SPORTIME RANDALL'S ISLAND, JMTA NEW YORK CITY

Ben was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where he first started playing tennis. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Friends School and of Vassar College, where he received his BA in 1992, and where he played four years of college tennis and was team captain his senior year. Ben received his JD from Fordham University School of Law in 1999, and was admitted to the NYS and Washington DC Bars in 2000. During the summers of 1989 through 1992, Ben was a tennis director and coach at the Amagansett EastSide Tennis Club in Amagansett, NY (now Sportime Amagansett), the first club owned and operated by Sportime founder and Chief Executive Officer, Claude Okin. Between college and law school, Ben spent four years as an advocate and federal lobbyist for the Eastern Paralyzed Veteran Association. After law school, he was an associate at Seward & Kissel, LLP before rejoining the Sportime team in 2001.

Michael, raised in Jackson Mississippi, graduated from Mississippi College in 2007 where, as member of the tennis team, he received the Conference Sportsmanship Award, was named a National ITA Scholar Athlete, and was an All-Conference and First Team pick. After graduating, he remained at Mississippi College as the Assistant Coach of the men’s tennis team, while earning his MBA. Michael spent five years in financial services and banking before returning to tennis in 2014 as the Tennis Director of the Anguilla Tennis Academy, a non-profit tennis initiative in the British West Indies. Michael has extensive experience as a coach and in tennis management in a wide variety of settings, from academies to five-star resorts. Michael joined Sportime and JMTA in 2016.

John McEnroe is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He held the #1 world ranking in singles for 170 weeks between 1980 and 1985 and was the #1 doubles player in the world for a record 257 weeks. He is the winner of 7 Grand Slam singles titles, including 4 US Open titles and 3 Wimbledon titles. He is also widely considered to be the greatest doubles player ever, having won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles. He is the greatest Davis Cup player in history, and he also captained the US Davis Cup Team. He is an Emmy-nominated commentator for CBS, NBC, BBC, ESPN and USA. John grew up in New York City, where he graduated from the Trinity School. He attended Stanford University, winning an NCAA team and singles title his freshman year. He continues to live in New York City, where he has raised his 6 children. John partnered with Sportime to open the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in September 2010.

Lawrence, a native New Yorker, is recognized as one of the top developmental coaches in the USA. He was named the USTA/Eastern Section Tennis Professional of the Year in 2013 and the USTA/Long Island Region Tennis Professional of the Year in 2006. Lawrence has trained more ranked juniors than anyone in the history of the USTA/Eastern Section. His students have won numerous USTA National Junior Championships, won more than 20 USTA Eastern Year-End Sportsmanship Awards, and have received countless full tennis scholarships to play at Top Division I colleges and universities. Lawrence was also the personal coach of Noah Rubin, who was his student at SPORTIME and JMTA from the age of 7 until he launched his professional tennis career in the summer of 2015. Noah has achieved an ATP ranking as high as 161 and, under Lawrence's guidance, Noah won countless tournaments as a junior, including the 2014 Boys' Wimbledon Championship and the 2014 USTA National Championship in singles and doubles. Lawrence joined SPORTIME in 1998 and became the Director of Tennis for JMTA in 2012.

Patrick grew up in Douglaston, NY and trained in the New York area. As a junior, he reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the US Open boys' singles in 1983. Patrick then partnered Luke Jensen to win the French Junior doubles and the USTA Boys' 18 National and Clay Court titles in 1984. He made his first impact on the professional tour that same year, teaming up with brother John to win the doubles title at Richmond, Virginia. Patrick won the Men's Doubles Gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games with Jensen, and helped Stanford University, as team captain, win the NCAA team championship in 1986 and 1988. He graduated from Stanford in 1988 with a degree in political science, and then joined the professional tennis tour. On the tour, Patrick won one singles title and 16 doubles titles, including the 1989 French Open Men's Doubles title, during his 10‐year professional career, and achieved career‐high rankings of World No. 28 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles. After retiring from the tour in 1998, Patrick had a successful run as U.S. Davis Cup captain, the longest tenured captain in U.S. history, winning the cup in 2007. After leaving his Davis Cup role in 2010, McEnroe focused on his television commentary work, and also served as the General Manager of Player Development for the USTA until mid-2015. Patrick joined Sportime and JMTA in 2017.

