American Tennis Working Together the Players
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American Tennis Working Together The Players American tennis players, at both the professional and junior levels, have made prominent headlines in TEAM USA AND AMERICAN TENNIS 2015. Amid Serena Williams’ pursuit of the “Calendar Grand Slam,” this summer, many of America’s up- and-comers continued writing their own stories. Among them: Dear Tennis Friends, Teenagers Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka won the French Open and Wimbledon boys’ titles, respectively, marking only the second time in history two different American boys had won consecutive Grand Slam When I took the position of General Manager, USTA Player Development on June 1, junior titles (John McEnroe and Van Winitsky won the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively, in 1977). I was well aware of the Team USA initiative, because I had been coaching and running an academy in the private sector just the day before. The work that Patrick McEnroe and his team in Player Development implemented to be more transparent, inclusive Taylor Fritz earned the International Tennis Federation’s No. 1 world junior ranking, becoming the first and collaborative is making a difference. American to hold the world’s top boys’ ranking since Donald Young’s year-end No. 1 finish in 2005. The Team USA initiative is an ongoing effort to create and implement a culture of Madison Keys, a 2015 Australian Open semifinalist, and CoCo Vandeweghe each advanced to the inclusiveness where personal coaches, USTA Sections and USTA Player Development quarterfinals at Wimbledon, alongside Serena Williams – the first time three U.S. women had reached work together to be part of a national movement to help develop the next wave of Wimbledon’s quarterfinals since 2004. world-class American players. I am committed to continuing the Team USA outreach and making sure that we at On the following pages, find information on many of these up-and-coming junior and professional USTA Player Development continue to strengthen our relationships with players, players, age 25 and younger, to keep an eye on in the coming years: coaches and parents. Our National Coaches do train and coach players directly, some year-round and some on a supplemental basis, at our National Training Centers in Boca Raton, Fla., Flushing, N.Y., and Carson, Calif. However, our greatest impact is in our support of the thousands of promising juniors and pros who train at home, with their personal coaches or in their local programs. We are committed to making sure Women Page Men Page that those players have USTA Player Development’s full support, regardless of whether they choose to come to one of our National Training Centers. CiCi Bellis 5 Deiton Baughman 9 Usue Arconada 6 William Blumberg 9 Our entire division is committed to supporting the development of the next wave Tornado Alicia Black 6 Jared Donaldson 8 of world-class American players. Our structure of Regional Training Centers, Team USA Camps in every USTA Section and a “tool box” of grants and resources are all Jennifer Brady 5 Bjorn Fratangelo 7 designed and available for every American player, coach and family. Our National Madison Brengle 4 Taylor Fritz 9 Coaches are committed to communicating with players, coaches and parents to make Louisa Chirico 5 Marcos Giron 8 sure that we make our Player Development team part of your team, with the player in the center. Samantha Crawford 6 Ryan Harrison 7 Lauren Davis 5 Jarmere Jenkins 8 Our country is filled with great coaches and great programs, and we are already seeing a resurgence in the success of American players. By working together, we can ensure Vicky Duval 6 Steve Johnson 7 that this is only the beginning. Irina Falconi 4 Austin Krajicek 7 Nicole Gibbs 5 Mitchell Krueger 8 Michaela Gordon 6 Stefan Kozlov 8 Thank you for being part of Team USA! Sofia Kenin 6 Denis Kudla 7 Madison Keys 4 John McNally 9 Sincerely, Allie Kiick 6 Michael Mmoh 9 Claire Liu 6 Daniel Nguyen 8 Jamie Loeb 5 Dennis Novikov 8 Christina McHale 4 Reilly Opelka 9 Grace Min 6 Tommy Paul 9 Martin Blackman Ingrid Neel 6 Jack Sock 7 General Manager, USTA Player Development Melanie Oudin 5 Sam Riffice 9 Alison Riske 4 Noah Rubin 8 Shelby Rogers 5 Alex Rybakov 9 Sloane Stephens 4 Alex Sarkissian 8 Katerina Stewart 5 Ryan Shane 7 Taylor Townsend 5 Frances Tiafoe 8 CoCo Vandeweghe 4 Sachia Vickery 5 Madison Keys CoCo Vandeweghe Jamie Loeb Shelby Rogers DOB: March 8, 2015 Hometown: Ossining, N.Y. DOB: Oct. 13, 1992 DOB: Dec. 6, 1991 Coach: Brian Kalbas DOB: Feb. 17, 1995 Born: New York Born: Mount Pleasant, S.C. Lives: Charleston, S.C. Born: Rock Island, Ill. Lives: Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. • 2015 NCAA singles champion; Earned the accompanying US Open Coach: Mark Lucero Lives: Boca Raton, Fla. Coach: Craig Kardon main draw wild card Coaches: Lindsay Davenport and Jonathan Leach • 2015 Wimbledon quarterfinalist; WTA • Won the US Open’s inaugural American Collegiate Invitational in 2014 (d. Elbaba) • Reached