz, and many elite players now graduating to the pro circuit. He also has unmatched experience building the foundations of young prodigies.

CLTA offers a unique teaching system based on the Bruguera Method, Toni Nadal Method, and the system of William Pato Alvarez—all from legendary coaches in Spain. Chris is one of the only coaches in the world who has attained certification in these three systems, and he brings unparalleled experience to this who want to train authentically the Spanish Way. Chris is known internationally for his expertise in technique and biomechanics, and he is currently studying for an advanced degree in kinesiology. CLTA features cutting edge sports science, athletic assessment and training, talent identification, injury prevention, high speed video technical analysis, and more.

Come experience the best in Spanish training or technical/biomechanical development year-round at the CLTA. You will be treated like part of the family!

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

ChrisLewit.com

49

Eastern Athletic EACTennis@yahoo.com (631) 363-6063 l (631) 773-6293 Multiple locations on Long Island Eastern Athletic is family-owned and is one of the New York’s original and finest tennis and fitness facilities, offering a wide variety of programs for the tennis enthusiast and fitness buffs. Offering two locations in Suffolk County to accommodate the ever changing needs of our clientele, Eastern Athletic has 12 Nova Ultra cushion indoor tennis courts, pickleball, racquetball, fitness and much more. To find out about all we have to offer, visit us at EasternAthleticClubs.com or call 631-363-2882, 631-2716616.

Eastern Athletic Tennis offers season and open court rentals, private and group instruction for the pee-wee through the seasoned octogenarian. All programs, lessons, drills, clinics, zones, leagues, performance training, ladders, parties and camps are offered year-round in climatecontrolled facilities. Our Blue Point location has a USTA 10 and under program with over 120 students and room for more! We host one of the largest Men’s Singles Flex Ladder/Leagues on Long Island, as well as highly competitive men's and women's leagues, ladders and are host more than 15 USTA teams. Many of our teams have competed in regional, sectional and national competition.

In addition, Eastern Athletic has one of the best performance training programs, integrating tennis with athletic performance programs. Eastern Athletic has produced some of the top tennis players on Long Island under the direction and supervision of Gary Guadio at our Blue Point location, Laurie Tenney Fehrs and Michael Fehrs at our Dix Hills Location with their renowned tennis staff. Eastern Athletic has programs for Juniors and Adults of all ages and level of play, and is confident there is something for you.

For more information and to join our growing family, e-mail EACTennis@yahoo.com or visit: • EAC in Blue Point: 9A Montauk Highway, Blue Point, N.Y. - (631) 363-2882 • EAC in Dix Hills: 854 East Jericho Turnpike, Dix Hills, N.Y. - (631) 773-6293

50

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

EasternAthleticClubs.com

Evert Tennis Academy 10334 Diego Drive South l Boca Raton, Fla. (516) 488-2001 l brendan.conroy@EvertAcademy.com The Evert Tennis Academy (ETA) is located in the Mission Bay area of Boca Raton, Fla. With 23 courts, pristine grounds, state-of-the-art-equipment, a caring staff and family atmosphere combine to make ETA a beautiful and unique training environment.

As the proud home to more than 15 Grand Slam participants and over 100 Division I college athletes, the Evert Tennis Academy has a proven record of success in developing champions at the highest levels.

Chris Evert, tennis legend and winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, and John Evert, world-renowned developmental coach and academy director, believe in designing personalized programs that consist of a strategic balance between technical, tactical, mental and physical training. They pride themselves on handpicking some of the finest developmental coaches working in the sport who are dedicated to the instruction, development and success of each athlete Academy and Developmental Programs The Academy Program at Evert systematically addresses every aspect of a player’s game through a daily regimen of technical, tactical, mental and physical training. The Morning Training Session is composed of drilling, and strength and conditioning. The program is continued in the afternoon with a focus towards competition and tactics. The Developmental Program at Evert Tennis Academy is designed to take players to the next level by providing a very exclusive, individualized program and the difference between it and the Academy Program lies within the daily 1:1 lesson.

