Garrett Betsarakis' coach, Krishnan Anandan, is impressed with the 11-year-old's warrior-like attitude on the tennis court.
"Garrett will fight until his last breath in a match," said Anandan, head teaching professional at Seminole Lake Tennis Center. "He's a coach's dream - he listens with big eyes."
Betsarakis started playing tennis with his dad when he was 4 and then took lessons at St. Petersburg's city facilities at North Shore and Fossil Park. He met teaching pro Gary Bonds at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center and followed him to the Racquet Club when he was 7.
"I entered my first tournament when I was 7 and won the consolation draw," Betsarakis said. "It was fun, even though almost everyone was older and bigger than I was."
When tennis director John Haggar left the Racquet Club last summer, Betsarakis took some private lessons from Anthony Blair until the teaching pro returned to the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton.
"I started with Krishnan at Seminole the first of November and come every day to practice or play," Betsarakis said. Betsarakis and his parents plan his tournament schedule about three or four months in advance, he said.
Recently, Betsarakis has played to the championship round in several contests. He won the 12-and-under singles title in the Junior Clay Court Championships at the Hunter's Green Country Club in Tampa. Betsarakis followed up that win with another in the Pete Wolfberg Championships in St. Petersburg. A win in a super series-level event last month should raise his ranking from the 40s in the state to the 30s, he said.
"When I played in the 10s, I finished No. 7 in the state," Betsarakis said. "I'm working on my serve-and-volley and especially my volley. I'd like to play high school and college tennis, and eventually, be a professional. I try to learn every time I compete and play hard without worrying about losing. Instead, I'm trying to learn to hit through the ball and play smarter."
Betsarakis entered his first national tournament in Oregon last summer while his family visited friends. The experience helped him see different styles.
"I used to have trouble with players that hit high, loopy balls, but now I've practiced taking some of those balls in the air for a volley or hitting an overhead. Either way, next time I'll be more aggressive against that kind of ball."
When asked to build a perfect player, Betsarakis took Andre Agassi's backhand and added Juan Carlos Ferrero's forehand, Pete Sampras' volley and Andy Roddick's serve. Betsarakis added the aggressive style of Max Mirnyi to complete the ideal player.
This weekend, Betsarakis will be among the competitors in Seminole's super series tournament with hopes of developing some of those skills.
ANNUAL MEETING: Over 15 local volunteers attended last weekend's USA Tennis Florida 54th Annual Meeting in Weston. In all, nearly 250 volunteers participated in the three-day event. Mike Carroll of St. Petersburg was named Outstanding Community Tennis Association Volunteer of the Year and Carol Levin of Safety Harbor received the Outstanding USA League Tennis Coordinator award. Ten area volunteers were recognized for their years of service to the state association, including David Wisotsky for his first year; Judy and Nic Foster and Mark Taylor (second); Johnny Angel, Erika Boardman and Joe Gari (fifth); Roger White (10); Irene Tharin (15); Nancy Morgan (20).
NET SHOTS: Jeff Davis captured the state men's 45-and-over singles title last month.
Area winners in the Treasure Rookie at Treasure Bay were Dalila Chiadmi in the girls 18-and-under, Simone Berger (16), Tyler Windschauer (boys 16), Zachary Hotz (14) and Matthew Kopelman (10).
Joel Samaha played to the third round in the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships in Bradenton this month.
Winners in the Updegraff Vision Tennis Challenge, a benefit for the Abilities Foundation, included Kitty Robinson, Liz Dunlop, Margaret O'Grady-Roset, Hildie Matthice, John Byrne and Bob Hicks. Finishing second were Betsy Brown, Kathy Caldwell, Sylvia Hagerman, Don Russell, Jon Beda and George Ditzel.
Registration for USA Tennis Florida District 12 Senior Women 3.0 League is Monday. Call coordinator Judy Murphy, (727) 815-9618.
Teams are welcome in the Super 70s Women's Doubles League. League play begins the second week of February. Contact Carol Levin, 797-8416, for details.
Former players trained by the late Dan Sullivan may participate in the 35th Annual Dan Sullivan Homecoming Tournament planned 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 27 at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center. The men's draw is limited to 32 at the 4.0-and-higher skill rating. Proceeds will go to the Dan Sullivan Memorial Fund to benefit the First Serve Grassroots Tennis program at the center. Call Jeff Davis, 367-0026.
COMING UP: The Christmas Super Series for junior singles players begins Saturday at the Seminole Lake Tennis Center. Call Krishnan Anandan, 394-1733, today to enter. ... The Holiday Classic at the Phil Green Tennis Academy in Safety Harbor begins Saturday. Adult singles players should call Green, 724-7729, today to enter.
