Even though it was going to be a long road ahead, Coach Raymundo Perez was excited about his maiden voyage with a new 15 passenger van loaded with the group of kids he’s taking on a five-hour trip from Midland to the Austin Tennis Academy. Coach Perez is the tennis coach at one of the two high schools in Midland (Legacy) and a part-time teaching pro at The Bush Tennis Center. Under the direction of Bush Tennis Center Executive Director Tim Stallard, there is increased emphasis on getting junior players in the community to travel more in search of broadening their horizons. 

Enter Coach Jack Newman. Always a friend to the greater tennis community, during a discussion at a recent tournament held in Texas, Coach Newman heard about a couple kids from Midland looking for some training options for the summer. Upon hearing this, Coach Newman suggested they pull together a group of kids to come down to ATA for a week.

That invitation is all it took for Coach Perez, whose son competes at the same level as ATA’s top boys, and another parent to load up that new van and haul seven kids to Austin for a taste of ATA. Andre Perez, Preston Crutchfield, Jakub Hurst, Vivian Myers, Kate Hendricks, Zoe Castaneda, and Camille Jeane, came and represented themselves, their families, and the community of Midland well with both their tennis work ethic and how they held themselves as people. 

ATA looks forward to a continued and growing relationship with Midland Tennis Center, and programs like it everywhere!

The Texas Slam is moving north this summer! USTA Texas announced the Dallas Professional Tennis Association along with the City of Plano and High Point Tennis Center have been selected as the Texas Slam hosts for 2024. The event, being held June 9 – 15, features competition for both boys and girls from Texas across four age divisions and includes both singles and doubles.

The location won’t be the only update for this year’s event. Draws for the Texas Slam will be capped at 64 players per division shortening the event by one day. A qualifier event will be added to give a final chance for Texas competitors to enter the prestigious tournament.  Plus, winners of the 18s girls and boys divisions will earn a wildcard into qualifying for the 25k Austin and Harlingen events respectively. These updates and more are all part of an effort to provide a better overall experience for the participants while attracting top talent to the event. For 2024, the Texas Slam will also include boys and girls wheelchair divisions, a first for the tournament.

High Point Tennis Center, which earned the USTA’s Outstanding Facility Award in 2022, will serve as the main site for the event. The surrounding Plano area boasts 133 tennis courts and 100 courts within 10 miles of each other. Previous Texas Slam host cities include Georgetown, Abilene, College Station and Wichita Falls.

USTA Texas Executive Director, Fred Viancos said the Texas Slam has a storied history and the section is proud to build on its legacy through innovation and player accessibility. “We continue to explore ways to make the Texas Slam the premier event for our Texas Juniors. We’re excited to have the event hosted in the Dallas Metroplex area.”

Tournament information will be available by Friday, March 1 on playtennis.usta.com.

Spring Break is just a month away, and that break is a perfect time for your child to be able to progress at a rapid pace with their tennis by attending one of ATA’s camps.

Spring Break camps will be held March 11 – 15 on the tennis courts at Austin Tennis Academy. There will be three different session levels held in the morning camps from 9AM to Noon each day that week.  There will also be an afternoon session called Tournament Tough Camp for Academy-level players from 1 to 4PM each day. All camps run Monday through Friday rain or shine.

Click here for more information or to register your child to attend.

The beginning of a new year ushered in the realization of a long-time dream for a former Austin Tennis Academy coach.  Josh Rifkin, who left ATA a few years ago to return to his home town and start up his own gym, Synergistic Body, has now purchased the indoor tennis facility where he played tennis as a junior.

In an interview with Inside Indiana Business, Rifkin said “I’ve been thinking about something like this for well over a decade, not necessarily tennis club oriented, but a way to kind of bring tennis and community, among other components that have been my passion over the past, many, many years, together. So it is kind of serendipitous. The opportunity was there to make things kind of full circle for myself.”  Wildwood Racquet Club has more than a 40-year history in Fort Wayne, Indiana; it has 12 indoor courts, four outdoor courts, and eight pickle ball courts. The facility also features a pro shop, fitness center, court-side bar and restaurant, and child care services.

The ATA community will remember Rifkin from his time helping develop junior tennis players both as a tennis coach and a fitness coach. “My time working at ATA was invaluable in preparation for my recent tennis club acquisition,” said Rifkin. “From enhancing my practical hands-on skills of tennis instruction and fitness training to understanding nuance of operations, programming, and team mindedness. The environment and culture (at ATA) allowed growth and learning from every corner.”

“We are so proud of the entrepreneurial spirit of Coach Josh Rifkin as he begins his journey at Wildwood Racquet Club,” said Jack Newman, ATA Owner and CEO. “Josh only does things one way, the right way.” Rifkin continues to return to Austin and ATA to support the Shootout, ATA’s annual fundraising event held each year in October.

Every year, the Austin Tennis Academy sends quite a few of its players on to play collegiate tennis. That’s an incredible accomplishment, especially when you consider there are more than 160-thousand teenagers nationwide competing at the high school level and only about 20-thousand spots available on teams across all levels of college tennis.  One of ATA’s seniors who found a way to make his dream of playing college tennis a reality is featured this month on Tennis Recruiting Network.

