Page 90 - May-June-July Life In Naples Magazine

NOLE &
NAPOLEON

T wo rather seasoned tennis players in Naples
were having a conversation recently, when
one of them stated: “Twenty years ago, I
could have beaten Novak Djokovic.” To
which the other remarked: “Yeah, he was
only seven years old then.”

It is a point well made; because even a player of
Djokovic’s stature had to learn the game at some
point; which brings us to the subject of junior tennis.

At the Arthur L. Allen Tennis Center in
Cambier Park there is year-round instruction
available for aspiring young players. It starts with
the after school program in August, which runs
through the entire school year. Kids aged 4 & up
can hone their game Monday through Thursday
from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

When school lets out in June, the summer
camp begins. There are two options available in this
Monday through Friday program: “Tennis Only”
which runs from 9 a.m. – Noon and the “Tennis
Plus” which is from 9 a.m.– 3 p.m. and includes
other fun activities in addition to the tennis
instruction.

What is the point of all this instruction, you may
ask? Well, one very exciting avenue for young players
is junior tournament tennis. Here at Cambier Park
we host 10 junior tournaments throughout the year.
These USTA – sanctioned events provide a training
ground for the professionals of the future.

This would seem to be a thing of great benefit.
For as Wellington said (or didn’t say) of his victory
over Napoleon “The battle of Waterloo was won on
the playing fields of Eton.”