A Legendary Intro to Tennis

These days, Kraft is remembered as an advocate for the sport — someone who challenged the status quo and taught the sport in a fresh, new way. But what she isn’t remembered enough for is the quality of the programming.

“She was an amazing teacher and really taught the fundamentals of the sport,” Meisel said. 

Meisel is a frequent player around New Jersey, but it hasn’t always been that way. He stopped playing in 1980 and went more than 30 years without picking up a racquet. He only picked it back up in 2014, but re-discovered his love for the game as soon as he began playing again.

Quickly, the fundamentals came back.

“Everything from the grip to where to be on the court...she honed in on those areas,” he said. “Years later when I picked tennis back up again and started playing more frequently, the basics that she taught were the things that came back fastest. It’s like second-nature. I got a good foundation at a very young age, and it paid off.”

Meisel is now actively involved with USTA League (he even captains teams) and plays as often as he can with friends at Mercer County Park. Recently, he discovered his old tennis workbook that Kraft gave to him when he began in her class.

“It’s amazing to look back at it and flip through the pages,” he said. “I can still see all of the drills I completed and the dates that I finished them. Her signature is on a bunch of the pages, signing off on the drills. It’s a nice piece of history and something I’ll hold onto.”