Matthew Porter

Age: 33
Residence: Boston, MA
Profession: Financial Advisor – Merrill Lynch
Achievements in tennis/platform tennis: Tennis – #700 world singles 1998. Division II National Champion 2001 Rollins College; Court Tennis – 2009 #1 US Amateur Court Tennis; Platform Tennis – 2011 National Finalist. Finalist in 2011 Boston Open.
Hobbies off the courts: Racquet sports, snowboarding, reading financial books, travelling Europe and eating (mozzarella in Italy the best)
Personal Platform Tennis: Play as a team and push the boundaries of the sport

The 2011 Chicago Nationals saw many surprising teams come to the forefront to compete against teams that we’re all used to seeing. One new face in the Men’s Finals was Australian tennis whiz, Matthew Porter, who played with partner, Johan du Randt.

PTM caught up with Porter to see how his new partnership evolved into becoming the 2011 Men’s National Finalists.

How long have you and Johan been partners? Johan and I became partners at the start of this year. We were unsure about our prospects but quietly optimistic. That optimism soon faded… just kidding!

Was there an immediate gelling between you two or did you have to overcome obstacles or make compromises in each other’s play to be successful partners? We had some tough losses to some of the best paddle players in the nation. We continued to practice and compromise our individual styles to blend more as a team. During nationals in Chicago it finally clicked. We look forward to taking it to the next level.

How did it feel to be in the finals at the nationals? A frequent comment is that by the time you get to the finals, you are beat up or well on your way to being beat up… How was your stamina?

Were there any curveballs thrown at you i.e. warmer than preferable/colder than preferable, bright lights, more fans than you’re used to? Nationals was the best time ever. There were so many great people playing a sport that is unique and fun. We played President’s Cup this year, which gave us many great warm-up matches. We felt fresh going into Nationals, and throughout the early round play on Saturday. Saturday night playing the quarterfinals against a home team was a great vibe and something I want to do again. Sunday morning I woke up pretty tired — the back-to-back-to-back nightly activities can take a hold. The legs took a little while to get going, but when you get in the heat of battle, you really have no time to think about it. Everyone has played the same amount of time, basically, and what I’ve learned is: those that can win while not at their best are at the top of the game/rankings. The fans created an exhilarating vibe and something I hope I can experience again next year. Thanks to Johan for playing with me.

What tennis experience is in your background? I grew up playing tennis at a young age, and was number one in Australia when I was 16. I am a member of the Australian Institute of Sport, and have had the opportunity to play and practice with some of the great Australian players

Growth is a good thing, but requires management. So, after careful consideration and planning, the Professional Platform Tennis Association President, Nate Parsons, has announced that effective August 1, the PPTA has hired Missy D’Alise as Member Services Administrator.

D’Alise, a PPTA pro from Hinsdale, Illinois, has been a long-time friend to the PPTA, helping out with the organization’s needs behind the scenes whenever possible, Parsons said.

“Some of the changes that we’ll be making next year, including [Missy’s] role, are all based on the fact that the PPTA has seen growth by a factor of 30 to 40 pros this year. Administration is a huge job,” Parsons said. “Missy is one who’s a PPTA pro, helped in the area, has a good background, so I approached her as becoming a director of everything as far as the PPTA home office is concerned.”

D’Alise will tend to member services, as well as rolling out a new website for the organization next year, that officials say will be much more member-friendly and set up better overall.

“With the growth of everything, her role becomes huge, and it’s still evolving,” Parsons said. “Basically, she turns into the Ann Sheedy of the PPTA.” [enlarge image to continue reading the story]

Whenever there’s a national tournament to be played, you can usually count on Bobo Delaney’s name somewhere in the winner’s circle. This year, she took National titles for the Women’s 40+, 50+ and Open Mixed.

Despite tying the record for five Mixed Nationals titles and a lifetime of winning that began with her first Junior Nationals in 1976, Delaney said she still gets nervous when she walks into the wires for tournament play.

“You definitely still get nervous. Some days are better than others. I’ve competed my whole life in other sports, and I used to get more nervous when I was younger. There’s the pressure to win, then the pressure of being a Mangan, with the family being good in the sport,” she said. “I’ve gotten better at controlling that. The nerves are still there, but by playing a lot and competing, you just get better at managing it -controlling it. There’s always pressure, and there’s always nerves!’

While she downplays the family pressure associated with playing platform tennis by talking about how supportive everyone is when it comes to her playing, especially her parents, who have been her mainstay over her career, competition among family is ever-present.

“We’ve always been a competitive family, and that’s been great,” she said. “Sometimes they like to tell you what to do, especially my Dad. Everybody’s got a better strategy than the next guy.”

