Tennis Stories

Vania King's father and King Richard have a thing or two in common. On this episode of Tennis Stories, two-time Grand Slam Doubles Champion Vania King reflects on her life in tennis from a young age all the way up to the advocacy work she does in her retirement from the sport. Vania's father was integral to her tennis training, though unconventional, tennis became part of her family's identity. Ultimately, she says it prepared her for the biggest stage in tennis and competing against the Williams sisters. Sign up for the May 13th Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration and Tennis Festival here: https://form.jotform.com/222054646505149

Janet Lefkowitz has been teaching adaptive tennis for so many years that she's seen kids grow into adulthood as participants in her program. What's incredible is that some of her students over the years have seen their autism symptoms improve, potentially the result of tennis as a therapeutic tool. Janet's 30-year-old program, HERO Tennis, is an organization that delivers tennis to people with all abilities, whether they have special needs, physical disabilities, are wounded warriors–it’s an inclusive tennis program for all. Her life's mission is to get every able-bodied tennis player to experience watching or teaching adaptive tennis. Janet also happens to be USTA Eastern’s 2022 Tennis Woman of the year! It's hard not to smile when you hear Janet's joy as she talks about her work. Learn more about HERO tennis, based in Greenburgh, NY here: https://herony.org/

When Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix brought together her two passions: tennis and speech language pathology, something magical happened. Students who were shy and reserved were over time able to communicate and enjoy the sport. Through a system she developed using on-court banners that have graphics representing feelings and actions, her adaptive tennis players were laughing and playing alongside new friends while developing language, social and motor skills. Taking her experience as a USPTA & PTR Elite Tennis Professional, she created Love Serving Autism, which is now a national nonprofit organization. To learn about Love Serving Autism's programming in the USTA Eastern section, visit https://loveservingautism.org/new-york-tennis-programs/

Did you know that a woman experiencing a heart attack won't necessarily have the same symptoms a man would have? And that heart disease, not breast cancer is the #1 killer of women in the United States? It's so important women know what red flags to look out for relating to their heart health, and playing a sport like tennis can help women both maintain heart health and even identify underlying cardiac issues. Not to mention, a 2017 Copenhagen City Heart study found that playing tennis may increase life expectancy by 9.7 years! We sat down with former USTA Eastern junior, Dr. Ersilia M. DeFilippis who is an Assistant Professor of Cardiology and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center to find out how women in particular can benefit from playing tennis. USTA Eastern is proud to welcome our new Official Hospital Sponsor, NewYork-Presbyterian!

Roxanne Aaron is the president of the oldest African American sports organization in the United States, the American Tennis Association. In her role, she works to make tennis more diverse and inclusive. Among many responsibilities in her role, she presides over the association's century-old national championship. In our conversation, we have a discussion on the unique role of a tennis mom and her career in the sports industry. For more information about the American Tennis Association, visit yourata.org

Aki Wolfson has seen firsthand how tennis transformed the lives of people who use wheelchairs. She views tennis as medicine, wherever a person is in life. Wolfson is a USPTA Wheelchair Tennis Professional who has taught at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for over 25 years and has served as the Tournament director of the Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, a role she has held for over 20 years. Aki Wolfson is currently the Tennis Director under CommonpointQueens at Alley Pond where Commonpoint is a non-profit organization where its mission is to sustain and enhance the quality of family and individual life for all members of the community, regardless of religion, ethnic or cultural background, national origin, gender identity or expression, age or disability within an inclusive environment that facilitates growth, meets individual needs and builds community. Read Wolfson's article here as mentioned in the episode that was published in Long Island Tennis Magazine.

As Black History Month comes to a close, we held a roundtable discussion with three heavy hitters in the local Black tennis community. Art Carrington, Marvin Dent and Bob Bynum join host Donyshia Boston-Hill on this special episode of Tennis Stories. Hear about their experiences in New York and New Jersey, notably learning from legends like Althea Gibson and Sydney Llewellyn.

Dale Evans' tennis story begins in Oakland, California where he wanted to start playing tennis to meet girls. The sport has led him to unpredictable places, including his current role as the Director of Tennis Operations at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Host Donyshia Boston-Hill takes us through Dale Evans' life in tennis on this first episode of Tennis Stories.

Teza Simunyola is a coach who focuses on developing all aspects of a player, both physical and mental. When he transitioned from playing professionally, he found purpose in not only coaching his players, but also in being a mentor.

When Kelsey Shea graduated from college after playing Division I tennis at Colgate, she knew she wanted to transition her passion into a career. She is now the tennis manager at Armonk Tennis Club. College students, take notes!📝 Learn more: https://www.armonktennis.com/

"Tennis opened my mouth and forced humility down my throat." Marvin Dent dedicated his life to tennis after he discovered his love for the sport. He is now a high performance coach in the greater NYC area.

Nick Zieziula loved sports growing up and found his niche in tennis, reaching 15th in the Eastern section his senior year. Like many of us, Nick caught the tennis bug and has been coaching and organizing ever since. He is now the head coach of the Binghamton University Men's tennis team, and he coordinates an adaptive tennis program called Createable The Magic Paintbrush Project.  Learn more about Nick: https://bubearcats.com/sports/mens-tennis/roster/coaches/nick-zieziula/397 Learn more about Createable The Magic Paintbrush Project: https://www.facebook.com/MagicPaintbrushProject/

Phyllis Orlowski lives to share the sport of tennis! As a teacher in Oneonta, NY she revitalized the defunded tennis program in her town with a little determination and some help from Net Generation! netgeneration.com 

Mike Smookler has been coaching tennis since 1989 and currently serves as the USPTA Eastern's Vice President and tennis director at the West Orange Tennis Club.  https://westorangetennisclub.com/

Anda Perianu gew up playing tennis under the Romanian sun during her summers growing up. Her tennis journey took her to great heights playing college tennis, and then professionally. She now manages Reis Tennis Center in Ithaca, NY. Hear her journey and why she thinks that if you can't get tennis out of your head, then you should pursue a career in the industry. Learn more at https://reistenniscenter.com/

Liezel Huber left South Africa at 15 "with a suitcase and a dream" to pursue a career in tennis. After years of collecting doubles titles, she's now the executive director of tennis at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning.  Learn more about Cary Leeds: https://www.nyjtl.org/caryleeds/

Art Carrington has been a renowned tennis coach for decades, and his son Lex has followed in his footsteps in high-caliber coaching as well. This interview with both Art and Lex Carrington touches on so many aspects of their careers in tennis, with a focus on what it will take to grow tennis in the Black community.  Learn more about Art and Lex Carrington:  https://carringtontennis.wordpress.com/

Amber Marino, the president of USTA Eastern's board of directors, merged her love of reaching kids through education with tennis. As Executive Director of 15love, she oversees tennis programs for underserved communities that go beyond delivering tennis. Learn more about them at 15love.org

If you need a dose of positivity in your day, check out our interview with Luke Jensen, former pro and full-time tennis enthusiast. Hear from his perspective what kinds of opportunities are available in the tennis industry.  Watch the interview at USTA Eastern's Facebook page.

Gigi Fernandez and her doubles partner Natasha Zvereva won 14 grand slams over the course of 5 years. Hear exactly what she attributes that level of success to in our latest edition of Acing a Tennis Career.  Watch the interview at USTA Eastern's Facebook page.