Boarding students age 18 and younger enrolled in the Full-Time, Weekly or Camp programs, stay in our on-campus threestory dormitory. Each dorm room houses up to two students during the school year and up to four students during Camp and Summer Sessions with boys and girls being housed in separate buildings.

Evert Tennis Academy conveniently provides one-on-one airport transportation for its boarding students, for a fee (subject to change), to all three area international airports: (PBI) West Palm Beach (35 minutes), (FLL) Fort Lauderdale (35 minutes), (MIA) Miami International (55 minutes).

All transportation coordination is handled directly through the Academy, making it stress-free and easy for you.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

EvertAcademy.com

51

Huntington Indoor Tennis 100 Broadway l Huntington Station, N.Y. hitennis@hitennisny.com l (631) 421-0040 Huntington Indoor Tennis is celebrating 43 years as the top tennis facility in the greater Huntington area! Some of our players that trained and competed with us as children, now play here as adults and bring their own children to Huntington Indoor to learn the sport.

Huntington Indoor has six climate-controlled HarTru courts with new state-of-the-art LED lights. We recently refurnished our lounge area for our customers’ comfort and enjoyment. The club is conveniently located next to the Huntington train station with free onsite parking. Open to the public daily from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., and there are no membership fees.

Huntington Indoor Tennis offers organized adult programs including in-house singles and doubles leagues for women and men; mixed doubles league; USTA leagues; tennis fitness programs; clinics and lessons. In addition, we offer seasonal and hourly court reservations. The “Early Bird” program offers discounted play from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. year-round and senior discounts are available.

Huntington Indoor tennis is proud to be the home facility of 19 USTA teams in 2023, including women’s, men’s and mixed in levels from 3.0 to 4.5 and all age groups.

We have a robust program for children including junior development, junior competition, in-house leagues and USTA tournaments. There are currently 300 children enrolled in our junior programs. Our premier children’s summer camp is offered every week from late-June through August, including both full day and half day sessions.

Huntington Indoor has an amazing group of pros. Most of our dedicated pros have been working here for 20+ years, coaching children and adults to improve their game and tennis skills.

Contact us anytime for information or visit HuntingtonIndoorTennis.net.

52

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

HuntingtonIndoorTennis.net

Nassau Tennis & Sports Center 73 Fern Place l Inwood, N.Y. (516) 239-8303 l info@nassautenniscenter.com Nassau Indoor Tennis Club, which has been the go-to tennis club in the Five Towns area of Nassau County for more than three decades, has re-branded to Nassau Tennis & Sports Center.

Conveniently located on the South Shore, 30 minutes from Manhattan and 10 minutes from JFK Airport in Inwood, N.Y., Nassau Tennis is easily accessible from anywhere on Long Island or New York City.

Under new ownership, the recently reconditioned Har-Tru Tennis Courts are the perfect venue for the tennis enthusiast. Proud members of the USTA, Nassau Tennis offers something for everybody.

Looking for an outstanding youth program, private lessons, adult leagues, seasonal or hourly court time? Looking to throw a tennis party and cannot find a facility to rent? Nassau Indoor is available for all-sized parties, big or small. Nassau Indoor Tennis is happy and able to accommodate your tennis needs. The Club is proud host to USTA-sanctioned junior tournaments and USTA Adult League Teams.

Nassau Tennis provides unparalleled professional instruction to children and adults of all skill levels and abilities. Rest assured, when you join Nassau Tennis & Sports Center, you’ll get hands-on instruction from some of the region’s best and nationally-ranked professionals. Whether you are taking up tennis for the first time or have been playing for a long time, Nassau Tennis is available for all of your tennis needs.

Nassau Tennis & Sports Center is open seven days a week, and hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Hourly and seasonal court time is also available.

Whether you would like to sign up for individual or group lessons, rent hourly or seasonal court time, join a league, or need some questions answered, Nassau Indoor Tennis’s friendly staff is available to assist you.

