Hilton Head Island, SC - - Former Eastern Illinois tennis player Fernando Velasco of Austin, Texas, was named the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Male Player of the Year as the awards were recently handed out at the 2009 PTR International Tennis Symposium in Hilton Head Island.

Velasco played tennis at EIU from 1962-65 from Coach Rex Darling. He is currently ranked #1 in Texas and #20 in the National USTA 65 and over Singles. He ended his year with a 32-10 and he was a member of the team that won both the 65 and over Division and Overall Team National Championship at the Intersectional Tournament held in Arlington, Texas. He was also named Senior Player of the Year by the Capital Area Tennis Association. Velasco, a PTR Master Professional, is the General Manager and Director of Tennis of the Circle C Tennis Club in Austin.

Upon receiving the award during a reception attended by over 300 tennis professionals from all over the world, he thanked his family, coaches, and the Circle C Tennis Club that support his competing in tournaments locally, state and also nationally. He mentioned that “competing for me is not about winning. It is nice to be the winner of a match, but most important is about establishing lifetime relationships with players and people of all ages that participate”.

PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 13,000 members in 122 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and servicing tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.