This is Zach’s 5th time as 5.0 Champion, but it's been 4 years since he was last King of the Hill. He also won in 2008, 2010, 2013, & 2014. and was Gladiator of the Year in 2008 and 2011. Zach is our in-house teaching pro, providing lessons to Gladiator players in the Naperville/Aurora & tri-cities areas.
“Growing up I really didn’t play much tennis, only 2 summers in the parks and recreation league when I was 11 & 12. I tried out for the team at Quincy University 8 years later on a chance encounter with the coach and found myself playing 4 seasons of Division II tennis. I went from a 2-12 record my freshman year to making All Conference in my senior year. After that I didn’t pick up a racket for 3 years until another chance encounter put me in front of a Gladiator flier at Potbelly in Naperville. Since then I have played 10 full years (would have been 12 but for injuries). I really love the Gladiator league for two reasons: Flexibility of scheduling and the constant growing and changing competition. There is a place for players of all skill levels.”
This was Paul's first year in the league, and he made his debut in the hotly contested 4.75 Chicago group, winning his Fall Season division with a 5-1 record to qualify. Paul flew through the first 4 rounds with straight set wins until meeting James Tandy from the south suburbs in the semifinals. Paul was knocked down in the first set 6-4, before coming back to win the last 2 sets and outlasting Jim 4-6, 6-3,6-4. Paul clinched the championship with a finals win over Harley Schachter (Deerfield).
Paul's Story: I started playing tennis when I was about 10 years old. Although Ping Pong was my first sport when I was playing in a high chair! My first tennis racket was a Spalding Poncho Gonzalez wood racquet. I mostly played against a backboard in a local community park near our Summer home in Michigan. A couple years later I was taking lessons and eventually played on my High School and College teams. Good thing for me is I never put my racquet down and stopped playing like so many of us unfortunately do because of kids, work, family severe injury etc... All racket sports appeal to me, my favorite and most competitive being Ping Pong. Not an easy sport to find competitive players and places to play where I live. I was invited to play Gladiator by a friend that I hit with. All the guys I played in 2018 in the league were great competitors and honest players. I really appreciate the opportubity provided by this well organized and competitive league.
Sean plays in the south suburbs, and has made the playoffs every year since 2014. He lost in the first round in 2014, 2015, & 2016, before finally breaking through to the quarterfinals in 2017. Based on a strong performance in the 4.5 South division all year long, Sean was able to enter the 2018 playoffs as the #4 seed, ready to make a run at the title. But the road was rough. His first round was against Gary Aldrich, a very familiar 4.5 South foe, but Sean prevailed 6-4, 6-4. Than in the 3rd round, Sean met his biggest challenge in Angel Alvarez, a tough cookie who spends some of his time up at the 4.75 level. Angel took the first set convincingly before Sean rebounded to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Sean then defeated #1 seed Mark Abellera in the semifinals and then prevailed in a tight match over Raimundo Gaete, 7-5,7-5. Congratulations Sean!
Sean's Story: I started playing tennis when I was in high school and during both my junior and senior tennis seasons, I wound up breaking my heel which ultimately led to surgery and hanging up my racquet for almost 20 years. It was when my oldest daughter decided to try out for her high school team that I went out to hit with her. A Gladiator member saw us hitting and suggested I sign up for the league. This is my 6th season and I am so thankful for that introduction to Gladiator as I would now play tennis everyday if I could. The league has been fantastic for both the outstanding competition as well as creating new and lasting friendships. I also play in the Gladiator Doubles league with my son, and the Gladiator Mixed Doubles League with my daughter.
Petra has played in the league for 5 years, and at the 4.0 level since 2014. In 2014, 2015, & 2016, Petra finished in the Round of 16, but broke through to the semifinals in 2017. After making the finals of the 2018 Indoor Singles Playoffs, Petra was ready to take the next step and won the 4.0 Outdoor playoffs without dropping a set. Congratulations Petra!
Petra's Story: I’ve been a big tennis fan since I was 13 years old. Along with volleyball, tennis is my favorite sport. I started playing 15 years ago learning basics by myself. After awhile, I decided to join USTA league. My team and I made Nationals in Indian Wells twice since then. I was referred to Gladiator by a friend and have been a member since 2014. I like the physical and mental challenges that come from competing in Gladiator. Also, I like the opportunity to play with better players who have helped to improve my game. From this improvement, I was finally able to win the Gladiator trophy this year!
This league is a great chance for everyone who loves to play tennis. I’m grateful that Steve gives us this opportunity to compete and improve our tennis game!
Denis has played in the league since 2011 and is a founding member of our 4.0 group since 2012 that plays in and around Crystal Lake. The Crystal Lake group has played together for many years and they have all improved one another to the point of dominating the 4.0 draw in this year's playoffs. All four 4.0 semifinalists were from the 4.0 Crystal Lake division.
