THIS MONTH
Dear Reader (Changes at TBC; Welcome, Sammie; Earn Extra Money feature is back)
Starting this Month: USTA on Board with our New Initiatives
Big USTA Scandal - $350Mio Down the Drain
May Review: USPTA West Coast Regional Conference
USA Tennis Tour's June Schedule
'Tennis Boom Radio' on Clubhouse - First Month in the Bag
June Quiz - Win HEAD Strings
Games: Three Headlines and a Lie
Brought to my Attention (Incl. Rumor Mill)
USTA Press Releases Throughout May
Shout-outs
DEAR READER,​
Happy 'Men's Health Month' and on June 20th it's Happy Father's day in the following countries:
Happy Father's Day to all dads among our readers!!!
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Keep an open mind!
Last month I became fascinated with Spec Tennis. Not only because Nate Gross seems to be a really nice guy (he even returns emails, which blows my mind!). But I learned that Spec Tennis can actually be played on a pickleball court. I can see all you tennis directors and club owners reading this in amazement. Yes! Your pickleball court(s) can be also utilized for Spec Tennis. That means you can offer your members now 3 racquet sports, tennis, pickleball, and the (almost) noiseless Spec Tennis. How does that sound? Although I like pickleball a lot, I think club owners should keep an open mind and accept other alternative racquet sports next to tennis and PB.
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Welcome New Reader Sammie Watson
Sammie is a tennis professional and small business owner at Play By The Bay Tennis & Fitness LLC in San Diego, California. I had a chance to ask her "Why do you teach tennis? What do you love about the sport?" And here are her answers
I grew up primarily as a ski racer, with tennis being introduced to me at a young age as my secondary sport where my mom and I would practice together occasionally. To be honest, I didn't love tennis at first, and although I chose to pursue it and train rigorously as I got older, I found practicing to be more fun than the competition. It wasn't until I earned my full ride at Boise State that I finally began to fully develop my love for the sport in its entirety.
Tennis is a wonderful sport because it teaches people of all ages how to manage and essentially love themselves in every real-life situation. You are your only friend out there, and your only enemy if you so choose. But no one else is going to make you win or lose that point, no one else is going to believe in you, no one else is going to push you past your physical and mental limits to succeed if you aren't your own biggest fan. It also teaches kids how to develop essential skills such as mental management, discipline, time management, endurance, and how to work hard to achieve something.
Aside from the life-lessons learned, tennis is also wonderful because you gain lifelong relationships with fellow players and in my situation in college, you learn how to work together as a team to complete a common goal, and therefore learn to support others over your own needs. The strategy of the game is also fascinating, and I believe that is where the zone lies. When people find their groove on a given day, when it all seems to effortlessly fall into place and all your effort finally seems worth it, that is where someone falls in love with the sport and keeps coming back to find that rhythm again.
Changes at TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS
I am very happy to report that we have adjusted our editorial direction a bit. We do not want to be part of the problem when it comes to growing tennis. We want to rather be part of the solution. That's why we have changed our focus a little
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We’re mainly adding 3 new topics to our monthly lineup and dropping some others. The 3 new ones are
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Tennis Advocacy
We’ll be working with many USTA Sections on sharing information about tennis advocacy with our readers. We’re also planning to establish Best Practices to give our readers the tools needed to better advocate vis-à-vis the onslaught of soccer mons, baseball dads, and pickleball Ambassadors that are beating a path to the doors of city council and planning commission meetings everywhere. -
Tennis for Adult Beginners
We all know how tough it can be for adults to get into our sport and stay in it. The most frightening number I remember from my time on the USTA Tennislink Team is: 75%+ meaning more than 75% of adults getting into the sport of tennis get out of it again within a year. We’ll be polling everyone from regular tennis pro to club owner and organization staffer to give us their ideas and initiatives so we can share them with our readers. -
Post Graduate Tennis
The college players that do not take the pathway to play professionally are a large reservoir of very good players who could potentially become certified tennis coaches. While most PTM programs are already involved in getting their graduates employment, other colleges do not as far as I know. So, we want to address those graduates and give them a chance to explore the possibility of going into full-time or part-time teaching tennis. We’re also aiming to get as many college tennis players as possible to subscribe to the newsletter.
