Beyond the Baseline: Chintan & Pavitra Trivedi, The Perfect Doubles Team

In the 2011 film, Moneyball, Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, turns to his assistant, played by Jonah Hill, and asks, ‘How can you not be romantic about baseball?’.

It’s a famous quote from that movie that baseball fans enjoy, but I think that quote also applies to tennis, maybe more appropriately.

How can you not be romantic about tennis?

It’s a sport played with grace, elegance and class, oftentimes played in a one-on-one setting, and even the scoring includes ‘love’ in it.

For Chintan and Pavitra Trivedi, it’s impossible not to be romantic about tennis. More than 30 years ago their journey began on a court in the small Indian town where they both lived, as Chintan was a tennis coach and Pavitra was taking a lesson.

“I don’t think I could have imagined we would be where we are today, but I did envision us both working hard and earning all of our success together,” reflects Pavitra. “I knew the road to achieve our goals was tough, but that as long as we were together, it would never be impossible. Through love and time, all is achievable.”

What began as one coach giving one player a lesson has blossomed into a lifelong partnership, one that has overcome cultural differences and moves to multiple countries. After leaving India, they first moved to Canada before arriving here in New York. Throughout their journey, the two have remained steadfast in their commitment to one another, which has helped them thrive not only as a couple, but also as business partners.

It’s a delicate balance, juggling both being life partners and business partners, but the Trivedi’s have managed to make it work.

“I believe one of the key elements that has worked for the last 25 years of our journey is trust between each other, and respecting each other’s space,” Pavitra added. “I think we have figured out each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and complement each other, instead of simply supplementing advice. In doing so, we have essentially integrated the two seamlessly into everything we do; in the sense that our personal and business life have been so thoroughly intertwined with each other they blend in easily. We could be at one moment talking about what’s for dinner tonight or who will pick the kids up, and then switch to talking about how to handle the upcoming winter season (Nassau Tennis & Sports Center) to make it better and more successful in all facets.”

That trust has gone a long way in making them successful in business but also keeping them together as a tight-knit family, along with their two children, Riya and Rishabh. Nassau Tennis & Sports Center is one of the business ventures the Trivedi’s have undertaken in addition to Chintan’s Real Estate business and Pavitra being a lawyer.

Together, the two have helped transform Nassau Tennis into a thriving business, helping modernize the facility and adding a number of new initiatives to help revive the club into a top destination for tennis players on Long Island.

Chintan gives his wife much of the credit for the direction in which Nassau has gone since they started it a few years ago.

“I’m the one who orchestrated taking over the business, but my wife is the one who has executed our vision here,” he says. “She’s the manager, she is in charge of hiring the staff and training them; she handles the nitty-gritty and the day-to-day stuff at the club. People joke about it, but it’s true, everyone knows who the real boss here is. Not because she’s my wife, but because she is the one in charge here. She’s truly the backbone of the business.”

Under its new management and spearheaded by Pavitra, Nassau Tennis has adjusted with the ever changing tide of tennis here on Long Island. They have implemented UTR tournament and other match plays, instituted an easy booking system that allows customers to book courts and lessons, increased pay for teaching professionals, and infrastructure upgrades such as additional lights and upgrading the clubhouse for its customers to enjoy.

“Nassau Tennis is such a great place to play because we have all of the amenities of a country club, plus indoor courts with always-maintained clay surfaces, as well as amazing and experienced professionals who offer group lessons plus private lessons,” Pavitra added. “We are constantly offering promotions and packages to appeal to our vast customer base and ensure we are always providing them with the best experience possible.”

One of the highlights of Nassau Tennis’ upgrades has been its strategic partnerships with local school and groups in the area, to help grow the sport of tennis in its local community. The primary partnership is with the TGA Premier Sports, a youth sports provider for tennis, golf, pickleball and other athletics.

Earlier this year, TGA of Nassau County and Nassau Tennis entered into a partnership as Nassau Tennis would provide tennis programming for the kids in the TGA groups. TGA of Nassau County was formed in February, and the Trivedi’s wanted to do their part to help them create sustainable tennis events.

“We held our first spring camp in March, and as we were looking to develop more relationships, I visited different sites, and it was at this time that I met Chintan,” said Moronke Oshin-Martin, the Owner & Director of TGA of Northern Nassau County. “I approached Chintan for help and he said he’d absolutely love to do so. I told him I wanted to create a pipeline of confident, proficient athletes who could then move into programs at facilities such as his. He was trying to grow his junior programming at the time, so it was a perfect match.”

This was the first year of the TGA of Nassau County and Nassau Tennis & Sports Center partnership, and the two entities are excited about what’s to come in the future.

They have already begun planning programming for this winter as well as the Summer of 2025, as Oshin-Martin wants to introduce tennis to as many new players as possible, both to instill the lifelong benefits of the sport to the new generation, but also to create a larger talent pool for programs such as Nassau Tennis.

“Our goal is to bring tennis to them in a fun way, where they learn the fundamentals of the game, and help them become proficient and skilled so that they want to pursue it competitively,” she explained. “We want them to become lifelong lovers of the sport, and we can pass them on to academies and high-level tennis programs, such as the one at Nassau Tennis. We want to give them tennis instruction where there is no pressure, as well as combining athletic skills development alongside academic learning.”

She continued:

“Their facilities are just fabulous, and as the kids graduate from our programs into theirs, it will only benefit tennis in the long term, and provide these kids with a structured pathway towards success. We run a lot of our TGA programs at Nassau Tennis already, so they are familiar with the facilities, so this partnership has just been such a natural fit. It fits the goals and desires of each respective partner, and even though it has only been around for one year, it’s been fantastic and we’re excited for the future.”

Teaming up with TGA was a smart decision for the Trivedis, and is just one of the primary examples of their desire to build Nassau Tennis & Sports Center into a true community hub, something they envisioned all along.

What began as a chance meeting on a tennis court decades ago has blossomed into a lifelong partnership, and they have passed their love of tennis onto their kids as well. While they don’t hit the courts the same amount as they used to, tennis will always be an integral component of their lives, and a key tent pole in their love story.

“I unfortunately don’t play tennis like I used to anymore due to my ankle injury, but I do play from time to time with my family for fun and enjoy it,” said Pavitra. “I plan to start playing more so I can begin to be competitive with my family; we believe that tennis is a sport that can played for life and that’s exactly what Chintan and I intent to do with our kids. They love tennis. They both play; our oldest daughter Riya is in her second year at Fordham School of Business, while our younger son Rishabh just began his junior year of high school. Both have big dreams and we are happy to dream with them, and each has been amazingly supportive to our success. They truly have supported and sacrificed a lot in their childhood, and taken on lots of responsibilities to help us get to the next level. Our kids have always been kind and hardworking, and we know they will go on to do amazing things. Our parents have supported us as well; they allowed us to come to this country to start a new path together.”

The Trivedi’s journey is an inspiring one that embodies everything that is great about this country, as an immigrant couple arrived here in the States and created successful lives. It all began with tennis, and the sport of a lifetime continues to be a part of their relationship, helping forge a bond, and spread their love of tennis to the people in their community.