Your support will positively impact
our tennis community for years to come

OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE TENNIS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.

Dennis Van der Meer

Established in 1978, as the charitable arm of PTR. Each year, PTR members generously donate to the Foundation. These funds are used for various charitable and research activities including but not limited to:

The PTRF provides support to deserving individuals and organizations globally.

Develop Coaches / Coaches Continuing Education

For coaching workshops including and not limited to the certification of more multi-cultural and women coaches, as well as supporting the continuing higher education of PTR coaches.

Grants/Scholarships for Under-resourced Youth

Special Population / Adaptive Tennis Grants

Nehemiah Atkinson Humanitarian Grant

Grants to Enhance Global Goodwill

Dennis Van Der Meer Higher Education Scholarship

Education Grants

Dennis Van Der Meer, PTRF Founder

Tennis for Everyone

Awards/Scholarships

Grants Awarded

Looking for ways to engage with the foundation? 

VDM Alumni

We share our stories to inspire and instruct the next generation of tennis players across the globe. 

Support Our Work

Through the Foundation, tennis programs have been developed in low-income housing projects, after school latch-key programs, at-risk, youth programs and wheelchair tennis rehabilitation programs.

PTRF Grant

The PTRF proudly supports projects that promote and preserve the legacy, vision, and spirit of PTR Founder, Dennis Van Der Meer. Consideration for funding will be given to educational, life enrichment, mentoring, and tennis programs.
Thank you for giving PTR Italy important support to help us develop the Next Gen Coach educational program that we will offer in Italy, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The PTRF / Dennis Van der Meer Educational Scholarships will be aimed at young tennis players aged 18-22, with better school curriculums and lower family incomes to start a career as a tennis teacher. The training course we have specially created wants to transmit the principles fundamentals of tennis teaching (Standard Method) and the human and professional values that Dennis Van der Meer passed on to us and that otherwise young people could no longer obtain.

Luigi Bertino

PTR Italy Director of Education

Thank you so much PTRF for hosting the National Tennis Month tennis clinic! My daughter, Ava and I really enjoyed it and are very glad we went. We kept telling each other how nice it was, especially for a free event. Sorry we were too tired to stay until the end. We have practiced a couple times already, keeping your feedback in mind, and are now even trying to approach the net to volley sometimes when we practice. The drills and games were a lot of fun and the coaching feedback was really helpful. We learned a lot and the whole event was well-coordinated.
Jerry Wang, Tennis Clinic Participant

The PTR has given me so much over the past 25 years. Not only have I grown as a teaching professional and tennis director, but I’ve created valued personal relationships. As a longtime PTR member, it’s an honor to give back to support the mission of the PTR foundation.

Carol MacLennan

Director of Tennis, Laurel Creek Country Club

Mount Laurel, NJ

Donors

Dennis Van Der Meer

Scott Tharp

Lucy Garvin

Delaine Mast

Jack Barker

Leonie Turack

Radhika Venkata

Pat Van Der Meer

Jorge Andrews

Louie Cap

John Raker

Jorge Capestany

Daisuke Yamamoto

Jarrett Chirico

Jack Waite

Edvard Raastad

Steve Keller

Habtu Afework Belayneh

James Harrell

Butch Staples

Jennifer Friedrich-wood

Ken De Hart

Lynne Rolley

Avis Murray

Oivind Sorbald

Carol MacLennan

Dr. Jim Loehr

Luciano Botti

Jean Mills

Kristen Campbell

Roy Barth

Curtis Holland

Ajay Pant

Marc Blouin

Ron Manilla

Randy Stephens

Shinichi Suzuki

Joe Dinoffer

Berhe Serekeberhan

Humanitarian Award Winners

Vania King

Michael-Ray Pallares

Karl Hale

Sylvia Swartz

Richard Spurling

Nancy Hoekstra (2)