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So, get ready, folks. We'll get some good content out to you and hope you'll let us in on your own initiatives and programs so we can all learn from one another.
EARN EXTRA MONEY Feature is Back
I've known Adeline Arjad Cook for about 10 years and have, in fact played mixed doubles with her. She's an advanced tennis player and a serial entrepreneur. Her tennis fashion and jewelry business I LOVE MY DOUBLES PARTNER is well known all over the Los Angeles area and her tennis tournament business has started to take off big time. She organizes domestic and international tournaments for ladies and that's where the business opportunity is for our readers. She just returned from a very successful tournament with Los Angeles tennis ladies on the island of Turks & Caicos.
STARTING THIS MONTH
USTA on Board With our New Initiatives
Our decision to direct TCB's editorial focus toward helping to grow the game in 3 areas was met with enthusiasm by a lot of people and with the assurance of support by USTA CEO Mike Dowse. The 3 topics are
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a) Tennis Advocacy
b) Post Graduate Tennis
c) Adult Beginners
This month we are beginning mainly with Tennis Advocacy and one article each in regards to Post Graduate Tennis and Adult Beginners - how to attract them and how to keep them in the game. I'd love to get suggestions from our readers about that subject!
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I am thrilled that some USTA Sections (Florida and Southern), as well as USTA national (Mickey Maule), have started supporting our initiative. Maule has sent a bunch of good information already. Together with section help, we'll be able to broadly inform our readers about advocacy, create a Best Practices page, and help tennis fight off the onslaught of soccer moms, baseball dads, and pickleball Ambassadors when it comes to sports and recreation planning in all areas of our country.
I am also thrilled that Dan Santorum of the PTR has promised to support our Advocacy efforts. And we are happy to introduce a sponsor for our Post Graduate Tennis page: Racquet Pros, "the world's leading search and recruitment platform for racquet sports." Check out Racquet Pro's Mike Manzella and his June article "Why Tennis and Pickleball Instructors and Clubs Need Racquet-Pros.com."
FUN ON THE COURT
On the coin toss Martina said, "Do you want me to break your serve first or hold?" The umpire looked shocked. But we just both cracked up.
Lindsay Davenport, on a match she played with Martina Hingis
(The New York Times, August 24, 1997)
BIG USTA SCANDAL - $350 MILLION DOWN THE DRAIN
We want that money returned to grassroots tennis!
Axios Sports published an article in their May 11 newsletter titled "The decline of American men's tennis", reporting that for the first time in the nearly half-century history of computerized tennis rankings, there are no American men in the ATP's top 30.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Axios:
The state of play: The highest-ranked American is Taylor Fritz, who fell to No. 31 on Monday after a first-round loss at last week's Madrid Masters.
The big picture: There has always been at least one man from the U.S. ranked in the top 30 each week since the inception of the rankings on Aug. 23, 1973.
Between the lines: There are numerous factors that have contributed to the decline of American men's tennis, but two stand out: lack of star power and fewer college opportunities.
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Lack of stars: While women's tennis is full of American icons like Serena Williams and up-and-coming talent like Coco Gauff, men's tennis hasn't had a dominant figure since the Agassi-Sampras rivalry in the 1990s. Naturally, that limits the sport's exposure to young boys.
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Fewer college spots: Europe is the center of the tennis world, and many of the best young amateurs earn U.S. college scholarships. As a result, tennis has by far the highest percentage of foreign-born players in Division I (32.3% in 2017), which means fewer spots for Americans.
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So knowing these facts, we need to ask the USTA: Why do you continue to pour millions of dollars down the drain trying to find a tennis star? There is no other example in the history of any other sport, where so much money was spent with absolutely no results.
Here is what the USTA spent on Player Development since its inception in 1987 (my estimation, give or take a few million).
And, you guessed it, most of that money went to salaries. A staff of 50-60 people costs many millions every year. And that with no accountability.
And then there was the May 29 John Feinstein article in the Washington Post "For American men’s tennis, this is as bad as it has ever been."
