Sandra Harwitt

Tennis History And Instructional Books Available For The Holidays From New Chapter Press

December 10, 2017 by Admin

“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” by 2017 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Steve Flink highlights many New Chapter Press tennis book offerings that make for excellent gift ideas this holiday season.

“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Flink also includes a fascinating “greatest strokes of all-time” section where he ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years.

The book is published by New Chapter Press, the premier global publisher of tennis books.

The hard-cover book, that makes for a centerpiece of a coffee table or at your local tennis club, retails for $28.95, and can be purchased here on Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257936/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_Qj-rybVBRK7ZW or at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold.

Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. A resident of Katonah, N.Y., he is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week. The book has received high praise from some of the most respected names in the sport, including Chris Evert, a winner of 18 major singles titles in her career, who wrote the foreword to the book. Said seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras, “Steve Flink was there reporting on almost every big match I played in my career. He has seen all of the great players for the last 45 years. I encourage you to read this book because Steve is one of the most insightful writers on the game that I have known and he really knows his tennis.”

The Secrets of Spanish Tennis ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559491/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_2DUjAb11C47RB by New York City elite tennis teaching professional Chris Lewit, is the culmination of years of study on the Spanish way of training by Lewit, who visited many of the top Spanish academies and studied and interviewed some of the leading coaches in Spain to discern and distill this unique and special training methodology.

The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_WKUjAbQJMXVJG) by tennis journalist Sandra Harwitt is unique among other books on tennis as it is a guide to the best and most influential Jewish tennis players in the history of the sport. It includes features and biographies of the greatest players, stories of both break-out success and anti-Semitism. This history also discusses the ways in which Jewish individuals have been instrumental behind the scenes, playing key roles in the growth of tennis into one of the world’s most popular sports.

Other recommended tennis titles are as follows;

The Wimbledon Final That Never Was ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257847/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_6LUjAb1CNQJSG) tells of one of the most dramatic and unusual episodes in tennis history told by 1931 Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood. The volume also features tales of a by-gone era of sports and society via a compilation of short stories that deliver fascinating anecdotes of the 1930s and a signature document of the play and styles of 20th-century tennis legends.

Titanic: The Tennis Story ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559041/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_FNUjAbV8X1V9K) by Lindsay Gibbs is the stirring and remarkable historical novel that tells the story of the intertwined life of Dick Williams and Karl Behr who survived the sinking of the Titanic and went on to have Hall of Fame tennis careers. Two years after both had harrowing escapes from the famous disaster, the two met in the quarterfinals of the modern-day U.S. Open. An emotional and touching work, this novel brings one of the most extraordinary sports stories to life in literary form. This real-life account – with an ending seemingly plucked out of a Hollywood screenplay – weaves the themes of love, tragedy, history, sport and perseverance.

On This Day In Tennis History ($19.95, 528 pages, for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257421/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_HOUjAbD91C0SF) is a fun and fact-filled, this compilation offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year written by Randy Walker. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings.

Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others by Rick Macci ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559254/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_XPUjAbS7M86V5) offers the secrets to success both on and off the tennis court by master coach and motivator Rick Macci, who coached tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova among others. Through anecdotes and more than 100 sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy, this inspirational manual helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “Sport of a Lifetime” by Judy Aydelott, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Your Playbook For Beating Depression” by Cliff Richey and Mary Garrison, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Lennon Prophecy: A New Examination of the Death Clues of The Beatles” by Joe Niezgoda, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.

"The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time" — “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time”

Can Diego Schwartzman Become The First Jewish U.S. Open Champion?

September 1, 2017 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Can Diego Schwartzman become the first person of full Jewish faith to win a U.S. Open singles title?

The diminutive five-foot-seven-inch firestorm from Buenos Aires, Argentina moved into the fourth round Friday with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 upset over 2014 U.S. Open champion and No. 5 seed Marin Cilic. The win caused raucous rounds of cheering from fans across the grounds at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The highest seed between the No. 29-seeded Schwartzman and the U.S. Open final is No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta. Schwartzman next plays No. 16 Lucas Pouille in the round of 16 on Sunday.