Vicky Matarazzo

Jana Hunsaker

Nelly Caro

William Redd

Juergen Raab

Lloyd Dillon

Adam Jasick

Habtu Afework Belayneh

Aruna Bernier

Michael Paul

Diana Seggie

David Altshuler

Linda McCollum

Johnny Nicola

Arvelia Myers

Ernest Greene

Sheila Bolin

Mike Bachicha

Dick Overall

Philip Betancourt

Tony and Liezel Huber

Enrique Ninete

Dr. Elizabeth Odera

Johnny Van Session

Roger Mitten

Sandor Taraszovics

Harold Conway

Jack Geisel

Susan Nickerson

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USTA MS Industry Initiative Comcast

Scott Tharp

Chairman

Scott has made a career of providing opportunities using sports and the many assets of affiliated professional franchises as the hook to empower and enrich the lives of under-resourced children, youth, and adults. He is the President/CEO of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.

Lifetime-web-res-Nov-2021

Ajay Pant

Board Member

As the Senior Director Racquet Sports for Life Time, Ajay currently oversees 33 clubs with tennis, 25 clubs with squash and 105 clubs with pickleball. Prior to joining Life Time, Ajay was Senior Vice President Operations for the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC). He was also the National Tennis Director for Tennis Corporation of America (TCA)/Midtown clubs. Ajay is one of 14 tennis pros who have been designated Master Professional by both the PTR and USPTA. He served on the PTR Board of Directors, and as the two term Chair for the USTA National Ten and Under Committee. Currently a USTA Coach Developer, Ajay was also honored by the Tennis Industry Association as “Person of the Year” in 2018 and USPTA as “Professional of the Year” in 2019.

Curtis Holland

Board Member

Professional Tennis Registry Coach Developer/Clinician

roy-barth

Roy Barth

Board Member

Played four years at UCLA and then on the Professional Tour for seven years. Moved to Charleston in 1976 as Director of Tennis-Kiawah Island. Retired after forty-two years. Currently Director of Tennis, Emeritus.

Kristen Campbell

Legal Counsel

Originally from Michigan, Kristen spent most of high school training under the tutelage of Dennis and Pat at the Van der Meer tennis academy. She went on to play Big 10 college tennis before eventually graduating from Michigan State University College of Law.

Jean Mills

Advisor

Jean Mills is the Director of Tennis for the Polo Club in Boca Raton. Jean is a Charter Member of PTR from 1976.

Radhikha Venkata

Director of Development

Radhikha Venkata's career in tennis included winning India’s national championships, playing in the Junior US Open, US Clay Courts, US Grass Courts Championships and on a full tennis scholarship at the University of Texas, with an ITF ranking as high as 17.

Jack Barker

Secretary/Treasurer

Jack worked for WABTEC for 32 years and finished his business career as the group controller of their worldwide mass transit operations. He has been a long-time volunteer with Special Olympics, Athletes Without Limits, USTA Southern and USTA of South Carolina.

Jim Loehr- casual-2 wide1

Dr. Jim Loehr

Board Member

Dr. Jim Loehr is a co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 17 books including his most recent, Leading with Character. He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement.

Luciano Botti

Board Member

Luciano is a PTR International Master Professional and was inducted into the PTR Hall of Fame in 2018. He served on the PTR Board of Directors for over 20 years and has served on the Foundation Board for over 10 years, previously as the Vice Chairman.

Lucy Garvin

Board Member

Lucy Garvin served on the PTR Board of Directors from 2017 - 2020. Lucy is a Past President of the USTA, of USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina. Lucy had many accomplishments as USTA President 2009-10.

Pat Van der Meer

Advisor

A graduate of American University in DC with a BA in education, Pat is an experienced tennis coach at all levels. Pat has traveled the world with her husband, Dennis, teaching coaches the method Dennis developed with Billie Jean King and others.

Delaine Mast

PTR Board Liaison

Delaine Mast, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has been National Director of WTT Community Tennis and inner city high school boys' and girls' tennis coach since 1986. Mast has become a household name within the tennis community and embodies the slogan "growing the game”.

