Long Island Tennis Magazine by United Sports Publications

74 Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2022 • LITennisMag.com PARSA SAMII IS A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON AFFILIATED WITH COMPASS. COMPASS IS A LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER AND ABIDES BY EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY LAWS. DEDICATION. MOTIVATION. SUCCESS. PARSA SAMII Long Island Founding Agent Compass Sports & Entertainment Division The Traci Conway Clinton Team Licensed Real Estate Salesperson M 516.965.7445 | O parsa@compass.com516.517.4751 ALWAYS DELIVERING CHAMPIONSHIP SERVICE As one of the top real estate agents on Long Island, Parsa’s expertise and keen knowledge of the local markets will guide you through a seamless experience to help you achieve your own real estate success story.

Sportime to Run Port Washington Tennis Academy

The famed Port Washington Tennis Academy (PWTA) here on Long Island will soon be under new ownership, and is being managed by Sportime.Hornig

The PWTA was established in 1966 as a non-profit tennis facility and was where manylegends and top players, including John and Patrick McEnroe, learned the game.

There are also plans to expand the reach of the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, Inc (JMTP), the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which currently operates primarily in New York City.

Capital Partners (HCP) has an agreement to purchase the iconic PWTA, with Sportime Clubs, LLC set to run the day-to-day operations of the club, as Sportime Port Washington, for a minimum of 25 Sportimeyears.Clubs, LLC President and Chief Executive Officer, Claude Okin, explained how the agreement came to be:“The short story is that Hornig Capital Partners, led by a local real estate developer/investor Daren Hornig, was acquiring the property and reached out to us to see if Sportime would be interested in leasing it, and operating it as a Sportime club, and, of course, we were. We are very excited about the future of SPORTIME Port Washington, and we are also passionate about honoring the legacy of the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy and the hard work and commitment of the Zausner family since 1966.”Theagreement between HCP and Sportime includes substantial capital investment to renovate and upgrade PWTA. The parties will spend up to $7 million, which will include upgrades to the existing tennis and recreational facilities, locker rooms, HVAC systems andTheinteriors.club’sexterior will remain intact, but will be restored to its original beauty. Sportime, which has been operating PWTA for its existing owner since July 11, is home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at four of its locations currently. Sportime Port Washington will become the fifth JMTA location at a future“Fordate.theupcoming 2022-2023 indoor season, we will have great coaches at Port, and we will have a program for every player at every level, plus private and group instruction, open and seasonal court-time, tournaments and events,” said Okin. “When the renovations are complete, in the fall of 2023, SPORTIME Port Washington will become a JMTA site, along with SPORTIME Syosset, with the goal of producing decades of college scholarship recipients and, with a little luck, some future pros.”

“In partnership with JMTP, we plan to offer free and low cost tennis learning opportunities to local schools and community based organizations, and to fund hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in scholarships for under-resourced kids and their families who love tennis and are ready to embrace it as a lifetime sport of opportunity. More good news to come on that, but, again, we plan to honor the legacy of PWTA with our charitable endeavors on Long Island, and especially at Port, in the years to come.”

“Obviously, because Johnny Mac is our guy, and because we operate the John McEnroe Tennis Academy with him and Patrick McEnroe as its leaders, and because of their history at Port, this is even more special for us, and for them,” Okin added.

1LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

li tennis MAGAZINELong Island Tennis Magazine Highlights 1Sportime to Run Port Washington Tennis Academy 4Hundreds Come Out for Kids’ Day Events 8Parsa’s Picks 182022 U.S. Open Preview 3432nd Annual USTA Eastern Long Island Awards Dinner Journal 42Junior Player Spotlight: Dylan D’Agate, Bethpage Park Tennis 442022CenterLong Island Girls’ High School Preview Features 10Love Serving Autism Launches New York Program 12Racquet Sport Report presented by adidas Pickleball 26Can They Reach Over the Net? By Barbara Wyatt 27Pine Hollow Club Hosts Tennis and Padel Exhibition 29Pickleball Plus Celebrates First Birthday With New Courts, Area’s First Junior Program 30Across Long Island: News & Notes from Across the L.I. Tennis 40Yoga:CommunityItCan Really Help Your Tennis and Your Life By Ricky Becker 50Fun in the Sun With New York Beach Tennis 52Why Coaches, Parents and Students of Tennis Might Want to Read This Book By Steve Kaplan 5410 Dinosaur Teaching Methods That Need to Go Extinct By Chris Lewit 58Adult League Wrap-Up By Becky Bellino 60The Top Ten Tennis Tips of All-Time Part Five: The Will to Win By Dr. Tom Ferraro 62Broken Racquets, Smashed Balls and Verbal Abuse: What is Going On? By Rob PolishookTable Of Contents The Nick of Time Can Kyrgios breakthrough at a major? See page 14 Long Island Tennis Magazine is published bi-monthly by United Sports Publications Ltd. • Copyright © 2022 United Sports Publications Ltd. Photo credit: Brad Penner/USTA Long Island MagazineTennis 1228 Wantagh Avenue, Suite 203 Wantagh, NY 11793-2202 Phone: (516) 409-4444 • Fax: (516) 409-4600 Web site:Davidwww.litennismag.comStaffSickmen Publisher (516) 409-4444, ext. david@usptennis.com309 Brian Coleman Senior Editor (516) 409-4444, ext. brianc@usptennis.com326 Joey Arendt Art Director Marie Santora-Lent Advertising Coordinator (516) 409-4444, ext. marie@usptennis.com301 Emilie Katz Assistant Marketing Coordinator Barbara Wyatt Contributing Writer Rob Polishook Contributing Writer Advertising To receive any information regarding advertising rates, deadlines, and requirements, call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. Article Submissions/Press Releases To submit any material, including articles and press releases, please call (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month preceding the target issue. Subscriptions To receive subscription information, contact (516) 409-4444 or e-mail info@usptennis.com or check out our Web site: www.litennismag.com. Fax subscription changes to (516) 409-1600. Statements of fact and opinion in Long Island Tennis Magazine are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of United Sports Publications Ltd. Long Island Tennis Magazine reserves the right to edit, reject and/or postpone the publication of any articles, information or data. September/October 2022 • Volume 14, Number 5 PG 1 PG 18 PG 34 PG 44 Senior Interns Joanne Salloum Phoebe Levitsky Ellie Ross Dasha Perﬁliev Katie Kors Sophie Karmazin Frank Cannistra Liv Tiegerman

HAMPTONS HAMPTONS OPEN 2022 Saturday, September 17, 2022 Tennis & Pickleball at The Barn 142 Montauk Highway l Westhampton, NY 11977 Space is limited so ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served. For more information, contact info@usptennis.com or (516) 409-4444. Register your doubles team LITennisMag.com/PickleballOpenat (Each player must register and pay individually) li tennis MAGAZINELong Island Tennis Magazine Presented by Long Island and New York Tennis Magazine Hosted by Tennis & Pickleball at The Barn 5.0+ Pro Doubles Division 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. $75 entr y fee per person $5,000 in Prize Money 4.0 Mixed Doubles Division 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. $50 entry fee per person Winners receive adidas Paddles AND Halftime Chiller li tennis MAGAZINELong Island Tennis Magazine Pro Division sponsored by Tennis & Pickleball at The Barn Pro$5,000DivisionPrizeMoney! Pro$5,000DivisionPrizeMoney!

“This year will go down as one of the most successful USTA Kid's Days our region has ever had,” said Jonathan Klee, USTA Eastern Long Island Regional Director. “The weather cooperated for all three events and I'm so proud that our LI Council volunteers came out in full force for all of the new and old groups that recorded record attendance for these events.”

Long Island Tennis Magazine (LITM) partnered with the USTA Eastern Long Island Region to host three different Kids’ Days events once again this summer. Held at three separate locations, LuHi Summer Programs, Sportime Hempstead Lake and The Hamlet Golf & Country Club, the Kids’ Days brought together diverse camps, groups and programs, including those who are underprivileged or have special needs, for free days of fun on and off the court.

The collaboration between LITM and USTA Long Island over the last several years has resulted in the Kids’ Day events continuing to expand and grow each year.

Hundreds C Kids’ Da www.inphormnyc.com 4 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

CADEMYTENNIS A NOWPORTMANAASHINGTONWSPORTIMEISGINGTHE ANDEONG ISLY LB T INDOORSTED BEVO 2017ERS SINCE 2017! ACILITYR TENNIS F -2022 PrfLNewJohntoptennisacademennoeTMcEnres,WorkCityYsLostionsacrocaeorallAgesandLetaams,Privogr SON GOINGSEEAA RAATIONREGISTR miesbyForbesMagazinedone of the, nameynis Academ egionapital Rer and the Cstchest ons,ong Island, in the HamptL vels yamps and Open Plasons, Cese L W!G ON NO 2-20232 2N FOR OUR 202 HOME OF THE JOHN COM(888)PLAYTENNIS@SPORTIMENY698-3664 ADEMCOE TENNIS AMCENR MY o ﬁnd tScant the and MPICKLEBALL e MemberExclusivennis academop t yoou!reesthe club near t y Y.comw..Sporhe code or visit www timeNY More! INDOOR & OUTDOORr Beneﬁts,orbes Magaziney Fmies b Come Out for Day Events “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the smiles on the children and special needs adults as they play red, green and orange ball tennis and do all of the other activities at these events,” Klee added. “Thank you to Luhi, Sportime Hempstead Lake and the Hamlet for providing their facilities and Long Island Tennis Magazine for running these events.”5LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Throughout each facility’s courts, smaller Net Generation courts were set up where LITM interns, made up of local high school and college tennis players, USTA Long Island volunteers and local teaching professionals and directors instructed the kids through different drills. The players move from station-tostation, but the tennis isn’t the only fun to be had at Kids’ Day. There was a dunk tank and bounce house, relay races, face-painting, a DJ, dance contests, water balloons, pizza and more. By teaching the basics in a fun environment such as these Kids’ Days, the goal is to influence these youngsters to continue playing tennis in the future, and expose them to the sport of a lifetime.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with USTA Eastern to bring tennis to so many people who otherwise would not enjoy it," said David Sickmen. Publisher of Long Island Tennis Magazine. "Growing the game and using tennis to improve lives is part of our mission, and the Kids Day events are integral to that. These tennis carnivals have become such a diverse, inclusive event and we look forward to continuing to build on the success of these events next summer!“

The LITM Event Team, consisting of about 20 high school and college tennis players, and USTA Long Island come together to put these events on for those who are underprivileged or have special needs with the top priority being fun. By providing a safe and fun environment in which to play tennis, it establishes a foundation for future participation and helps spread the joy of tennis to more and more people.

6 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com Kids Apparel & Sneakers • Great Prices On Racquets Tennis Shoes • 1 Hour Stringing • Pickleball TOPSPIN TENNIS & FITNESS “Long Island’s Tennis Store” 218 JERICHO TURNPIKE SYOSSET • 516-364-9470 ACROSS FROM SYOSSET HOSPITAL TopSpinTennisLI.com Open 7 Days • Demos Available Best Selection of Tennis Gear on L.I. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED We Now Carry Oliver Thomas Bags! Groups from all across Long Island came out to attend Kids Days, including from Boys & Girls Club of Glen Cove, Brookville Park, Circulo de Hispanidad, Epic Long Island, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Island Quest, Jack and Jill of America and Suffolk JCC.

hundreds come out for kid’s day events continued from page 00

Introducing 4 Valentine's Farm Court, an untouched masterpiece nestled privately within pristine gated grounds at the end of a private drive. Exceeding 11,000 interior and 13,000 exterior square feet, this dramatic and decadent estate delights as much as it delivers. CustomDesigned murals ornament 28 foot ceilings overlooking a double-curved dynasty staircase. A kitchen suited for every occasion features professional

PARSA’s picks Real estate on Long Island is some of the most sought after property in the world, and many of them are perfect for the tennis lover. With gorgeous landscapes, modern design and private tennis courts, among other amenities, these properties are truly one-of-a-kind.

As Compass puts it, “Parsa is the ideal professional to navigate the ever-competitive real estate market.”

more information, photos or

8 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Six$12,800,000Beds–Seven Baths

4 Valentine Farm Court Glen Head, NY

With the help of Parsa Samii of Compass Real Estate, we’re showcasing one of these beautiful homes for sale. Samii is a former professional tennis player and coach who has transitioned into real estate, with a strong understanding of both the tennis aficionado and the home buyer.

For to see more listings, email parsa@compass.com or call (516) 965-7445.

I’m a seller in this market, what are the 3 most impor tant things I should be aware of?

1: Hire the most knowledgeable agent you can find. Its important that your listing agent demonstrates knowledge of the homes that have sold in the area and also their general knowledge of the real estate market. Just with a couple of simple questions you should be able to identify the right person for the job.

3:propertyTheabsolute most important. Presentation: Your house must be presented in the best light possible when potential buyers are visiting. From staging, to painting, to minor changes of furniture positioning can make all the difference. Most of the time this is the most under utilized tools from sellers who see it as a risk but in reality most who don’t pay attention to their presentation leave money on the table.

2: Marketing the proper ty which includes photography, brochures, advertisements etc. Its important that you have someone who cares about their brand and the material they produce for their listings which would include your

grade stainless appliances in abundance. Bedrooms, baths and accoutrements flow seamlessly over hardwood floors, next to wrapping balconies and under cathedral ceilings. Navigate between 4 floors and a 5-car garage seamlessly with an interior elevator. Decadent lower level features a 500-bottle Wine Cellar and steps out directly to the in ground gunite pool, pool house, and tennis courts. This is the perfect home for comfort, privacy, relaxation, remote work, and large-scale entertainment, by delicately blending the intricate interiors with a picturesque landscape.

How has that changed, if at all, from what we saw entering 2021? Why is that?

9LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

How would you assess the real estate market here in 2022?

I’m a buyer in this market, what are the 3 most important things I should be aware of while navigating the purchase process in 2022?

PARSA’s picks

1: Educate yourself. Surround yourself with the best buyer agent in your neighborhood and ask people you trust who they have interactions within the industry.