Even though Denis proved himself to be the best of the best, his path to the championship was probably the most difficult of all of our champions in 2018. He had a first round bye as the #3 seed. Over his next 6 vistories en route to being champion, he had to win 4 of them in 3 sets. Remarkably, his last 3 wins were all identical scores - 3-6,6-3,6-4. Affter 8 years of being a player that we have built the league around Denis deserves this!
Denis' story: Family, Work and Sport is my entire life. Sport, tennis specifically, helps me stay healthy physically and mentally. I picked up tennis about 8 years ago and in 2011 joined the Gladiator league. Since then I have never missed an outdoor season. I never took a single lesson, but my main goal is to have a fun and challenge myself - that is my rock and roll! When I joined, I was at the bottom of 3.5 level, but I love a challenge and Gladiator pushed me to become a better tennis player. I’m glad to see how our entire subdivision improved over the years. I would like to thank Steve Hess for putting a huge effort into making this possible, and I hope the Gladiator tennis community will be growing more and more each year.
I will keep playing tennis as long and I can walk and hold a racket. Sometimes I feel sad that I discovered tennis too late in my life, but “better late than never”. I hope my kids will join me sometime soon on the courts.
This was Heidi's 3rd year in the league, and first playoff appearance. Her first round match vs. Jean Palasz (founding member in 2008) proved to be the biggest obstacle, as she had to go the distance for a 3 set win - 6-4,2-6,6-3. She then cruised through the quarters, semis, and finals in straight sets, getting past #1 seed Andrea Phillips in the final.
Heidi's story: I began playing tennis when I was 8 years old. I was fortunate to be raised in a small beach community on Lake Michigan where the courts were beautifully maintained and players of all ages were readily available. I watched all the tennis events on television that were aired. I played many tournaments in Northwest Indiana and made the varsity high school team as a freshman. I played my first two years in college at a small liberal arts school out East. I stopped playing between the ages of 25 and 40 with the exception of coaching the Montgomery High School girls varsity tennis team in San Diego, CA from 1995-1996.
I heard about Gladiator through the tennis grapevine. I've played singles off and on for several seasons and really enjoy the flexible format, players' great attitudes, and the League Coordinator's amazing efforts to make Gladiator's what it is. During the winter months I play 2-4 times a week and play on three teams - NITTL & USTA. Winning the 3.75 division this year really helped me mentally to strengthen my indoor season fighting spirit.
Lisa joined the stacked 3.5 West group this year, the division that has produced the 2017 playoff champion plus the finalist from 2016. Lisa qualified for the playoffs by winning that division. Lisa swept through the first 4 rounds of the playoffs without losing the set, but had to come up with clutch play in the semifinals and finals. In the semis she faced 10 year Gladiator veteran Amanda Hanlon in a match that went the distance, 4-6,6-4,6-3. In the finals, she overcame newcomer Kelly Markworth 6-3,4-6,6-4 for the title.
Lisa's Story:
I got into tennis from a young age. I had 7 brothers and sisters and there were tennis courts at the park down the street from us. Often the kids in the neighborhood and my siblings and I would play and then go swimming in our pool. For me, tennis conjures up great family and childhood memories. I never took formal tennis lessons until I was in high school. Consequently a lot of my strokes in tennis are unorthodox like my drop shops and slice forehand and one handed back hand.
I played at Driscoll Catholic High School and was the first girl in my school to ever go down state in tennis. I was captain of my tennis team in high school and college and played first singles and doubles on my high school team and the 4 years I attended Elmhurst College for my undergraduate in nursing.
I found out about the Gladiator program when I had to stop playing on my club team because my work schedule had changed. A team mate of mine said she was going to switch to the gladiator program because it was convenient with her schedule. I played doubles a few seasons back, and my team mate and I won our division that season. I never thought to play singles in gladiators until this year and I am glad I did.
I have always had intense jobs in health care, working as a nurse practitioner in the ER setting and Urgent Care - so tennis to me was a natural "go to" for stress reduction. I feel I joined this year, because I kept getting email after email and finally I said to myself, "God must wants me to play this season."
I always give it my all, even when I am down in points, in games, or in sets. My secret to this years success- always have fun first, be intense but not too serious, trust yourself and your opponent to play a fair match, and of course, NEVER ever, give up !
Every match Kris played in this tournament was close, but Kris was able to play well each time it absolutely mattered. HIs quarterfinal and semifinal matches both went to 3 sets, and every round had a set with a tiebreak. Kris finished with a 6-2,7-6 nail buiter against #1 seed John Cabrera in the final. With Kris' heavy topspin and powerful strokes, he will ascend much higher going forward.
I started playing tennis when I was 14 back in Poland and immediately I fell in love with this sport. I played almost every day all the way until I finished High School participating in regional tournaments.After High school I immigrated to USA and with it became hard to find time for sport but tennis always found me.
On and off I played with people that I knew with a little bit of competitiveness until I heard about the Gladiator league in 2016. Tennis became something so much more playing different people every week.
I cant imagine life without Gladiators now ... Hi my name is Kris and I'm an addict ..... ;)
I try to play 2-3 times a week and hopefully I can keep it up as long as I can stay healthy.
