Click on the image above to read the Fall/Winter 2011 issue!
‘Pro’ tennis
returns to downtown Indy as Sampras tops Martin in ‘Match for a Cure’
A small but appreciative crowd welcomed Pete Sampras and Todd Martin back to their old stomping grounds in Indianapolis, as
Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosted the Miracle Match Foundation’s “Match for a Cure” Sunday night.Hosted by former tour pro and cancer survivor Bill Pryzbysz, the exhibition was a fundraiser for Prysbysz’s foundation,
which donated a portion of the proceeds to local groups supporting cancer research.The event was the first
of six “Match for a Cure” events Przybysz hopes to stage this year across the US and Great Britain.Przybysz played a shortened set against Martin (who played the final game with a wooden racquet), losing 3-2, before
giving the stage to the two former pros who were regulars at the ATP Tour’s annual summer stop at the former Indianapolis
Tennis Center.Although there were flashes of the talents that once made them two of the more popular players
on tour, it was readily apparent the name value of the duo eclipsed anything they were able to show on court, with Sampras
winning 7-5, 6-4.Sampras did make an appearance earlier at a pair of clinics coordinated by Rick Witsken
and Team Witsken Tennis.The event was the first tennis match played at the Fieldhouse.(1-29-2012)
Winter outdoor play still an option
Does
the moderate winter weather have you wanting to play outdoors? Indy Parks has had an exciting year celebrating 100 Years
in the Parks and renovating 58 tennis courts in our system. It is usual practice to take down all the nets for the winter, but due to this new construction and the possibility
of a few playable days this winter, Indy Parks and DPW will be leaving one net up on every playable court. The 11 parks refreshed in 2011 were: Broadway & 61st Park; Broad Ripple Park; Brookside Park; Douglass Park; Ellenberger Park; Garfield Park; Greene Park; Krannert Park; Riverside Park; Sahm Park; and Tarkington Park. In addition, the following courts will have one net up all winter: Perry Park (shown at left); Christian Park; Watkins; Robey; Oscar Charleston; and Rhodius. Click
on the link below to review the Indy Parks Tennis
Court rental fees for 2012. (Addresses and Phone numbers for the courts are also on this sheet) (1-29-2012)
If you played tennis in Central Indiana, or were simply a fan of the game, your life and your livelihood were no doubt touched
by the influence of Stan Malless. The 97-year-old Malless, whose reach in the world of tennis literally extended around
the world, passed away last Thursday (January 26) at his home in Indianapolis. Stan
was a member and Honorary Life Counselor of the International Tennis Federation; past president of the USTA, USTA/Midwest
Section and Central Indiana Tennis Association; and a member of the US Olympic Committee. Among his many contributions
to the game were the introduction of the point penalty system, computer rankings, and the development of satellite and senior
tournaments. However, Stan will be remembered locally as the driving force behind the construction of the
Indianapolis Tennis Center in 1979. He was also founder and president of the Permanent Magnet
Company on the eastside of Indianapolis which, not so surprisingly, had a tennis court on part of the property. Stan's
family has announced that plans for a public memorial service will be announced at a later date. (1-21-2012)
Christmas came a few days early for
Brad Humphrey, as the Crispus Attucks Magnet School senior received a special visit and gift from Carmel ATP Tour tennis pro
Rajeev Ram and the Hamilton County Community Tennis Association.At the Butler University indoor tennis
facility for a weekly wheelchair tennis practice session, Humphrey was presented a violin autographed by tennis aficionado
and Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley.Through a mutual friend of HCCTA board member Colin Atkinson,
Tinsley and the band have supported Ram’s annual EntouRaj for Kids fundraiser, having sent autographed memorabilia for
the event’s auctions.But this year, Tinsley included a little something extra.Having
heard of Brad’s paralyzing injuries suffered in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, as well as his love for
tennis, Tinsley sent along the violin – in the color green, of course – as a special gift to be given to his fellow
violin player.Humphrey also received a cash donation from the EntouRaj for Kids and HCCTA to help offset
his medical bills.Humphrey was in Colorado attending the annual Ski Spectacular hosted by The Hartford
Financial Company and was unable to be at the event in person.After the presentation Brad had the chance
to hit with Ram, who later tried out the specialized tennis wheelchair for himself.(12-22-2011)
An all-star night at 2nd EntouRaj
Carmel's Rajeev Ram hosted his second EntouRaj for Kids fundraiser Saturday night at Five Seasons Sports Club, with some major
league starpower on hand. The guest pro for the evening was two-time NCAA singles champion Somdev Devvarman, who will
end the 2011 ATP Tour season ranked 84th in the world. They were also joined by Tamika Catchings of the Indiana
Fever, a former NCAA All-American at Tennessee and two-time runner-up in voting for the WNBA MVP. Ram and Devvarman