2: Find what your ‘Must haves’ in a property are and also what you would ‘Prefer’ in your next home. Make sure that the home you bid on has all that you NEED and as much of what you really would prefer. There are sacrifices in this market. If you’re clear on your objective then the chance of success in the end will be significantly higher and relatively stress free.

The only real difference between 2021 and 2022 is what we know, meaning we can’t truly predict the market and make comparisons until we reflect on the year but as low inventory issues were the theme of 2021, our expectation is the same for 2022. Do having tennis courts on your property increase property taxes on it? If so, why? Great question. Anything that effects the overall appraised value of the property will increase property taxes in Nassau County. In theory a property featuring a tennis court and in ground pool is seemingly more valuable than a property without those in a structure of similar age and property size. If not, do courts increase the value of a home, are they a worthwhile investment? I would say it’s very dependent on the buyer. The hybrid type courts where they can be used for other activities as well are definitely more of what people are looking for if a court were to exist. That being said tennis has gained popularity in this pandemic era.

The real estate market will continue to be very competitive based on the low supply of homes available in our area. There is some hesitation from people to sell their homes as they are unsure of where they want to go. Most are hoping for the pandemic to blow over but for now that hesitancy is what will continue to drive the market, not to mention the continued historically low interest rates. Residential real estate is largely an emotional process and for now most are in a wait and see mentality.

3: Prepare your finances. It is very important to understand what risks you can take in order to make your offer more appealing to a seller versus another bid. Differentiation in the amounts of cash in a deal, waiving a contingency or a quick close are different ways that an offer can be structured that could mean something to a seller. Know what you can do, then ask the right questions of the seller and see if you can make your deal a little more appealing to the seller while minimizing your threshold of risk.

The State of the Real Estate Market with Parsa Samii

Pugliese-LaCroix visited the NTC to check out the program this summer, and was impressed with what she saw.

The class meets on Saturdays for one hour and the goal is to expand the class to more days to allow for increasedWereszkaparticipation.wasabitnervous before beginning the first classes having never taught those with special needs before, but as she has taught more and more throughout the spring, the program has thrived.“It’sbeen wonderful. I didn’t know exactly what to expect at first, but I absolutely love it,” said Wereszka. “When I went to St. John’s, I took a class on teaching special education, but learning about it in a classroom is different than practicing it in real life, so I was unsure in the beginning. But I have helpers, an amazing group of volunteers, and some of our highperformance players come out to help when they can. It’s been great so far.”

“I visited the program in early June,” she said. “Justyna is incredibly dedicated and works very well with the participants on the court. She is innovative and brings a lot of energy!”

“I think this has helped me become a better teacher overall, not just a better tennis coach,” said Wereszka.

“When I teach high-performance, I’m more of a tennis coach, but with LSA, I’m more of a teacher, and that’s what I like about it. It brings me back to the basics of being kind and helping others. It’s about focusing on what it means to be a teacher and a role model, and make sure that this is fun andThat’stherapeutic.theway I approach the program, and I hope the students and parents are able to take that away as well. I am so glad we have this program, and I’m excited to watch it continue to grow.”

“She was so friendly, and we bonded right away,” recalls Wereszka.

“The parents aren’t so concerned with whether or not their son/daughter can hit a forehand, but more that they are enjoying themselves and engaging with others,” said Wereszka. “It helps build self-esteem, and their parents are able to relax for an hour while knowing their kids are safe and having fun.”The program has only been taking place at the National Tennis Center for a few months, but it is already having a profound positive impact on all who are involved.

Tappeddisorders.withleading the program was Justyna Wereszka, who has been a coach at NTC for more than a decade since she moved here from Poland. Wereszka teaches everything from beginner tennis all the way through high-performance tennis, and was looking for an opportunity to add to her repertoire while serving a good cause.“I’ve always wanted to give back. I teach all levels, and you develop a routine, but after 10 years I felt like I needed to do more,” said Wereszka. “I looked at wheelchair tennis and other adaptive tennis programs, but one day, another pro from NTC told me that they were looking for someone to head a new LSA program, and thought that I would be perfect for it. I knew this was the opportunity I had been looking for.” She soon connected with Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix, the founder of LSA, via a Zoom workshop. Coincidentally, soon after that, Wereszka traveled up to Rochester to attend a Wheelchair and Adaptive Tennis Symposium, where Pugliese-LaCroix was one of the event’s speakers.

Earlier this spring, Love Serving Autism (LSA) launched its newest program, introducing a course in New York at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (NTC). LSA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides specialized therapeutic tennis instruction for individuals with autism spectrum

Wereszka says many of the participants in the program are siblings of players she teaches in her other programs, and that familiarity has helped ease any stress she may have felt before the program began in the spring.Theprimary goal of the program is to provide a fun environment for the participants to be active, engage socially with others and learn something new.

Love Serving Autism Launches New York Program

By Brian Coleman 10 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

presented

• Under 35 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

•

• 35-49 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 50-54 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 55-59 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 60-64 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 65-69 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 70-74 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 75-79 – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 80+ - 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

•

Everywhere you look nowadays, it seems as if pickleball courts are sprouting up and the sport is gaining new players. Pickleball continues to rise in popularity and gain traction with each passing day. Perhaps there is no greater evidence of this trend then is ESPN producing a recap of last year’s 2021 USA Pickleball Championships as players prepare for this year’s Nationals.

The video was broadcast on ESPN2 and helped introduce pickleball into so many new households. In addition, Good Morning America did a segment on Pickleball as hosts Eva Pilgrim and Will Gans hit the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City to try out the sportr and showcase it to the national audience. That sets the stage for this year’s Nationals, which will be held from November 5-13 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden just outside Palm Springs, Calif. The venue, which hosts the famed BNP Paribas Open tennis event each year, features a unique championship pickleball court.

The 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships are open to players who have participated in at least one of the qualifying USA Pickleball sanctioned events between June 2021 and September 2022. The Nationals feature an array of pro divisions including the following pro competitions. There are also junior divisions which range from players from eight-to-18-years-old.

•

Championships Set for November 12 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

•

Racquet ReportSport by adidas Pickleball Pickleball Continues to Take Over, National

14 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Those comments came following Kyrgios pulling double-duty at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. The Australian won both the singles and doubles titles in our nation’s capital, and he provided a mature outlook on where he sees his tennis career at this point.“Ijust feel like there is a small window and I should capitalize on it. I don’t care about what people say about my tennis, like [I’m] always disrespectful to the sport, all of this and all of that,” he said. “I know that deep down I try really hard to do it my own way. I know that I inspire millions of people and I’m just playing for them. I wouldn’t even say I’m playing for myself at this point. I think that people are starting to see that a little bit more.”Kyrgios’

Can Kyrgios breakthrough at a major?

fresh outlook on his tennis career encourages some, but not everyone sees his style of play in that manner. He is loud, brash, sometimes obnoxious, and often times tries to rattle his opponents by yelling at the umpires and the fans. But he does things his ownPriorway.to his victories at the Citi Open, Kyrgios put together one of the best tournaments of his career, and it came at perhaps the sport’s most traditional and conservative tournament.Kyrgiosused his dominant serve and baseline game to power his way into the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic.

The mere mention of Nick Kyrgios’ name stokes either love or hatred amongst tennis fans. For the Australian, there is rarely a middle ground on people’s perception of him: either you like what he brings to the game of tennis, or you believe he is helping to ruin the sport. No matter how you feel about him though, there is no doubting the man’s talent, and that was on full display earlier this summer.

The Nick of Time

He hung tough with Djokovic and proved that he belonged to be there.

“I feel as if I’m a lot older, a lot more mature, I feel like when you play on the tour and you age and get older, you realize you shouldn’t be taking these things for granted, the way you’re feeling, the way your body feels,” Kyrgios said recently. “Also, I have a partner with me now I see a future with and I kind of see what I have to provide for. So I feel like my motivation is a lot higher than it used to be.”

continuedKyrgiosonpage 16

grabbed the opening set, but was unable to build into that lead any further as Djokovic came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). A key game came late in the third set, at 4-4, when Kyrgios struggled with his serve which opened the door for Djokovic to break from 040 down and claim the crucial third set.

“He played maybe a couple of loose points…and started talking to his box. I felt maybe that’s the moment where I could break his serve, which happened,” said Djokovic. “It was a huge momentum shift I think because up to that point we were quite even. Two sets to one up, obviously things are looking slightly different. I felt maybe in the fourth he was not moving from the back of the court as good as he was doing that in the first two to three sets.”

16 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

That is the next step Kyrgios needs to the nick

of time continued from page 14

And it is precisely moments like that which have separated Djokovic, and his other Big Three counterparts in Nadal and Roger Federer, from the rest of the pack, and something that Kyrgios recognizes.“Inbest-of-five against these guys, Novak and Nadal in general, even Federer, you feel like you win the first set, you still have to climb up Mt. Evrest to get it done,” he said. “I feel like that fourth set, if I’m able to just play a bit more of a solid tiebreak and take it to a fifth set, it’s honestly anyone’s match….But he’s so composed. He just, I don’t know, you can’t seem to rattle him. I was trying to play aggressive off his second serve. I served amazing I thought, and he was just able to put so many balls in play.”

17LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

During the championship match against Djokovic, he frequently screamed at his player’s box, venting his anger and frustration at them, which many people on social media called out as abhorrent behavior. But however you feel about his oncourt demeanor and whether or not it is good or bad for tennis doesn’t change the fact that he draws the public’s attention. When he plays, eye balls are on him, and he generates viewers both on television as well as in stadiums; he is must-see television. And that feeds directly into this year’s U.S. Open, where Kyrgios will look to put a bow on what has been an excellent summer. Kyrgios’ game suits the fast, hard-courts of Flushing Meadows, and his personality should thrive on one of the biggest stages tennis has, in perhaps the most famous city in theKyrgiosworld. seems to be in a good place mentally now, and that will be a key factor in finding his most consistent tennis.“Ifeel like my fire’s been lit this whole year. I’ve obviously met a lot of amazing people this year who have just given me extra motivation. To find people that finally have my back, that I just love being around, and they just want to push me to be a better person and a better tennis player,” he said. “They realize that I’m immensely talented and I have a lot more to do in this sport….I just want to go out there, have fun, try my best and do it my way.”

take if he wants to triumph at one of the four Slam events. He is as talented as anybody on tour, and few players hit for power with as much ease as he does, but to beat the greatest players on the biggest stage, you have to avoid any mental slip-ups throughout the entirety of a match.Ofcourse, Kyrgios’ performances this summer were at times overshadowed by many of his antics and outbursts. He was fined for obscene language in multiple matches at Wimbledon, and disobeyed the Wimbledon rules of wearing white, as he wore his red hat during the trophy ceremony, and his Jordan sneakers while walking out for matches.

Last year, Daniil Medvedev captured the first major title of his career, winning in straight sets over Novak Djokovic, redeeming himself after he coughed up a two-sets-to-love lead to Rafael Nadal the previous year.“A lot of happiness,” Medvedev said when asked how he was feeling a year ago. “That’s my first Grand Slam. I don’t know how I’m going to feel if I win a second or third one. That’s my first one, so I’m really happy. It means a lot to me.”Astar was born on the women’s side as Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu took out Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in a battle of teenagers."Thankyou to New York for making me feel so at home, from my first qualifying match, all the way to the final I have loved playing in front of you and you have

18 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

T he dog days of August are upon us, and while that means we have to endure temperaturesscorchingand the dread of the end of summer, it also means the U.S. Open is Thehere!tennis calendar’s fourth and final Slam event brings the world’s greatest tennis players here to New York to compete under the bright lights of the city that never sleeps, and carries with it a thrilling three weeks of tennis action.

2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S.

Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022

spurred me on in some difficult moments,” Raducanu told the crowd. Those special moments are what makes the U.S. Open such a thrilling event, and we expect no less in 2022.The2022 U.S. Open begins on Monday, August 23 with the qualifying tournament, which will run through Friday, August 26. The main draw begins on Monday, August 29. Be sure to check out the last page of this preview for the full detailed schedule of this year’s U.S. Open.

19LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

20 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com 022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview

Contenders, Pretenders, Sleepers

The young Spaniard was the talk of the tennis tours earlier this year, as his pop-off-thescreen talent is hard not to look away from. It seemed as if it was only a matter of when and not if he would win a major title. The 2022 U.S. Open could be that event. Alcaraz has the game to dominate on the hard-courts, with his blistering forehand and unabashed hustle, he is a nightmare for any opponent to play against. He reached the quarterfinals in Queens last year, and with another year of experience under his belt, could be in for a bigger run this time around.

Carlos Alcaraz

Daniil Medvedev

The defending champion and the world number one, how could he not be considered a contender? Medvedev enjoyed the best tournament of his career right here in New York in 2021, and has had a lot of success at the U.S. Open in recent years. He was barred from competing at Wimbledon, along with other players from Russia and Belarus, so we should expect a little added motivation when Medvedev arrives in New York. His defensive prowess is unrelenting, and he has already shown he has what it takes to succeed under the bright lights of the U.S. Open.

It has been a banner summer for the Australian. Kyrgios powered his way to the Wimbledon finals before coming stateside and winning the singles and doubles titles at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. There has never been any doubting Kyrgios’ talent, and that has been on full display throughout this year. He has been vocal and open about how he feels he is in a better place mentally than he was previously in his career, and if Kyrgios brings that well-rounded approach to Queens, look for him to make a deep run at the U.S. Open.

Nick Kyrgios

Contenders – Men’s Singles

Contenders – Women’s Singles

Iga Swiatek Poland’s Iga Swiatek was nearly unbeatable earlier this summer. She won the French Open title in dominant fashion and compiled a 37-match winning streak at one point, before falling to Alize Cornet at Wimbledon. The streak was the longest on the WTA tour this century, and established Swiatek as a household name. Now with the streak over and the Swiatek-hype a little more tame, it could be the best thing for her. Losses can be a good thing sometimes, and with Swiatek now able to focus on tennis as opposed to maintaining a winning streak, she enters the U.S. Open with a clear mind and focused attitude. Look for Swiatek to return to that dominant form when she arrives in New York.

