Hall has yet to lose a match in Gladiator Tennis over the past 2 years, and is king of the hill right now. As a matter of fact, he has not yet lost a set, despite some very difficult competitors throughout the playoffs - Alex Switzer in the Round of 16, 5 time 5.0 champion Zach Miller in the quarterfinals, Tommy Felice in the semifinals, and 2 time 5.0 champion Alex Haizel in the finals. See a replay of the finals here: 5.0 Finals
Hall's Story: My parents both played tennis in college and continue to play now, so growing up, tennis was a fun thing the whole family could do together. As a junior, I was the #1 player in the state of Arkansas. I then went to the University of Arkansas where I played all 4 years on the varsity team as a Razorback. During that period I played some of the top NCAA players in the country and finished ranked in the top 50 as a doubles player for 2 of those years.
After moving to chicago in 2021, I had been looking for people to play with and one friend recommended Gladiator Tennis. It’s been a fun, flexible, competitive way to meet some great people, play tennis, and get to see different parts of the city. Looking forward to future seasons!
Ricky played in the top level of Gladiator Tennis for his first 6 years in the league. Then after a 2 year hiatus, Ricky reentered the league at 4.75, finishing the regular season with a 9-2 record. Forthe plauyoff run, Ricky's' first match in the quarterfinals against Matthew Siami was almost his last. They went to 3 sets and Ricky pulled out a nailbiter 7-5,1-6, 10-8. Ricky tookthe semis and finals in straight sets, and will be back up to the top level in 2023.
Ricky's Story: I have been around tennis most of my life, as my older to brothers actively played, and then began playing more competitively in high school. I have played in high school, then college, and now I can keep on playing thanks to gladiator tennis! Gladiator is a great way to keep me playing at least once a week with a variety of players.
Nick's 5 victories en route to the 4.5 title included a few comebacks and many pivotal moments when he was able to come through when it mattered most.
1st Round: This match vs. Michael Viola was a rematch from earlier in the season when Mike had defeated Nick in straight sets, and it proved to be the most difficult challenge of Nick's playoff run. It was an up and down roller coaster! Mike took the 1st set 6-3, but Nick turned the tables and went up 5-0 in the second. That's when the drama began. Nick started to choke and allowed Mike to come all the way back to draw even at 5. They went to a tiebreak and Mike went up 5-0, just 2 points away from winning and knocking Nick out of the playoffs. But somehow, Nick won 8 of the next 9 points to take the tiebreak and force a final set. That also went to a tiebreak, and Nick prevailed in a very improbable comeback. The match lasted 3 hours.
2nd round: Facing northwest burbs rival Steve Yoon, Nick took the 1st set comfortably 6-2. But Steve went up 5-4, 40-love in the 2nd set and was one point away from forcing a final set. However, Nick saved all 3 of the set points, then broke serve and held his own for a 7-5 2nd set win.
Quarterfinal: Facing Quinton Osborne (Lombard) for the first time, this was another see-saw contest in 50-degree weather at night. There were many breaks of serve in the match, but in the end, Nick was able to mount another comeback win 5-7,6-2,6-3.
Semifinal & Final: Nick defeated a strong Gaurav Goswami (6.79 UTR) in the semifinals. For the final, he faced off aganst 2011 playoff finalist Peter Roberts and defeated him in 2 hotly contested sets 6-4,7-5.
Nick's Story: I first swung a racket as a toddler. My mom and dad play tennis, and my dad would toss a beach ball for me to hit. My dad wanted me to do tennis lessons in elementary school, but I refused since I didn't like picking up tennis balls. I was much lazier back then. The summer after 5th grade, I started to take tennis seriously. My dad taught me that summer, and then when middle school began, I started taking tennis lessons. I quickly picked up the game and started participating in USTA boys' tournaments. I also participated in Grand Prix tournaments, which were similar to Gladiator. There were tournaments during the season, and points accumulated would determine seeding for the year-end tournament. I believe I ended up getting 3rd place in that tournament in 7th or 8th grade.
As a freshman in high school, I played 1st singles for the fresh/soph team. As a sophomore, I decided to try out for the varsity team. The varsity coach told me, "Typically, sophomores don't try out for the varsity team." I was the only sophomore who decided to try out for them. After a couple of weeks, he realized I was a good player and put me in 2nd singles. Junior year, I played 1st doubles with one of my best friends, Noah. Noah and I were the best juniors on the team. We were 1 win away in sectionals from qualifying for IHSA state doubles. As a senior, I went back to 2nd singles.