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I added the comparison with the USTA total spent on Player Development.
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Mind boggling!
USTA BOARD - How can you let that happen without applying brakes?
Can you even imagine what $350Mio can do for grassroots tennis programs?
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A wise woman told me last week, "A Board full of lawyers and others who have never taught tennis, will not likely make decisions that support grassroots tennis." Is she right? I'm asking in all honesty, how much of the $350Mio have gone to Board Members' (or their friends' and families') businesses? Is that a fair question to ask Gordon Smith, Kurt Kamperman, and David Haggerty?
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We have asked a few of our readers for their opinion about player development.
CLIFF DRYSDALE
"The avenues to spreading the recreational tennis word and the development of pro tour players go through the teaching tennis professionals. Elite players are born more often than not out of a family tennis atmosphere. It is the teaching pro who inspires families and individuals to make tennis part of their lifestyle.
There is not just one way to hit a forehand. Similarly, there are a hundred ways for pros to develop programs that work for their communities. Contributors to your publication, mostly teaching pros, have identified countless innovative programs that make perfect sense. They are on the frontline of the challenge to develop grass root programs and through them, future superstars.
The USTA has been slow to the party but is now, I believe, recognizing this reality. The challenge is how to reallocate priorities to bolster the teaching industry."
PAM SHRIVER
During a podcast with Patrick McEnroe ("Holding Court With...") Pam opined that the draught in American male stars won't last very long. "It's cultural. There are so many sports in the country. They'll have some breakthroughs. I think Korda's the real deal."
Pam also mentioned that our juniors' work ethics are not what they were 30-40 years ago. "We're getting real soft."
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Regarding Patrick McEnroe, I was gasping when he said, "When I was running the USTA Player Development for many years, the mantra was 'no U.S. players in the quarters or semis of Grand Slams.' Now it's 'no U.S. player in the top 30.' Oh, well."
It sounded like "the complaints are getting old, get over it." And that by a man who thoroughly failed as program chief and raked in millions for that failure. I can only shake my head.
RICK MACCI
"We need to get best male athletes at a young age and be selected by the best talent evaluator that has done it, proven it, baked it, and put the icing on the cake!
Sebastian Korda will 100% win Grand Slams. Best I've seen since I coached Roddick. Nobody even comes close in the past 20 years. He has the genetic base and the technical base with advanced weapons. Like I have said for a century, it's all about an athlete with unreal genetics. Btw, his mom, dad, sisters, cat, and dog are all world-class athletes. Clean game. Great grips. Here is the USTA Roadmap: Follow the yellow brick genetic road."
JAVIER PALENQUE
"Tennis is a blue-collared sport played by white-collared kids. To succeed, you need blue-collared ethics and values. Why are those Eastern European kids and adults succeeding? They are using their blue-collared values and work harder."
In his June article "How can this be, USTA?" Javier describes USTA Executives as plagued by management myopia. "It is a form of business nearsightedness whereby companies focus on selling products and services, rather than seeing the “big picture” of what consumers really want."
BILL PATTON
"I suggested building or converting existing 12 court facilities in each section as hubs, or building new facilities. That idea was met with ridicule. Money spent developing each section will help develop more players, more players will produce champions. The epidemic of cheating is weakening the player pool as the vast majority of players drop out of tournaments because they are not fun. Being cheated is not fun. There are less than 80,000 junior tournament players, compared to 340,000 high school tennis players. Invest in high school tennis!
The USTA stopped funding in 2002 that provided coaches and support to most every level of the pro tours. Rebuild that coaching organization structure!"
Bill adds, "While we are mainly focused on the failures of men, we can celebrate the US Women. One thing that helps is that Women's tennis is the most successful women's sport in the world."
While we're not (yet) talking about the wasted millions for executive salaries and perks, Net Gen, Lake Nona, and Serve Tennis, we have a concrete figure in mind for Player Development. $350Mio down the drain.
Addressing the USTA Board
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As the only body of a non-profit corporation responsible to the tax payer, I'm asking you to explain to your members and to all tax payers how you want to reimburse us for 33 years of spending at least $350Mio without a mandate.