Paula Badosa

The NYC-born Badosa is currently ranked fourth in the world, and will put that ranking to the test at the U.S. Open. Despite being born in NYC, the U.S. Open has not been kind to Badosa in the past as it has been her least successful one out of the four majors. Look for that to change this time around though. Badosa’s steady groundstrokes, with a big serve and aggressive style from the baseline makes her game translate well to the hard-courts. It’s now about putting that together for two weeks in New York, and compiling her best result yet at a major. Coco Gauff It’s a lot of pressure to put on an 18-year-old, but Coco Gauff seems to be the type of player who can handle it. Gauff is already one of the best players in the world and has proven the ability to both beat top opponents as well as perform on the sport’s biggest stages. Earlier this year, Gauff showed her might on the clay as she reached the finals of the French Open, and now it is time to take that success and translate it onto the hard courts. She has never been out of the third round of the U.S. Open, but with every match, Gauff gets better and gains more experience, which only helps her game. If she can sure up that forehand, Gauff is a threat to win this year’s U.S. Open.

Play

Rafael Nadal If Rafael Nadal is in the main draw, he has to be considered a contender, right? This is normally the case, and it seems sacrilege to refer to Nadal as a pretender, but after this summer, it is hard to think that the Spanish legend is healthy enough to compete for two weeks. He had to have injections into his foot to deal with the pain during his run to the French Open final, and he withdrew from Wimbledon with an abdominal injury. At this point in his career, the injuries continue to pile up for Nadal, and while he is never someone you can count out, don’t expect Nadal to be his dominant self at this year’s U.S. continuedOpen.

Pretenders – Men’s Singles

21LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

One of the most talented players in the world, Tsitsipas has still not been able to win his maiden major title. The Greek star has been a mainstay in the Top 10 for several years now, and is always one of the most talked about players. He has the game to compile a great twoweek run, but the U.S. Open has always been an enigma for Tsitsipas. He has never made it out of the third-round making the U.S. Open his least successful major event. Do not be surprised if Tsitsipas suffers an early exit again this time around in Queens.

on page 22

Casper Ruud

WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED tennis year round under a Farley bubble. The Farley Group is the world leader in air-supported structures and has provided over 20 tennis bubbles in New York and Long Island. Contact us today to learn about how you can turn your outdoor courts into a year round facility.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Earlier this summer, Ruud reached the finals of the French Open for the best result of his career. Unfortunately, he was dominated in that final by Rafael Nadal, and proceeded to lose three of the next four matches he played. Ruud did capture the title in Gstaad, and overall this year has been a successful one for the Norwegian, but the U.S. Open has been a bad place for Ruud in years past. Like Tsitsipas, he has never been out of the third round, and that could be the case once again this time around.

www.thefarleygroup.com l 1-888-445-3223info@thefarleygroup.com ew 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Pre

Maria Sakkari

Simona Halep Halep’s return to her form this summer has been a great story on the WTA Tour, and it is wonderful to see one of the game’s greats back at the top once again. She is up to No. 15 in the rankings and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. Unfortunately, her game has always seemed to be better on the clay and the grass surfaces, and her results show that. She reached the semifinals here in 2015 and the quarterfinals back in 2016, but other than that, has never been out of the fourth round. Halep is a hall-offamer, but don’t expect a deep run this year.

Contenders, Pretenders, Sleepers Sorbothane 94.7% Nike NASA Sorbothane SHOCK ABSORPTION HEELRTP PAD XC™ YOUR SNEAKER’S NEW BEST FRIEND.

Women’s Singles – Pretenders

The

Emma Raducanu

Open last year or even earlier this year. Prior to her final four run a year ago, Sakkari had only advanced as far as the fourth round, and we could see a similar type of result this year.

levelcompetingandprevioushadofgamesoflastsemifinalsSakkarifourth-rankedreachedtheinQueensyear,andhasonethebestpowerontour.ButasearlyAugust,shelostfourofhersixmatchesdoesn’tseemtobeatthesameshedidattheU.S.

It seems a bit harsh to call the defending champion a pretender, but despite her success last year, the 10th ranked Raducanu is still relatively new to the WTA Tour. She only began playing WTA events after last year’s U.S. Open, and it has been a bit of an up-and-down season for her. She has the talent and the pedigree to be successful on the biggest stage, but finding consistency is something that Raducanu continues to work on, and she is still a work in progress as a player.

22 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com 022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview

Jannik Sinner

Men’s Singles – Sleepers

The American enjoyed the best year of her career in 2021 and has not missed a beat this season. Pegula is up to No. 7 in the world rankings and reached two major quarterfinals this year already, at the Australian Open and French Open, and is due to put together her best run at her home major. Pegula has not found success at the U.S. Open thus far in her career, but as she as established herself as one of the best players on tour, look for that to change later this fall.

Cameron Norrie Cameron Norrie is perhaps the best player on either tour that doesn’t get talked about enough. He has quietly put together a phenomenal campaign in 2022. He is up to No. 11 in the world rankings, won two titles and won more than 35 matches already this year. Norrie proved he can perform on the big stage as he reached the semifinals in front of his home fans at Wimbledon, and look for Norrie to bring that type of performance to New York City. He has had early exits at the U.S. Open in previous years, but expect that to change.

Belinda Bencic A quarterfinalist a year ago, don’t be surprised if Belinda Bencic returns to that stage of the event in 2022. Bencic has returned to form over the last year-orso, after injuries ravaged what was a promising young career. The Swiss is still only 25-yearsold and has began playing like the player she was when she first broke onto the scene, which saw her reach the quarterfinals back in 2014. She is up to No. 12 in the world rankings and has been playing consistently good tennis all year long. Bencic has shown she can succeed at the U.S. Open, and will aim to do so once again.

As if the U.S. Open wasn’t already intriguing, Serena Williams added to it as she announced that she will be retiring from professional tennis following this year’s event. In her own words, Serena wrote an essay in Vogue to explain her decision, and discuss what is next for her.

23LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine ew 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Pre

Serena will walk away from tennis as the most decorated player in the sport’s history, man or woman. She is the owner of 23 major titles and has given everything she has to the game of tennis. In addition to her success on the court, she has created a brand and persona which has been crucial to the sport’s development and growth.

Serena RetirementAnnouncesfromTennis

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” she wrote. “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.” She explains how difficult the decision was for her, but also how happy she is with where she is at in her life. Serena Ventures was her venture capital firm that she founded a few years ago, and her daughter Olympia is now five-years-old.Shewrote:“Afewyears ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family.”

The Italian has proven he has what it takes to beat the best players in the world, and that was evidenced by his quarterfinal runs to the Australian Open and Wimbledon this summer. Sinner has beaten Alcaraz multiple times this season and also scored wins over the likes of Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur. Sinner is set to have the best run of his career at the U.S. Open and will aim to make it to the second week in Queens for the first time in his career.

“My whole life, up to now, has been tennis. My dad says I

Women’s Singles – Sleepers

Jessica Pegula

Before she walks away from tennis, though, fans will have at least one more opportunity to witness her greatness.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try.”

Return to Normalcy

While we are not completely done with the pandemic, the return of fans to the U.S. Open signals that we are close to getting back to a normal way of life. That may be a simplistic view of things, but with the energy of New York taking over the National Tennis Center for three weeks, this year’s U.S. Open is the perfect way to close out this summer.

A two-story practice gallery debuted at the 2014 US Open, which allowed unprecedentedfans access to see their favorite players as they prepared for their matches. In addition to the viewing area of the practice courts, the gallery is also adjacent to Courts 4, 5 and 6 where matches are taking place, giving fans 360 degrees of tennis. New York, New York Tennis is an international sport with fans and players from all over the globe. But for a three-week period in the late summer, tennis’ home is located right here in our backyard. New York City becomes the sport’s host site and welcomes the best players and millions of fans to come celebrate the sport, and the city’s energy always brings out the best in the players.

Witness the Greats

Some of the greatest players in our sport’s history are in the latter stages of their career, including Federer, Nadal and Serena. While we all wish they could play forever, there is no way to know just when each will hang up their tennis shoes. The U.S. Open is the best way to witness these legends, right here in our backyard in New York. The intimate access to the practice courts are always packed when players of this caliber are training, and who knows, it could be the last time these greats will be here in New York.

Reasons to Love the U.S. Open Tennis under the stars

Serena is a six-time U.S. Open champion, and it would be something if she adds a seventh title to that resume as she rides off into the sunset.

first picked up a racket when I was three, but I think it was even earlier. There’s a picture of Venus pushing me in a stroller on a tennis court, and I couldn’t have been more than 18 months,” she wrote in Vogue. “Unlike Venus, who’s always been stoic and classy, I’ve never been one to contain my emotions. I remember learning to write my alphabet for kindergarten and not doing it perfectly and crying all night. I was so angry about it. I’d erase and rewrite that A over and over, and my mother let me stay up all night while my sisters were in bed. That’s always been me. I want to be great. I want to be perfect. I know perfect doesn’t exist, but whatever my perfect was, I never wanted to stop until I got it right.”

Practice court access

There is something special about summer nights in New York City, and that only gets amplified during the US Open’s fortnight. Late-night tennis featuring star-studded matchups have become synonymous with the US Open. From Onny Parun and Stan Smith at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills to Andre Agassi and James Blake nearly 15 years ago, the tennis stars always deliver big performances under the stars late into the early morning hours in the city that never sleeps.

24 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com 022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview

14 Sunday

25LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine ew 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Preview 2022 U.S. Open Pre 2022 U.S. Open Schedule SessionDayDateSession TimeMatches Scheduled Q1

13 Sunday

2 7 Thursday09/0111:00

24 Saturday09/104:00

22 Friday

21 Thursday09/0812:00

Round 2 6 Wednesday08/317:00

23 Friday

16 Monday09/057:00

2 8 Thursday09/017:00

Round 1 3 Tuesday08/3011:00

18 Tuesday09/067:00

Matches Q4 Friday

1 5 Wednesday08/3111:00

2 9 Friday

19 Wednesday09/0712:00

change)

Tuesday08/2311:00 a.m. a.m. a.m. Qualifying 08/2611:00 a.m. Qualifying a.m. Men’s and Women’s p.m. Men’s and Women’s a.m. Men’s and Women’s p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round a.m. Men’s and Women’s p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round a.m. Men’s and Women’s Round p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round 09/0211:00 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Round 3 Friday 09/027:00 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round 3 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Round 3 Saturday09/037:00 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round 3 09/0411:00 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Round of 16 09/047:00 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round of 16 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Round of 16 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Round of 16 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals p.m. Women’s Singles Semifinals 09/093:00 p.m. Men’s Singles Semifinals 09/097:00 p.m. Men’s Singles Semifinals p.m. Women’s Singles Final 09/114:00 p.m. Men’s Singles Final (subject to

Qualifying Matches Q2 Wednesday08/2411:00

25 Sunday

Matches 1 Monday08/2911:00

20 Wednesday09/077:00

Qualifying Matches Q3 Thursday08/2511:00

11 Saturday09/0311:00

17 Tuesday09/0612:00

Round 1 2 Monday08/297:00

Round 1 4 Tuesday08/307:00

15 Monday09/0511:00

Barbara Wyatt is a writer, photographer, USTA official, and mobile app developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by email at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.

It began with the innocent question, "You hit a winning shot in our court. I have a question, did your racquet cross over the net?" Those words launched a friendly match into a contentious battle. If the racquet crosses over the net, who calls it? The player with the racquet, or the opponent? This wrong question was created by misinterpreting one rule (don't reach over the net) and spilling it over to another (who calls a ball out).A racquet may extend over the net in several situations, but not all. Can my opponent's racquet swing over the net into my court on any return? Your strong volley sends the ball flying into the opponent's court. That clever opponent lines up, sets up for a mighty return, and watches the ball hit the ground. After the ball bounces in their court, they hit the ball on their side and the follow-through extends over the net. Can their racquet swing over the net? Yes, provided the ball bounced in their court and was hit on their side of the net. They win the point. (ITF Rule 25.e)

I usually receive questions from players just after a match, on court as they pack up their gear. The player may have won, or lost, the match but they remembered a moment in the heat of the game when the rule was unclear to all players. Please www.iKnowTennis.comsharewith your teammates and even your opponents!

Can my opponent reach over the net to hit the ball? You've worked with a tennis pro to master the slice. Finally, in a USTA match, you see the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your perfected stroke. You draw your racquet back, check your continental grip, move to the ball sideways on, and hit the ball. Your return lands in the opponent's court and spins back into your court! With a little help from the wind. Your opponent lunges to the net, extends their racquet over the net, and hits the ball while it was on your side of the court. You cannot return it. Who wins the point? Your opponent. It doesn't happen often but when a ball is blown or spun back, your opponent can reach over. ITF Rule 25 b.

On a separate note, I wanted to give an update on iKnowTennis.com. Thank you for your input to www.iKnowTennis.com!

Barbara Wyatt is a Writer, Photographer, USTA Official, and Mobile App Developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by email at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com They Reach Over the Net?

Can

Wyatt 26 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

1414 Jerusalem Avenue, North Merrick, NY 11566 • 516-489-9005 Junior Development Program directed by Ben Marks Learn & Play directed by Ryan White September 10, 2022 to January 10, 2023

Learn to play tennis or just improve your game! Call for testing dates and sign up

See you on the courts…

By Barbara

Overall, the event was a great way to bring the membership together for a fun evening of tennis and other racquet sports.

27LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

“I think the event was great. I love seeing everybody coming out,” said Volman. “It’s nice to see players who usually do only pickleball or only tennis come out and enjoy themselves. It brings everyone and the club together.”

Pine Hollow Club in East Norwich unveiled the newest addition to its racquet sport offerings as it revealed its new padel court during its Evening with Sushi, Wine, Tennis, and a Padel Exhibition “We are thrilled to be one of the only two clubs in New York with a padel court. This court is just the start of the future of an incredible Racquet Sports experience here at Pine Hollow,” said Heidi Stanya, Pine Hollow’s Director of Marketing and Membership. “With the help of Alina Volman, Director of Racquet Sports, and the rest of the team, we are looking to take the program to new heights.”PineHollow hosted a tennis and padel social for its members which included clinics, demonstrations, food, drinks, music, and the introduction of its new padel court.