I attended Northwestern University as an undergrad. I joined the club tennis team, which was a lot of fun since there were about 30-40 guys on it who were as good or better than me. Sadly, only the top 5 club tennis players would travel around for matches, so during my junior or senior year, I decided not to pay the annual fee to be on the team. By then I had made 3 tennis friends, including one of my roommates, and we all decided to hit around at the outdoor courts instead of playing on the club team.
After college, I didn't compete for a long time. I would hit with my dad about once every week or two. I started playing USTA mixed doubles in the summer of 2021, 6 years after college and 10 years since the last time I was truly competing in tennis. Then, when I started working again in August as a teacher, one of my coworkers, Gladiator 5.0 Yuto Tsukida, told me about Gladiator. I joined during the fall season and had a lot of fun. I have played every singles season since then.
I've enjoyed Gladiator because I get to play for myself. There's no added pressure to perform well for a team like in USTA. I also enjoy playing players at my skill level. Plus, Gladiator has helped me improve as a player a ton. I'm near my peak these days, especially after finishing this tournament.
The biggest challenge of Julian's playoff run was in the 1st round against Zeljko Bozovic. Zeljko had won the 2022 Indoor playoffs at 4.25 in May, and was a very tough out, about as good a player as you can face at 4.25 with a UTR just under +6.00. The two split sets, and in a super-tiebreak to determine the final 3rd set, they battled to a 9-9 tie. Julian outdueled Zeljko for the final 2 points to survive into the 2nd round. After that, it was smooth sailing all the way through - Julian never even dropped a set to become the 4.25 champion in his 2nd year in the league.
Julian's Story: I would have never imagined that I would win any tennis trophy. Since I can remember I played baseball all my life. I didn't know who Nadal was until I was 24. It was only then, that I grabbed my first tennis racket. And only because my younger brother started playing tennis in high school. I would come to our neighborhood park but nobody wanted to play with me. I was so bad. But I stuck to it and soon I became the one to beat. My forehand came naturally. Playing baseball, and being a pitcher helped a lot. My backhand? Endless lonely hours at night, hitting against the wall. I discovered Gladiator Tennis in 2021 and got hooked on it. The competition, friendship, and fun I can credit to those leagues are simply priceless. Why do I love tennis? The perfect mix of physical and mental challenges. Each game is different, each opponent is unique. When I don't work or play tennis I love a good meal with a couple of drinks. And I love to sleep. This "training routine" must have been working in 2022 ????" what’s next? Next on my bucket list would have to be rattle snake hunting and to be part of the run of the bulls in Spain.
Ivan was a hammer thrower who has parlayed his athletic abilities into becoming a solid tennis player in one year! Starting the year at 3.75, Ivan won 11 of his 12 matches at that level, then went undefeated in the final outdoor singles season at 4.0 to enter the playoffs as the #1 seed in the draw. Behind a big serve and strong backhand, Ivan took out all of his opponents in straight sets with the exception of Rafal Drabik in the 3rd round. Rafal nearly derailed his run to the title by taking the first set 6-1, but Ivan made the necessary adjustments to come back and win 6-4,6-2. The final against Jack Rohan was also a tight contest, but Ivan was a small step ahead througout, prevailing 6-3,7-5.
Ivan's Story: I am originally from Republic of Moldova, and my history is very different from most of the champions in this wonderful group. Even as a small child I liked sports and I was very active but my biggest passion was athletics, where I managed to get many victories in throwing events. Speaking of tennis, I think l first picked up a racket when I was 16 years old. In Moldova there were no free tennis courts and it was very expensive to practice tennis, so I played only a few times a year. When I found out about Gladiator Tennis about 1 year ago, that changed everything. I instantly felt a huge interest to go practice a lot more and it gave me that feeling of competition that I was missing so much. I'm very proud of what I achieved in this league so far. Without ever having any lessons in tennis, I won 2 divisions in a row 3.75 and 4.0 and now I'm also a playoff champion. What a journey! I love Gladiator Tennis and I hope to have many more victories to come. Big respect to the league coordinator and everyone who is part of the Gladiator Tennis team!