“If Diego is able to win the U.S. Open be assured they’ll be dancing the Hora around the U.S. Open grounds in celebration,” said Sandra Harwit, author of the book The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time, covering the 2017 U.S. Open for USA Today. “We don’t want to make Diego nervous, so we won’t start talking about the final yet. But there’s likely isn’t a Jewish tennis fan in the world who isn’t rooting him on.”

No player of Jewish faith has won the U.S. Open singles title although Pete Sampras has always seemed proud of his partial Jewish heritage from his father’s side of the family. Tom Okker of the Netherlands, who had one Jewish parent but identified with the religion, and American Herb Flam, were two Jewish players who were finalists at the American Grand Slam.

Aaron Krickstein also excelled at the U.S. Open but his best result was a semifinal finish in 1989. In her “Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” book, Harwitt profiles Brian Teacher, the 1980 Australian Open singles champion, and Dick Savitt, the 1951 Australian and Wimbledon champion, the only Jewish men to win major singles titles. Harwitt also profiles Suzy Kormoczy of Hungary, the winner of the 1958 French women’s singles title, the only Jewish woman to win a major singles title.

New York is the city with the second-biggest Jewish population behind Tel Aviv, which makes him a popular player in Flushing Meadows during the fortnight and will continue to make him a fan favorite for the rest of the tournament.

“The New York Jewish community has always been very supportive of the Jewish players competing at the U.S. Open,” Harwitt said. “There’s no doubt that Diego Schwartzman is feeling that love from Jewish fans at the Open. And they’ll be out for every match he plays for as long as he is in the draw.”

In a story in Jewish Telegraphic Agency earlier this year, Schwartzman said he did not attend a Hebrew school in Buenos Aires, but he does observe Jewish holidays. In 2016, he told the ATP World Tour that he receives great support from the Jewish population in his hometown of Buenos Aires.

“I am Jewish and in Argentina, we have many Jewish [people] there, and all the people there know me,” he said.

“The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time” book, which is also for sale at the US Open book store, is a guide to the best and most influential Jewish tennis players in the history of the sport and includes features and biographies of the greatest players, stories of both break-out success and anti-Semitism. Beginning with the Italian Baron Umberto de Morpurgo in the 1920s, the book features stories such as the best German player who was prevented from playing by the Nazis, the player who competed on both the men’s and women’s tour, the only fully Jewish player to rank No. 1 in the world, and the player who was denied entry into a country to play a Women’s Tennis Association tournament—in the 21st century. This history also discusses the ways in which Jewish individuals have been instrumental behind the scenes, playing key roles in the growth of tennis into one of the world’s most popular sports. Among the 37 players featured are Dick Savitt, Brian Teacher, Ilana Kloss, Aaron Krickstein, Brad Gilbert, Julie Heldman, Amos Mansdorf, Anna Smashnova, Justin Gimelstob, Angela Buxton and Brian Gottfried. The book retails for $19.95 and is available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_vl8rub1RK7P00

“Tennis does have its ‘Game, Set and Matzo’ element and I am thrilled to present them in ‘The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time,’” said Harwitt when the book was released. “Each player’s personal saga will touch all tennis fans, Jewish or not, because their stories are instrumental to the history of the game. The experience writing this book was an exciting and rewarding adventure in discovering many fascinating stories.”

Harold Solomon, who is also profiled in the book, contributed the foreword to the book. “You don’t need to be Jewish to appreciate the story of any of these Jewish tennis players,” wrote Solomon. “You just have to be someone who has a curious side and likes to learn about people and how they ended up being who they are and doing what they did.”

Gottfried, the 1977 French Open singles finalist, said of Harwitt, “Who better to write a story about the lives of Jewish tennis players than someone who has ‘been there and done that.’ Sandy has been a fixture on the ATP and WTA Tour for many decades as a very knowledgeable and respected tennis journalist. My family and I have enjoyed getting to know her over the years and being included in her book has been an honor and a privilege.”

Peter Bodo of Tennis.com said, “Sandy Harwitt is a deeply experienced and well-traveled writer, which brings to this book a special stamp of authority. It isn’t just a good book about Jewish tennis players – it’s a good tennis book, period.”