This is Beth's 2nd playoff title! She won the 3.0 Playoffs in 2011, and has played in the league every year since 2009. Defintely one of the core players in the league and so deserving of this win. Notable contests along the way were a 3 set win over #4 seed Patricia Brooks in the quarterfinals, and a 7-6,6-3 win in a match where the temperature dropped 30 degrees and ended in hail and snow - crazy October weather!
Beth's story:
I don’t ever remember tennis not being a part of my life. I come from a tennis family and remember as a kid hitting with players at our home that would come to town to play in tournaments in the Toronto area. After being immersed in tennis from a young age, I played recreationally in college but then stepped away for many years. returned to play more competitively again, but then took another decade long break. I am so thankful for finding gladiators almost 10 years ago. It has rekindled my love of the sport and I have met many wonderful players, and more importantly people through this program. It’s exciting to see it grow and expand and I’ve enjoyed the fun tournaments that run throughout the year. I love the ease of scheduling and the flexibility and actually love playing in the outdoors! I can’t wait for next season.
Gladiator Tennis expanded from the suburbs to the city of Chicago in 2012, and Monica has been one of the core players in the city league ever since - 7 years in a row! This year her game took a leap forward, and she entered the playoffs as the #3 seed after a strong showing all year long. Monica dominated in the playoffs, never dropping a set, and defeated #1 seed Oliwia Tomera in the final.
Monica's Story: In high school, my life was tennis and designing the school newspaper. Today, I design magazines during the day and spend nights/weekends on the courts— some things never change.
I discovered Gladiator Tennis in 2012 when I was living at home after college and started playing to offset my commute into the city with fresh air and exercise.
Later, when I moved downtown, luckily, so did Gladiator. Since then, our city tennis community has grown exponentially, connecting me with so many great players.
Recently, I’ve placed much more emphasis in technique and equipment. I’m now on the courts 2-3 times a week, for matches and lessons. I’ve definitely seen my game improve (a new Wilson Blade didn’t hurt either) and winning my division was a wonderful culmination of this year’s work.
Also, shout out to my family for cheering me on at my semi-final and final match— thank you for not making signs.
This was Bobby's first year of the league, and he earned the #5 seed in the 33 player draw with strong steady play throughout all 3 seasons. Bobby peaked at the right time, taking out all of his opponents in the first 4 rounds in straight sets. In the semifinals, he faced a tough obstacle in Andrew Lubera, and needed 3 sets to win, before prevailing in the finals over Marc Dale.
Bobby's Story: Being an avid sports enthusiast right from my school days, I used to watch all kinds of sports on TV. But Tennis and especially the Grand Slams were my all-time favorite. I grew up watching players like Becker, Edberg, Wilander on TV and that increased my interests for the game, but I never played a lot of tennis until 2015. That is when I came across a few friends who were also Tennis enthusiasts. I started playing with them (who were already Gladiators) and got a very good feedback about the Gladiator League. So, I registered for the 2018 Gladiator season and never had to look back. I absolutely enjoyed each and every match that I played and my game also improved a lot over the season.
Gladiator League is very well managed. The players get opponents who are at the same level and hence all the matches are really competitive. I’m looking forward to another year of Tennis with Gladiators in 2019!
After a 10-4 regular season record, Tania defeated Neecy Roney and Lora Corno in the playoffs to win in her very first year of the league. Congratulations Tania!
Tania's Story: I started playing tennis in high school and played doubles for four years. After a 15 year break (and endless unsuccessful attempts to get my husband to play tennis with me) I decided to get back in the sport and seek out some players locally who I could hit with and help me improve my game. I heard about Gladiator Tennis and signed up in the spring of 2018. I quickly realized how much I had missed this sport and really enjoyed being able to play matches with some great opponents who challenged me on the courts over the course of the spring, summer, and fall. As a busy working professional and mom of two boys, the flexibility of scheduling and timing of matches was invaluable. I met so many wonderful people who shared by passion for tennis, and I look for forward to many more years participating the Gladiator League!
Cesar has played in the league since 2014, but got injured in 2017 and was out for over a year. 2018 marked a comeback for him after he wasn't sure he would pick up a racquet again. Cesar was able to qualify for the playoffs after finishing 5-2 in his Fall Season, then he stormed through the draw without losing a set. So glad you are back in the game, Cesar!
Cesar's story: I heard about Gladiator Tennis through Facebook via an ad and thought about joining but it took me a year to join after my undergrad was completed. I was division leader about 3 years ago (I started in 2014 on and off). The thing I enjoy about Gladiator is being able to meet new people and their different skills that they bring to the match. It’s also great to know that you can travel and play on different courts around the area.
Last year I stopped playing tennis because of a few injuries and thought that I would be done from enjoying this sport. But through support from my family and fiancé, I was able to get my head straight and work towards a healthy recovery. I took care of myself better than I had before and was mindful of my progress and achievements along the way. One thing I recommend to anyone that plays any sport is to take time to stretch because your body will thank you for it