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Your Mission Statement says, "To Promote, Grow, Develop, and Service the Game of Tennis. Leadership at every level – inspire innovation, create opportunities, impact lives and build community through tennis." Where does it say in there "Development of Professional Tennis Players?"
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Your members and the tax payers of this country demand that you stop paying one more dollar for Player Development and dissolve that department immediately.
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Your members and the taxpayers of this country also demand a proposal for a 10-year plan to repay exactly $350Mio to U.S. grassroots tennis in your 17 sections. The entirety of that amount needs to go to growing tennis with 0% allocated to national or sectional payrolls.
A tax attorney and business consultant told me recently, "If the USTA were a for-profit corporation, none of the Board members would be re-elected but most of them ousted by shareholders." Let that sink in, folks.
MAY REVIEW: USPTA West Coast Regional Conference
I must admit I was a little sceptical going into that event. How could those great virtual seminars we saw the last 12-15 months possibly be topped? Well, the quality of most of the presentations I saw was outstanding. The fact that the USPTA Southern Cal didn't participate was a too bad but they had their convention already scheduled for May 1-2.
Here's a quick rundown of my convention highlights followed by the only low point.
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BRYAN BROTHERS
Opening the convention with that fabulous Brother Act was a stroke of genius in my opinion. Mike and Bob were in super form and gave away many interesting pieces of information in addition to some personal stuff. There were certainly some teaching moments but the entertainment value was the best for me.
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CRAIG JONES, Sr. Director of Education, USTA
I've been saying for years that adult beginners don't like standing in line waiting for balls to be fed to them. Craig promotes rally-baed teaching. Nice!
MICHELE KRAUSE, MLK Consulting
The founder of inTENNSity and newly appointed Cardio Tennis Consultant for the USTA, is a class-act wherever she presents, on court and on screen. Michele is promoting transition balls like green dot balls for beginners. She says, "I haven't coached with yellow balls for 3 years." Michele agreed with one participant who asked during Q+A, "Why are transition balls not available at Costco?"
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CLAIRE CARTER & ALISTAIR HIGHAM
Understanding the demands of the game was quite enlightening. Claire always tells interesting stories and Alistair's experience is legendary.
SCOTT MITCHELL, PREMIER TENNIS CONSULTING
Scott's 30 year experience as Director of Tennis shows through all his aritings and presentations. "Why Customers Fire Us" is a great example. he's asking the right questions to remind us what customer service is supposed to be: " Does our shop staff, front desk staff, and ALL our staff say hello to every customer that walks by? Do we spend time with them while they are visiting the facility or are we too busy to stop and say hello?"
Search for 'Scott Mitchell' on our newsletter site and you'll see how many great articles about that very subject came from him.
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FRANK GIAMPAOLO
My absolute favorite presentation about 'Teaching the Mentl game.' I have always liked Frank's relaxed style and his willingness to share really helpful stuff. He proclaims to be "always interested in closing the gap between our athletes' hitting skills and their mental skills." I remember some of his sayings that stuck with me like, "Teach foor speed and brain speed" or "Athletes don't rise to the occasion, they sink to the level of their training." I also liked his analogies of hardware (strokes & athleticism) and software (mental skills) as well as his story about the girl and her '3 batteries' (physical, mental, and emotional.) I think Frank alone was worth the money spent on those presentations.
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TOM GULLIKSON, Midtown Athletic Club
Another teaching legend with a compelling message. Tom showed videos of his staff training various players. When asked about no American male players in the ATP 30, he pointed to the lack of urgency for young Americans. "They need to build a plan how to get to the Top 10 by aiming for Top 30 first so they'll be seeded in the slams." Gotta have a plan.
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MIKE WOODY, Genesis Health Clubs
Mike's most important steps to grow tennis:
1. Hire and train pros.
2. Build more programs.
3. Hire more pros.
4. Have better facilities.
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All good stuff and I really enjoyed most of it. The only low point for me was CRAIG MORRIS. Unfortunately, the USTA's CEO of Community Tennis only repeated those numbers a lot of people don't believe anymore. He didn't have a message or anything new, too bad.
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Other than that, a great convention, USPTA!
