Let's do great things for men’s tennis, together!

Players in the News

Stories about our fellow tennis players that are printed in newspapers, magazines and online that we think may be of interest to our readers. Have you read something elsewhere that you think others would enjoy? Let us know. We'll give credit to the original author and to you!

If you would like to contact the author of an article below, please click on their email address.

The National Men’s Tennis Association selects Jimmy Parker 2023 Player of the Year

Jimmy Parker's achievements in the year 2023 have been nothing short of extraordinary, marking him as a standout player in the history of tennis. His selection as Player of the Year by the National Men's Tennis Association is a testament to his exceptional performance and dedication to the sport. Winning nine Gold Balls across various categories, including Men's Singles and Doubles, and the Ultra Father/Son category, showcases his versatility and skill in the game. His record-breaking total of 162 Gold Balls is a monumental achievement that sets a new benchmark for future generations. Alongside his son Chris, the duo's ascent to second place in the all-time totals for Father/Son Gold Balls is a remarkable feat, reflecting a powerful synergy on the court. Jimmy's sixth Grand Slam win in Men's 80 Singles further cements his legacy as a champion. Representing the USA in the ITF World Championships and securing the top rankings in both national and international categories underscore his dominance and influence in the sport. His accomplishments are a source of inspiration and a high standard for aspiring tennis players worldwide.

Joe Rasgado receives the 2023 National Men’s Tennis Association President’s Award

The President’s Award is esteemed as the pinnacle of recognition within the NMTA.  It is annually bestowed upon a volunteer member whose exceptional dedication and efforts have significantly furthered the NMTA’s mission, to promote and develop the growth of tennis and notably enhanced the stature of adult competitive tennis.  Joe's contributions to tennis are truly remarkable. His dedication is evident in his multifaceted involvement with the NMTA, where he not only promotes and directs two of the NMTA Master Team Series events but also serves on the USTA Southern Adult Competition Committee. His commitment extends beyond administration, as his athletic prowess is showcased by his impressive victories, including the 2023 ITF Regional Championships, two Gold Ball national championships (Clay/Grass), and five Level 2 National Championships. Joe's passion for the sport and his drive for excellence have undoubtedly made a significant impact on the tennis community.

Brian Cheney Reaches 100
Jimmy Parker | January 2024

No, Brian is not yet a centenarian; we’re talking gold balls here! Another Cheney has reached triple digits. Only five other men in US tennis annals have accomplished that. But Brian Cheney is moving along a trail blazed in unmatched fashion by his mother, Dodo Cheney, who finished with a mind-boggling 394 gold balls! It is safe to say that they are the only parent and child ever to have both accumulated one hundred or more USTA National Championship titles.

But that’s not all…. there is so much tennis history connected with the Cheney family that it addles my tennis history addict’s brain. Did you know that Brian’s grandmother, May Sutton, was the first American woman to win Wimbledon? Or that her husband, Tom Bundy (Brian’s grandfather) was ranked in the US Top Ten on several occasions, reaching as high as #2, and winning three Grand Slam doubles titles? Or that May’s sister Florence reached the finals of the US Championships? Or that his great uncle Johnny Doeg was ranked #1 in the United States in 1930? That’s some serious tennis DNA!

Brian started playing tennis at age 5, and played his first tournament when he was 7. He says he never felt like there was any pressure on him to play and excel – he just liked playing. He practiced his backhand motion firing newspapers on his paper route onto people’s porches! The family’s illustrious tennis history was seldom discussed. It wasn’t until he was 60 that he learned that Tom Bundy was actually the one who built the Los Angeles Tennis Club – one of the most fertile breeding grounds ever for spawning tennis greats.

No one sets out early in their careers to win 100 gold balls – it’s a distant shore. But with the example of his mother still playing and racking up titles, and his own game beginning to assert itself in age group tennis, Brian eventually got it into his head that he might be able to reach 100. And now that he’s there, why stop now? Brian is already thinking ahead to, and working for, the next one.

Brian has come to see the USTA’s motto of “Sport for a Lifetime” almost as a personal motto. With his seven decades on the courts already, he’s kind of a poster boy. He looks back and sees his tennis game going through phases. When you’re young, you’re trying to become one of the top players. In the middle years, you work on maintaining your skills as well as you can. After you’re 70, you’re experimenting with how to still win matches when you’re playing in a different body. Brian thinks that you evade having a mid-life crisis, because every five years you’re the “young guy” again. The competitive challenges are part of what keeps senior players engaged!

What does he think are some of the benefits to continuing to play senior (Masters) tennis? There is no question that tennis provides tremendous health benefits – of all the sports, tennis players enjoy greater longevity than any other athletes. They have to stay fit to pursue the sport with minimal injuries. Further, a lifetime of travel with wife Anne has been a gift. Some of the trips have been to exciting new places, at home and abroad; others have been to nostalgic childhood places. The tennis friends he has made over the years are part of the fun of it all. It’s not unusual for him to encounter former players whom he hasn’t seen for fifty years! And events like the ones staged by the International Club (IC) are memorable because they foster the camaraderie and respect for the game that is part of a world-wide tradition.

Brian has continued to teach tennis – forty-seven years and counting. (He now has an “Emeritus” fastened to his name.) He feels that teaching and playing tournaments complement each other. Teaching the game continues to give him competitive insights and of course keeps a racquet in his hand for up to twenty-five hours per week, and the tournament play keeps him fresh for teaching. He’s had the good fortune of being at a club (Village Racquet and Health Club) that has encouraged his tournament play, and a staff that has been able to carry on during his absences.

Brian and I have had almost parallel careers. Both having come from tennis families, we first met when we were going through US Air Force pilot training at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio in the late Sixties. We practiced with each other, traveled with our wives, and played doubles together. (The picture is from our Air Force days) In 1976, we both became Tennis Directors at clubs where we stayed for decades. We have both continued to play the Masters circuit, and have even picked up some national doubles titles together, as well as a World Doubles Championship.

More than for his tennis accomplishments, Brian is most grateful for Anne – they’ve been married for 52 years. And don’t forget their five grown children living productive lives of their own. And oh yes, there are 14 grandkids, with whom they are actively involved. Both Brian and Anne attribute their good fortune to their steadfast faith in God.

But then, there are those tennis accomplishments. Like representing the US on 26 ITF World Cup Teams, winning 12 World Championships in the process. (Brian considers winning  deciding matches in the ITF Team competition among his most rewarding tennis experiences.) Or winning three World Championship doubles titles. Or serving as a Player/Coach of the Phoenix Racquets World Team Tennis Team.

And you can be pretty sure, this ain’t Brian’s last chapter…..

Richard Doss - Renaissance Man
Jimmy Parker | January 2023

In an eclectic life well-lived, Richard Doss has excelled in academia, the military, the music world, and as an author. After taking his first tennis lesson at age 12 in San Diego, he caught the tennis bug and starred as a junior, college, and decades later, senior competitor. In this profile by Jimmy Parker, we learn how tennis has put years in Richard’s life and life in his 89 years.

 Richard Doss, Renaissance Man

Pastor, Professor, Author, Ph.D., Navy Officer, Professional Singer—that begins to give you an inkling of the wide range of Richard Doss’ abilities and accomplishments. Oh yes, but also the winner of 43 senior gold ball nationals, five Gold Slams, and seven World Championships to round out the picture a little more.

But even that doesn’t completely do justice to Doss’ outstanding resume. Richard also had a stellar junior career, winning the National Junior Public Parks Championships, and then led UCLA to three National Intercollegiate Championships as the Bruins’ No. 1 player and Co-Captain during his senior year. In the process, he beat several of the top players in the country. And he’s still competing—he storms into the 90 division in January. Well, he might not use the word “storms” if it were left up to him.

“I haven’t played Wimbledon or the French Open, but otherwise it seems like I played just about everything else,” Doss told The Orange County Register.

Richard’s academic career encompassed two seminary degrees—a Master of Divinity degree at the American Baptist Seminary of the West and a doctorate in Philosophy of Religion at Boston University. He taught at Boston University, the American Baptist Seminary of the West Coast, the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and Orange Coast College. He is the author of two books: The Last Enemy: A Christian Understanding of Death (1974) and The Business of Ethics (1991), a textbook on ethics. Dick became friends and co-panelist with Elizabeth Kubler Ross, author of On Death and Dying, the seminal work in his field.

During his career, his theology evolved. Early on, Campus Crusade for Christ encouraged a literal interpretation of the Bible. Richard said he was so impressionable at the time that if a Buddhist monk had shown up, he probably would have been headed for a monastery. As he learned more, he came to a much broader understanding and appreciation of the Bible and the tenets of other religions.

There had been a hiatus in Dick’s tennis playing in the years devoted to establishing his academic career. While he was teaching at Orange Coast College, a friend and colleague urged him to continue with his tennis, and he resumed competing in senior events. Almost immediately, he and Bob Perry, a teammate from his UCLA days, won a couple of National Hard-Court titles. Of course, this supports the theory that playing tennis is just like riding a bike—once you know how to play, you apparently don’t forget!

That was just the beginning of a brilliant senior tournament career. Richard has gone on to win 43 national championships, all in doubles. He claims that one of his strengths is knowing how to pick partners, another beam of modesty showing through. Richard has won with numerous partners, but most of all with his buddy John Powless. They won a Gold Slam together in 2014. In 2004, he captured a Gold Slam—Indoor, Grass, Clay, and Hard with three different partners—Bill Hyde, Jim Perley, and Neil Hurlburt.

Speaking of partners, that brings up his wife of 23 years, Kathy Bennett. She once won a Gold Slam with four different partners! (Regrettably, the USTA, in its infinite wisdom, failed to name her to the International Cup Team that year.) She must be an even better partner-picker! Together, Richard and Kathy have won two Gold Slams in the National Husband and Wife. ​

I wondered if he thought there was any connection between his successes on the tennis court and his multiple other accomplishments. His response was immediate and characteristically concise: “It’s the drive to improve—to get better at whatever we undertake. Competitive tennis players know this, and it applies to everything.”

During its last years, Richard served as President of Super Senior Tennis. Through SST, John Powless had long carried the banner of men’s senior tennis. (With Richard’s help, NSMTA merged with SST shortly after John’s passing in 2021.) John and Richard won two ITF World Doubles Championships together, as well as playing on four US ITF World Team Champions.

He and Kathy have both been inducted into the USTA Southern California Senior Tennis Hall of Fame, and Richard is a member of his hometown San Diego Hall of Fame.

Bring on the 90s!

Leonid Stanislavsky - Oldest Competitive Tennis Player in the World
by Jay Senter
October 2022

Extract 
Leonid Stanislavskyi is not your typical war refugee. He’s also not your typical super-senior tennis player. That’s because this year, at the age of 98 years young, Leonid fled war-ravaged Kharkiv, Ukraine, not just for his safety but to resume his ITF tournament career. Jay Senter, an American who helped make this inspirational saga possible, tells how in this fascinating story.   

Hi Fellow Members,
I am writing to tell you about 98-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi, who is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest competitive tennis player in the world. 
Even though Leonid is unlike anyone I have ever met in tennis, his life reminds me why we play and how important it really is to all of us to keep doing it.

Seven months ago, Leonid was holed up in Kharkiv, Ukraine, as Russian bombs pounded his nation’s second most-populous city. He remained in his small Kharkiv apartment, where he lived for more than 60 years, vowing that having survived World War II, he would live beyond the current conflict. Leonid was adamant he would stay put in his flat. But after the Russian bombardment intensified and valued friends left town, he was convinced that the only sensible action was to get out of Ukraine. Leonid packed one large suitcase and a backpack, stuffed in his tennis racket, and thanks to a neighbor, made the grueling three-day, 2,000-km (1,243-mile) journey to the Slovakian border.

From there, he was driven another six hours to Lublin, Poland, where he stayed for several weeks. So, at age 98, Leonid became a refugee of war!

During his time in Lublin, this nonagenarian with an indomitable spirit and high energy, was welcomed at a local tennis club that generously allowed him to play tennis several times a week. Dan Lobb, his documentarian filmmaker friend in the UK, intervened, and conceived a plan for Leonid to travel to the United States to compete in the Super Senior World Championships in the 90s, an age division that he had been lobbying the ITF to add.

I met Leonid there with Dan and was so moved by his passion to play, his enthusiasm for people, and his joy at taking selfies with anyone who asked. Leonid was wearing an incredibly old pair of New Balance sneakers. I wanted Leonid to know he was my hero and how much I appreciated meeting him, so I took off the new pair I was wearing and gave them to him. The tears in his eyes were so powerful it was the moment of clarity that I understood.

Certainly, there was a way to help even more. Two days later, we met for a lunch along with the filmmaker and a young Ukrainian as interpreter. I gave Leonid a new Head backpack filled with underwear and socks, a new racket, clay court shoes, and a tablet that gave him the ability to communicate easier since Leonid speaks no English.

In short, this remarkable 98-year-old needed somewhere to live until it was safe for him to return to Kharkiv. Leonid has lived alone, caring for himself since his wife died seven years ago, and he can do most things independently.

However, he must have daily contact and care from a friendly Russian or  Ukrainian speaker, whether under the same roof or at home visits.

With the help and cooperation of the International Tennis Federation and the Lithuanian Tennis Federation, we were able to move Leonid from an uncertain situation in the U.S. to Vilnius, Lithuania. Leonid arrived on June 19 at the National Tennis Center of Lithuania. He was given immediate housing there along with two hours a week of tennis training. With the federation’s support, the Lithuanian government granted him immediate refugee status in July, which was exceedingly rare.

His monthly stipend of $187 is not sufficient to cover his meals, health insurance, and miscellaneous expenses. Leonid has no money of his own. He lived a simple life in Kharkiv and was able to lead a happy existence on a $400 monthly pension. Now, he does not have access to that. I started a GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/66177689) for him. So far, the GoFundMe dollars have filled the gap.

Leonid proclaims, “Tennis for me is life. When I was younger, I did not imagine that tennis would play a big role in my life. But now, I feel it all the time. I could not live without tennis.”

His dream to keep playing until he reaches age 100 also includes hitting balls with the biggest players in the game. Last year, at the World Senior Championships in Mallorca, Spain, the beginning of that dream played out when he was invited to hit with Rafael Nadal at the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s tennis academy.

When Leonid fled Ukraine, Rafa sent him great words of encouragement. Recently on a trip with the renowned documentarian film maker Daniel Lobb, he was hitting balls and enjoying time with world No. 5 Alexander Zverev in Hamburg.

The importance that tennis has for Leonid cannot be stressed enough, both physically and mentally. The core principles of healthy competition, camaraderie, fitness benefits, travel opportunities, and sheer enjoyment, which help make senior tennis the sport it is, are embodied in Leonid Stanislavskyi.

His poignant story reflects an extraordinary man’s resilience, humility, and zest for life, and Leonid deserves the kindness and generosity of people who can help.

Here is the GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/66177689) for Leonid.
Thank you for your support.

Interview with Tom Walker
Paul Fein
July 2022

Extract 

Neither a difficult introduction to tennis as a kid or various obstacles along the way deterred Tom Walker from embracing a sport he wound up enjoying for more than 60 years. In fact, the more he learned about tennis, the more he became fascinated. Tom, who now resides in White Plains, N.Y., earned a living as a highly successful coach, and he blossomed into an elite senior competitor. In this interview, he talks about the people who influenced and inspired him and the many joys he’s experienced playing and teaching tennis.

 Please tell me about your father and his tennis background.

My father, Tommie L. Walker, was born in Helena, Arkansas, in 1912. His dad died early in his life in an accident. He was cranking his car and the engine backfired and he lost control of the crank, which killed him. His mother, Roxie, moved to Chicago later where he grew up. He went to Hyde Park High School in Chicago. He attended Prairie View College and majored in chemistry.

I do not know when or why my father began playing tennis. I do have pictures of him when he was in college. During those days, black tennis players were not allowed to play in white tennis tournaments, so they formed the American Tennis Association, which is still in place to this day. There are some brief articles about his rise to be ranked in the top 3 nationally in the ATA.

In the 1960s, he and his friend, George Anderson, won the National Parks doubles title and were ranked in the USTA Western section. I was able to witness many of his tournaments in the Chicago area and in North Chicago. I was the chair umpire for two of his final matches in two consecutive years when he played Jim Whitman. Alas, he lost both times in the third set. Dad also won the Midwest 50 or 55 title during the latter part of the 1960s, beating a man named Haggy.

 What happened when your father introduced you to tennis at the age of 12?

My siblings and I were introduced to tennis in Chicago when I was 12. I lasted only three days as I faced some tremendous challenges. First, the temperatures on all three days were in the upper 90s, and it was very humid. I had never before experienced such high temperatures and humidity in San Francisco.

Second, we were given only three or four balls. They quickly went over the fence, and we had to go a long way to the gate to retrieve the balls. Sometimes, I climbed the fence because it was quicker.​

Third, we were playing on blacktop, and my feet felt like they were on fire. In fact, I felt like both my head and my feet were on fire.

Finally, my dad and the other adults were playing on the other side of the fence, and none of their balls went over the fence. At that time, I did not know the clay was much cooler on the feet, but that would not have stopped the heat I felt on my head.

The next year I managed to last a whole week until the temperatures once again rose to what I felt was intolerable. Finally, at the age of 13, we had better temperatures after we moved to North Chicago. I was able to play for the entire month of August, and I was hooked. The appeal was the fact I had the opportunity to hit so many balls all by myself. There was no wait time like I had in kickball in San Francisco or tether ball in grade school.

 How did the backboard play a big part in your early development?

 The biggest event happened while we were visiting my grandparents, Edward and Roxie Walker, in Chicago. I was pining away as I watched the adults practicing and playing their matches in Toughly Park during the Chicago public parks matches.

One day Alphonso Richardson, whom we fondly called Tex, came over to me and asked me to follow him. We started walking to other side of the complex, and I thought we were going to the less popular side where there were courts. Instead, he turned into a driveway and went to a continuous wall enclosure where the park stored some of their park equipment. He showed me how to hit on the wall for my forehand and backhand and even the serve and gave me only one tennis ball and left.

That began my hitting tennis against the wall. Quite often, the ball went over the top and those watching the top players would throw it back over. I was there for hours. This went on for a few weekends when we would come down to visit our grandparents.

One day while I was practicing, Tex came over and told me to follow him. We actual went to the other side to real tennis courts! We hit mini-tennis for a little while then went to the baseline. We played, and he commenced to win all the points. I didn’t care because I was playing a real human being and not playing on the wall, which I made up some rules to “defeat” the wall.

What endeared me most to the wall was a teenage prodigy named Peaches Bartkowitz, from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was renowned for hitting thousands of balls on the wall. She later ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. I was enthralled by her because in North Chicago there were so few people to hit with, and tennis was not the most popular thing to do.

I was very grateful to our tennis coach. He never taught tennis, but was a designated driver to the matches. I found out he taught history at night school two nights a week. I had to get a petition by students and present it to the principal in order to be allowed to practice on the firewall in the gym. It was there I discovered how to use the wall to develop all the strokes I would need to play tennis. This wall went all the way to the ceiling so I never lost any balls.

 What else fueled your early tennis education?

I studied a lot of books on tennis by the past greats of tennis, such as Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzalez, and Bill Talbert. I also read World Tennis, an excellent monthly tennis magazine. There were pictures, which I studied to learn the correct grips and the paths of the swing.

You encountered a major obstacle when your high school didn’t have a tennis team. How did you overcome that?

When we moved to North Chicago during my freshman year, I was misinformed by the gym instructor they did not have a tennis team at the school. Therefore, I went out for wrestling and later for baseball. The following fall I went out for cross-country. It was during the summer I played a local tournament and found out there was a tennis team. I therefore dropped all the other sports because those coaches lied to me, and of course, wanted me to rejoin the teams they coached.

I played tennis the remaining three years. We were using clay-court tennis balls on very rough clay courts. Therefore, I convinced the “coach” to obtain heavy-duty, hard-court tennis balls.

Because there were a few smaller schools in the region, the director of sports was able to establish a Tri-Region tournament amongst a few schools. Somehow I was able to win the titles during my junior and senior years.

During my senior year I started a petition and got signed over 500 students—most of whom really cared nothing about tennis—and sent it to one of the TV stations to have more tennis on TV in our area. I do believe Gene Scott mentioned this in his column in his Tennis Week magazine. It worked, and there was more tennis on TV soon thereafter.​

 You were always the enterprising type. What happened one summer, as a teenager, when you could not find a job during your summer vacation?

When I was 15, my father met a guy who was cleaning offices in North Chicago and Waukegan in the next town. This was going well during the winter, but, something happened, and I was no longer working nights. I began looking for other means of work with the companies in the area. No one would hire me because of circular thinking: I was too young, I needed work experience, and I needed more than one referral.

Needless to say, I felt worthless and became somewhat despondent. Fortunately, my father had gone to school with two people who later became prominent in the tennis industry.

The first guy was a regional director for Wilson Sporting Goods. My dad loaned me some money so I could buy shoes, strings, and tennis balls. I knew nothing about stringing rackets, but my father did. He let me watch him string his racket, which took a very short period of time. Then he gave me his other racket to string. This took me more than three hours, and it was not acceptable so I had to do it over. After a few rackets, I learned how to string acceptably. However, it still took hours. Why? In those days there were no electric stringers, and it all had to be done with awls and a dowel. This meant by feel and by “plucking” the string to hear it to ensure it was the “correct” tension.

I was able to save up enough money to purchase a tensioner by the end of the summer as well as a tennis clamp, which is an iron bar with adjustable clamps on each end upon which the racket was held to keep in from collapsing under the pressure of the string tension. I was happy because it meant I did not need to spend money getting my rackets strung, and I strung rackets for the entire team.

Later, Dad introduced me to another classmate who headed up the Davis Tad line of rackets and gut strings. I sold and used these rackets and gut for many years and still have the rackets, unstrung, to this day.

 Your favorite subject in school was physics, and you graduated from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, with a B.S. degree in physics and a minor in mathematics and then earned a Master’s Degree in nuclear physics at the University of Connecticut. Why did you like physics so much?

My favorite subject in high school was mathematics. However, I was misinformed by my councilor to take physics before chemistry. When he did this, he didn’t mention that I would need an additional math class, trigonometry, to succeed in physics. Much to my dismay, I received an F- on the first exam! I was so overwhelmed in the course that I did not even know how to ask a question about where I didn’t have an understanding of the material. My fellow tennis players fared better, but, not well. I found out later they had probably been advised by the same councilor

My next test showed an improvement and I received an F. I was still more than not happy. However, the next rest showed a “drastic” improvement to an F+. At this point, I spoke with the teacher and told him I needed help. We set up a time after school, and he was a no show! I looked up his name in the phone directory—yes, the one with pages at that time—and called him at home. We set up another after school time, and I found out he was taking night courses to get a Master’s degree. I pointed out to him he was being paid to make sure I received the education he was being paid to provide.

The challenge was to obtain the information my councilor did not provide. I found the Schaum’s Series physics book. It was a tremendous aid in filling in the education as it provided more examples of progressive degrees of challenges and then provided independent problems with answers in the back. I was able to bring the midterm exam grade to a B and the final grade to B+.

I enjoyed the process of learning how to solve problems and decided I would major in physics as it fulfilled my interest in math as well as an application to the math.

Did you play college tennis there?

Yes. However, because of the demands of both physics and mathematics requirements, I played only during my freshman and sophomore years. I was on an academic scholarship and not a sports scholarship. The academic scholarship also included an assistantship in which I was required to teach a class or two and grade papers.​

 Your professional career started when you became a high school physics teacher in Massachusetts. Please tell me about that.

I did two internships while I was in college and later when attending UConn. The first was at the University of Chicago as a radiologist. The second internship was at Argonne National labs just outside of Chicago. I found out that at that time working in nuclear physics would not be something I wanted to do, so, I set out to teach. I did one interview at the Plymouth-Carver Regional High School in Plymouth, Mass. I was accepted there and was informed I would need to begin to fulfill teaching course requirements, which I did during the summer in Chicago. I completed the requirements while teaching in Massachusetts.

I enjoyed teaching and expanded the then “unpopular” science field at Plymouth. The first-year students were required to take at least one year of science followed by one year of biology. Either physics or chemistry was a second follow- up science course. Most chose chemistry. I believe science was a terrific course to teach, and the students I taught found it to be challenging as well as stimulating and fascinating.

In 1972, you switched careers and became a teaching tennis professional. What happened? And why?

I stopped teaching because the school administration began to assign me hall duty, lunch duty, and study hall duty. I did not desire to be a “policeman” as I recognized my role as teacher would be changed in the eyes of the students, which would make the teaching rapport changed in such a way as to diminish my teaching abilities.

Playing and teaching tennis is both an art and science. Did your knowledge of physics help you play and teach tennis? And, if so, how?

I’m not aware of the overlap in either. If I were to make a connection, it would be an inquisitive mind, observation of better players, and reading.

 Have you worked as a teaching professional since then?

Yes, since making the transition, I have pursued having the teaching of tennis a career and enjoyed the process of being part of the development of many students development of all ages—from 3 to 93.

What do you enjoy most and least about being a teaching professional?

I don’t know why, but, I just enjoy being on the tennis court. I enjoy being part of being able to watch the development and the struggle of people who have entrusted me with developing their tennis ability and the joy they have when they have reached those initial goals. Then, to see a light go on as we set new goals and discussed the physical, mental, and emotional challenges is rewarding as is the joy they have in reaching these goals as well.

Most are surprised by the short time commitment that was involved and realize the initial struggle was well worth the rewards. The most frustrating aspect of teaching tennis is watching other “well-meaning” pros abandon the discipline and work ethic that took one season to establish and then get them back two seasons later and have to establish the discipline, work ethic, and rewards anew.

The second most frustrating aspect of teaching tennis is the need to fulfill the “quota” of students for a tennis club as unqualified students are placed as fillers —usually because of ego—into a group that is far above the level of the unqualified students.

Tennis technique and tactics have evolved a lot over the past few 50 years. In what ways, if any, have your teaching methods changed during that time?

As I have watched the top players of both sexes, I have not seen any of them hitting the same! They do have some things in common such as an early preparation, a consistent contact for the style (grip) they utilize. I have read of the early history of tennis and I believe the division of “spin” on the ball was determined in the 1920s between “Little Bill” Johnston and “Big Bill” Tilden. “Little Bill” used a Western forehand with a lot of topspin and was defeating “Big Bill” until “Big Bill” lost a finger. Big Bill hit with a friend who had an indoor court in Providence, Rhode Island, during that winter and emerged a consistent winner, and tennis followers adopted his style of play.

The Aussies brought forth John Bromwich, and many other top players. We brought forth Bill Talbert, Gonzalez, Kramer, Budge, Little Mo Connolly, Karen Hantze Susman, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, etc. each brought a contribution to the development of tennis.

The advent of Open Tennis and the steady increase in tournament prize money attracted more people of even greater athletic ability. Each person has very different physical attributes and they learn to use them to the best of their ability. I believe it is a shame to teach people how to hit like the No. 1 ​player of their time because that inhibits the physical, mental, and emotional attributes a player brings to the game of tennis.

Each of the people who are at least in the top 10 of both sexes will attribute their attraction to tennis of a person they “idolized” as a child. Yet, not a one of them   hit like they person they held in high esteem!

Therefore, I tend to teach the basics and allow the student to develop their mind and spirit and drive to develop to the best of their ability. It is these inner qualities that allow the individual to reach greatness.

During the time I was in school, we were all taught to print a certain way and direction of the pen. Later, taught cursive in the same way and were graded on the ideal way to write the alphabet. As we grew in these writing skills, we each have our own unique writing style. This is because we are very unique individuals in spite of early rigid teaching.

It is the spirit of the individual that will ignite the person to greatness not the grip, nor shape of the swing or the footwork. These are merely tools for the expression of the individual. This is true in every endeavor of the human race.

 Has your playing style also changed?

Yes, my playing style has changed quite often during my life. I spent a lot of time playing on wood in my early development. I later had to modify this to learn how to play on clay and then on hard court, sun, wind and different opponents.

As I became older, I looked at those older than I and began to prepare my approach to that of the older people as I hoped and prayed to compete when I became older.

 I also started out with a two-handed backhand because I did not have the strength to use a one-handed backhand as I was using my father’s huge 4¾” grip, heavy racket. I was only 5’2” and 100 pounds at the time. But I wanted to use what my father was using.

When and where did you start playing men’s Open tournaments?

I lived in Massachusetts during the 1970s when I started playing men’s Open tournaments. I was encouraged to do this by a terrific player and practice partner, Ben Bishop. He also introduced me to extremely demanding tennis drills and play.

 How did you fare in Eastern and New England sectional tournaments?

I did not fare well in these tournaments when I was younger, especially in New England. I would drive for hours, lose in the first round and drive more hours home. During this time there was very few people to practice with. I would practice serving or hitting on the wall. This meant a big adjustment when I began playing against a person.

Later, I met a very good doubles player, Bob Pipes. For some reason he wanted to play doubles with me and we clicked. He was 6’2”, and I thought of him as a spider man at the net because when I got my serve in he would go and volley almost all of them and put them away! We won two tournaments in Vermont at a club run by Ted Hoehn, a top New England player. I also lost to Ted the first year there in the semi-finals and lost to him again the next year in the finals. Later, Ben Bishop decided to play doubles with me, and we did quite well due to his expertise.

I missed quite a few years playing because I had to work and could not afford to play. In my mid-50s, I began to play more tournaments and began to do well. This was due to the fact of those people who were exceptionally talented in the juniors and the open adult divisions were not interested in playing tournaments because of the time and work commitments. Another factor was they could set up games with reliable times and people they enjoyed playing.

 I really didn’t start to do well until the 60’s as I played a considerable number of tournaments. Most of the time I did not win, but, was able to stay on the court long enough for the opponent to either fatigue or start making an unusual number of errors and they would lose. There is a big difference in winning and the other person losing. I was ranked No. 1 for a few years in the Eastern section in the 60s, 65s and 70s. There are not many tournaments available in the 70’s or 75’s in the Eastern section without me having to cross a bridge and this means it is very time-consuming.

Again, I was fortunate to play with another terrific player, Ron Rebuhn, in doubles and was ranked No. 1 while in the 60s or 65s. He introduced me to another terrific player to play mixed doubles, which I did not want to participate.

However, I gave it a try and much to my surprise and happiness, we only lost 1 match that year. We also won the mixed doubles titles. Carla Baker was a tremendous competitor. She moved back to TX and is competitive to this day.​

 In 2006, you started playing Super Senior tournaments, entering ten and winning three in singles and two in doubles with Ron Rebuhn that year. What prompted you to resume tournament competition?

Well, I do believe it was Ron’s phone call that got me started. I was dissatisfied with the way tournaments were run by some of the directors in that they would have us wait around at the beginning of the tournament knowing they could not put all the matches on with the limited number of courts available. Ron would send out a set time for each round of the match. This was attractive. Plus, he did not allow cheating on the court and would come out on the court to notify the person doing so. He was proactive about many issues and ran smooth and efficient tournaments.

 Since then, what have been your best wins and biggest titles?

It is very difficult to name what would be considered my best win or title. I will say that after a serious leg injury that kept me out for three years, I made a decision to play a tournament when I reached 70% enabled. It was one of Ron’s tournaments, and I was pleased to get through each round, most of which were three-set matches. I could barely hit a backhand because I was unable to put weight on my right leg. As a result of the injury, I was forced to hit with most weight while leaning back. This was quit arduous for me, but, at the same time I was quite happy to play again.

 I know Ron would have tracked all the people I played as well as their name and scores. However, I tend to forget the matches as well as the round. Recently, I have taken to recording the draw and the rounds. Perhaps one day when I’m in my 90s I might reflect upon them. I doubt this because what I would be doing will be more important than my past.

I will say there is one match I played for the East in the Atlantic Coast Cup competition in Pennsylvania. I don’t remember my opponent’s name, but the match lasted for four hours! I still did not have the backhand, and he dialed in on it! How I survived this three-set match is a wonder to me even to this day.

 After you defeated me, you told me you were 5’8” tall and weighed 123 lbs. What do you do in terms of diet and training to play in peak condition at age 76?

I do not believe I’m on a diet as I have merely changed my eating preferences. I no longer eat meat because after years of eating substantial amounts of meat, I lost my desire for meat. However, if my life came down to eating meat, I would. I also do not like the way most animals are fed antibiotics, hormones for growth, or held in pens.

I read a lot on the issue and chose plants, nuts, seeds, and occasionally eggs and cheese. I have found this to help in optimizing my well-being and energy.

In my late teens, I began exercising with the Royal Canadian Exercise Program because it required no equipment. Later, while in Massachusetts, I used a universal machine situated in the high school. I like used the machines because of the safety factor. The use of machines continued through my 30s and 40s while I was employed at Saw Mill Club. I later stopped this because of the demands on my body and how it was affecting my tennis.

These days I occasionally run up and down stairs at Kensico Dam or ride a bike. My best cycling effort was 100 miles when I was in my early 70s. I have learned to reduce stress levels and have a very simplified life.

 Is it true you sometimes play five practice sets in one day?

Yes, I enjoy playing that much. Recently, I met a guy who would do this with me. He has a style of play I found to be very unsettling. In the past I would set up two or three people to obtain the five sets. This I did so that in the event I lost (quite often) it would not because I became fatigued.

When there is no one to fulfill the sets I would set up two or three people to play, or I will hit on the wall for a couple of hours. The time goes by very fast.

 You’re known and respected for your excellent sportsmanship. Do you have a credo or philosophy about that?

It is very difficult to pinpoint the reason for this reputation. First of all, this is news to me. Second, with the exception of a few instances in my life, most people have been exceedingly honest and fair with me from a very early age in my life. Third, I respected the motto of the USTA when I first started playing tennis. This motto has since been eliminated. The motto was twofold, and I paraphrase: Tennis is a game for ladies and gentlemen. Tennis is a game for a lifetime.

I was also very impressed by the honesty and integrity of my dad as I played him as well as watched him play other people in matches.​ I do not believe I have a credo or a philosophy. I do believe in fairness. Cheating to me only would demean my opponent, myself, and the game of tennis.

 As an African-American, you grew up in the 1950s and early 1960s when segregation was prevalent in some areas of American life. Did you experience racial discrimination then or thereafter?

First of all, I have never considered myself as an African-American as my great, great parents were born in this country. I have never been to Africa, and I have met Africans who laughed at the phrase African-American. This and other hyphenated terms of people from other countries are very divisive and destructive to being and American. I do not know how many generations a person needs to have their genealogy go back before they are considered to be of that country. However, my parents and grandparents whom I knew taught me that I am an American and to be proud of it.

I have experienced kindness by both white and black/brown communities as well as prejudice and meanness. From my earliest memories, all races of mankind have treated my family and me with kindness.

Was I unaware of segregation? Perhaps. I have lived in communities in which the entire neighborhood was black and brown as well as in those neighborhoods of mixed races and those that were predominantly white. They all took our money in the exchange for goods and services. I also found out there are good and evil people of every background.

Perhaps I have this attitude because I grew up in Herlong, Richmond, and San Francisco, California. There were gangs that I was aware of, and they treated with strong prejudice those who were not gang members, regardless of race.

 I did become aware of prejudice when in St. Louis while watching a play, “South Pacific,” with my grandmother, Octavia. I learned this anomaly was due to being specially taught prejudice before we are 7 or 8. You have to be specially taught!

 Have you been involved in any tennis organizations or programs to advance the sport? If so, please tell about your volunteer work.

In Virginia, I went to the parks and recreation department and presented a program to go into the grade schools to introduce boys and girls to tennis. It was a tremendous success! I used sponge balls so no one would get injured if hit by the ball because many children feared being hit. I supplied the equipment of two courts and eight rackets, which the students shared. The children’s response was enormous because they began to see they could actually play tennis, have movement as an athlete, root for their classmates, and hit something. This program was for one year. Then a different director headed the area’s sports program.

I repeated this on a limited basis in Westchester County because this was not under the parks and recreation department. I had to speak with the school’s athletic director.

 What do you like most about playing sectional and national senior tournaments?

I believe the best thing about the senior tournaments is the organization of the time schedules. The next best thing is the competition and the socializing of the players. The national Level 1 and 2 events gave us a chance to get away and focus on playing and practicing with very friendly people and sharing our experiences.

 Who have been your favorite players, pro or amateur, during your lifetime? And what was special about them?

My dad was for several reasons. He was a great provider and tennis player, and he made time to play with me even though he was up at 5 a.m. to work in a physical and dangerous job. He demonstrated competiveness and integrity during practice as well as match play. His knowledge of tennis strategy and tactics was impressive. His great enjoyment of the sport fueled my passion for the sport.

The tennis greats of both sexes inspired me. Gonzalez, “Little Mo” Connolly, Jack Kramer, Bill Tilden, Bill Talbert and Bruce Old, who wrote excellent books about singles and doubles, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Arthur Ashe, Margaret Court, and others. Why? What impressed me greatly about these bygone stars is that they had to play without time-outs, and despite injuries, bad calls, and little or no prize money. Even so, they displayed admirable demeanor under difficult situations and usually played more than one event at each tournament.

On a regional level, Chris Scott, Alphonso “Tex” Richardson, George Anderson, Ben Bishop, Bob Pipes, Ron Rebuhn, Todd Gordon, and many more people influenced my tennis career. They practiced and played with me when I was a terrible player and very desperate to play.

  What are your goals both on and off the court for the rest of this decade

Well, I have been preparing my activities for some time. Even though I pray to be able to continue playing tennis and have been blessed with health, energy and vitality, there are other areas of interest. I would like to continue my interest in photography in the areas of flowers, sports, people and their families and work environment, and still life. Another area of interest is to continue reading and understanding the Bible. This started in the 1980s, and much to my surprise and delight, has continued to this day. I like riding a bicycle and hope to continue this activity although not to the extent I have done in the past few years after accomplishing the 50-, 60-, and 100- mile goals. I am looking forward to learning baking and have bought a grain mill to make flour from grain to make bread, cakes, pies, and cookies. This is after I purchased an upgraded commercial mixer. Finally, I look forward to using my first crossbow and have put together a small group for target competition. I’m quite sure there will be other areas that may catch my attention if I’m blessed with a long, healthy, and vital life.

William King (Still on The Road)
Jimmy Parker
April 2022

Many of our NSMTA members have enjoyed interesting, colorful, and productive careers off the court as well as on. In William King’s case, he has been quite proficient with a stringed instrument other than a tennis racquet for a long time. Growing up in a musical family, he eventually became adept at playing not only the guitar, but also the trumpet (his favorite), flute, piano, keyboard, and percussion. Originally though, William recalls he did his best to evade music lessons, preferring instead to duck out to play various sports. He is best known as one of the original Commodores, a Grammy-winning group that is still touring more than fifty years after getting together. Did I mention that he is also the group’s primary choreographer?

Commodore performances are lively, fun-filled, and energetic. The guys in the band still look like they’re having a good time. They still perform in as many as eleven months out of a year, a demanding schedule for a 73-year-old! For anyone!                                    When the group first started out, the band members were discussing what to call themselves. They decided to turn it over to fate by opening the dictionary and sliding a finger down the page. “Commodores” was a serendipitous choice, as William points out that the next word was “commode.”

Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s, William participated primarily in football, basketball, and baseball. When he got to Tuskegee Institute, a friend took him out to the tennis courts for the first time. He remembers that the first ball he hit went over the net, the baseline, the fence, and rolled out to the street. From that moment, he was hooked. By the next year, he was playing on the tennis team, rising to become the No.1 player!

It was about that time when William and a couple of his buddies began putting together a band that would play at local venues. One time he was asked to write a song for a couple that was getting married. They liked the song so much that the bride told him, “You ought to think about going into the music business.” Those words turned out to be extremely prophetic.

Since then, the Commodores have performed in front of crowds of 250,000 in Europe, played to screaming fans at Madison Square Garden, and been nominated for nine Grammys. After the disappointment of failing to win a single one after eight nominations, William almost didn’t go to the ceremony where they finally won. He couldn’t believe it!

Early on, most of the gigs were in the deep South. Being a black man in that time and place was never easy. For the sin of being Black, William was occasionally subjected to abuse by white police officers. This was probably exacerbated by the fact that the band would often be driving in the late hours after a gig. At different times, he and his friends were thrown on the ground and hand-cuffed, had shotguns put to their foreheads, or had boots pressed into their backs while the officers laughed and jeered. William relates these racist incidents in a remarkably matter-of-fact way. A longtime resident of Atlanta, he says, “There’s still work to be done here in Georgia.”

After college, William became one of the early computer programmers. Before too long though, he returned to music and has pretty much been at it ever since. His tennis game took a twenty-year hiatus, but he started playing again as a senior in his early 50’s. “It’s been a saving grace for me,” he says. He considers it one of the three main pillars of his life – family (he has four adult kids, plus grandkids), music, and tennis. He has a beautiful red clay court in his backyard, which gets regular use.

William loves the fact that tennis, along with soccer, is such a global game. His favorite players are all-time greats Rod Laver and Roger Federer, choices I wholeheartedly go along with. He still works on his game – more topspin on the forehand is his latest project. And he loves the challenge of competitive play. His league team buddies provide camaraderie, fun, and a bit of trash-talking. My last glimpse of William was in January in Florida – he was on the road again, but this time for tennis. William was out there sweating and swatting balls with the rest of us codgers in the Naples tournament at Sanchez. And smiling.

Passion Play
Walter Villa
October 2021
*This article was originally published in Tennis Championships Magazine, 2021

Jody Rush took the first set in his quarterfinal match against Jimmy Parker in the 2019 USTA National Men’s 75 Grass Court Championships.

Uh-oh.

“I was thinking, ‘What’s he going to do now?’” says Rush, who had won the Men’s 70 Clay Courts just a few years prior, in 2015. “Jimmy has so many ways to beat you. I wasn’t sure what adjustments he would make. But let’s just say it didn’t turn out well for me.”

Rush won just one more game the rest of the match, falling 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 as Parker went on to claim another Gold Slam, grabbing all four USTA national championships in his age group.

Parker, 78, might well be the Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal of USTA adult tennis. When USTA adult national championship play resumed in April from last year’s pandemic-forced break, Parker had reached the milestone of 150 USTA national titles, a record by a wide margin in the men’s game. He broke the mark back in 2016, with title No. 126. He ended 2019, the last full season of tournament play, as the nation’s top-ranked singles and doubles player in the men’s 75 age category. He was No. 3 in the world.

Parker captured a national mixed doubles title in January 2020—just before the pandemic hit—allowing him to keep alive his streak of playing in at least one USTA national championship event every year since 1952.

Off the court, Parker has been a leader, too. On Jan. 1, 2018, he became the first president of the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association, a group that now has more than 875 members. [ 1,119 members as of October 2021]

The women have had their own organization for more than 40 years, and they, um, urged the men to do the same.

“They told us to get off our butts,” Parker says with a laugh.

Kathy Langer, a past president of the National Women’s Tennis Organization (formerly the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association) was one of those women, and she knew Parker would be the perfect guy to lead the men.

“The guys respect him,” Langer says. “He’s the No. 1 player, but they don’t hate him. They love him, and that’s because he’s respectful of everyone.”

Parker came of age in 1950s St. Louis, a Golden Era of tennis in the River City. During those days, there were numerous star players competing out of St. Louis, including Chuck McKinley, who would go on to win Wimbledon in 1963; Butch Buchholz, who swept the junior Grand Slam events, 1958-59; and Arthur Ashe, a Virginia native who moved to St. Louis because he wasn’t allowed to compete against white players in segregated Richmond. All three are enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The women’s game in St. Louis was also vibrant, with players such as Justina Bricka, Mary Ann Eisel and Carol Hanks. All three were ranked in the Top 10 nationally in 1964. Bricka, in partnership with Margaret Smith Court, was a women’s doubles runner-up at Roland Garros in 1962. Eisel won the U.S. Nationals mixed doubles title in 1968. Hanks was a singles semifinalist in the 1964 U.S. Nationals.

In 1961, St. Louis also boasted three of the top seven junior boys in the nation: Cliff Buchholz (Butch’s younger brother), Ashe and Parker.

Parker says the “secret sauce” for St. Louis tennis in those days was playing on the indoor courts at the National Guard Armory. “Those were the fastest courts I’ve ever played on,” he says. “These were five wooden courts that were so lightning quick you had to develop a fast game. You had to shorten your motion, attack and go to the net.

“Arthur (Ashe) said he would’ve never won Wimbledon if not for those Armory courts.”

Further aiding Parker was he came from a tennis family. His father, Ward, and mother, Merceina, were accomplished players, and so was Jimmy’s younger brother, Larry. The family’s love for tennis was so great that they built a clay court in their backyard, making Parker’s lifetime in tennis all but inevitable.

In fact, tennis in the Parker family stretches as far back as his grandparents and as far forward as his grandson, Heys, now a budding talent in Atlanta.

Fittingly, 23 of Parker’s USTA national titles are in the Father-Son division, either with his father or with his son, Chris. Parker even married into tennis. His wife of almost 40 years, Ellen, is the daughter of former USTA Texas president Jim Hight.

Tennis was Parker’s destiny.

“Jimmy was just a bit short of being U.S. Davis Cup material, which was the top level in the 1950s and ’60s,” says Rich Klein, a retired lawyer and one of Parker’s tennis-playing friends. Parker, who claimed his first USTA national title at age 15, was an All-American tennis player at Rice University, winning Southwest Conference singles and doubles titles. In 1968, right after earning a Master’s degree from the University of Texas, Parker played in the inaugural US Open, taking on No. 3 seed Ken Rosewall in the opening match on Center Court at Forest Hills.

“I was the first loser of the Open Era,” boasts Parker, his self-deprecating sense of humor on display.

One month after that, with the Vietnam War raging, Parker was drafted. A beginner pilot at the time, he went into the Air Force, where he spent five prime years. He would go months without even touching a tennis racquet.

“I was against the war,” Parker says. “I flew worldwide, but managed to stay out of Vietnam.”

Parker returned to civilian life in 1973. He played a couple of tour-level pro tournaments, facing his former juniors partner, Ashe, in doubles at one and Rosewall in doubles at the other. But Parker recognized his game wasn’t at that level.

He coached the men’s tennis team at his alma mater, Rice, for three years and then became the teaching pro at the Houston Racquet Club, a position he held for more than 30 years.

It was during that time Parker started playing senior tennis, at the ripe old age of 35.

“It was better than sitting behind a desk in an office,” Parker says, explaining that he used coaching to help his own game. “I had a preference for hitting live balls rather than just feeding them, and that gave me practice.

“As a coach, I also got to see what worked and what didn’t, making me a more flexible thinker. And as a senior player, I never had a ‘big name’ that I thought I had to protect.”

Parker won 97 of his 150 USTA national titles—or gold balls—in doubles. His most successful partnership continues on with Ken Robinson of San Carlos, California. They began 2021 with 39 titles together, second-most in USTA adult tennis history, behind Bob Duesler and Jim Nelson’s 59.

How Parker and Robinson met is a story of happenstance. Both their partners had gotten injured, and a helpful tournament director suggested to Robinson, a former standout at the University of Nevada, that he call Parker.

Robinson did just that. But before he could get to the magic question, Parker seemed to read his mind: “Do you want to play?” Naturally, Robinson said yes.

More than 30 years later, the partnership is still going strong.

“With Jim and me, we understand how to play high- percentage tennis,” says Robinson, a former airline pilot and the quieter half of the duo. “We don’t talk a lot on the court, but we instinctually know what each other is thinking. It just flows for us.”

Parker, who now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, plays the ad court, acting as the “hammer” to nail games shut.

Ego—on either side—has never been a problem, and Robinson appreciates how much Parker has valued the relationship.

“One time, we were playing in Seattle, and Jim had gotten to the singles final when he tweaked his back,” Robinson recalls. “Jim defaulted from the singles, and we won the doubles. He said, ‘We’re here to win the doubles.’”

Their triumph in the USTA National Men’s 70 Clay Courts in October 2016 is when Parker broke Bob Sherman’s record of 125 USTA men’s national titles.

Parker has achieved the No. 1 national singles ranking in every age group from 35 to 75. He also has been inducted into four Halls of Fame, including Rice University and St. Louis Tennis.

Part of what has allowed Parker to excel for so long is that he has remained fairly healthy, with the exception of surgery on his serving (right) shoulder in 2002 and a partial replacement of his right knee in 2015.

Besides good genetics and even better fortune, Parker has mastered an all-court game. He has won a higher percentage of his titles on grass than on any other surface—and that goes back to his days at the Armory and his ability to navigate a fast court. But remember, he also grew up with a clay court in his backyard.

“One of Jimmy’s specialties is his drop shot,” Klein says. “You really have to work to beat Jimmy on clay.

“Jimmy doesn’t overpower anybody (at 5-foot-7, 160 lbs). But he has a complete arsenal, and he’s so mentally tough. If you have a weakness, he will exploit it, and he loves the battle.”

Parker also can be a bit devilish on the court.

“Jimmy has an underhand serve he might use once or twice a match, and it’s pretty nasty,” Robinson says. “One time, I was playing singles against Jimmy, and he uses it for an ace. He hits it short, and it kicks (laterally). I called it out (playfully), and I just walked away.

“You don’t do that to your doubles partner!”

They are still best of friends, of course, and Parker plans to keep on adding national titles to his collection.

“When I think back at what I’ve accomplished, I can hardly believe it myself,” Parker says. “I feel proud of the record because it means I’ve played for a long time, and I’ve never gotten burned out. The record reflects a certain enthusiasm for playing, and that’s what I’m proudest of—that life-long love of tennis.

“But I hope somebody breaks my record someday because that means that guy will have gotten to experience all the fun and satisfaction that I have.”

King of Hearts
Ross Mclean
August 2021
*This article was originally published in ITF World Magazine, Summer 2021 

Seniors legend King Van Nostrand takes a trip down memory lane and discusses pulley-driven milk containers, rebellious kids and his record-breaking ambitions
with ITF World

Due to the deterioration of his hearing, King Van Nostrand prefers chatting over e-mail these days. He is known for being warm and engaging and those qualities are apparent even in cyberspace. The only problem, however, is competition.  

“My responses to you will have to be sporadic at best as Boots [his wife of 66 years] and I share a computer,” he tells ITFWorld.

“Since her retirement from tennis eight or nine years ago, she has become a world-class bridge player with seemingly endless virtual tournaments subject to international time zones. I get on when I can.”

True to his word, as the opening week of Wimbledon unfolds, replies from the 87-year-old arrive intermittently, but it is the little extras within his answers which inform, help paint a picture and certainly entertain. 

“I see Andy’s up a set on Basilashvili, rooting for him with his new hip...sorry, couldn’t connect yesterday, had too many commitments and not enough arms, legs and hours to fulfil them...where are the days of Dan Maskell’s marvellously succinct commentary?”  

Once merged, leafing through Van Nostrand’s near 3000 words of insight, opinion and reminiscences is a privilege. The main questions, however, are how to do justice to his utterances and, more pressingly, where to start?  

He is clearly a man who lives and breathes tennis and has done so ever since he fell in love with the game back in 1940s America while growing up on Long Island, New York.

So much has been written and spoken about this revered octogenarian that it seems fitting to open with the future and what more he wishes to achieve from a life already brimming with memories, medals and accolades.

“This is a tap-in putt,” said Van Nostrand. “Only recently, I mentioned again my overused lament that before I die, I would like to hit one winning top-spin lob.

“In all my thousands of hours on court, top-spin anything has been regretfully non-existent. Of course, my ancient eastern forehand grip does not allow for such a weapon, but I can dream.”

As befits someone with his back catalogue of success, there are more substantive aims. When he contemplates his future trophy haul, no  doubt a glint appears in the eye of the man described by Boots as the “ultimate competitor”.

“A more attainable desire, and one that seriously motivates me these days, is to win at least two more ITF World Championships, be it singles, doubles and/or team,” added Van Nostrand, who is ranked world No. 1 in the 85+ age category.

 “I am told that the holder of the unofficial record, the late Lorne Main, won 42. If my arithmetic is correct, I have 41. It would be extremely nice to head the list, if only for a year or two. There are some very talented younger players working their way up.

“This, of course, is only a very personal goal of mine, one that is embarrassingly selfish in view of all the strife and hardship throughout the entire world.”

His calculations are indeed correct, and Van Nostrand is scheduled to go in search of his holy grail at October’s ITF Super-Seniors World Team and Individual Championships in Mallorca, Spain.

Van Nostrand once said that he “probably takes it all too seriously”, but the best part of a decade after expressing this view, here he is plotting his latest title tilt and eagerly looking forward to making up for lost time.

The Covid-19 pandemic put paid to his chances of eclipsing Main’s feats last year, with the 2020 ITF World Championships, which were also scheduled to take place in Mallorca, cancelled.

Being deprived of competition for so long has not dimmed Van Nostrand’s appetite, merely served to heighten it. Preparations for his return have continued from basecamp and his golf- course home at Grand Harbor on Vero Beach, Florida.  

“Dealing with Covid was no big deal except for competing in tournaments,” said Van Nostrand. “Getting there I didn't miss. The airport lines and my titanium knees being searched every step of the way are not fun. 

“But missing the ITF World Championships was a bummer, as the kids say. With no ITF Worlds, it cost me a valuable year in which to try to add to my selfish quest.

“Boots and I pretty much lived in our own little bubble, not much different to pre- pandemic. She switched her bridge to online, seriously missing out on the personal and social aspect of the game, but I hardly missed a day on the courts.

“We live but a nine iron down the road from our tennis club of 13 courts so, while I never really hung around the clubhouse before Covid, there was little difference coming in the back way to one of the field courts for a game.

“The club gym was off limits for a while, so in our garage I put together some crude but effective, pulley-driven, milk containers filled with water as my weights, which kept
me reasonably fit.”

A recipient of the ITF Seniors Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner, Van Nostrand, who reveals he is “still in awe of that evening”, describes his early tennis career as “vanilla”, suggesting it was “bland and suspect”. In reality, he was a successful junior player, initially at Bay Shore High School and then Cortland State University.

After graduating he spent three years in the US Navy before, upon discharge, teaching maths for the best part of 30 years back in Bay Shore. All the time, tennis was a constant.

Van Nostrand taught and coached the sport to his own children or the kids at his school whenever he could – during the summer holidays, at weekends and in the evenings. A racket was never far from his grasp.

“I am very proud to have been able to nurture all four of our children to love the game,” he added.

“My 30 years in public education confirms that it is extremely difficult to teach your own kids anything as they tend to rebel against anything they think you want.

“The accomplishment of Boots and I lives on today as all four of our kids received college tennis scholarships and all eight grandchildren continue that legacy of loving and playing this lifetime endeavour.”

One of their children, Molly, achieved more than just an affection for the game. In 1985, aged 19, she reached the main draw at Wimbledon after navigating three rounds of qualifying before falling in the quarter-finals to fellow American Zina Garrison in three sets.

“This was a super thrill,” said Van Nostrand. “She was so close to making the semis and meeting Martina Navratilova on Centre Court.

 “My school was still in session so I could only follow by radio and early 5am pre-match telephone calls. As Molly progressed through the draw, my Principal offered to excuse me from the last few days of the school year so I could head for Wimbledon.

“But Boots had it all well under control, and they were having a ball. They didn't need any more distractions.”

Inadvertently, raising their children to appreciate the game and introducing them to a sport which would come to mean so much, also gave rise to further family silverware.

One of Van Nostrand’s career highlights was the time he and Boots both won an ITF World singles title at Philadelphia Cricket Club in 2004, hers on clay and his on grass.

“This was one of the great thrills of my tennis career, watching my student capture the World Individual singles crown,” added Van Nostrand.

“Boots always was a very good athlete, but while growing up and during the first years of our married lives, she never touched a tennis racket.

“However, as our four kids grew to like the game, they needed someone to practice with,

so mum became the willing participant. As they grew, so did she, becoming a very astute and knowledgeable player and coach.

“For me, she was trainer, practice partner, opponent, scout, nutritionist, travel agent, shrink and coach – anything and everything. She started out as each of our children's first big win.

“She continues, on occasion, to travel with me, sharing the fun and camaraderie in the fraternity of Seniors tennis.”

However, it has not all been champagne and celebration. As Van Nostrand concedes, life for him and Boots has been “marred by some serious bumps in the proverbial road”.

Despite this, Van Nostrand considers himself to have been extremely fortunate to lead the life he has and he is determined to slow the sands of time. He may well be on his second set of titanium knees – he had initial implants in 1998, with one lasting nine years and the other 11 – but his hunger remains.

“The player of today is fitter, more mobile and more versatile than those of yesteryear,” he said. “Those taller men, who lumbered around the court after their big service weapon came back, have been replaced with really athletic, all-around players.

“It is not surprising that this is true in the Young Seniors and well into mid-life, while we old guys are struggling with just getting up in the morning and taking our pills and potions.

“In my carry bags these days are fewer rackets and more RX stuff like tape, bandages, wraps, straps and sleeves. And along with not hearing very well, my sometimes too active bladder is a serious and embarrassing worry.

 “I have to plan well ahead for this fearful fact of senior life. When I travel long distance, not only do I calculate each leg and step of the journey, I factor in periodic pit stops.

“As a realist, I know my days are numbered and there will definitely be a time when I have to hang up my racket. Perhaps it will come as I try to chase down a well-placed drop shot. They can just dig a hole near the net and roll me in. That would be a good way to go.”

While levity is a constant theme of his e-mail chain, the ardent hope is that Van Nostrand has plenty more gas in the tank and many moments still to cherish.

Indeed, this interview prompted him to recall one of his most prized – he even unearthed a lost gem in the process – dating back to his first ITF World Championships in 1981. In many respects, the tale goes some way to defining his outlook.

“The Dubler Cup in 1981 was a very big deal and, at the time, the only international team competition, other than Davis Cup, for men,” said Van Nostrand.

“All the great stars from years earlier were itching to make a quantifiable tennis comeback and couldn't wait to become eligible at the age of 45 to compete at
an ITF-sanctioned event.

“That year, it was held at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club and it was very exciting for me just to be there. So many teams had at least one, if not two, former champions and Davis Cup veterans. Great Britain, for instance, had three in the form of Bobby Wilson, Roger Becker and Alan Mills. 

“USA had none and I was in awe to be in the same draw as so many players who I had read about and followed.

 “I was our No. 1 player and Hugh Stewart our No. 2. When I followed Hughie on court we were always 1-0 up. Knowing my opponent had to win or be eliminated was very relaxing and I took advantage of that.

“By the end of the week, my tournament singles record was 4-0, beating three former Davis Cuppers. We defeated Great Britain in the final where my opponent was confident he would go through me because he had never heard of me.

“To him I was a nobody. After 6-4 6-4 he knew who I was. Thinking back, it was probably my biggest personal playing thrill.”

Van Nostrand had forgotten that he had recorded this moment and his time in Argentina in a diary. Having uncovered it, he spent an enjoyable few hours reliving the experience, prompting perhaps his most contemplative reflection.

He says poignantly: “During the course of my career, I have nudged more than a few former greats back into retirement, their dreams of one more shot at glory and fame shattered by a nobody.”

As he knows only too well, King Van Nostrand is anything but a nonentity.

A Climb to the Top: Jimmy Parker - A Tennis Legend
Chuck Garcia
chuck@climbleadership.com
July 2021
This podcast was originally aired on A CLIMB TO THE TOP C Suite Radio Podcast, July 14, 2021

We all have something that fuels our passion and keeps us young at heart. For professional tennis player and coach Jimmy Parker, that thing has always been tennis. He knows that things we learn and experience on the court apply to our lives off the court as well. This is Jimmy’s Story of Transformation on Chuck Garcia’s podcast series, A CLIMB TO THE TOP: Stories of Transformation. Every week the show features individuals from all walks of life who have overcome adversity, career challenges, and life’s unexpected obstacles. Each guest discusses their tale of transformation that helped them to climb their personal mountains of happiness and success.

Tennis Cause Of Lifelong Friendship
Friends of 20 years enjoy visiting Wheeling for Jack Dorsey Tourney
Kyle Lutz
klutz@theintelligencer.net
July 2021
This article was originally published in The Intelligencer, June 25, 2021

When it comes to sports, sometimes it can bring people together and cause lifelong friendships. Such was the case for Selim Benbadis and Alex Kor with tennis.

For 20 years, the duo has been traveling to different senior tournaments. While on the road, they are also roommates at every tournament they go to.

This week was no exception as Benbadis and Kor made their way to Wheeling to compete in the Jack Dorsey Memorial Senior Tennis Tournament on Thursday.

“I’m from France. And I played the amateur circuit if you want to call it that. We don’t have the equivalent of college tennis in France and I played competitively,” Benbadis said. “We started playing on the senior tour in the 35’s (age group). We met in the 40’s and met in Pittsburgh. We became friends. We have a lot in common. We’re both in medicine. So we have a lot to discuss between tennis and medicine.

“We are roommates at every tournament we go to. We meet here, we meet in Jackson, Mississippi, we meet in Atlanta or wherever there is senior events. It’s a lot of fun.”

When it comes to their professional careers, Benbadis is a neurologist who resides in Florida while Kor is a podiatrist living in Indiana.

While they did meet at an indoor senior tennis tournament in Pittsburgh, they really didn’t start hanging out until later that year when they stayed at a house in Savannah Georgia with other players. There they realized that they had similar interests.

“We’ve been playing national tournaments for 20 years,” Kor said. “We met 20 years ago in Pittsburgh. We were both in medicine.

“Typically we travel to these tournaments together. I go down down and practice with him a lot.”

While they are friends, there are times at tournaments that they will square off against each other. Thursdays was one of those days as Benbadis got the upperhand 6-1, 6-2 in the 60’s division.

“He competes well and always wants to get better like we all do,” Benbadis said about Kor. “We have a good time. But, on the court, I need to win. That’s all that there is to it. I don’t care how good of friends we are. On the court, I’m going to try to win. On the court, I don’t give away games. If he wins them, he wins them. I don’t give them up.”

Kor, who picked up the game of tennis at the age of eight and played at Butler in college, has secured a lot of victories in his career. However, there’s one thing he hasn’t been able to accomplish.

“I’ve never beaten him,” Kor said about Benbadis. “He’s very tough on clay. He’s one of the top players in the country on clay.

“We played doubles together once and got to the finals. And I just played him two weeks ago in Indianapolis. So my last two losses are to him. We were talking when we drove over. We think we’ve been coming here for 10 years.”

And there is a reason why both Benbadis and Kor have been coming back to the Friendly City all these years.

“This is truly one of our favorite tournaments,” Benbadis said.

“The draws are on the smaller side, but it is very low-key. I was a tennis counselor in Maine and this reminds me of that. It’s very low-key, people are nice. This is really one of our favorites tournaments. Except last year when it was canceled, we’ve come every year for at least 10 years. We’ve never miss it.”

Although the Jack Dorsey Memorial Tournament was canceled last year due to the pandemic, Kor and Benbadis were able to play in some tournaments in the fall last year. However, they are happy to be back and playing at the courts at Oglebay.

“Everybody has kind of gone through the same thing,” Kor said. “We did manage to get to some tournaments last fall. We played in a tournament in Jackson, Mississippi in October. Here and there, there are some tournaments that are not on the schedule, but (tournament director) Kelly (Molyneaux) Rose does a great job with the tournament here. The facilities are great. It’s a nice town and we always have a great time here.”

USTA Announces 2021 Senior International Team
Keiko Kimball Gouty
kkimball@nsmta.net
February 2021
Updated June 2021
Updated September 2021
*** On September 8, 2021, the USTA informed players selected to participate in the ITF Super Senior World Team Championships in Mallorca that it had withdrawn the teams from the event ***
** On March 22, 2021, the ITF announced the 2021 ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Championships in Umag, Croatia, originally scheduled to take place from June 6-19 2021, will now be played from August 29 - September 11. The event will remain in Umag, with the Team event running from August 29 – September 3, before the Individual event from September 4-11. **

The USTA has announced all of the Senior teams representing the USA in the Senior International World Championships in Umag, Croatia and Mallorca, Spain beginning August 29th, 2021.

Earning a spot on one of the ITF teams at the annual Championships is quite an accomplishment as only four top performers per age group are selected each year to represent their country. This international senior competition features the top players from across the world competing for their countries. The ITF Seniors World Team Championships are the most prestigious team events on the ITF Seniors circuit. The team competitions are the adult/senior equivalent of Davis Cup and Fed Cup, with Team USA suiting up in the Young Seniors (35-, 40- and 45-and-over), Seniors (50-, 55- and 60-and-over) and Super-Seniors categories (65-, 70-, 75-, 80 and 85-and-over).

The Young Seniors World Team & Individual Championships will follow the Seniors (August 29th to September 3rd) in Umag from September 12th through 25th. The ITF Super-Seniors World Team & Individual Championships are scheduled in Mallorca, Spain, from October 10th to October 23rd.

Listed below are the competing Senior International Teams players; captains are listed first, and then players are in alphabetical order by last name. An extra shout-out goes to NSMTA members Joseph Bachmann, Brenda Carter, Steve Gottlieb, Toby Crabel, Wilbur Jones, Sue Kimball, Bob Litwin, Don Long, Geoffrey Moore, Carolyn Nichols, Lester Sack, David Sivertson, Michael Tammen, King Van Nostrand, Mark Vines, Dan Waldman, Jesse Walter, Ken White, Leonard Wofford, Shelly Works, and Paul Wulf and NSMTA BOD Geoff Cykman whose names are in bold on the roster below. Congratulations and good luck to all the players!

2021 ITF Young Senior Team USA Rosters (Courtesy USTA)

2021 ITF Senior Team USA Rosters (Courtesy USTA)

2021 ITF Super Senior Team USA Rosters (Courtesy USTA)

Senior International Team for the 2020 World Championships
Keiko Kimball Gouty
kkimball@nsmta.net
July 2020
Players names originally published on USTA.com, June 2020

UPDATE - As of July 14, 2020, these events have been cancelled.

The ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships is the most prestigious team event on the ITF Seniors circuit. Earning a spot on one of the ITF teams at the annual Championships is quite the accomplishment. Only four top performers per age group are selected each year to represent their country.

The ITF created the Super-Seniors World Team Championships in 1981. In 1993, the organization split the group in two: Seniors (35-55) and the Super-Seniors (60-80). With so many individuals playing top-quality tennis later in life, and competition varying in each age group, there are now three groups of seniors: Young Seniors (35, 40, 45), Seniors (50, 55, 60), and Super Seniors (65, 70, 75, 80, 85).

The Young Seniors World Championships will take place in September in Umag, Croatia and the Super-Seniors World Championships in Mallorca, Spain in October. The canceled Senior World Championship would have taken place in Boca Raton, Florida this past April/May.

Listed below are the competing Senior Teams players; captains are listed first and then players are in alphabetical order by last name. An extra shout-out goes to our NSMTA members and Board of Directors Geoff Cykman, Jimmy Parker and Larry Turville whose names are highlighted with an asterisk below. Congratulations and good luck to all the players! 

2020 ITF Young Senior Team USA Rosters

2020 ITF Super Senior Team USA Rosters

They’ve Done Some Great Things
Paul Fein
lincjeff1@comcast.net
April 2020
This article was originally published in Racquet Sports Industry magazine, May 2020

The National Senior Men’s Tennis Association aims to improve the game for a growing segment of players.

They play to live, and they live to play. While their bodies may not be quite what they once were, their spirits are better than ever, brimming with enthusiasm. Seniors from ages 40 to 100 comprise an increasing percentage of America’s 18 million tennis players, and some 265,000 of these athletes competed in USTA senior tournaments and leagues last year.

In January 2018, Jimmy Parker, Jerry Thomas, Steve Duffel, Mas Kimball, Larry Turville and Ed Trost founded the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association. Parker is quick to credit John Powless as “the true dean of men’s senior tennis for ably carrying the banner of Super Senior Tennis for many years.” Super Senior Tennis was created shortly after World War II to promote tennis for players 55 and over.

“We all realized that senior tournament tennis was a relatively low priority for the USTA,” says Parker, the NSMTA president and its superstar player with a record 150 national titles. “The six of us formed the first Board of Directors. Fortuitously, we each have different skill sets, and we wouldn’t be where we are without the unique contributions of each one of us, especially Mas, who created a diverse website from scratch.”

The Original Six were also inspired by their highly successful women’s counterpart.