For more information, visit NassauTennisCenter.com.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

NassauTennisCenter.com

53

Point Set Indoor Racquet Club 3065 New Street l Oceanside, N.Y. Lori@PointSetTennis.com l (516) 536-2323 More than a decade ago, Point Set underwent a state-of-the-art, spare no expense renovation out of respect to our customers, and that philosophy remains the same today. 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 now offers pickleball! With eight, newly-lined pickleball courts, Point Set is proud to offer clinics, lessons and tournaments, as well as court rentals on Fridays through Sundays.

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

Point Set is 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.

54

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

PointSetTennis.com

Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center 60 Sea Cliff Ave. l Glen Cove, NY 11542 rwtennis@hotmail.com l (516) 759-0505 Robbie Wagner’s is a premier tennis training center located in Long Island, New York features 13 Har-Tru indoor courts and 4 indoor hard courts. We not only teach the game of tennis...we live it. We are totally committed to helping every child strive to reach their full playing potential. We encourage players of all ages and levels to train with us.

Robbie Wagner’s stellar reputation speaks for itself within the tennis industry. Our motivation for success and dedication to helping your children achieve their goals is unrivaled in the industry. The personal relationships that we form with parents help us guide you and your children in the right direction. Whether it's their first Level II tournament or a national event, we have the ability, experience and professional staff to help your child achieve success. Our staff of world-renowned tennis professionals has the knowledge and capability to give you and your child the proper guidance toward a career in college tennis. Visit our Glen Cove location and see our “Wall of Fame” which lists the players we have helped place in top level Colleges and Universities around the country. Come visit our Glenwood Landing facility where we proudly hang all the banners of our winners of National and Sectional Level I & II tournaments from the rafters and on the walls. (We ran out of room on the rafters!) They speak for themselves.

If you are interested in being the best you can call Robbie Wagner’s for a complimentary private evaluation from Robbie or one of our head tennis professionals or even try one of our tournament training groups.

Give us a call on 516-759-0505 so you can see why we are the only place to train.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

rwtt.com

55

Ross School Tennis Center 20 Goodfriend Drive l East Hampton, N.Y. TennisCenter@Ross.org l (631) 907-5162 Ross School Tennis Center (RSTC) is the premiere training center in the Hamptons, boasting a beautiful tennis facility that is open to the public and located on the Ross Upper School Campus in East Hampton, N.Y. The Tennis Center features six HarTru courts that are enclosed by a bubble from mid-fall through mid-spring, allowing for year-round play. The Tennis Center features state-of-the-art amenities such as spacious locker rooms, lower level lounge, convenient snack bar, and ping-pong tables, and the staff provides a fun and supportive atmosphere that allows for the greatest amount of success.

After-school programming, a dynamic program for junior players, and specialized summer programs are offered to make Ross Tennis Center the place to play tennis in the Hamptons.

After-school Programs (Pre-K–Grade 12) • Nursery–Grade 4: Specialized one-hour training program where players build a strong foundation through a variety of game-based and cooperative activities using 10U age-appropriate (Red, Orange, or Green) balls and nets that will prepare them for eventual full-court play.

• Grade 5–Grade 12: Players build off their 10U foundation to further develop fundamental skills and techniques as they transition into yellow balls and prepare for full-court tournament competition. Ball control, strategy, and work ethic are all emphasized in this 90-minute session of drills and point play. Players in kindergarten and higher are required to play twice per week in this program.

• RSTA Yellow+ is for players over 12 years old who play either on a JV or Varsity school team. There will be practice every day for two hours after school. Tryouts can also be evaluated by an RSTA coach if you are not yet a team member. Participation at both UTR and USTA tournaments is encouraged but not a requirement.

• Lessons and Court Rentals: Ross Tennis Center also offers adult clinics, court rentals, and private and group instruction for all ages and levels. The Tennis Center is also used for a variety of special events and is available for private parties.

