The label “teacher of tennis teachers” fit the gregarious Dennis Van der Meer impeccably. Formerly a player in South Africa, he moved to the United States in 1961, becoming the head professional at the fabled Berkeley Tennis Club in California and founding the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) in 1976. He was ahead of his time in creating Van der Meer Tennis University, an academy for players of all ages and abilities. Van der Meer was indispensable in establishing tennis teaching uniformity, raising the bar in his profession immeasurably.