BY JERRY MILANI
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
John McEnroe’s passion for tennis is as unbridled as his outspokenness on the state of the American game. So it should come as no surprise that the Hall of Famer has continued to push his model of the well-rounded athlete as tennis star hard over the last few years. The result so far? Not a Grand Slam champion, but some impressive success in the New York area in growing a program from a philosophy to a brick and mortar success story.
Since its launch in 2010, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, on Randall’s Island in the middle of the East River, has outgrown its original home, with participants a waiting list from all over the tri-state area (including one of New Jersey’s best young players in Shane Monroe who commutes from Atlantic County on most days) looking to get some advice and coaching from McEnroe and his team of elite hand-picked coaches. That is why on Monday, McEnroe and Sportime (the chain of New York clubs where the Academy is based) announced a that two annexes of the Academy will open on Long Island and in Westchester County, the first expansion of McEnroe’s system beyond its original plan.
