Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will present its annual awards in February at the 2017 PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event, which includes more than 40 educational presentations for tennis teachers and coaches, a trade show and tournament, will be held February 15-18, on Hilton Head Island, SC.
Dr. Ludovit ‘Louie’ Cap (pictured right), of Hilton Head Island, will be inducted to the PTR Hall of Fame at the Awards Banquet on Wednesday, February 15.
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1945, Cap began his tennis career at 11 as a ball boy. He played on the European circuit in 1964, but a scholarship to study nuclear physics in the USA lured him from the game temporarily.
After two years at the University of Washington in Seattle, where Cap received M.S. in Physics and was involved with computer programming for Apollo mission, he transferred to Baylor to complete his education. There he assisted coaching the university’s tennis team, and in 1973, earned a PhD in nuclear physics. During summers at Baylor, Cap put his love of tennis to work teaching lessons for famed coach, Dennis van der Meer. The nuclear physicist went to work full time for Van der Meer and has been on the court coaching tennis ever since.
The friendship also spawned Cap to love another sport – running. Cap has completed 40 consecutive Boston Marathons.
Prior to his induction to the PTR Hall of Fame, Cap was one of the charter PTR International Master Professionals, was named PTR Professional of the Year in 1993, and PTR Tester of the Year in 2006.
PTR is a global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 15,600 members in 127 countries.
Photo courtesy Professional Tennis Registry
