Tribute to Dennis

[John Yandell]

http://www.insidetennis.com/2019/07/van-der-meer-post/

[klacr]

Thanks for the link John.
Dennis Van Der Meer was instrumental in so many players lives. Even without ever having met the man chances are you have taken a lesson, read a instructional piece or watched a video of a player or coach who was mentored by Dennis. He was one of the best teachers I have ever seen and did it in a way that made everyone a better player. A sad but inevitable loss for tennis. May he rest in peace.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton, FL

[seano]

I was the Director at a Van Der Meer Tennis Center for a short period of time. Pat and Dennis would come up 4 times a year to run his clinics, so I got to know him alittle. Very impressive instructor who could make all the student feel important. His command of handling large crowds was incredible to watch. He will be missed.

[don_budge]

I was the Director at a Van Der Meer Tennis Center for a short period of time. Pat and Dennis would come up 4 times a year to run his clinics, so I got to know him alittle. Very impressive instructor who could make all the student feel important. His command of handling large crowds was incredible to watch. He will be missed.

Thanks as usual for your insightful and sincere contributions to this forum. I have been aware of Dennis Van Der Meer ever since I have been involved in tennis for the past fifty years or so. What a great story about his life...from missionary son to tennis teaching icon. Beautiful...God Bless him.

[stotty]

As I get older, it gets more painful when someone from the tennis world departs. Two great people in a week: Dennis Van Der Meer and the brilliant and witty Peter McNamara. RIP two man who loved the game and contributed to it in a big way.

[klacr]

As I get older, it gets more painful when someone from the tennis world departs. Two great people in a week: Dennis Van Der Meer and the brilliant and witty Peter McNamara. RIP two man who loved the game and contributed to it in a big way.

McNamara's death got overlooked this week and it should not have. A terrific player who was a part of the game his entire life. Rough week for tennis.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

McNamara's death got overlooked this week and it should not have. A terrific player who was a part of the game his entire life. Rough week for tennis.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yes Peter's passing did slip under the radar and that's surprising. He had a terrific backhand, probably the most penetrating sliced backhand you could ever see. It's a shot you don't see today. Roger can knife a sliced backhand quite well but not as well as Peter could. Peter was my generation. I saw him quite a few times. He was hard as nails but as fair as they come. He had a terrific sense of humour too.

[John Yandell]

A couple of memories of Dennis stand out. Had to be over 20 years ago, but Jim Loehr and I were hitting some balls at a coaching convention where we were both speaking. As we were leaving we saw Dennis by himself hitting on the backboard, and he was an absolute magician--hitting all kinds of spins with the ball coming back in the air. Very impressive.

When we were first starting our high speed filming in the late 90s, we started a foundation that did a big part of the funding. Dennis loved the filming and we always kept him up to date with the latest footage. His foundation ended up donating a few grand to the effort at a time when we really needed it.

[gzhpcu]

Dennis was one of the first teachers to influence me. Read many of his articles on Gladys Heldmans "Tennis" magazine. May he rest in peace.