Tennis Talk
By Mary Ringel
For publication: 1/26/23
If you don’t know Jay Desai and you like to play tennis, you will meet him soon! Jay is a man of many interests; you will find him walking the waterfalls, playing Bocce ball, Pickleball, Billiards, Ping Pong, Cards, Model Trains, as well as painting and sketching. But, his greatest joy is getting people to play tennis. He will offer you free advice only if you ask him for help. He will then recruit you to play Trash Talk Tennis (TTT) on Sunday mornings. At his next TTT he plans to have a 15-minute Macarena warm up with music. Be advised though, he loves to, as he likes to put it ,“keep things interesting.” So, if you agree to play with him, you need to be prepared to receive the following from Jay: a killer kick serve, a dynamite drop shot, a miraculous on the-line lob shot and loads of laughter. Jay has a big heart! But, don’t be late to the court or he will tell you with a serious grin, you owe him $1.00 for every minute you’re late. He’s kidding, of course! If you want to make him smile, here are two of his favorites: NY Cheesecake and JW Black. After a gift like that, he might even take you for a ride in his 1930’s replica Ford Roadster golf cart.
In 2014, when Jay arrived in the Villages from New Jersey, he didn’t know a single tennis player. He met the late Gordon Knapp on the first visit to view his new home and Gordon took him out on the court for an hour. He met Bill Leonard shortly after and was soon plugged into regular play. Jay has often shared how they both were there for him, encouraging him to play. Now, he’s paying it forward and doing the same for others. Jay claims to have played with 150+ tennis players at the Villages. We don’t doubt it!
In 2015, he brought his New Jersey version of Team Tennis to the Villages. Every Sunday, at 8:30am, players of all levels enjoy Trash Talk Tennis with Jay. Trash Talking is optional of course! If you want to get in on the fun, contact Jay at jaydesai530@gmail.com. Just say, please add me to your list of players. You will not regret it. Don’t be late!
