Staten Island Advance

Meet Sudsy

When you think of Staten Island's greatest athlete, NFLers Steven Gregory and first round pick Mike Siani may come to mind..

Or, perhaps, an MLB All Star, like Jason Marquis...maybe even Marcus Browne, a pro boxing champ.

Sudsy Monchik may not be the first name that comes to mind, but he might just be the most deserving of the title.

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Staten Island Advance

Greatest of All Time?

Arguably the greatest racquetballer of all time, Monchik flat out dominated a sport that doesn't garner as much attention as the others.

Nevertheless, the Prince's Bay resident and Tottenville HS alum burst onto the scene at a young age.

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Staten Island Advance

Taking The Game By Storm

Monchik's raw talent, combined with speed, power, and a flair that was unknown to the game before he took it by storm, allowed him to separate himself from the pack.

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Staten Island Advance

Only Player in History

At just eight years old, he captured Junior National titles in both singles and doubles competition -- and continued to do so every year until he reached 18 and was no longer eligible for junior play.

For clarification, he is the only player in the history of the sport to win every age division in both singles and doubles play.

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Staten Island Advance

National HS Crown

He won five World Junior 18U titles, including three straight in singles play.

During his junior year at Tottenville, Monchik claimed the National HS crown.

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Staten Island Advance

Going Pro

In 1993, he made the jump to the professional ranks with the International Racquetball Tour -- and finished as the sport's No. 1 player in five of seven seasons.

A five-time professional World Champion, Monchik is just one of two players to win the U.S. Open more than twice -- an event he won four times.

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Shattered Records?

At the 1995 Pan-American Games in Argentina, he took gold in team and doubles play.

Widely regarded as one of the three greatest players to ever compete, Monchik was forced into an early retirement due to various back and foot injuries -- though it was assumed he likely would have shattered all of the sport's records.

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Staten Island Advance

Lifer

With over 50 tournament wins to his name, he ranks fourth all time in wins.

Monchik has been around the sport his whole life and continues to be -- serving as a commentator on the Tennis channel, as well as an advisor to some of the sport's top organizations.

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Staten Island Advance

Call From the Hall

In 2008, he was inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he was elected to the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame.

"Sudsy Monchik is quite simply one of the best players racquetball has ever seen," said USA Racquetball President Larry Haemmerle at the time.

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He's Back

Though his playing days were seemingly behind him, Monchik couldn't escape the sport -- opting to serve as head coach of the Ecuadorian adult and junior national teams from 2015-17, churning out some of the country's best results to date.

This past year, Monchik, 43, made a triumphant return to the court as a player and captured a silver medal at the USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships, alongside partner Rocky Carson in San Jose, CA.

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