Memorial Day

A moment to remember, reflect, and reconnect –
from our team at HEAD.

Today, we take a moment.

To honor those who served.
To remember those we’ve lost.
To reflect on what truly matters.

For many of us, that means getting outside, moving, competing, and reconnecting through sport.

Whether it’s a quiet hit on the tennis court, a pickleball match with friends, time in the mountains, or simply being active together – these moments matter.

They bring us closer.
They help us reset.
They remind us why we play.

So this Memorial Day, we play with purpose.
We play with gratitude.

Get outside. Get moving. Get on court.

– From our team at HEAD

Congrats to Sarah Ansboury’s successor, Nicola Slater, who started with PPR back in December of 2025 and is currently the only three-discipline Coach Developer (tennis, pickleball, and padel). I asked Nicola for some information about here and here it is:

After retiring from professional tennis in 2015, Nicola rediscovered her competitive spirit through pickleball in the post-COVID era, a sport that reminded her of her early introduction to tennis through “short tennis.” She has since competed on both the PPA and APP tours. A lifelong coach, Nicola began teaching at the age of 15 and credits Judy Murray as a formative influence who instilled in her a lasting passion for the game.

The 2025 ARA Industry Compensation Report draws on verified IRS 990 filings combined with CMAA industry data — covering 316 racquet sport role records across 3,842 nonprofit private clubs in all 50 states.

ARA MEMBERS  - The full report is yours — complimentary. 
Log in with your ARA credentials to access the complete data, including the 12 highest-paying racquet programs in the country.  Log in the access the report.

NOT YET A MEMBER? - Join the ARA today and unlock the report immediately. 
Membership starts at $75/year and includes complimentary access to the 2025 Compensation Report, all future publications, the ARA member directory, and professional credential recognition. Become a member.

Re: INTENNSE

• Watch the first-ever INTENNSE draft

• INTENNSE Announces 2026 Season Schedule

• INTENNSE Names Coaching Leader Fernando Segal to Advisory Board

• INTENNSE and Cellairis “Lock In” with Founding Partnership

• INTENNSE Names Former World No. 5 and Two-Time Grand Slam Finalist Kevin Anderson to Its Advisory Board

• INTENNSE and iHeartMedia Announce Official Audio Partnership

• INTENNSE Challenge Series Presented by BOAST is the Ultimate Meritocracy

• INTENNSE Names Wilson Sporting Goods Official Racket and Exclusive Ball Partner for the 2026 Season

• Terrell Owens Joins INTENNSE as Pulse Partner and Part-Owner of Inferno

• DJ Irie Joins INTENNSE as Pulse Partner and Part-Owner of the Sting

Re: RacquetX

• Robyn Duda is sending out a new email every other Tuesday, titled The Briefing (Business Intelligence for the Racquet Sports Industry). She calls it “Same friendly inbox. A bit sharper lens.”

• RacquetX Trends 2026 is live.
  Read the Full Report

• City Series for 2026. Four cities. One operator-focused conversation.

  New York Area · July 28
  San Diego · August 18
  Chicago · October 6
  Phoenix · November 12

• RacquetX 2027 - Mark Your Calendar!
  April 9-11, 2027. Fort Lauderdale

• Trend 01: The Industry Has Converged
  You don't have to abandon the sport you love to see what's happening. Plenty of operators are tennis lifers, squash devotees, pickleball purists. But the smartest ones are building across the whole ecosystem anyway, not because their loyalty changed, but because the growth is bigger than any single sport. Read the full piece

Re: Doping

Two tennis players ranked outside the top 500 suspended for testing positive for clostebol

RSPA In Turmoil

There was one topic that overshadowed everything else in the month of May and was registered by me under “Things that make me go hmmm…”: Brian Dillman’s demise from his CEO position at the RSPA. When John Embree sent out his letter stating that “Brian Dillman is no longer employed as the CEO of the RSPA,” I had the feeling that this was not an amicable separation. Embree continued, “The Board of Directors reached out to me and asked if I would come back to serve as interim CEO, as these are uncertain times for the racquet sports industry. I accepted with a clear sense of responsibility and respect for this organization and the professionals it represents.”

I was reminded of the welcome article I wrote in December of 2023, shortly after Dillman was hired as CEO: “In recent news, Brian Dillman has been elected as the new CEO of the USPTA, succeeding John Embree upon his retirement. It is commendable that he aims to serve as an advocate for the professionals, which is an important aspect. However, a friend has raised an interesting point, stating that the organization's Executive Committee holds significant influence in running the organization, rather than Brian himself. Can Brian effectively collaborate with the committee to prioritize the best interests of the professionals and the industry?”

Today, I hate to say that I may have been right, although I don’t necessarily see myself as a prophet…………….