U.S. Davis Cup captain and former world No. 1 Jim Courier said, “Sandy has lived and breathed the sport for years. Her detail and insight into these players personal and professional lives is both remarkable and inspiring.”

Tennis writer and historian Joel Drucker said, “Dozens of Jewish men and women have made a distinctive mark on tennis. Longstanding tennis writer Sandra Harwitt has dug deep to bring these compelling stories to life – fascinating backstories and remarkable journeys both inside and outside the lines.”

Television commentator and former player Mary Carillo said, “Sandy Harwitt is the ideal writer to bring you the lives of the people in this book. She is a true tennis “lifer” and her love and knowledge of the game has produced one remarkable story after another, about tennis players you knew, or wish you knew.”

Harwitt, a freelance sportswriter who specializes in tennis, has covered more than 70 Grand Slam tournaments for media outlets such as the Associated Press, ESPN.com, ESPNW.com, the Miami Herald, the New York Times, and Tennis magazine. She is a member of the International Tennis Writers’ Association and the Association for Women in Sports Media. She lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

Eliot Teltscher – One of the Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time

March 10, 2017 by Admin

If it weren’t for the likes of John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors, Eliot Teltscher may have had a long run as the top player in the United States and may have even won a major singles title or two. Instead, the Palos Verdes, California native can claim a French Open mixed doubles win and being member of a winning U.S. Davis Cup team as his major accomplishments. To boot, tennis journalist and author Sandy Harwitt named Teltscher as one of “The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All-Time” in the book by the same name, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_GXUWybC1V7516 The following is Harwitt’s chapter on Teltscher called “Finding A Place in The Top 10.”

When one took a look at Eliot Teltscher on a tennis court, he certainly didn’t come across as particularly threatening.

At 5 feet, 10 inches tall and a spindly 150 pounds, it seemed as if one strong breeze would knock him over like a feather. Of course, Teltscher wasn’t the only guy out there in his generation that didn’t quite have the most athletic build. John McEnroe was an inch taller and probably a few pounds heavier, but they appeared of the same mold.

Looks, however, can be deceiving and that was certainly the case when it came to Teltscher — and McEnroe. The California-born and bred Teltscher ended up being one of the best of his time, journeying to a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the spring of 1982. While you wouldn’t exactly say that Eliot was the most fabulous of athletes, he had some very important assets in tennis. When it came to his game, his premium weapon was a delicious one-handed backhand, which he handled with a simple fluidity.

But it was his head that delivered him to the top of the game. Teltscher was an intelligent thinker on the court, a headstrong and determined competitor. Eliot understood his strengths and even looking back years later he had little doubt about why he met with success on the court.

“I was just a baseline player,” said Teltscher, reminiscing in a Los Angeles Times article from September 26, 1991. “I didn’t have all that much of a game, but I just tried real hard. A lot of the guys played better than me, but I just tried harder.”

The obstinate personality Eliot showed in the pros was developed at a very young age. He was the child of a Sabra mother, born in pre-state Israel Palestine, and a father who immigrated to Israel as a Holocaust survivor and joined the British military. By the time Teltscher was born, the family had relocated to Southern California. Living in upscale Palos Verdes, Teltscher and his older sister, Judy, would join their parents at the Jack Kramer Tennis Club when they were children. By the time he was 9, Teltscher had taken up the sport. He’d often play against Judy and, in the lore of sibling rivalry as the younger brother, he was desperate to be better than his older sister. It was at the Jack Kramer Tennis Club that Teltscher began working with the coaching maestro, Robert Lansdorp, a Dutchman with a great track record of superstar players he had a part in developing including Tracy Austin, Brian Teacher and eventually Pete Sampras, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, and Anastasia Myskina, to name a few.

Almost immediately, Lansdorp saw that what Eliot brought to the table was a refusal to lose. Teltscher was stubborn and demanded winning results of himself.

