Tennis, Anyone?

Andy Gladstone was thrilled when Maccabi USA asked him to be a tennis head coach at the 2026 Maccabiah Games in Israel. It was the second time he has enjoyed that honor.

“My first time was in 2022 when I took the place of a coach who had to drop out,” says Andy, a Lake Nona resident who has followed the Games most of his life. “I never thought as a kid that I would go to an event like this, and then I went for a second time, and people knew me. I enjoyed it very much.”

Andy, who serves as director of operations for the men’s and women’s tennis programs at the University of Central Florida, grew up around the sport of tennis. He played at Queens College in New York before moving to Central Florida in 1997, where he worked for the U.S. Tennis Association for 20 years. He also served as a ball boy at the U.S. Open for several years.

As a head coach at this year’s Maccabiah Games, Andy oversaw the masters and grand masters tennis teams, which included about 40 players ages 35 to 80-plus.

“It was a who’s who of sports people on the team,” says Andy. “Jeff Gewirtz, vice president of the Brooklyn Nets, played on the 55 and up team, and Mark Ein, who participated on the 60-plus level, is a minority owner for the Washington Commanders and owns the ATP tennis tournament in Washington, D.C.”

Andy’s group returned to the United States with 16 medals in singles play – six of which were gold – and seven medals in doubles play.

While Andy has never played in the Maccabiah Games, himself, he says the event is just as infectious for the coaches.

“There is a certain spirit at the Games,” he says. “You really can’t explain it. There is great synergy, and you become family. That’s what it feels like.”