Vero Beach

John McEnroe Pays Homage To Respected Tennis Physical Therapist Gary Kitchell On French Open TV Broadcast

June 3, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

While commentating on the French Open on television network TruTV, John McEnroe paid homage to Gary Kitchell, the beloved tennis personality known around the world of tennis as one of the best physical therapists in the sport. Kitchell passed away in Vero Beach, Florida on Sunday, May 18 after a long illness.

McEnroe, commentating alongside younger brother Patrick McEnroe, took the opportunity to acknowledge Kitchell, with whom he worked with for many years, when discussing an ankle tape job that Ben Shelton received in his first round match at Roland Garros.

“(Ben) was having his ankle work done, and I talked to him about how it was jammed and it reminded me of my late great friend Gary Kitchell,” said McEnroe, the four-time U.S. Open champion. “He just passed away recently, because he literally did that exact move to me and a bunch of other players. He worked with Ivan (Lendl). He worked with Michael Chang, Jim Courier. You can go down the list. Great man. So I want to just say, Gary, you’re up there, man. We love you, and thanks for everything you did for the sport of tennis all these years.”

Added Patrick McEnroe of Kitchell, “(He was) one of the unsung heroes of the sport, working behind the scenes with a lot of players.”

John then continued, in discussing the situation with Shelton and how important physios like Kitchell are such an important part of the sports, “When the trainer came out at the end of the fourth set, and Ben was looking like he was struggling. Then suddenly, the guy worked on him for a few minutes, and then he comes out. And there was no signs of any problems. So, these guys play an important role in our sport, and Gary’s one of the main men there. So, rest in peace my friend.”

In addition to working with players like McEnroe, Lendl, Chang and Courier, Kitchell also worked with current pros such as Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka. In 2021, Kitchell hosted Paul and Opelka for a special exhibition match at The Boulevard that you can read about here: https://worldtennismagazine.com/an-entertaining-qa-with-reilly-opelka-tommy-paul-from-vero-beach-florida/20458

Mardy Fish Vero Beach Futures Event Recognized For Excellence By ITF

February 13, 2024 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the international men’s pro tennis tournament held annually in Vero Beach, Florida since 1995, has been recognized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for its excellence through its new Tournament Recognition Program.

The ITF recently launched a Tournament Recognition Program to reward tournaments who perform well under its evaluation programs. The 2023 edition of the tournament, held at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club last April, was lauded for smooth operations and professionalism, as well as the positive feedback it received from players, coaches and administrators.

“I am delighted to announce that the M15 Vero Beach, FL was received extremely well by the players and adhered to all the administration and operational requirements,” wrote George Donnelly, head of operations for the ITF World Tennis Tour in the email recognizing the event. “In light of this the M15 Vero Beach, FL has been included on the Tournament Recognition Program and has been recognized as one of our leading events with respect to tournament standards of delivery. We are fortunate to have passionate and dedicated tournament organizers on the tour enhancing the tournament experience for players, support team members and officials.”

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will receive a ‘Recognition Star’ displayed on the ITF website calendar, the event’s ITF tournament homepage and the tournament name will be added to the ITF World Tennis Tour’s Roll of Honor webpage.

The 2024 edition of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will be held April 22-28 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club at the Timber Ridge Residential Community. Randy Walker and Tom Fish serve as co-tournament directors for the tournament. Lynn Southerly heads the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation as its executive director.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been held in Vero Beach since 1995 and, since 2016, has benefitted the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit foundation benefiting children named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games.

To review the 2023 event, watch this video here: “Mardy Fish USTA Pro Circuit $15,000 ITF Futures 2023 Review Video” https://youtu.be/D42Y7d_JKeU?si=WzucMB-nx52_nt1Q via @YouTube

Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov, 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist France Tiafoe, 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul and new rising star and 2023 U.S. Open semifinalist Ben Shelton. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Eight former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

Affectionately known as “Timber Ridge” to locals, the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club has been a staple in the community for over 30 years and has been owned and run since 2016 by James and Joseph van Deinse. The club boasts 14 Har-Tru tennis courts, a pickleball court, pool and clubhouse with fitness center and bar. The facility previously hosted a $25,000 women’s USTA Pro circuit event in 2014 that featured future major tournament champions Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin, future top 10 star Jennifer Brady and future major doubles champions Nicole Melichar, Laura Siegemund and Gaby Dabrowski. The club is also the original home of the “King of the Hill” tennis competition, hosting the first seven editions of Vero Beach’s popular doubles competition from 1996 to 2002. The Vero Beach Fitness & Tennis Club will be the third different venue to host the tournament after being held at Grand Harbor Club for 17 years from 1995 to 2009 and in 2017 and 2018 and at The Boulevard where it was held for 11 years from 2010 to 2016 and from 2019 to 2022.

Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,400 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools, and several other community organizations in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.

Mardy Fish Inducted Into USTA Florida Hall of Fame and Courts Named In His Honor

January 15, 2024 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Courts where longtime professional tennis player, Mardy Fish, grew up and learned the sport were dedicated to his name on Sunday, January 14 at Riverside Racquet Complex, a USTA Florida managed facility. The Vero Beach, Florida public park hosted over 150 guests to celebrate the court naming and Fish’s induction into the USTA Florida Hall of Fame. This event kicked off the USTA Florida 75^th Anniversary celebration and marked the launch of the Historic Florida Tennis Trail.

“USTA Florida is honored to kick off its 75^th year anniversary and first in-person Tennis Trail event honoring Mardy Fish with a court dedication at Riverside Park in his hometown of Vero Beach,” said Dana Andrews, USTA Florida Past President. “Mardy has provided several thousands of underserved children in Vero fitness and nutritional programs to help them live healthy and productive lives. In addition, his documentary, Break Point, helped remove the stigma of mental health struggles to not only his local community but the world. As an organization we are humbled to have an opportunity to honor Mardy Fish and his family in this way,” Andrews added.

Mardy Fish, former Top 10 men’s professional player, Olympic Silver Medalist, and former United States Davis Cup Captain, has had an incredible impact on the Vero community. In 2007, he launched the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation to provide underserved children with the opportunity to participate in safe fitness, nutritional, and enrichment programs to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives.

“He just wanted to give back to the kids in his regular little town and let them know that if you have these little opportunities and somebody cares and somebody cultivates, you can be anything you want to be,” said Lynn Southerly, Executive Director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation.

To honor his achievements both on and off the court, Courts 4 and 5at Riverside Racquet Complex are now dedicated in his name. When speaking to the courts being named in his honor, Mardy Fish said, “I grew up across the street and went to Beachland Elementary School, Gifford Middle School and Vero Beach High School. This is where I have all of my memories of playing junior tennis.”

The Mayor of Vero Beach, John E. Cotugno, was among those in attendance. “What makes Vero Beach an incredibly unique community is people like the Fish family who don’t forget where they came from. What Mardy has given back to this community through his Foundation is irreplaceable.” said Cotugno.

One of the organizations impacted by Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation is Miss B’s Learning Bees. “I would like to say to you from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I really believe that you are a special individual because you are proving so many children the resources and the opportunities, they need to change their future outcomes,” said LaToya Bullard, the CEO of Miss B’s Learning Bees. “We are grateful for all that you have done.”

USTA Florida welcomes Mardy Fish as the first Hall of Fame inductee of 2024, a true model of what Florida tennis is all about.

Watch Mardy’s Hall of Fame tribute video on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs60QDAttLo

In June 2023, Mardy and his father, Tom Fish, joined the USTA Florida Here to Serve podcast for their hallmark 100^th episode. Listen to that episode where they speak of their tennis journey, available on all podcast platforms and on the USTA Florida YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQSYm_4b3p8 For more information on USTA Florida’s 75^th Anniversary and events surrounding the past, present, and future of the sport in the state, visit ustaflorida.com/75th-anniversary/. To stay updated on news related to the 75th Anniversary, subscribe to the exclusive newsletter

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul Entertain For Charity In Vero Beach, Florida

December 14, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

eilly Opelka, the No. 26-ranked tennis player in the world, and Tommy Paul, the No. 43-ranked player in the world, showed off their skills in a special charity exhibition match in front of a sold-out crowd Thursday December 9 at The Boulevard Tennis Club.

The special event, organized by Vero Beach’s world renowned sports physical therapist Gary Kitchell, benefitted the Sally Wilkey Foundation and could mark the start of annual December tennis charity exhibition with big-name tennis professionals during their brief off-season.