INSPIRATION OF THE MONTH
“If you want something said, ask a man.
If you want something done, ask a woman.”
Margaret Thatcher
USA TENNIS TOUR'S JUNE SCHEDULE
Noel Walsh is really doing it! He is organizing the American part of his Global Tennis Tour (GTT) as USA Tennis Tour. And he just published the June 2021 schedule of UTR prize money tournaments. He tells me the summer schedule will follow shortly.
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For all our readers who have not been able to read up on the USA Tennis Tour, Irish Tennis Entrepreneur Noel Walsh calls it "a one-of-a-kind tennis initiative designed for the competitive player of all levels looking to develop and grow their tennis game."
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The USA Tennis Tour will offer weekly and monthly local, regional, and nationwide events with cash prizes at every event.
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Check out the USA Tennis Tour website and their UTR Club page.
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GTT was founded in Ireland in April 2020 by Noel P Walsh (owner and founder of TennisInvestor.com) with long-term plans for a significant global footprint and from the start plans were made to build a strategic management team and deeper contacts with tennis players, coaches, and the tennis ecosystem worldwide.
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PLEASE SUPPORT US!
we would like to invite you to support the continuation of this newsletter as well as our new Mid-Month content, interviews, reviews, and other features on TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS via joining our Patreon Community. For as little as $1 a month, you can help ensure the long-term future of TCB.
Thank you!!!
Rich Neher
Publisher
'TENNIS BOOM RADIO' ON CLUBHOUSE - FIRST MONTH IN THE BAG
Bill Patton and I had so much fun moderating 5 Clubhouse rooms in May. My prediction: TENNIS BOOM RADIO will turn into a hit show and platform for discussing real tennis issues on audio-only Clubhouse. Here's what went down in June.
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May 3, 2021 TENNIS BOOM RADIO Episode 2
Topic: 'USTA Serve Tennis Mess'
Special Guest: Lisa Stone of Parenting Aces
Lisa reported that she admonished the USTA team that developed the new tournament and rankings system years ago to communicate with the public and test and then roll out 12U only then test again. Then add age groups similar to the 2014 changes. But - little to no communication. They started the mass rollout of the entire platform.
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Next thing she reached out to Lew Brewer who was very helpful but in the end nothing came out of it. Parents reached out to the USTA and didn't get a response, even with the new hotline established for that cause. When she did the zoom-call with Dan Holmes (as we reported in May), his answers were insulting.
Lisa reached out to Mike Dowse who gave her a canned response refering her to Craig Morris (Ouch!) who came back with another canned response. No one wanted to take responsibility for the disaster.
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We had a lively discussion about putting pressure on the USTA sections that need to put pressure on USTA national.
Evidently, ClubSpark is completely out of its depths with this project. But who's going to make the decision to cut them out and start fresh? Note: ClubSpark is also supposed to be working on a new platform for USTA Leagues. Good luck!
May 10, 2021 TENNIS BOOM RADIO Episode 3
Topic: 'Pickleball and alternative racquet sports for your club'
Special Guest: Nate Gross of Spec Tennis
Bill threw out a thought provoking statement right off the bat: "Is pickleball a weed in our garden?" Oops. Was he supposed to say that? Well, here at the Tennis Boom Radio show we can say things. As long as they are decent and pretty much not beyond R-Rated.
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Dave Fish chimed in and explained how racquetball was such a big sensation a long time ago before it disappeared almost completely. He thinks that Spec Tennis is a remarkable bridge sport for tennis. "Tennis purists love Spec more than Pickleball."
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Later we veered off into computer games and VR Tennis Training Systems but came back and basically agreed that tennis club owners should have an open mind when it comes to accepting other racquet sports.
May 17, 2021 TENNIS BOOM RADIO Episode 4
Topic: 'Does Tennis Need More Women Coaches? '
Special Guest: Amy Pazahanick of Agape Tennis Academy
Ben Rothenberg wrote in the NY Times (6-3-2019) "In tennis, choosing a woman as a coach is still a bold move." The ratio male to female teaching pros used to be 10:1 but it is getting much better recently. Our coverage in TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS reflected that change in recent months. Today there are lots of opportunities for female coaches.
