Zootennis


Schedule a training visit to the prestigious Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, MD by clicking on the banner above

Friday, June 5, 2020

Impressive Registration Numbers for Georgia's Upcoming ITA Summer Circuit Event; Radio Tennis Pandemic Interview Series Begins Monday; USTA National Campus Reopens Monday

The first ITA Summer Circuit tournament to have active registration is the Week 2 (June 27-29) event in Flowery Branch Georgia, and more than 100 women and 60 men have already signed up since registration opened on Wednesday.

The women's field includes Duke recruit Ellie Coleman, Georgia Tech incoming freshman Ava Hrastar and South Carolina incoming freshman Allie Gretkowski, all blue chips.

As of now, the men's field is not as deep or strong, but blue chips Will Mayew and Baylor Sai have entered, with four-star Brett Winters possessing the best UTR of the current entrants.

This event is distributing $2000 in prize money. The draw size is showing as 96, but I would assume that could be expanded.

The El Dorado Club in Long Beach California is still on the schedule for weeks 1 and 2, but according to the ITA website, the tournament is still awaiting the go-ahead from local officials, so the registration for those two tournaments is not yet live.

I spoke with tournament director Will Marino about his determination to continue hosting the event despite the pandemic in this article last week for Tennis Recruiting Network.

Ken Thomas of Radiotennis.com is beginning a series called Pandemic Interview Sessions on Monday, with ten separate West Coast participants in June, followed by ten more in July in Michigan. I will be joining Ken on July 14th here in Kalamazoo. Times for the first three shows are available at the Radiotennis.com website.

June - Dates and Guest List: - West Coast Shows

June 08: Jason Jung: Current ATP World Ranking #120
June 09: Billy Martin: UCLA Men's Head Coach
June 10: Hank Pfister: Grand Slam Champion
June 11: Eliot Teltscher: Grand Slam Champion
June 12: Troy Morrison: President: San Diego Aviators
June 15: Marla Messing: CEO: Southern California Tennis Association
June 16: Kevin Jackson: Director: Jackson Bridge Academy
June 17: Walter Redondo: Former ATP Pro - Artist
June 18: Robert Lansdorp: World Elite Coach - Legend
June 19: Eric Davidson - Chairman: World Team Tennis

July - Dates and Guest List - Midwest Shows

July 13: Becky Hall: Athletic Director: Kalamazoo College
July 14: Colette Lewis: International Junior Tennis Expert
July 15: Ryan Sachire: University of Notre Dame Head Coach
July 16: Vic Amaya: Grand Slam Champion
July 17: Jayson Wiseman: Eastern Michigan University Head Coach
July 20: David Morin: Western Michigan University Head Coach
July 21: Gene Orlando: Michigan State University Head Coach
July 22: Dan Arends: Historic River Forest Tennis Club - Chicago
July 23: Matt Brothers: DePaul University Head Coach
July 24: Danny Westerman: University of Wisconsin Head Coach

The USTA National Campus will reopen Monday, June 8th, after closing due to the pandemic on March 14th. This Orlando Sentinel article gives details on what will be allowed and what will not in the interest of health and safety:
⋅ Guests must reserve a court prior to arrival; “drop-ins” are not permitted.
⋅ Indoor courts are not available.
⋅ Guests must wear a face covering or mask at all times other than when active on court.
⋅ All guests will have a temperature check upon arrival and fill out a health certification provided before entering the welcome center.
⋅ Locker rooms are closed, requiring players to arrived dressed for play.
⋅ Players are asked to not proceed to the courts prior to 10 minutes before play and leave within 10 minutes of completion of play.
⋅ Guests must supply their own towels, drinks and snacks.
⋅ A maximum of one guardian per child will be permitted.
⋅ In the event of rain, guests will need to return to their cars rather than congregate.

There are no tournaments scheduled there for this month, and according to General Manager Tim Cass, there might not be any there for several months. "That’s where it gets a little trickier,” Cass said in the article. In the meantime, recreational tennis will be the focus there, while I assume the Player Development sector of the campus will have pros training on those courts.

1 comments:

Jon King said...

Circle the date of June 18th, Robert Lansdorp is indeed a legend. His take on the waste that is USTA player development is always fun to hear!