At the Net With Robbie Wagner

For over 30 years, Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center in Glenwood Landing has been a training ground for many of Long Island’s most promising tennis players.

A key part of that legacy comes from Robbie Wagner himself, a coach and mentor who has dedicated his life to tennis and to helping generations of tennis players reach their potential.

His journey to club ownership was shaped by the experiences he gained along the way, starting with his early days as a junior player.

“I started playing tennis at the age of 12 and quickly fell in love with the sport,” Wagner recalls. “As my passion grew, I competed in satellite tournaments, which helped shape my understanding of the game and fueled my journey in tennis.”

Wagner played first singles for John Adams High School before continuing his collegiate career at Brooklyn College. As he progressed, he pursued professional tennis, competing on the satellite tour. It was during this time that he discovered a deeper passion for coaching and recognized the impact he could have in developing future players.

“The experience of competing at a high level was invaluable and laid the foundation for my coaching career,” he says.

Determined to make his mark in the industry, Wagner worked tirelessly, taking on multiple roles to gain experience and build his reputation.

“My first job in tennis was cleaning the courts at Howard Beach Tennis Club. I then worked as the Head Pro at County Estate Swim and Tennis Club in Roslyn while also managing Roslyn Racquet Club at night,” says Wagner. “Eventually, I started renting courts at Roslyn Racquet Club in Glenwood Landing, where I ran a high-performance junior program for five years.”

Balancing 60-hour coaching weeks while managing a club at night was tremendously demanding, but Wagner’s dedication paid off. When a pivotal opportunity arose, he seized it.

“In 1997, Roslyn Racquet Club sold Glenwood Landing to me, marking the beginning of my journey as a club owner,” he says. “After two years of running Glenwood Landing, I had the opportunity to purchase the Glen Cove club, which expanded my business and coaching reach.”

The shift from coach to club owner and manager brought exciting new opportunities but also came with its challenges.

“One of the biggest challenges was managing the bubble courts at the Glen Cove location,” he explains. “Flooding from a nearby train station would leave the courts unusable for three to four days at a time. I worked with an engineer to redesign the sewer and drainage system. In 2000, I added two more bubbles, further expanding the facility. Managing a larger club required an 80-hour workweek, but it was worth it.”

And so for the last three decades, Wagner has created an environment where top junior tennis players on Long Island can develop under his guidance. Playing a hands-on role in their development remains one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.

Over the years, he has developed a keen eye for spotting talent and describes what he sees as one of the common denominators that all top players have.

“Hard work, desire and dedication are the key qualities that set promising players apart. Talent’s important, but the willingness to put in the effort is what truly determines success,” he explains. “Seeing junior players develop and move on to college tennis has been the most fulfilling part of my career. My goal has always been to help young players reach their full potential. I’ve had the privilege of coaching top junior players who went on to achieve great success.”

In 2020, he and his partners purchased the former Sound Shore tennis facility and founded the Westchester Tennis Center, one of the premier indoor facilities in Westchester.

He is part of an ownership group running a private, membership-only club in Southampton, offering tennis, pickleball and padel. Looking ahead, Wagner envisions further expansion of the club while continuing to elevate the experience for its members.

When he isn’t coaching or managing his clubs, Robbie enjoys going to the gym and playing poker with friends. He is proud of the fact that both of his children continued the family tennis tradition by playing college tennis.

“Most of all, I continue to enjoy coaching as it remains my true passion,” he says.

This passion has been the backbone of Robbie’s success for the last three decades, and he has no plans on stopping anytime soon. He loves what he does and remains dedicated to strengthening the tennis community.

“I will never retire—I will die doing what I love,” he says. “My goal is to continue helping junior players by giving them opportunities to succeed. The next major goal is to build a club in Florida and bring my experience to a new community beyond Long Island.”