I made a mistake. I tossed a rule away because I wanted to be kind. I’ll never do that again. A muffled ringing resonated during a USTA match. Four tennis bags lay on the bench; one was guilty. All four players stood frozen. Who left their phone on? The ringing stopped. Rule 36 in…
The U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will not be open for the public to attend this year, the USTA announced last week. “For 2021, the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will not be open for fans to attend,” the USTA said in its press release. “This was a particularly tough decision for the USTA to make,…
Tennis is a sport that has an impact beyond the wins and losses on the court. It’s a sport that demands dedication and instills a work ethic, helping young people develop character traits that can be utilized in all walks of life. Embodying this mantra is Parsa Samii, a former collegiate and professional tennis…
Earlier this spring, I received an e-mail that would completely change my life for the better. It was an email from the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) introducing their National Career and Leader Mentoring Program. The mission of the program aligned with my goals of creating a clear career plan, polishing up my…
If you are a young, aspiring tennis player, you would be hard pressed to find a player more worthy of idolizing than Rafael Nadal. His tenacity on the court, unrelenting work ethic and the classy way in which he approaches his profession are all enviable traits any young person should mirror. One of those…
Universal Tennis and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) have announced a multi-year partnership aimed at upgrading tennis for more than 20,000 high school players and coaches in New York State. “This partnership is an important step for us to continue the growth of tennis in our state,” said Dr….
A year ago, the country was in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic and no one knew what the future would hold. Perhaps no place was hit harder in terms of infection rates, but also economically, than New York City. There wasn’t a single industry that was left unaffected by the lack of people…
On Memorial Day Weekend at Verdi’s Restaurant in Whitestone, Queens, the Professional Tennis Management (PTM) students from Queens College toasted their seven brethren, dubbed the “Original 7”, who were about to complete their third and final PTM semester. They had started in January of 2020, and after six in-person, Monday evening classes (that last…
John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe will be joined by other tennis greats at the 7th Annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project’s Pro-Am in the Hamptons on Saturday, August 21, 2021, 2 p.m. at SPORTIME Amagansett, 320 Abrahams Path, East Hampton, NY. Participants will compete in a round-robin tournament alongside former WTA and ATP World Tour…
I am very much in favor of live ball drills, playing a lot of points, games, sets, tiebreakers, and any other competitive practice situation. However, one of the best drills that I have found to get your players to swing consistently and with the same follow-through on every shot is a feeding drill. It…