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Three earn USPTA Master Professional distinction

October 4, 2013

ORLANDO — The United States Professional Tennis Association honored three of its members for achieving Master Professional status, the highest professional rating within the tennis profession.

Craig Bell, Ian Griffin and Adrian Rattenbury were all honored at the annual awards presentation during the USPTA World Conference on Sept. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.

Members must hold USPTA’s highest certification rating (Professional 1) for more than 10 years before becoming eligible for the Master Professional designation. Then each must fulfill a broad spectrum of requirements, including making significant achievements in areas such as tennis teaching and coaching, business, education and volunteer work.

Bell is currently the director of tennis at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas where he has worked since 1997. He has been a USPTA Professional since 1985, is a Master Professional with the United States Racquet Stringers Association and is a Life member of the USTA. He was named the USPTA Texas Division Professional of the Year in 2009. He has served as treasurer of the division and is currently first vice president.

Griffin has been the owner of his own tennis academy for 33 years. He is a USTA schools clinician, and has achieved USTA Sport Science Level 2. In Texas, he ran the City of Beaumont’s pre-NJTL summer program from 1980 to 1994. He also ran school in-services and assemblies in South-East Texas, Wisconsin and in Oakville, Ontario.

Rattenbury has been involved in tennis for more than 32 years. He was the United Kingdom’s first Tennis Development Officer, was instrumental in introducing wheelchair tennis in the UK, coached the National Deaf team, and developed a program that offered free coaching to more than 2,000 children per week. He also has traveled to many countries working as a National Coach and Davis Cup coach, and has developed world-ranked players on the ATP and WTA Tours and ITF Juniors. For the past 25 years he has overseen the training of more 5,000 coaches.

The USPTA National Awards program is conducted annually. Nominations are submitted by the organization’s 17 divisions and by individuals. Recipients in each category are decided by the USPTA’s awards committee.