Ari Datta (Photo by Keith Groller, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.)
Ari Datta, Director of Racquets Programs for the Allentown, Pa. club, has arranged a tournament with over $5,000 in prize money that will be open to members and non-members. Datta ran similar tournaments at Aronimink GC, to show how racquet sports can be elevated at a traditional golf club.
Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pa. is recognized as one of the area’s most beautiful golf courses and banquet/reception facilities, The Morning Call of Allentown reported. Now, Ari Datta wants it to be known for tennis and other racquet sports as well.
Datta, the director of Lehigh CC’s racquets program at Lehigh, wants tennis to have its place at the country club, The Morning Call reported. To that end, he is organizing a tournament—the Lehigh Open presented by Mercedes-Benz of the Lehigh Valley—that will played during the weekend of June 28-30 and offer $5,250 in prize money. Champions will be crowned in men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles, and Datta expects to attract numerous Division I college players as well as ex-professional players.
“We’re opening it up to the members and the non-members and it’s free for everyone to come out,” Datta told The Morning Call. “We’re looking to create a great atmosphere for the players and fans who want to come watch. We’re offering complimentary wine [and] beer, and dinner will be served for players on Friday night and lunch on Saturday.”
Datta previously ran tennis tournaments at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., The Morning Call reported, and said he now wants to use the same approach to help increase Lehigh CC’s visibility and open it up to a new audience.
“I want people to come here and say ‘Wow, they have a great racquets program’ and look at our facilities and give them a ‘wow’ effect,” he said. “My goal is to start with tennis and then transfer to platform and paddle tennis in the winter; we want to have a big event in the wintertime as well. I want to bring what I learned at Aronimink, which is one of the best golf clubs in the world, and utilize it here in the Lehigh Valley.”
Datta, who grew up in India, told The Morning Call that he has played tennis all over the world and was on a nationally ranked team at the University of South Florida. He played professionally, then went back to school in 2007 and got into coaching. Two of his players have played in the Olympics, and one of his students was a nationally ranked NCAA player.
He cares about the sport of tennis and knows it could use a boost in terms of overall interest and participation, The Morning Call reported.
“The [United States Tennis Association] is starting a lot of programs that try to get kids involved at the age of four or five,” Datta said. “People around here seem to be very casual about the sport. In other countries, people are training for tennis and they’re working harder at it. We need to improve tennis from the root base and have kids grow up with it. But we also have to make it fun.
“Sure, coaches have to drill them on the fundamentals and technique, but you have to make it fun and get them to love it,” Datta added. “If an eight-year-old kid doesn’t love tennis, they’re going to go play soccer or basketball or some other sport.
“My goal here is to make it fun for kids,” he said. “Once they fall in love [with] sports, then you can add things to make them better players. Parents can push their kids too hard, and want it more than the kids. Then the kids start hating it and are just there for them.”
Datta wants everyone to have fun at his tournament, The Morning Call reported, which will feature matches on Lehigh CC’s six Har-Tru courts. The club has nine courts in all, and contingency plans have been made in case of rain.
Datta is still actively seeking other tournament sponsors, as well as participants, The Morning Call reported.
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