squared off against each other in three sets of doubles, pairing up with wheelchair players Dan Bolhouse and Paul Moran
before a QuickStart exhibition with Catchings and FSSC teaching pro Stephanie Hunn. The final doubles match includes
top local juniors Ronnie Schneider and Sameer Kumar, with the event ending with Ram defeating Devvarman in singles, 6-3, 3-6,
10-8. The evening included silent and live auctions, the latter of which saw autographed tennis racquets by Novak Djokovic
and Rafael Nadal go for $350 and $800, respectively. Proceeds from the event will benefit the reading programs of the
Hamilton County Community Tennis Association. (12-11-2011)
Humphrey keeps rolling (and skiing) along
Brad
Humphrey, the former Crispus Attucks tennis player who was paralyzed in the stage collapse accident at the Indiana State Fair
last August, has gone from hitting the courts with a local wheelchair tennis group to hitting the slopes. Humphrey recently
participated in the 24th annual Hartford Ski Spectacular at teh Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado. Hosted
by Disabled Sports USA, Humphrey was able to experience sled hockey, wheelchair curling and skiing. Click the link below
to see a report on Brad's visit by Denver's KDVR-Fox 31. (11-16-2011)
The USTA/Midwest Section inducted Carrie Meyer Richardson and Mark Miles into its Hall of Fame during its annual meeting on
December 3. Richardson, the former women's coach at Purdue, competed during the formative years of the Women's Tennis Association
(WTA), as well as with the Indiana Loves of the original World Team Tennis league. Miles, who currently chairs the 2012 Super
Bowl Host Committee, also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour and
was the former volunteer tournament chairman for the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. They were joined by Barbara Wynne,
who was honored with the Section's Mel Bergman Award. (12-4-2011)
More headlines . . .
Ram takes Challenger titles at Eckental,
Ortisei
For Carmel ATP Tour pro Rajeev Ram championships in the 2011 season have been coming in bunches. Ram recently
won the singles titles ATP Challenger events in Eckental, Germany and Ortisei, Italy in consecutive weeks as his tour singles
ranking rose to season-best 149. At Eckental, Ram defeated top-seeded Karol Beck in the final, 6-4, 6-2, and then came back
the following week to defeat Jan Hernych in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 for the championship at Ortisei. Earlier this season,
Ram won doubles titles in three consecutive tournaments, winning the ATP events in San Jose and Delray Beach and the Dallas
Challenger with Scott Lipsky and then teaming two months later with Bobby Reynolds to win the Challenger event in Leon, Mexico.
(11-16-2011)
Recent features . . .
(pro)file: Five Seasons teaching pro Stephanie Hunn
A small but appreciative crowd welcomed Pete Sampras and Todd Martin back to their old stomping grounds in Indianapolis, as
Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosted the Miracle Match Foundation’s “Match for a Cure” Sunday night.
If you played tennis in Central Indiana, or were simply a fan of the game, your life and your livelihood were no doubt touched
by the influence of Stan Malless. The 97-year-old Malless, whose reach in the world of tennis literally extended around
the world, passed away last Thursday (January 26) at his home in Indianapolis
Carmel's Rajeev Ram hosted his second EntouRaj for Kids fundraiser Saturday night at Five Seasons Sports Club, with some major
league starpower on hand. The guest pro for the evening was two-time NCAA singles champion Somdev Devvarman, who will
end the 2011 ATP Tour season ranked 84th in the world. They were also joined by Tamika Catchings of the Indiana
Fever, a former NCAA All-American at Tennessee and two-time runner-up in voting for the WNBA MVP. Ram and Devvarman
squared off against each other in three sets of doubles, pairing up with wheelchair players Dan Bolhouse and Paul Moran
before a QuickStart exhibition with Catchings and FSSC teaching pro Stephanie Hunn. The final doubles match includes
top local juniors Ronnie Schneider and Sameer Kumar, with the event ending with Ram defeating Devvarman in singles, 6-3, 3-6,
10-8. The evening included silent and live auctions, the latter of which saw autographed tennis racquets by Novak Djokovic
and Rafael Nadal go for $350 and $800, respectively. Proceeds from the event will benefit the reading programs of the
Hamilton County Community Tennis Association. (12-11-2011)
The USTA/Midwest Section inducted Carrie Meyer Richardson and Mark Miles into its Hall of Fame during its annual meeting on
December 3. Richardson, the former women's coach at Purdue, competed during the formative years of the Women's Tennis Association
(WTA), as well as with the Indiana Loves of the original World Team Tennis league. Miles, who currently chairs the 2012 Super
Bowl Host Committee, also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour and
was the former volunteer tournament chairman for the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. They were joined by Barbara Wynne,
who was honored with the Section's Mel Bergman Award. (12-4-2011)
On Court: Simple strategies to help your clay court game
Fundraiser brings in $13,000 for NuAfrica
Barbara Wynne receives inaugural USTA/NJTL Founders Award
