Dear Member,
Hope you’ve had a relaxing time over the UAE National Holiday break. Here’s all the latest news from Rackets Academy . Find out who our Player of the Week is and get results from last weekend’s tournaments. We have results from Week 9 of our Mrs Miyagis Ladies League and an interview with Coach Mariano! Don’t forget to sign your kids up to our Multi-Sport and Performance Camps over the festive break and check out our Rule and Tip of the Week from Coach Sean. There’s only a few days left to sign up for our Rackets Academy Head 30K Winter Championships…Read on!
Player of the Week
Congratulations to Rafa Tom who is our Player of the Week. Rafa was voted for by the coaches following her performance in her match against rival ladies team T360 Saf’attack last week where she put an incredible amount of effort into every game. Well done Rafa!
UTR U14 Boys Singles – Finals Results
Congratulations to our finalists Dev Kanbargimath and Jozef Kottoor in the UTR U14 Boys Singles event. Jozef took home the winning trophy following his 6-3 6-3 victory against Dev. Congratulations to you both on an amazing tournament!
UTR U17 Tournament – Finals Results
Congratulations to our finalists Ethan Milgan and Andra Sirbu in the UTR U17 Boys and Girls Singles UAE Ranking Tournament last weekend. Ethan was crowned champion, beating Andra 6-2 7-5 in the finals. Well done to you both on a fantastic tournament!
30K Rackets Academy Head Winter Championships – Sign up TODAY!
There’s still a few days left to sign up for our 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 Singles
Under 12 Boys & Girls Singles
Click here to register or 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!
Don’t forget our Multi-Sports Camp is running once again over the festive break. Sign your kids up today 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!
There are still spaces available for our Performance and Elite Players to sign up for the Rackets Academy High Performance Camp.. check out the details below.
- 13th – 31st December 2020
- Rackets Academy – Motor City
- Sunday / Tuesday / Thursday – Elite Players
- Monday / Wednesday – All Performance Players (including Orange & Green)
- Coaches: Petar & Lucca
- 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.
Mrs Miyagi’s Ladies League: Season 6 – Results
Well done to all everyone who played in Week 9 of our Mrs Miyagi’s Ladies League. Congratulations to Rackettes, Queens of the Court, Bulldogs and The Aces who won their matches. See scores below.
Division A:
The Match Makers vs Rackettes
Line 1: 7-6 6-1 (winner: The Match Makers)
Line 2: 1-6 2-6 (winner: Rackettes)
Overall Winner: Rackettes
Queens of the Court vs The Match Makers
Line 1: 6-0 6-0 (winner: Queens of the Court)
Line 2: 6-3 6-0 (winner: Queens of the Court)
Overall Winner: Queens of the Court
Rackettes vs Baseliners
Line 1: 6-3 6-1 (winner: Rackettes)
Line 2: 6-3 6-3 (winner: Rackettes)
Overall Winner: Rackettes
Division B:
The Mentalis vs Bulldogs
Line 1: 0-6 1-6 (winner: Bulldogs)
Line 2: 6-2 6-4 (winner: The Mentalis)
Overall Winner: Bulldogs
The Aces vs Simon’s Samurai
Line 6-3 6-1 (winner: The Aces)
Line 2: 6-0 7-5 (winner: The Aces)
Overall Winner: The Aces
Interview with Coach Mariano
This week’s interview is with Rackets Academy Coach, Mariano Pettigrosso
1. Who is your favourite professional player?
Growing up my favourite players were Boom Boom Becker (Boris Becker) and Gabriela Sabatini. But the greatest of all time is Guillermo Vilas from Argentina ?? of course!
2. Why do you love tennis?
Because it is the best sport in the world!
3. How did you get into tennis?
My father was the reason I started playing. I used to go watch him and his friends play Pelota Paleta(wooden rackets against a big wall) and they were having so much fun. It was amazing to see. So, he took me to the tennis club and that was it. Tennis has been part of my life since then.
4. When did you start playing tennis?
I have been playing tennis since I was 5 years old.
5. List 3 things you like about Rackets Academy
- A Very Professional Team
- My students and the positive vibe around our Academy
- The Amazing Venues all over Dubai
Rule of the Week
A serve must bounce first before the receiving player can return it.
Coach Sean’s Tip of the Week: Slice up your Serve
“How and where you make contact with the ball during a serve can change how difficult your serve will be to return.
To hit a slice serve, start with your serving arm up and your hand against your ear. When you come in contact with the ball after the toss, hit the side of the ball instead of the back of the ball. Hitting the ball on its side creates topspin and bounce, which can be more difficult to return. When the ball hits the other side of the court, it will hook out to the side, allowing it to curve away from, instead of to, your opponent.
If you’re passionate about upping your serving game, practice varying up your serving styles and work the slice serve into your training and matches.…Good luck!“
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Have a great week!
Rackets Academy