“It’s great for moving around, it really is a great workout,” Volman added. “It’s a little bit different than tennis obviously, you have to have some kind of good racquet skills. It’s so much fun.”

Padel is one of the fastest growing racquet sports, and is played in an enclosed court which is about ¼ the size of a tennis court. Similar to squash or racquetball, players are able to play balls off the enclosed walls, making for a fast-paced and fun game for competitors.

Pine Hollow Club Hosts Tennis and Padel Social

The new padel court is the latest attraction that Pine Hollow is offering. In addition to tennis, Pine Hollow opened new pickleball courts earlier this summer, and now provides the first padel court on Long Island.

To demonstrate how padel is played, Volman and husband Ben Marks, a tennis director himself, played a match against two padel professionals and provided a highlyentertaining display of the sport.

“I love that Pine Hollow has the tennis program and the social events. The tennis program has been amazing this year. There are clinics for everyone, and Alina has been doing an amazing job,” said member Jacqueline Braunstein. “We have a lot of different options, things for the kids, things for the parents and fun events like this so it’s been awesome.”

28 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com Tennis & Pickleball at the Barn 142 Montauk Highway • Westhampton, New York 11977 info@tennisatthebarn.com • (631) TennisAtTheBarn.com288-1540 New to Tennis or Pickleball? Just Getting Started? Regular Player or Experienced? WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU! New to Tennis or Pickleball? Just Getting Started? Regular Player or Experienced? WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU! 6 Tournament Grade Pickleball Courts Viewing Lounge11 Har-Tru Tennis Courts Tennis & Pickleball at The Barn offers both competitive and social play. Our goal is to make The Barn your home away from home for all of your racquet sport fun and games. • Unlimited Court Time for Members • Daily court rentals available for nonmembers • Lessons, Clinics, Leagues • All staff pros are certiﬁed professionals • 6 Tournament Grade Pickleball Courts • 11 Har-Tru Tennis Courts • Viewing Lounge Pickleball Programs Clinics, round robin play, drills and fun! We offer clinics for beginners to intermediate players. Clinics are limited to 4 persons per court and focus on basic skills. Tennis Programs Adults: Our tennis programs are designed to provide maximum tennis opportunities for all levels of play in a variety of formats at different days and times. We are providing programs for Long Island residents as well as players who are visiting for short or extended periods of time. Tennis Clinics Clinics are taught by pros who will focus on technique, tactical play, shot selection and rally tolerance. Development of these skills will help improve consistency and control. Lear n more about Tennis & Pickleball at The Barn and let us become your home away from home.

• Long Island’s only totally free Absolute Beginner clinic In addition, some limited seasonal court time is still available star ting in mid- September, but courts are filling up fast. For information, please email dory@pickleballplusllc.comFormoreinformationon Pickleball Plus LLC and its programs, please visit www.pickleballplusllc.com, or Facebook: Pickleball Plus LLC or Instagram: pickleballplus_li Pickleball Plus LLC is located at 525 Eagle Ave., West Hempstead (516) 550-5700 or email info@pickleballplusllc.com

Pickleball Plus Celebrates1st Birthday with Courts, Area’s First Junior Program

“Increasing our pickleball capacity by 50% is an exciting milestone, but size is not our measure of success,” says owner Dr. Harry Kent. “Success is our ability to fill our courts with happy pickleball players enjoying our programs and events every day. By that measure, we have achieved great success since our opening last October. We listened to our members and created programs and events based on their feedback.”

While adults are the club’s mainstay, bringing kids into Pickleball Plus has always been a key objective.

The club – now with 12 courts – is the largest indoor pickleball club in the tri-state region and the secondlargest nationwide. It’s also the area’s first to focus on kids’ pickleball, with the launch of its Junior Pickleball Academy. Both achievements will be celebrated on September 17th with an Open House at the club featuring discounted court time, lessons, kids’ pickleball demonstrations and more.

• Leagues: including Intermediate Ladies’ League, Law Enforcement League – endorsed by NYPD Pickleball and the Summer Educator’s League, which took off among teachers and school staff. “After teaching during a pandemic, it’s great we can come here and whack the ball as stress relief… the first time we played we decided right there on the court to book for the whole year,” says MaryAlice Kelley, a pickleball newcomer who took to the sport immediately with her fellow teachers.

29LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Manager Dory Levinter, a certified pickleball pro who spent many years in the tennis world, says attracting juniors to the game has been a goal since the start. “This summer, we took the lead in introducing pickleball to local children through summer camps and our Junior Summer Series. We also launched the first PAL Pickleball, which will continue into the fall,” Levinter says. “We are eager to start enrolling students ages 3-17 in our Junior Pickleball Academy. Classes will be taught based on age and ability and will enable children to become confident and competitive pickleball players while getting exercise, meeting new friends and havingLevinterfun.”adds that pickleball is a great sport for juniors who want to start out with racquet sports. “It’s easier to learn than tennis; kids benefit from the smaller court, smaller paddle and lighter ball. Those who learn how to play pickleball will have an easier transition to tennis and other racquet sports.”Other unique programming includes:

New

Pickleball Plus LLC, the area’s newest and largest dedicated indoor pickleball facility, is celebrating its 1st birthday in a big way – by adding four new dedicated indoor courts and launching the region’s first Junior Development Pickleball Program.

Tournaments • Full schedule of Open (by level) and Social (all levels) Plays

• Charitable events and fundraisers

•

• Fully certified teaching staff • Community outreach including an intro-to-pickleball program for teens at area libraries

Designed by and for pickleball players, the club’s courts are both tournament-sized and sanctioned and feature special lighting, court surfaces and other amenities that pickleball players expect. In just under a year, the club has become a vibrant gathering spot for both experienced and new players.

Kingsley Selected to USTA Collegiate Summer Team

Larri Passos, a famed tennis coach from Brazil, has been on Long Island summer,thishelpingrun the summer camp and clinics at Ross TennisSchoolAcademy(RSTA)inEastHampton.Passosisknown for coaching Gustavo Kuerten during his playing career, and has brought his infectious energy and knowledge to the players in the RSTA.

Northport’s Cannon Kingsley has been selected to compete on the 2022 USTA Collegiate Summer Team after outstandinganotherseason at Ohio State University. The former Suffolk County high school singles champion has been named to the team for a second straight year, which is designed to help top American players assimilate into the professional tennis ranks through a team-oriented environment.

“I tried to make sure I stayed calm and patient throughout the whole week,” said Kennedy. “It’s a long week, and the conditions were very tough, so I just had to take my time, and conserve my energy as the tournament went on.”

Michael Kazin, Great Neck North High School boys’ tennis coach for 14 years and girls’ coach for 10 years, has given up those roles to take on coaching the new Junior Pickleball Academy at Pickleball Plus in West Hempstead. The program is the first of its kind to offer specialized pickleball curriculum to children agesKazin3-17.has been teaching and coaching tennis for 20 years and is an elementary school physical education teacher. He discovered pickleball in 2019 and was instantly an avid participant. Kazin has won 5.0 tournaments, is a fully certified pro and is eager to start sharing his love of pickleball with juniors.

Across Long Isl 30 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Kennedy Wins Gold Balls at Clay Court Nationals

Kazin to Head Up Pickleball Plus Junior Program

Across Long Isl

RSTA Players Learn From BrazilianLegendaryCoach

Jack Kennedy captured the Gold Ball in both singles and doubles at the USTA National Clay Court Boys 14s Championships in Alabama. The Huntington native, who trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, won all of his singles matches in straight sets to win the title, and partnered with fellow Long Islander Sebastian Bielen to win the doubles title.

landland… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community… News and notes from across the L.I. tennis community Experience hig for homes, clubh-performance hardcourts s, cities, and stadiums. Engineered with the sam around the world, our ac high-performance playin All-weather Har-Tru Spo pigments in a range of v our coatings offer high y e precision and quality as Har crylic hardcourts deliver a cons g rtssurface.Coatings feature UV-resista ibrant colors. Designed to appl ield application rates and long Tru tennis courts istent, durable, nt, 100% organic liquid y consistently and evenly, -term surface stability. hartru.com/c877-4-HAR-TRU (877-442-7878) Charlottesville, Virginia eamTorld T Official Playing Surface of W Te Teennis Official Playing Surface of The Citi OpenProOfficialvideroftheAPPTCourtSurfaceToour ocoan Ly Ryo bPhot oatings Long Island Tennis Magazine partnered with top apparel brand inPhorm to showcase the brand’s 2022 Summer Collection. Three of the LITM’s interns, all local high school standouts, modeled the clothing line. From left to right: Port Washington’s Dasha Perfiliev, Hewlett’s Sophie Karmazin, Port Washington’s Joanne Salloum. Local HS Players Model inPhorm’s New Summer Line 31LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

32 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com SPORTIME GREEN & YELLOW BALL TENNIS FOR AGES 9-17 SPORTIME SPORTIME TENNIS FOR KIDS 10 & UNDER AND AS YOUNG AS PRESCHOOL! JOHN MCENROE TENNIS MAC RED & ORANGE AGES 5-10 AND GREEN BALL FOR AGES NOWPORTTENNIS SPPORRTIM HME OFOME UNDEP SPORTIMEPRESCHOOL!OUNG YRTENNISASFORE FORB TIMESPOR GESRR ON ALLB GESC5-10REDMA SPORTTIME FORBES MAGAZIN ONE OF THE COUNN190idddENAMESTHEJOHNM TRY’S TOP FIVE JU CENROE TENNIS ACADE NIOR TENNIS ACAD NOWTENPORPORTPOEMY DEMIES clubs feature more than our trademarked group learn and account management, and more. Wh For a full listing of SPORTIMEn 190 indoor and outdoo d play programs, private hy play anywhere else? E and JMTTAA locations, v r courts, the best coaches tennis and athletic training, e isit us online at www.S ams fogrs,pgreat xclusiveprmember be SportimeNYY..com.

33LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine TENNIS ACADEMY: ORANGE BALL FOR GREEN & YELLOW AGES 9-17 ADULT TENNIS PROGRAMS, LESSONS, LEAGUES & MORE FOR ALL AGES & LEVELS COURT RENTALS, SEASONAL COURT TIME & NOW PICKLEBALL! SPORTIME ISNOW MANAGING THEPORT TENNISWASHINGTONACADEMY TF HE JOHN OMCENR E TENNIS ACADEMY ORANGGREGETENNS OEN &ALLGE B :CNISNIS GESA GUE PRT TENNIS N SEAS &ES & ROGRAMSMORE, ALL!W PICKLEBNO TSONAL COUR AALS,COURTRENT NOWTENNISMPOPORTWSPWMASHINGTONCANCADEMYCAASSASAGINGTHEMANASAWATHEHWPORTIMEISHORTIMANAMAN BEST SPORTIME CLUB INDOOR TENNIS FFAA S VOTED Y 2017CILIT 7--202 2 2017-20222 or beneth amilyhe whole f , including eﬁts, online court booking annd (888) www.SNYp TENNIS | (888) 698-36 timeNYor Y..com/Tennis 64 Scan the code visit us online!to

35LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

USTA DINNER JOURNAL

EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 32nd ANNUAL AWARDS

The USTA LI Regional Council brought junior tennis lessons to the annual Robbie’s Run in Merrick LI Regional Director Jonathan Klee participated in a Court Reopening/Dedication with the Nancy Lieberman Foundation and the Billy Crystal Family at the Long Beach Recreation Center Council members Sunny and Eddie Fishkind ran a multi-day program at the William S. Covert School in Rockville Centre as part of the school’s new “enrichment clusters” program

Standings) Boys/Girls l Boys

l Girls

NATIONAL RANKINGS of July 6, 2022 - National 12 singles: Brij Vashist (1) Benjamin Wiese (2) 14 singles: Jack Kennedy (1) Sean Grosman (2) 16 singles: Jordan Reznik (1) Edward Liao (2) 18 singles: Stephan Gershfeld (1) Jordan Reznik (2) 12 singles: Luma Teixeira (1) Sofia Kedrin (2) Girls 14 singles: Brooke Wallman (1) Janczyk (2) 16 singles: Ariana Pursoo (1) Taylor Goetz (2) Girls 18 singles: Ariana Pursoo (1) Theadora Rabman (2)

l Boys

(as

l Boys

Want to see photos from tonight’s awards or from past years? Need more information on our fabulous honorees and past awardees? Inspired to nominate someone for an award for next year? Visit www.longisland.usta.com for all you need to know about our Long Island Regional Awards Dinners from past to present! 32nd Annual USTA Long Island Region Awardees

Combined

Birdie Tarulli League Captain Sportsmanship Award: Amy Gillen Blane Magee League Captain Sportsmanship Award: Wyn Mintz Anuj Agarwal Junior Sportsmanship Award: Aiden Patel Jennifer Sherry Junior Sportsmanship Award: Emilia Romano

36 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 32nd ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS l Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award: Rich Hume l Vitas Gerulaitis “For the Love of Tennis” Award: Rick Liebman l Arthur Ashe Multicultural Award: Shabir Mohammed l Rose Buck Scalamandre Tennis Family of the Year: The Bursztyns EXCELLENCE AWARDS l Adult Volunteer of the Year: Steve Green l After School/Child Care Tennis: Solomon Schechter School l Charles Karp Memorial Award for Overcoming Adversity: Mindy B. Alpert and Sabrina Walker l Corporate/Retail/Press Service Award: Ellen Levenberg l Daniel Burgess, Sr. Community Service Award: Carefree Racquet Club l Good Samaritan Award: Jerilyn Jud l Innovative Tennis Program of the Year: Bridgehampton Youth Tennis and City of Long Beach & the Nancy Lieberman Charities l Junior Team Tennis Award: Gary Gaudio l Junior Volunteers of the Year: Eesha Kaushik and Hailey Stoerback l Long Island High School Tennis Team of the Year: Roslyn High School l Madeline Zausner Junior Tournament Director: Michele Stoerback l Outdoor Tennis Site of the Year: Rider Avenue Four Sisters Park, Patchogue l Private Club of the Year: Village Club of Sands Point l Special Service Award: Bob Davis l 10-and-Under Tennis: Cover t Elementar y School, Rockville Centre l Tennis Club of the Year: Long Island Health & Racquet Club l Tennis Professional of the Year (Adult): Ronnie Kahn l Tennis Professional of the Year (Junior): David Nisenson SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS l

