Path to College Tennis

The world of junior tennis is often a difficult one to navigate. Between ranking systems, tournament travel, college recruiting and more, junior players and their families can very easily stumble through the process. To help ease those difficulties are two companies, Crosscourt Consulting and Donovan Tennis Strategies, who have taken their respective resources and areas of expertise to help countless young tennis players.

Jeff Bearup and Tim Donovan are the owners and founders of Crosscourt Consulting and Donovan Tennis Strategies, respectively, and have known each other for nearly 30 years, dating back to Donovan’s time on the professional tour and Bearup’s time as a top tennis coach.

“We met in the 90s and have remained good friends and collaborators in the competitive junior tennis space since then,” said Bearup. “We have always searched for ways to deliver proper information and to set player, coaches and parents up for success. Back when we started, there were very few places parents could go to get historical and real time information on how the whole system works.”

As Donovan transitioned away from his competitive playing career, he took a position with the USTA New England Section, and this was around the same time that Bearup was coaching top players in the Boston-area, and had the vision of launching his own academy in  Boston. After a few years, Donovan left the USTA to begin Donovan Tennis Strategies, and partnered with Bearup to open the New England Academy of Tennis, where the two would go on to coach more than 1,000 players including many national and sectional champions.

“After 20 years of our Academy being in business, we continued to see families not understand how to navigate the USTA, ITF, UTR and ITA systems,” said Donovan. “We took it upon ourselves to build an orange ball to college tennis advisory services.”

And taking all that they have learned in their time in the tennis industry, the pair did just that, and have since been an integral service for so many tennis families across the country. While both aspects of the partnership address different areas of the pathway, the combination of the two has helped create a one-stop-shop essentially for the needs of any junior tennis player.

“The symbiotic relationship between Crosscourt Consulting and Donovan Tennis Strategies provides a turnkey and the most advanced educational system to help players and families maximize their child’s tennis experience,” added Bearup.

Crosscourt Consulting creates a schedule based on the age and skill of a young player, and puts together a developmental plan and coordinates information with a players private coach, and works with parents on how to manage expectations for their child. Nearly 100 percent of Crosscourt Consulting’s clients stay with it for multiple years, and as the player gets older, that’s when Donovan Tennis Strategies steps in to begin the college planning process.

Their services are personalized to the player and family, with both sides of the partnership taking great pride in providing unparalleled support along a player’s tennis journey.

“The system can be confusing and there are benchmarks players should strive for based on their goals,” said Bearup. “Together, our companies create a synergy of information that helps everyone in the Sectional, National and International competitive systems succeed through proper planning. We see so much money spent on tennis that can be better utilized with proper planning and expert advice. Our services tend to save families money in the long run.”

To learn more about all the services offered and the specific approach they take, visit CrosscourtConsultingLLC.com and DonovanTennis.com.