Kendrick Leads Early Commitments to "Gotham Tennis Academy

(SANEPR.com) June 12, 2009 -- New York, NY, June 11, 2009 -- Robert Kendrick, the No. 5-ranked American tennis player, leads the early commitments to the inaugural "Gotham Tennis Academy Hamptons 20-Ball Open" to be held July 5 at the Napeague Tennis Club in Amagansett, N.Y.

This unique single day event will award a first-prize paycheck of $10,000 and features an action-filled, first-to-20-point match format beginning with a ground-stroke feed in lieu of a traditional serve. The event is open to both male and female players of all levels - professional and amateur. A qualifying tournament will be held on Monday, June 29.

Kendrick recently distinguished himself at the French Open in Paris, becoming the second-best performing American in the men's singles tournament. Kendrick, who is ranked No. 76 in the world, reached the second round in Paris before losing to Gilles Simon of France. Joining Kendrick as early commitments in the tournament are Israeli Davis Cup star Dudi Sela as
well as No. 6-ranked American Kevin Kim and tournament organizer and Gotham Tennis Academy touring professional Alex Bogomolov.

"Gotham Tennis Academy is excited to host this unique and fun event for tennis fans and players at the Napeague Tennis Club," said Bogomolov. "The single day tournament provides a special opportunity to see professional players up close in a fast-paced, exciting-to-watch format. For non-professional players, this is a very rare opportunity to test skills against top level pros. If you are an amateur player who has ever wondered how many points you could get against a pro, we encourage you to put your game on the line and enter."

The rules of each match in the high-action, fast-paced competition format are as follows:

* Feed below the waist to start the point, no "second serve" feeds.
* Player starts the point with a crosscourt feed.
* Players alternate feeding five consecutive points, similar to ping-pong.
* Players alternate feeding between the deuce and ad court every five points.
* Sudden death point at 19 all

Prize money will also be awarded to the tournament runner-up, who will earn $1,000, as well as semifinalists ($300) and quarterfinalists ($100). Entry fees are $100 for the main draw and $50 for the qualifying draw.

To enter the tournament, please contact Gotham Tennis Academy Hampton-20 Ball Tournament Director at 646-292-3511 or via email at info@gothamtennis.com. Complimentary transportation will be provided to and from New York City airports.

The Napeague Tennis Club is located at 2145 Montauk Highway in Amagansett, N.Y. The club features four immaculately maintained clay courts and one artificial grass court. The Napeague Tennis Club offers excellent tennis programming at reasonable prices including individual and family memberships, corporate memberships, adult and children's tennis clinics,
tennis parties, tennis camps and private tennis lessons. It is the preferred destination for tennis in the Hamptons because of its relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, beautiful clay courts, close proximity to the beach, and reasonable prices. "Napeague is a very special place" says Tennis Director Brian Helm. "It's an oasis of calm with high-level, state-of-the-art tennis programming for players of all levels."

The mission of Gotham Tennis Academy is to provide friendly, personalized, high-performance tennis instruction in convenient facilities for Manhattan and Hamptons clients. In addition to operating the Napeague Tennis Club in the Hamptons, Gotham Tennis Academy has established a reputation for excellent tennis programming at three Manhattan locations -- the Harlem
Armory Tennis Center, the Midtown Tennis Club and the Riverside Clay Tennis Association. Gotham Tennis Academy offers tennis programs year-round to players of all ages and skill levels. Gotham Tennis Academy's goal is to help each player improve all aspects of his or her tennis game. More information on Gotham Tennis Academy can be found at www.GothamTennis.com.
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Contact:
Joel Kassan, Principal
Gotham Tennis Academy
1560 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(646) 292-3511
joel@gothamtennis.com
http://www.GothamTennis.com

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