Richard hails from Richmond, Virginia and comes to Sportime with over 20 years of professional experience as an athlete, coach trainer and athletic educator, working in numerous sports with athletes of all ages and levels. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, Richard spent six years as a writer/producer for the CBS Television Network before moving to Barcelona to train and compete on the European triathlon circuit. In Spain, he received a Certificat D’Eesport i D’atletisme iNutricio at Universal Atlético Institut.  He has over 20 years of professional experience both as an athlete and coach (ATP, WTA, Junior Olympics, etc.), coaching the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Sergei Bubka, Greg Louganis, Reggie and Cheryl Miller and JMTA's Noah Rubin. Richard joined Sportime and JMTA in 2014, and became Director of Performance and Junior Athletic Development in September of 2015. 

Dom, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, earned his Ph.D. in Sports Psychology from Florida State University. Dom’s tennis background includes experience as a PTR National Tester, clinician and symposium speaker. Dom has twenty years of tennis teaching/coaching experience, is USPTA Level P1 certified and has completed all USTA science testing levels. After playing college tennis, and completing his degree work, Dom worked with many professional and collegiate level athletes at several clubs and academies. In 2011, he co-founded Hourglass Performance Institute® (HPI), where he serves as the director of tennis and competitive shooting. Dom’s work has been published in scientific and coaching publications and presented at national and international conferences. Dom and HPI joined Sportime and JMTA in 2014.

Dijana is a native of Bosnia-Herzegovina where she was a member of the Fed Cup team from 2003-2008. During her professional career she also reached a career high WTA ranking of 363 in singles and 567 in doubles. After retiring, she traveled to the United States to attend the University of South Carolina where she was one of the top Division I tennis players in the country. Dijana reached the Elite Eight at the NCAA women’s tennis tournament in 2008 and was an All-SEC player in each of her four years of college. She ended her stellar college career ranked #8 all time in career SEC singles wins. Dijana graduated in 2012 with a double major in business marketing and management, and a minor in hotel management. She joined Sportime and JMTA in 2014.

Perry, originally from Australia, attended Syracuse University where he majored in Architecture. He has coached thousands of players, from the developmental level through top national, collegiate and professional levels. Perry has extensive experience as an analyst and planner for USTA junior competitive systems and is a graduate of USTA High Performance Coaching. Perry is certified in IYCA Speed and Agility training mechanisms and is Sportime’s lead expert in Dartfish technology. Perry has served as a Director of Tennis and as a Tournament Director during his tenure at SPORTIME. Perry joined Sportime and JMTA in 2012.

Mark hails from Dublin, Ireland where he trained at the National Tennis Academy from the age of 12. As a junior, Mark was nationally ranked in the top two in every age division. He won and was a finalist in several ITF junior events and earned an ATP ranking in 2010. Mark played Division I collegiate tennis for Louisiana State University, graduating in December 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Administration. In the spring of 2012, while injured, Mark was a Student Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Tigers, before finishing his LSU career as a player and member of the 2012-13 squad. Mark joined SPORTIME Randall’s Island and JMTA in 2013.

Brian was born and raised in the Washington DC area, where he played competitively as a junior. After being sidelined by a serious car accident, he moved down to Florida, at age 18, to rehab, train and play Futures tournaments. At age 20, Brian decided to focus his efforts on coaching. He spent 10 years doing so in Florida and in the Boston area, and the last 10 years doing so in the NYC area, coaching players of all ages and levels, from world-class to recreational. Brian joined Sportime and the JMTA in 2017.

Andy, a native of Western NY, received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and his Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University at Buffalo. He is a licensed NYS Certified Athletic Trainer. Prior to joining Sportime and JMTA full time, Andy worked with Body Space Fitness in NYC specializing in performance and rehabilitation training. He also volunteers his time working with the USA Wrestling Team and has worked USA Track & Field Olympic Trials and Championships Meets in Eugene, Oregon. Andy joined Sportime and JMTA in 2015, becoming Associate Director of our Performance Team in 2017.

Ted grew up playing tennis in California and has had a long and distinguished career as a ranked player, instructor, tennis club director and coach. Ted played #1 for Foothill College, where he earned a degree in Art History, before competing on the satellite circuit in Europe and earning a premiere series ranking in France. Ted spent 10 years playing and teaching in France and is certified by the French Tennis Federation. Also, while in France, Ted earned a degree in Fine Arts from the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. He has been the director of tennis at numerous tennis facilities, including SPORTIME Randall’s Island and SPORTIME Amagansett, and in 1998 he earned the award for top tennis professional in Westchester County. Ted came to SPORTIME in 2004.