Get the latest information on events, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers activities and ways you can get further involved.

Scott Tharp

Chairman

Scott has made a career of providing opportunities using sports and the many assets of affiliated professional franchises as the hook to empower and enrich the lives of under-resourced children, youth, and adults. He is the President/CEO of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Snider Hockey achieves its mission to build lives and unite communities by melding recreational and supplemental educational services with a nationally acclaimed life skills curriculum that is delivered to over 3,000 families in urban Philadelphia. Prior to his current position, Scott served as the Executive Director of Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and EducationÔ, which is the owner/operator of the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center and National Junior Tennis League of Philadelphia providing quality tennis and educational programming to more than 6,000 inner-city children. At the 1997 PTR International Tennis Symposium, Scott was acknowledged as one of eight charter PTR International Master Professionals and is certified by the USPTA as an Elite Professional. He is the past chairman of the PTR Master Professional Committee and has been honored by the PTR as its International Pro of the Year, the PTR Tester of the Year, and twice as the Middle States Pro of the Year. Throughout his professional career, Scott has stayed deeply involved in the sport of tennis. He has served multiple terms on the USTA/MS Board of Directors. Scott has participated in the USA Tennis High Performance coaching program, has served on the Advisory Board for the Professional Tennis Management programs at Queens University and Methodist University and was appointed to the Presidential Task Force on Sports and Higher Education. Scott was inducted into the USTA/Middle States Hall of Fame in October 2015.

Ajay Pant

Board Member

Ajay is the National Tennis Director for Life Time. Pant helped Life Time develop two programs to promote tennis participation in 2017, Play Learn Love® for adults and SMART for juniors, which focuses on long-term athlete development. Ajay is a PTR International Master Professional. He served on the PTR Board from 2009 – 2016. And has served on the PTR Foundation Board since 2016. Ajay was named PTR Pro of the Year in 2004 and the USPTA Pro of the Year in 2019.

Curtis Holland

Board Member

Professional Tennis Registry Coach Developer/Clinician

  • PTR Certified Professional in Adult Development since 1989
  • 2004 PTR Member of the Year for the State of Tennessee
  • 2004 PTR Assistant Tennis Pro of the Year Tennessee
  • PTR Certified Professional in 10 and Under Development since 2012
  • PTR Certified Professional in 11-17 Development since 2013
  • PTR Certified Professional in Performance Development since 2014
  • Curtis Holland, of Springfield, Tennessee, has been named the 2013 PTR Jim Verdieck High School Coach of the Year

The City of Springfield in 2012 named the newly renovated courts at Garner Street Park – The Curtis Holland Tennis Complex.  A PTR Clinician and Tester, and Lifetime Member of the American Tennis Association, Holland has been involved in tennis for 48 years as a player, teaching pro and coach.

 

Roy Barth

Board Member

  • Grew up in San Diego, CA
  • Married to Colleen McAndrews. We have two sons, Jonathan and Sandon, and five grandchildren.
  • Played four years at UCLA and then on the Professional Tour for seven years. Moved to Charleston in 1976 as Director of Tennis-Kiawah Island. Retired after forty-two years. Currently Director of Tennis, Emeritus.
  • Volunteer highlights over thirty-five years with USTA-SC, -Southern, and National include the following:
    • President of USTA-SC
    • Chairman of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation
    • Member of the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation
    • Chairman of the USTA Davis Cup Committee
    • Member of the USTA- Jr. Player Development, -Local Jr. Competition, -Collegiate committees, and currently on USTA -Sportsmanship committee.
  • Professional Tennis Registry
    • Member for thirty-four years
    • Treasurer for five years
    • President for three years

 

Kristen Campbell

Legal Counsel

Originally from Michigan, Kristen spent most of high school training under the tutelage of Dennis and Pat at the Van der Meer tennis academy. She went on to play Big 10 college tennis before eventually graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. Kristen maintains a full time law practice while trying to keep up with her young son in the Pacific Northwest. Kristen is grateful for the many lessons learned and friends acquired through the sport of tennis and is proud to give back through assisting the Foundation.