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Amy Pazahanick established a very successful tennis business in Atlanta.She says,"I had great trusted advisors and knew where the blind spots were." Her business Agape Tennis Academy was selected to manager the City of Atlanta's public tennis courts twice. Her recipe for successfully promoting her business: "Get out there, meet as many people as you can, market your company."
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Askes about her leadership style, Amy replied, "I have a very diverse team and I'm a sensitive human being. I lead with heart and I care about my people. I take care of them." Agape had currently 40 coaches plus the summer camp staff. "We have over 1,000 kids at just one summer camp location. A young 21 year-old man runs all the camps. He was in our program since he was 7 years old."
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Adrian Boubalos from Toronto, Canada, mentioned that when he ran a Toronto club, he always made sure there was a female presence. Armita Omidian from Teheran, Iran, chimed in saying women coaches are not paid too well in her country. Adrian's recommendation for female tennis professionals: Attend every event and network! Amy agreed that more awareness is needed and congratulated TCB and Bill Patton for doing a great job. (Thank you, Amy)
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Our provocative topic was designed to stimulate discussion and it did its job. We concluded by learning that women coaches can create a well-rounded program to any club and attract more people. Bill summed it all up: "They can add another dimension to a club's offering."
May 24, 2021 TENNIS BOOM RADIO Episode 5
Topic: 'Tennis Wearables - do they work? What's in it for me?"
Special Guests: Cameron Lickle and Alain Cohen of Neuro Tennis.
There are a lot of obscure tennis wearables on the market. Some came and went away. One came back after an absence (Smash). Pulse Play Smart Watch claims to be "the 1st global ranking system for the dynamic, non-professional community." On the other hand, there are also a bunch of data collection units, either packed into the butt of a racquet or as wristband.
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Our guest speakers represent a product where Mats Wilander is personally involved: Neuro Tennis. I had the peasure of using it and wrote a short aricle about it in our May issue: "Neuro Tennis - worked like a charm for me."Both Cameron and Alain explained how their system differs from the competition: It lets the player select what they want to get coached on. It gives you reminders corresponding to what you decide you want to be coached on. It does it either right after your opponent hits the ball (in two-player mode) or right after you do.
Cameron Lickle with his business partner Mats Wilander
So, the beauty of Neuro Tennis are the reminders that are stored in Mats Wilander's voice or custome-made by any coach. I think that's a unique and quite interesting approach that sets Neuro Tennis apart from all other wearables on the market.
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And as to the "What's in it for me?" question, Alain explained there are now Ambassadorships for Neuro Tennis, affiliate programs, and discounts for professionals.
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You can reach Cameron at Cameron Lickle <cameron@neurotennis.com> for more information.
May 31, 2021 TENNIS BOOM RADIO Episode 6
Topic: 'Nutty Monday Morning on Clubhouse'
Tell us your nutty stories about the crazy things that happen on the court
This was by far the funniest Clubhouse episode for us. Many stories were told, and we had a laugh. Some stories were mostly about funny teaching moments and were also interesting to listen to. We had...
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... A match were the player forgot both racquet and shoes (he still won!)
... A constant complainer who was ventually defaulted for audible obscenities.
... A club that let non-members come in and play so members quit and came back as guests.
... "Just because I cheated you doesn't mean you can cheat me" (a junior to his opponent)
... Paul, John, George and Ringo in a random doubles match formed the idea for "Tennis with the Beatles."
... Tennislink Team received email with no name, tel, city, or subject line, just the question "When is my match tomorrow?"
... Tennis ball stuck in the pocket of warm-up pants amnd wouldn't come out. Player had to disrobe on the court.
... Funny Rod Laver clinic where the champ was feeding balls to a pro who repeatedly (and embarrassingly) hit it over the fence. Rod asked her "Where you normally play, are the courts longer there?"
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Hahaha. We look forward to another month of exciting topics for Tennis Boom Radio on Clubhouse. Next Monday, June 7, we'll talk about High School Coaching."Is High School Coaching the Sleeping Giant?"
Here's the link for next Monday.