Knowing whose strategies to follow in a family of champions can be daunting: Delaney’s mother, Nancy Mangan, is a member of the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame. Her uncle, John Mangan, shares the same distinction, and her brother, Tim Mangan, is a member of the APTA Board of Directors. Delaney’s daughter, Corey, has five Junior Nationals titles under her belt and was featured in Sports Illustrated as an up-and-comer in the sport.

Surrounded by all of that talent, Delaney said that as a child, while she hoped to be at her uncle’s level of play at some point, it was Hank Irvine who was her biggest influence in the game. “[Irvine] was my source for learning and enjoying the game,” she said. “He taught me my backhand volley, which is the best part of my game.”

Like anyone with a considerable talent, Delaney teaches her skills to others. She’s been a paddle pro for more than 20 years and loves teaching the game and spreading her enthusiasm, knowledge and experience. She is a PPTA Certified Pro and has taught all over New Jersey.

On the court, Delaney wants frigid temperatures and lots of wire-play. If she gets her annual wish for a cold March at Nationals, she’s in her element.

“I’m a cold weather player. I play my best in January and February. When it’s colder, the ball chills and stays lower; that’s better for my game. The winters don’t tend to be cold long enough these days, and the ball has a tendency to bounce out of the court when it’s warm,” she said. “The game is faster than it used to be. The ball is hit harder and it’s more bouncy than way back. So, bouncing out of the court is a problem when it’s warm. That, and trying to keep the volleys in.”

If the weather complies, then opponents of Delaney, and her regular partner, sister-in-law Tonia Mangan, face one of the best female teams out there. The duo have been steady partners for more than 18 years, and, Delaney said, has been “unbelievably rewarding.” “I’m more of a purebred paddle player, opposed to a tennis player learning paddle. Between Tonia and myself, you’re looking at two of the best wire players in the game. We can get 95 percent of the wires. They just aren’t a factor for us.” Delaney said. “I feel like I’m a great partner. I’ve played for so long, and I’m a team player. I know my role on the court, am a good strategist and good competitor. I’ve played a lot, and I have good partners. A great part of playing doubles and being successful is to find a way to get the best out of your partner. Most people only think about themselves and what they need to do individually, but connecting with your partner and focusing on how to bring out their strengths and confidence is a major factor in winning and what makes paddle a team sport and so much fun to play. I feel I am good at that, and that has been shown by winning with many different partners over the years:’

As far as her own game, Delaney said she’s always changing her style of play. “My game has changed over the years. I’ve gotten a lot smarter and, I’d say, physically, I’ve gotten better too and am much more consistent. Certainly, something that I could be better at is being more offensive. I tend to pick excellent partners. I compete much better than when I was younger,” she said. “I’m very good at concentrating on my strengths and trying to exploit others’ weaknesses. If you’re a really, really talented player, it can almost be harder because you’re always seeing different angles to the game. I’m athletic and scrappy, but in paddle, I can be consistent and smart. I’m not so much the point-ender as the strategist.”

While she learns more about her game every day from her own trial and error, from her family critique, from her platform tennis students, one thing she’s proud of is that she’s not leaving behind a vacuum – younger players are joining the sport at a faster and faster pace.

“Watching the kids, it’s great to see the next generation coming through. It’s a small sport and it’s growing and you want to make sure the younger generation is stepping up. Having the magazine and the website, spreading the game is what you want to have happen, also the teaching organization PPTA has helped immensely in spreading the sport with more and more people learning to teach the game throughout the country,” she said. “Nowadays with so many sports that these kids are doing, my daughter’s a good example, she’s an awesome soccer player. It’s hard for paddle to compete with that. It’s hard to find time to play paddle, so you want to see the juniors playing.”

And now that she’s at a point where she can look back over her platform tennis career, Delaney said she is happy with the way things have turned out. She’s still as strong, spunky and tenacious as she’s always been, but she’s sharper, and brings a Zen-like mentality to her game.

Far from retiring from the sport, but wizened enough to know that, like it or not, she’s now an established veteran of the game, Delaney has titles yet to conquer and competitors yet to defeat.

“At 52, I am getting up there. I’ve been playing since I was 12. It’s still good to win and compete, and I’ve been fortunate that my body’s held out pretty well considering how long I’ve played,” she said. “I can hang in there. If you play enough you’re bound to win some. Longevity has been one of my lucky suits.”

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 12, Issue 5, April, 2011

“The 2010-11 season has quickly come upon us. This year the PPTA will continue to offer top level instruction videos, clinics and platform tips. The organization this past year added many new PPTA instructors. If you are looking to improve your game there are local PPTA pros in your area. To find your local Professional go to PPTAUSA.com.”

[enlarge image to see list of certified PPTA professionals]