Junior Player Spotlight: Rocco Roti, Glen Head Racquet Club

When he was just three-years-old, Rocco Roti was given the gift of his first tennis racquet. The ecstatic youngster can remember immediately being drawn to the sport, and it quickly became his first love.

“I remember getting my first racquet and dragging it on the floor as it was too heavy for me,” recalls Roti.

From there, Roti began working with a coach who told him that they had a lot of things to work on, which excited him, as it meant he would get to spend more time on the court playing tennis.

Roti didn’t play many other sports while growing up and instead decided to stick with tennis.

“I fell in love with it and didn’t want to do anything else,” he says. “I loved learning about all the aspects that you have to learn and practice in order to become a better player. The challenge of all of that is why I fell in love with tennis.”

Roti is the youngest of three siblings, all of whom play tennis, so he never had to look far for someone to talk about tennis with or learn from, and that has helped him immensely thus far in his tennis journey.

“My older sister and brother are a very big help in my development as a tennis player,” he said. “They constantly give me advice when I’m down about losing or if I am struggling with something. Plus, it helps always having someone to hit with when I need a hitting partner.”

Between his love of the sport and being raised in a tennis household, Roti’s passion for the sport is one of the reasons he has seen improvements in his tennis over the years. His real tennis training began at five-years-old when he began being coached by Adam Lee at Glen Head Racquet Club.

“He’s a great coach because he really connects with his students very well,” Roti said. “He understands the frustrations as he was also a competitive tennis player, which makes dealing with that aspect of tennis easier. It’s great being able to work with him and at Glen Head because it is such a welcoming environment with a lot of other good players which can help all of us become better.”

Roti has found a true home for his tennis at Glen Head, and that has helped elevate his game.

“Glen Head has its own feeling of ‘home’,” he said. “Every coach is kind and caring about my tennis, and I believe it’s a special place. When you walk in you feel the energy and respect from the staff, which helps give me the right motivation, and that type of environment is important for my tennis.”

Through that training, Roti has become one of the top players in his age group. The rising sophomore is currently the seventh-ranked player on Long Island in the Boys 14s, and features both a consistent forehand and backhand, and a relentless energy on the court with great side-to-side movement.

But like any competitive tennis player, Roti says there are still things he can improve on if he wants to continue attempting to take his tennis to the next level.

“Right now I’d say my weaknesses are my forward movement and approaching the net, as well as my serve. But I am currently training to try to improve those aspects of my game.”

As he looks ahead to the summer and beyond, Roti is excited to continue working on his game and see that work pay off in tournaments. He says one of his goals in the short-term is to do well at the L1 National events in the Boys 14s divisions this summer, and would love to become a great college player, before eventually giving it a go on the professional tour, as his long-term goals.

“The past eight years of teaching Rocco has been a pleasurable experience for me. He is a kind hearted boy who shows a great amount of respect,” said Lee. “Since day one, Rocco has shown a great deal of dedication and commitment towards his tennis. He listens to honest feedback and is always willing to apply that feedback to help improve his tennis development. Not only is he talented but he has a very good tennis IQ for the game. On top of seeing his growth as a player, I have seen him grow into a very kind and respectful young teenager.”

When he isn’t on the court, Roti is a normal teenager who likes to hang out with his friends and go to the movies. He is a big swimmer and bike rider as well, which help provide him some cardio and conditioning work in his leisure time away from tennis.

Whatever the future holds for Roti and his tennis career, the sport has been a huge part of his life up to this point, and has shown him a lot about himself, the type of traits and characteristics that will not only help you on the court, but off the court as well.

“Tennis has made me a hard-worker and shown be that anything can be accomplished with hard work, and putting your all into something,” he said. “Additionally, tennis has taught me that I am a perfectionist, and I will always try to do things to the best of my ability.”