Joe Delinks, a recent graduate of University of Central Florida, from North Falmouth, is competing to break into the ATP tour. The former UCF Captain and Massachusetts State Division One Champion that played number one for Falmouth High School will be taking a short training interlude that will either send him to undetermined sites in Europe, Canada, and the United States. His major field of study was environmental science and biology. After graduating he continued to coach for the Kevin Pease School of Tennis at the Falmouth Sports Center and then tried breaking into the ATP by competing in the southern Future’s Circuit in Florida.

 The goal is to get into qualifying of a Future’s Event. There is prize money at the end of a Future’s Tournament but it only contributes to the expense of traveling to the event and possibly a room. Qualifying rounds are bitterly competitive with as many as 128 players competing to earn eight spots in the main draw. Basically you are playing a huge tournament with the hope of getting into the future’s main draw. Even with several wins in qualifying you would not receive any ATP points. Those can only be earned by winning matches in the Future’s main draw event. Many players, such as Joe will apply to as many Future’s events around the world with the hope of getting accepted into qualifying. If one already possesses enough points then they would probably not have to go through qualifying (depending on the event and prize money). Major tournaments have qualifying where most of the players hoping to get in the main draw have points on the ATP.

In Joe’s first tournament qualifier he won his first round 5-6,6-1,6-3 back in October only to be devastated 6-0, 6-0 by an All American form Auburn and couldn’t regroup. The following week he played a wild card tournament (an additional chance to get in a future) to get into Pensacola. He won his first round 6-3, 6-2, second round 6-4, 6-3 against a player from Argentina with ATP points, and won a semi- final match verses Marc Oljaca (a former UCF team-mate 3-6,6-3,10-6) who has been on the tour for four years. Joe then lost to a player form Latfia 7-6, 4-6, 5-10. That was just a few points shy of “making it.” After playing such vicious rounds of tennis, Joe had nothing left to give the qualifying of that same tournament and lost 1-6, 7-5, 4-6. He was beat up and sore.

Off to Niceville, the next stop in the southern tour. Joe lost to a Swede with ATP points in qualifying, 3-6,6-3,3-6. In the finals of the wildcard draw, Joe missed a forehand volley by one half an inch after being up 7-6,3-2 40-30. He was going close to the line because the clay makes you pay if you don’t finish a volley. The players are too fast and they run them down.

The players of the futures are consistent elite college players, a big step up from Division One.  Joe has been training with Blaze Schwartz, a top ten doubles NCAA doubles player, and all time most wins player—Brock Sakey also a former UCF Knight. All the play down in Florida is played on Har-Tru, a crushed stone metallic Basalt mixture that plays slower than hard courts but faster than European Red Clay which plays extremely slow (Brick and Red Clay). I would compare that to the moon.

 The slower the play leads to longer points. Joe has an attacking style of play that was honed on the fast indoor courts of the Falmouth Sports Center. That favors getting to the net and playing aggressively. Joe has been using that style of play quite a bit, but has to be very selective on when to approach as the quality of passing shots in today’s game are the best they ever been.

Getting into doubles draws of the futures requires breaking into the singles and securing points.

If Joe were to do this he would have an excellent chance in doubles due to the attacking nature of the doubles game which is dominated by strong volleys.

During the summer Joe enjoys fishing on the Cape for all local fish including Yellow Fin Tuna. He has caught a 5 foot Alligator and a 6 foot shark in Florida (both released of course). His favorite is duck hunting. He will be in Falmouth shortly, training at the Sports Center with Coach Kevin Pease for his next bid determined by acceptances from around the world. His training will include weight training, on court hitting and drills, hitting partners and movement training (Etcheberry Court Conditioning Drills targeted for attacking players).