Kasia's Story: My love for tennis started when I was a teenager, and my mom gave me a tennis trainer rebound ball set. I played outside of the house and quickly became pretty good at this game, so as a next step, I decided to take some group lessons. Unfortunately, my journey had to end shortly due to school activities but since then, tennis has become my favorite sport, and I was following the news and watching on tv. Over the years, I was in and out playing tennis recreationally a few times per year. Finally, during the pandemic, I was able to focus again on tennis and strengthen my game. In November 2020, I played my first match, and even though I did not win, I enjoyed it a lot and wanted to improve. Since then, I’ve been playing matches regularly and getting used to competing. Mostly, I was playing co-ed tournaments with juniors before my friend told me about Gladiator Tennis. I am so glad I joined Gladiator League because it gives me a lot of opportunities to play matches with people on a similar level. Most of my matches from Gladiator were quite competitive, and my opponents were serious about tennis (in a healthy way). I think that’s great because it meant to me that everyone wants to do their best, and they commit to it. I will definitely continue to be part of the league because it’s been a great experience, and I met many interesting people!
Kristin played her first season at the 3.0 level in 2021, improved to start 2022 at 3.5, and then moved up to 3.75 starting in the Summer Season. At 3.75, she posted a 12-2 record over the next 2 seasons to enter the playoffs as the #1 seed. That's a rapid improvement over 2 years! Furthermore, Kristin won every match in the playoffs without dropping a set, but she met her match in the finals vs. Debi Landorf. Debi nearly took the 2nd set off of her, but Kristin prevailed to win the title 6-2,7-6.
Kristin's Story: I have been participating in Gladiator since the summer of 2021. After my youngest daughter turned 1, I was looking to get back into tennis and stay in shape. I love the flexibility that Gladiator allows me to have with two young children.
In 2021, my doubles partner (and father-in-law) Ron and I made it to the outdoor 6.5 Mixed Doubles final playoffs but lost that match. In the beginning of 2022, I won the Women's Singles 3.5 Indoor playoffs.
The playoff final against Debi Landorf ended it a nail-biting second set tiebreaker. Debi was a fantastic competitor and the nicest person - having conversations with my 4-year old in between games. I have really enjoyed the friendships I've made through Gladiator (shoutout to Nikki, Tess, Paul, and of course Lauren!).
And lastly a huge thanks to my husband Ryan and my mom Fran for watching the kids so I can play in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in every season for the past 2 years. And to my Wheaton Sports Center tennis family for helping me improve and cheering me on! You guys are the best!
In 2021, Edison finiahed as 3.5 champion, and he has done it again at 3.75! He joins a handful of playersd over the 16 year history of the league in winning at 2 different levels, and winning in consecutive years.
Edison won the first 4 rounds in straight sets, but each round was a closer contest. In the semifinals, Edison faced off against Joshua Calloway from Chicago, and lost his first set of the tournament 3-6. But he rallied to come back 6-3, and 10-6in a 3rd set tiebreaker. The Finals vs. Fernando Balsano were nearly identical, with Edison losing the first set 6-1, and then figuring out how to manufacture a 2nd set comeback 6-3, and outlast for the win in a close 3rd set tiebreak 10-7. Clutch play earned him a 2nd title in 2 years. Can Edison 3-peat at the 4.0 level in 2023?
Edison’s Story: I used to play basketball, but when we immigrated to the U.S., I shagged balls for my uncle while he played tennis matches. One day he invited me to play with him and started teaching me. In 2010 I started really liking the sport and taking it more seriously and I bought my own racket. For the next 4 years, I played with my uncle and cousins and then found more friends to play with. In 2018, a friend (Al Martinez) mentioned Gladiator Tennis, showed me the app, and kept encouraging me to join until I finally did in 2020. I enjoy the competitiveness, friendly people, and quality of the competition.
Teresa hadn"t played in the Gladiator league since 2017, and she started slow in her first season back, losing her first 3 matches. But she went 6-3 after that to finish strong and find her game in time to start her playoff run. The closest contest of her 5 playoff matches came in the first round vs. longtime gladiator Piper Stratton, winning 7-6,6-4. After that, Teresa was able to defeat her remaining opponents in straight sets, finishing with a 6-3,6-4 against Nicole Perso, who was making her 2nd trip into the finals in 3 years.
Teresa's Story: I began playing tennis as a walk on try out in high school. Here are the highlights of my tennis experiences since then:
This is my first year returning to tennis since spring 2017 after the birth of my two children. I was a bit rusty at first but after some work on my game, I was able to successfully advance through play offs without losing a set. I really enjoy the flexibility of Gladiator and hope to continue to work on my game this winter to prepare for next year.