Igda, a native of Puerto Rico, attended Long Island University where he was a member of the Division I track and field team specializing in middle distance events such as the 800m. Upon graduation, he completed a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Strength & Conditioning at the LIU, Brooklyn Campus. At LIU, he worked with a variety of Division I sports teams, including tennis, baseball and basketball. He served as the women’s tennis strength and conditioning coach for seven seasons, helping them win two conference titles and achieve two NCAA tournament bids during that time. He has worked in the private sector with youth and adult athletes in a wide range of sports and is currently an adjunct professor at LIU in the Department of Sport Sciences. Igda joined Sportime and JMTA in 2015.

Emily, who grew up in Mississippi, earned her degree in Exercise Science of Kinesiology from Mississippi College, where she was Captain and MVP during four years of college tennis. Emily subsequently received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She has experience working in a level one trauma center in an outpatient setting, treating primarily ortho-trauma cases and sports related injuries. She has also worked internationally in the British West Indies, where she implemented injury prevention and training programs for athletes, worked with local clients, and volunteered with several non-profit foundations, including the Anguilla National Tennis Academy, which was directed by her husband, and now RI/JMTA Co-GM, Michael Ward. Emily joined Sportime and JMTA in 2016.

Jason, originally from Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Florida where he was ranked in the top 10 state-wide, and in the top 100 nationally in boys’ 18s. Jason attended the University of Buffalo, where he was captain of the men’s tennis squad for 3 years, also receiving the Arthur Ashe Leadership Award in his senior year. He graduated from UB in 2013 with a degree in health and human services, and communications. As the Assistant Coach of the UB men’s squad, Jason helped his team win the MAC Conference Championship and qualify for the NCAA championship tournament for the first time in school history.  Jason joined Sportime and JMTA in 2011, summers only through 2015, and full-time as of 2016. 

Ofir, of Melville, N.Y., was Junior and Senior year captain at John F. Kennedy High School where he earned All-County Doubles honors in 2010 and 2012. He attended Fairfield University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Master’s degree in Accounting. During freshman year, while playing for the Fairfield Stags, he lead the team with an overall singles record of 20-10 going 16-4 in dual play and 5-1 in the MAAC, eventually becoming the Team Captain. At the Junior Level he ranked within the east coast Top 20 and the Top 150 in the country.

Matt, born and raised in NYC, was a ranked junior player in the USTA Eastern Section and played on three NYC championship teams for Benjamin Cardozo High School. A product of the NYJTL and REEBOK scholarship programs, Matt was the inaugural recipient of the Brian Watkins Scholarship, awarded by the Mayor of New York to the hardest working player on a city championship team. While attending SUNY Albany and playing for its tennis team, Matt earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He spent 6 years working in the field of advertising and running his own gallery/multi-media agency. Matt has taught tennis since high school, including at the Randy Mani Tennis Academy and at the Roosevelt Island Tennis Center, and has developed and worked with many sectionally and nationally ranked players. Matt coached the USTA Eastern Boy’s and Girl’s 12 and under Zonals team in the summer of 2010. Matt joined Sportime in 2009.

Santo, a native of the Dominican Republic, began playing tennis while working as a ball boy at Casa De Campo Resort. As a junior, he was ranked in the top 10 in the country. After studying tourism at O&M College in the Dominican Republic, he came to the United States to teach at various summer camps before joining the staff of Tennisport in Long Island City, NY, where he taught for 9 years. Santo joined Sportime Randall’s Island in 2009.

Andre, a native of Chile, was the #1 junior player in the 18s in his home country, notching a win over Jose-Luis Clerc and representing Chile as a member of the South American Championship Team. Andre attended Stephen F. Austin University where he earned a degree in Psychology and played #1 singles and doubles. He competed on the ATP Tour, achieving a ranking of #724 in the world before moving to Westhampton Beach, NY to open his own tennis club. He spent 23 years operating that club and coaching many players of all skill levels along the way; most notably Paul Annacone (former ATP #12 in singles, #3 in doubles, and coach of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer). Andre joined Sportime in 2010.

