2020 New York Tennis Expo Recap

Back and better than ever, the New York Tennis Expo presented by Pop Earth returned to NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. More than 6,500 people came out for the all-day celebration of tennis as we kicked off the third year of the New York Open with the nation’s largest tennis expo ever. "The 2020 New York Tennis Expo was a resounding success," said David Sickmen, New York Tennis Expo Founder and Director."We have heard great feedback from both attendees and vendors, and were happy to once again kick off another year of the New York Open. By adding new activities and expanding our reach in the community, the Expo continues to grow from year to year, and we’re excited to keep on bringing events like this to the area. Partnering with the New York Open and NYCB LIVE for the third straight year, and the addition of Pop Earth as the title sponsor this year, we were able to join forces and create a recordbreaking event.”

For the seventh time, the Expo completely sold out its exhibit space and featured more than 70 vendors from all over the country, covering an array of different businesses as

well as providing exhibiting spaces for more than 10 local charities.

“When you look around and see all the things happening at the Expo, a children’s birthday party, a 60-person standing room audience for one of the speaker sessions, a tennis group that drove down from Rochester, and more than 100 high school volunteers, it’s clear that Expo has become a scene and the place to be in early February,” said Steve Kaplan, Owner and Managing Director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center.

To start things off in the morning, Nick Bollettieri, founder of IMG Academy, the Farmingdale State Rams, and high school teams from Roslyn and West Islip, ran a clinic for members of Pop Earth, the event’s title sponsor that provide programs and holistic health services for those with special needs, on Stadium Court.

Throughout the day, there were clinics run by local college teams from Hofstra, Adelphi and Nassau Community, as well as tennis professionals from local clubs and players from high school teams on Long Island. Kids of all levels were able to go out on court and receive instruction from some of the top players and coaches in the area who created a welcoming atmosphere that was open to all Expo guests.

Thanks to our partnership with the New York Open, new to the Expo this year was the ability for guests to watch the opening round of the qualifying tournament, where professional players competed for a shot at the tournament’s main draw. Prior to that, ATP stars such as Kevin Anderson, Milos Raonic and Tennys Sandgren were practicing on court, and all Expo guests were allowed to grab a seat and watch how these pros prepared for the tournament. In addition, there were games and activities for everyone to enjoy inside the Expo Hall, including the New York Islanders Slapshot Booth, the New York Riptide’s Lacrosse Shootout, a mechanical bull, bounce house, photo booth and more.

“The Expo seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year. USTA Eastern was proud to help sponsor and coordinate our Net Gen programming with the event which allowed children of all ages to play on the black courts with college, high school and local club volunteers,” said Jonathan Klee, Regional Director for USTA Eastern’s Long Island Region. “Combining the Expo with the qualifiers was a win-win situation for everyone in that it brought the continued on page 12

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Long Island tennis community together with vendors in a carnival like atmosphere while also watching great quality tennis.” The Expo featured two separate coaching panels with industry experts, highlighted by the appearance of Bollettieri as well as current touring pros Jack Sock, Brayden Schnur and Tommy Paul. Guests were able to hear from these panelists on a wide variety of topics, and the sessions were interactive to allow audience members to ask questions directly to the speakers.

The New York Open’s Draw Ceremony once again took place on center stage at the New York Tennis Expo Broadcast Plaza, where the opening round matchups were revealed with a little twist, as multiple players from the tournament were on stage to answer questions from fans and Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs. Kevin Anderson, Reilly Opelka, Cameron Norrie and eventual champion Kyle Edmund were on stage to answer questions and take pictures with Expo guests. In all, the New York Tennis Expo was a celebration of the great sport of tennis, and was a vehicle to bring together so many different facets that make up the community. The array of business and charities that were on display, coupled with the local high school and college players, adults and juniors, and tennis fans and non-tennis fans, the Expo had something for everyone. It’s our hope that this recordbreaking event will be a springboard for continued success of tennis in our community in 2020.