56

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

Ross.org/Tennis

SPORTIME Tennis & Pickleball Clubs Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy 15 locations across Long Island, Manhattan, Westchester and the Capital Region

PlayTennis@SportimeNY.com l (888) 698-3664

•

•

•

•

SPORTIME’s facilities, programs and coaches have set the racket sports standard of excellence in New York since 1994. Featuring 190 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and now offering 71 dedicated and hybrid pickleball courts, we offer exceptional facilities at which our members and guests can rent courts, participate in cutting-edge programs, including summer and school break tennis training camps for players of all ages and abilities, and the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at five locations, in NYC, on Long Island at Amagansett, Syosset and now at Port Washington, and in Westchester.

Programs for everyone include: Juniors: From Bounce for preschoolers, to the SPORTIME U10 tennis pathway for red and orange level players, to SPORTIME EXCEL for green and yellow level juniors, to the ultimate opportunity to train with tennis icon Johnny Mac and the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) team, SPORTIME offers a complete menu of tennis programming for every level of junior development and play. Our curricula also include world-class, age and level appropriate athletic training, mental toughness training, and more, reflecting our commitment to developing complete players.

SPORTIME/JMTA’s approach gets kids playing fast and blends technical and tactical coaching from the very first lesson. Students benefit from a full competitive pathway, starting with our World Tour events, designed to create the perfect first competitive experience, through Junior Team Tennis and Team Cup, plus an extensive calendar of UTR and USTA events. SPORTIME is not just the best place to learn the game, it’s the best place to play it too!

Adults: SPORTIME’s Adult Tennis Kinetics is the largest adult group tennis lesson program in New York. Other Adult Programs include League Tennis, Cardio Tennis and SPORTIME’s signature “Zone” high-intensity, competitive games program. All provide great workouts combined with skills development and lots of fun!

SPORTIME Pickleball: With over 70 courts at 10 SPORTIME locations, SPORTIME Pickleball offers players of all ages and skill levels diverse opportunities to learn, compete or just play for fun with friends. So join a clinic, take a lesson, play in a tournament or rent a court, and get in on the fastest growing sport in the nation!

SPORTIME Summer and School Break Camps and JMTA Tennis Training Camps: SPORTIME offers the best tennis and sports camps anywhere, and there is a camp location near you! SPORTIME summer and school-break camps, including U10, EXCEL and JMTA player development camps, utilize fun and fast-paced training methods, including competitive games, technical instruction and tactical training for match play, as well as off-court athletic and mental toughness training. Multi-Sport, Preschool, Volleyball and Hockey camps are also offered.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

SportimeNY.com

57

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows Corona Park l Flushing, N.Y. (718) 760-6200 The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open Tennis Championships, is the largest public tennis facility in the world. It is, most certainly, a “Tennis Welcome Center.” The Tennis Center is open to the public year-round for court rentals and offers exciting programming, as well as numerous events throughout the year.

Programs are offered for all ages and levels, as well as clinics, private lessons, leagues, tours, field trips, summer camps, corporate events, birthday parties, and tournaments.

The NTC also supports all USTA Community Tennis and Player Development initiatives.

The professional staff of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center also conducts community tennis programs, including 11 & Under Tennis for children 11 years of age and under to learn tennis in a fun and dynamic way; USTA Junior Team Tennis for youth match play; USTA League Tennis for competitive, level-of-play competition, and an official Cardio Tennis site for on-court heart-pumping fitness.

There is an extensive summer camp program which provides basic tennis instruction starting as young as 11 and under up through and including Academy level players. Camps include instruction and fitness programs; the encouragement of good sportsmanship leading to general character building for the children of all ages and levels. These services are provided at a nominal cost, making it affordable for youngsters who would not otherwise get the chance to attend camp or receive tennis instruction. Lastly, the Project ACES (Alternative Classroom Environment for Students), implemented at the NTC in 2009, is geared towards children from schools from the New York City Metropolitan Area. This program provides students the opportunity to visit the NTC and learn about the history and the game of tennis. The kids are given a tour of the entire site, including Center Court in Ashe, a video presentation on the history of tennis and the great players of the sport, followed by an hour of on-court tennis instruction.

58

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

NTC.USTA.com

Put It Away!