TENNIS QUOTE
"I never misbehaved because I was afraid if I did anything like that
my father would come up and kick my ass."
Arthur Ashe
(Days of Grace
JUNE Quiz - WIN HEAD STRINGS
Since the French Open has started, here is a little quiz for our readers. Send me the names of the 7 star players in order 1-7 and you'll get into a drawing for a set of HEAD strings. (We can only ship to the U.S., sorry.)
MEMORABLE QUOTE
"Tennis is 100% mental. And the rest is luck!"
Billy Shiers
GAMES
Three Headlines and a Lie
We’re down to trick you with some weird headlines. Three of these are real, one is not. Can you guess which is the fake?
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Naomi Osaka says she's done with post-match pressers at French Open 2021 because she hates tennis reporters.
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Coco Gauff and Venus Williams pair up for doubles at the 2021 French Open
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Dan Evans smashes chair and court with racquet at French Open 2021
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35-year-old ranked no. 80 beat Dominik Thiem in the first round of RG 2021.
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Scroll down to the end for the correct answer.
BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION (scroll down for info on how to reach us)
Pratt and Thompson started Racquetwire.com
Two seasoned SoCal journalists, Steve Pratt and Doug Thompson have entered an exciting phase of their careers. Doug writes, "RacquetWire.com promotes the business of racquet and paddle sports with turnkey content delivered to top media outlets for usage worldwide. RacquetWire.com co-
founders Steve Pratt along with partner Doug Thompson have developed extensive relationships in the Racquet and Paddle Sports industries, who trust us to provide content. If a company has a great product, we know the great journalists who want to publish it for the world to see. High-quality editorial coverage is more effective than advertising, because consumers trust 3rd-party sources. Use our vast array of media contacts to put your product or event in the news. We are the journalist's best friend. For more information visit RacquetWire.com, call 954-629-2242, or send an email to doug.thompson@racquetwire.com."
WTT Season Packages on Sale
The 2021 World TeamTennis Pro season will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden November 13-28. All Season packages are available now from $560 to $1,512 for all matches. If you think that's expensive, just take a good look at US Open tickets!
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Check for WTT tickets here.
NeuroTennis Teams With TennisONE App To Deliver Coverage of NCAA Men’s and Women’s
Division I National Championships
NeuroTennis, the popular smart tennis wristband and app designed by Hall of Famer Mats Wilander, and the TennisONE app have teamed up to bring tennis fans live streamed coverage of the ongoing NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships taking place at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.
NeuroTennis is the official presenting sponsor of the coverage via the TennisONE app, NeuroTennis COO Cameron Lickle announced.
TennisOne: https://tennis.one/.
NeuroTennis: NeuroTennis.com
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USPTA World Conference 2021 Returning to Las Vegas
Woohoo! I had a great time at their conference in 2019. The press release said, "The 2021 USPTA World Conference (WC21) will make a triumphant return to an in-person format September 19-23, 2021, at the Westgate Resort and Casino in glamorous Las Vegas, Nevada. The USPTA World Conference is the world's largest gathering of tennis professionals, industry leaders, representatives, manufacturers, wholesalers and media. In addition to robust educational offerings, including on-court seminars, the USPTA hosts meetings, industry discussions, evening social events, the 2021 Awards presentation, and so much more!"
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Register before July 1, 2021 and save $50 on this spectacular five day event with the Early Bird Discount. The cost to attend for USPTA members is $399 and for non-members, $449.
Beginning July 1, the cost to attend for USPTA members will be $449 and for non-members $499
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Register here. I will be there. Let's meet up!
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10th Annual Tennis Seminar for Professional Coaches, Assistant Coaches, and Parents
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Steve Riggs and Dave Borelli have teamed up to produce the 10th Tennis Seminar (!) August 15th, 8am to 5pm.
Speakers: Dave Borelli, Amanda Fink, Dina McBride, Ken De Hart, Matt Previdi, Karen Ronney, and more. Qualifies for continuing education oints with PTR and USPTA.
Raffle Prizes: Gamma 5003 Stringing Machine values at $1,400, 6 TYravel Teaching Carts, 12 cases of tennis balls...