first WTA singles final in 2014 (Bad Gastein) titles: 1 (s’Hertogenbosch, 2014) • Compiled an 84-9 singles record in her two collegiate seasons • 2015 Australian Open semifinalist; 2015 Wimbledon • Top-10 win over Eugenie Bouchard quarterfinalist; WTA titles: 1 (Eastbourne, 2014) • Top-10 wins over Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, • Trainee at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randall’s Island Vera Zvonareva • Top-10 wins over Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber • 2008 US Open girls’ singles champion • Got into tennis because, as a child, she liked Venus Williams’ • Mother, Tauna, participated in two Olympics: (1976, swimming; white dress at Wimbledon 1984, volleyball, silver medalist); Uncle, KiKi, is a former NBA player and coach and its current VP of Basketball Operations Nicole Gibbs Louisa Chirico Sachia Vickery DOB: May 16, 1996 DOB: May 11, 1995 DOB: March 3, 1993 Born: Morristown, N.J. Hometown: Miramar, Fla. Born: Cincinnati Lives: Harrison, N.Y. Coach: Adrian Zeman Lives: Santa Monica, Calif. Coach: Jay Gooding Alison Christina Sloane Coach: Paul Gibbs (Father) • Qualified for 2015 Wimbledon; WTA • Made Grand Slam debut at 2015 Riske McHale Stephens quarterfinalist in Nottingham • Back-to-back NCAA singles champion at French Open after winning the USTA’s Stanford (2012-13), fifth player ever to wild card challenge • 2013 USTA Girls’ 18s National win consecutive NCAA titles Champion; reached second round of US • Advanced to first WTA quarterfinal this DOB: March 20, 1993 Open with accompanying wild card • Reached third round of 2014 US Open July in Washington, D.C. DOB: July 3, 1990 DOB: May 11, 1992 Born: Plantation, Fla. • Trained in France at Patrick • 2013 Wimbledon and French Open Born: Pittsburgh Born: Teaneck, N.J. Lives: Coral Springs, Fla. Mouratoglou’s academy Lives: Atlanta Lives: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Coach: Nick Saviano junior semifinalist Coach: Chanelle Scheppers Coach: Jorge Todero • Won first WTA title this July in • Two-time WTA semifinalist in 2015 • 2012 London Olympian; WTA finalist in Washington, D.C. CiCi Bellis (Hobart, Nottingham); WTA titles: 1 Acapulco, 2014; Reached QFs in Rome • 2013 Australian Open semifinalist; Has (Tianjin, 2014) this year reached fourth round or better of every Jennifer Brady Melanie Oudin • Top-10 win over Petra Kvitova, in the • Ranked career-high No. 24 in Grand Slam DOB: April 8, 1999 Hometown: Atherton, Calif. third round of the US Open during a August 2012 before a setback with • Top-10 wins over Serena Williams, Maria Coach: Lori Bellis (Mother) DOB: Sept. 23, 1991 breakout 2013 Mononucleosis Sharapova, C. Suarez Navarro DOB: April 12, 1995 Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla. Hometown: Marietta, Ga. • Still carries around parts of her • Lived in Hong Kong as a child; Speaks • Father, the late John Stephens, was a • Breakout star of 2014 US Open: beat Coach: Roger Anderson Coach: Attila Azucki childhood blanket, to remind her Mandarin Chinese and fluent Spanish New England Patriots running back; No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova to become of home (mother is Cuban) Mother, Sybil Smith, was the first youngest player to win a US Open • Turned pro after sophomore year • Reached 2009 US Open quarterfinals African-American female named a match since Anna Kournikova in 1996 at UCLA at 17 years old; WTA titles: 1 Division I All-American swimmer (Birmingham, 2012) • 2014 ITF World Junior Champion, (Boston U., 1988) • Top college women’s player in the WTA USTA Girls’ 18s National Champion rankings (Career-high: No. 176) • 2011 US Open mixed doubles champion (youngest USTA champ since Lindsay (with Jack Sock) Davenport in 1991) and Junior Fed Cup • Returned to competition in June (16-and-under) Champion Madison Irina following treatment of a heart condition. Brengle Falconi Lauren Taylor Townsend Davis Katerina DOB: May 5, 1990 DOB: April 16, 1996 Grace Min Born: Portoviejo, Born: Chicago DOB: April 3, 1990 Ecuador Stewart Lives: Atlanta Born: Dover, Del. Lives: West Palm Beach, Fla. Coach: Donald Young, Sr. Lives: Dover, Del. Coach: Anibal Aranda DOB: Oct. 9, 1993 DOB: May 6, 1994 Coach: Gaby Brengle (Mother) Born: Gates Mills, Ohio DOB: July 17, 1997 Born: Atlanta Hometown: Coral Gables, Fla. • 2012 ITF World Junior Champion and • Twice reached third round at a Grand Lives: Boca Raton, Fla. year-end No. 1-ranked junior, then the Lives: Boca Raton, Fla. • Breakout 2015: Reached first WTA Coach: Cesar Stewart (Father) Slam: 2015 French Open, 2011 US Open Coach: Jorge Todero first U.S. girl to hold such distinction in Coach: Freddy Rodriguez final in Hobart, then Australian Open (d. No. 15 Cibulkova) 30 years fourth round • Third-round appearances at 2014 • Won her sixth USTA Pro Circuit title • Reached first WTA semifinal in 2014 • 2011 Pan American Games singles in May, at the $50,000 event in Indian • Made Grand Slam main draw debut • Top-10 win over Petra Kvitova Wimbledon and Australian Open (Bad Gastein) gold medalist Harbour Beach, Fla.