Jack Barker

Secretary/Treasurer

Jack worked for WABTEC for 32 years and finished his business career as the group controller of their worldwide mass transit operations. He has been a long-time volunteer with Special Olympics, Athletes Without Limits, USTA Southern and USTA of South Carolina. Jack’s unbounded enthusiasm and love for special athletes makes him an integral part of the Special Olympics National Championships presented by PTR each year. Jack is currently sitting on the boards of Special Olympics of SC and the Lowcountry Youth Tennis Association, as well as the PTR Foundation.

Radhikha Venkata

Radhikha Venkata’s career in tennis included winning India’s national championships, playing in the Junior US Open, US Clay Courts, US Grass Courts Championships and on a full tennis scholarship at the University of Texas, with an ITF ranking as high as 17. 

Radhikha was singularly fortunate to have had Dennis Van Der Meer as her mentor extraordinaire since she was 14 years old. In many ways, Dennis molded her playing and coaching career with his amazing generosity and knowledge. Radhikha was a Head Professional at VDM Tennis Center for more than six years, served as an International Tester for the PTR, and continues to use his guiding principles in her everyday life.

Post tennis, Radhikha enjoyed a successful multi-year career in Marketing, Project and Product Management in Technology companies in Texas and California until the birth of her twin daughters. She revels in the outdoors, and in meeting hiking challenges like Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and soon the Everest Base Camp.

Jean Mills

Advisor

Jean Mills is the Director of Tennis for the Polo Club in Boca Raton. Jean is a Charter Member of PTR from 1976. She is a PTR Intl. Master Professional and was awarded the PTR Professional of the Year in 2002. Jean served on the PTR Board of Directors from 2000 – 2017 and served as President of the Board from 2009-2010. She has hosted numerous PTR and PPR Certification Workshops at the Polo Club. Jean was honored with the Yellow Tennis Ball Tribute Award for her dedication to the growth of tennis and community outreach in South Florida.

Dr. Jim Loehr

Dr. Jim Loehr is a co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 17 books including his most recent, Leading with Character. He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement.

Dr. Loehr’s ground-breaking, science-based energy management training system has achieved world-wide recognition and has been chronicled in leading national publications including the Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, US News and World Report, Success, Fast Company and Omni. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Nightline, The CBS Evening News, The CBS Morning News, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

From his more than 35 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfillment and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character. He strongly contends that character strength can be built in the same way that muscle strength is built through energy investment.

Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine and law enforcement including Fortune 100 executives, FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, and military Special Forces. A sampling of his elite clients from the world of sport include: golfers Mark O’Meara, Justin Rose, and Daniel Berger; tennis players Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; boxer Ray Mancini; hockey players Eric Lindros and Mike Richter; and Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen.

Dr. Loehr has been inducted into two Hall of Fames, was a pioneer in the application of psychology to human performance, has received numerous sport science and coaching awards and has lectured world-wide on his performance technology. Dr. Loehr is currently applying his insights regarding character to youth.

He possesses a masters and doctorate in psychology and is a full member of the American Psychological Association.

The Human Performance lnstitute’s training is the result of decades of proprietary research and working with elite performers. The lnstitute’s training draws on the sciences of performance psychology, exercise physiology and nutrition to create lifelong behavior change. By training to expand and manage energy levels both personally and professionally, performers ignite their full potential in high stress arenas.

Luciano Botti

Board Member

Luciano is a PTR International Master Professional and was inducted into the PTR Hall of Fame in 2018. He served on the PTR Board of Directors for over 20 years and has served on the Foundation Board for over 10 years, previously as the Vice Chairman. Luciano is the PTR Europe Provider, ensuring the continued growth and success of our organization in Europe by forming alliances with national federations, particularly Italy, Germany and Austria. Luciano was especially instrumental in facilitating the partnership between PTR and FIT (Federazione Italiana Tennis). As part of this partnership, FIT and PTR started to organize the International Tennis Symposium that takes place in Rome at the beginning of the ATP Master 1000 Italian Open. In addition, Luciano is President of Tennis Services, a company that specializes in managing tennis facilities and events. Fluent in five languages, Luciano has been a contributing editor of Tennis Italiano, Tennis and other magazines. Luciano became the official PTR provider in Italy, Germany and Austria in 1985. Under Luciano’s leadership, PTR grew from the original 5 Italian members to 1,400 members today.