“Since he was 10, 11 years old he was always so tenacious,” said Lansdorp, in that same Los Angeles Times article from September 1991. “He’s a fighter. He would run down everything. Every time you played the guy, you had a battle on your hands.” Teltscher would close out his life as a top 10-ranked junior with journeys to the Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior finals in 1977. At that Wimbledon, he shared a room with John McEnroe, who surprisingly qualified and journeyed all the way to the men’s semifinals that year. As the story is told, the room they shared only had one bed so the two took turns having the bed or the floor for the night.

By 1978, Teltscher was off to UCLA to play tennis. He received All-American honors and was considered the second-best collegiate player in the country, right behind his Wimbledon roommate from the year before. At the NCAA Championships, it was believed that McEnroe, the best college player out of Stanford, and Teltscher would vie for the prestigious NCAA singles title. But the anticipated final match never happened. Teltscher didn’t live up to his end of the bargain, losing to North Carolina State’s John Sadri in the quarterfinals. It was Sadri who found himself in Eliot’s supposed final spot against McEnroe, but he didn’t have the goods to bypass the future world No. 1.

Teltscher didn’t hang around at UCLA long enough to give the NCAA Championships a second try. Like McEnroe, he spent one year at college and then directed his effort to the pro tour. But his one-year stay was long enough for UCLA coach Glen Bassett to size up Eliot as a player with a personality akin to that of “The Little Engine That Could.”

Bassett said of Teltscher at the time: “Eliot believes in himself. He’s very tough out there on the court.”

It didn’t take Teltscher very long to make his own noise once he joined the pros. His first year on the tour delivered a singles title in Hong Kong, the first of 10 career titles. He played on a number of U.S. Davis Cup teams, and posted career victories over McEnroe, Jose-Luis Clerc and Jose Higueras. His best singles Grand Slam result was reaching the 1983 Australian Open quarterfinals, but along with fellow American Terry Moor, he attained a doubles final berth at the 1981 French Open, losing to Heinz Gunthardt and Balazs Taroczy 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. Two years later, however, the French Open would put Teltscher in the special class designated for Grand Slam champions. He teamed with fellow American Barbara Jordan to win the mixed doubles trophy 6-2, 6-3 over Americans Leslie Allen and Charles Strode. It’s worth noting that, for a time, Teltscher dated Barbara’s younger sister, Kathy, who was also a notable player.

Eventually, nerve problems in his right arm affected his ability to play at an optimum level and Eliot would call it quits following the 1988 season. He would go on to have a number of coaching positions. He worked as a personal coach with the likes of Pete Sampras, Justin Gimelstob, Jeff Tarango, and Taylor Dent. In the early 1990s, he coached the Pepperdine University men’s team. And for a time he was one of the United States Tennis Association’s national coaches. In 2009, Teltscher was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

“The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time” Book Released

October 29, 2014 by Admin

“The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time,” the new book by sportswriter Sandra Harwitt that documents the stories of the best-ever Jewish tennis players, is now available for sale by New Chapter Press.

“The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time” is a guide to the best and most influential Jewish tennis players in the history of the sport and includes features and biographies of the greatest players, stories of both break-out success and anti-Semitism. Beginning with the Italian Baron Umberto de Morpurgo in the 1920s, the book features stories such as the best German player who was prevented from playing by the Nazis, the player who competed on both the men’s and women’s tour, the only fully Jewish player to rank No. 1 in the world, and the player who was denied entry into a country to play a Women’s Tennis Association tournament—in the 21st century. This history also discusses the ways in which Jewish individuals have been instrumental behind the scenes, playing key roles in the growth of tennis into one of the world’s most popular sports. Among the 37 players featured are Dick Savitt, Brian Teacher, Ilana Kloss, Aaron Krickstein, Brad Gilbert, Julie Heldman, Amos Mansdorf, Anna Smashnova, Justin Gimelstob, Angela Buxton and Brian Gottfried. The book retails for $19.95 and is available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_vl8rub1RK7P00

“Tennis does have its ‘Game, Set and Matzo’ element and I am thrilled to present them in ‘The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time,’” said Harwitt. “Each player’s personal saga will touch all tennis fans, Jewish or not, because their stories are instrumental to the history of the game. The experience writing this book was an exciting and rewarding adventure in discovering many fascinating stories.”

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” by Chris Lewit, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.