Dear Member,
We’ve got lots to update you on at Rackets Academy this week! Find out who’s our Player of the Week and Mrs Miyagis Players of the Week and get results from last weekend’s tournaments and from Week 8 of our Mrs Miyagis Ladies League. Meet our new Performance Coach, Petar and find out details for our Kids Camps and High Performance camps over the festive period. We have and an interview with our Elite Player, Magnus Oestergaard and check out our Rule and Tip of the Week from Coach Sarah. Lastly, don’t forget to take a look at our upcoming tournaments, including our 30K Winter Championships…Read on!
Players of the Week
Congratulations to Ethan Miligan who is our Player of the Week. Ethan was voted for by the coaches after his fantastic performance in the semi-finals of the U18 UAE Ranking Event last weekend, which sealed him a place in next week’s finals. Well done Ethan on this well-deserved award! (Photo to follow next week!)
Congratulations to Izabela Sobczak and Margaret Dean who are our Mrs Miyagis Ladies League Players of the Week for week 8. Izabela and Margaret win a brunch for 2 at Mr Miyagis restaurant in Studio City. These ladies were voted for Player of the Week by coaches for their epic 3 tie-break match against rival team Queens of the Court last week. Congratulations ladies on your amazing performance and incredible match! (Photo to follow next week!)
UTR U14 Singles – Results
Well done to everyone who played in the Quarter Finals of the U14 Singles Event last weekend. See results below…
E. Edavalath beat S. Sendilkumar 6-1 6-1
D. Kanbargimath beat M. Malik (Withdrew)
D. Tamse beat H. Thabet (Withdrew)
J. Kottoor beat H.Kytosaari 6-2 6-2
U18 UAE Ranking Event – Results
Thanks to all our boys and girls who took part in the U18 UAE Ranking Event. Congratulations to our U18 UAE Girls Singles Champion, Andra Sirbu who beat Diya Tamse 6-1 6-2 in the final. Good luck to our finalists Hussein Nada and Ethan Miligan who go head to head in the U18 Boys UAE Ranking Finals on 2nd December. Please see results from Semi-Finals below…
Girls Semi-Finals
Andra Sirbu beat Shreya Menon 6-0 6-0
Diya Tamse beat Iyaanah Pardiwalla (Walkover)
Boys Semi-Finals
Hussein Nada beat Mehul John 6-2 6-4
Ethan Miligan beat Rayan Koothrat 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 10-8
Upcoming Tournaments
Check out our tournaments that are taking place over the next few weeks. To sign up, call 052 372 4224 TODAY or email register@racketsacademy.ae. To see the full tournament schedule for the term click here.
Fri 4th & Sat 5th December – UTR U13 Boys & Girls Singles, Rackets Academy, Motor City
Sun 13th Dec – Sat 2nd Jan – 30K Rackets Academy Head Championships, RA Motor City
30K Rackets Academy Head Winter Championships – Sign up TODAY!
Calling all men, women, boys and girls to put your skills to the test once again in the Rackets Academy Head Winter Championships for a chance to WIN AED 30,000 prize money! Don’t delay, sign up today! See below for more details.
- Date: 13th December 2020 – 2nd January 2021
- Entry fees in accordance with Tennis Emirates Regulations
- Multiple category entries allowed
- Matches will be played Rackets Academy, Motor City and Atlantis Hotel, The Palm
Categories:
Men’s Singles & Doubles
Ladies’ Singles
Mixed Doubles
Men’s Over 35’s Singles
Under 18 Boys Singles
Under 16 Boys Singles
Under 14 Boys & Girls Doubles
Under 14 Boys & Girls Mixed Singles
Under 12 Boys & Girls Singles
To register, email you name and mobile number to: register@racketsacademy.ae. Places are limited, so sign up TODAY for a chance to WIN AED 30,000 prize money!
Festive Holiday Multi-Sports Kids Camp – Sign Up Today!
Wondering how to keep your kids entertained over the Winter break? Well we have just the answer! Sign them up to our Festive Holiday Multi-Sports Kids Camp so that they can have fun, burn off some energy and hang out with other kids. Activities include; tennis, football, splash session, XFit Kids, Dodgeball and Boxing. See below for more details…
Dates:
- Week 1 (5 days) – Sun 13th December – Thurs 17th December
- Week 2 (5 days) – Sun 20th December – Thurs 24th December
- Week 3 (5 days) – Sun 27th December – Thurs 31st December
Locations:
- Fitness First – Mudon
- Fitness First – Arabian Ranches 2
- Fitness First – The Lakes, Emirates Hills
- Fitness First – Town Center, Springs
Details:
- Drop Off: 8.30-9.00am
- Pick Up: 12.30-1.00pm
- AED 150 per day
- AED 665 for the week
- 10% Fitness First member or sibling discount available
- Fun games and prizes and different activities every day
- Drinks and snacks not included
High Performance Camp – Sign up today!