Anabelle

l Boys

l GIrls

Suffolk County Boys Singles Champion: Edward Liao (Commack)

USTA LEAGUE TEAM AWARDS

Nassau County Boys Doubles Champions: Drew Hassenbein & Gavin Koo (Roslyn)

32nd Annual USTA Long Island Region Awardees USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 32nd ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

New York State Singles Champion: Kady Tannenbaum (Commack)

Nassau County Coach of the Year: Lauren Jarmel (Baldwin) Suffolk County Coach of the Year: Steven Ferrantello (Half Hollow Hills East)

37LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine Men l Open Singles: Paul Abrudescu (1) Shin Kang (2) l 35+ Singles: Adrian Pagani (1) Rodolfo Novello (2) l 40+ Singles: Adrian Pagani (1) Jonathan Ostrow (2) l 45+ Singles: Adrian Chirici (1) Jonathan Klein (2) l 50+ Singles: Todd Ehren (1) Rodolfo Novello (2) l 55+ Singles: Jeffrey Snow (1) Jonathan Klein (2) l 60+ Singles: Steven Brill (1) Matthew Crowley (2) l 65+ Singles: Steven Brill (1) John Titcomb (2) l 70+ Singles: Marshall Hubsher Thomas Jaklitsch* l 75+ Singles: John Neubauer (1) Alan Rosenberg (2) l Open Team Doubles: Naeem Siddiqui & Amani Siddiqui (1) l 30+ Team Doubles: Adrian Pagani l 35+ Team Doubles: Ron Nano & Andrew Wiese (1) l 40+ Team Doubles: Adrian Pagani (1) Andrew Wiese & Ron Nano (2) l 50+ Team Doubles: Todd Ehren & David Cooper (1) l 55+ Team Doubles: Jeffrey Snow (1) l 60+ Team Doubles: Happy Bhalla (1) l 60+ Team Doubles: Adam Rosen (2) l 65+ Team Doubles: John Titcomb (1) l 70+ Team Doubles: Thomas Jaklitsch (2) *Final ranking subject to verification. Women l Open Singles: Elizabeth Kobak (1) Betsy Bickar (2) l 30+ Singles: Elizabeth Kobak (1) l Open Team Doubles: Elizabeth Kobak (1) Rose Hayes (2) l 30+ Team Doubles: Elizabeth Kobak (1) l 50+ Team Doubles: Deirdre Ettus (1) l 60+ Team Doubles: Deirdre Ettus (1) l 65+ Team Doubles: Abbi Neuthaler (1) Family l Father-Son 60+: Benjamin Rosen & Adam Rosen (1) l Father-Son 70+: Thomas Jaklitsch & Warren Ayres (1) l Husband-Wife: Elizabeth Kobak (1) NTRP National Championship (Women) l 18+ 3.5 Singles: Betsy Bickar l 40+ 4.0 Singles: Maritoni Carlos l 18+ 4.0 Doubles: Maritoni Carlos 2021-22 HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS l

Suffolk County Girls Singles Champion: Victoria Matos (Longwood) Suffolk County Girls Doubles Champions: Julia Stabile & Katelyn Stabile (Westhampton Beach)

New York State & Nassau County Girls Doubles Champions: Darian Perfiliev & Ellie Ross (Port Washington)

New York State & Nassau County Boys Singles Champion: Stephan Gershfeld (Hewlett)

Suffolk County Boys Doubles Champions: Shashank Pennabadi & Aron Bursztyn (Ward Melville) Nassau County Girls Singles Champion: Isabella Sha (Friends Academy)

(Eastern Sectional Champions, Competed at Nationals) 18+ 3.0 women, Lynbrook: Captain Rosalynn Steele 18+ 4.5 women, Lynbrook: Captain Katie Figgie 40+ 3.0 women, Christopher Morley Tennis: Captain Jaeeun Lee 40+ 4.5 men, Carefree Racquet Club: Robert Chesney 55+ 6.0 women, Port Jefferson: Nancy Knapp 55+ 7.0 women, Lynbrook: Nayana Brahmbatt 55+ 8.0 women, Lynbrook: Anna Aviani-Wilson 55+ 7.0 men, Kings Park: Timothy Consiglio 65+ 7.0 women, Garden City Rec: Patricia Molloy 65+ 8.0 women, Syosset: Katrina Clifford 40+ mixed 6.0, Christopher Morley Tennis: David Ng 40+ 9.0 mixed, Park Ave Tennis: Roslyn Chua-Mcalonie Women’s 4.5 Tri Level, Huntington: Lisa Newell

Regional Letter Welcome to the 32nd Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards Dinner!

Jonathan Klee, Esq.

38 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Jonathan Klee, Long Island Regional Director (volunteer)

As a Council, we were thrilled to host hundreds of children at three Summer Kids’ Days in July and August. Thank you to our partner Long Island Tennis Magazine for their ongoing support of this initiative, to the hosts— LuHi Camp, Sportime Hempstead Lake and the Hamlet Commack—and to all the volunteers, without whom we could not have made these events happen.

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since our last celebration – and we are so happy to be back to share this terrific evening with our amazing honorees, your families, friends and guests. Each of you plays an important role in making Long Island a vibrant tennis community. Whether you are being recognized for your play on court, your volunteering or your commitment to furthering the goals of our Region, we thank you for your support, enthusiasm and love for the sport.Asyou know, tennis was the perfect sport to weather the pandemic. While much of the world slowed down in 2020 and 2021, tennis participation grew to new heights and continues to expand worldwide and on Long Island. So far tennis participation in 2022 is shaping up to be even bigger than in years past. With your help, we have had some wonderful events and activities since our last awards dinner last September.

National Tennis Month in May brought a host of fun events including Tennis in the Park at Eisenhower Park, held in conjunction with the New York State PTA, and a Park Tennis Day at Casamento Park, coordinated by the Suffolk County Tennis Coaches Association. Our high school tennis players had rousing seasons, with Long Island taking home the State Championship in both Girls and Boys Singles and in Girls Doubles. The Long Island Council was pleased to supply each Nassau and Suffolk public high school with special plaques allowing coaches to recognize one player on their team for outstanding sportsmanship during the 2022 boys’ season. As always, we provided special sweatshirts to all Long Island boys and girls competing at States. We are proud of the efforts this year of our Long Island Junior Council. In its first year together, these dedicated students collected over 300 used tennis rackets which they donated to CTAs and NJTLs. They also helped the LI Council run intro-to-tennis lessons for children at the Robbie’s Run community event in Merrick.

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 32nd ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

Fundraising and volunteering have always been important on Long Island, and we are proud of our boys and girls high school athletes who ran charity tennis tournaments, community clinics and fundraisers for a wide range of organizations and causes including Multiple Sclerosis, Breast Cancer Awareness, Autism and more.The USTA Long Island Council was honored to participate with the Nancy Lieberman Charities, the City of Long Beach and the family of actor Billy Crystal to upgrade a basketball court in Long Beach which also offers tennis programming. We are also happy to be working with local universities including Hofstra and LIU to renovate their tennis courts and offer more USTA Eastern programming, We invite you to participate in and support the sport we all love by working with us on these and other programs and activities. Make sure to visit our web site and Facebook pages frequently, and if you don’t already, subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, “On the Ball: News from LI.” I'm so proud to be part of the Long Island tennis community and want to personally thank all our volunteers, players, clubs and supporters for making our Region the best in the USTA.

Director’s

Mitchell Low, Adult League Committee

Clark D. Ruiz II, Nassau County Delegate, Junior Competition Committee

Thank you to our fabulous

39LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Denise Schmidt, Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee Michelle Stoerback, Awards Dinner Committee

The Long Island Region Team

Tito Perez, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Junior Team Tennis Committee

facebook:www.longisland.usta.comPlayTennisLongIslandustaonlongisland@gmail.comTHANKYOUWe are grateful to all our suppor ters

USTA EASTERN LONG ISLAND REGION 32nd ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER JOURNAL

32nd

Hilary Bressler, Events Planner, Awards Dinner Committee, Kid's Day Committee, Junior Council Committee

Chris Colesanti, At-Large Wayne Freeman, At-Large Stephen Green, Kid's Day Committee

Adult League Coordinator: Becky Bellino (bellino@eastern.usta.com)

Terri Arnold-McKenzie, Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Long Island Region Council Regional Council Executive Committee

Fabiana Rezak, Community Tennis Liaison

Jason Wass, Suffolk County Delegate, Kid's Day Committee, Junior Council Committee Jacki Binder, newsletter editor for helping to make the Annual USTA Long Island Region Awards program a thanks to Long Island Tennis Magazine for publishing tonight’s awards program. awards dinner committee headed by the incomparable event planner Randi Wilkins and featuring the hard work of our Long Island Regional Council.

Jonathan Klee, Regional Director

Sunny Fishkind, Vice Regional Director Randi Wilkins, Secretary Committee Members

KerriAnn Jannotte, Chair, Junior Council Committee

Herb Harris, Grant Committee, Community Development Liaison

Shannon Blue, USTA League Committee

Tennis Service Representative: Neil Thakur (thakur@eastern.usta.com)

Mike Pavlides, Past Regional Director

success! Special

Scott Axler, Past Regional Director, Junior Competition Committee

Yoga: It’s Not Just For Old People, It Can Really Help Your Tennis and Your Life

Iadmit when I was younger I used to think of yoga as a cute, little activity for old people with time on their hands, or for people who weren’t overly athletic who wanted to feel like they were doing something physical. In my early 30s, long after my playing career was over, I tried it and it confirmed my overall nonalternative medicine point of view. It felt like a waste of time for me. I was wrong. Big time.

By Ricky Becker

40 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

• Not sweating the small stuff. When playing a match, does it help to worr y about the wind, bad bounces and net cords. It’s good to be alert to these things

On January 5, 2021 I was doing what I thought was a YouTube stretching video when the floor of the instructor Adrian Mishler started creaking, “Don’t you just love creaky floors,” she said. In a surprised, zenlike state, I agreed that in fact I really like the naturalness of a creaky floor. I looked at the title of the video and saw it was yoga, so I did it again the next day, and the day after that…and the day after that. Then later that week, I found myself appreciative of the faceless people who made the dotted lines on the highway so we would all know where we should be driving. I was noticing myself subconsciously exhale and calm down when something irritated me. What was happening to me?! Yoga has made me my best self. I don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s easier for me to focus in stressful times, makes life move slower to the extent I feel like I have more time to react and while I only use yoga as a supplement to working out, it has made me more flexible. I also undoubtedly feel more coordinated and more aware of how certain parts of my body make other parts of my body move. It also makes me appreciative but not necessarily satisfied with what I have. Let’s pivot to tennis, the theme of this magazine. All of the benefits I listed above are applicable to competitive tennis.

• Coordination and body

• Making life move slower. A common description of people playing “in the zone” is that they feel like everything that their opponent is doing is moving in slow motion and the player in the zone has more than enough time to react to ever ything.

•

Focusing during stressful times. A lot of yoga is focusing on breathing and getting lost in yourself and bringing yourself back in when your mind naturally wonders. This is what a player is supposed to do when they go behind the baseline and looks at their racket playing with their strings and playing the next point.

• Increased flexibility. Easily one of the most underrated assets to a player’s tennis game.

but worrying about them can throw throw a player off their game

• Appreciation but not satisfied with what one has. Look no fur ther than Rafael Nadal. He appreciates his success, the people who have helped him, the ball kids, etc. But at the same time he still has the hunger to achieve Maybemore. it was a per fect storm. I was trying to live through my kids and with the approximately 30minutes I spend alone doing “Yoga with Adriene” videos alone in my dark basement with only the light of my television it got me back to me. I know yoga is not for everyone or maybe somebody has to be ready for it but if you are still up to the bottom of this article do yourself a favor and try one of her videos once.Ifit changes one person’s life for the better or if it helps one player control their emotions on the court, this whole article is worth it. Who knows, maybe you will end up doing 583 straight days of yoga and still look forward to it every day as well.

Ricky Becker is The Director of Tennis at Glen Oaks Club. Ricky also coaches highperformance 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 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.

awareness. When making an error it is beneficial to the player if they knew what part of their body or kinetic chain let them down rather than “just a bad swing.”

41LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

D’Agate helped lead Half Hollow Hills East for the last several years, including this past season, his senior year, when he was able to advance to the New York State

“I was, and still am, fascinated by the rhythms of the sport,” he recalls. “I remember watching the greats like Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. I admired their play styles, how they moved about the court and even their clothing choices. I tried to copy their moves, clothing included.”

spotlightJuniorPlayerByBrianColeman

With that inspiration, D’Agate continued to play tennis, and about 10 years ago began attending Bethpage Park Tennis Center, taking lessons and enrolling in the club’s camp each summer.“Bethpage has become like a second home to me,” he said. “In addition to my tennis education, I’ve established friendships and have many great memories, and I believe this is due to the great staff at Bethpage. I feel fortunate to have played with some of the top tennis pros on Long Island, and I have especially enjoyed my time spent with Steve Kaplan. His lessons have been invaluable both on and off the court. As a coach and mentor, he has taught me the importance of hard work, dedication andThathumility.”tenniseducation proved to be integral into D’Agate’s development as a player and person over the years, and was a big reason for the positive impact he has had while competing for one of the best high school tennis teams in the country.

junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spo

42 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Dylan D’Agate

Bethpage Park Tennis Center

Tennis is a sport of a lifetime. That means both that you can play it no matter what age you are, but also that the skills and lessons you learn on the court can oftentimes be vital off of the court. A great example of this mantra is Dylan D’Agate. The Melville native recently graduated from Half Hollow Hills East High School, where he starred on the tennis team, and will be headed to Yale this fall. Tennis has been a major part of his life for as long as he can remember. He first played when he was around four-years-old and quickly fell in love with the sport, helped out by a trip to the U.S. Open when he was five-years-old.

spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior player spotlight junior obtain acceptance into a top-tier institution such as Yale.