The story of Ileen’s spectacular overhead

By Tonny Van De Pieterman

ecently I was working with one of my favorite clients. Ileen is her name, and tennis is her game. I know it’s corny, but it is true. During our lessons we often have great conversations about the game, and the similarities we recognize that it has with life. The internal challenges we must face on and off the court often bring us to the same conclusion; Tennis = Life.

At one of my club's live-ball events, Ileen had been repeatedly encouraged to “put it away”, or to “drop the hammer” when offered seemingly easy overhead opportunities. After having been unable to produce unreturnable shots, she came to me during our private lesson and requested I help her with her overhead.

After some time spent learning to serve with a proper continental grip and focusing on the pronation of the shoulder, she started developing increased racquet speed. She seemed ready to use these skills on her overhead, so I invited her up to the net to practice.

I told Ileen to start on the deuce side of the net and focus on hitting sharp crosscourt shots to angle the ball away from her opponent. I started to feed her easy, high-floating balls; essentially meatballs. But Ileen didn’t appear hungry. I was offering serving after serving of juicy shots, but she wasn’t having it. Instead of shooting the laser beams I was hoping for, they were more like butterflies joyfully floating back toward my side of the court. I made a few suggestions and encouragements, but after some more failed attempts, I sensed her discouragement and walked up to the net.

“I just want to kill it,” she said. “I want to make a kill shot!”

I couldn’t help laughing aloud when she said that. Ileen is a petite lady with seven adult children and has the

R

most serene, peaceful aura around her. These words seemed out of character.

“That might be it,” I replied. “Let’s find a different way to look at this shot. How about trying to skillfully place the ball out of reach of the opposing player?” I suggested. Ileen agreed. No more of this killing business.

I calmly walked back to the baseline to offer up more appealing balls that were ready to be smashed. But no smashing happened. Something was holding her back and I couldn’t figure it out. I desperately wanted to help Ileen develop her slingshot so she could slay her Goliath, but I was failing miserably. My patience was running thin, and fortunately I was aware of it. I was even starting to wonder if I was part of the problem.

I remembered witnessing a tennis lesson taken by a very proper elderly gentleman at a very prestigious country club. He was dressed in traditional, all-white tennis attire and the teaching pro was trying to get him to relax.

“Richard, relax please, you are gripping the racquet too tight”, I overheard the pro say.

Shortly thereafter I heard, in a much more demanding tone: “Richard, you must relax!”

She was so passionate about getting her student to relax that she was making me nervous, and I was playing two courts over. A few more minutes go by and she snapped: “Richard, RELAX!”, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The old chap nearly stained his shorts.

With this memory in mind, I walked up to the net ready to surrender. I felt I

had tortured poor Ileen enough with countless overhead attempts and it just wasn’t happening. When I got to the net, I did something I used to enjoy as a kid. I took my racquet and made a pretend overhead swing as fast as I could. “Did you hear that?” I asked her.

The ‘sshhwoosh’ sound? The air that serves as resistance finds its way through the squares of the woven string pattern of the racquet, and when it does, it makes this distinct sound.

“Make that sound for me,” I requested.

Ileen took her racquet and produced the sound of wind. It was a light summer breeze at first, but then it became stronger and stronger forces of wind. She seemed to enjoy it too.

“Try and make some wind with your shot”, I said on my way back to the baseline for a last attempt.

I hit a nice easy lob for her, like I did many times before, and then it happened! Ileen fired a lightning bolt of an overhead diagonally across the court which would have resulted in a clean winner shot against any opponent. It was a thing of pure beauty; clean crisp contact, and faster than she had ever produced. A huge, surprised smile appeared on Ileen’s face. I fell to my knees and folded my hands as in prayer, and revealed: “Ileen, internally I have been begging you to hit that shot for an hour now, and just when I was ready to give up, you created a masterpiece. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she chuckled, "I just tried to make some wind.”

All my great efforts had no results.

When I surrendered my desire, magic happened.

I did nothing. I often do my best work like that.

