As the 2024 Summer Olympics draw to a close, they leave us with countless stories of perseverance, determination, and excellence. These qualities are not just for Olympians—they can inspire tennis players of all levels, including those facing the unique challenges of playing in Central Florida.

Master Focus Under Pressure

Olympic athletes excel at maintaining focus when the stakes are highest, a skill that helps tennis players navigate the highs and lows of a match. In Central Florida, tennis players face their own hurdles: relentless heat, sudden rain, and the draining humidity. These conditions can be tough, but they also offer an opportunity to build resilience.

At Tennis Galaxy, home of the Volt Method, we teach a feedback loop that emphasizes mental preparation (Think It), executing with intent (Do It), and reflecting on the outcome (Feel It) to either repeat or repair the execution. This approach aligns a player’s mindset and actions, improving performance and building mental strength.

Stay Cool to Perform at Your Best

Preparation is key to thriving in Central Florida’s heat. Before you step on the court, give yourself an advantage by following our tips for staying cool. From hydration strategies to smart gear choices, these tips are designed to help you manage the heat and keep your focus sharp, just like an Olympian.

Overcome Adversity and Strive for Excellence

Olympians often triumph over incredible odds, whether recovering from injuries or pushing through fierce competition. The relentless pursuit of excellence drives Olympians, and it’s a mindset that young tennis players can adopt as well. In Apopka, the challenging conditions serve as a training ground for developing discipline and endurance. Every practice session in the heat, every match played in difficult weather, is a step toward becoming a better player.

Draw Inspiration from Tennis Olympians

Tennis legends like Venus Williams and Novak Djokovic have drawn on their Olympic experiences to fuel their success. Central Florida players can do the same, letting the Olympic spirit motivate them to push through challenges and reach new heights.

Channel Your Olympic Spirit

The Olympic spirit is all about perseverance, focus, and striving for excellence—qualities that can help tennis players in Central Florida overcome the unique challenges they face. By embracing this mindset, using our tips for staying cool, and applying the Volt Method’s feedback loop, you can turn adversity into an advantage and take your game to the next level. The next time you step onto the court, let the determination of Olympic athletes and the structure of the Volt Method inspire you to achieve your personal best.

Hey there, Tennis Galaxy students and fellow athletes. Are you ready to conquer the summer heat while enjoying your favorite outdoor sports? We're here to share some important tips on temperature management that can make a huge difference in your comfort and even save lives. Let's dive in!

Prepare with Purpose: A little preparation goes a long way! Before hitting the court, make sure you're armed with the essentials. Carry plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout your practice or match.

Dress Smart: Opt for loose and light-colored clothing that allows your skin to breathe. Large hats and sunglasses provide extra protection from the scorching sun, keeping you cool and safeguarding your eyes from harmful rays.

Shield with Sunscreen: Don't forget to slather on liberal amounts of sunscreen on any exposed skin. This simple step helps prevent sunburns and protects your skin from the damaging effects of UV rays.

Ice, Ice, Baby: Keep yourself refreshed by utilizing ice packs or iced towels during breaks. Placing them on your neck, wrists, or forehead can offer instant relief from the heat.

Take Frequent Breaks: Listen to your body and give it the rest it needs. Take breaks more often than usual to cool down and recharge. Find a shady spot where you can relax and regain your energy.

Gradual Acclimation: If you're planning to increase your time spent outdoors, especially during the hottest part of the day, it's crucial to acclimate gradually. Slowly increase your exposure to the heat over a couple of weeks, allowing your body to adapt and adjust.

Remember, taking care of yourself and staying safe in the summer heat is just as important as honing your skills on the court. By implementing these temperature management skills, you can enhance your comfort and enjoy your tennis sessions to the fullest. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay in the game!

If you have any questions or need further advice on beating the heat, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you every step of the way. Let's make this summer an amazing and safe one!

Despite record inflation across the country, the Tennis Galaxy leadership team has recommitted to making tennis accessible and affordable for those in Apopka and surrounding areas who want to learn the sport.

“Engaging in sports like tennis and having access to quality coaching can be life-changing for children and adults alike,” said Tennis Galaxy’s founder and Director of Coaching, Peter Fazekas. “We are committed to ensuring anyone who has the interest to learn, has the chance to fall in love with being on a tennis court.”

Beginner classes with Tennis Galaxy cost $75 for six weeks for youth players, and $80 for six weeks for adults.

Tennis Galaxy’s coaches, all of whom are trained and licensed as professional instructors and are USTA SafePlay approved, employ a unique approach — the Volt Method — to teach modern tennis to beginners. The method places the needs of the developing human being at the center of the instructional model.

“We teach modern tennis, starting from the ground up,” Fazekas said. “We don’t rush children or adults into skills they can’t possibly execute yet. We don’t just swat at a ball out here. We ensure they truly develop proper, modern technique. ”

The Volt Method uses progressions to build comfort with the racket, develop an understanding of ball spin, improve coordination and movement, develop basic technique, taking the time to do it right.