“I’m very grateful for these two top young Americans who are definitely stars on the rise,” said Kitchell of Opelka and Paul, both of whom he has worked with on the ATP Tour. “For them to come and support the Sally Wilkey Foundation, and on of personal level, come and support me as a friend, it means a lot to me.”

The event started with an entertaining question-and-answer session with Opelka and Paul, moderated by Kitchell, followed by a one-set match between the two upstart American tennis stars, won by Opelka 7-6 (7-5) in front of an enthusiastic and appreciative Vero Beach tennis crowd.

Opelka and Paul, both age 24, are part of a new generation of U.S. tennis players who are looking to return American men’s tennis to the upper echelons of the game. An American man has not won a major singles championship since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and the United States has not won the Davis Cup since 2007. Both Opelka and Paul have played Davis Cup for the United States, captained by Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, and both have showed glimpses of breaking through into the top 10 in the world rankings. Opelka reached the singles final at the Canadian Open in Toronto, one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour, and the semifinals at the Italian Open in Rome. Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Swedish Open in Stockholm last month.

Opelka, who stands at 6-feet 11-inches tall, is known as one of the fastest and best servers in tennis. However, it was Paul, who stands at 6-foot-one, who shined more with his serve, delivering no less than three aces during the one-set match. While Opelka mainly hit his huge kick serve during the night, he did connect on several rocket forehands, including a passing shot winner to close out the match at 6-5 in the tiebreaker.

The Sally Wilkey Foundation is a non-profit organization that enriches the lives of vulnerable local children through tennis. It helps to fund tennis for children who would not otherwise be able to afford to play, offering weekly tennis lessons as well as educational support, meals and equipment.

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul To Play For Charity In Vero Beach, Florida

December 3, 2021 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul, two of the top American professional tennis players, will play in a special charity tennis exhibition Thursday, December 9 at 5 pm at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida.

The event, that will feature a question-and-answer session with both pros followed by the exhibition match, will benefit the Sally Wilkey Foundation, the Vero Beach charitable foundation that provides tennis instruction and financial assistance to in-need children in the Vero Beach area.

The event was organized by Vero Beach’s Gary Kitchell, the well-known sports physical therapist, who has worked with Opelka as well as three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe among others. Kitchell will serve as the emcee for the question and answer session as well as the chair umpire for the exhibition match.

“It will be one of the most exciting nights of tennis ever in Vero Beach with Reilly and Tommy, two of best players in the world, showcasing their talents at The Boulevard for a great cause,” said Christophe Delavaut, the Director of Tennis and co-owner of The Boulevard.“We are very thankful to Gary Kitchell, one of your most charismatic and outgoing members, for being the driving force for this top-flight night of tennis entertainment. We applaud Gary’s dedication and service to the sport of tennis and to his current and future efforts to give back to the sport to those who are less fortunate.”

Opelka just completed a breakthrough year on the ATP Tour, reaching the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, defeating French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas before falling to eventual U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final. He also reached the semifinals of the Italian Championships and the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Standing six-foot 11 inches tall, Opelka is one of the tallest players to ever play pro tennis and is also one of the fast servers in the sports history with his 140 mph-plus delivery.

Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, defeating former world No. 1 Andy Murray en route. He represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer and was a member of the 2020 U.S. Davis Cup team. His best appearance at a Grand Slam tournament came when he reached the third round of the 2020 Australian Open.

Tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Tickets will cost $90 after December 6. Seating will be limited to about 150 seats in the Boulevard bleacher seating area.

The Boulevard Tennis Club is the leading tennis in Vero Beach and also the home of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event held in April.

U.S. Davis Cup Captain, Olympic Silver Medalist Mardy Fish May Have A Court Named After Him In Hometown Of Vero Beach, Florida

April 11, 2021 by Randy Walker 1 Comment

There is Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, but how about Mardy Fish Court?