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“This year Pop.Earth was very excited to be the Title Sponsor of the NY Tennis Expo at Nassau Coliseum. We launched our new tennis initiative "Making a Racquet"! for Autism by hosting a tennis clinic that included our individuals and volunteers from the Roslyn and West Islip tennis clubs! It was a hit! Our team was able to bring autism awareness to all who attended and introduced Pop.Earth to a whole new audience! It was a win for all!” – Deb Stone, Founder, Pop Earth

“First off, I wanted to congratulate Dave, Joel, Brian and the entire team at NY/Long Island Tennis Magazine for putting together another outstanding Tennis Expo this year! It is amazing to be part of the largest tennis expo in history! The tennis community is wonderful and the Expo was a great chance to come together. SPORTIME is proud to be a part of this wonderful event, year in and year out. We look forward to making next year bigger and better than ever.” – Jason Wass, Director of Tennis and Sports, SPORTIME Kings Park

“The Expo seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year. USTA Eastern was proud to help sponsor and coordinate our Net Gen programming with the event which allowed children of all ages to play on the Black Courts with College, High School and local club volunteers. Combining the Expo with the qualifiers was a win win situation for everyone in that it brought the Long Island tennis community together with vendors in a carnival like atmosphere while also watching great quality tennis.” – Jonathan Klee, Regional Director, USTA Eastern Long Island Region

“The New York Tennis Expo is an incredible event because it brings area tennis enthusiasts together with fun, excitement, education and service to the local community. The Expo grows the sport by raising awareness of the wealth of tennis opportunities in the New York area.” – Steve Kaplan, Owner and Managing Director, Bethpage Park Tennis Center

"The NY Tennis Expo was a wonderful opportunity to connect with young tennis players and their families. ”– Louisa Childs, Head of School, Dwight Global Online School “The magazine and this Expo make it fun for a lot of people welcoming them to the tennis world, whether it’s Future Stars or other exponents and Programs, it's good for all of us to come together and share the passion of this awesome sport, and the magazine and the Expo do a great job putting this together.” – Pablo Monesti, Vice President of Development, Future Stars Camps

"The New York Tennis Expo is an outstanding event. We look forward to this event every year. It is a great opportunity to interact with the tennis community and connect with other tennis businesses. Organizers facilitate a great experience and make sure we are all set for success" – Nicolas Duarte, Tennis Director, Camp IHC

“The New York Tennis Expo is an event we look forward to every year at the Evert Tennis Academy. The expo brings in tennis families from all across the state of New York and it is a great networking tool that we will use for years to come! The Expo staff was tremendous and it was overall another great experience!” – Andrew Parker, Director of Sales and Marketing, Evert Tennis Academy

"The New York Tennis Expo continues to be a unique event that brings together the entire tennis world. We were once again thrilled to be a sponsor of the event, and were able to connect with players and parents from the Long Island and New York area, and Nick Bollettieri was thrilled to take part in the speaker sessions, clinics and autograph signings." – David Cotrone, Director of Business Development, IMG Academy

“Point Set was proud to once again be a part of the New York Tennis Expo. The event continues to grow every year and there is no better way for us to showcase our programs and classes then by being able to sit down in front of the thousands and thousands of attendees that come out for the Expo. We look forward to coming back again next year!” - Lori Sarnelli, Club Manager, Point Set Tennis

“Amazing job by David Sickmen and his staff. It just gets bigger and better every year!” – Kathy Miller, General Manager, Carefree Racquet Club

The goal of Long Island Tennis Magazine, and specifically the New York Tennis Expo, is to provide an event that grows the game of tennis and encourages more people to become involved with the sport.

Thanks to the Expo’s partnership with Pop.Earth, that mission was accomplished.

To begin the Expo, Pop Earth members took part in a free clinic on Stadium Court led by legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, the Farmingdale State College tennis teams as well as players from Roslyn and West Islip High School.

“Imagine a free event to teach over 50 autistic children the wonders of tennis, with more than 50 volunteers, both young and old, working together at a major ATP Tour event? Imagine that this event had Nick Bollettieri offering words of encouragement to each child alongside touring professionals and other prominent coaches,” said Steve Kaplan, founder of the non-profit Serve & Return which helped facilitate the clinic. “I didn’t imagine this! It happened with the support of Pop.Earth, Long Island Tennis Magazine, IMG

Academy and the amazing supporters who ensured that each and every child walked away with a huge smile on their face.”

