Junior Player Spotlight: Dustin Shmuely, Sportime Syosset

One of the things we love about tennis is the unbridled joy it provides us. For many, being on the tennis court creates some of the most precious and prized memories, and it helps us find confidence in ourselves.

For Dustin Shmuely, he found his tennis passion right from when he first began playing, and he can remember the moment that he knew tennis was the sport for him.

“I started playing when I was three-years-old. My dad took me to a group lesson and I loved it from day one,” he recalls. “The thing I enjoy most about tennis is competing against other players and making new friendships with tennis friends from all over the country. I love the sport because of all the strategy involved. I feel like I can control things on the court for myself.”

And simply put, he said:

“I just love hitting the ball!”

Now nine-years-old, tennis has always been a part of Shmuely’s family-life as both his parents and his sister also play tennis. In fact, he recently achieved a big milestone for any young athlete.

“Tennis is huge in my family—my dad, mom and sister all love it—everyone plays!” he said. “I just beat my dad for the first time…but don’t tell him I told you that.”

Beating your father will always be one of the most important wins of a young person’s life, and this win was a result of Dustin’s vast improvement since he began playing, which is a result of his time training at Sportime.

Since he began, Shmuely has been playing tennis at Sportime. That first group lesson he took part in was at Sportime Syosset, and it has always been and remains his tennis home.

“Sportime is such a fun place to play because the coaches are amazing and it is a good facility with both hard and clay courts,” said Shmuely. “There are also other top players there that I look up to which really motivates me. Coach Sammy helps me a lot because she teaches me how to fix the areas of my game that need improvement, while making tennis fun. She has been my coach from the beginning so we make a great team.”

Coach Sammy refers to Samantha Siegel, who is the Regional Tennis Coordinator and Tennis Professional at Sportime Syosset, the Long Island annex of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. She has been Shmuely’s coach since he first walked through the doors, and she says she knew there was something special about him from the beginning.

“I still remember the first day Dustin walked onto my court back in 2018. I knew he was destined for greatness,” said Siegel. “Dustin’s dedication and relentless effort day-in-and-day-out has truly been a sight to see. As his coach, I couldn’t be prouder of his progress and honored to play a role in his development.”

While Shmuely is fully dedicated to his tennis and achieving his goals, he and his family want to make sure he has a “normal” childhood, and not send him out of state to live at an academy or choose to homeschool him. He has plans on continuing to go to public school and hopes to play for his high school team (Half Hollow Hills East) when he gets older.

Shmuely also has a lot of other hobbies outside of tennis, things that will help him avoid getting burnt out from tennis but also keep him active.

“I play travel soccer and some flag football,” he says. “Some of my hobbies include everything sports-related, as well as spending time with my family and hanging out with my friends.”

Shmuely is currently ranked No.8 on Long Island in the Boys’ 12s, an extremely high ranking for someone who is younger than most of the other players in that category. According to TennisRecruiting.net, he is the top-ranked player nine-year-old in New York.

But don’t expect Shmuely to rest on his laurels, as he will continue to work on his game and always look to improve, including focusing on the mental side of his tennis.

“My strengths are my forehand and my serve. I am working hard on improving my backhand and my mentality, so I am more measured on court,” he said. “My biggest tennis goal is to play Division I college tennis at a big-time school, and I would also love to play at the U.S. Open.”

Shmuely has come a long way since he first showed up at that group lesson when he was three-years-old, and Siegel and the whole team at Sportime is excited to see his continued development.

“His journey is far from over,” said Siegel. “Here’s to many more victories, challenges and countless memoires ahead for Dustin.”