And then the reactions came in from various people. There was a rumor about a rather large financial deficit that the Executive Board attributed to Dillman’s tenure. If true, one can only speculate about the reasons for such a deficit. Lower renewals? Fewer new members? Decline in sponsorships? Increase in expenses? Salaries?

More comments:

“I was a fan of Tim Heckler.  He had vision, something the organization has lacked since then.”

“The coup (Gill, McMahon, Daglis, McGraw, and a few others) that ousted Tim Heckler should feel good about the mess we are in today. They were organized enough to get rid of Tim, but when he was gone, they were lost little puppies looking for their mama to feed them. The problem was exacerbated by Embree.  Dillman had to clean up Embree's mess. Having Trish Faulkner as President didn't help matters. It is a sad situation.”

“I miss Tim Heckler. Such a good man.”

“I don't know what is shocking me more, what just got posted or the fact that I feel it has no impact on me...sadly, and I've said it before, I have lost interest in that most of the people that maneuver themselves into positions of power, see that as the quest, not the first step in a productive role...I'm missing my old buddy Tim Heckler.”

“The coup to oust Tim Heckler… lasting impact of little men who have a Napoleon complex compensating for issues below their belt. I choose to hang out with people who just want to make our association and sport better.”

“I've always wondered how those people got into that position of being on the board...as a longtime member of the association, I can't actually remember any time I was interactive or contacted by any of those people... ghosts are hard to influence or follow. Their individual online speeches about the organization's goals are classic standards, but a blueprint for moving forward and growing, as well as having a clear prospectus, has never been well articulated.”

There were also comments about John Embree coming in as Interim CEO:

“Snake Oil Salesman”

“Will he take the RSPA backwards again, as he did for years as CEO?”

“I hope they don’t make him CEO.”

“We know he’s not very astute when it comes to planning for the future.”

“He's been a Class-A (expletive) since I met him in 1987. I wonder how much of a mess he left Dillman, and Dillman just got blamed for it all.”

Then there were expletive-laden posts on both Facebook and LinkedIn. Luis Mediero, RSPA member from Spain, who was described to me as quite honorable with a well—regarded voice in our industry, wrote the most outrageous stuff.

I can’t even quote him here; it’s just in such bad taste. And he’s not only attacking Brian Dillman but also Ramona Husaru. Go figure.

And, guess what, the original Commish, the person who started to write those hilarious anonymous posts for us years ago, when we were still called TENNIS CLUB BUSINESS, and who inspired us to offer every reader anonymous posting under that moniker, felt the need to chime in. Check out his article “The Short Happy Life of an RSPA CEO,” which he loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
The old Commish spirit is back!

My take

I don’t know what happened at the RSPA, of course, but  I was (and still am) a fan of Brian Dillman. He is cut from a business cloth, tennis organizations with spider webs all over the boardrooms have trouble understanding and accepting. Most importantly for me, he is a communicator. He seeks conversation and is not afraid to ask for advice. There are two more examples of business professionals who were hired as CEO by industry organizations and let go within a short period of time: Mike Dowse (USTA) and Peter Hurley (PTR). Do you see a pattern here? As soon as they get rid of the business person, they go back to the old and familiar, hopefully someone with a history of being a “yes man.” Thus, Dowse was succeeded by Lew Sherr, an insider with many years of service to the organization. It was always my opinion that as soon as Sherr started to articulate opinions and make comments not in line with the Board’s directives, he had to go. And who are they hiring now? Another tennis insider. A man who knows how to make the “Golden Goose” US Open lay even more eggs, but has no track record of

• Making tennis attractive for young people.

• Making sure adult tennis beginners are staying in the sport for more than a few months.

• Making tennis so attractive that people won’t join pickleball by the millions.

Even if Craig Tiley succeeds in squeezing another hundred million dollars out of the US Open, our readers know where most of this money will go: Salaries, benefits, retirement accounts, first-class travel, and useless programs. (Sigh)

Peter Hurley may have run into the same challenging environment. The PTR was looking for another Dan Santorum, but he was (and is) a one-of-a-kind leader. I assume Hauser came with spreadsheets and a business attitude that the organization needed, but the board wasn’t ready for. Maybe because they didn’t understand him. They are tennis people. Santorum understood that. He provided extraordinary growth, and THAT they liked more than spreadsheets. When Martin van Daalen, another tennis man with a great reputation, replaced Hurley, he probably came in with expectations contrary to the Board’s plans. Who knows? It wasn’t a good fit opposite a very strong Lynne Rolley, who also has little experience in running a 3-5 million dollar operation. The fact that she is now Interim CEO doesn’t give me a lot of confidence that the future is bright for the PTR. Thank God for the extremely good, experienced staff that keeps the organization running smoothly.