We are delighted to announce that we will be running a High Performance Camp during the festive holidays for any Performance and Elite Players:
- 13th – 31st December 2020
- Rackets Academy – Motor City
- Sunday / Tuesday / Thursday – Elite Players
- Monday / Wednesday – All Performance Players (including Orange & Green)
- Coaches: Petar & Luca
- 9am-1pm
- 1 day = 300dhs / 2 days = 500dhs / 3 days = 750dhs
Places are limited, so book your child in ASAP to avoid disappointment. For any questions or to sign up, please email register@racketsacademy.ae or WhatsApp 052 992 8595.
Welcome to Coach Petar
We are delighted to introduce you to our new coach, Petar Kaucic, who joins the Rackets Academy team as Performance Coach. Petar, 29, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, is a worldwide professional tennis coach. Petar started playing tennis at the age of 6 and was ranked nationally in the top 7-10 in all age categories. He also played ITF junior tournaments, futures and challenger as well.
At the age of 17 Petar decided to study Kinesiology (Sport Science) at Faculty of Kinesiology, University in Zagreb where he achieved his master degree with master thesis “Specific endurance in Tennis”. Also, earning a degree Petar achieved Croatian Tennis Association certificate. During his last 2 years of studying, Petar also worked as a coach for top Croatian ITF junior players in Zagreb.
After graduating, Petar started to work in Tennis Club “Top Spin” in Zagreb, Croatia where he was working with top level Croatian junior players and also recreational players. During this period he was invited by Borna Coric, ranked 33 ATP, to travel with him on two tournaments.
Enjoying the coaching experience Petar moved to Tehran, Iran and worked for Optigenpro Tennis Academy in junior high performance development where he was working with talented Iranian players. It was a great experience for Petar to start and develop tennis in an academy from the very beginning.
After 2 years in Iran, Petar decided it was time for a new challenge and moved to Dubai, He saw the opportunity to combine his loves of tennis and teaching and decided to pursue a full time career as professional tennis coach. In his spare time, Petar enjoys reading motivational books, exercising in the gym and running.
Mrs Miyagi’s Ladies League: Season 6 – Results
Well done to all everyone who played in Week 8 of our Mrs Miyagi’s Ladies League. Congratulations to Passing Shots, Queens of the Court, The Mentalis and The Aces who won their matches. See scores below.
Division A:
The Match Makers vs Passing Shots
Line 1: 7-6 4-6 (6-10) (winner: Passing Shots)
Line 2: 1-6 1-6 (winner: Passing Shots)
Overall Winner: Passing Shots
Queens of the Court vs Baseliners
Line 1: 7-6 6-7 (10-2) (winner: Queens of the Court)
Line 2: 6-3 6-2 (winner: Queens of the Court)
Overall Winner: Queens of the Court
Division B:
The Mentalis vs Simon’s Samurai
Line 1: 6-0 6-0 (winner: The Mentalis)
Line 2: 6-1 6-4 (winner: The Mentalis)
Overall Winner: The Mentalis
The Aces vs Bulldogs
Line 3-6 6-2 (10-8) (winner: The Aces)
Line 2: 2-6 6-4 (10-6) (winner: The Aces)
Overall Winner: The Aces
Interview with Magnus Oestergaard
This week’s interview is with our Rackets Academy Elite Player, Magnus Oestergaard.
1. Who is your favourite professional player (male & female)?
Roger Federer & Serena Williams
2. Who is your favourite Rackets Academy Coach?
Mariano
3. Why do you love tennis?
Because it is challenging and really high paced. I also love it because you need to be good mentally.
4. How did you get into tennis?
My dad played it and also my mum played it a little, so I tried it out and it was great. But I never in 1 million years would have thought, that I could be professional. But now I believe I can.
5. How long have you been playing tennis for?
6 years since I first touched a tennis ball
6. List 3 things you like about Rackets Academy
- The level
- The positive environment
- The coaches
Rule of the Week: Foot Fault
While attempting to hit the serve, a foot fault counts only if the leg touches the base line before or during the motion, once you have hit the ball, then your foot or feet can touch the base line.
Coach Sarah’s Tip of the Week: The Serve
“Serve is divided into what I call, a constant and a variable. Mainly the body stance and arm have a repetitive movement mechanism yet the toss becomes the variable. If the toss is thrown correctly, the movement becomes smooth and easy and would feel right. What’s common is that the toss gets thrown, regardless where it is, the body accommodates the toss and moves around towards it. This is when most of the players struggle with serves. Keep your stance right and solid. Throw your toss to your 12 o’clock and a bit forward, not over the head…Good luck!“
Follow us on social media…
Facebook: Rackets Academy Dubai
Insta: @rackets_academy_dubai
Download our mobile App for Apple or Android today!
Have a great week!
Rackets Academy