Garden State Tennis Center (GSTC), located in Edison, received the 2018 Tennis Member Organization of the Year Award at USTA Eastern’s Annual Awards Dinner on Jan. 26 at the Renaissance Westchester.
GSTC is being recognized for nurturing and developing some the best junior tennis players in the Eastern section and for its commitment to making tennis courts accessible to all. In the last 15 years, 14 players who have sought guidance from GSTC have gone on to win New Jersey Tennis State Champion titles.
In 2012, John Costanzo Jr., a former University of Michigan No. 1 men’s singles player and a Big Ten Conference champion, bought the tennis section of the 15-acre Inman Sports Complex, having already developed a very successful tennis enterprise within it. Renaming the facility Garden State Tennis Center, Costanzo Jr. and his father John Sr. worked together to refurbish the club.
Of GSTC’s 14 New Jersey Tennis State Champions, two players—Jonathan Carcione and Andrea Cerdan—have won the title twice.
GSTC, which currently has around 500 students enrolled in its various programs, offers a handful of scholarships to economically-disadvantaged players.