Junior Tennis

Tennis is one of those unique sports in that for the majority of a junior’s competitive career, the only people who consistently watch them play are their parents. Unlike team sports where the coach is with the team at practice and matches, tennis coaches often coach their hour-long private lesson...Read more

“I made it to the final of my tournament last week!” “I got a baby puppy this week!” “My AP History class is killing me!” These are just a few of the phrases I hear on a weekly basis from students during lessons/programs, and it’s easy to assume they are being talkative or only desire attention...Read more

This article first appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of New York Tennis Magazine. You can read the full digital edition by clicking here . In early February, more than 2,000 students from the Rochester City School District took part in a tennis workshop to commemorate Arthur Ashe Legacy Lives...Read more

Helping young athletes attend the colleges of their choice, on full tennis scholarships whenever possible, is a primary goal of SPORTIME and of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA). With dozens of JMTA students currently competing at top colleges across the country, the Academy announced the 2020...Read more

As a coach, I counsel many families about how much tennis children should train at different ages and whether to cross-train in other sports and it’s a common question on my podcast, The Prodigy Maker Show. The bottom line is that every kid is different. Some can play tennis exclusively from the...Read more

About two years ago I went to watch one of my students play a USTA Eastern Section tournament. It was a 12U event, his opponent was a nice little player and it was a close match. However, I noticed right away that the kid kept looking at his watch before and after every point; it looked strange. It...Read more

In the summer of 2019, some of the best junior tennis players from across the country gathered at the Winward Lake Club in Alpharetta, Ga. for the USTA Girls 12s National Championships. The tournament is one of the more prestigious ones on the junior circuit, and can provide a real test for the...Read more

As a director of tennis at clubs and programs for more than 20 years, I’ve seen all the sides of tournament play … as a player, coach, tournament director and USTA official. Unfortunately, the number of players participating in tournaments these days is lower than in year’s past. Part of the issue...Read more

When Shawn Mitchell Yon was in the first grade at P.S. 295, he was introduced to the game of tennis through a program run at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. “I was one of the few kids selected to try out for the program,” he recalls. “The school transported us to the site and I’ve loved the game ever...Read more

One of the most under-developed skill sets for competitive tennis players is their ability to scout opponents and then build a winning plan against their opponent based on their scouting. The ability to create a game plan from scouting opponents is an essential factor for the player to be able to...Read more