Ricardo, a native of the Dominican Republic, began his tennis training while working as a ball boy at the Casa de Campo resort. As a junior, he achieved a top 10 ranking in his country. Ricardo attended O&M College in the Dominican Republic where he studied computer engineering. He began his coaching career at Casa de Campo, working as the tournament director, before moving to the United States in 1997 and becoming a full-time tennis pro at Tennisport in Long Island City, NY. Ricardo joined the teaching staff at Sportime in 2009.

Hana, a native of the Czech Republic, was a top ranked junior tennis player in her home country, while competing globally on the ITF circuit. She turned pro in 1997 and, in a career spanning 15 years, she won 8 ITF singles titles and 35 doubles titles. In 2006, Hana reached her career-high WTA Tour rankings of #87 in the world in singles and #63 in doubles. Hana played in the main draw of the US Open in 2006 and 2008, reached the second round of the French Open and the Australian Open in 2006 and the second round of Wimbledon in 2007. After retiring from the professional circuit in 2008, Hana joined Sportime as a Touring Professional and the Assistant General Manager of Sportime Amagansett. 

Edyta, originally from Lodz, Poland, achieved a career high national ranking of #5 as a junior in her home country, and won multiple national tournaments in various age groups. She attended Southern Methodist University, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Art & Photography. As a member of the SMU tennis team, she was ranked as high as #33 nationally in singles, and made it to the Round of 16 in the NCAA championship tournament. After college, Edyta played in various pro circuit tournaments throughout Europe, winning a $10K singles title in 2008. Edyta joined Sportime/JMTA in 2016.

Douglas, raised in Malibu, California, achieved a #1 national ranking in Boys’ 14s and a #2 national ranking in Boys’ 18s as a junior. He attended the University of Virginia, where he was a two-time Singles All-American, Most Outstanding Male Scholar Athlete, Atlantic Coast Conference Singles Champion and the #1 player on UVA’s #1 nationally ranked team. After graduating from UVA with a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, he went on to earn his MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. Douglas has been coaching since 2009, and joined Sportime/JMTA in 2016.

Igor, originally from Zagreb, Croatia, was ranked one of the Top-10 Juniors in his home country. He attended Graceland College and Northeastern State University where he earned a degree in Psychology. Igor has coached sectional, nationally and internationally ranked Juniors. His extensive experience includes USTA High Performance, USPTA Elite Professional and various players for Stanford, University of Texas as well as Division III school “Williams.” Igor has traveled with the ITF Junior Circuit extensively.

Carlos, hailing from Venezuela, was top 10 in singles and doubles as a junior in his home country. Carlos, attended Mars Hill University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. While at Mars Hill, he was the SAC First Team All-Conference Player and MVP from 2001-2004. He later earned a Masters in Telecommunications from George Mason University. He began his coaching career as a hitting partner for WTA players Ai Sugiyama (ranked 11 WTA) and Aniko Kapros (ranked 32 WTA). Since 2004, Carlos has been coaching at other tennis academies, including Van der Meer Tennis Academy in South Carolina and Jack Schore in Virginia. He joined SPORTIME/JMTA as a coach in 2018.

Stephen, hailing from Brooklyn, NY, attended Kingsborough College earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. He has worked with athletes across various disciplines, including baseball, softball, basketball and soccer. Stephen is a NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist and TRX Certified. He joined the SPORTIME/JMTA Team in 2018.

Miguel hails from New York City, where he attended Bronx CC and played Division III basketball. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science at Lehman College, and is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and as a functional strength coach, speed and agility specialist. Miguel coached high-school basketball for 3 years and has been training athletes of all ages and levels for 5 years. He joined the SPORTIME and JMTA team in 2017.

Richie, who was born and raised in New York City, trained at Sportime/JMTA, and was ranked in the top 20 in all age groups in the USTA Eastern division during his junior career. He played for Duquesne University in his freshman year and then transferred to play for Division I Queens College for his sophomore through senior years. Richie graduated from QC with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition, and is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist. His education and experience on and off the tennis court create a unique skill set in his capacity as both a tennis and athletic training coach. Richie joined SPORTIME and JMTA in 2019.

Lucas, hailing from Punta del Este, Uruguay, was a First Division Champion in his home country, and played for the Junior World Cup and Davis Cup teams, achieving an individual ranking of as high as #2. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he played four years of Division I Tennis and led the team to a top 50 ranking. Lucas’ coaching experience includes running Nike Tennis Camps at Samford University and the University of Alabama, and two years as the Graduate Assistant Coach for the University of Alabama. He joined the SPORTIME Randall’s Island and JMTA team in 2018.

Denis, hailing from Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was a top ranked junior player in his home country, winning National Championships in both the Boys’ 16s and 18s, and achieving a #3 ranking in the 18s. In 2008, he became a member of the ITF Team of Europe, and made it to the third-round of the European Championships in 2012. Denis later attended Lindsey Wilson College, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. At LWC, he played #1 singles and doubles, and was the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Denis joined the team at SPORTIME Amagansett in 2017, and the SPORTIME Randall’s Island/JMTA Team in 2018.

Marta, originally from Madrid, Spain, was ranked Top -10 in her home country as a Junior in U-18 and U-16, ranking 29th Nationally. She attended the University of Memphis where she majored in Sports, Science, as well as Health and Human Performance. She played for the Memphis Tigers, ranking among the Top 100 for Freshman Year Division I. Marta’s extensive coaching experience includes the Miller Tennis Center Summer Camp, The Racket Club of Memphis and the role of Assistant Coach for the Middle and High School students at St. Agnes.

Pablo, originally from Madrid, Spain, was ranked #13 in the nation and top 3 in Madrid as a junior in the under 18 division. After a successful junior playing career, Pablo went on to play Division I tennis for the University of Buffalo, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. He played 1 and 2 singles and doubles for the team, won Freshman of the Year in 2012, was 2nd team All-Conference twice, and was awarded the Sportsmanship Player of the Year in the MAC conference. As captain, Pablo helped his team win the MAC tournament for the first time in program history. After college, Pablo began coaching top ranked juniors in Spain before joining SPORTIME/JMTA in 2017.

Omar, a native of Cairo, Egypt, was ranked in the top 10 in both the Boy's 16s and 18s divisions in his home country as a junior. He came to the US to play tennis for Southwest Baptist University, with the team making the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Four in the National Championship Playoffs during his time there. Omar completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Marketing and later received a Master's in Business Administration from SBU. During the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2018, Omar coached at Advantage Tennis Academy in Irvine, California in their high-performance program. He joined SPORTIME and JMTA in 2019.

Vlad, a native of Novi Sad, Serbia, was ranked in the top-10 in the Boys’ 14s, 16s and 18s divisions in his home country. He attended Southeastern Louisiana University, achieving a 51-9 win-loss record for the men’s tennis team during his college career, and was the SLU Men’s Newcomer of the year in 2006 and Student Athlete of the year in 2008. After graduating from SLU with a BS in Finance, Vlad joined the pro tennis circuit, garnering victories against various ATP ranked players and winning the Men’s Open Serbian National Championship in 2010. After leaving the circuit, Vlad commenced his coaching career, including serving as the Head Coach for one of the top clubs in Serbia and working with various top world-ranked ITF juniors. Vlad joined the SPORTIME/JMTA team in 2019.

Ryan, originally from Westbury, NY, was a two-sport athlete in High School, lettering in both Baseball and Basketball. Ryan went on to play Club Baseball for the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication. Ryan was the President of the Club Baseball Organization his senior year, overseeing team operations. After graduating college, Ryan joined Sportime in 2014, originally as the Assistant to the Vice-President and Chief Legal Officer of SPORTIME, Bennett Schlansky, and became Assistant General Manager in June 2017.

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David is the Director of Retail for SPORTIME and JMTA. As a student at the University of Delaware, he studied marketing, operations management, and economics. After graduating, he went to work at Mason's Tennis in NYC, where he became a racket tech expert and the inventory manager. He joined SPORTIME in 2016 as manager of the SPORTIME Randall's Island Pro Shop, and was promoted to his current role in 2019.  

Vicki, a Bronx native, attended Monroe College and graduated with a degree in Medical Administration. She started at Sportime in 2014 in maintenance and in 2015 she began working the front desk where she quickly became manager. As manager she oversaw the training of the front desk staff and made sure to provide a high quality of service to customers. Since 2016 Vicki has been working as Administration Assistant for all of Sportime Randall’s Island.

Jasmin, originally from Maple Shade, NJ, holds school records in Track and Field in high school and at Rowan University. While at Rowan University, she studied Public Relations and is currently enrolled in Professional Studies at Fordham University. Jasmin has worked in customer service for 6 years and she brings her experience and passion for helping others to our concierge and administrative team. Jasmin joined the SPORTIME/JMTA Team in 2017.