It may happen in Vero Beach, Florida, the hometown of the U.S. Davis Cup captain and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Fish in 2007, has been in discussions with the City of Vero Beach and the U.S. Tennis Association about refurbishing the town’s Riverside Tennis Complex in its harbor-side location on its central beach island area into a new state-of-the-art tennis complex that would rival many of the nation’s top tennis facilities. The facility would serve as a hub not only for all the local resident tennis players but also for many Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation funded youth programs, as well as junior and adult tournaments, special population programming such as Special Olympics, Wheelchair Tennis, Love Serving Autism as well a potential professional events on an intimate Mardy Fish Court. The Mardy Fish Court would be a beautifully landscaped natural Amphitheatre that would be located on the exact court where a young Fish first learned to play tennis with his father Tom and first dreamed of one day playing at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

“Riverside Park is where it all started for Mardy and him starting to love the game of tennis, hitting balls with me on that court in the northeast corner of the facility,” said Tom Fish, Mardy’s father and the President Emeritus of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “We look forward to hosting many young people in Vero Beach to Riverside Park where they can be inspired by the dreams and successes of Mardy and realize their own hopes and dreams while able to gain important exercise in a safe and healthy environment.”

The USTA worked with the Fish Foundation with a site plan, rendering and business plans for the facility’s operation. It also promised to help fund the project via special grants, but also via special presentation to mega donors during the U.S. Open. However, progress on the project went on a standstill with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the USTA’s finances taking a major hit with a fan-less U.S. Open last year, significantly cutting into its revenue that is used to annually fun tennis in the United States, including projects such as this effort for the Fish Foundation. However, as the country starts to slowly emerge from the pandemic, the Foundation has started to revamp its efforts, including fundraising, to revitalize the facility and increase programming.

“We also see this as being a beatification project,” said Lynn Southerly, executive director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “Improving the courts and surrounding buildings and land would make it as pleasant to look at as our art museum and the Riverside Theatre. It would enhance the couple block area of our charming sea-side town for all our residents to enjoy. A beautiful-looking tennis facility would be a real feather in the cap for our Vero Beach community. A facility of this stature improves our ability to serve our youth and community at large, gives us a place to hold income generating events that would benefit all our residents and local business owners and honor Mardy Fish, one of our great homegrown heroes and role models.”

The Riverside Tennis Complex is also the hub of the newly-created Treasure Coast Tennis Association, founded by former Baylor University women’s tennis coach Tim Palmer. The TCTA in conjunction with the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation completed a wildly-successful free program for Vero Beach children called “Whack-It Wednesday” in the fall of 2020, introducing kids to the sports of tennis and providing them important recreation and exercise. The holiday surge in COVID-19 cases prevented the program from immediately continuing in early 2021, but the program will return this summer. Palmer also has had deep discussions with the USTA Florida office in Orlando about bringing Love Serving Autism and Wheelchair Tennis programming to Riverside Park starting this summer.

Randy Walker, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation’s tournament director for its annual USTA pro circuit event, plans to start to hosting competitive tournaments for juniors and pros this summer and believes that a refurbished hard court facility would be able to host pro tournament, exhibitions and practice and training events for top pros, especially since Florida’s two biggest pro events, the ATP Tour’s Delray Beach Open and the ATP and WTA Tour’s Miami Open, are both played on hard courts. Current top pros Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia and Alexander Zverev of Germany have both recently considered hard-court training in Vero Beach.

The annual Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships ITF World Tennis Tour event brings in an estimated $500,000 in economic impact annually into the Vero Beach community.

Vero Beach is regarded as one of the most enthusiastic tennis communities in the country. It is also the home of Hall of Fame legend Ivan Lendl and former French Open runner-up and top 10 star Mikael Pernfors.

Riverside Park is also the home of the boys and girls tennis teams at St. Edwards School. Walker has made inquiries already received initial interest from a few college programs about playing special dual matches at Riverside Park on the six courts on the west side of the footprint.

Riverside Park Tennis Court Refurbishment Plan In Vero Beach, Florida, courtesy of the U.S. Tennis Association

World’s Best “Wild Card” Event Set For Sea Oaks Club In Vero Beach, Florida

February 9, 2020 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The Sea Oaks Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida will once again host a main draw singles wild card tournament for the The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour event, Wednesday February 26 to Friday, February 28.

Players from around the world will compete in the event where the winner will receive a direct entry into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour event to be held April 26-May 3 at The Boulevard tennis club. This marks the third straight year that Sea Oaks has hosted this special wild card tournament. The last two years, Matthew Segura, the teenage great nephew of Hall of Fame tennis legend Pancho Segura, has won the event. Christian Vinck, a former standout ATP player from Germany who reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2000 and who defeated Andre Agassi in the final of the 1997 USTA Las Vegas Challenger, has already committed to play in the 2020 event. With crowds of hundreds of fans daily, the event has been dubbed “The Greatest Wild Card Tournament In The World” – at least on the ITF World Tennis Tour and U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit.

