Drew Hassenbein remembered as a tennis prodigy, 'great all-around kid'

Nearly two years ago, then-12-year-old Drew Hassenbein stood at center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, the eyes of the tennis world upon him as he performed the ceremonial coin toss before the Men’s U.S. Open Final between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.

"He was so very proud of that moment," Mitch Hassenbein, Drew's father, recalled to Newsday about the coin toss. "The moment fit him."

Drew, a tennis prodigy who was the No. 1-ranked player in the country in the Boys 12 and Under Division at the time, more recently was being recruited by some of the nation's top college programs — as an eighth-grader at Roslyn Middle School. 

"He played with an abundance of confidence and maturity. And he played his best under pressure. He was scared of nothing. He was a giant. He was fearless. He was indestructible in a way," said the boy's father.

On Wednesday night, Drew and his friend Ethan Falkowitz, 14, were killed and two other teenage boys seriously hurt when an alleged wrong-way, drunken driver crashed his pickup truck into an Alpha Romeo occupied by the four in Jericho. The boys all played on the Roslyn High School tennis team and were on their way home after defeating rival Syosset.

On Friday, as friends and family said goodbye to Ethan at his funeral in Roslyn, a heartbroken community remembered Drew as a charismatic and driven athlete with a maturity far exceeding his years. 

"He was very driven. Very mentally tough," said Jay Harris, general manager and director of tennis at Sportime in Roslyn, who was Drew's private coach for two years. "He still had some growing to do. He was an eighth-grader who looked like an eighth-grader, size-wise. He’s small and, playing No. 1 singles at Roslyn, he’s battling all these older kids.

"I remember one particular match last year … he was playing a senior that played for Port Washington. The senior was a big, strong guy and tough on the court. Drew was … able to win that match,” Harris said.

'Truly a phenom'

In an interview with Newsday last week following a rare defeat to Hewlett senior Stephan Gershfeld, Drew said he expected to compete for the county's individual singles championship. “I’ve improved physically and mentally I’m a lot better,” Drew said. “I think I have a chance to win [it] all.”

Drew was also a longtime camper at Camp Timber Lake in the Catskills, said Jay Jacobs, who operates the summer facility. Drew last attended the camp in 2021, skipping last year to focus on tennis.

“He was a great kid. He had charisma, was a leader and was exceptionally talented,” said Jacobs, who serves as chairman of the state Democratic Party. 

Drew picked up tennis at 5 years old, introduced to the sport by his father. By sixth grade, he was ranked No. 1 in the country in his age group. Last year, he joined the varsity high school team and led Roslyn to its first county championship in 15 years.

"He was very, very good," said Josh Duggan, coach of the Great Neck South High School tennis team. "You could see immediately how good he was just from his poise, his stroke, technique and mechanics. He was truly a phenom."

While more than four years away from college, Drew already was being recruited by Duke, Harvard and Michigan universities, his father said.

"It was very hard to train and go to regular school, but he was determined to do it all," Mitch Hassenbein said. "He was a great all-around kid. He had high aspirations for himself and carried himself very maturely and like a professional."

'Such an honor'

Neil Thakur, the United States Tennis Association's community tennis coordinator for the Long Island and Metro regions, selected Drew for that coin toss, to determine who served first. 

In his application letter, Drew wrote: "It’s my dream to play there one day! It would be such an honor to be a part of it. I have seen other kids do it and would love the amazing opportunity."

Thakur recalls Drew as incredibly appreciative to be selected but also humble and a bit shy.

"It wasn't like we gave him anything. He earned that opportunity," Thakur said. "He was such a nice, well behaved, good sport who was respectful and really loved the game."

The Hassenbein family are no stranger to difficult times. 

Drew's older sister, Sydney, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in the soft tissue, when she was 4 but has been in remission for more than a decade.

On Sunday, the family will muster their fortitude again as they prepare to bury their son. A service is scheduled for Sunday at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn at 11 a.m.

"We're all very empty," Mitch Hassenbein said. "But, we're trying to be strong. Like Drew was."

With John Asbury, Jordan Lauterbach and Roger Rubin

CORRECTION:  A previous version of this story misidentified the chair umpire in the photo caption.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.