Tonny van de Pieterman is a tennis professional at Point Set Indoor Racquet Club in Oceanside, N.Y.. In his long coaching career, he was honored with the USTA Tennis Professional of the Year for the USTA Eastern Long Island Region. He may be reached by phone at (516) 536-2323 or e-mail Tonny@PointSetTennis.com.

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

59

Bring Your EGOH, Not Your Ego, On The Court

By Rob Polishook e all know that player who constantly brags about their accomplishments. They usually are the same ones that put down other players and belittle their successes. On the court, they expend energy screaming “come on” when they win a point, and “oh my god” when they miss a shot. It seems that their entire identity is tied to the scoreboard; happy when they win and despondent when they lose.

In short, they are playing from their EGO and trying so hard to be perfect. The match feels personal and they are constantly trying to prove themselves and protecting an image they desperately don’t want shattered.

Counter to many players, coaches and even fans, I believe this false bravado, also known as “bringing their EGO” to the court, can be detrimental to their performance in many ways. Allow me to explain: an inflated ego can lead to poor

W

decision making and cloud the reality of what’s actually happening on the court. Overconfidence can cause players to underestimate their opponents and not focus on the present moment, instead focusing only on the future outcome. Often times, shot choices are made on protecting pride rather than strategic high-percentage tennis. Playing from EGO can make players overly

concerned about their image and expectations others have of them, which in turn takes the focus off of competing. EGOcentered behavior often leads to poor sportsmanship and lack of focus, as the player’s main concern is getting into their opponents head instead of their own game. Lastly, playing from EGO can stunt growth and improvement as the player is less likely to acknowledge weaknesses and areas of improvement.

So, what would happen if a player let go of their EGO, and played with the intention to bring their E.G.O.H on the court? EGOH is an acronym for: Equanimity, Gratitude, Originality and Humility.

Playing with the intention to bring your E.G.O.H allows you to control what can be controlled and let go of the rest. It allows you to shift your focus to the process and let the outcome be a consequence of how you managed that process. It allows

Learn To Play Tennis or Just Improve Your Game Adults: 14 Week Learn & Play Session • Beginning January 16 • 4 students in a group with pro for 1 hour each week plus 1-1/2 hr. practice time each week.

• Day, Night & Weekend Times Available, Groups Now Being Formed th

Juniors: 14 Week Session • Beginning January 16th • Group, Semi Private & Private Lessons Available • Ladder Match Program • Saturday & Sunday Practice Time

1414 Jerusalem Avenue, North Merrick, NY 11566 • 516-489-9005 60

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

you to play free, loose and in the moment, rather than only being tied to a specific outcome. I’d like to elaborate on the intention of playing with E.G.O.H. Equanimity: competing with equanimity means playing from a calm, centered and composed place. This entails being able to navigate the ups and downs of a match. This balanced mindset allows players to handle success and failures from an objective place and therefore learn from them.

Gratitude: competing with gratitude means respecting your opponent as a partner, not an enemy, while being grateful to the game, your opponents, coaches and everyone else who put you in a position to play. By having gratitude, you are more likely to be in the moment, focus on the process and play free.

Originality: competing with originality allows you to be you,

and bring your personal, physical and cultural experiences to the court. Originality will help you craft a game style that fits your talents and mindset, one that will allow you to adapt and adjust to various obstacles and challenging situations.

Humility: competing with humility allows a player to play without excessive pride and arrogance.

Playing this way will help you view your mistakes and successes as part of a process, not something to be avoided at all costs. A mindset of humility will help you view your

opponents as people and worthy to be competing against you. Your focus can then be on being your best instead of being the best.

In summary, playing sports with equanimity helps to maintain mental balance and resilience; gratitude helps to appreciate and respect everyone involved; originality helps to encourage creativity; and humility helps to promote respect, cooperation, and being your best.

These qualities all add up to a positive sporting experience and paradoxically the quality of performance will be enhanced.

