Eyeworld

EW IN OTHER NEWS 98 After the last Virginia Slims tournament there in 1991, there was no professional tennis in New Mexico. Dr. Coleman and his wife decided to sponsor the tournament after his wife, also an avid player, heard that a sponsor was being sought to bring the tour back. The tournament itself "We get great players because you can play year-round in New Mexico," Dr. Coleman said. The area has a strong tennis community, and there are usually more than 100 volunteers who support and staff the tournament. The tournament features a singles draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 teams. There are also 32 players in the qualifying round, with 4 of those making it into the singles main draw. Play- ers come from all over the world, including countries such as Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, and Russia. Each year of the tournament, they try to do something different. In the past, Dr. Coleman said there have been Native American tennis clinics and wheelchair tennis clinics (which he intends to bring back this year). The tournament also Ophthalmologist balances continued from page 97 has question and answer sessions where kids can talk to some of the pros who come to play. Last year's Q&A in Spanish was such a hit that Dr. Coleman plans to continue it at future tournaments. "All proceeds go to the New Mexico Youth Foundation for after-school programs. Each Tuesday and Thursday during the tournament, more than 700 kids from all over come out and play with the pros." Tennis is great for the area because all you need to play are a racquet, a ball, and a wall, and that resonates with a lot of kids in the community, Dr. Coleman said. Balancing his practice and the tournament Dr. Coleman said he does not find it difficult to balance time spent in his practice and organizing the tennis tournament. His whole staff gets involved. The tournament is a way of contributing to the community, he said. "I think if you get involved in something that you actually like, it can be really powerful," he said. EW Contact information Coleman: stephen@Colemanvision.com Dr. Coleman with Anna Tatishvili, Shelby Rogers, and Sue Jollensten. Shelby Rogers won the Coleman Vision Tennis Championships in 2013. Source (all): Stephen Coleman, MD

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