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

Individual Championships alongside doubles partner Krithik Madisetty.

“Dylan started as a very serious tournament player as a young boy. He trained very hard and was a focused and dedicated student,” said Kaplan. “At about 14, he recognized that academics and community involvement, and not top-level tennis would be the best path to college opportunities and beyond. He then used many of the skills he had learned from tennis such as goal achievement, time management, perseverance and problem solving to ascend himself. He remained an active player and had an outstanding high school tennis career.”D’Agate will finish out his summer working at the Bethpage Park Tennis Center’s camp, where he is now teaching the current students the similar lessons he learned while growing up and helping to mold the next generation of players and people. Then, it’s off to Yale.

“I am incredibly excited to be attending Yale in a few weeks,” he said. “I hope to explore new interests in college while still delving deeper and pursuing my passions from high school.”

“Some of my favorite memories from high school have come from my time spent on the varsity team at Hills East,” said D’Agate. “Steve Ferrantello is an amazing coach and mentor. He knows how to motivate his players to reach their full potential and is truly dedicated to the team. I reached one of my ultimate tennis goals with Krithik. Advancing to the state championships and playing at the U.S. Open, it was unforgettable. Playoff matches with the team were also a highlight; I’ll definitely miss the team’sD’Agatecamaraderie.”nowprepares for the next chapter in his life as he heads up north to Yale this fall. He plans on going out for the school’s club tennis team and continuing to grow from the lessons he has learned over the years.“Tennis has helped me become a better person off the court and has taught me many life lessons,” he said. “Playing tennis at a competitive level has given me insight into handling high-pressure situations. Steve Kaplan and the staff at Bethpage have emphasized the importance of building character, maintaining one’s composure, creating efficient habits and persevering through difficult moments, all of which are hard skills for a player to develop independently. I believe tennis has helped better prepare me to handle difficult moments in real life.”

Kaplan is someone who has overseen just how much D’Agate has grown over the years, and how his focus not only on tennis but the other important things in life, such as academics, community engagement and giving back, has helped him

43LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

44 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

2022 Long Island Girls’ High

The fall is once again upon us, meaning the start of a new school year and a return to the courts for girls’ high school tennis players here on Long Island. We had an exciting season a year ago which featured the first edition of the Large School and Small School alignments as well as the New York State team playoffs, setting the stage for a compelling 2022 season.Ayear ago, the Syosset Braves captured the Nassau County Large School title, while Hills East claimed the Suffolk County Large School title. Syosset would defeat Hills East in the Long Island Championship. In the Small School playoffs, Friends Academy won the Nassau title, and beat the Suffolk County small school champion Bayport-Blue Point to win the Long Island title. With that said, check out our preview of the upcoming season, including some of the teams and players, in no particular order, to watch as well as key dates for this fall.

Syosset The Syosset Braves enjoyed a fantastic season in 2021. Going undefeated throughout the season, which included a Nassau County and Long Island title, and would go on to represent Long Island at the New York State Team Championships. The Braves would lose a gut-wrenching 4-3 match in the state finals, but it didn’t take away from the success of the season. While the Braves lose a few key players from last season, including Alexa Brecher and Alex Ho, it still has top players Eesha Kaushik, Zia Mukherjee, Rachel Lin, Olivia Tiegerman, Sara Gao and Manami Wakazono, who will look to defend Syosset’s titles.

Port Washington Dasha Perfiliev and Ellie Ross won the state doubles championship a year ago A year ago, Port Washington lost a heartbreaking matchup to Syosset in the Nassau County championship, and this year, the Vikings will be out for redemption. A perennial threat each season, Port Washington returns the two-time defending Nassau County doubles champions, and last year’s state champions, in Dasha Perfiliev and Ellie Ross. The duo will play first singles and second singles, respectively, to anchor the lineup. Bolstering the singles lineup is sophomore Evie Loewy, while senior Katie Kors will lead the doubles lineup.

School Preview Teams to Watch - Nassau County

Manhasset Manhasset was one win away from reaching the county finals a year ago and has its sights set on getting to that championship match this time around. The Indians have a young crop of talent which includes Andrea Vases, Evangelina Vases and Diane Durante, all of whom were key contributors at the top of the lineup last fall. Julia Chiovitti helped lead the doubles teams as she played first doubles, and while Manhasset loses her partner Alexandra McIntyre to graduation, Chiovitti, a senior, will use her experience to help anchor the Manhasset lineup.

The Quakers will aim to defend both its county and Long Island titles this fall, and leading the charge in that quest will be Isabella Sha. The senior captured the Nassau County singles title last year and will look to add a state singles title to her resume later this fall. But first, she will try to lead her team back to the county championship. Friends’ returns many of its starting lineup from last year in addition to Sha, including Skylar Cohen, Teah Login, Eva Sun, Erica Na and Rachel Na45.Island Tennis

Roslyn Two of the best doubles players in Nassau County last year were Roslyn’s Ava Veneziano and Anika Tolat, who came in second place at the individual tournament. Those two will return to the singles lineup for the upcoming season and will help lead the Bulldogs to a deep run in the county playoffs. Helping the cause alongside Tolat and Veneziano will be experienced players such as Alexandra Krol and Jamie Irom, and Roslyn has a plethora of depth in its lineup which makes it a difficult defeat for any opponent.

AcademyFriends Senior Isabella Sha will be out to defend her county singles title In winning the firstever Long Island Small championshipSchool last year, togetherAcademyFriendsputoneof its best seasons in the last several years.

LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long

Magazine

2022 long island girls high school preview continued from page 45 46 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

The Thunderbirds of Hills East reclaimed the county championship last season, and despite losing a few key players to graduation, will be out to defend that title in 2022. Hills East will be led by three of the four singles players it had last season, including Victoria Czoch , Christina Zhao and Angelina Malik . Those three players will compete in singles again, but their order in the lineup is still yet to be determined. That depth of talent is a strength for Hills East, and also includes senior Rachel Neuman , who went to the state championships alongside graduating senior Leila Curtis last year. Victoria Koch and Madison Miller return to help anchor the doubles lineup, and are expected to make a big jump in their team role this year.

Teams to Watch Suffolk County Hills East

Other Players to Watch Nassau County LoefflerNicolette– Cold Spring Harbor • Nyla Gershfeld – Hewlett • Angel Walia – Herricks • Alex Raikos – Mepham • Kayla Castellano – Garden City • Gianna Hunt – Massapequa

x115 or hstanya@pinehollowclub.com 47LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

Harborfields

Victoria Frangione will help lead Harborfields back to the Suffolk County playoffs this season

The Harborfields program has been slowly improving over the last several years, and last year had one of its best

seasons in recent memory. Harborfields was 13-1 in 2021 and reached the semifinals of the Large School Playoffs, and is eager for more this season. The Tornadoes return a lot of its lineup from that team, including Isabella Frangione , Victoria Frangione , Maggie Hughes , Lindsay Sung and Josie Rudlof , all of whom played a vital role in the team’s success last season. If Harborfields can get contributions from those players again this year, look for the Tornadoes to once again go deep in the county playoffs. Westhampton Much like Port Washington in Nassau County, Westhampton was on the losing end of a thrilling county championship last season. The Hurricanes fell 4-3 to Hills East in the Suffolk final last year, and is ready to return to the playoffs this season to try to get some redemption. Leading the way will be Julia Stabile , who alongside her sister, Katelyn, has won back-to-back county doubles titles. Stabile has been a longtime contributor at the varsity level and has tons of playoff experience to help lead the way. Matilda Buchen will play a vital role in Westhampton’s possible playoff run this year as she won the Division IV singles title, and aims to once again post a successful singles season for the Hurricanes. 516-922-0300,

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 We have so much going on “on the courts” - it is no surprise that our court usage has increased by 1000% over the past 9 years. Schedule a tour with Heidi today! Contact Heidi Stanya, Director of Membership at

–

Suffolk County Sectional Individual Championships • Tuesday,

Nassau County Individual Championships • Tuesday,

State Team Championships 2022 long island girls high school preview continued from page 47 48 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

–

Long Island Team Championships • Thursday,

Other Players to Watch Suffolk County Victoria Matos – Longwood • Kira Kronenberg – Ward Melville • Maria Perez – Middle Country • Ava Alfano – Kings Park • Anya Konopka – Smithtown East • Ava Andria - Islip Long Island Girls’ High School Tennis Key Dates *all dates are subject to change • Friday,

Commack

Commack’s Kady Tannenbaum won the New York State singles title in 2021 By Commack standards, last year’s quarterfinal appearance in the Suffolk County playoffs was a bit of a disappointment, but the Cougars are ready to make up for that this fall. With state singles champion Kady Tannenbaum leading the way, Commack features a depth of talent in returning players such as Amela Kleiman, Bianca Reznik, Jillian Sheerin and Victoria Wroblewski. The experiences lineup will help guide Commack back to where it wants to be, as it aims to compete and win in the toughest conference in Suffolk County. Sayville One team that could make a large jump this fall is the Golden Flashes of Sayville. Finishing 12-2 a year ago, Sayville brings back a lot of its talent which will help it compete deep into the Suffolk County playoffs. The Golden Flashes feature a stout singles lineup which includes Meredith Albertelli, Kylie Person and Abby Breen, all of whom are experienced and competing for Sayville for a number of years. It will be interesting to see if Sayville can make the jump and compete with some of the county’s top teams, but the Golden Flashes are ready for the challenge. October 14 Monday, October 17: October 15 Sunday, October 16: October 18: October 20: October 20: October 21 Monday, October 24: October 25: October 27 - Saturday, October 29: New York November 4: New York

Suffolk County Divisional Individual Championships • Saturday,

Suffolk County Large School Championship • Friday,

Nassau County Large and Small School Championships • Thursday,

State Individual Championships • Friday,

Suffolk County Small School Championship • Thursday,

Fun in the Sun With Ne

“It’s a great group of people and the sport is just so fun to play. This summer, all levels of players participated in our events. We had everything from beginners trying out the sport to the defending world champion from Italy,” said NYBT founder and current world #148 David Sickmen. “We have some locals ranked in the Top 5 in the U.S., and our overall group level is improving. At the end of the day, the people and the fun both on and off the sand, creates a special vibe all summer!”

Look for more information on NYBT events heading into 2023, as we continue to grow the game of beach tennis.

50 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

New York Beach Tennis (NYBT) had a successful summer on the sand with an array of different events and tournaments at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury in a continued showcase of one of the fastest-growing racquet sports.There were multiple International Tennis Federation (ITF) sanctioned tournaments, with both world rankings points and prize money up for grabs as well as amateur tournaments. While the competition is fierce, the beach tennis events are also about fun and a lively atmosphere. There is music, other beach games, food and drinks, plus access to the beautiful amenities of Crest Hollow Country Club, including their delicious food, gorgeous pool and a first-class locker room.

New York Beach Tennis See details on seasonal programs at TENNISCENTER@ROSS.ORG631-907-5162ross.org/tennis • Integrated academics and training program during the school year • Private lessons and court rentals • Adult programs for all levels • Year-round programs for all ages Get Your Game On ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS ACADEMY EAST HAMPTON, NY 51LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine As a partner of New York Beach Tennis, LITM was thrilled with the success of the summer! Be sure to check out more photos by following New York Beach Tennis @nybeachtennis on Instagram

Steve

52 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Like many tennis coaches, I might have as my epitaph, "Often Wrong But Never In Doubt." I preach humility to my students every day, but coaching is empowering, and such power corrupts at times. My epiphany, however, gives me a greater understanding of why John and Chuck have found the need to write this book and why the tennis industry really needs this book.

John Carpenter called me up from Atlanta around the time of the U.S. Open back in 2019 B.C. (Before Covid), seemingly out of the blue. He explained that he had read many of the articles I had written for local, well-regarded publications: Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines. He had written a book on the history of tennis instruction and thought I might be open to peer-reviewing some new teaching concepts. I didn't know him, so I was skeptical, but John was so persistent and enthusiastic I couldn't say "NO!" We arranged to meet at my club, Bethpage Park Tennis Center here on Long Island. He brought with him Chuck Tomlin, who he introduced as "my equal in tennis knowledge," and they talked for an hour about a new paradigm for tennis instruction. Now I was even more skeptical and wondered what these guys were trying to sell me? I listened politely to what they had to say and then was passively dismissive. And for several years, I gave this meeting little thought. When I reflect back on this encounter, I wonder to myself, why was I so resistant to their novel ideas? After all, I had always thought of myself as the ultimate anti-tennis establishment coach. Why didn't I even want to give them a chance? This brings me to the present, in what pretentious intellectuals call "a moment of ego clarity.”

For many years, the foundation of tennis information that most fans read and hear has been built and credited to the work of former top players. We read them in tennis publications and watch them on tennis broadcasts. The industry gives these former stars credibility in a kind of "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" inference logic which is a funny line in a movie but less so when it is the foundation for choosing the voices of an industry. Therein lies the problem. Great players know what they know, and they know how to play great, but not always why they played great.

Why Coaches, Parents, and Students of Tennis Might Want to Read This Book

By Kaplan

John and Chuck were born to undertake this challenge and have dedicated their professional lives to satisfying their curiosity which is the defining feature of leadership. They have no ego issues because they not only mentor as coaches, but they reverse mentor and seek out the mentorship of others wherever they can find it, as you will read in this book.