In fact, Tucker Taylor’s story is what inspired the writer to do a feature on him and his college choice for the website dedicated to the recruiting of junior tennis players. Back in September, Taylor committed to play for Roger Williams University and was interviewed by Rhiannon Potkey about his decision. Potkey said she had not done a story on Roger Williams before, and following her interview with Taylor, decided to showcase Taylor to help prove to other players that there are so many different options/opportunities for playing college tennis.

If looking only at the numbers, the odds about being able to play college tennis can feel overwhelming for junior tennis players. However, Potkey’s article on Taylor drives home the idea that there is a place for all different types players.  The key: being willing to go down the road less traveled in order to find your perfect destination.

CLICK HERE TO READ TAYLOR’S ARTICLE ON TENNISRECRUTING

Courts at the Austin Tennis Academy will become busier than normal in a couple of weeks when junior players from all over the country arrive in town to compete in the 2023 Little Mo Nationals which has been held at ATA for more than two decades.

The top four yellow ball players (semifinalists) in each age division from each of the 4 qualifying regionals advance to the prestigious tournament.  ATA has two players who will be competing: Sarthak Ringe and Joey Wang.

ATA has a rich tradition of grooming players to compete at Little Mo Nationals.  Here’s a picture of a banner put on display during the tournament to commemorate some of those players.

Little Mo Nationals is a great time to watch some great junior tennis.  Opening ceremony takes place Friday, September 22 from 4-5 PM, then play begins Saturday (Sept 23) morning and runs through Monday (Sept 25) afternoon. Come on out to watch and support ATA players.

ATA players continue to build a name for themselves on a national level with their ongoing victories at USTA L1 events. Over the weekend, Tristan Stine and his partner, Sibi Raja, won a ‘Gold Ball’ in B16 while Jack Ingram and his partner, Brendan Boland, won a ‘Bronze Ball’ in B18 at the National Doubles Championship held at the USTA campus in Florida.

“Tristan Stine continues to show that he is one of the best doubles players of his age in the country with his second ball this year. Fantastic performance and accomplishment,” said Coach Jack Newman, ATA Owner/CEO. Watching all the action court side in Florida was Stine’s primary coach Brian Notis. “Tristan and Sibi handled a tough draw early in the tournament and a very tricky team in the final with some great courage and clutch execution.”

Back in mid July, Stine and Raja won a ‘Silver Ball’ in B16 Doubles at the USTA Clay Court Nationals. Stine told Coach Notis that the last time (in July) they were so happy to be in the final and win a ball, but this time they were not satisfied with just being in the final… their job wasn’t complete. “Sibi and I really worked on staying loose and relaxed during the toughest moments to play our best,” said Tristan Stine. “‘Mistakes and pressure are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm and relaxed’.”

In the 18s, Ingram and Boland battled hard from the very first round. “They saved 5 match points in the quarters with tremendous grit and courage.” said Coach Notis. “While they fell short in the semifinal to the eventual champions they bounced back to earn the bronze ball in a tough 3-set playoff match.” “We have worked very hard for this moment,” said Jack Ingram. “I think a quote summarizes my feelings; ‘After the hardest climb comes the best view’.”

The win in Florida adds a second USTA ball to Ingram’s trophy collection; he earned a silver at Winter Nationals with Christian Gonzalez in January. Coach Notis points out that Ingram and Boland have been to the quarters or better in every other L1 event this year.

While they didn’t win a USTA Ball, two other ATA players and their partners produced solid results: Ben Kotzen and Joe Patton won the Southeast Draw in B18, and Alexander Wriedt and Hayden Williams won the Southeast Draw in B16.

In all, 32 teams competed at the National Doubles Championship in each age group for both the girls and boys, which means only 64 players qualified from around the country to go head-to-head in each age group. “ATA was incredibly well represented at the national doubles event this year,” said Newman. “With nearly a dozen players competing and two balls won, that’s a great testament to the work put in all year by these competitors.” Also competing at the L1 event were Lila Fuller, Shaye Grant, Aya Manning, and William McEwan.

Wins at National Doubles by Stine and Ingram have now moved both players into the top 5 in the country on the latest national doubles seeding list: Jack ranks #2 in the country in B18 while Stine ranks #4 in the country in B16. “This past 12 months has seen ATA players bring home 4 USTA balls. This is an absolutely awesome result,” said Coach Newman. “Congrats to players, coaches and parents who combine to allow players the opportunity to shine.”

Great news for junior tennis players in Texas after the United States Tennis Association made a big announcement regarding one of its annual events. The USTA boys and girls 12s and 14s Winter Nationals is coming to Texas. The L1 event will be hosted in San Antonio, starting December 28 and running through January 3.

The move to San Antonio comes, in part, thanks to the work of ATA’s Coach Brian Notis. For ATA players, it means no plane rides to get to the event, and they’ll get to compete on courts they are more familiar. You may remember, last year Jack Ingram brought home a Silver Ball in B18 Doubles at the Winter Nationals.

We are looking for a connection to H-E-B to help with sponsorship for this major event for 12s and 14s junior tennis players. If you have a connection to H-E-B, please contact Coach Jack Newman. Additionally, if anyone else is interested in supporting this event in San Antonio, please let us know.