Players can enter the event on the UTR platform here: https://myutr.com/events/15462?_ref=randywal270 (Deadline to enter is February 20) Matches will be best-of-three set matches with a 10-point Match Tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set. Admission to this event is free.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and is regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting at-risk children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain.

Tournament tickets and sponsorships for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org Tickets for the April 26-May 3 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 27 – May 2 costing $10. Season tickets for every session of the event are $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures. Detailed sponsorship information can be obtained by emailing Tom Fish at Ttfish10s@aol.com, Randy Walker at RWalker@NewChapterMedia.com or Lynn Southerly at LSouth1072@aol.com. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended entry-level professional events in the world.

Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.com) currently supports over 2,400 children in conjunction with several other nonprofit organization as well as 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends. The Foundation’s story can also be seen in a video here: https://www.mardyfishchildrensfoundation.org/a-message-from-mardy/

Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and most recently world No. 50 player and teen sensation Denis Shapovalov, who played in Vero Beach in 2016. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison and Frances Tiafoe.

Sea Oaks Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida

World’s Best ITF World Tennis Tour Event In Vero Beach, Florida Gets Long-Term Home

December 23, 2019 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, Vero Beach’s long-time annual U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit tennis tournament, will be held at The Boulevard Tennis Club through 2022, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation announced today.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and Vero Beach’s premier tennis club signed a three-year agreement last week where The Boulevard will host the men’s professional event in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The 2020 event will be held April 26 – May 3 and will be a $15,000-level event on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour. The event benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit organization the benefits at-risk children in Indian River County founded by Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain. As part of the agreement, The Boulevard will house and showcase the event’s perpetual trophy, the Rahaley Cup, named for the event founder Mike Rahaley, who passed away earlier this year. The Boulevard will also include the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation in its promotions, including television commercials seen throughout Indian River County.

“We are excited to enter into a multi-year agreement with The Boulevard, which is the epicenter for tennis in Vero Beach,” said Tom Fish, President-emeritus of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and the father of Mardy Fish. “We are grateful to The Boulevard and its staff for their support of this Vero Beach sporting tradition that serves as our major fundraiser for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, which benefits at-risk children in Indian River County.”

The Boulevard has hosted the event eight times since 2010 and has seen such current ATP Tour standout players such as Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov and Kyle Edmund compete in the event there. A 48-player qualifying tournament will start Sunday, April 26 with main-draw play starting Tuesday, April 28 concluding with the singles final on Sunday, May 3.

Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation currently supports over 2,400 children in conjunction with several other nonprofit organization as well as 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been played in Vero Beach since 1995 and regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Some of the past competitors have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and most recently world No. 50 player and teen sensation Denis Shapovalov, who played in Vero Beach in 2016. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison and Frances Tiafoe.

For more information on the event, including ticket and sponsor information, go to www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Sponsorships are available by contacting Treasurer/Executive Director Lynn Southerly at LSouth1072@gmail.com or co-tournament directors Tom Fish (Tfish@aol.com) and Randy Walker at (Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com). Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships have an annual economic impact of approximately $500,000 per year on the Vero Beach local economy. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events entry-level events in the world.

Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstan Davis Cup team won the 2019 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at the Boulevard beating Sekou Bangoura of the United States in the final. Sixteen-year-old Zach Svajda of San Diego, who advanced into the main draw of the 2019 event at The Boulevard via the qualifying rounds, jump-started an incredible summer of tennis in Vero Beach in 2019, winning the USTA National Boy’s 18s Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan and earned a main draw spot at the U.S. Open, becoming one of the youngest men ever to compete in the U.S. Championships. He lost in the first-round to Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in five sets after leading two sets to love.

