UTR Real Stories: David Feldman

With an estimated 200 tennis tournament weekends under his belt, David Feldman has seen it all courtside. David is the father of Sam Feldman (UTR 11.43), a national-level ninth grader from Massachusetts, who is making a splash in juniors tennis. This past weekend, however, their roles changed - David was on the court in his first-ever UTR Event. David reached out to Team UTR to share his experience with UTR Events and told us how this tennis family uses UTR. "This weekend I played my first UTR event ever, and I must say I'm really impressed with the capability of the format. I'm a 5.04, and I had two of three matches at a very competitive level, winning one 6-3 6-3 against a 5.20 and then losing 6-4 6-3 to a 5.86. Both matches took nearly two hours each and were in doubt until the end, the epitome of great matched-level tennis competition. (Yes, the 6-3 6-3 match wasn't "UTR competitive" but it was an entirely worthwhile and enjoyable match for both parties). The exceptional part: my opponents were a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl, respectively. There's no format in USTA which would have matched us up, nor would anybody have predicted that we'd have so much fun playing. A second exceptional aspect is that Sam Feldman, my son, who is a national-level junior (11.43, 9th grade) also played in this same UTR event, but in the open draw. As a tennis parent, for Sam to get great competition and for me to get some match play, too, puts "tournament weekend" into a whole new light. Also, he got to play three players he'd never see in USTA play, including a female neo-pro. Although it was my first UTR event, it was Sam's second. In that first event, he got to play some DIII college players with UTRs quite similar to his own, and those matches added an element that age-oriented junior competition doesn't. I think there's a role for both, as the age-group competition often features players with similar racquet skills, while the DIII college kids are bigger and stronger. Another benefit: After spending, oh, 200 weekends at tournaments with my son, this past weekend I got to play, too!" We receive inspiring notes from players, coaches, parents and event organizers sharing how UTR has positively impacted their game. In our new series, we’ll share their stories with you and highlight the work they’re doing on and off the court. Tell us how you use UTR! You can send us a note, or share your story with @MyUTR and #GetRated.