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. As a mental training coach, he works with the whole human athlete helping them to unleash their mental edge (heart.energy.spirit) through mindfulness, somatic psychology, animal wisdom and mental training skills. Rob is author of 2 best-selling books: Tennis Inside the Zone and Baseball Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. He can be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, by e-mail rob@insidethezone.com, by visiting insidethezone.com, following on Instagram @insidethezone

LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

61

Swiatek, Nadal, Djokovic, and the Western Forehand

By Chris Lewit e have all heard warnings about the dangers of using a western grip, especially from coaches in the United States. “You will shank (miss hit) the ball too much,” coaches often say. “You won’t be able to handle fast-paced balls when you are older,” is a common refrain. “You will miss too many low balls and be susceptible to slice backhands,” is another frequent admonition.

“You won’t be able to produce pace and hit through your shots to make it to the big-time,” the criticism continues: “You won’t be able to take the ball on the rise,” coaches chide. And last but not least: “You could get injured with such an extreme grip,” coaches counsel. For the average parent or player listening to this constant drum-beat against the western forehand grip, you’d have to be ignorant or brazen to try and teach the grip or learn it for yourself, right? Well, three of the greatest players in the world all decided to play with a western (Swiatek), or near-western grip (in the case of Djokovic and Nadal). Considering their success, perhaps the coaching world

W

should reevaluate the merits of the western grip in today’s modern game.

coaches call a near-western or extreme semi-western grip.

What is a western grip?

For those who are not very familiar with grip structure, the eastern grip is when the index knuckle is on level 3 (according to USPTA and PTR classification), essentially a shake hands grip (see accompanying grip diagram). It was the grip of Pete Sampras and many other top pros in the 1980s and 1990s, for example. A modified eastern forehand grip with the index knuckle between bevel 3 and 4 is sometimes referred to as a composite grip. This grip was made popular by Roger Federer and more recently, Carlos Alcaraz. The semiwestern grip is currently the most popular forehand grip on both the ATP and WTA tours, and features the index knuckle on bevel 4. The western grip that Swiatek uses features the palm more under the handle and the index knuckle at bevel 5 (full-western) or bevel 6 (extreme fullwestern), Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have a grip in between bevel 4 and bevel 5, which is what many

Do Western grips cause more miss hits?

Certainly, anecdotal coaching and playing experience supports this concept. It makes sense that a player holding an eastern grip, essentially a shake-hands grips, would have a clean approach to the ball with a vertical string face making a miss hit less likely. On the other hand, the western grips angle the racquet face more downward on approach to ball impact and likely do increase the risk of a miss hit.

The forearm has to rotate in an extreme way to make the racquet face vertical enough to lift the ball and create a shot trajectory that clears the net. While this added complexity certainly makes miss hits more possible with a near-western to western grip, pros like Nadal, Djokovic and Swiatek have proven that this challenge is surmountable.

Western grips make it difficult to handle low balls such as slice backhands This is not a myth, and keeping the ball low against a western or near-western grip player is an excellent strategy. Low balls are typically hard to handle with the very closed racquet face orientation found in western grips. This is definitely a go-to game plan against a player with an extreme western grip, western, nearwestern grip. I’m surprised that no player on the WTA tour has been able to effectively hurt Swiatek by attacking her forehand with low slice or flat shots. It may have been serendipitous for Iga that Ash Barty, with her exceptional slice backhand, retired from the game at a young age, leaving Swiatek to dominate.

Western grips make it hard to produce depth and pace With western (bevel 5) and semi-western (bevel 4) grips, I’ve observed that players can still hit with optimal power and depth,

62

Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

especially if they are muscularly explosive with good amounts of fast-twitch muscle fibers. It’s probably not a myth that some western grip players can have trouble hitting cleanly through the ball to generate high amounts of MPH, but they are likely less physiologically powerful to begin with.

After enough practice, I have found that most players with western or near-western grips are able to drive through the ball with power. The extreme western grip is really the most limiting in terms of being able to generate pace and depth without a miss hit.

Western grips make it difficult to take the ball on the rise This makes intuitive sense because on-therise balls are often played at low impact points. Combine low impacts, a fast incoming shot, and an extreme grip that closes the racquet face towards the ground on approach, and miss hits or difficulties getting under the ball can certainly happen. Nadal, Swiatek, and Djokovic have managed to ameliorate that potential liability with excellent footwork, low body position, and quick racquet face adjustments with the wrist and forearm.

