Tennis Stories

Janet Lefkowitz has been teaching adaptive tennis for so many years that she's seen kids grow into adulthood as participants in her program. What's incredible is that some of her students over the years have seen their autism symptoms improve, potentially the result of tennis as a therapeutic tool. Janet's 30-year-old program, HERO Tennis, is an organization that delivers tennis to people with all abilities, whether they have special needs, physical disabilities, are wounded warriors–it’s an inclusive tennis program for all. Her life's mission is to get every able-bodied tennis player to experience watching or teaching adaptive tennis. Janet also happens to be USTA Eastern’s 2022 Tennis Woman of the year! It's hard not to smile when you hear Janet's joy as she talks about her work. Learn more about HERO tennis, based in Greenburgh, NY here: https://herony.org/

Did you know that a woman experiencing a heart attack won't necessarily have the same symptoms a man would have? And that heart disease, not breast cancer is the #1 killer of women in the United States? It's so important women know what red flags to look out for relating to their heart health, and playing a sport like tennis can help women both maintain heart health and even identify underlying cardiac issues. Not to mention, a 2017 Copenhagen City Heart study found that playing tennis may increase life expectancy by 9.7 years! We sat down with former USTA Eastern junior, Dr. Ersilia M. DeFilippis who is an Assistant Professor of Cardiology and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center to find out how women in particular can benefit from playing tennis. USTA Eastern is proud to welcome our new Official Hospital Sponsor, NewYork-Presbyterian!

Aki Wolfson has seen firsthand how tennis transformed the lives of people who use wheelchairs. She views tennis as medicine, wherever a person is in life. Wolfson is a USPTA Wheelchair Tennis Professional who has taught at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for over 25 years and has served as the Tournament director of the Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, a role she has held for over 20 years. Aki Wolfson is currently the Tennis Director under CommonpointQueens at Alley Pond where Commonpoint is a non-profit organization where its mission is to sustain and enhance the quality of family and individual life for all members of the community, regardless of religion, ethnic or cultural background, national origin, gender identity or expression, age or disability within an inclusive environment that facilitates growth, meets individual needs and builds community. Read Wolfson's article here as mentioned in the episode that was published in Long Island Tennis Magazine.

Dale Evans' tennis story begins in Oakland, California where he wanted to start playing tennis to meet girls. The sport has led him to unpredictable places, including his current role as the Director of Tennis Operations at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Host Donyshia Boston-Hill takes us through Dale Evans' life in tennis on this first episode of Tennis Stories.