Nicolai Schwarzkopf: Exploring the city through his love of tennis.

Hi I'm Nicolai Schwarzkopf. I'm a 28-year-old real estate developer from Atlanta. Since moving to New York in January, I have attacked the TennisNewYork.com (Manhattan / Brooklyn Tennis League) circuit hard, winning two championships in the summer league and the July tournament. I moved up from "Competitive 3.5" to "Advanced 4.0", and I have my sights set on "Elite". Then maybe Wimbledon, who knows...

I admit, I'm a little obsessed with tennis right now. Most weeks, my happiness revolves around tennis. I love playing around the city, from Central Park, to Queens, to along the Hudson river. The setting is always amazing and it gives me a special way to explore the city, as I ride my bike to and from matches. My grandparents introduced me to tennis at a young age. I enjoyed it, but I was more suited for football, which I played from middle school through college. Once football was over, tennis became my competitive outlet. I traded hitting other players for hitting a serve as hard as I can, then rushing the net and using my height to my advantage as I try to slam a winner. My style may not be as pretty as Federer's, but it's worked for me so far.

Which league are you a member of? 

Advanced 4.0, TennisNewYork.com

How long have you participated in your league?

I started with the summer season this year

How often do you play?

I try to play 2-3 times a week at least

What do you like most about the league?

I like the flexibility of playing whenever possible. It is usually easy to schedule a match if you send a mass email a day or two in advance.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es).

So far, it has to be winning the July Tourney against Shantanu Godbole. Shantanu is a really good player but for some reason, I hit every shot the way I wanted to that day, and I won pretty easily. I just felt "on" that day! And got a pretty sweet trophy as a result.

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

I wouldn't say I've played anyone enough times to warrant a rivalry. But the first time I played Harry Richardson, he beat me, and it disappointed me because I thought I should have played better. So when I played Harry again in the Summer Competitive playoffs quarterfinals, I was excited to get a chance at redemption - we played 3 sets and I barely won, but it was a great feeling.

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?

Would be nice to have more tournaments or possibly weekend round robins. I'm all about competition, although it's nice to play some "regular season" matches too.

How did you get started playing tennis?

My grandparents played, and I would go to tennis camps during the summers when I visited them in Savannah. So I learned the fundamentals growing up, then I stopped playing for about 10 years while I focused on football (which I played from middle school through college)

10. What level player are you? (NTRP rating)

4.0 (3.5 on a bad day, 4.5 on a good day)

What do you love about tennis?  

• Good exercise,
• Fun to play
• Combination of mental and physical challenge
• Tennis culture (the pro players, tournaments, history, venues)

Who are your favorite pro players? Why?

Probably Federer, even though my style is nothing like his. I wish it was, because he makes the game look beautiful.

Tom Trotter: Growing the sport through love of the game

Tom Trotter is probably one of the most passionate and hardest promoting players in all of Tennis League Network.  We absolutely love his dedication to the game and helping us try to grow the program.


Which league are you a member of?

Tennis Fort Lauderdale

How long have you participated in your league?

Since around March 2012.  5.5 years.

How did you first learn about it?

From a flyer posted on my local tennis courts.

How often do you play?

Usually 3 days per week.

What do you like most about the league?

The league makes it easy to meet new tennis opponents.  The flexibility of scheduling and playing matches. The generally high quality people one meets and interacts with through the league.  The online record keeping. The End Of Year National (now the East Coast) tournament at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on Key Biscayne in Miami.

Tell us about your most memorable match(es)

They're all memorable in some way.

Who are your favorite rivals in the league? Why?

I like playing people who are generally better players than me but who I'm competitive with. I usually learn the most from these sorts of matches.

Do you have any other interesting comments about your experiences with the league?

The league has been a continual source of new friends and valued acquaintances. It's one of the most important components of my lifestyle, which keeps me engaged, and active, and about as fit and healthy as I can expect to be at my age. It keeps my spirits up.

How did you get started playing tennis?

I played almost every day for about a year when I was in my late 20s.  Then picked it back up again when I moved to Fort Lauderdale in 2009.  I was just hitting against a practice wall a couple of times a month when, one day in March 2012, I noticed the flyer advertising the Tennis Fort Lauderdale affiliate of the Tennis League Network.

What level player are you? (NTRP rating)

I'm a 3.0.  But I feel that I'm on the cusp of transitioning into a solid 3.5.  (Though I might have to go bionic to achieve that.)

What do you love about tennis?

The skill involved in hitting the ball well, consistently.  The generally high quality people one meets through tennis. The fact that it's regularly televised and very popular throughout the world.  It keeps me regular.  It complements my artistic endeavors.

 

Who are your favorite pro players? Why?

Ken Rosewall, because of his super solid style of play, and the fact that he was a top world class player for almost 25 years in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe for their styles of play. And, of course, Roger Federer.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, for example: What do you do? Where did you grow up? What are your hobbies (besides tennis)? Feel free to share any interesting details about your life.

I'm retired.  Was born and raised in the Cincinnati area.  My other hobbies are composing music on piano

and electronic keyboards, and painting (acrylics and watercolors). 

Music:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMg49

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=221726&content=music

Music and Art:

https://soundcloud.com/thomas-trotter

Art and Music on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thomas.trotter.359