A Tennis STAR in the Making: Bjorn Frantangelo

Bjorn Fratangelo is an American junior player who won the Boys’ Singles Title at the 2011 French Open, beating Dominic Thiem of Austria 3-6, 6-3, 8-6. 

Bjorn Fratangelo, French Open 2011

With the victory, Frantangelo - who lives and trains in Naples, Florida during the majority of the year - became the first American since John McEnroe in 1977, to gain the French Open Boys’ Singles title. See his press conference following the French Open win.

Even though Americans don't typically have a great reputation for performance on the clay, Fratangelo was able to hone his skills with practice on clay courts in Florida.

"I learned really how to slide, how to move well on the surface," he commented. "It taught me to construct points. [With] indoor tennis, they just slap the ball one, two, three, point's over. But on clay... it's mental toughness. You really have to grind out the points long and hard..."

Fratangelo started his tennis career in the family basement at the age of three, hitting balls with a miniature racquet. He soon graduated to a real court and at eight years old began competing in youth tournaments. Frantangelo’s hard work and rise in the rankings culminated in his French Open victory and he hopes to continue the trend.

"It's just a matter of seeing what happens," he said. "The ultimate goal is to turn pro, make men's Grand Slam events and win. If I feel like my game gets good enough, I'll move to the pro level. If I need to develop more, I'll do that in college. Tennis is an up-and-down sport. One tournament doesn't make a career."

BORN: July 19, 1993

BIRTHPLACE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

JUNIOR RANKING CAREER HIGH: No. 2

PLAYS: Right-handed, with double-handed backhand

COACH: Father, Mario

NAMESAKE: Hmmm…Bjorn Borg, his father’s favorite player

OTHER FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Surprise…table tennis

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Pittsburgh Steelers

OTHER TENNIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2009 USTA under-16 and 2010 USTA under-18 clay-court titles; represented the U.S. in Junior Davis Cup.

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Alexus “Ace” Jones. A Tennis STAR in the Making...

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Residence: Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy

Sponsors: Wilson Tennis, Ace Authentic, Red Chapter, Bolle, Mana Games, Ray of Hope Foundation and SMG.

Alexus Jones by tkaenPix 

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/tlaenpix/5548600141)

One of these days, you might see junior tennis player Alexus “Ace” Jones competing in a grand slam final! With her fierce determination, serious work ethic and a little help from the likes of Vic Braden, Nick Bollettieri, Rick Macci, Richard Williams and Martina Navratilova, it is a distinct possibility. Alexus started early to develop a solid foundation for a future tennis pro!

The Way to Success...

18 months – Her father (a master of the martial arts) begin training Alexus in this discipline to build balance.

Age 4 – Alexus began working with Vic Braden (former coach of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin).

Age 6 – Alexus had the “fastest serve recorded for a 6 year old at 70 mph” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. She began training at Bollettieri Academy and spent some time working with Richard Williams – father of Venus and Serena - and then trained with Rick Macci (former coach of the Williams sisters).

Age 8 – After four years of training 6 hours per day, 6 days per week, Alexus entered her first USTA 10 and under tournament and won. After winning 40 games in a row, she moved up to the 14 and under age division. In this group, Alexus quickly reached the top 500 in the nation. She advanced to the 16 and under age group where she won the back draw in her first tournament. At age 8, Alexus was the youngest player in the U.S. to have a ranking in the 16 and under division.

Age 9 – Alexus moved up to be the youngest player in the U. S. in the 18 and under age division and won her first tournament. She made it to a ranking of 521 and then took a year off from tournaments to train. After working with Martina Navratilova, Alexus re-engaged in tournament play and won her first tournament with a double bagel in the final after a mere 50 minutes! The famous Queens Club coach, Max Hastings, has said Alexus is a “future Wimbledon Champion.” In fact, he has featured a section on his website dedicated to her development.

As of June, 2011, at the tender age of 14, Alexus is ranked in the top 40 for the USTA Women’s Open Division in the state of Florida.

Fun Fact: Alexus Jones is the youngest tennis player in history to have her own rookie card with a major trading card company – released in June of 2010.

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