So, what are we looking at now? Both iconic organizations for racquet sports professionals are leaderless, and the Interim Leaders have no track record of being able to overcome challenging times. Guess who is benefiting from that double dilemma? Do you want me to spell it out?

Hint: Four letters… starts with a vowel, ends with a vowel.

What do you think? Send me your comments to my Email.

Everywhere you look, you find NTRP in the news. Like, the “NTRP Tour” touted in a recent USTA SoCal email as “April has come and gone, and with National Tennis month upon us, the NTRP Race rages on! Congratulations to our National champions, top finishers, and representatives at the 2026 NTRP National Championship! Make your mark on the 2027 Championships when you join the NTRP Tour via a tournament near you! That, and more, below!

Why is that not the WTN tour? How come NTRP, which was planned to be discarded long ago, has such staying power? Can anybody enlighten me? Send me an email (anonymously, if you want).

Re: TYPTI - the Perfect Racket

Rich,

It was nice to read the “Equipment Comparison” of the racquet sports played on a Pickleball / LiteTennis court in the “Letters to the Editor” in the current May Issue. The Commish works...

Our LiteTennis continues to grow its playing base and participation throughout the USA. 

You've said, you haven’t played tennis in a while, from being too busy, etc., but someday you and your friends should give LT a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the leisure fun.

Leo Estopare
LiteTennis
Wichita, Kansas

Re: Greg Moran’s new book “Beyond Hours & Dollars: A Career Guide For Rackets Professionals.” 
(Our article in last month’s issue)

Rich, if anyone would like a copy of the book, they can go to: https://beyondhoursanddollars.com/ and request a copy. I will then send it to them free of charge.

Thanks

Greg Moran
Evergreen, Colorado

Re: ITF Events

Rich,

Sitting at an ITF 15k. Explain to me how, at an event, men get ELC (electrical line calls) on their courts where the women don't. The third event I have seen like this. Equality?!  I think not. Does Billie Jean King know about this?

Speaking of ITF, in singles qualifiers in lieu of a 3rd set, they play a 10-point tie breaker. The dumbing down of our sport.

The Commish
Everywhere, USA
Pronouns: They/Them

Re: College Tennis Losing Funding

Rich,

Hi Rich. I started this a while back after talking to some of the parents who have kids playing college tennis. The recent developments make me wonder if it’s too late to stop the carnage?

Here is the letter I sent to the USTA:

USTA LETTER

We, the undersigned Coaches and former College Tennis Players, believe that U.S. players have limited collegiate tennis opportunities due to the influx of foreign-born players currently holding roster spots on collegiate teams. 

We also believe that American tennis resources (USTA training centers and campuses) are being utilized by those same foreign-born players to further their careers at the expense of U.S. players.

Tennis is a generational sport. Love of the sport is often passed on from parents and grandparents. We want to see our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities that we had growing up, and that is not currently the case in college tennis.  Parents who value the benefits of college athletics (as we do) are having their hands forced to look at other sports (such as lacrosse) to give their kids the best chance of success.  This threatens to break the generational chain of succession that tennis has always enjoyed. 

The USTA’s “35 by 35” initiative aims to grow the sport to 35 million players in the U.S. by 3035.  This is going to require 30% growth in the sport in the next decade.  College tennis continues to pull back on opportunities for our kids, which threatens to stifle the growth of the sport in the U.S.  The most recent move by the NCAA to limit tennis roster sizes is just another step in the wrong direction for our sport. American players outside of the starting 6-8 players are being forced to transfer out of their chosen school or play club tennis if their school has a club program. This is a tough pill to swallow for someone who has devoted thousands of hours to becoming a top junior player. 

Collegiate tennis has been the major pipeline to almost all of our industry positions.  Former collegiate tennis players are coaching the next generation of players, filling most USTA and manufacturers’ offices, and managing tennis programs at our private clubs and public parks.  A decline in collegiate tennis will certainly lead to a decline in people dedicated to the growth of our great sport.  We will need more passionate people to meet the needs of the “35 by 35” initiative, and we won’t have those people if American players aren’t playing college tennis.  

We ask that the USTA, as the most powerful force in American tennis, work with the ITA and NCAA governing bodies to adopt incentives that reward programs that give U.S.-born players priority status on their teams. We are not against foreign-born players in college tennis, but we do believe that having teams comprised completely or predominantly of foreign-born players is not ultimately in the best interest of the universities or tennis in the U.S. We also believe that the previously mentioned USTA campuses and training centers should exist to promote the growth of American talent. Foreign-born players who train at those facilities should be there solely to enhance our players’ training regimen. 

Like the USTA, we are committed to the growth of our great sport.  Keeping American players in college tennis is the right thing for the future of American tennis. 

Thank you for your time and attention. 

Tim Noonan
Atlanta, Georgia