Rohit has been competing only for a few years and rising quickly. After making the finals of the 3.25 playoffs in 2021, he moved up to 3.5 this year and fought his way through 6 playoff rounds to finish as the winner. 3 of his early round opponents (Andrew Kolb, Blaine Miller, and Akhil Reddy) took the first set from him, but he was able to mount a comeback each time to win in 3 sets. These wins fueled him with the confidence to win decisively in the semis and finals to finish on top of 3.5. 3.75 players beware - Rohit's coming in 2023!
Rohit's Story: I never touched a tennis racquet until 2015. I saw some of my friends playing tennis and wanted to try and found it good to play occasionally. Being a Badminton player, I liked and enjoyed playing volleys a lot. In 2021 my friend Bhanuchander Sadineni referred me to gladiator and I started in the 3.0 level. I finished the year making the finals at the 3.25 level. I continued improving my game and won the championship in 3.5. I also played doubles with ChandraSekar Banda and we made it to the quarterfinals this year..
This is Emily's 1st year in the league. After winning all of her matches at the 3.0 level, she was 8-4 over the next 2 seasons at 3.25. She started the playoffs as the #1 seed and proved worthy of it, winnig every match in straight sets by large margins. 3.5 players, look out for Emily in 2023!
Emily's Story: I played so much tennis in high school and college that my life revolved around it for years and years. I played 1st singles throughout high school and ended up getting a scholarship to play in college. I decided to quit in 2018 due to horrible experiences with my teammates. I became a tennis coach and still did lessons with my own coach, who felt like family. When he passed away in 2020, I stopped playing. I only recently (2021) decided to take lessons again and that is how I found out about Gladiator in 2022. It felt so relieving to be able to play competitively again for fun instead of just coaching. Everyone that I have played with has been so kind too, which helps a lot. I love being around people who love this sport as much as I do. My life once again revolves around tennis and I couldn't love it more. It has brought so much more happiness to my life since I joined.
Ahad got in the game of tennis for the first time in 2022 and has very quickly learned how to compete well, based on previous years of playing other racket sports. Not knowing what level to start at, he played 2.5 in his first seaso. Based on the margin of his victories at 2.5, Ahad was double promoted to 3.25 where he played for the next 2 seasons. He finished the year with a 10-3 record at 3.25, and was primed for a good playoff run. Ahad never lost a set in all 5 rounds of the playoffs. Congratulations on making a splash in your first year in the league and in the game of tennis, Ahad!
Ahad's Story: I have enjoyed playing many sports during my life, some including cricket, racquetball, squash and badminton. I feel like sports keep me alive and motivated to keep moving in life. I started playing tennis after an injury in racquetball in March 2022. This was my first-time playing tournament tennis and I really enjoyed it! It was a great experience to play and stay fit. I was introduced to Gladiator Tennis by a friend, who was already in the league. My favorite part about Gladiator Tennis, was that they divided by skill level. So, I was able to play with like-skilled people. This made playing fun.“
Kolleen joined Gladiator for the first time this year and finished the regular season with a competitive 5-6 record. But she somehow found another gear in the playoffs and was able to win the first 3 rounds in close contests, but all in straight sets. In the final, she faced off against 2018 champion Monica Meaux. Monica took the 1st set 6-0, but Kolleen found a way to make it a contest and pulled out a 7-5, 2nd set win. They played a supertiebreak to decide it all, and Kolleen was able to prevail 10-5 to win the 3.0 title.
Kolleen's Story: I've loved playing sports my whole life. I started playing softball and volleyball at a young age and continued volleyball through college. Years ago, after college, I took up golf (the world's most frustrating sport) but I liked that because it was something I could do on my own (meaning, I didn't need a whole team in order to play). In the summer of 2022, I decided I wanted to try something new. Something a little faster paced with some competition and fun, so I signed up for Gladiator. It's been such a fun experience and I look forward to continuing into the future seasons.
Rajesh stormed through the early 4 rounds until he was tested against the #1 seed Eric Vymyslicky. After losing the 1st set in a tiebreaker, Rajesh managed to come back to win the 2nd set 6-2, then prevailed 10-5 in a 3rd set tiebreaker. Rajesh had enough gas in the tank to also defeat Shankar Gurukkal in the finals on the same day, 6-4, 6-3 for the 3.0 title.
