Junior Player Spotlight: Paige Wygodzki, Bethpage Park Tennis Center

Like a lot of kids growing up, Paige Wygodzki played a number of different sports as a youngster. As her parents tried different things to see which their daughter liked best, there was always one that stood out above the rest.

“I did gymnastics, dance, figure skating and soccer, among others,” recalls Wygodzki. “But I just remember I loved tennis from the moment I started playing, when I was around four-or-five-years-old. I played a ton of different sports, but tennis was always different to me.”

So as she gravitated towards tennis and away from the other sports she played, Wyogdzki and her family searched for the right place for her to play and train at. They went to various clubs across Long Island but found the perfect fit and her tennis home at the Bethpage Park Tennis Center, and specifically under its founder and owner Steve Kaplan.

“We played at a number of different places, but I remember Bethpage always felt like home,” she said. “I have always felt comfortable there, and the relationship I have built with Steve and the coaches over the years has been amazing. If Steve is your coach, he isn’t only your coach, he’s your mentor. He’ll be there for you whenever you need, and he just really cares about his players.”

And now Wygodzki is one of the premier players in the Bethpage Park program, training on court with Kaplan her hitting coaches there multiple times a week, putting in the necessary work to take her game to the next level.

For past few years, Wygodzki took the route of being home schooled so she could prioritize her tennis training and tournament schedule, but beginning this fall her and her family made the decision to return to in-person school. In September, she began her freshman year at St. Anthony’s High School. Her decision to return to in-person school is no indication that she is taking her tennis any less seriously though. On the contrary, it shows her commitment to furthering her academic career while not sacrificing any of her tennis, spending early mornings and late afternoons on the tennis court, with her time in school sandwiched in between.

“Training has been a bit of a challenge just in terms of setting everything up, but I have been playing at 5:30 a.m. on school days, and meeting with Steve at Bethpage afterwards as well,” Wygodzki explained. “Steve’s been such a great help in terms of building a schedule, and giving me ideas on how to plan out my schedule, and maximize not only the hours spent on court, but getting the most out of them.”

Being back in school has been a nice change of pace for Wygodzki as well, who after a couple of months back has already seen a positive impact.

“Being homeschooled and now going back made me realize how much I needed it in my life,” she said. “Homeschooling was great, but I have already learned so much more, not only academically, but socially too. It’s been a big change, and there were a lot of emotions on that first day back. But as soon as I walked into the building it felt natural. I went through the entire day of school and it felt normal, more normal than I thought it would be.”

This fall, Wygodzki also competed on the St. Anthony’s varsity tennis team, which was a new tennis experience for her. She was immediately successful playing high school tennis as she won the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Individual Singles title, and helped lead her team to the CHSAA AA championship.

“When I was homeschooled, I loved traveling around the country to play tournaments in California, Texas, Arizona, etc., it is such a competitive environment and I love the experiences it allows me to have,” she said. “While I miss traveling as much as I used to, playing for and with a team has been such a good experience for me. You have a dozen people cheering for you when your match gets close, and it really makes you feel like you are part of a family.”

The adjustment Wyogdzki has had to make over the last couple of months has been a positive one for her overall, and she can serve as an example to other highly-ranked junior tennis players that there are multiple paths to success. Wyogdzki is focusing on her academics and her tennis in a way that will prepare her for high-level collegiate tennis, which is one of her main goals moving forward.

In terms of her tennis game, Wyogdzki is an aggressive lefty who likes to attack offensively. She is able to take advantage of her opponent’s weaknesses and capitalize on those weaknesses to win points. During her training sessions now, her and Kaplan focus primarily on mechanical details and the “tedious” stuff.

“I say that as a good thing,” she explains. “In pro tennis, you have to be detail-oriented and focus on the little things. Now that my fundamentals are set, it’s about fine-tuning those tedious things and small mechanical details that will help take my game to the next level.”

When she isn’t playing tennis, Wygodzki loves to spend time with her family, and her parents, who she calls her “favorite people in the world”. She also spends a lot of time in the kitchen cooking meals and experimenting with new recipes, and is a big proponent of preparing healthy meals for herself, as proper nutrition is a major aspect of training the right way.

Still just a freshman, the future is extremely bright for Wygodzki, who has struck a balance between her academics and tennis, ensuring she isn’t sacrificing one for the other, all while remaining humble and hard-working.

“Paige has a very rare combination of ability and humility. She is one of the most promising players in the county and while she recognizes her talent as helping her to be a better tennis player than most, she does not believe it makes her a better person than anyone,” said Kaplan when describing his star player. “Paige recognizes her tennis as an opportunity to grow athletically and educationally. In this way Paige is very mature for her age, and for any age. She is a very serious competitor both on and off the court, yet she is fun to be around, friendly, helpful and kind to those around her and always willing to learn and improve.”