Father-Daughter Tennis Team Gunning For Title

The family that plays together, stays together. For free, at the Waldorf Astoria in Naples, Florida.

Rich and Allison Newman, a father/daughter tennis duo from Collegeville, served themselves up a free trip to the National Family Tennis Championships in September, with a come-from-behind victory at the divisional tournament at Frog Hollow Racquet Club in Lansdale in early June. 

The Newmans defeated a father and his 17-year-old daughter from Camp Hill, by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 10-8, to secure their place in the finals.

“I was really excited because I knew we would be going to Naples, and I have never been to a tournament outside of the state, or gone to a national tournament,” said Allison, an outgoing seventh-grader at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East.

“It was an incredible feeling once we won the final point, particularly after losing for most of the match,” Rich said. “I was most excited for Allison, that she would be able to be part of a national tournament experience and that I would be there with her.”

The inaugural National Family Tennis Championship Finals will be held Sept. 6-9. Qualifying teams from each of six divisions will get a chance to play for the championship, and get a three-night stay, breakfast and lunch every day, welcome reception and championship dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, which was named one of the Top 50 American Tennis Resorts, by Tennis Magazine. 

The Newmans also had to win one other match to make it to the Championship in Naples. That first game was a set against a 15-year-old girl and her father, which the Newmans won decisively 6-0, 6-1. After winning both games, the Newmans received a call from National Family Tennis Championship representatives, who told them they would be guaranteed multiple matches at the championship level, which would be a round-robin format in the first round, then single-elimination playoffs to determine the national champion. 

“[At the Championship] I am most looking forward to just being able to play tennis and get more match-play experience against people from all over the country,” Allison said. “I’m not really nervous about the tournament. I think that if we play like we did in our [divisional] championship match that we have a good chance to win or make it close.” 

The Newmans will have their very own cheering section, as mom Tracy, sister, Laura and three or four grandparents - almost all tennis players themselves - plan to travel to Florida for the tournament. 

“I come from a tennis playing family,” Rich said. “In fact, my father still plays tennis several times a week at a very high level. Also, my wife grew up playing tennis, and my older daughter, Laura, played for the Perkiomen Valley High School [tennis] team as a 10^th grader.”

The National Family Tennis Championships are more than just a game for the Newmans. 

“It’s a great feeling, as a father, being able to compete in a sport right alongside your daughter,” Rich said. “There are not many other sports I can think of where a father and daughter can compete competitively like this.”

Allison agrees, noting that the familial relationship allows them know one another’s tennis game, inside and out.

“I like playing as a father/daughter team because we both know each other’s weaknesses and strengths, so it’s easier for us to work together,” she said.

In addition to teaming up with her dad, Allison also plays tennis for the Perkiomen Valley Middle School East team, the U14 Perk Rally Team Tennis team, and trains once a week at Kinetix Sports Club. She plays soccer and lacrosse for her school teams, too, so it’s no surprise that her favorite class in school is phys ed. She hopes to play professional tennis someday, and aims to play in the U.S. Open.

“But I am going to take it one step at a time, and play as many matches and tournaments as I can to get experience,” Allison said.

Rich is a CFO at a Limerick-based organization that owns and manages kidney dialysis centers. In his spare time, he tries to play as much soccer and tennis as possible with his children.

Cheer the Newmans on as they head to the National Family Tennis Championship in September! Post a good-luck message to the father/daughter tennis duo below in the comments.