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My Tennis Career

When I was about 5 years old, my grandma put a tennis racquet in my hands. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a racquet in my hands when I’m lowered into the ground. I’ve played recreational tennis, competitive tennis, and taught tennis for the last 10 years. Tennis hasn’t always been a focus, but it’s always been a passion.

Summary:

  • Park Avenue Tennis Club: Group lessons - Private lessons - Competitive Program

  • Huntington Indoor: Lessons - Clinics

  • Oldfield Middle School - Tennis Team - 1st Singles

  • Bollettieri Tennis Academy

  • Harborfields HS - Varsity Tennis Team - 1st Singles

  • PAL Program - Tennis Instructor

  • Saddlebrook Tennis Academy

  • Eastern Athletic: Competitive Program - Private Training

  • Oldfield Middle School Tennis Camp - Head Instructor

  • Hills East - Varsity tennis team - 1st Singles

  • Deer Park Tennis and Fitness: Competitive and Group Lessons

  • Sportime Kings Park: Clinics

  • Woodside Club - Tennis Professional

  • MIT Varsity Tennis

  • Eastern Athletic Club - Tennis Professional

  • Private Lessons - Tennis Professional

  • Old Westbury Country Club - Tennis Professional

  • Tam O’Shanter Country club - Tennis Professional

  • MIT Club Tennis - 1st Singles

The Beginning

Growing up in Huntington, NY, I lived just down the street from Park Avenue Tennis Club when I started playing. My grandma, an avid tennis player, made sure that I grew up taking group lessons once a week. During that time I grew familiar with the basics of playing, but didn't play nearly enough to be considered advanced. During the summer of 2005, while spending several weeks with my grandparents in Florida, I attended a tennis camp at the Daytona Tennis Center. It was during those weeks that I started taking tennis seriously. This was in part due to the frustration of getting crushed by an 11 year old Italian girl who was half my size. Regardless of why, I started trying to get better with more intention. When I came back after that summer, I quickly reached the top of the food chain within the tennis club. So, with my newfound confidence I decided to start playing USTA tournaments.

Competition And Training

I lost my first tournament match 6-0 6-1 and was ready to walk away from tennis. I didn’t, of course. (Sidenote: I ended up redeeming myself 2 years later with a 6-0 6-0 win over the same guy - he had become a teammate and a friend too.) In addition to the USTA tournaments, I played tennis in middle school. In seventh grade, I was solidly in the middle class of players on the team. The summer after 7th grade, my grandparents were able to send me to the Bollettieri Tennis Academy. I was a solid tennis player beforehand, but the repetition, physical training, and exposure to strong players provided a boost in the same way that the previous camp had.

Seeing pros like Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Tommy Haas, Radek Stepanek, and Maria Sharapova practice didn’t hurt either. In any case, I was one of the strongest players in the school district when I came back and so began my career as a top(usually 1st) singles player. In addition, the pattern that began was that every team that I played for would have an undefeated season - from 8th grade until my sophomore year of college. I was also fortunate enough to be all-county, all-state, and all-american by the time high school finished. So, at the risk of sounding more arrogant than I already do - in the words of Roger Federer, I and the teams that I’ve played for “have been very very dominant”.

During High School, I would wake up at 4:45 am to be picked up by my most influential coach, Juan Ortiz, on his way to Eastern Athletic. He’d work with me in the morning for a little over an hour during the hours of the morning when there was no demand for courts. It meant cheap training for me, and I will always be grateful for that. At night I would head to Deer Park Tennis & Fitness or to Sportime Kings Park. As always, I went where I could play the most for the least amount of money. Not only was it only made possible by the kindness of the people running the clubs, but it was the only way I could afford to play tennis. The work and lost sleep paid off in my performance in competitive play.

As I continued my journey to college,  walking onto the MIT tennis team was the first time that I was closer to the bottom of the pack than the top. It was different and pleasant to feel a different kind of pressure. I ultimately decided to leave the team to focus on academics, but I never stopped playing. I played for the Farmingdale State College team briefly as well. Once again at the top of the lineup, and with similar challenges to confront. Since then, I’ve played for the MIT Club Tennis Team. Less practices and matches than Varsity, but still a lot of fun.

Teaching

I got my first opportunity to teach through the Police Athletic League(PAL) Program at Eastern Athletic Club. The director of the program agreed to hire me because he thought I was older than I was because of my height and manner. However, despite discovering that I was only 14, there was no reason to replace me because I was doing well with the kids. After about a year of teaching PAL programs, Eastern Athletic hired me as an instructor in their drilling program. Not long after, the Head Tennis Professional brought me on to help with the competitive program and to teach my own lessons.

 

That work grew into running the summer camp program at Eastern athletic, working alongside her both for her private lessons, and supporting her work at the Woodside Club. I went on to work at Old Westbury Country Club two summers later and Tam O’Shanter Country club the year after that. Over this course of time, I began teaching my own private lessons independent of the Tennis and Country Clubs. After about 10 years of it, I consider myself to be a skilled teacher.  

 

I don’t spend nearly as much time teaching as I used to, but, if you’re interested in improving your game or getting high quality hitting in, feel free to contact me.

Thank you

Tennis has always been expensive, so my training was only made possible by the generosity and support of my parents, grandparents, the clubs that I played at, and a few coaches who went the extra mile to push me closer to my potential. Tom Daley - Routine Shots and footwork; Maurice Brown - short angles; Johnny Ramirez - slice; Juan Ortiz - Serve, volley, and backhand; Dorian Porada - Big Points; Cougar Arande - forehand; Laurie Tenney Fehrs - employment and support.