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$75 includes lunch and raffle tickets.
Register PayPal Registration
https://paypal.me/Riggs642?locale.x=en_US
or Venmo Steve Riggs @Steve-Riggs-11
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Oncourt Offcourt Roundup with Kalindi
I find myself watching the emails in anticipation of messages from Kalindi Dinoffer. And here they are. I bet there's at least something you can use in your daily work.
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Summer Wellness June Special (Free shipping on select items)
Accelerate your improvement with the Pickleball Eye Coach
Neuromuscular Balancing easily fits into your life
Unblock Your Potential - Free Tennis Video Training Series
Emma Doyle shows "How to Practice Returning Against Second Serves"
Featured Product: Slinger Grand Slam Pack
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Rumor Mill
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A tennis friend tells me the USPTA is not happy with the USTA. He alluded to some issues, but would not talk about specifics. His take: "At a time when we allegedly have more players and fewer instructors, it is important for the tennis associations to be TENNIS UNITED.
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"The USTA is the beneficiary, not the cause of the tennis boom right now." (Overheard conversations between two leading tennis influencers.)
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Is there something brewing at Lake Nona? A prominent tennis author and international speaker: "How long can the USTA hold on to failed Executives like Craig Morris?"
The following USTA Press releases came in throughout May.
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May 5
USTA ANNOUNCES “GROWING THE GAME” GRANTS
Grants are a Continuation of USTA’s Commitment to Providing Funding for the Relief, Recovery, and Rebuilding of the Sport of Tennis First Announced in 2020. $3 Million in grants are geared to attracting, engaging, and retaining new players to the game.
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May 12
USTA BRINGS ABOARD MLK CONSULTING TO HELP GROW CARDIO TENNIS
Cardio Tennis expert Michele Krause to lead efforts in the development of a National Cardio Tennis Strategy.
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May 20
USTA FOUNDATION LAUNCHES MULTI-YEAR “RALLY FOR THE FUTURE” FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
The campaign sets a $20 million target over the next three years to support NJTL chapters’ tennis and education programs for under-resourced youth.
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May 24
Tennis Channel / USTA College Tennis Top 25 -- Final 2021 Rankings
National Champions Florida and Texas top the final Tennis Channel / USTA College Tennis Top 25 poll of the 2021 season, as the SEC and ACC are the top conferences in the men's and women's rankings, respectively.
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May 24
US Open and Seven US Open Series Tournaments to Utilize Electronic Line-Calling on All Competition Courts in 2021.
The US Open and seven of the nine ATP and WTA tournaments on the US Open Series will utilize Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling on all competition courts in 2021.
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May 27
USTA PARTNERS WITH PHIT AMERICA TO GET KIDS ACTIVE AND HEALTHY
USTA to provide free tennis equipment and curriculum to schools across the country via PHIT America’s “Play Tennis” Program.
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If you have information worth mentioning in this BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION forum, please contact Pat via email. Leave your name and phone number if you want us to get back to you for further clarification. Anonymity is guaranteed if you prefer. Thank you!
SHOUT-OUTS
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To Michele Krause - who, after a notable absence, was asked by the USTA to come back and promote Cardio Tennis again. K.Kamperman's and G.Smith's legacies just took another hit.
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To Dan Santorum of PTR fame, who, after we asked him to be a supporter of our Tennis Advocacy initiative gave us an enthusiastic YES while John Embree declined for the USPTA. You da man, Dan!
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To all Southern California tennis folks who are unhappy with the USTA SoCal section staff - for going out on their own to start new leagues and UTR tournaments. Woohoo! Who really needs sanctioned events?
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To USTA Florida Section Executive Director Laura Bowen - for following in Doug Booth's footsteps of being a great leader!
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To West Coast USPTA folks - for organizing an impressive Regional Conference.
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To Bill Patton - for being a super Co-Moderator at our Clubhouse 'Tennis Boom Radio' show every Monday.
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Have a great June, friends!
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Rich Neher
Publisher
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ANSWERS TO 3 HEADLINES AND A LIE
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Naomi Osaka didn't do the press conference because she's "concerned about her mental health."
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