2023 USTA Eastern Tennis Man of the Year: Dave Hanzes

David Hanzes, of Binghamton, N.Y., has been named USTA Eastern’s 2023 Leslie J. Fitz Gibbon Tennis Man of the Year for his efforts over many years to strengthen the officiating infrastructure across the section. 

Since 2005, Hanzes has established himself as an indispensable volunteer for the USTA Eastern tennis community. During that time he has served on Eastern’s nominating committee, the junior competition committee, the grievance and rules subcommittees as well as the Western Region Council. In 2015—after officiating some of the biggest section events for more than a decade—he was named the chair of the officials committee, a role he has continued to hold to this very day.

It’s in this capacity that Hanzes has undoubtedly made his greatest impact. He has trained and mentored countless aspiring officials who have gone on to supervise match play at everything from state high school championships to USTA League sectionals to professional tournaments.

“For me, just working on making our officiating team stronger is still the most important goal,” Hanzes says. “And there are a lot of components that go into it. It's the continuing training and development of the existing team, as well as the recruitment of new officials. I do enjoy meeting potential officials and getting them on board, getting them through the training process and then seeing them out on the court working multiple events throughout the year.”

“Michael owned the local club here in Binghamton, and he would host some low-level junior events,” Hanzes recalls. “That’s how I got my start officiating on court. And then, in his tournament director and club owner roles, he definitely helped me develop as an official.”

Hanzes would eventually rise up in the Eastern officiating world and go on to serve as the head official for some of the largest events in the section, including the New York State Public High School Individual and Team Championships, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships and the Eastern Adult League Sectional Championships. Naturally, since these competitions attract hundreds upon hundreds of participants, Hanzes spends much time in advance preparing. Then, as the events unfold, he is required to keep track of multiple moving parts while managing and interacting with a wide spectrum of personalities. 

“When I train officials or teach workshops, we talk a lot about professionalism and perception,” he explains. “The perception of an action you take may not actually be your intent, but how someone else perceives your intent certainly goes a long way. So I always stress being professional and trying not to show favoritism or bias. You want to be a fair person on the court.”

Over time, he’s developed a reputation among players and USTA staff members for encouraging and prioritizing that fairness—as well as sportsmanship—when handling the disputes that do crop up in these circumstances.

At the same time that he ascended to the leadership position with USTA Eastern, Hanzes also joined the National officials committee. Today, he serves as that body’s vice chair, and he frequently travels around the country as a national trainer leading trainings and workshops. In this role, he has visited 14 of the 17 USTA sections.

“We do what we call a ‘knowledge check’ when new officials get certified,” Hanzes explains. “And at this point I’ve been involved with completing knowledge checks for officials all over the United States. I really enjoy meeting new officials, talking with them and hearing some of their concerns. And hopefully, I’m able to provide them with some sound advice as they embark on their officiating career.”

All of this is in service to a sport Hanzes truly loves and enjoys. He always keeps in mind—when he’s serving as an official and as he’s mentoring others—that the ultimate goal is always to get people to keep picking up a racquet.

“As a USTA Eastern volunteer, I’ve enjoyed meeting different people and promoting the sport,” he says. “The way I’ve promoted it has been in trying to make it a good experience for the players on the court. As an official, if I can make it a good experience, hopefully those playing will want to keep playing and encourage more people to play. It's all about exposing new people to the game and growing tennis.”