Pop.Earth is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing holistic health services and options for those with special needs, including Autism and other developmental disorders. The organization is based on Long Island but has partners all across the United States.

The clinic served as the official launch of Pop Earth’s new tennis program, “Making a Racquet”, which it plans on running first on Long Island and then growing it throughout multiple locations. There were stations set up on the main court used by the professionals for the New York Open, where instructors worked with the kids on basic technique through a variety of different of drills.

“The reaction from the parents and kids was 100 percent positive! Some kids came not even wanting to try tennis but ended up doing just that and loving the experience!” said Deb Stone, Pop.Earth’s Founder and Executive Director. “Pop.Earth will be bringing this program to Long Island first at low cost to free, and then slowly rolling it out across the tri-state area. We hope to have programs pop up across the country and get more kids involved with this great sport.”

The clinic was the perfect way to begin this year’s New York Tennis Expo and was made possible thanks to the organizations involved, the volunteers and, of course, the kids who came out to play tennis.

You can learn more about Pop Earth, and its new tennis programming, by visiting www.PopEarth.org.

Credit photos to Owen Kassimir and Sydney Beall III

Distribution scheduled for 05/01/20 This edition will feature: • Tennis in the Hamptons • French Open Preview • Guide to New York’s Top Tennis Apparel Stores • Mental Tennis Roundtable Distribution across New York at 300+ locations: • Indoor tennis clubs • Country clubs • Restaurants and health food stores • Tennis camps • Retail stores • Gyms • Supermarkets and • Many more!

By Barbara Wyatt The Hindrance Quiz checks your understanding of the ITF and USTA rules of hindrances. Correct answers are the simple quick answers, not burdened with a barrage of what-ifs or embellished with nuances on the court. A “yes” means the action was a hindrance, and a point is awarded or replayed. A “no” answer means there was no hindrance and all players should focus on the match and continue playing. Hindrance : Yes or No? 1. Hat flies off an opponent’s head. Hindrance? Yes or no? 2. Ball falls out your pocket. You nearly trip on it. You stop play. Yes or no? 3. Ball falls out of an opponent’s pocket accidentally. Yes or no? 4. Playing outside, ball hits a bird. Yes or no? 5. A ball from an adjacent court is flying high. You think the opponent is hindered. Yes or no? Answers 1. Hat flies off an opponent’s head. No hindrance. Continue playing. However, if you are—truly and sincerely—distracted by the unintentional action of a hat flying off and unable to make the shot, don’t attempt a return, and immediately stop playing. Replay the point. The Code #36. 2. Ball falls out your pocket. You nearly trip on it. You stop play. Yes, that’s a hindrance. You lose the point. When you stop playing because of your unintentional act, you lose the point. The Code #36. 3. Ball falls out of an opponent’s pocket accidentally. No hindrance. Play on! It is to your advantage to stay in the point. However, if you are—truly and sincerely—distracted by the unintentional action of an opponent and unable to make the shot, don’t attempt to return the shot, immediately stop play, and call hindrance. Replay the point. And if the ball falls out again? That is a hindrance and you earn the point. The Code #36. 4. Playing outside, ball hits a bird. Yes, that’s a hindrance. A bird flying overhead is not predictable. Re-play the point. International Tennis

Federation (ITF) Rule 26. Case 3. 5. A ball from an adjacent court is flying high. You think the opponent is hindered. No hindrance. Keep playing. If you stopped play, it is a hindrance and you lose the point. When a player stops play because they thought the opponent was being hindered, the player loses the point. ITF #26, Case 2.

Hindrance means to stop, delay, or obstruct an action. A hindrance in tennis could be deliberate (loud yelling to distract the opponent), unintentional (shoe falls off once) or a simple stoppage of the game (dog runs on court). A deliberate hindrance results in the loss of a point. An unintentional hindrance and stoppage of play may result in replaying the point or loss of point.

Barbara Wyatt is a writer, photographer, USTA official, and mobile app developer of iKnowTennis!, the tennis rules app. Her poem, Ode to Tennis, an amusing poem on the joys and frustrations when learning tennis, is available at Amazon. She can be reached by e-mail at BarbaraW@iKnowTennis.com.