Great players see the big picture of how to win, and I believe that they see tennis as a grand scheme process. They are the classic example of what The Greek poet Archilochus talked about in his fable about the Fox and the Hedgehog. The Fox is clever, quick, and always on the move, gathering information and slickly using it to extricate itself from crisis. The Hedgehog, on the other hand, has a coat of spikes, so he simply hunkers down and moves ahead. While the Fox knows many subtle things, the Hedgehog only needs to see one big thing.We learn like a Fox, but at the highest level, we play like a Hedgehog because we have already learned. Armed with this knowledge, we just put our heads down and bully ahead, focused only on the prize. The tennis teaching industry has been built on the broad shoulders of Hedgehogs, but it desperately needs the wisdom of The Fox.Enter John Carpenter and Chuck Tomlin.John seeks answers in history, which is a nearly forgotten ideal, but as Robert Heinlein said, "A generation which ignores history has no past-and no future.” Tennis instruction is steeped in history, but why should I, as a coach, care about what someone with tweed knickers and a wood racket, strung with someone’s house pet named "Whiskers" said about how to hit a running forehand 100 years ago? (Sorry John, I know it's cow intestine, notThe"catgut.")answer, as John knows so well, is that "Past is prologue," as Antonio in Shakespeare's, The Tempest first noticed. Everything that has taken place in the history of tennis instruction is a preparation for the opportunities to come, and don't we as coaches want to be cutting age in our understanding of our craft? This is where Chuck's model for tennis congruence comes in because it is the future of tennis instruction and will stand the test of time because it is based on immutable laws of the physical world. Many coaches already know what Chuck will present but knowing is not the same as understanding and is a far cry from mastery.Chuck understands that tennis is a 3D sport that has been previously explained in 2-D words using onedimensional techniques. His gift is in his ability to organize a system and a vocabulary that removes barriers that take tennis instruction from the darkness of analog explanations into the light of high-resolution understanding.

John and Chuck answer more questions in this book than most tennis "experts" ever thought to ask and raise more questions than they answer in the process. And that's the point of this work because if you are a coach, you are a student first, always asking why and always searching for answers and truth.

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, and executive director and founder of Serve &Return Inc. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationallyranked 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. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA. He may be reached by e-mail at StevenJKaplan@aol.com. Brook Avenue l Deer Park, NY 11729 l 1-800-660-PLAY l www.centurytennis.com

• Tennis • Pickleball • Basketball • Volleyball • Bocce ball Clay, Asphalt and Concrete CENTURY TENNIS INC. Specializing In Sports Court Construction "Expanding the game of tennis one court at a time." 53LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

I do not doubt that the curiosity of these professionals will inspire them to continue to seek more truth and will inspire the curiosity and interest of all coaches, as they have inspired me.

3. Only closed stances It’s not that closed stance is necessarily bad; it’s that coaches stubbornly insist on teaching only the closed stance on forehand and backhand. There are a multitude of stance options from closed to open and they should all be taught, along with their related movement patterns, to children and adults from the very beginning.

1. Forehand follow through to the shoulder and catching the follow through How many top players in today’s game follow through like back in the 70s and 80s, around the neck or at the top of shoulder—or high and out in front? Very few. Medvedev and Djokovic come to mind— sometimes—but the vast majority of pros windshield wiper their forearm and rotate their shoulder creating a finish lower than the traditional high to the shoulder one that has been taught for decades. I say we should leave this technique in the past. Just teach players to wiper their forearm and rotate their shoulder like the pros do. Finish to the side of the deltoid. Finish to biceps. Finish to the elbow. Heck—finish to the waist! And don’t catch the racquet with the opposite hand! Just let the racquet finish fully behind the body and wrap the finish around the trunk without catching. In anticipation of the catch, players will often reduce their racquet speed pre-impact. In addition, the follow through to the neck or top of shoulder decreases the elasticity in the arm and creates a stiff hitting arm structure. If I had a dollar for every kid who came to my program with a stiff, tight forehand, I would be rich indeed. Most of these kids can’t generate natural, easy power or high rpms because their local coach has had them “following through to the shoulder” ad nauseam since their first red ball lesson.Ilike to teach my students modern parobolic swing shapes, inverted finishes where the racquet head is below the level of the hand, the wrap finish and the low finish.

54 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Ijust finished a super season of summer camp in Vermont. Players from all over the country and world visited our small academy in the green mountains for serious high performance training. It’s becoming harder and harder to find serious training in the summer. Many academies and camps offer more

4. Only grounded shots

10 Dinosaur Teaching Methods That Need To Go Extinct! By Chris

2. Two-handed backhand with wrists locked The days of Jimmy Connors and Chrissie Evert are over. The twohanded backhand should not be stiff and flat. The wrists should move, creating a “flip,” as Rick Macci and Brian Gordon describe it, with a lag and snap effect. This movement in the wrists and forearms helps to create racquet speed, whip and topspin. If you have trouble seeing the pathway of the wrists on the backhand during the acceleration phase, I highly recommend filming the stroke and analyzing the swing in slow motion.

I have had excellent results teaching kids open and semi open stances, not only on the forehand, but on the backhand side too. Open stances are fundamental nowadays because the game is fast and players are being stretched laterally to the max. The open stance has become essential to be able to move and rally consistently, to defend well, and to prepare and recover quickly in the modern game.

them:taught—andtechniquespeevesmodernLet’sprehistoricprogram!Comebecausedinosaurbeingskillsrankedbeginningwithprofessionalplayersintensekeepwithusuallysummercoachingandtraining—withprograms—MickeyrecreationalMousetypewatereddowntenniseasyfitness.Inaddition,goodisalsohardtofindintheasthetopacademycoachesaretravelingoronlyworkingthebestplayers.I’mproudtoitrealinsummerbyofferingtrainingwithonlytwopercourtandcoachandlevelfitness.AndIworkallcamperspersonally:fromtournamentkidstotopplayers.ThanksEachsummerIamshockedattheandtacticsthatsomekidsaretaughtbackhome.Icallthemtechniquesandtacticstheyareveryoldschool.oncoaches!Let’sgetwiththeIt’s2022,nottheages—oreven1980!evolveandteachplayersthetechnicalandtacticalgame.Herearesomeoldschoolpetofmine—outdatedandtacticsthatarebeingwhatshouldreplace

Oscar Wagner has been arguing this point for years and he is right. For many players the open stance can feel liberating and help them to feel the correct load-explode kinetic chain, and the open stance can also promote a more parabolic swing shape, which typifies the modern forehand swing path.

I have also discovered that the open stance can be more natural for some players and help them swing more fluidly with more elasticity.

It’s not that grounded shots are bad either, it’s that coaches teach only grounded shots and refuse to allow Lewit

page 56 HIGHELITETENNISCHRISLEWITYEAR-ROUNDTRAININGINTHENYCAREAPERFORMANCESUMMERCAMPINVERMONTSOUTHFLORIDATRAININGAVAILABLE CHRISLEWIT.COM 914.462.2912 CHRIS@CHRISLEWIT.COM 55LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

6. No spin on serves I see dozens of players visiting me each month who have never been taught a spin serve—any spin serve. They only hit one serve. This continued on

or encourage players to leave the ground for airborne shots. The modern game is typified by airborne shots with players leaving the ground routinely during the explosion phase of the swing. It makes no sense to force beginning and intermediate players to stay on the ground for every shot. That’s the way everyone played in the 1970s. In today’s game, being airborne is fundamental. In addition, learning to jump in a controlled way helps a player develop lower body power, body control, and balance, and encourages players to rotate their hips better than when staying grounded.Ontheserve, one of the best techniques to introduce to a beginner is loading the legs and jumping up to the ball. Yet most beginning players I meet tell me their coaches want them to stay on the ground. Crazy. I have taught jumping on the serve successfully to kids and adults of all ages and skill levels. Jumping is a great way to get the lower body activated and to work on balance. In addition, when you get players to jump on the serve, you can start honing the critical timing of the racket drop in relationship to the leg drive, which is critical (more on this below).

5. Serve—racquet on the back The all-time worst way to teach a beginner kid or adult—besides using no legs—is the classic method of breaking down the serve into parts and starting the player in the backscratch position or with the racquet resting on the shoulder or upper back. This type of half serving can create one of the worst habits and severe biomechanical flaws in tennis serving. The reason is that when players are taught this way, they learn to stop the racquet in the backscratch when they should be taught how to keep the racket moving quickly through this position. A hitch is created and many kids start developing a racket entry into the backscratch position too early and before the leg drive. This poor sequencing can lead to a loss of power. Rick Macci astutely describes this early racket drop as an epidemic in junior tennis and it’s even present on the pro tour, especially on the women’s side of the game. The early racket drop problem is clearly exacerbated by all the coaches out there forcing beginner kids and adults to rest the racket on their back, shoulder, or behind their head.

Many coaches are still teaching that tennis is a one way highway and that good players always try to move forwards. The entire system in Spain is predicated on the opposite of this philosophy. In Spain, good players are taught to move in 360 degrees, both forwards to attack and backwards to defend. Never just one way. Many ways! I meet so many players who never move back from the baseline and, in fact, many of them have well-meaning coaches who tell them that moving back is plain wrong, even cowardly. In reality, moving back on tough balls is smart. It will be easier to manage a deep and/or powerful ball by retreating to achieve a better position to receive the ball rather than holding one’s ground and fighting the ball with a half volley. The player can hit better topspin by moving back in the court and can often be more consistent because the player has a little more time and space to set up for the shot.

Players should be taught from an early age how to brush up and create topspin on the second serve and how to hit a side spin slice serve in order to open up the deuce court. The worst is when a player tells me that he or she has a good spin serve because his or her coach told them it was good. Then the kid shows me and the ball has little movement and barely any rpms. Poor kid! I can’t discern if these coaches are just being nice or if they honestly don’t know what a good spin serve looks like—or how to teach it.

10 dinosaur teaching

8. Always play crosscourt for defense

7. Only forward movement patterns

It’s silly to teach players to always play anywhere. Tennis is a game that requires surprises and unpredictability. I am commonly told by my students that past coaches have instructed them to always defend cross court. This is very foolish because it’s important that the attacking player can’t anticipate the defenders intention. The defender has to be able to play both cross and down the line with equalPlayerscontrol.should not be afraid to defend down the line. The court is a bit shorter and the net is a little higher, but a well-placed high and heavy shot line can be a wonderful defense. 9. Always approach downthe-line or down the middle These two golden oldies tactics will never die! Many players tell me their coaches said to always approach down the line. Many coaches also still encourage students to approach with middle shots. Many coaches also still teach a slice approach line or middle. These ideas are straight out of the 1970s and 1980s playbook. These plays are antiquated and usually don’t work as successfully as they did in the past. These types of tactics are not as effective because the game has changed. The surface is no longer predominately grass and courts have become slower in general, racquet and string technology has allowed players to hit with more methods that need to go extinct

continued from page 55 56 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

is dead wrong. Players can’t hope to develop into champions with one flat first serve and then softer flat serve for a second serve. That’s a joke.

power and spin, and players are passing with more power than ever before. Therefore these plays are less effective.

grail of tennis. While it’s certainly a good pattern for some players to move forward and finish with a volley, many famous players and highly successful competitors never or rarely come to net. It is possible to be a champion tennis player and rise to the net infrequently, but kids are rarely told that in the U.S.. For certain personalities, player abilities, and game styles, coming forward a lot may not be the best strategic option. For example, some players are very successful luring their opponents to the net rather than going to the net themselves.

Watch out for outdated teaching!

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.

Even the great Spanish coach William Pato Álvarez believed in approaching angle cross court and he has recommended that strategy since the 1970s.Intoday’s game, the smart approach shot is a big powerful forehand with topspin. The shot should go towards the opponent’s weaker wing in general, but must be disguised and mixed up from time to time—sometimes cross and sometimes down the line. It never made sense to tell players to always approach down the line! The opponent would pick up on that pattern very easily in a match. Players attacking the net should use the forehand (unless their backhand is better) and attack the weaker side, while sometimes attacking the strong side as a surprise. Players should not be afraid to attack cross court or approach on an angle shot. 10. Always look to finish points at the net This is related to number 7. Many coaches tell students that the only way to win points is to attack the net. According to these coaches, finishing points at the net is the holy

From what I have learned from players visiting me at the academy, there is no nuance about the net being taught. Most coaches are telling the kids to go to the net, and that if they don’t master the net they cannot become top players. This is a fallacy that needs to stop being promoted. The net is good, but the net can also be bad. The net can be a dangerous place to be. Alcaraz, for example, can win at the net, but he is equally adept at baiting people to come forward with a drop shot. Helping players understand the nuances of the net is the right thing to do. The idea that moving forward to the net is always right is dead wrong.

Conclusion

New York’s Premier Tennis Program For Over 30 Years & Counting Having proudly produced 90+ NCAA Division I, II, III Players / 250+ USTA Ranked Players / 1,000+ High School Players Offering programs for all ages and levels under the direction of a highly accomplished coaching staff of homegrown ATP, ITF, and NCAA players JUNIOR PROGRAMS • 10 & Under Pathway in association with Net Generation • Junior Development for recreational and high school players • High Performance Training for players competing in tournaments ADULT PROGRAMS • High Energy Cardio Tennis • Drill & Play, Group Clinics, Express Tennis for Beginners • In-club and USTA Leagues For more information, call 516-233-2790 or e-mail genXtennis@gmail.com 57LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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.

My recommendation is that if you witness any of these dinosaur methods being taught, run as fast as you can. Get away! They are dangerous to your tennis game. Find a coach who is teaching the modern game with forward thinking, cutting-edge technique and tactics. Your tennis life and future may depend on it.

• 3.5 Women from Syosset, Sportime, captained by Dawn Schosberg and Meredyth Kravitz.

• 3.0 Men from Long Island Health & Racquet, captained by Robert Kronenberg

• 4.0 Men from Port Washington, captained by Edward Gold

65 & Over • 7.0 Women from Garden City Department of Rec., captained by Maureen Cornacchia and Nancy Johnson

40 & Over

• 3.5 Men from Sportime Kings Park, captained by Bill Carson

• 4.5 Men from a hybrid team of Carefree and Roslyn, captained by Scott Chesney and Eric Chaffer

• 8.0 Women from Sportime, Syosset, captained by Jean Franklin and Gail GoodSchorLuck to all teams at Sectionals!

*Play in all 55 & Over and 65 & Over leagues continued until the end of August so not all league winners had been decided by the time this article was published.