Tennis Galaxy, which offers community classes, private lessons, homeschool classes, tournaments and special events at the Northwest Recreation Complex on Jason Dwelley Parkway in Apopka, also offers a privately funded scholarship program for youth beginners whose families wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the classes.

March 11, 2022 at 11:39 pm EST

By Nick Papantonis, WFTV.com

APOPKA, Fla. — For weeks, Yulia Gerbut dismissed the rumors swirling around the streets of Kiev and warnings flying out of Washington. Ukraine would not be invaded, she said. There was nothing to worry about.

“Everybody was like, they are just threat and they’re just showing their weapons and troops of soldiers at the border,” she said, under the assumption Russian leaders were attempting to strengthen their hand at the negotiating table.

Three weeks later, Gerbut was not recalling her thoughts to friends at her favorite café. She was standing next to a tennis court in Apopka, Florida, after fleeing Kiev with her sons when the bombings began.

Watch coverage: https://www.wftv.com/news/local/ukraine-refugees-settle-apopka-thanks-decades-old-connection/LCQ2VGTIBZGQXBO5HOFQSJKZCA/

MEDIA ADVISORY

Ukrainian Family Now in Apopka Receives Support from Local Tennis Community, Apopka Mayor

March 11, 2022 – Orlando, FL – The tennis community of Apopka has launched a fundraising campaign to support a family that recently arrived from Ukraine. Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson will meet the family at the city’s tennis courts at 4:30 p.m. today.

The Gerbut family – mom Yulia and sons Maksym, 14, and Mykyta, 12 -- fled their beloved home country in late February, after the invasion by Russia, and are now living with a host family in Apopka.

Within days of their arrival in Central Florida, Yulia sought to create a sense of normalcy for her sons by enrolling them in school and engaging them in the kinds of programs they enjoyed in Ukraine. Maksym and Mykyta both are tennis players, so Yulia connected with Tennis Galaxy, which provides scholarships to those in need for its tennis programs in Apopka. The Gerbut sons started tennis classes this week and have been welcomed by other youth players into the Tennis Galaxy juniors’ program.

During tennis classes this afternoon, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson and Tennis Galaxy founder Peter Fazekas will meet with the family to offer ongoing support. Tennis Galaxy is launching a campaign to help pay for the family’s living expenses; donations can be made at www.galaxytennis.com.

Fox 35 Orlando

March 11, 2022

The Gerbut brothers are more than 5,000 miles from their native Ukraine, but they've found a piece of normalcy in Apopka through Tennis Galaxy. 

"I like sport. If I do sports, I just forget about everything," Nikita Gerbut said. 

Read more: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/apopka-tennis-organization-help-ukrainian-brothers-adjust-to-new-life

March 11, 2022

WESH 2 Orlando

A mother from Ukraine who was an exchange student in Apopka two decades ago, is back with her former...

Watch video: https://www.wesh.com/article/apopkas-tennis-community-rallies-behind-ukrainian-family-seeking-refuge/39414897

We saluted Naomi Osaka when she seemed to be turning away from the trappings of fame and glory for the sake of her peace and calm. With recent events, though, her message feels tainted, her young leadership in question. Consider the following.

We all are products of our environments, including the social environment—family, friends, community, work, school—and the media environment, which historically was reachable primarily by the famous or powerful but now is manipulable by even the youngest amongst us, including children. Combining and leveling the two environments has blurred lines, propagating confusion in areas of privacy, support, debate, opinion, security and stress.

An entire generation is facing a seeming schizophrenia: on one hand, fear of in-person interaction and on the other hand, instant courage to communicate online with full physical and emotional exposure.

Naomi Osaka felt paralyzingly uncomfortable walking into the press room to talk about herself for twenty minutes in late May. But in the years and even months leading up to that declaration, she had undressed emotionally and physically to package herself for public consumption. She now expresses two competing emotions as those packages are released to the world: terror about how she will be received, and triumph in owning who she is.

We won’t be purchasing the SI Swimsuit issue or watching the docuseries on Netflix, out of respect for all athletes whose personal privacy has been sacrificed to professional success, but we will keep asking ourselves the question: what is going on here?

And we will wonder if this is part of the answer: in young successful athletes—or actors or academicians or young celebrities of any type—society too often assumes that because they have achieved excellence in one set of skills that they must be outstanding in other sets, as well. In reality, though, it’s possible that for the prodigies, the accelerated and amplified success in their profession often comes at the cost of developing on-pace in other areas.

This all points back to a foundational principle that guides the Volt Method of coaching: sports cannot be a lone centerpiece of one’s development. It is a pillar. It should be a strong pillar. And it can even be the most enjoyable pillar. But it has to be just one pillar in a system of many that support developing the whole person.

Naomi Osaka probably is starting to see that it’s time to work on those other pillars in her life. She deserves the opportunity to do so. We hope that soon enough we will once again be celebrating her courage and the new ground she breaks for mental health awareness as much as we celebrate her tennis.

[Image credit: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons]