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BJ Miller “Engineers” a Vocation and an Avocation
Paul Fein | PFein@nsmta.net
August 2021

What do your initials stand for? And when and why did you decide to abbreviate your forenames?

My name is William James Miller, named for my grandfathers. Even though one of them died well before I was born, I was called “Billy Jim,” to offend neither. That lasted until about the fourth grade, when classmates started calling me BJ. Try high school with that abbreviation.

Did you come from a family that played sports a lot?

No. My biological father, who died when I was six, played tennis, but no one else. My mother could have played quarterback or any other position in any other sport in which she was in charge. She was not particularly athletic, but she was always in charge.

Where did you get your higher education?

I went to Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, where I got a B.E. and M.S. in Civil Engineering. I also got hooked on bluegrass banjo, mostly from watching Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the “Foggy Mountain Boys” live on TV every Saturday at 6 p.m.

I once visited Earl at his home in the suburbs. He sat patiently and described how he played the “Be it ever so humble” line in “Home, Sweet Home.” When he died a few years ago, many banjo players, including Steve Martin, told a similar story of meeting Earl and having him take the time to show them a few licks.

Then, I went to UC Berkeley and got a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. ​

What exactly do Civil Engineers do?

They generally focus on either designing civil works or planning for them. I chose the latter. I worked on regional plans for water and wastewater facilities, then served several years on California’ State Water Resources Control Board, and then became a private consultant, working from home on California water problems. For about 25 years, I also taught a one-day course, “The Management of Water in California,” for the University of California Engineering Extension.

The West and Southwest suffer from an extreme drought. If you were the Czar of Water Management in California, what changes in our current water policy would you espouse? And why?

First, I think it’s very hard to get anything done in California water. At its core, managing water is a scientific—mostly biological—and engineering matter, transcended by ideology, activism, and politics. Almost every proposed project is burdened by concerns over its capacity to adversely affect interested parties by mis-operation.

Second, California is a highly altered system when it comes to water. All the major rivers have been dammed more than once. Canals convey water from the water rich north and east to the water poor south, central, and west. The largest tidal marsh on the west coast, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, at the confluence of the two rivers draining the great Central Valley, has been converted to agriculture; its waters are now dominated by non-native species at all levels of the food chain. Attempts at “restoration” (usually a misnomer for “conversion” or “improvement”) are heroic and, so far, feeble. The competition for water, aggravated by the increasing frequency and severity of floods and droughts due to climate change, is fierce and growing more so. California has no choice but to manage its water and the environmental effects of supplying water.

If I were czar, my highest priority would be to avoid assassination. Assuming success with that, I would do the following:

*Negotiate several statewide agreements to provide certainty to environmental interests, water users, and others with much at stake. The primary one would be to settle the long conflict between northern and southern California over water. Such agreements may sound far-fetched, but it’s likely that the substance of those agreements would not be as contentious as the provisions to ensure compliance with them.

*Federal and state Endangered Species Acts would now override any such agreements, so those agreements must include provisions that would use discretionary aspects of the two acts to make them part of each agreement. Such agreements would lift the political, ideological, and suspicion-ridden burdens now being placed on construction of projects, for environmental and water supply purposes, necessary to meet problems presented by climate change.

*Create a science program, including monitoring programs, directed primarily at supporting those agreements, with safeguards to avoid the all too frequent intrusion of ideology into science. These unique safeguards would be essential to the agreements’ certainty.

*Create a statewide water bank where sellers and buyers of water can efficiently transact business for both short-term and long-term transfers that kick in whenever water is scarce. Incorporate authority within the bank to ensure protection of environmental interests and avoid adverse socio-economic effects on areas from which water is sold. Such authority already exists and could be used as is or modified as appropriate, especially to streamline the process of buying and selling water.

*Create high school classes to explain to students how their basic utilities—water, power, transportation, wi-fi, and the like—work

You didn’t start playing until age 30. How did you happen to discover tennis at that relatively late age?

I don’t know. I had always dabbled in tennis. As a kid, I laid out a tennis court in our large side yard. I had played lots of ping pong, so I started playing tennis with a Continental grip and just transferred ping pong to the tennis court. I had played basketball, a moral obligation growing up in Kentucky. I had played a lot of golf, too, and liked the solitude of that sport and tennis. I did not come to appreciate tennis as much as I do now until later. Maybe it had something to do with my Dad, but I’ll leave that to the psychologists.

What appealed most to you about tennis?

I can’t put my finger on the initial appeal. Now, I have many reasons. Tennis is a wonderful endeavor, and once retired, an endeavor is an important source of happiness and sense of accomplishment. I have many tennis friends. I love to practice, and that really pays off in tennis. I think that at almost any age, you can get better if you engage in purposeful practice for a few months. Tennis is also great exercise. I like the civility of it, the code of honesty about line calls, and the severity of adverse opinion about those who make bad calls.

If you took lessons over the years, which coaches or teaching pros helped you the most? And, specifically, how?

I took lots of lessons from many teachers. Michael Wayman was the best. He is very smart and believes there are many ways to win at tennis. The lessons started with winning—we would play points, he at my level, and it was like drinking from a fire hose.

Michael would tell me the shot I should have hit to have the best chance of winning the point, why I was unable to hit it, and what I had to do to master that shot. He was death on preparation, especially the early (unit) turn and setting the racket in the hitting position early. He never told me anything that was wrong.

He lives near Jimmy Parker in Santa Fe, and they hit together. They have a similar approach to the game, fiercely competitive and shameless about hitting any shot that is effective and within the rules.

I recently had a couple of lessons with Greg Smith, who teaches in Indio, and I’ve had many email exchanges with him. He worked for years with Vic Braden. He understands the kinetic chain, what it actually is as opposed to the incomplete explanations I often see, and has changed my concept of how power is generated in tennis.

You live in Oakland, California, and the Bay Area has long been a hotbed of tennis. How much did that history and tradition figure in your passion for tennis and eventual emergence as a successful tournament player?

I’ve been a member of the Berkeley Tennis Club for more than four decades. It is steeped in tradition and full of good players, especially senior ones. In the 2019 National Hardcourts, the Berkeley Tennis Club had four members in the round of 16. We all lost in the quarters.

However, I can’t say I’m much of a fan of tradition. For that matter, I not a big fan of pride in one’s culture. All culture’s, mine included, have some despicable and commendable features. I think we should cherish the commendable ones, ditch the others, and focus more on how we function now in the world and less on culture.

Where do you usually practice? And who have been your favorite practice partners?

I practice at the Berkeley Tennis Club. I have regular hits or matches almost every day. I hit with the ball machine a lot, working on common but unpracticed shots, like drop shots, underspin angles, topspin lob groundstrokes, serve returns, half volleys, lob volleys, and others. The ball machine is my favorite practice partner.

Do you enjoy “talking tennis” with them? And what do you talk about most?

All of my tennis friends like to talk tennis, but there are two kinds of talkers: There are the ones who like “general tennis talk”—who won matches on TV, interesting points, how players competed—the stuff you hear from announcers. Then, there are a few who can tolerate the deep stuff—grip pressure, split step timing, accelerating through ball contact, the kinetic chain, waiting for the ball, etc.—the stuff that most players have little patience for.

What are you most proud of as a senior player?

I am most proud of radically changing my game in my first year in the 75s. I did not think I could stay with the leading nationally ranked players playing typical tennis, exchanging ground strokes and grinding it out. So, I decided to come in on every one of my serves and every one of my opponent's serves. I returned from about three feet behind the service line and spent hours practicing those returns, especially the techniques required to deal with the lack of time to execute a return.

 I sent out an email to about 50 tennis club members saying that if they wanted to practice their serve, I wanted to practice returns. I got a lot of takers—damn near got killed by one of the good, young women players.

I won the first two January matches in the Palm Springs tournaments, got injured, and lost in the big Cat II tournament at Mission Hills. I played several matches in which I never hit a ground stroke. I lost in the National Grass Court semis in a third-set tiebreaker with a heat index over 100 degrees. I was wiped out for a couple of months.

​When I began to understand, at least partially, what Jimmy Parker was doing, of almost giving up his former, beautiful, tour-level game for one that was more suitable to his and his opponents’ talents, and of the reluctance of most players to change their games in even far less radical ways in order to win, I grew increasingly impressed by what I had done. Then I recalled how well my game worked against Jimmy, and I fell back to earth.

You’ve described yourself as “a nationally-ranked senior player with a well-deserved reputation for obsession with tennis details.” Where does this “obsession” come from? And how has it influenced your technique and tactics?

The “obsession,” a pejorative term—even though it was my own—seems to me to be the logical path to improvement. Tour-level players are so good because they do hundreds of little things correctly.

I heard a long interview with the British cycling coach after they had won the Tour de France twice in five years. He said they broke cycling down into its component parts—bike set-up, riders’ clothing, riders’ position on the bike, riders’ physical training, riders’ diet, etc.—and, for each player, they looked for very small, one percent improvements that each player could make.

Maybe some tennis players do that instinctively, but most of us don’t. For us, focusing on the details with purposeful practice can pay big dividends. But there is no moral obligation to do so.

Tennis is, after all, just a game, and it can be approached without any obsession about details.

Why did you take a great interest in my new tennis instruction book, The Fein Points of Tennis: Technique and Tactics to Unleash Your Talent, from the start? And what aspects of it did you help improve?

I was flattered to be involved. You were kind enough to send a draft and ask for my opinion. I thought the book was really good. When I apologized for making some critical comments, you said that’s what you wanted and that you would not be offended and, of course, might not agree. I remember thinking, “This guy is a pro, and that’s what the really good ones must do.” From then on, I was glad to do anything I could.

I started drafting captions—which you would improve—for the 100 or so photos, trying to explain what each player was doing, you know, obsessing about details. It was a fascinating exercise. I tried to incorporate facts about the kinetic chain. I learned a lot, mostly about how good players are almost always on balance—and what balance is—torso vertical, centered between the legs. I learned how they go intentionally off balance for initial speed, and how power comes not from the arm and hand but from rotation of the core, which requires being on balance. So, I was very grateful you let me contribute.

Who have been your favorite tennis players over the years? And why have you liked or admired them?

I like three types of players. One is players who play with variety in their games. I’m bored with players grinding it out from the baseline.

Another is players who aren’t carried away with themselves, who are humble and respectful of their opponents.

Third, I generally like watching women rather than men, just because they play more like we normal mortals, not that I could stay on the court with any of them. So, my favorites now are Ash Barty and Bianca Andreescu and, of course, Roger and Rafa. There are a number of others, but those are my current favorites.

Which tennis books of any kind have you enjoyed most? And why?

I have not read many of them, although I watch YouTube videos. I’m more of a listener than a reader. I liked Tilden’s    Match Play and the Spin of the Ball and Talbert and Old’s The Game of Doubles in Tennis. I’m reading The Pros, The Forgotten Era of Tennis, about the barnstorming pros in the time before open tennis. It’s a wonderful book. The five opening paragraphs in Chapter 2, ostensibly about tennis, could well serve as instruction for life. I subscribe to John Yandel’s website, which has really good stuff.

Which TV tennis analysts do you consider the most knowledgeable and fair? And why?

I have big problems with tennis on TV. I think most people who watch also play and would love more detailed comments about what players are doing. It’s as though the commentary has ​been dumbed down so that people who don’t play can enjoy it, but that’s not what other sports do. I like some commentators—Brett Haber, Jimmy Arias, Darren Cahill, Martina Navratilova, and a few others—the ones who are knowledgeable and self-deprecating.

What is your opinion about thinking while playing?

I often hear that I think too much—you know, obsessed with details. I do it because it’s interesting and often because it seems necessary. I have been the same way about golf, bluegrass banjo, and my work on California water problems.

I have played some matches where I was “in the zone”—time slowing down, focused, no distracting thoughts, but that is not a familiar state for me. Usually, though, I see tennis as a 1½-to 3-hour exercise in problem-solving. What works against my opponent? What is he doing to me? How can I counteract it? Why isn’t my serve going in? Why did my last three backhands go into the net? If such questions are not arising, I’m having a really good day, but good opponents usually don’t let me have good days. In that case, it’s think or lose, so I think.

But I know that many players just play. Their games developed over many years. They played good tennis when they were young, and their good habits are hard-wired. Mine are often hanging on by their fingernails. That’s probably why coming in on my serves and my opponent’s worked for me—no thinking.

Ideally, we would think during practice and not too much when competing. But if you’re competing and things are not working, you’d better think about how to change things.

Golf commentators often laud playing without thinking; then we see a player who just pushed the last two drives 50 yards right, standing on the tee, rehearsing the next drive. That player is thinking and will think during that drive.

What do you enjoy most about senior sectional and national tournaments?

I like the competition. I like watching matches and talking with other players about the matches and tennis in general and also about non-tennis subjects. These tournaments, especially the nationals, are like reunions. The social aspect is the most enjoyable.

These reunions are interesting because tennis is such a hierarchical sport, and that carries over to the social part of tournaments. There seem to be two main criteria that determine the respect and friendships that players enjoy: Can he play and is he a good guy? Good guys are gentlemen on the court and modest off of it.

Do you have any suggestions to improve any aspects of senior tennis, including the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association?

I have two, neither of which seem too practical: One is to find a filthy rich benefactor who would endow senior tournaments, providing enough prize money to attract really good players and to offer all participants some reward for playing.

The second harkens back to the days when the Berkeley Tennis Club hosted the Pacific Coast Tournament, where the best players in the world would come. The club members did a lot of the work, housing players, providing meals, transporting them, and generally trying to make things as pleasant as possible. It was a great social event for the club. Members met and worked together with other members and made the club stronger by doing so.

I think senior tournaments could attract more players if players knew they were going to have an experience something like the touring pros, significantly scaled back.

I have nothing but good things to say about the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association.

Paul Fein: Tennis is his racket as a writer, coach, promoter, and player
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
June 2021

“Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.” – Rainer Maria Rilke, Bohemian-Austrian poet 

Considering that in Paul Fein’s fourth and latest book, The Fein Points of Tennis: Technique and Tactics to Unleash Your Talent, each chapter begins with an aphorism, I thought it appropriate to begin this piece with one that aptly describes Paul’s passion for the art of the written word. His enthusiasm for the sport of tennis was evident in his voice as he spoke with me about his career as well as his prolific writing on the subject over the past 40-plus years. 

Although Paul didn’t compete in New England tournament tennis until his last year of the juniors, it didn’t prevent him from making the tennis team at Cornell University where he was “blessed” to be coached by the legendary tennis player and coach, Eddie Moylan. Moylan was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup Team, Davis Cup Coach, and winner at the 1955 Pan American Games with Art Larsen in doubles. Paul was an “eager learner” and, in the parlance of today’s athlete who has undeveloped potential, he was a “project” for Moylan. 

After college and a stint in the U.S. Army where he was stationed in Korea, Paul worked at The Bridgeport (Conn.) Telegram as a general sportswriter. But his heart was in writing specifically about tennis, and the Tennis Boom of the 1970s proved to be an auspicious time for a budding tennis journalist. It was difficult, though, to make a living writing only for American magazines, so he first wrote for tennis magazines in England—a monthly “Letter from America” column—Japan, and Australia. He supplemented his income working as a USPTA teaching pro in Connecticut and Florida. 

The reach of Paul’s writing is impressive as his writings have appeared in 30 countries and well over 100 different magazines and newspapers. He considers himself fortunate to have made a career doing what he loves as many foreign tennis magazines as well as American national and sectional tennis magazines have died this century, and most major newspapers no longer have a tennis beat writer. 

As one might expect, Paul’s identity is intrinsically tied to all things tennis. He founded and directed one of the first five “satellite” tournaments in the world, the Springfield (Mass.) Satellite Tournament, in 1971, which Larry Turville won. He also served the game as president of the Springfield Tennis Club and Springfield Tennis Council, tournament consultant and ranking committee chair for USTA/New England, and vice president of the United States Tennis Writers Association.

Paul considers himself not only a writer of tennis but a player, an editor, a coach, a teacher, and a student of the sport. Combine that identity with a deep love of history, politics, and current events and a proclivity to write Letters to the Editor to newspapers, it’s no wonder that he is sometimes considered by others as “outspoken” on the great issues of politics and tennis politics, whether it’s the ranking or scoring systems, seedings, or the on-court coaching legalized in women’s tennis. Inspired by Gladys Heldman’s brilliant columns in World Tennis magazine, Paul made the case for equal prize money for men and women in a 1977 essay published in Inside Women’s Tennis magazine. 

It comes naturally to Paul to speak his mind based on facts and analysis, and it requires courage to do so. To wit, one of his favorite aphorisms comes from Lady Astor: “The main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything—or nothing.”

Over the course of his career, Paul has received more than 40 writing awards, including Tennis Week’s “International Journalist of the Year” award for his Arthur Ashe interview in 1991 and several First Prize awards in writing contests sponsored by the United States Tennis Writers Association.

For those of you who love reading about tennis, whether it’s stroke analysis or tactics or award-winning articles that Paul has done over the past 40 years, then his upcoming book, due to be released in July, is ​an absolute must-read. This opus has 500 oversized pages, 190,000 words, 100 action photos, and is published by Coaches Choice, a pure sports publisher.

As Dick Gould, the legendary tennis coach of Stanford University’s men’s team, states in the Foreword to the book, The Fein Points of Tennis is a must-read for coaches, players, and any lovers of tennis. Paul nails it in this book and shows he is one of the very best writers of our generation.” One would be hard-pressed to find a more respected name in the tennis world to give such a glowing endorsement.

When Paul is not writing, he does find time to hone his own game. For Paul, senior tennis has been “a godsend.” When he stopped playing tennis at the age of 33, he had no thought of playing tournament tennis again. But after a 30-year hiatus, he was encouraged by a friend to get back out and play some senior tournaments.    

His debut in senior tennis at the age of 63 was memorable. He drew the No. 1 seed in the New England 60 Sectionals and beat him 6-1, 6-1. In Paul’s mind, what was most impressive about the match was not his victory. Instead, it was his opponent’s graciousness in defeat. After Paul said, “I know you’re an excellent player, but you just had an off day,” his opponent replied, “Paul, you made me have an off day. You played a great match.”

That compliment gave him the confidence to continue to play tournaments. So, what happened after that initial match? Well, as Paul describes it, he wasn’t accustomed to tournament schedules, and he overslept and was defaulted in his second-round match.

Nonetheless, his competitive nature ensured he'd continue his journey on the senior circuit. After elbow and shoulder surgeries derailed him in the 65s, Paul rebounded in the 70 and 75 divisions. He peaked by reaching the 2019 National Clay Court Championships 75 singles semifinals with a big win over Fred Drilling, ranked No. 2 nationally, and he wound up with a career-best No. 5 national ranking,

It was difficult to extract very much about Paul’s personal life outside of tennis, but he did confide that in his hometown he is “semi-famous for consuming 11 ounces of blueberries daily.”

Given this proclivity for blueberries and tennis, the following maxim by author Jacqueline Mitchard seems to work quite well: “You’ll never regret eating blueberries or working up a sweat.”

* * * * * * *

You can pre-order an autographed copy of The Fein Points of Tennis: Technique and Tactics to Unleash Your Talent by emailing Paul at lincjeff1@comcast.net

John Popplewell: A Tennis Player for All Seasons
Jake Ten Pas
jake.tenpas@gmail.com
February 2021
This article was originally published in The Winged M magazine, November 2020

Age is in the eye of the “be older.” A spring chicken by almost any definition, MAC Tennis titan John Popplewell is, at the age of 78, just hitting his stride. Over the summer, he received the dual honors of making the club’s Gallery of Champions and being selected by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to represent the U.S. at the International Tennis Federation Super-Senior World Team Championship in Mallorca, Spain.

Asked which honor means the most to him, Popplewell appears to hold a rally with himself in his own mind. “Long-range, the Gallery of Champions has been a goal of mine since I walked through the front door in 2005, and I’m pretty ecstatic. I’ve seen the people chosen for it, and thought it was a pretty tough deal to get in.”

On the other side of the court, “It’s an incredible honor to be picked as one of four people in the whole country for my age group. I figured I’d make the team when I was in my 80s, but wasn’t so sure I’d make it this year. I want the biggest and best, and I want to win at the highest level. That would probably be it!”

On whichever side of the net the ball falls, Popplewell puts both achievements into his sporting-life top three, along with being inducted into the Southern Oregon University Sports Hall of Fame in September 2017. While he’s always been goal-oriented, competitive and ambitious, even Popplewell, Pops, or just Pop — depending on who’s talking — might not have been able to predict just how far the game would take him when he first started playing on Coos Bay courts as a seventh grader. Back then, the age of 40 seemed ancient, and being the talk of the local barbershop a noble and lofty pursuit.

 The Serve

It was in college that Popplewell first realized tennis could be a sport for a lifetime. He remembers buying magazines such as World Tennis and following all the scores of guys playing around age 35 or even, gasp, in their 40s.

“At the time, when I was 18, I thought 40 was really old. Now, I figure maybe it’s not so old,” he says, laughing.

In the 1950s and early ’60s, he recalls, Marshfield High School’s teams were very competitive, and often victorious, against the best sports teams in the state. Coos Bay was a small logging town, and Popplewell remembers walking to the barbershop and listening to men getting their hair cut and talking enthusiastically about sports, particularly football. That made a big impression, and living across the streets from tennis courts and a baseball field, with a swimming pool just up the street, didn’t exactly dissuade him from pursuing athletic glory. He started playing basketball and baseball in the third grade, and was eventually introduced to tennis by his best friend, Larry Eickworth.

“I was just a little guy, 5’6 at my tallest, and now I’m 5’5”, but I knew I wanted to letter in high school my freshman year,” he says. Initially earning the spot of sixth man early that season, his buddy’s bad luck would turn out to be his opportunity. Playing against Springfield High School, Eickworth won his match, and went to jump over the net to shake his opponent’s hand. He didn’t quite make it, and severely sprained his ankle.

“I got moved to the number five spot, played the necessary amount of matches, and lettered. I was one of two freshmen at Marshfield who did, and we had 300 kids in each grade. Here I am, small for my age, wearing my letterman jacket, and I said, ‘OK, I’m all in for tennis.’”

Each year, he steadily improved, jumping up to number one on the team his senior year. He also lettered in basketball and played American Legion baseball. By the time he made his way to Southern Oregon, his love of athletics was firmly cemented. Waiting there was a familiar face with whom he would begin to cast his gaze further into the future.

The Return

Eickworth was already ensconced at SOU when Popplewell arrived after spending his freshman year at Oregon State, and the two were soon roommates. After taking a year off due to eligibility requirements, Pop was ready to compete the following year.

“Eickworth and I decided at some point that we were going to be buddies forever, and so when we hit our 50s, we’d go out and start winning national championships together in doubles,” Popplewell recalls of their strong bond.

But first, there was the small matter of getting through college, and Pop decided to make the most of it. His first year playing tennis for SOU, the team took on OSU and pulled off a huge upset. They went on to beat other NCAA schools such as Seattle University and University of Oregon.

“It was a big deal because we were an NAIA school beating NCAA schools. Our team didn't lose a league match in four years. We qualified for two NAIA National Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, and we finished eighth overall my last year there.”

Following graduation, Popplewell went on to a successful career at Portland’s Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. After 28 years, he was able to retire at the age of 52, allowing him to get back to his real interest, tennis. While he’d found a home for his career, it would be a few more years before he’d find an equivalent nest for his athletic ambitions.

A Rest

Popplewell and Eickworth never did achieve their goal of being doubles champions together in their 50s. In 1990, they won the Idaho Men's 45 Open State Championship Title in Sun Valley. Three years later, the fair-skinned, red-headed Eickworth passed from melanoma.

Pop recalls meeting him on the Gallatin River, where Eickworth and his wife had a summer place. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to go to the oncology center in Woodlands in Texas to deal with cancer,” his friend confided.

“I retired at 52, but I didn’t have him as a partner, and he was phenomenal,” Popplewell says. “I’ve always had his name on my racquet, and he’s the guy I play for. He got me into tennis, and I want to win for him as much as myself. We grew up in an area where winning was a big deal, and no matter what, we were competing. I still have that in my blood. It’s just part of my DNA.”

New Match          

“You need an incredible amount of patience to win in tennis. You need to be mentally tough, obviously. Patience along with mental toughness is a big part of the formula for winning matches.”

Pop first applied for MAC membership back in 1982. He’d learned to bide his time on the court, which served him well in the years to come. He tried three more times before finally being accepted through the lottery in 2005.

In the meantime, he continued to refine his game with life and practice partner Patsy Bruggere, with whom he’s traveled the world over 34 years. “She’s an exceptional player and an even better person,” he says, giving her due credit for the role she’s played in helping him to stay sharp.

Popplewell recently returned from a rare solo trip to Antarctica, the last of the seven continents he had yet to visit. “I’ve been to 40 countries around the world,” he rattles off.

Statistics get Pop pumped. He’s caught 1,200 salmon and steelhead out of rivers in his life, and more than 20,000 fish total. He’s an avid fly fisherman, too, because of course he is.

“Being the sports junkie I am, I love everything MAC has to offer. It’s just a home away from home. It offers everything a true sportsman could love. MAC is like going into an ice cream shop with 31 flavors, except MAC has probably 100 flavors, and they’re all good!”

When Pop finally found his way into the promised land halfway through “the aughts,” he decided to make up for lost time.

Still Rallying

Over his tennis career, Popplewell has won 328 championship titles in singles, doubles or team events, and has been ranked No. 1 for his age group in doubles 25 times since 2000. But even just since the time he joined MAC, he’s won 11 gold, silver or bronze balls at Category I USTA National Championship events, and more than 30 Category II USTA National Championships. He was ranked No. 1 in USA Men’s 75 Doubles at the end of 2017.

He’s proud of these accomplishments, but never takes himself as seriously as the game. Ask Tennis Committee Chair Andrew Randles, Head Coach Paul Reber, or admirer Jim Lekas, and they’ll all tell you stories of both Pop’s bold competitive spirit and humble commitment to etiquette and sportsmanship. He’s never too busy to clean the green fuzz off the courts after a session with the ball machine, and he often takes time out to offer coaching to younger players still developing their games.

“I’ve always respected the game of tennis from A to Z,” Pop responds when presented with these details. That means a lifelong pursuit of self-improvement, and preferring defeat at the hands of a worthy competitor over lopsided triumph.

“You don’t have to look very far to find somebody that can whip you,” he points out. “I like to be tested. I’m always looking ahead to the next match. My main thing is just staying healthy and continuing to improve. I’m actually really looking forward to playing in the 85s division.”

“I still have, for my age, quickness, anticipation, and a long history of playing lots of matches and just staying in shape,” he says. “I'm thinking like a 30 year old and I should maybe think like a 78 year old. But I don't believe I'm really that old, you know?”

The Life and Times of Mas Kimball
Paul Fein
pfein@nsmta.net
September 2020

When, where, and why did you start playing tennis?

It was in the early spring of 1978, during the heyday of tennis in the U.S., that a bunch of us living in the same building complex in Westchester, N.Y., which had two tennis courts, decided we would try our hand at this game called tennis. I read many books about tennis, of which The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey made the most impression on me. I suspect Mr. Gallwey's words spoke to me because of my upbringing as a Buddhist. To this day, I remember the phrase that hooked me ... “When the mind is free of any thought or judgment, it is still and acts like a mirror. Then and only then can we know things as they are.” That phrase has guided my tennis game since starting play at the age of 29 and all through my life.

What were your most prestigious singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles?

In the eighties, I played tournaments on the American Tennis Association circuit. All the USTA tournaments in my area were held during the week, and I was busy getting my company started. So, my first exposure to USTA tennis was in the League program. Tournament singles and men’s doubles are a relatively new undertaking for me which I started playing in 2015. All the gold balls I have won come from playing the Husband & Wife Nationals, which I started playing in 2006 … 17 gold balls in all, with several silver and bronze balls also.

What was the name of your company? And what was the good or service your company provided?

Microware Systems began as a full-services computer company, which provided complete solutions to a client’s computerization needs—acquiring the hardware, software, training personnel, installation and configuration of the hardware and software, and writing custom software when needed. As the industry grew and matured, we got out of the hardware business, realizing the prices would be coming down and, therefore, the profit margins would get smaller and smaller. We concentrated on writing custom software for the garment industry in New York.

What was your biggest or most memorable win?

My most memorable singles match came in 2009 at an IC (The International Lawn Tennis Clubs) event in Moscow, at which I represented the IC of the Bahamas in singles and mixed doubles. In the singles, my opponent, Vladimir Molchanov, didn’t speak any English and my Russian was non-existent, but we managed to get through the few disputes without starting another Cold War!

After we split sets, a 10-point tiebreaker ensued to settle the match. After dashing out to a 9-3 lead and serving for the match, Vladimir faltered just enough to allow me to bring the tiebreaker to 9-9 and I eventually won 12-10. At the awards banquet, Vladimir presented me with a beautiful pewter mug and proclaimed, “War bad, tennis good.” We managed to have a wonderful conversation with two multilingual intermediaries at our table ... my English to French to Swiss to Russian, and Vladimir replying with reverse translations! This event truly exemplified what tennis means to me.

Please tell me more about the IC.

The International Lawn Tennis Clubs (IC), as one of its core values, plays matches between its 42 member nations among tennis players who have played representative tennis overseas. You can learn more about the organization at ictennis.net.

You wrote: “This event truly exemplified what tennis means to me.” What did this event truly exemplify to you? 

Tennis, as with most sports, transcends politics, customs, language, etc. With the motto of “Hands across the net, friendship across the ocean”, the IC exemplifies and promotes all the ideas we strive for as human beings.

What have been the keys to your tournament accomplishments?

A willingness to always look to improve and to enjoy the experience rather than just to win. To improve, one must be in reasonably good shape, have a strong desire to continually learn new techniques and skills, and a willingness to be uncomfortable during this process. It is also beneficial to have one or more knowledgeable mentors to guide one through this process. I have been very fortunate to have several of these teachers.

Did your highly successful career in the computer industry help your tennis in any ways? And vice versa?

Not directly. Indeed, being focused, patient, and determined helped in both my career and my tennis. These are traits I would subscribe to my Buddhist upbringing.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Tokyo and spent most of my 7 years in Otsu, Japan, a small town outside of Kyoto. Three of those years were spent living in a Buddhist Monastery.

And what are the main tenets of Buddhism?

As with any guide to life, it isn't easy to distill a compendious philosophical practice to several basic tenets, so I will use the words of someone I admire and respect, Dr. Alexander Berzin:

1. Everyone wants to lead a happier life, but few know what that would mean or how to accomplish it.

2. Our emotions and attitudes affect how we feel. With training, we can rid ourselves of negative ones and develop healthier and more positive ones. Doing that will make our lives happier and more fulfilling.

3. Disturbing emotions such as anger, fear, greed and attachment make us lose peace of mind and self-control. With training, we can free ourselves from being under their control.

4. Acting compulsively out of anger or greed creates problems for us and leads to unhappiness. With training, we can learn to calm down, think clearly and act wisely.

5. Positive emotions such as love, compassion, patience and understanding help us remain calm, open and clear, and bring us more happiness. With training, we can learn to develop them.

6. Self-centered, selfish behavior and thought close us off from others and make us unhappy. With training, we can overcome them.

7. Realizing that we are all interconnected and that our survival depends on each other opens our hearts and minds, helps us develop concern for others, and brings us more happiness.

8. Most of what we perceive in ourselves and others are projections of fantasy, based on confusion. When we believe that our projections correspond to reality, we create problems for ourselves and others.

9. With correct understanding, we can rid ourselves of confusion and see reality. This enables us to deal calmly and wisely with whatever happens in life.

10. Working on ourselves to become a better person is a life-long challenge, but the most meaningful thing we can do with our lives.

What inspired you to collaborate with five other highly regarded seniors to found the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association in January 2018?

After I started to play USTA tournaments and then participate as a member of the USTA National Adult Competition Committee, it became evident to me that tournament participation was on a downhill trajectory.It was an uphill battle at USTA to foster some fundamental changes to improve the situation. The NSMTA seemed the perfect vehicle to address some of the problems, and perhaps influence the USTA to do the same. I am happy to say that our collective efforts, both with NSMTA and the USTA are beginning to bear fruit.

What statistics do you have to support your assertion that “tournament participation was on a downhill trajectory”?

Simply by looking at tournament player participation numbers over the past 10 years, there is no doubt that participation has been steadily decreasing.

Specifically, why was it “an uphill battle at USTA to foster some fundamental changes to improve the situation”?

In my opinion, organizations, like human beings, resist change. So, for many years, at the USTA, there was resistance to making sweeping changes. That being said, I think changes coming in 2021 is a huge step in the right direction and an indication of a significant shift in the administration of the many programs which the USTA supports. 

Specifically, how have the collective efforts of NSMTA and the USTA begun to bear fruit?

NSMTA developed and fostered the flight round-robin format’s adoption, which guaranteed at least three matches for every player entering a tournament. The USTA and NSMTA have realized that an event is not just about tennis anymore, except perhaps for the top players. There needs to be more emphasis on the experience.

Through tournament sponsorships, the NSMTA has nurtured that idea by providing happy hours to give players more opportunities to socialize. The USTA will encourage tournament directors to provide a better experience with better support of TDs with a TD Handbook, improve communication with players, and better promote national tournaments, to name a few initiatives. CLICK HERE for a list of USTA 2021 changes.

I’ve talked to quite a few senior tournament players who have never heard of the NSMTA? What does the NSMTA do to ensure that every senior player is, at a minimum, aware of its existence—and if possible, aware of all it is doing to promote senior men’s tennis?

We continue to add new names to our email list. We encourage current members to talk with their friends who are not yet members. We have and will continue to run promotions for players who sign up multiple new members. We arrange to speak at any event’s player parties to promote the NSMTA. We hand out Information Cards at tournaments. Lastly, we are open to other ideas from all players to increase our membership.

What assets do you bring to the Board of Directors?

Having a background in IT, I started and maintained the NSMTA website, member communications, and e-commerce. When that job began to consume too many hours in my weekly schedule, the board hired my daughter, Keiko, to maintain it. My additional training in group dynamics and conflict management has helped navigate difficult issues that inevitably arise in any organization. My experience as a player and an organizer and tournament director of multiple local, national, and international events has allowed me to look at tennis from various perspectives. Lastly, as a member of the USTA National Adult Competition Committee, I have an avenue to introduce and discuss ideas about how to increase participation in Adult Age Group events.

Which issues do you plan to focus on? And why?

I would like to focus on increasing membership in the NSMTA. With more members, we will have a greater voice with USTA. It will also increase our budget to be able to do more for senior men's tennis.

You are the one of only 5 or 6 NSMTA members on the 17-member USTA Adult Competition committee, which has only 10 members who have played Senior or Super Senior men’s tournaments in the past four years. Put differently, we have very little representation on this powerful committee which makes very important decisions about Senior and Super Senior Tennis. Furthermore, this committee clearly lacks expertise and experience about Senior and Super Senior Tennis. What can and should the NSMTA do to rectify this serious problem?

Having nearly 60% of the committee who have played senior tournaments is, in my mind, quite good representation. There are also tournament directors, facility managers, tennis business owners, and event organizers that are part of the committee. I think the most important facet of this committee is the people's willingness to listen and carefully evaluate information presented by staff, other committee members, and the leadership. Therefore, I do not see it as a problem that the NSMTA need to address directly.

You serve on the USTA National Adult Competition Committee. What should the USTA do to advance the cause of senior and super senior tennis?

I think the information given above, addresses this question as well as the list of USTA 2021 changes noted above.

The initiatives that are currently being announced by the USTA for changes coming in 2021 are the culmination of many hours of hard work by a well-balanced group of players, tournament directors, facility managers and club owners. This brings together a diverse group of individuals with differing opinions but with one purpose in mind: to increase participation in the adult competition space. It is also led by a chairperson who has shown exceptional leadership and a staff person who understands our concerns and goes out of her way to help us meet our goals. The USTA is fortunate to have a combination of talent on this committee. All that being said, I think one of the most significant changes implemented is the removal of the Adult Tournament Rules and Regulations from the “Friend At Court” to stand alone as a separate set of Rules and Regulations, which can be amended by the Adult Competition Committee. This will allow changes to the rules, formats, requirements, etc., to be made expeditiously, giving the committee broad discretion to make necessary changes quickly.

Which national and sectional tournaments are run the best? What do they do especially well? And what can other tournaments learn from them?

They are too numerous to list. What stands out with all of them is that they provide a great player experience. Communication before, during and after the event is performed in a timely and respectful manner; most of them do a players’ dinner; match scheduling is done thoughtfully with very little delay times for players; the courts are in good shape; and every attempt is made to provide warmup courts.

Should every sectional tournament employ an accredited referee?

If you are referring to Sectional Championship-level tournaments, then yes, there should be a referee present. At other tournaments, this decision should be at the discretion of the tournament director and the Section.

On mixed doubles, the late humor columnist Art Buchwald wrote: “You either go to bed with someone or you play tennis with them. But don’t do both.” You and your wife Susan have won 17 USTA gold balls in husband-and-wife doubles. How have you managed to disprove Buchwald’s dictum?

How about the dictum, “Never go to bed angry” translated to the tennis court, “Never step on to the court angry.” We had our moments when we didn’t heed that advice, but for the vast majority of the time, we were successful following that adage. We agreed that I was the captain on the court, and as a good captain, I would always elicit the advice of my partner. We would discuss strategy during changeovers and review matches at their conclusion, especially if we lost. On the court, I looked at Susan not as my wife but as an excellent partner with whom I had the privilege to play. Full disclosure: Although Susan and I are no longer married, it was not a result of our experience on the court.

You’ve worked as an organizational administrator in local, state, federal, and presidential elections. Which politicians have you helped during their campaigns, and how did they fare? And which causes are you most passionate about?

Over the many years I have been involved in politics, I have worked with Democratic, Republican, and Independent campaigns. Some won, some lost. During the same period, I have been involved in many activism causes. I cut my teeth on the Civil Rights movement and later on the Vietnam antiwar movement. My latest involvement has been with Climate Change.

You’ve helped organize and run several tennis clubs, numerous tennis tournaments, and many regional and international tennis events. Would you please tell me about your service in  these areas.

I took up tennis late in life during the heyday of tennis in the U.S. when there was great interest by newly engaged players to play, improve, and get together for tennis social activities. Along with half a dozen others, I formed the Westchester Plaza Racquet Club, named after the housing complex where we all lived in Mount Vernon, N.Y. We created a monthly newsletter, held tournaments, and organized tennis outings during the summer and indoor tennis parties in the winter. Before long, we had more than 270 members from all over Westchester, from four of the five boroughs of New York City and from Long Island.

Given my computer experience, I also helped several tennis clubs in Westchester streamline their operations. Back in those days, there were no software programs for tennis clubs, so I set out writing and implementing these programs. I lead the  WPRC as president for five years, but as my interest in tennis organizing broadened, I had the opportunity to travel internationally. I volunteered my services for several organizations. Two that come to mind are the I.C. of the Bahamas (of which I am a member) and the Peter Phillips Tennis Club, formerly The Brandon Cup Championships, which was an outgrowth of the Davis Cup selection process for the West Indies. That would be an interesting read of what that was all about but for another time! For each of these, my computer and tournament director skills allowed me to contribute to the continued success of these organizations.

What do you believe are the NSMTA’s most important accomplishments so far? And why?

For a young organization, we have accomplished quite a bit, but several accomplishments stand out. First, the introduction of the Flight Doubles format. This format has afforded more play for what I call the Tier 2 and Tier 3 players—those who typically do not reach the quarterfinals. The format strives to guarantee a minimum of three matches per team, making for a better player experience. This format has been adopted by the USTA and will be used for all national doubles events.

Another aspect of tournaments often ignored is fostering camaraderie amongst the players. The NSMTA now sponsors a happy-hour towards the end of the day at a number of tournaments. We feel this also enhances the player experience.

Third, the relationship that the NSMTA has forged with the USTA has been very beneficial to both organizations. It was a bit of a tightrope in the beginning with players concerned with us just being a mouthpiece for the USTA. At the same time, the USTA voiced concern that we were going to work against the USTA and perhaps start an adversarial organization. I think we have managed to show all the concerned parties that we are an independent, well-run, knowledgeable tennis association with the best interests of senior men’s tennis as our foremost concern, and that we can influence the USTA in positive ways.

The Many Loves of Hugh Burris
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
September 2020

As the son of a Navy aviator, Hugh was a self-described “service brat”, having called several places “home” during his childhood years. This constant movement amongst houses helps prepare one to become independent and comfortable with different and unknown circumstances and experiences.

Hugh’s Dad loved to fish and so, at three and a half years of age, he would tag along with his Dad, and this began a life-long love affair with fishing. His independent streak served him well in fishing when Hugh became a “commercial” fisherman at the age of ten. He would take his boat out on Chesapeake Bay, MD (where his Dad was stationed at the time), catch a few dozen crabs daily and sell them to a broker for $2 a dozen. Not too shabby for a kid his age.

Hugh’s family finally settled in Kingsville, TX, where he played basketball in high school with hopes of getting a scholarship to college. Although his basketball dreams did not come to fruition, he became a pre-med major at Texas A&I (now Texas A&M – Kingsville), graduating in three years and then to medical school, and his internship and residency at UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) – Galveston. During his internship on Christmas day 1972, his first day in the emergency room, he felt like he “died and went to heaven.” He had found his calling as an ER doctor, which has been his professional endeavor over the past 45 years. Reflecting on what it is about the emergency room that makes his bell ring, Hugh says, “It’s about the detail, it’s about the unknown of what’s going to walk in through those doors. Whether it’s a sprained ankle or a heart attack, the ER doctor must be prepared for anything and make decisions quickly and decisively”. That is what makes the job exciting, and his upbringing helped prepare him for those unknown situations he faces every day.

Hugh did not start playing tennis seriously until after completing his residency at the age of 28. He started playing national tournaments at 35, and has played at least one or two nationals a year ever since. Although Hugh plays left-handed, he wasn’t born so. Hugh’s Dad had aspirations for him as a southpaw in baseball. In fact, his Dad was so intent that he become a lefty that when he was three years old, Dad would tie Hugh’s right hand behind his back so he would be forced to throw left-handed (something Hugh found out later in life from his Dad).

Although he has never won a gold ball, he has a few silver balls to his credit in both singles and doubles. His silvers in singles are among his greatest tennis moments as he lost in the finals to two great senior players, Brian Cheney and David Nash. He has also won a bronze ball with his daughter Liz (who played college tennis at SMU and is currently a teaching pro in the Houston area) in the Father-Daughter Nationals. He also plays the Husband-Wife Nationals with his wife of 34 years, Carol.

As one might imagine, being an ER doctor can be extremely stress-provoking. For Hugh, tennis offers a relaxing outlet from a stressful job and maintains his physical fitness and mental well-being. Observing the ever-present fragility of life in his work, he fully appreciates every day what life offers him. As a result, he’s able to put winning and losing in tennis into perspective. Tennis has also given Hugh tremendous joy in the life-long friendships he has made, even more than he made in all his years in medicine. These friendships have probably more than made up for the ones he may not have had as a young boy always on the move.

As much as Hugh loves tennis, it seems that it takes a backseat to his love of Carol and fishing, in that order! When asked what he loves about fishing, his reply is quick and succinct - “Everything!”. From catching and selecting the proper bait, to learning the water and the fish’s tendencies, to the wonders of what wildlife you might see, (sea otters, turtles, etc), fishing is one more way of escaping the hectic life of an ER room. That he can fish and play tennis nearly every day tells you that Hugh truly has his life in balance, something for which we can all strive.

Leland Housman: Cardiovascular Surgeon & Senior Tennis Champ
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
August 2020

To have learned your craft from world-class teachers is an awesome gift. At the same time, it’s incumbent on you to embrace the challenge of living up to expectations those teachers may place on you as well as those expectations you place on yourself. The dedication to the craft requires focus, time and effort. When your craft involves life and death consequences, the focus and commitment become even more paramount and intense. Such was the case with senior tennis champion Leland Housman who became one of the nation’s leading cardiovascular surgeons over the 40 years of his practice in San Diego.

Leland graduated from the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in just 2 ½ years by taking classes year-round. He knew after watching a fellow tennis player who also happened to be a vascular surgeon perform surgery, what his medical future would look like. He attended the Baylor School of Medicine for 4 years as a student and one year as an intern primarily because of Dr. Michael DeBakey. Baylor was at the forefront of cardiovascular surgery at the time, and DeBakey was its most prominent doctor. For those unfamiliar with the DeBakey name, it would be safe to say that he was the most well-known cardiovascular surgeon in the country, if not the world. He pioneered procedures that are now commonplace, such as bypass surgery, as well as inventing several devices designed to help heart patients. DeBakey took a liking to Leland, especially when Leland expressed interest in becoming a surgeon. Leland describes DeBakey as a taskmaster and someone who could be quite intimidating. Leland vividly recalls DeBakey dressing down a resident when he was not quite on his game by saying, ”Your lack of attention to detail is amazing!”

After his internship at Baylor, DeBakey encouraged Leland to do his residency at the University of California, San Diego, where the top cardiologist in the country and the head of the NIH Cardiology Section, Dr. Eugene Braunwald, was heading up the cardiology program at UCSD. Leland spent his residency at UCSD and studied under the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald. She was a pioneer in cardiac surgery in her own right, having designed and developed many of the early artificial mitral valve prostheses.

When his five years of General Surgery residency were up in San Diego, fewer than a handful of medical schools allowed residents to perform significant numbers of cardiac surgery under supervision. So Dr. Starr-Braunwald recommended that Leland attend one of those schools, the University of Oregon, where he did his Cardiac and Pulmonary Surgical Fellowship for two years.

Once he completed his fellowship in Oregon, he and his future wife, Carolyn, headed back to San Diego where he would have an opportunity to practice surgery and re-engage with the sport he loved. A requirement of their first home was that it have a tennis court. That home, which initially sported a hard court and since converted in 1999 to a Har-Tru clay court, is still where he plays most of his tennis. When asked if he ever has a problem finding an opponent, he replies, “there’s no shortage of players who want to come over here and beat me.”

Although Leland received a tennis scholarship to UTEP and played #1 singles during his short time there, twelve years post-college studies dominated his time and energy, and he played very little tennis. That hiatus may have been a blessing in disguise, as he attributes his seven days a week playing schedule (44 years and counting!) and lack of any severe injuries, to his absence from the sport during that time.

Getting a win over Leland is no easy feat. Although it took him a year or two to become “tournament tough” after he entered his first national tournament at the age of 53, he has won Gold Balls in every age division since with a total of 17 to his credit, including three doubles gold balls. He received invitations to participate on the USA World Cup Team 8 times, but given his work schedule, he was only able to play on two of those teams. One on the grass (which he had never played on previously) in Philadelphia and one on clay in Turkey, with the teams winning World Championships both times.

Similar to the World Cup Team situation, Leland often had to juggle his tennis schedule to accommodate his surgery schedule and vice versa. Sometimes though the schedule is the schedule and in a national tournament, it’s unlikely any last minute changes can be made to accommodate all parties. One time, he and Mike Stewart had made it to the National Clay Court doubles final at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club. Their match had been delayed and was now scheduled for 2PM. Leland was to perform a cardiac bypass the following day and his plane was to depart at 4PM and oh, by the way, Mike had never won a Gold Ball up to this point. Leland and Mike won the first set but the second set went to a tiebreaker. Leland told Mike that if they lost the tiebreak they would have to default as Leland had to arrive at the airport in time to make his flight. With Leland serving into the glaring sun within two points of victory, he shouted up to people on the deck, “Does anyone have some sunglasses?” Several pairs were thrown his way and he managed to finish off the match and arrive at the airport in time. A great way to end the tournament and for Mike to savor his first Gold Ball.

When our time chatting together was drawing to a close, Leland, in his inimitable modest way, told me about his “other hobby” - flying planes. He’s an experienced pilot who has several flight certifications and licenses including: a private and commercial license and a Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instrument Instructor license. He also owned a Cessna Citation Jet for ten years---- definitely his pride and joy. He no longer flies but keeps all of his licenses current “just in case”.

Upon reflection, Leland is most proud of his 53 publications in medical journals on Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery and several “firsts” he attained during his days as a surgeon in San Diego. These included the first triple valve implantation and the first all-arterial coronary bypass. Although he’s retired from his surgery practice in 2018, he still does some teaching of residents and Fellows. Just as his mentors and teachers were pivotal figures in his life, Leland is paying it forward to the future surgeons in our communities.

While his professional career has almost drawn to a close, Leland will continue to be a force to be reckoned with on the courts, given his fitness and surgery-free schedule. He’ll also have more time to spend with his three grandkids (with another one on the way) and his wife, Carolyn, who 45 years ago put a figurative gun to his head and said, “You better marry me... now! Add that decision to his already impressive string of accomplishments!

John Mayotte: The Patriarch and the Player
Paul Fein
Pfein@nsmta.net
July 2020

You are a natural athlete and could have excelled at several sports. What appealed to you about tennis that made you concentrate on it when you were young?

What appealed to me about tennis was the individual sport and self-determination aspect of it. I recall playing baseball on Little League teams and played first base. But I did not like sharing my innings with other, in some cases less-qualified, team members. I guess you could say initially I was not a team player. Moreover, I did not like to wait to go to bat on a rotation. In tennis, you could hit hundreds of balls yourself and I enjoyed that.

More practically speaking, as you know, the Forest Park public courts were right across the street from where I lived in Springfield. So I had to pass by the courts every day anyhow. Most of the kids in the neighborhood congregated there and started to play tennis. As you know well, we just started to literally play tennis all day long. Then Mr. (C. Clement) Easton started to get us involved in local city junior tournaments sponsored by the Daily News. Most of the kids played the tournaments initially. But after success locally, a couple of us my age and a bit older won most of these local events and wanted to keep playing. We improved just by playing and watching the pros initially on TV only.

Who helped you the most when you started playing tennis? And how did they help you?

We all helped each other. Paul, you yourself were a big help. So were some older kids—Matt Suher, Ron Kitchen, and Gale Holt—and the local adults—Ed Serues, Harry Bloomberg, Shelly Rosenthal, and Tom Richardson. We learned from them by playing more than from coaching. We would not only play for hours and hours at the park, but we would discuss the pros’ games and strokes and results. There were different styles of adult players at the Park...classic, unorthodox, pushers. We played them all and got better than most of the adults soon.

I was a lefty, so I remember seeing Rod Laver on TV, then live later on at the Longwood Cricket Club along with Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, and even Pancho Gonzalez one year. Then when the New England Juniors were held at Longwood, I pretended I was Laver at Longwood. Or at least I would try to copy their technique and practice and discuss how to hit forehands, backhands, serves, volleys. However, we did not discuss strategy much. That was too sophisticated at the time. We had no coaching. A few of us just kind of emerged in 8th and 9th grade as the better players. We were more dedicated. We just loved to play.

There was one wake-up call in the 13s and 15s and under. For three years when I would ​reach the final of each age group, I would have to play Norman Holmes. He came up from Florida for the summers. And each time we played, he beat me badly. So I realized there was more and much better competition nationally. That fact was reinforced later when I went to national junior tournaments, especially Kalamazoo. Those tournaments were a reality check!

Were there any tennis champions you idolized as a boy and wanted to emulate?

Rod Laver by far. I remember the first time I saw him live. It was actually in Springfield at Springfield College. I was in 8th grade in ’62. The top eight players, mostly Australians, played a one-night exhibition and Laver was in it. I had a cover photo of him from Sports Illustrated magazine. I went down from the stands with the picture to get his autograph. He not only signed the picture, but asked me, “Where did you get this picture?” He spoke to me, which was amazing in itself.

I got to see him play live so again I had more “information” to copy his game. More slice and topspin. More power and touch. Admittedly, I was star struck. Then when we went to our first tournaments in Connecticut and the Boston area, I saw the other top New England kids play. Peter Campbell, Billy Mears, Woody Hoblitzell, and Michelle Scheinemann. They all were steady, but it seemed to me their games were somewhat fabricated due to lessons. Most of them were steady but not aggressive or risk takers.

However, in my first year of New England tournament competition, I could not beat them.  I was even intimidated. I was from Springfield, and they were mostly from clubs around Boston. I did not have the confidence or the patience. But in my second year, I was beating everybody by playing aggressively and with variety. It was fun to win.

I clearly recall when I won my first big New England sanctioned tournament in Hingham, Mass., in a Sunday final in May of ’62. The following Monday there was a short article about my title win in The Springfield Daily News written by Jerry Radding. My Dad was so proud.

I was in eighth grade attending Holy Name Grammar School. We were in gym playing basketball, and our gym teacher came up to me and said, “I saw the article about you in the paper winning that tennis tournament.” I thought that was pretty cool. As a result, I became even more motivated.
 

You grew up about 100 yards from the 8 clay and 15 hard courts at Forest Park, the mecca of tennis in Springfield, Massachusetts. What was that like?

Forest Park was the best. It had everything for families. Sports, entertainment, nature, and at the time, safety. We were Baby Boomers, of ​course, and every family was large in our neighborhood. So Forest Park was a place for all the kids to go and participate, and in our case, mostly tennis. We could go there all day long. It was literally across the street. But even kids and adults who did not live in Forest Park would go there to play tennis, baseball, football, even some soccer. I never asked my parents if we intentionally moved there for all the park activities, but I am sure that was the case.

Regarding my tennis, it’s where it all started. I ball-boyed for the players in the Pioneer Valley men’s championships, one of the top New England tournaments that attracted stars Henri Salaun, Ned Weld, and Larry Lewis. I later won that title as a junior in high school, beating Skip Hartman, one of the top players at Princeton. The Pioneer Valley was in my hometown, so winning it was really great.

The Western Mass High School Championships were also held there every year. I was only a freshman when I got to my first final. I then went on to win the tournament three times. Getting to play on Court 21 at the time was like playing at the U.S. Open. We had umpires, crowds, ball boys and girls, and the local press would even interview us. It was inspiring and yet so different from competing at the fancy country clubs in the Boston area and southern Connecticut. I loved practicing and competing at Forest Park.

You were fortunate to have a formidable rival in John Hughes, who was your teammate both at Cathedral High School and Holy Cross College. You also competed against him in New England men’s open tournaments. Like you, John was a tall, athletic serve-volleyer. What was your relationship and rivalry like? And how did this rivalry improve your game?

John Hughes and I had a good rivalry. Again, that just emerged and was not a result of a plan or coaching. He was an incredibly talented player too, and maybe even more of a worker than I. I recollect that he and Tommy Suher practiced a lot together, and I practiced more with you, Ron Kitchen, and adults like Tom Richardson.

I was even more motivated to win the most important matches. There were two junior matches. First, John beat me in our senior year of high school to gain the No. 1 spot on our team in ’66. We were both unbeaten in dual matches against other teams. So, I practiced hard that season to be ready for the eagerly awaited Western Mass. final.  

I had learned from Harry Bloomberg, a local tennis enthusiast, before our final that my high school coach bet for Hughes and against me. That motivated even more to win that final. I beat John in three sets and won the Western Mass. title and then the State Final easily after that. Those two high school contests against John meant more to me than any matches I later won in New England men’s tennis.

John and I had a good personal relationship. But it was naturally competitive because we played and practiced together so much growing up. Also, when we did play each other in tournaments, I was somewhat psyched out.

We hung around in the neighborhood, played football and baseball together, and just went to the park with the other kids. It was unusual that we went to the same college. Nick Sharry recruited us to go to Holy Cross. And we did play on the team together. My grandfather went there as well as some of my Larkin uncles. But as I said before, outside of tennis in college, we went in different directions. I got really involved with other classmates in the anti-war movement. It would be interesting to go back and discuss with John what he did those year. I do know he has stayed in the tennis business all these years.
 

In your 20s and early 30s, you seemed to have an on-and-off relationship with tennis, playing tournaments some years but not other years. What was going on then?

There was a lot going on then. From my freshman year in college at Holy Cross in ’66, I began to lose interest in both college tennis and tournament competition. And by ’68, tennis seemed to me to be irrelevant.

Why? Largely because of the Vietnam War and social issues. In 1968, as you recall, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated and so was Martin Luther King. At the time of those tragedies, the Vietnam War was escalating. At the same time, the anti-war movement was accelerating at a fast pace. I joined that movement for both practical and emotional reasons. 

I went to all the big protest events in Boston, New Haven, and both Washington marches. I was involved on campus in anti-war activities. I also became friends with our classmates who were in the Black Student Union. I saw for the first-time students on our campus who had grown up with extraordinarily little compared to my upbringing. Tennis seemed irrelevant to me while people my age were being killed in the war.

My involvement in these political and social campaigns lasted through my senior year and was capped off by the killing of peaceful Kent State student protesters in 1970. It was not until 1975, after the war, that my interest in competitive tennis was revitalized with an invitation from Ted Hoehn to play on the NETS (New England Tennis Stars) Tour.

Did these hiatuses prevent you from reaching your potential even though you peaked at No. 2 in singles in New England and dominated doubles with Jim Ratliff for a period?

Perhaps a bit. But, like most of us from the USTA sections at that time, I did not have the training or advice as to how to approach the tour. And again, in my case I did not have the confidence I could compete with the top pros. I got to the third or fourth round of national junior tournaments, but got killed in the rounds of 16 or quarters. Frankly, I was intimidated by some of the guys I see now in the seniors who never stopped playing.

One other important thing to mention is that I fell madly in love with a girl named Betsy Kling. One of my college teammates and my roommate, Marc Young, introduced me to Betsy at his wedding in Cincinnati, and for some reason, she agreed to marry me. We were young at the ages of 24 and 23. But we loved sports and music. She is a good athlete and excellent pianist. I was still working, teaching tennis, in the Berkshires at Blantyre Castle in Lenox, Mass.  So, the idea that we could spend summers there listening to music at Tanglewood was heaven. Then the NETS opportunity came along, and we traveled together to those events.

Regarding the New England Tennis Stars Tour, Ted Hoehn put together a great prize money tour during the tennis boom for the best players in New England and some from the Eastern Section. It was a kick. I got to play with guys I did not know before. Bill Drake, Bailey Brown, Steve Williams, and Jim Ratliff. Jim and I teamed up for most of these events. He was a genius doubles player. Jim was also the closest thing I had to a coach those years. He would tell me how to construct points in both singles and doubles. We had plans for almost every point. I loved learning more of the science behind the game as well as working on strokes and strategy, closing the net, lobbing. I loved it and we did well together. We all owe so much to Ted for envisioning and organizing the NETS.

    
What were your most memorable matches? The match I most remember was when you and Jim Ratliff nearly upset Jan Kodes and Marty Riessen at the 1977 Springfield ATP International Tournament. You had a game point in every game in the third set.

Yes, this was the second biggest match for me. It was at home in Springfield at the Civic Center. These was a big hometown crowd. And playing Riessen and Kodes was cool. Especially Kodes, as he had won Wimbledon singles in 1973, I think. And they may have won a couple majors. However, I would not say we nearly pulled off the upset. After we won the first set, they can on strong and beat us like 1 and 2.

However, my biggest match and tournament was in 1978 at the Western New England’s in Pittsfield, Mass. That Labor Day tournament often attracted some tour pros who had lost in the qualifying or early rounds of the US Open. I won that event in 1978. However, I did not get to play my biggest match ever. Let me explain.

I was already in the final and my brother Tim, then 18, was in the other semi and winning his match against Ben Bishop. Tim won the first set 6-4 and was up 4-2 in the second. Ben chipped and charged his way back to win in three sets.

I really wanted to play Tim in the final, which I won, but it was not to be. So, when people ask me how’s Tim doing—all the time, which is annoying—or did I ever play him or beat him —even Ivan Lendl asked me—I do not have that opportunity to tell them YES, I kicked his tail.

In the late 1970s, you also played on a pro tour of sorts, the New England Tennis Stars (NETS) directed by Ted Hoehn and featuring stars such as Bailey Brown, Doug Crawford, and Bill Drake. Prize money was awarded in singles and doubles. How did you fare?

Paul, thanks for asking about this tour. It was the brainchild of Ted Hoehn. I still remember the day that Ted called me to play and support the tour. I was 25 years old and knew that I had only a few more years to play competitive tennis. I hadn’t played any tournament tennis for 5-7 years as I mentioned above. When Ted read the list of big-name players, including Bill Drake, Bailey Brown, Doug Crawford, Paul Gerken, Joe Bouquin, and my old friend and rival John Hughes, I was excited. But I knew getting back into it would be tough. Most of the guys never stopped. But I was flattered to be included. Plus, Ted had done a lot of work getting prize money and the 8-10 clubs for us to play. So, I am so glad I decided to play.

Some additional features we had were racquet and apparel sponsors like Paul Sullivan Sportswear, Snauweart Racquets, CB Sports. We also had a tour stringer named Warren Bosworth. Warren went on to become a visionary racquet preparer on the ATP and WTA Tours. All this was new and exciting. All these commercial features were new to me. The NETS was a kick.

Also, the NETS tour came during the 1970s Tennis Boom in America. So, we got a kick out of playing at a pretty high level. I met and played doubles with Jim Ratliff. I did not really know Jim as he was younger. But we did well in doubles indoor and out. It was a blast. Again, we all owe so much to Ted for conceiving of and organizing the tour.

Did the sports media play any role in your tennis life?

I had a few great media experiences and a couple not so good. The best and most fun media experiences were again with the NETS Tour. These were during the Tennis Boom of the late 1970s also. The players did not have any formal media experience, however. Because it seemed everyone was interested in playing and watching tennis, we kind of rode the media wave.

The tour had public announcers before and after our matches. We were interviewed by Bud Collins from The Boston Globe on occasion at some of the tournaments near Boston. That was a cool experience. And most of the tournaments had a charity component, so the local press was interested in good works and fundraising at each of the clubs and communities.

There were two examples where I blew media opportunities, which I still feel badly about today. When I won the Western New England’s men’s tournament in 1978, it was in front of my hometown crowd. About 1,000 people watched that Labor Day weekend at the Pittsfield Country, and I was the favorite. It was a beautiful day, hence the big crowd, and I was playing great tennis that summer.

Unfortunately, after the match I did not get a chance to say thanks to the crowd even though the umpire had a microphone. Secondly, the same thing occurred after our doubles match against Reissen and Kodes at the pro tournament in my hometown of Springfield. It was an exciting match and the crowd was into it. But because we lost in three sets, I was disappointed and upset.

So again, I should have had the common sense to thank that crowd too for supporting Jim and me. The ATP interviewer who had a microphone wanted to interview us. But I had no press common sense again and left the court. I was a jerk and regret both opportunities to thank the people who really supported me. I did not have many of those professional opportunities, believe me. I am proud that my brothers Tim and Chris made up for me in this regard a few years later.

You have seven siblings, all of whom played tennis. You became the patriarch of what would become the Mayotte family tennis dynasty. How did your success inspire Tim, who rose to No. 7 in the world and reached the Wimbledon and Australian Open semifinals in the 1980s, and Chris, who reached the US Open third round and ranked No. 83 at his peak?

I think my love and some successes in tennis had an impact on Tim’s and Chris’s tennis development. But remember, they are 10 and 12 years younger. But the biggest impact I think on them was that we lived near the Forest Park courts. When my Dad saw my relative success, he would take them to the courts to practice. In that sense, he became almost like a typical tennis parent.

I do know that you, Paul, and a couple other good players spent hours playing with and even coaching them. Bruce Wright was an influence on both of them, too. Like our generation of Forest Parkers, there were multiple kids who hung out at the park and played tennis. This love of the game carried over to their Cathedral High School team and then New England and eventual national tournament and college tennis, too.

The other thing that helped them was when we played doubles together initially in Springfield City Tournaments, as well as sectional NELTA events and NETS tournaments. It was great exposure for them to play guys who were about my age. I do know that Chris and Tim were both extremely competitive, and I am sure inspired by their own set of 1970s pro players. In fact, here are some comments from Tim that are more interesting than anything I can say.

“John’s influence was enormous in my younger years. All his, and Mary’s trophies, were tangible inspirations to me and Chris, especially the big silver Pop Bowler Bowl and pedestal John retired for winning the Western Mass schoolboys title three years in a row. And then Chris’s successes had a big impact too. John and Ted got me a wildcard into the NETS event at John’s club. It was cool to hang out with Bill Drake, John Hughes, Jim Ratliff, and the best adult players in New England. I lost to J.C Gosselin from Canada, but it was great early experience.”

“One summer Chris, Tommy Mott, Greg Kirsch, and I went up to Williams College to train with John for a couple days. We must have played 20 to 25 sets that weekend. I loved it. John was so proud quite frankly to have us go up to Williams where he could show off his younger brothers. We would draw a crowd to watch us practice.

“Finally, John, my sister Mary, and Tom Ford continued to play a big role as confidants, agents, and brother on the tour. Finding Bill Drake as my coach and part of my team was amazing!”

You and your brother-in-law Tom Ford became Tim’s business managers in 1981 when he turned pro. How did that happen? And how did that turn out?                    

This was a fun experience, and candidly I did not see it coming. In 1980, after my best and last year of playing tournaments, Tim won the Western New England’s in Pittsfield, Mass., too, before returning to Stanford for his sophomore year. And I remember this like it was yesterday. He received a main draw wildcard in Barry MacKay’s tournament in San Francisco. Tim shocked Jimmy Connors on center court 7-6 in the third set after being down 6-3, 5-2. I got a call from Tim at 4 in the morning East Coast time, which worried me. But he said in the happiest voice that he had upset Jimmy. I was ecstatic as he had just left staying at our house four weeks earlier. I could hardly believe it.

He continued to have a great college career and then won the NCAAs in ’81 and then turned pro. Then the top sports agencies started to target Tim as one of the next American men’s stars. Well, that summer he went to his first Wimbledon and broke out there to by getting to the quarters. I recall that we had to lend Tim money so he could make the trip overseas. I think it was $6,000. Tim was living with my sister Mary and Tom Ford, her husband. They are both lawyers were able to travel with Tim and Chris. So, Tim started asking them to field phone calls and approaches by the agents, including my boss-to-be in 10 years, Donald Dell at ProServ, and Bob Kane at IMG. Tennis was so big at that time, and of course there were NCAA guidelines to consider. Plus, Dick Gould was, and still is, the master of all thing’s college and pro tennis transitions.

Then in ’81, Tim won the NCAAs and decided to turn pro. Tom and I formed a partnership. And Mary, a top New England female player, was an even bigger part of Tim’s support system than I was. She provided tennis match advice, coaching help, agency contract reviews, and of course, moral support. As it turned out. Tim initially signed a racquet contract with Rossignol along with other top players, Andres Gomez, Johann Kriek, and Fritz Buehning. This team of players was coached by Bob Brett from Australia.

But after a couple of years, Tim wanted his own coach in Boston where he was based. I thought the perfect coach for him was Bill Drake, both personally and professionally. Bill and I had competed mostly on the NETS circuit. He was such a great volleyer and tenacious competitor with a great work ethic. Bill was able to travel to the majors and some international tournaments. It became a perfect fit and opportunity. They had a great relationship, and I think it’s fair to say we made a great support team.

Although you graduated from Western New England Law School, you chose other careers to earn a living. Please talk about your professional life.

I was not going to be a good practicing lawyer. I was not a great law student. Plus, after I finished evening law school in five years, my main goal was to finish and pay for it myself. Which I did. I wanted to show my Dad that I could do both.

There were two other drivers. One, as I detailed above, Ted Hoehn started the NETS tour in ’76, the year I graduated. I really wanted to do that, as I knew I had only four or five more years to play some top tennis.

Secondly, I was interested in Labor Law. General Electric was the biggest employer in the Berkshires with 30,000 people, mostly unionized. I got to know the Employee and Union Relations management people. The top guy was a graduate of my law school and followed my tennis. So, when I was 30 years old, they interviewed me for a Union Relations Manager position. I was hired for $30,000, which I thought was a lot of money. With two children now with my wife Betsy and a house, I had responsibilities. This position gave me that opportunity.

Finally, as it turned out when I went to work for Donald Dell at SFX/ProSERV as a tennis agent, I used my law background in recruiting, advising, and completing endorsement contracts for my clients. Donald was a lawyer and Ivan Blumberg, my boss, was general counsel and a smart guy.

Why did you return to tournament competition in 2009 at age 61 after a 30-year-hiatus?

I played some USTA local league tennis, but that was mostly in doubles. A lot of the guys I played with candidly were not that good or interested in winning. It was mostly social tennis. When we would lose our matches, it was because there were some rather good players in the Mid-Atlantic section. So I wanted to up my singles game.

I started to investigate the senior circuit singles schedule and draws and saw there were a lot of top players I recognized from the national juniors plus some new names. I entered a few and did well as you referred to below. I did not want to waste the talent I had. This situation was similar when I went back to play with the NETS. Plus, I wanted to get in tennis physical and mental shape and see if I could focus better than when I played earlier in my career.

It took you a while to hit your stride, and in 2014 you won the National 65 Grass Court Championships, defeating Mike Beautyman 6-1, 6-3 in the semis and Brian Cheney 7-5, 6-4 in the final. Please talk about that terrific tournament.

This tournament was my most fun and challenging early event. Plus, it was on grass at Seabright, a beautiful club. Playing guys like Cheney, who is a legend, and Beautyman, another old time rival, was really a kick. I want to thank my wife Betsy and children for coming up to Seabright to watch me play in the final. Betsy really urged and supported me to get back into playing some tournaments.

I had no idea what to expect in terms of my performance. I was fortunate to play well, and I was a new kid on the block, so I think that gave me an edge. As I played more National events, I ran into (and lost to) more top and tough opponents like Larry Turville, Padg Bolton, Mark Mazo, Joe Bouquin, Phil Landauer, and wildman Owen Robertson. Playing these guys and their different styles is a real challenge, which I now like.

Larry is amazing. He gets to everything, hits winners from nowhere, returns serve well, and has a great serve himself. Mark Mazo is in great shape, and therefore you must beat him. He has great hands. Padg and Brian are classic players and they hit the ball a ton. Joe Bouquin is steady and focused. He does not miss. And finally, Owen Robertson gets everything back and has a great drop shot, so he makes you run all over the place. These are but a few examples of the various styles I must contend with.

Your second CAT 1 title and gold ball came at the National 70 Clay Court Championships in 2018. There you beat Emile Rasheed, Vishnu Maharaj, and Larry Back in straight sets before outlasting Geoffrey Moore 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the final. What do you remember most about that tournament?

This was my second National category one final in 2018. Earlier in the year, I lost to Bob Litwin in the final of the grass courts. Now that guy is tough and in great shape. Bob is so fast too. He has very compact strokes and volleys so well.

At the 2018 clay courts, I played again solidly throughout the tournament. Beating Vishnu in three sets was a struggle, as was playing Larry. And playing both on clay was a workout, believe me. I grinded and came to net too. I wanted to win the clays to show I could do well on both surfaces.

Playing Geoff, an Aussie, in the final was fun. His backhand is literally like Rosewall’s. It is a beauty, and he can hit winners on his forehand from the backcourt. But I decided I had to go for broke. In fact, in the last game, he served to stay in the set. Instead of grinding, I went for bigger approach shots off his serve. That closing strategy paid off.

During your super-senior career, you also played an important role at your tennis club in Clarksville, Maryland. Why did you get involved? And how has it gone?

This is simple. Our clay courts are run by an association. So, the level of attention to detail and customer service is mediocre. This year, the Columbia Association did not want to open our clay courts due to the economic effects of the pandemic. They showed no creativity or interest in doing so even safely. So, I helped develop a task force of a few guys to get the courts open. And we made that happen, I am happy to say.

The process involves overcoming the inertia of both a Board of Directors and a Tennis Staff that truly does not care about membership. Well, we made some noise and accomplished our goal. Personally, I plan to practice there this summer so I can get ready for tournament competition.

You have been honored to be inducted to the Cathedral, Holy Cross, and New England Hall of Fames. As you look back at your tennis career, what are your thoughts about your achievements and experiences?

Thanks, Paul, for asking about these honors. The one that means the most is the USTA/New England induction. I was a late inductee, thanks again to my brothers Chris and Tim and their recognition and accomplishments. Tim was inducted a long time ago. Chris has been mentioned to be an inductee, but he has never wanted to be one. So, with their on-court recognition, I was overshadowed by the New England USTA. Also, the fact that we have lived in Maryland for 40 years, I guess I was technically not eligible perhaps. Candidly, I was annoyed that I got lost in the shuffle of New England guys who had been inducted. How could I be the Mayotte tennis patriarch and be excluded for consideration!

However, when I started playing seniors, I did pretty well and saw a lot of my old New England buddies, who always asked me about how Tim and Chris were, I started to get questions about juniors, NETS and why I was playing again. So it was time to get my fair share of recognition…..not that I am defensive about it!!??

What I did not know was that my sister Mary nominated me first. Then, at my first grass court national, that I won, I ran into Tom George from Worcester, Mass., where I went to college at Holy Cross. Tom was best friends with our coach Nick Sharry and Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, who used to practice with John Hughes and me. That was a kick. So, without telling me, Mary and Tom told the New England Committee to nominate and induct me. Mary made it happen for me, with her contacts and influence at Longwood. I did not have to pay Mary, or Tom, a whole lot of money.

Finally, the fact that the New England ceremony is held in Newport, RI, at the site of the International Hall of Fame, is incredibly special. Betsy my wife, her three sisters Jo, Pat and Susan were there. Also, my Children John, Jen, Liz, her husband Nick, and my grandchildren Reed and Nico and one month old Tessa, all attended.  My brothers and sisters as well as Springfield and senior tennis friends were there too. It was very cool. The inductions into Holy Cross and Cathedral High School were great honors too, but the New England one is still the best. Most importantly, I want to thank my wife Betsy for supporting my early years of tennis and urging me to get back into the game.

Tennis + Family = Several Gold Balls
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
July 2020

Tom Rettenmaier's eyes light up when he talks about tennis and family. To say that Tom has arranged and prioritized his life around both of those entities would be an understatement. And, you just know that when he formally retires from work, which he told me as of this interview was “143 weeks and one day, but who’s counting?” his tennis and family might become even a larger part of his life, if that is even possible.

Tom grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa, population 11,000. Baseball, football, and basketball were the sports he played growing up. During his freshman year of high school, three tennis courts were built in town, and Tom was encouraged to start playing tennis by Dick Riley, who was the freshman basketball coach and a former Big 10 tennis champion at the University of Iowa, so he ended up being a three-sport athlete in high school: football, basketball and tennis. He excelled enough in tennis to earn a four-year scholarship to Iowa State and, through the years, has maintained close relationships with both his high school and college teammates. He still has ties with his alma mater by having season football tickets and making his way back for a game or two each year.

After graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State, Tom began his professional career working for GE, where he transferred to Philadelphia and New York. The move to big cities for a small-town Iowa boy was a bit of a culture shock, but he adjusted well to the transitions. When he ultimately got transferred to California, he knew that this was where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

Shortly after arriving in California, Tom met Karen Dawson, who had played number 2 on UCLA's tennis team and played some on the WTA tour. He and Karen loved competing and would play 25-30 tournaments a year. Their chemistry on the court carried off the court, and they soon married. Their offspring, Bettina and Travis, were raised where the primary focus was tennis. In fact, Tom made sure that each house they owned had a tennis court. Not surprisingly, given the impressive tennis genes they inherited, Bettina and Travis went on to have equally remarkable college tennis careers at North Texas and UCLA. (Some of you might know the name Travis Rettenmaier as he played on tour for 12 years).

Tom has played numerous Father-Daughter and Father-Son National tournaments, and for him, these represent the "highlights of his life" (sadly, Karen passed away in 2000). There have been several Gold Balls (and an "almost" Gold Ball) in both categories. Let's get to the "almost" one first.

Bettina was 15 years old at the time and it was the first Father-Daughter National held on the grass at Longwood Cricket Club in 1996. The club had announced that the winner of this inaugural event would have their trophy engraved and held in perpetuity at Longwood. Bettina and Tom had upset the number one seed and made it to the finals where they faced Heidi and Vilis Cakans. The match was going the Rettenmaiers way as they won the first set 6-0 and up a break in the second. At that point, Tom went back on the somewhat slippery grass, fell and broke a bone in his leg. Tom refused to give up. They struggled through the next set and lost 7-6. After that set, Bettina said to her dad, "Let's stop - you can't move.". Tom refused, as there was no way he would quit given the stakes and situation! Unfortunately, they lost in the third 6-2 and that Inaugural Trophy went to the Cakans. There was a modicum of revenge two years later when Tom and Bettina won the tournament in a rematch with the Cakans, with whom they still remain friends.

And now for the highlights. Tom's claim to fame, if you will, is that he was the first father to win the Father-Daughter and the Father-Son Gold Balls. He won with Bettina in 1997 and with Travis in 1998. He's won 3 Indoors with Bettina, in addition to that rematch on Grass and the Indoor and Hardcourts in La Jolla with Travis, which Tom characterizes as a "dream come true." Here's why:

Sometimes there are teams that, for whatever reason, have your number. In Tom and Travis's case, it was the father-son team of Brian and Brett Joelson. (One reason for the dominance, in all fairness, could've have been that Tom spotted Brian 10 years in age) For eight consecutive years, they lost to the Joelsons, but in that ninth attempt in 2011, they received an assist from Peter Smith and his son Tanner who beat the Joelsons in the semi-finals. That opened the door for Tom and Travis, who played a great finals match, to beat the Smiths and win the Gold Ball, a fortuitous sequence of events, indeed.

Tom plays the National Husband-Wife tournament in Rancho Mirage each year with his wife, Deb, and win or lose they stay around for the social events with the friends they've made over the years. For Tom, tennis has always been about family, competition, and friends he has made along the way, and it's written on the broad smile he always seems to have across his face.

Welcome New NSMTA Board Member, Geoff Cykman!
Paul Fein
Pfein@nsmta.net
June 2020

Geoff Cykman joins the NSMTA Board with impressive credentials—both on and off the court.

A lifelong resident of San Francisco, Geoff has racked up eight gold balls in senior tennis and, in 2013, ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in both 60 singles and doubles (with Phillip Landauer). He’s also represented the U.S. on three senior cup teams: the 2004 Fred Perry Cup in 50 singles at Perth, Australia; the 2013 Von Cramm Cup in 60 singles at Antalya, Turkey; and the 2019 Britannia Cup in 65 singles at Umag, Croatia.

Geoff’s aggressive, all-court game is fueled by two important attributes: fitness and a zest for playing. “I try to be as fit as possible, which can often, especially in senior tennis, compensate for one’s shortcomings in the talent department,” Geoff says. “Today in the 65s, I can compete with players who 25-30 years ago would easily have beaten me. I also believe in focusing as much as possible on making every match as much fun as possible.”

Besides these assets, Geoff brings the experience and expertise he gained from a highly successful business career. He owned and operated an export trading company for 26 years, selling well-known, American-made grocery goods mostly in Asia and the Middle East. “In business, obviously, one has to know their business inside and out, and have a product or service to offer that others need and are willing to pay for,” Geoff says. “Using that knowledge, what made me the most successful was simply being honest and always doing what you say you’re going to do. We were taught in school from a very early age that ‘honesty is the best policy.’ They should have added it can be profitable as well.”

With his tennis knowledge, stellar character, and business acumen, Geoff will make our already topnotch Board even stronger.

Click here to read about the other NSMTA Board of Directors.

John Flowers: From No Way to Number Three
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
June 2020 

Growing up in Jacksonville, IL, a small town outside of Chicago, John spent his childhood playing the three “major” sports of baseball, basketball and football. His dedication, effort and, based upon what I know of him, his modesty and attitude, earned him the honor of being chosen team MVP in each of those sports. It wasn’t until his freshman year in college at Illinois Wesleyan (IW), when he observed that there were lots of women playing tennis on courts situated in the middle of the campus that he decided that tennis might be a sport he wanted to pursue.

In the Fall of his freshman year at IW, after basketball season concluded, he decided to try out for the tennis team in the spring even though he had never picked up a tennis racket before. A teammate of his on the basketball team, who was also on the tennis team, chided John about his desire to play tennis and told him there was “no way” he could make the team. Needless to say, this gauntlet being thrown down made him all the more determined to put forth the necessary time and effort to prove his teammate wrong. After classes and homework had been completed, he would practice from 4PM to midnight every day as lights on the courts went out at midnight! John made the team and even beat out that same teammate who told him, “no way” for the number 6 spot on the team.

 His college sports career consisted of playing basketball and tennis all four years, including playing tournaments every weekend prior to his junior year. His hard work paid dividends returning his junior year as the number one singles and doubles player on the team. Although IW was an NAIA school, they still played a number of Division I schools which, needless to say, had some excellent players. It also meant that at that number one spot there was some seasoned competitors. Undeterred, John kept practicing and playing tournaments and by his senior year started beating some of those scholarship Division I players.

 John earned a pre-law degree and considered attending law school, but after receiving a few promotions while working as a summer intern at Texaco, he decided that the business world suited him. After a few years with Texaco, he moved to Chicago where he worked for Xerox Corporation and on one fateful day, while playing a tennis tournament, he met someone who pulled up in a brand-new Mercedes-Benz convertible. Gazing at that car made him ask this person questions about the type of work he did. He still remembers the response which went something like: “I’m a commodities broker and I made 10 million dollars last year”, John began to think that maybe he was in the wrong line of work. A career change was in order.

After starting his commodities career in Chicago, he moved to the sunnier climes of San Diego in 1983 switching careers somewhat as he became a stock broker working for Shearson Lehman. For the next 15 years, he worked as a First VP of Waterhouse and then Merrill Lynch as the Branch Manager of the second largest office in the country. 

John played tournaments throughout his professional career and was ranked #3 in Men’s Open Singles in the Midwest when he was 24 years old (numbers 1 and 2 were Luke Jensen and Robbie Weiss, respectively; not too shabby company!) He started playing national hardcourt tournaments in the 35’s and only in the past 4 years did he start playing other surfaces with grass being the exception. Although he has not won any gold, silver or bronze balls, he plays tournaments because he loves competing and having the pleasure of meeting some “phenomenal” people who have turned into great friends along the way. 

His most memorable match? He smiles as he talks about the “golden set” (zero points lost) he played in a final of a tournament when he was in his 60’s. And the highlight of his tennis career thus far was his number 7 ranking in the Men’s 65 division in 2019. Although winning a national tournament ball is not necessarily one of his goals, it’s not hard to imagine that given John’s work ethic, that a ball will be his in the not too distant future. Regardless, John is one of the really good guys playing tournaments today, so if you’ve never met him introduce yourself the next time you see him at a tournament. You won’t be disappointed.

The Dynamic Duo of Corley-Stewart
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
May 2020 

When you talk of some of the elite teams in men’s senior tennis over the past 20 years, you’d be remiss not to mention Dean Corley and Mike Stewart. While their accomplishments on the court speak for themselves, they were also men with class and character personified and an absolute delight to have in the tournament I directed for 14 years, the Wilson World Tennis Classic. 

Dean and Mike first met about 22 years ago at a team event in North Carolina. After playing against one another in singles and doubles a few times, Dean reached out to Mike to see if he would be interested in teaming up and playing some tournaments together. Mike agreed and as they say, the rest is history.

It took them awhile to gel as a team but after playing about six or seven tournaments, they finally won their first Bronze ball playing in the Men’s 55’s division in 2000. Since then, they have won 12 Gold balls and 28 Silver balls as a team. Those numbers might have been reversed had they not had been in the same division as doubles superstars Jimmy Parker and Ken Robinson all these years, but that’s another story for another time.

Mike grew up in Louisville, KY, played several different racket sports, including tennis, but never played junior tournaments. His competitive career began during his last two years at Bellarmine University in Kentucky, a Division II school that Mike boasted had never lost to a Division I school while he played there (don’t ask him or me how many D-1 schools they played, as he “doesn’t remember”!). In his senior year, Bellarmine won their league and Mike was a singles finalist, won the doubles and was named MVP for his team.

After college, he stopped playing tennis for 10 years as he was busy with family and work obligations. Starting with just one kiosk, he built his business into a chain of 37 retail stores on the East Coast. Mike retired at the age of 54, and then, in his words, “became a tennis bum” and started playing national tournaments a year later.

Dean spent his childhood growing up in a small town in Missouri (population 400), which had no tennis courts. So, baseball was his sport of choice until college when he started playing tennis. (The only time you’ll ever hear Dean “brag” was when he told me he graduated 25th in his class in high school. In his next breath, he’ll let you know there were only 25 in the class!) He played two years at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where he was the number one player in both singles and doubles.

After college, he was employed at General Precision - he helped work on the Apollo11 simulator - then Martin Marietta and finally, a 30-year stint at Motorola Corporation in Phoenix.  He played local tournaments here and there, but it was when he was in his 40’s that he began playing national tournaments.

One of Mike and Dean’s most painful losses was at the 2005 ITF World Championships in Philadelphia. They held a whopping eight match points against Parker and Jody Rush and lost the semifinal match. And they consider one of their biggest wins was at the 2019 ITF World Championships in Umag, Croatia against Don Long and Parker winning in the finals, 6-4, 0-6, 10-8.

Mike and Dean are both mellow guys but, at the same time very competitive. They acknowledge that they had “chosen well” in their choice of doubles partners and they just seem to “fit well together”. Each recognizes that everyone can have a bad day and when that happens, they are always there to pick each other up.

All good tennis teams have a few common characteristics: their skills are complementary, and they like and respect one another. In their case, Mike has an excellent return of serve and Dean can pound the volleys at the net. Similarly, Mike admits he’s not as quick as Dean so the familiar refrain of “yours” is heard by Dean as he’s chasing down lobs.  

On a personal note, Mike has a son, who lives in Raleigh, NC, and with whom they have won five Gold balls with him in Father-Son tournaments and a daughter who lives in Chicago.  His wife, Mary, is his stalwart companion at many tournaments (and was a great volunteer at mine!) They have three grandkids.

Dean has twin sons and a daughter and has 4 grandkids. He and his wife Randi have won 4 Gold balls in the Husband -Wife division to which Dean points out that she’s only entered 5 national tournaments and has 4 Gold balls, a pretty impressive percentage!

The dynamic duo of Corley-Stewart isn’t done yet competing at the highest level. In the spirit of continual improvement, they believe they can still get better and are always working on some aspect of their game. “It might be a foolish thing to say but we believe it!”, enthuses Mike. And belief is more than half the battle, in tennis and in life!

NSMTA Member Profile: Miguel Mejia
Ed Trost
etrost@gmail.com
April 2020

Over the 14 years I ran the Wilson World Tennis Classic, a Super Category II event staged in late January in the Palm Springs, Calif., area, I was so fortunate to have met literally a few thousand senior players, as the tournament averaged more than 675 players during that time. Watching players compete at such a high level was inspirational, given the physical and mental requirements, but it was getting to know the players a bit off the court which gives me the fondest memories.

As a result, I thought that it might be interesting to profile some NSMTA members on our website.  The players chosen, at least initially, were those whom I’ve gotten to know as a result of playing my tournament. I’m more than happy, though, to interview any NSMTA member that another member might nominate (or self-nominate). The member need not have won any Gold, Silver, or Bronze balls to qualify. Rather, I’m looking for those players who exemplify the competitive spirit of men’s senior tennis and have an interesting background to boot!

As always, I welcome your feedback and hope you enjoy this first member profile.

Member: Miguel Mejia
Age: 88

Miguel grew up in Santa Monica, Calif., so as a beach kid his primary sports were body surfing and beach volleyball. He didn’t start playing tennis until he attended Santa Monica Community College in his early thirties and enrolled in a tennis class. At the age of 45, his social tennis, played at a public park in Salinas, turned into competitive tennis when he was encouraged by a friend to enter tournaments.

It wasn’t until the advanced age of 80 that he took on the challenge of national tournaments.  Miguel was a dedicated junior high school teacher and counselor in Salinas for more than thirty years.

He has been physically active his entire life and was involved in Teacher Corps. He spent many years as the only Latino on the National Ski Patrol at Lake Tahoe (and still skis), and first ran the Big Sur marathon at the age of 60. You might say Miguel is a lifelong learner as he continues to take lessons at his club in Salinas, has traveled to Hilton Head for tennis camps, and competes in an annual tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. His wife Barbara has been his supportive other half as they travel the world together with Miguel’s racket always at his side.

When asked what some of his most memorable matches were, the first that comes to mind is when he played George McCabe at Laguna Woods in California. While he didn’t win the match, as George was able to “run him all over the court,” he remembers the bloody socks from all his running!

Miguel has won one Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze balls. As you might imagine, the Gold ball victory over Chuck Nelson (who was ranked number 2 in the nation at the time) was his biggest highlight, as he defeated Chuck in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, at the Verne Hughes Memorial Hard Court National 85's Championship in 2018 at Laguna Woods. 

As Miguel strives to continue his tennis journey, he realizes the importance of focusing on the next point and not the last error, breathing deeply to relax, and having a strategy to anticipate the next ball. He loves the fellowship he finds in playing tournaments, and he believes sincerely that “winning and losing do not define us, it’s what is in our heart that matters, playing with integrity and gratitude". Well said, Miguel!

Jimmy Parker Reaches Yet Another Gold Balls Milestone
Paul Fein
Pfein@nsmta.net
February 2020

Most tournament players only dream about winning a gold ball before they stop competing in the sport they love. Jimmy Parker, the Roger Federer of senior tennis, recently captured his 150th USTA national title. In the history of the USTA, only four men have won more than 100, with Gardnar Mulloy at 125 and Bob Sherman at 124 (both deceased). Both played into their nineties.

The family of the late Dodo Bundy Cheney, who collected a jaw-dropping 393 gold balls, need not worry about Jimmy—or anyone!—breaking her women’s record. Not for many years anyway. But, far from slowing down at 77, Jimmy is actually accelerating his gold ball-busting pace. The all-court maestro from Santa Fe, New Mexico, won Grand Slams in the 75 singles division in 2018 and 2019. Parker’s current streak is 10 straight national singles titles as he previously captured his last two national 70-and-over tournaments.

Surpassing Rod Laver’s two career Grand Slams, Jimmy has already racked up a staggering five, three in singles and two in doubles. If all these records aren’t mind-boggling enough, Parker, president of the fast-growing National Senior Men’s Tennis Association for the past two years and a distinguished USPTA teaching pro for 50 years, has grabbed both the singles and doubles titles at the same national tournament 33 times. So you can add versatility and stamina to the many other attributes—such as solid strokes, beautiful touch, savvy tactics, and a passion for competition—Parker displays in age-defying ways.

In this candid interview, Jimmy recalls, with nostalgia and humor, highlights of a 68-year competitive career in which his name and national titles have become almost synonymous.

     When, where, and against whom did you win your first gold ball?  And what do you remember about it

JP — I won my first national title in 1956 when I was thirteen. It was at The National Jaycees, a big tournament at the time, with Chuck McKinley, also a fellow St. Louisan and future Wimbledon champion. I was thrilled because Wilson put me on their free list and sent me racket covers with my name on them. In 1958, I won the USTA National Boys Indoor with Claude Bakewell, also a fellow St. Louisan, against Cliff Buchholz and Butch Newman.  

     When you won your first gold ball, did you ever imagine that someday you would win 150 gold balls?

JP — Never! It wasn’t on the radar. In fact, they used to award gold medals for USTA National Championships, not gold balls. Now they come in nice display boxes, but my first actual gold ball came in a little plastic box about the size of your thumb.

     For those of us who have never seen a gold ball, let alone won one, would you please describe it.

JP — They’re not very heavy. They may be made of plastic with a gold overlay. They’re definitely not solid gold! It’s part of life’s absurdity that I’ve spent so much time and energy in playing for them. 

     When did you join the USPTA, and why did you decide to make teaching tennis your career?

JP — I joined in 1972. I had thought I’d become an airline pilot. I was still in the Air Force but had already done some teaching, mainly juniors, and found that I liked it. I had just agreed to become the head tennis coach at Rice, my alma mater, after my upcoming military discharge. During my five-year stint flying airplanes, the professional game had taken hold. So teaching tennis was an unexpected bonus for me because I had never even thought about making a living in tennis. My career change was made easier because the USPTA offered courses and seminars to help me become a better coach and teacher.

     When and where and against whom did you win your 50th gold ball?

JP — In 1996, I won the singles and doubles at the National 50 Grass Courts at the Germantown Cricket Club. Around then, I decided I would try to have as many gold balls as my age, and I was getting close with 50 at the age of 53.  

     You are a USPTA Master Pro and Tennis Channel instructor. Has being a teaching pro and coach helped or hurt in your quest to win national titles?  

JP — There’s no question that having been a coach and teaching pro helped my own game. First, I hit a lot more balls than if I’d been sitting behind a desk. Second, and more importantly, I had the opportunity to experiment with what worked and what didn’t, and observe what factors had the most impact on improvement. The game has so many facets, that part of the challenge was to find creative ways to deal with the different issues that students confront. So I became a more flexible thinker. And I had a preference for hitting live balls in situations rather than simply feeding balls, so I was undoubtedly getting practice along with my students. They should have been charging me! 

     You were a leading U.S. junior player, ranked a career-high No. 16 in the U.S. men’s national rankings in 1965, and as a senior and super senior player, you amassed an all-time record 150 national USTA singles and doubles titles. How has being an outstanding tournament player for 65 years made you a better teaching pro and coach?  

JP — Even when I was a kid, I was a student of the game. I never had a coach, so I learned by watching and picking the brains of good players. I think all those years of competing and watching  inevitably bleed into my teaching. No two players ever play exactly the same way, so there’s a lot of room for creativity and experimentation. Contrasting styles are part of what makes the game so engaging. And facing so many contrasting styles myself has forced me to come up with a lot of different solutions, which in turn have helped me individualize my suggestions to students. 

Another facet of still actively competing is that I realize how difficult it really is to keep all the pieces together in the heat of battle. I know coaches who are former good players, but who haven’t actually played competitively for a while themselves. They get frustrated over some of the errors they see their students make and forget that they made similar errors themselves.

          Who were the best players you coached over the years? And what do you remember most about them and their development?

JP — There have been so many players that I’m not going to try to list them for fear of leaving some out, but I’ve enjoyed coaching the whole spectrum from beginners to players on the ATP and WTA Tours.  I was not his primary coach, but the fastest learner I ever saw was Richie Reneberg, who reached No. 1 in the world in doubles, and ATP top 20 in singles. I’d make a suggestion one week, and he would have incorporated it into his game by the next week. When he was younger and we’d play, whatever ploy I’d use this week wouldn’t work the next. Sue Bramlette is a senior player with scores of USTA gold and silver balls. She started playing tennis in her 30s, and I taught her almost from the beginning. We worked together for more than 25 years, and she was a joy to work with because she was completely dedicated to getting the most out of herself and her game.

     When and where and against whom did you win your 100th gold ball?

JP — I won the National 65 Grass Courts title at Seabright on Long Island in 2009. Kenny Robinson, my long-time partner, and I beat Ralph Howe and another old partner of mine, Bob McKenna. But I didn’t tell Kenny that it would be my 100th if we won.  Afterwards, I let out a yelp and ran around the courts, and told him what was up.  He laughed and said, “I’m glad you didn’t tell me, or I probably would have choked!”  

     What have been the keys to preventing injuries so you, with Federer-like consistency, were able to play so many national Category 1 tournaments? 

JP — I’ve had relatively few disabling injuries considering what I’ve put my body through, but have had rotator cuff surgery and knee replacement surgery. Plus the usual litany of aches and pains. But fortunately, the body is an extraordinary healing machine. I think the best thing I’ve done over the years is yoga-like stretching. I like to do it, and I think it’s helped me maintain decent range of motion. Overall, I think the key is being able to listen to what your body is telling you.

     How have you maintained your passion to compete over the decades?

JP — I’m not quite sure. I think it’s just a part of my wiring. I grew up in an area where there were some truly great players close to my age, four of whom went on to win Wimbledon titles, including my junior doubles partner Arthur Ashe. So I’ve never had any illusions about how good I was. It turned out to be a blessing that I was a journeyman on the world tour.

     Why has it been a blessing?

JP — Because I had the experience of playing, and mostly losing to, many of the stars of the game, but I never had a big name that I thought I had to protect. So, it’s been sort of a free shot. As a result, I’ve looked on my game as sort of a work-in-progress, and I still love to tinker with it. Maybe it’s an illusion, but I still think I can improve some stuff. And I still get frustrated doing it, I might add.  

     You’ve worked as a teaching pro and coach for 50 years. What do you enjoy most about your profession?

JP — The people. It’s been so much fun to try to get on different students’ wave lengths enough to get through to them. You tend to see people at their best because they’ve chosen to come to you in the first place. They’re there to learn and have fun! Plus you’re out there in God’s creation feeling the sun and the wind and the weather. My job was to teach folks to play, so I never felt like I was working.

     How has tennis teaching evolved during the past 50 years? 

JP — Teaching is so intricately intertwined with the changes in the styles of play that it’s difficult to say which is the chicken and which is the egg. Coaches are better, partly through the work of the USPTA and other teaching organizations. And therefore players are better. There is so much information available now online and everywhere. Technology has taken analytics to undreamed-of levels. High-speed photography has dispelled many myths about hitting tennis balls. And the use of data to develop effective shot selection, patterns, and strategies is an integral part of modern coaching.

     The legendary Nick Bollettieri, also a longtime USPTA member, still teaches at age 88. How much longer do you plan to teach?

JP — Teaching is probably why Nick has made it to 88. I’ll probably teach until I head for the Wimbledon in the sky. I still enjoy it. I only teach a few hours a week these days, so it certainly doesn’t feel like a job. 

You’ve also captured 27 ITF World Championships in seven different age divisions. What were your biggest and most memorable singles and doubles wins to take these prestigious titles?

JP — In my very first Italia Cup team competition back in the 35s, I beat 1967 Wimbledon finalist Wilhelm Bungert of Germany. It gave me confidence that I could compete with the best seniors in the world. In 2005, our team won the World Championship in the Von Cramm Cup in Turkey, and then I went on to win the World Singles and Doubles Championships in the 60s—my only ITF “hat trick.” I also won the World Singles and Doubles in the 50s in Argentina, after considering defaulting on the final day because I, along with many other players, had gotten sick.

This past year was a thrill in the Bitsy Grant Cup in Croatia. We had lost to Peter Pokorny and the Austrians in the final the previous year, but this time we exacted revenge. I had lost a close one to Pokorny, a perennial and current world No. 1, in 2018, but beat him in both singles and doubles to clinch the Cup in 2019.

When and where and against whom did you win your 150th gold ball? 

JP — I recently won No. 150 with Kathy Bennett at the National 70 Mixed Doubles at Palm Desert, California. Kathy has won Grand Slams in her age group in doubles, so I just said “Yours!” a lot. She and I won it two years ago, and then she won it with Brent Abel last year. When we won again this year, Brent quipped, “Yeah, Kathy Bennett and anyone can win this tournament!”  

Is Kathy Bennett the best senior mixed doubles player you ever teamed with?

JP — Kathy is the only mixed partner I’ve ever had. I’ve only played two mixed nationals in my life! She’s aggressive at the net, pounds her own overheads, and hits the right shots. What more can you ask for?

Who were the best senior doubles players you ever teamed with?

JP — I’ve gotten to play with so many great doubles-playing partners who have had to step in, like any good partner does, and carry me through the rough patches. This question, more than any other so far, brings back so many fond memories with so many different guys. I’ve won with a lot of different partners, each who has been fun to play with. Among the best have been my father Ward, my son Chris—who still carries the load—my long-suffering partner Ken Robinson, Dick Johnson, Butch Newman, Brian Cheney, Keith Diepraam, David Bryant, Colin Dibley, and truly many more whom I hate not to mention. Sometimes you find a partner who is always where you think he should be, hitting the right shot at the right time, and having fun doing it. I have just loved playing doubles with these guys!

What was the most heartbreaking loss you suffered that prevented you from winning a gold ball?

JP — Ken and I lost a doubles final at the 55 Grass Court Championships at the Germantown Cricket Club when I got cramps. We had won the first three nationals in 1998. That loss kept us from winning the Grand Slam that year.  

What was the toughest gold ball you ever earned?

JP — One year, again at Germantown, I was down a match point to my old college teammate at Rice, Eddie Turville, Larry’s brother. He missed a volley he shouldn’t have, and I squeaked through. Then, in the final against Peter Van Lingen, I broke my toe, but still managed to win the match. Sometimes you just have to be lucky!  

Is your goal now to win 200 gold balls?

JP — I’ve seldom projected very far ahead—we all know there are sharks in the water. The one that meant the most was when I was tied with Bob Sherman for the all-time lead at 125, but then needed a knee replacement. I just didn’t know whether I’d make it back. When I did, it was a relief. So I pretty much try to get ready for whatever the next one is, and let the chips fall where they will. I truly enjoy the process of getting ready for a tournament, and then competing, so it’s not a burden at this point. I’ve already done more than I could have wished, so hopefully I can treat whatever happens from here as a bonus.

Do you think your many records will ever be broken?

JP — I hope so. That will mean someone else has gotten to enjoy a long, successful career in this wonderful game, and I’ll probably be gone anyway. 

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