Sometimes simply playing deeper in the court can help, and you see a lot of men in today’s game playing deeper behind the baseline without negative effects.

Sometimes players, despite their western grip structure, manage to learn to meet the ball early and on the rise with little

difficulty, if they practice the skill enough times and gain mastery.

What are the advantages of a more western grip?

What makes the forehand of Iga and Rafa so special and dominant? It’s the topspin of course! The western and near western grips allow a player to hit a very heavy ball with high spin rates. That is a major advantage on the forehand in today’s modern game, where a powerful topspin forehand can be the most important weapon in a match. The grip also helps to handle high bouncing balls on the receiving end as well--another benefit. Every commentator and spectator marvel at Swiatek’s heavy topspin forehand attack, but few junior coaches in the trenches will ever let a kid experiment with her style of full western grip. That disconnect doesn’t feel right to me! Does it seem right to you?

A reconceptualization of what makes a “bad grip” may be needed!

I would wager that the majority of coaches--when working with a young

kid--would be quick to change a nearwestern grip like the ones that Djokovic and Nadal use successfully, and almost all coaches in the US would change a young kid who showed up on court with Swiatek’s full western grip. That’s a shame because perhaps we should reevaluate what a bad forehand grip is exactly.

Perhaps the dynamics of today’s modern pro game have shifted, and a nearwestern (at bevel 4⁄5) or a full-western (at bevel 5) grip are now more viable at the top levels of the game, especially considering that court speed at most venues has slowed, balls have been slowed, and bounces tend to be higher, even on the grass courts at Wimbledon.

The success of Swiatek, Nadal, and Djokovic support this conclusion.

In my own coaching practice, working with many of the top players in the country and building the foundations of many serious kids, I encourage the semiwestern grip as the most well-rounded grip, but when my players shift a little farther, I only change it after a detailed discussion with the parents and player about the potential risks, and potential positives and negatives.

Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player. He is a highperformance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationallyranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies.

Chris coaches in NYC and year-round at his high performance tennis academy in Manchester, VT, where players can live and train the Spanish Way full-time or short-term. He may be reached by phone at (914) 462-2912, e-mail Chris@chrislewit.com or visit ChrisLewit.com.

CENTURY TENNIS INC. Specializing In Sports Court Construction "Expanding the game of tennis one court at a time."

• Tennis • Pickleball • Basketball • Volleyball • Bocce ball Clay, Asphalt and Concrete 56 Brook Avenue l Deer Park, NY 11729 l 1-800-660-PLAY l www.centurytennis.com LITennisMag.com • January/February 2024 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

63

COMING IN MARCH

Distribution scheduled for 03/01/24 This edition will feature: • Guide to the Top Tennis Camps • Guide to the Top Court Builders & Manufacturers • Boys’ High School Tennis Preview • 2024 Australian Open Recap Distribution across Long Island at 300+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Country clubs • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Restaurants and health food stores • Supermarkets and • Many more!

Don’t miss the advertising opportunities in the next edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine March/April 2024!

Facebook-www.Facebook.com/LongIslandTennis Instagram-@LITennisMag • Twitter-@LITennisMag

COMING IN MARCH: CAMP GUIDE & COURT BUILDERS GUIDE 64

Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by February 1, 2024 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com Long Island Tennis Magazine • January/February 2024 • LITennisMag.com

LITennisMag.com • November/December 2023 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

70

Our paddles, deveeloop oped by Viking al along with elite plaayye yer Andrei Daescu, offer a ppeerfect balance of power an and control while prov oviding maximum spin. n. W Whhether you are just gettin ing into the game or aree a top level tournament plaayyer, we we’ve got you covered ed.

10% 0% O OFFF our eenntiree site Use C ode: LITM MS Santt a 71

Long Island Tennis Magazine • November/December 2023 • LITennisMag.com

Available at your local dealer or at vi v kingathletics.com