The 40 & Over Women 4.5 Winners from Carefree, captained by Christine Capilets and Donna Ryan

The 40 & Over 4.0 Women from Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Lizi Bitton

• 3.0 Women from Carefree, captained by Carefree, Sharon Haiduk and Tina Aviles

• 3.5 Men from Christopher Morley, captained by Adam Moramarco

By Becky Bellino

The 18 & Over 4.0 Women from Eastern Athletic ClubBlue Point, captained by Jamie Stickney and Dorian Consiglio, are headed to Nationals

• 4.5 Women from Carefree Racquet Club, captained by Christine Capilets and Donna Ryan

Adult League Wrap-Up

58 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

The winner of the 18 & Over 5.0 Women’s will advance directly to Nationals on October 21-23 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sportime, Lynbrook and Carefree have battling it out all summer long, and the winner is yet to be determined.

• 4.0 Men from Sportime, Kings Park, captained by Brian Dulberg

• 3.0 Men from Long Island Health and Racquet, captained by Robert Kronenberg

We are in the thick of Sectional Fever, and another season of Men’s and Women’s USTA League Tennis is finishing up just around the same time this article is being written. The teams that have advanced to USTA Eastern Sectionals or beyond so far are: 18 & Over • 2.5 Women from Lynbrook, captained by first-time captain Lauren Norris. Congratulations on making it to Sectional on your first go at captaining!

• 3.0 Women from Deer Park, captained by Jill Bratos

• 4.5 Men from Long Beach, captained by Fayez Malik and Mitchell Low • 5.0 Men from Carefree, captained by Ben Marks

• 4.0 Women from Sportime Lynbrook, captained by Lizi Bitton

• 4.0 Women from Eastern Athletic Club - Blue Point, captained by Jamie Stickney and Dorian Consiglio. (Blue Point also took the top prize at Sectionals and has advanced to the 2022 Nationals in Surprise, Arizona. Good luck ladies!)

• 3.5 Women from Eastern Athletic Club – Blue Point, captained by Jackie Mazzarone

• 4.5 Women from Eastern Athletic Club – Dix Hills, captained by Christine Capilets

Lastly, some amazing news for the Island and its tennis community is the opening of the latest Sportime location: Port Washington. The former Port Washington Tennis Academy is now under Sportime Management and there are many new developments in store for thisWithlocation.afacility of 17 indoor tennis courts, Adult Leagues will happily welcome any team that wishes to use this location as their home facility. If you are interested in having your Mixed Doubles and/or your Tri-Level team use Sportime Port Washington as its home facility, please feel free to reach out to Ryan Schreiber at rschreiber@sportimeny.com.

The 3.5 Women from Eastern Athletic Club – Blue Point, captained by Jackie Mazzarone

The Men’s and Women’s Tri-Level League will be starting in October. The league consists of three courts of doubles with one court at the 4.5 level, one at the 4.0 level and one at the 3.5 level. We also run another Tri-Level league at the 4.0, 3.5 and 3.0 levels. Play for this league will take place over the weekends. If you are interested in captaining a team, or getting onto a team, please let me know.

The 4.5 18 & Over winners from Eastern Athletic Club – Dix Hills, captained by Christine Capilets

The 4.5 18 & Over Men from Long Beach, captained by Fayez Malik and Mitchell Low

59LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

The 3.0 Women from Carefree, captained by Carefree, Sharon Haiduk and Tina Aviles

The 18 & Over Mixed Doubles league, which is three courts of doubles, will have teams at the combined levels of 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0. The league will run from November 2022 through March 2022. We will also run a 40 & Over Mixed Doubles league with the same levels from February through May. The mixed doubles matches play on weekends. Again, if you are interested in captaining a team or joining a team, please let me know.

Becky Bellino is the new Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. A native of Bergen County, N.J., Bellino played collegiate tennis at Gettysburg College, and currently plays in USTA Adult Leagues. She may be reached at bellino@eastern.usta.com.

The Top Ten Tennis Tips of All-Time Part Five: The

Tennis Court Equipment & Material Tennis Posts & Nets • Court Accessories Windscreen • Netting & Hardware (631)velvetop.com427-5904 1455 New York Ave Huntington Station, NY Now Available:Graco SaniSpray HPAirless Disinfectant Sprayers

In any sport, all the greats have one thing in common: an iron will to win.

60 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

1. Growing up in hardship Serena and Venus Williams grew up on the dangerous streets of Compton, and they continually faced racial slurs throughout their careers. Connors witnessed the severe beating of his mother and his grandparents when he was eight-years-old, Novak Djokovic was raised in war-torn Serbia and Tiger Woods faced racial slurs growing up in California.“Thatwhich does not destroy you will make you strong.”

Tom Brady in football, Wayne Gretzky in hockey and Michael Jordan in basketball are all examples of players were not physically imposing, but they all had that fire in the belly that makes for greatness. Roger Federer is a good example of someone who is not physically imposing but he keeps on winning. Tennis greats like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were all smaller than average, but they too had an amazing desire to win. The 39-yearold Connors’ performance in the 1991 U.S. Open is considered to be one to the great runs in tennis history because despite age and injury, he defeated top seeds and made it to the semifinals based upon sheer will power and the support of an adoring crowd.

2. Unconditional long term support and guidance Despite their tough upbringing, Serena and Venus Williams had incredible parents. The film King Richard was about Richard Williams and demonstrated his

Let us take a moment to deconstruct the will to win and see if we can determine both what it is and how to channel it. The following three ingredients are involved:

Will to Win

By Dr. Tom Ferraro

There is truth to that quote in fact in a study by two psychologists about the most eminent persons in American history discovered that the vast majority of them grew up in pain and deprivation. There is something about early childhood suffering that acts like a crucible of pain and produces an iron will power.

An interesting trait of most champions is humbleness. Anger, mistakes, and disappointments are part of sports. The tennis player must learn how to cope with disappointments without undue anger and champions have the ability to do Everyso.sport is designed to be difficult and it is crucial that the athlete master their anger if they are to master their game. Tennis players, even the very best tennis players, double fault, hit long, hit into the net, endure bad calls or bad weather nearly every match they play. If these problems are not immediately accepted and managed well, they lead to more mistakes, panic, despair, and losses. Out of control anger has to do with unrealistic expectations, and therefore reasonable expectations are another key in the will to Sowin.the will to win requires early hardship as we see in the Williams sisters or in Djokovic. This hardship made them humble and made them strong. They also needed prolonged and protective support from parents who sheltered them and also solaced them.Inthe end, it can be seen that champions have a very healthy core which gives them trust in themselves, it gives them resilience and it gives them humbleness and a reasonable view of what to expect from themselves. They

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.

parental devotion and protective support needed to nurse prodigies. Research shows that parental support is needed for at least ten years before a talented child can display his or her true power. Steady protective support instills a sense of safety in the athlete which gives them that never give up attitude which is a part of the will to win.

61LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

all know that they will not have their “A” game every time they step onto the court and they manage these lulls with grace and acceptance. But not everyone has these experiences in childhood. Not everyone gets unconditional love. If a person grows up with self-deficits, they feel defective on the inside and will never feel satisfied, will not be able to digest victory and will lack confidence. Behind every great tennis player are parents who give unconditional love and support over many years. These parents give guidance and allow the player to feel good about themselves without undue pressure, without guilt and who are reasonable in expectations.Andwhen that occurs, you create an unstoppable athlete with an iron will to win.

3. Reasonable expectations

By Rob Polishook 62 Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2022 • LITennisMag.com

Think about this: how many times have you seen a professional player throw their racket or smash a ball, either hitting or narrowly missing a linesman, ball boy or fan? Or verbally abusing the umpire, or even chirping directly at their opponent? To me this is unacceptable, unappealing and completely unsportsmanlike. Now, let’s bring it closer to home: imagine it’s your child that you’re watching. They are on the court, cursing, smashing their racket and just self-destructing.

Now, of course that’s not realistic, and equally you cannot put a band aid over the behavior, and say “it won’t happen again”, or, “this was a one off”. In this instance, you merely have affixed a bandage to the symptom, not the cause.

Certainlyfamiliar?itskey for the parent and/or coach to not only address the behavior (broken racket, smashed ball, verbal abuse) but also to look into the underlying cause(s), below the surface. In reality, upon deeper reflection, hints or triggers that all has not been well have probably been simmering for a long time. However, like a volcano, until it blows, there is not much attention on it. If your kid were a robot you could turn a switch and viola, their behavior changes.

Parents often relate that when this happens they often leave, not wanting to support this behavior from their child. Then the player looks to the side fence, doesn’t see the parent and sure enough the ingredients for a heated car ride home are waiting to be cooked!Sound

So, what is the underlying cause? What’s going on below the surface? This is where things get complicated and are unique to each individual person that plays the game. However, there are some common questions which come up in my client work which would be worth exploring with your child, and as a player, coach and parent selfreflecting on. The following are common pressures, thoughts and triggers that kids (and pros) internalize.

This article is not about calling out professional players that sabotage their games by disrespecting themselves, their opponents and the game by throwing rackets, smashing balls and verbal abuse. Rather it’s to try to understand what’s happening below the surface when a professional player, junior or everyday joe implodes on the court.

Questions like these often relate to the turbulence a player carries in their body and ruminates on in their mind. Here are a number of them: Is your child feeling intense Rackets, Smashed Balls & Verbal Abuse! is going on?

Broken

What

With the U.S. approaching,Openthere are so many great players to watch andConversely,emulate. there are also other professionals not worthy of copying especially regarding the mental game.

In summary, to address and change the bad behavior we must first understand what’s going on below the surface, what’s triggering things, and what are the thought patterns the player is having. On a personal note, I share with my clients, and also remember when I am playing competitive matches: “Tennis is not who I am, it is what I do.”Because it’s not who I am, it’s not personal, there’s nothing to prove, and I don’t have to be perfect. My goal is to just play, be the best I can be and bring who I am (resilient, competitive, problem solver) to what I am doing. The result will be a consequence which I can learn from, win or lose.

In reality, another lens to see things, though it may be hard to believe…but true. The bad behavior throwing of the racket, verbal abuse etc. is an emotional release for the child, the only way they know to vent and release their overwhelmed energy at that moment. A young junior tennis client told me he used to punch himself in the stomach when he got into tense match situations. He explained to me that he was just trying to punch his nerves and fear of losing. On another occasion, a topnotch high school player told me she would throw her racket into the back fence during a match to relieve the pressure.Again, let’s be clear, I am not condoning ill behavior. In fact, I dislike it even more from the pros because young aspiring players observe it and this behavior then gets normalized. However, it is crucial that we attempt to understand what is fueling these actions and address them from the root level. It’s important to note that if the roots of the problem are not resolved, two things will happen: the emotional cause of the tension will be released in a different way, or the athlete will hold the issues inside and erupt on court at another time. Neither of these results is conducive to balanced mental health and playing your best.

pressure to win? Where is this coming from? Are the expectations of friends, coaches, and parents getting to them? Is the child afraid of failing? What would failing mean to them? Does the child feel like they are being judged every time they walk on the court? By whom? Is it that they are trying to validate their worth, value and standing as a person in matches? Is it that under pressure they skip the process and jump to thinking only of the results and forgetting about what they must do to get that result?Are they coming back from an injury? Or holding the stress of an injury in their body because they don’t want to admit vulnerability? Is it that they are thinking of the post-match critique while bottled up in the car? Is it that the child is trying to be perfect, because that’s what they think is expected? Is it that they are trying to prove themselves to others and winning is the only way to do it? Is it that they don’t understand that tennis does not define them as a person and therefore a loss is more than disappointment, but it is shame, as it means they are not just not good enough as a player but worse yet as a person.?Theseare just some of the underlying fears and beliefs that may be behind bad behavior.

· FIRST Junior Development Pickleball Program on LI · Ages 3-17, programs based on age & ability · Stroke production & analysis · Cardio & footwork drills · Intro to match play · Fully certified pros Presenting PB+ Junior Pickleball Academy! Pickleball Plus LLC l 525 Eagle Avenue l West Hempstead, NY 11552 l (516) 550-5700 Facebook: Pickleball Plus l Instagram: pickleballplus_liwww.PickleballPlusLLC.com·FIRSTJuniorDevelopment Pickleball Program on LI Ages 3-17, programs based on age & ability · Stroke production & analysis · Cardio & footwork drills · Intro to match play · pros 63LITennisMag.com • September/October 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

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 bring their heart, energy, and spirit to their sport. Rob is author of 3 best-selling books: Tennis Inside the Zone, Baseball Inside the Zone and Golf Inside the Zone. He speaks and conducts workshops nationally and internationally, and his work has been highlighted on ESPN 30 for 30 series and other prestigious media such as tennischannel.com, Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. He can be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, by e-mail rob@insidethezone.com, by visiting insidethezone.com, following on Instagram @insidethezone.

Distribution scheduled for 11/02/22 This edition will feature: • Coaches Roundtable Discussion • Tennis Travel Destination Guide • Holiday Gift Guide • 2022 Girls’ High School 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 November/December Instagram-@LITennisMagFacebook-www.Facebook.com/LongIslandTennis2022!•Twitter-@LITennisMag Submissions for both advertising and editorial are due by October 3, 2022 For more information, please call 516-409-4444 or e-mail Advertise@LITennisMag.com COMING IN NOVEMBER

75LITennisMag.com • July/August 2022 • Long Island Tennis Magazine

76 Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2022 • LITennisMag.com alrofessionh a Pwit areecyourceEnhan A CAREER B VE TENNISLLOO er BEGINS HERE S? llegeCo Qfrom C)TMP( Teennis CUNYsueen teatiﬁcer entagemMan.tennisogramindustryadministration and facilitpr fers students the oppoffPr ofesThe Queens College-CUNY Pr ogram of ey management knowledge to pursue a car ortunity to hone their tennis teaching, sales, ennis Management (PTM) CertiﬁcatTessional T eer in temarketing,the ough internships and job placement.learning and experiential learning thr ogram combines on-court workshops with online and cee semester prThis thr 19TA.eserved.AllrightsrUS ogram at Queens Collegeabout the PTM Pr en morto leary..edu/pcsw.Visit www ©20 .qc.cuny