Steve Turner

Steven Turner (born October 17, 1946) is an American former professional tennis player, and current tennis coach. Growing up during the 1950s and 1960s, Turner first picked up a tennis racket at the age of six. When he was not traveling for junior tennis tournaments, he lived with his parents at their residence which at that time was on East 57th Street in Manhattan. However, due to a self-described poor attitude toward his courses and subsequent academic struggles, he was ultimately dismissed from the university. In May 1967, competing as an LIU sophomore, he reached the semifinals of the Eastern Tennis Tournament in Woodbury, Long Island. The following month, he finished as the runner-up at the Brooklyn Tennis Championships. Despite facing on-court setbacks and a temporary exclusion from the nationals at Forest Hills, Turner used the period to write poetry and music, and traveled to Europe to refine his game.

Under the guidance of his LIU coach, Turner modified his baseline strokes and on-court attitude, which resulted in highly improved athletic discipline. Concluding his local competitive career, he paired up with his LIU coach and won the 1969 New York City Parks doubles tennis title.

Professional tennis career

Turner turned professional in 1969 at the age of 23, after graduating from LIU. He made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 1971 US Open held at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, where he was eliminated in the first round following a five-set match against Australia's Rod Brent.

At the 1972 French Open, Turner played singles at Roland Garros. He lost in the first round to Australia's Ian Fletcher. He was defeated in the first round by 9th seed American Marty Riessen. In doubles, he and Japan's Jun Kuki were defeated in the first round by the Australian team of Number 5 seeds Roy Emerson and Rod Laver (former world # 1 in singles; Emerson and Laver won a combined 44 Grand Slam titles between them).

He competed in the main draw in singles at the 1976 French Open, where Turner was defeated by French player Denis Naegelen in the first round. In doubles, Turner posted a 9–33 career match record. He retired from the primary professional tour at the end of the 1976 season.

Coaching career Turner next pivoted into a long-term coaching career in Manhattan. For more than 30 years, he has taught as a private tennis instructor at an indoor court at the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza (formerly the One UN New York Hotel) on East 44th Street in Manhattan.

Turner's coaching methodologies integrate his spiritual and philosophical backgrounds. He tailors his physical lessons to line up with a student's "total self and spiritual persona." He emphasizes a specialized practice routine against a tennis wall, to develop a meditative approach to the sport. Among his technical instructional innovations is a style he terms "two-handed tennis," which instructs players to rapidly switch the racket between their hands so as to hit dominant forehands from both sides, eliminating the traditional backhand.

Personal life Turner, who is Jewish, is a scholar of Kabbalah, an esoteric system of Jewish mystical thought. He incorporates Jewish mysticism into both his personal lifestyle and his coaching. He maintains a distinct appearance, by wearing his hair in two clumped dreadlocks, as part of a Jewish mystic Nazirite vow.