Winning bidder will receive a week of tennis training from Lapides Tennis Academy during the summer of 2016 at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. The Academy runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is open to players ages 7 to 15. Half Day options are also available and recommended for children ages 7-9, unless they have had extensive tennis training and/or competitive athletic experience. 

Please note, the Academy is application-driven and applicants need to demonstrate competitive playing ability or above-average athletic ability and desire to become a competitive tennis player. If your child has not received tennis instruction in the past and/or is unable to perform the basic tennis strokes consistently for match play, you should not bid on this item. Please contact director and founder Rob Lapides to learn if the Academy is suitable for your player. 

Donation is for NEW PLAYERS who have not trained at any of the Lapides Tennis Academy programs in the past. Winning bidder must utilize this donation during any of the first three weeks of the Academy summer sessions from June 13 through July 1, 2016 ONLY. 

About Lapides Tennis Academy

The Academy's mission is to provide promising young athletes with elite level coaching so as to maximize their competitive potential. Players with significant training and competitive experience will have a unique opportunity to take their game to new levels and will quickly learn what their maximum potential in the sport may be. However, the Academy is equally interested in accepting younger children and children with little or no tennis experience, but who demonstrate strong athletic talent and a desire to work at maximizing their talent in the sport. If your player has demonstrated strong tennis success, strong potential to succeed, or has athletic abilities and talent they wish to develop in the sport, we encourage you to apply! 

The Academy's formation and training approach is a culmination of over thirty-five years' experience in competitive tennis playing and coaching ... from the earliest ages, up to professional levels of the sport. It is specifically designed with the theory that athletes can only reach their full competitive potential if they are able to pursue their own individualized training program within a team environment.

This unique training style is best accomplished in an Academy atmosphere customized for each individual player while utilizing the energy, skills and talents of the Academy coaches and players. This combination serves to support and inspire each athlete to maximize his/her abilities to the furthest limit.

The 2015 Academy welcomed over 200 ranked players – including international players representing 11 countries – and guided 41 players to become USTA tournament champions, during the 9 session weeks. The Academy also included over 100 younger children – ages 7-10 – who utilized their athletic skills to develop the proper tennis foundation to become future strong competitive players. Locally, the Academy included over 75 players from Newton, 60 players from Brookline, and 40 players from Needham – in total over 30 local communities were represented at the Academy. 

About The Director and Staff

The Academy is directed by long time tennis coach and former professional player, Rob Lapides. Rob has coached at the professional, collegiate, high school, and junior levels for over twenty years and has worked with a number of nationally and ITF ranked players.

He is a former junior stand out who went on to play at the professional level where he competed in numerous ATP satellite and qualifying events as well as a number of ATP main draw tournaments. Beyond traditional tennis program management, his expertise includes; Elite Level Training, Mental Toughness Development, Game Theory, Rapid Skills Development, and Training for Young Athletes, Pre-Schoolers, and Special Needs Students. 

Rob is the original founder and director of several popular tennis programs and camps taking place in locations including; Millbrook Camp in Marshfield, MA, Grasshopper Tennis School in Zurich Switzerland, Dexter-Southfield School in Brookline, MA, and the Tennis Academy of Tokyo, where he’s overseen tennis programming for thousands of competitive junior players. 

Among Rob's recent private coaching activities, was his participation at the 2015 U.S. Open Men's and Women’s qualify tournament and 2014 US Open/ITF Junior Boys & Girls Championship in New York, where he provided assistance to players competing in each of the events. His most recent high school coaching activity includes leading the Dexter School Boys Varsity Tennis Team where the school has achieved New England Champion titles in three out of its first six years of fielding a varsity team and has produced four athletes now competing at the collegiate level, including two athletes at Division I nationally ranked tennis programs and one athlete competing on the ITF Junior and Professional tour.

Over the previous twelve months, junior players under Rob's tutelage have won over 170 USTA tournaments, with many achieving national rankings. 

Rob hand-picks and personally trains all Academy staff. Academy coaches represent a variety of competitive, teaching and coaching backgrounds. Playing experience includes; ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA Professional, as well as national and international junior competitions and participants of many of the world's elite tennis training academies. Most coaches have competed at the ITA/collegiate level and have represented college tennis programs at a variety of schools including; Amherst College, Bates College, Boston College, Boston University, College of the Holy Cross, Duke University, Georgia Tech, Harvard University, Middlebury College, MIT, Northeastern University, Purdue University, Quinnipiac University, Stanford University, Syracuse University, University of California, University of Massachusetts, University of Miami, University of Michigan, University of Texas, and University of Wisconsin. Many also have world class tennis academy experience including such facilities as; IMG Bollettieri, Sanchez-Casals, McEnroe Tennis, Van Der Meer Tennis, Evert Tennis, and Saviano Tennis. 

Academy website is www.lapidestennis.com...also, check us out on Facebook!