Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy to Offer Top Coaching for Juniors

September 18, 2013 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Hurst-Mayotte-Mabouti

Former World Top-10 Tim Mayotte has joined forces with renowned junior coach Lee Hurst to launch the Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy at Cunningham Sports Center in Fresh Meadows, N.Y.—just a short distance away from the U.S. Open site where Mayotte once reached the quarterfinals.

“There is a wealth of sports talent among the youngsters in this area,” said Mayotte, an Olympic Silver Medalist and Wimbledon and Australian Open semifinalist who reached as high as seventh in the world in 1988. “Having a year-round, high-performance tennis academy here in Fresh Meadows is a perfect fit for what these young players need.”

With the combined talents of Mayotte and Hurst, along with top coach Dominick Mabouti, the Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy offers some of the best high-performance junior and college training anywhere in the world. And, unlike many training centers, the top coaches at Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy are on court every day with the players, offering clinics, instruction and private lessons.

“I’m most at home when I’m on the court, teaching and coaching,” said Mayotte, who served as a USTA National Coach and opened and ran the USTA’s High-Performance Center at the NTC from 2009-11. “I’ll be heavily and personally involved in helping every young player improve their game.”

A native of Springfield, Mass., Mayotte burst upon the scene in 1981 when he captured the NCAA Men’s Singles title at Stanford University. During an impressive professional career from 1981-1990 “Gentleman Tim” captured 12 ATP singles titles, nine of them between 1987-88. He defeated such household names as Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert and Johan Kriek in the finals.

Hurst, who has been teaching for the past 25 years, is renowned for running one of the best junior programs for the past 10 years. Mabouti joins the team from the famed BTT Academy in Barcelona, Spain, where he developed four Top-100 players in the world.

The Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy is built upon developing four areas of the player; mental, technical, tactical and fitness. The training methodology is focused on the intention of practices, rather than the number of balls hit. It emphasizes small group practices in which players work together towards their goals. Since the philosophy strives to develop excellence in all areas of a person and their tennis game they works hard in communicating with and educating family members, who are equally important to the process of the student.

“If junior players want to take their games to the next level, our team of tennis professionals has unparalleled experience,” Hurst said. “We know how to train young players and how to guide them to improve—and to win.”

The Cunningham Sports Center offers 10 championship hard courts that are bubbled from October through April, so play continues year-round. Currently, Mayotte-Hurst Tennis Academy offers school programming and is now enrolling students for a home-school program that will start in the spring.

“We’ll have three levels of programming,” Mayotte said. “For our most ambitious players, we’ll offer daily two-hour sessions with our top coaches, including myself and Lee, at a 3-to-1 player-to-coach ratio.”

Players looking to improve on their high-school teams or play NCAA Division 3 tennis can opt for two-hour sessions with a player-coach ratio of 4-to-1. “This is a game-based approach, with a focus on tactics and getting the most out of your game,” Hurst said.

“We just began our college training program for Division 1 players who are looking to transition from college to the pro ranks,” Mayotte said. Beside tactics, this program offers advanced training in all the technical and movement skills needed to play at the highest levels.

The Academy also offers goal-setting, schedule planning and video analysis. Coaches are available to travel with the players to important events.

The Cunningham Sports Center is located near the junction of the Clearview Expressway and the Grand Center Parkway in Fresh Meadows, Queens, N.Y., and is easily accessible by public transportation. For more information, visit www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cunninghampark/facilities/tennis.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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