Lucy Garvin

Board Member

Lucy Garvin served on the PTR Board of Directors from 2017 – 2020. Lucy is a Past President of the USTA, of USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina. Lucy had many accomplishments as USTA President 2009-10. Still, one that stands out was her establishment of the Strategic Vision Committee to develop a long-range plan for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including plans for a roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is now a reality. Lucy served two terms on the ITF Board of Directors. In her second run for office, she became the first female ever to finish at the top of the balloting. For her distinguished service, Lucy was unanimously elected as an ITF Honorary Life Counselor. Lucy continues to serve tennis as a member of the South Carolina Board of Directors as well as the Southern Board and Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation. As a USTA Past President, she serves on the USTA Governance Committee and the International Committee. She is on the International Clubs Board of Directors and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Awards Committee.

Pat Van der Meer

Advisor

A graduate of American University in DC with a BA in education, Pat is an experienced tennis coach at all levels. Pat has traveled the world with her husband, Dennis, teaching coaches the method Dennis developed with Billie Jean King and others. They have coached players to the finals of Grand Slam Junior and Professional Events. One of the first WTA certified coaches, Pat has been a USTA Area Training Center Head Coach, and was named South Carolina Pro of the Year in 1991. In 1993 Pat earned PTR’s Coach Jim Verdieck Award for top coaches, and received the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis and Education Merit Award in 2002. She has great enthusiasm for upholding Dennis’ tradition of excellence, and understands the importance of positive energy in tennis and life.

Delaine Mast

PTR Board Liaison

Delaine Mast, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has been National Director of WTT Community Tennis and inner city high school boys’ and girls’ tennis coach since 1986. Mast has become a household name within the tennis community and embodies the slogan “growing the game”. She is the Executive Director of Tennis Central, an NJTL chapter that combines tennis and learning to change lives and serves more than 2,000 Lancaster youth. Mast served as President of USTA Middle States, and was later appointed as USTA National Chair of the USA Tennis 1-2-3 Committee. In 2010, she was elected to the USTA Board of Directors and was the Vice Chair of the Strategic Planning and Creative Opportunities Committee. Mast was inducted into the USTA Middle States Tennis Hall of Fame, received the USTA Eve Kraft Community Service Award. A PTR member for 25-plus years, Delaine was named Pennsylvania, Member of the Year 2011, she served as Chair of PTR Women’s Committee, and in 2017, received the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award and Tennis Industry Magazine’s Grassroots Tennis Champion of the Year.

Social & Netowrking Events

Here is your opportunity to connect and network with like-minded professionals! Your PTR International Racquets Conference includes several exciting networking events like cocktail receptions, dinner parties, and an industry breakfast. These are always exciting events that allow our PTR family to get to know one another while enjoying a beautiful resort!

Join Us at the Incredible SaddleBrook Resort

We’re covering it all… tennis, pickleball, and padel! At the PTR International Racquets Conference, you will find several days dedicated to tennis, pickleball, and padel to round out this total racquets conference! There will also be workshops available to become certified in various racquet sports- this is a great opportunity to become a dual impact member and elevate your coaching career!

Join Us at the Incredible SaddleBrook Resort

Nestled in the beautiful Tampa Bay area, this legendary resort is not only a premier vacation destination, it’s also one of the world’s most preeminent athletic training facilities. Don’t forget to explore the nearby world-famous beaches for an unforgettable coastal experience!

Enjoy an incredible resort minutes from the Gulf of Mexico while gaining career-changing insights in the world of coaching!