Player Arrival...

I am happy to report that our four new players have all arrived in Bronxville safely and have started to settle in at the college through the orientation process. Certainly, this is quite an adjustment for these young men as they travel far away from their homes, friends and families to Concordia, NY. As a coach, I am mindful of this adjustment period and know how it can affect the student athlete. We are glad to have them and hope that they all have a tremendous and meaningful experience while here. Of course, I know that they will enjoy the US Open which begins Monday at the nearby USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY.

I look forward to coaching these new fellas as well as welcoming back the returning players. It is always exciting to see the fruits of the recruiting process on the court. The energy is pretty positive as I think we have improved and should continue our strong quest for the NCAA Championship.

In other news, I was able to meet up with former Clipper and current spiritual advisor to the ATP players, Pastor Bob Kraft, last night for an insightful conversation over a cup of coffee. It was nice to welcome Pastor Bob back to Concordia and also to learn about what he does for the young men and women traveling on the tour. You can catch up with Pastor Bob by clicking here (Tennis Ministry). Pastor Bob has been able to combine his love for tennis and his life dedicated to Christ into a valuable service for the touring players. You can find him at most events as he travels from tournament to tournament worldwide. I pray for Pastor Bob and his family in Hong Kong and hope he is able to continue his service going forward.

I must admit that I am excited for the upcoming fall non-championship season. It will be great to see what level we are at and to get a glimpse of what is to come next spring. Our first fall event will be the ITA Small College East Regional Sept. 18-20. This is an event with all of the regional schools participating in an individual singles and doubles draw. The winners advance to Mobile, Alabama for the National event and a chance to be crowned National Champion. Last fall, Andrey Boldarev and Alex Grubin indeed captured the doubles #1 ranking and Alex Grubin is a former National Champion of the singles. I always enjoy my trips to Alabama, well at least the tennis...
Practice begins next week and I will post on this soon.

Be well and as always,

Nuff said...