Rajesh's Story: Growing up in India, the only sport I was exposed to was cricket. I spent many hot days playing with my friends, creating brotherhood, and learning to love the sport. When I moved to the US, the first sport I picked up was Tennis, and I haven’t let it go since. The same sort of feeling arises when I play and I am brought back to my childhood days. I made many friends through tennis, challenged myself, and learned so much about the sport in the past few years. Although I’ve participated in other tournaments, The Gladiator Tournament is the first I’ve ever won. I believe this marks a new beginning in my tennis journey, so this tournament was quite meaningful to me. I am very proud of this accomplishment! I heard about Gladiator Tennis through friends and knew I wanted to participate, I have never regretted that decision. It really challenged me and I learned many skills through taking part in this. I definitely have improved since the start of the playoff season. I’ve enjoyed meeting new people through Gladiator Tennis. I’ve only ever played with friends and now I can say I’ve made tons more to play with! I would like to thank Gladiator Tennis for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to continue playing!
Cheryl finished her regular season matches with a 10-3 record at the 2.5 level, which was good enough to make her the #1 seed entering the playoffs. Cheryl won all of her matches in straight sets until the final when she faced off against Michelle Vondrasek. Michelle gave her a good challenge, but Cheryl prevailed to win the 2.5 title.
Cheryl's Story: I grew up in a small town (600!) in NW Ohio. We had one tennis court at the park and growing up none of the kids, me included, knew how to play tennis. If we got the ball over the net, we considered it a win. ????
I played competitive slow pitch softball at a very early age. I’ve always been athletic (thanks dad!) and loved traveling and playing with friends on my softball team throughout my childhood summers.
My school didn’t have a tennis program so my exposure to tennis was limited to the stars I saw on TV. Only the “big” cities, like Bowling Green and Toledo had tennis at their schools. In middle school I cheered and played volleyball and in high school I had to choose between cheerleading or sports and I chose sports. I played volleyball and fast pitch softball. As I grew older my summers were filled with travel for competitive fast pitch softball.
Fast forward to 2020 and the Covid pandemic. I was working in healthcare 6 to 7 days a week helping clinicians test residents in long term care for Covid and other health ailments. I was completely burned out and needed something for myself. In May 2021, I received a Palatine Park District booklet in the mail and signed up for tennis and golf lessons. I loved tennis immediately and immersed myself in the sport as much as I possible could.
My friend, Supriya introduced me to Gladiator Tennis and we signed up for the singles sessions through the summer of 2022. Although my heart lies in doubles because of my experience in group sports, I have begun to appreciate the singles game more and more. I have met so many wonderful people and hope to continue to grow with the sport.
Luis is the comeback king of 2023! Luis won the first 2 rounds against Deepak Naidu and Alex Hanga by the same close score, 7-6,6-4. In the quarterfinals vs. Zaid Shakir, Luis lost the 1st set of the playoffs 6-1. But he was able to comeback the next two sets 6-4,6-3. In the semifinals against Caleb Bartz, Luis again lost the 1st set but came back to win 4-6,6-4,6-3. Luis completeed the comeback trifecta in the final vs. Mike Nazerian 4-6,7-5,6-1.
Luis' Story: Tennis started as a way of bonding with my father. We would play maybe once or twice every summer just rallying. What I enjoyed most was hitting forehands as hard as I could over the net. This summer, I wanted to learn to compete in a real game of tennis and my dad encouraged me to join Gladiator.
Thanks to this year’s Facebook class action lawsuit, I used Mark Zuckerberg’s money to buy myself whatever racket I wanted from racket testing at Tennis Ballerz. I picked the most spin heavy racket advertised (Babolat pure drive) and adapted my game to an aggressive playstyle to start at Gladiator Tennis.
Unfortunately halfway through the tournament, my aggressive playstyle resulted in too many unforced errors. I had to adjust my game against Zaid Shakir, Caleb Bartz, and Michael Nazerian to become a consistent pusher. My only focus was hitting the ball over the net and scoring break points. This was a completely new playstyle for me occasionally hitting winners. Any of these matches could have gone either way. Every opponent in this tournament had better sportsmanship than I did, since I would get mad at myself and get in my own head after making mistakes. Winning never felt as the act of a single person. Big shoutout to my dad, family support, my opponents, and Paul Black for this season’s success. I’m motivated to work on my weaknesses and lack of technique to come back stronger next year!