The Boulevard Tennis Club, located in Central Vero Beach on Indian River Boulevard, is the fastest-growing tennis club in Vero Beach, featuring 13 clay tennis courts and world-class tennis instruction and programming for all levels of players. The club is also the home of the highly-regarded restaurant and bar Counter Culture, which is open to the public six days a week. For more information, go to www.BlvdTennisClub.com

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach will be played at The Boulevard Tennis Club Through At Least 2022

Mardy Fish, Praised By Jack Nicklaus, To Host Foundation Golf Fundraiser In Vero Beach, Florida January 14, 2019

December 14, 2018 by tennisbloggers

Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, along with several former star pro athletes, highlight the field of celebrities who will play in the 2019 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Charity Golf Fundraiser to be played Monday, January 14 at The Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Florida

The event is headlined by Fish, the former Top 10 tennis star, 2004 Olympic silver medalist and long-time member of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Also participating in the event will be former standout Major League Baseball pitcher and celebrity golf tour standout Rick Rhoden of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees and famous knuckle-ball pitcher Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox. From tennis circles former top tennis professionals Mikael Pernfors, the 1986 French Open finalist and Vero Beach resident, will again compete along with Cliff Richey, the two-time U.S. Open semifinalist and himself a founder of the Celebrity Golf Tour in the 1980s.

Fish was recently described by six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus as “the best non-professional golfer that I have ever seen play.” Said Nicklaus to Steve Flink of Tennis.com after playing nine holes in December with Fish, “I have never seen anybody with as nice a golf swing and as good a golf game that doesn’t play it professionally, or as a top amateur. I was flabbergasted how good Mardy was.”

While Fish ended his professional ATP tennis career at the 2015 U.S. Open, he has excelled playing competitive golf since his retirement. He has won two tournaments on the celebrity golf tour at the Diamond Resorts Invitational in Orlando, Florida in 2016 and 2018 and will try to win the event for the third time in four later just days after his appearance in Vero Beach at Windsor.

Golfers interested in participating in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser should email Mardy Fish’s father, Tom, the President of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, at Tfish@aol.com. Paid positions for a tax deductible contribution of $500 are available as well as course signage for $300. Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 am with an 8:45 am shot-gun start, followed by a 1 pm luncheon and awards presentation. PNC Bank, a long-time supporter of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, is the presenting sponsor of the event.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org) was founded in 2007 and currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the 18-hole links style course at Windsor is a masterpiece in traditional golf course architecture. The par 72 course features an undulating panorama of native trees that border gentle rolling fairways, unobstructed by houses.

Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Futures Event In Vero Beach Moves To Boulevard Tennis Club

November 19, 2018 by tennisbloggers

The Boulevard Tennis Club, the fastest-growing tennis club in Vero Beach, will host the 2019 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, Vero Beach’s long-running U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit professional tennis tournament April 29 – May 5, 2019.

An official contract was signed last week between representatives of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and The Boulevard Tennis Club to host the popular tournament featuring up-and-coming world-ranked touring tennis professionals from around the world. The Boulevard Tennis Club previously hosted the event for seven years from 2010 to 2016. The tournament benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit foundation benefiting children named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games.

“The Boulevard Tennis Club has turned into the epicenter of tennis in Vero Beach over the last few years and we are excited to once again stage our event there next spring,” said Tom Fish, President of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “Our event is our top fundraising mechanism for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and our goal is to raise as much money as possible to benefit youth in Indian River County while continuing to run a first-class event and further promote tennis in our Treasure Coast community.”

“We are so happy to once again host the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships,” said Christophe Delavaut, the Tennis Director and co-owner of The Boulevard Tennis Club. “Under our club’s new ownership group, we are thrilled to open up our doors to the community for the most prestigious and longest-running professional sports event in Vero Beach.”

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation will be elevated to a $25,000 tournament in 2019, up from a $15,000 event in 2018, ensuring higher-quality ranked players competing in the event than in years past. A 24-player qualifying tournament will start Monday, April 29 with main-draw play starting Tuesday, April 30 concluding with the singles final on Sunday, May 5. A special pre-qualifying tournament open to all entrants will be played at The Boulevard starting Wednesday, April 24 with the winner earning a place in the 24-player qualifying tournament. The 2019 tournament is part of the newly restructured and rebranded ITF World Tennis Tour.

Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.

Tickets for the event are available now at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Sponsorships are available by contacting co-tournament directors Tom Fish (Tfish@aol.com) and Randy Walker at (Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com). Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures.

Juan Benitez of Colombia won the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships beating Venezuelan Davis Cup team member Ricardo Rodriguez in the final.