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EASTCHESTER, N.Y. The John McEnroe Tennis Academy is planning to expand its reach to Westchester County with a new annex to be housed at Sportime Lake Isle in Eastchester.
The plan was made public simultaneously with the announcement that New York native Lawrence Kleger has been named the academy's new director of tennis.
There are few if any people who understand my philosophy and are as well respected in coaching as Lawrence Kleger, said McEnroe. Lawrences track record in developing well-rounded young tennis players speaks for itself, and we are very excited to have him in this position as we expand our reach to help those interested in playing competitive tennis in the tri-state area.
Sportime Lake Isle will boast an eight-court facility on the grounds of the Lake Isle Country Club with its synthetic-clay, indoor courts covered by three air structures and a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse. The complex is set to open in September.
Kleger currently supervises a team of 30 instructors, including former ATP and WTA professional players Fritz Buehning, Hana Sromova and Martina Sucha, and Assistant Academy Directors Karim Balagh, Bruce Haddad, Harel Srugo and Juan Rios. McEnroe is routinely involved in the daily program at Randalls Island, personally supervising and training staff and coaching young players.
I am a big believer in Johns philosophy, which is multi-faceted, but starts with a non-residential academy setting, offering a world-class coaching staff and training methods. I know that we are going to produce some great young tennis players, and I am excited to take this new position, Kleger said. The academy is off to a great start in its first two years and I am looking forward to helping grow it even further in my new role.
Kleger, a 25-year coaching veteran, has been the executive director of dennis at Sportime Clubs since 1998, and an assistant academy director at JMTA since September 2011. He was hand-picked by McEnroe for the position. He has coached more ranked junior tennis players than any other tennis coach in the history of the USTA Eastern Section, and is most proud that his students have won 18 USTA Eastern Year-End Sportsmanship Awards.
Founded in 2010 at Sportime Randalls Island in Manhattan, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy provides tennis training to many of the citys best and highest-ranked junior players. Full and partial scholarships are available for qualified and promising young players who could not otherwise afford JMTA participation. Corporate partners Nike and Dunlop provide students with equipment and apparel for their use, both at the academy and in tournament play.
For more information about the academy and the new facility, see the website.
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