“The senior women had founded the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association more than 40 years ago,” explains Parker. “They wanted us to get off our butts and do the same for the men, to provide a more unified front in advocating senior tennis competition.”

The NSMTA’s biggest goals are to improve the experience of playing senior tennis, provide input to the USTA, and offer a forum for players to exchange ideas. The full mission statement is on their website, nsmta.net.

The well-designed, easy-to-navigate website also features a wealth of information and advice about senior tennis. There are articles by leading tennis writers, thought-provoking blogs, member-written stories, instructional and health-related insights relevant to seniors, poignant reminiscences, tournament news and photos, and book reviews. For a small fee, anyone can advertise their own tournament or event on the website.

The fast-growing NSMTA, which boasts nearly 800 members, already has more than lived up to its motto: “Let’s do great things for senior men’s tennis!”

Among its impressive accomplishments, the NSMTA inaugurated a Triple Crown concept that it partially under- writes, linking groups of three existing tournaments into a grand prix format. Longboat Key, Naples and St. Petersburg Cat II’s, and the Wilson in Palm Desert, Pacific Southwest and Fiesta Bowl Cat II’s are now set up as Triple Crowns, with more to come.

The fledgling organization also inaugurated an Invitational Team Series, putting some already successful doubles events under one umbrella, like the Jerry Kirk Memorial and the Mountain Team Doubles Invitational, along with new ones like the Gatlin Cup and the Rasgado New Year’s Doubles Team Cup.

Other noteworthy achievements include providing financial assistance to tournaments that agreed to follow NSMTA guidelines, which included using the round-robin doubles format; setting up a grant program to assist clubs in obtaining Automated External Defibrillator equipment; making available the Tournament Directors Hand- book for free online; and inaugurating a Community Outreach Program to raise money for local tennis organizations.

While the NSMTA has come a long way in a short time, Parker has shown no indication of slowing down.

“We’d like to expand our membership and continue to make our website better,” he says. “We are adding tournaments to our Triple Crown format, and want to continue to inaugurate doubles events. And we’re always looking for ways to partner with the NSWTA. We’re discussing aging-up points, which the USTA currently vaporizes when you move up into a new age group.

“There’s plenty to keep us busy.”

Click to view feature in Racquet Sports Industry, May 2020

No slowing down: Going strong on the courts at 100 years old
Jorge Encinas
jencinas@gvnews.com
December 2019
This article was originally published in Green Valley News, November 16, 2019

Tudor ApMadoc turns 100 next month, but he's not having any trouble getting on the tennis court three times a week. He also has no plans to give up the game he loves.

ApMadoc followed the game much of his life but he didn't start playing competitively until a few years before he retired from pharmaceutical sales in Clarkston, Michigan, at the age of 70. Born in Evanston, Illinois, ApMadoc moved to Clarkston after serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

In 1985, he started playing organized tennis competitively with a partner who pushed him.

"I went out to the (Huntsman) World Senior Games with a partner from Green Valley in the '80s; we won the doubles," ApMadoc said. "Neither one of us did well in the singles."

He went through a couple of partners who both had to leave the game over medical issues. In the '90s, ApMadoc took to competing on his own and having partners as needed during doubles competition, but none were permanent as before.

Now facing 100 years old on Dec. 21, ApMadoc said he plans to keep getting on the courts for as long as he can.

"I sure as hell don't want to sit at home and be a couch potato," he said.

Competitive

United States Tennis Association awards cover the bookshelves at his home in Green Valley, but he senses a bit of a slowing as he nears the century mark.

"My game has gone down," he said. "Each five years it goes down, and now I haven't got the strength, and I'm not playing nearly as well as I did. I hope I'm playing good enough that I don't spoil the other guys' tennis."

John Biller — he's 60 — said that's not an issue.

Biller said the two pulled off a 6-2 win during a friendly doubles match at Desert Hills Center early this month.

"Today I had the honor of being his partner, and we won against two really good players," Biller said. "And he hit so many."

Biller said while ApMadoc may not have been running around during the match, he didn't need to move much. ApMadoc didn't make any mistakes, and he would hit the ball in just the right spots to where they couldn't get to it, Biller said.

Before retiring, ApMadoc played golf as a hobby, but he said he is better with a tennis racket than he ever was with a club.

"I was always competitive in anything I did in sports," ApMadoc said.

Being Social

But it's not all about winning for ApMadoc. Being with other players is what keeps him returning to the courts.

He even met his late wife, Vivian, on the courts in Michigan.

"I always look forward to the senior games every year and playing in the singles on that," he said. "(And) the co-ed mixers, there's something to do there every day; organized and unorganized."

However, ApMadoc has aged out of senior games competitions as well as the United States Tennis Association.

"USTA, there's nobody in the 100s, let alone very few in the 90s," he said. "(The) 90s is as far as they go; 90-plus the call it. And the senior games go by age group in five-year increments."

Without other players in his age group, ApMadoc said the senior games are out for him.

But there is still plenty for him to do in the sport, especially at Green Valley Recreation.

ApMadoc has been playing tennis at GVR since becoming a member in the 1980s. Still a member of the GVR Tennis Club, ApMadoc said there are plenty of activities members can take advantage of if they play in Green Valley.

ApMadoc has played on a lot of courts around the country. One of his fondest memories was playing the grass courts at Longwood Cricket Club in Newton, Massachusetts, outside Boston.

However, it doesn't outshine playing local games with fellow GVR members, he said.

"You develop friendships, and that's a little nicer deal," ApMadoc said. "You develop a comradeship with all these people."

Note:

Rich Walton, the League Coordinator at the Green Valley Recreation Tennis Club, who submitted the story, organized a pre-birthday celebration for Tudor ApMadoc in early December. “Last week we had a wonderful dinner to celebrate Tudor’s upcoming, 100th birthday,” he said. “We had the largest turnout of friends, family and admirer’s we have ever had. He is, as you know, one amazing, humble gentleman.”

Walton wrote the inscription for the plaque that will be placed in the office of the Green Valley Recreation Tennis Club at the West Center Courts. It says…

TUDOR APMADOC

THE ‘IRON MAN’ OF GREEN VALLEY TENNIS

THANK YOU TUDOR FOR SHOWING US THAT TENNIS CAN BE ENJOYED AT ANY AGE. ON DEC 21, 2019 YOU WILL HAVE SPENT 100 YEARS LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST. WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO SHARE YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND HONORED TO CALL YOU OUR FRIEND AND INSPIRATION.

PRESENTED WITH DEEP AFFECTION FROM THE MEMBERS AND BOARD OF THE GREEN VALLEY TENNIS CLUB.

At 74, Santa Fe Tennis Player Still Making Racket on Court
Will Webber
wwebber@sfnewmexican.com
​September 2019
This article was originally published in the Sante Fe New Mexican, May 26, 2018

In a lot of ways, it’s hard for Jimmy Parker to believe he’s still out there swinging his racket and chasing tennis balls.

At his age, knees are supposed to creak (his do, by the way), hips are supposed to stiffen and range of motion becomes a thing of the past.

But here he is, more than six decades into his love affair with the sport and he’s still finding ways to marvel at the relationship he and tennis have cultivated since he stepped onto a court at the ripe ol’ age of 9.

“At this age, I’m getting worse at a lot of stuff,” he says. “But tennis, it keeps me engaged.”
Don’t be fooled. At 74, the Santa Fe resident is one of the best players in the world at his age. This month, he completed a calendar-year Grand Slam, winning the National 75s hardcourt title in both singles and doubles. It followed wins in the national grass and clay court tournaments, and the national indoor title.

He finished the year ranked No. 1 in the United States in 70s singles, doubles and the Super Senior Father/Son rankings after he and his son, Chris, a 46-year-old from Atlanta, won the nation’s top prize.

If that’s not enough, he won the International Tennis Federation’s World Championship in 70s doubles, and this year has already captured titles in the hardcourt mixed doubles and indoor father/son events.
​
Every win merely adds to the American record for career gold balls, a prize awarded by the United States Tennis Association for winning national championships.

He was also recently named the player-captain for the USTA’s World Cup team that will participate in the ITF World Championship in Croatia in September. His goal between now and then is to accrue enough points to earn a seeding in singles, allowing him to avoid the world’s No. 1 in the opening round.

It’s a stunning list of achievements for a man who still finds himself on a court five or six days a week, if not more.

“I could have never predicted I’d be still doing this at this age,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the process of coaching and learning the game, always getting better. But, no, I could not have seen myself doing it for an entire lifetime, especially when I was younger.”

Parker, who still sports a thick shock of gray hair and a youthful spring in his step, grew up in St. Louis. Both of his parents were accomplished, yet self-taught tennis players whose greatest advice was to learn by watching others, not them.

“I came from kind of a tennis gene pool, but they both had nonconventional strokes and they always told me not to copy them,” he says.

St. Louis was also the home of four players of Parker’s age bracket who went on to worldwide acclaim. Three, Chuck McKinley, Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors won the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon while a fourth, Butch Buchholz, won the tournament’s boys title in 1958.

Parker’s friendship with Ashe is one that still conjures an emotional response. Ashe moved to St. Louis his senior year in high school, and the two struck up a close relationship while spending the winter months playing indoors at the National Guard Armory. The ultra-fast wood courts gave Parker a tactical advantage during the early years of their college days when Ashe was at UCLA and he attended Rice, but that faded when Ashe took his game to another level as the two got older.

While the rest of the world saw Ashe as the pioneering African-American breaking barriers in a white man’s sport, Parker’s experience with him was different.

“I would absolutely forget that he was black,” Parker says. “I mean, it wasn’t a factor because he’s just a person. These things about the racial stuff just puzzles me in a way.”

Ashe went on to win the 1968 U.S. Open, the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon five years after that. He and Parker remained in touch over the years, celebrating a friendship that remained in tact until Ashe’s passing in 1993.

“There were so many bad things that happened to him,” Parker says, his voice breaking off as tears fill his eyes. “He was such a — everything you ever heard about him, he was the guy — if there was somebody to break the color barrier, he was the guy. I can’t ever say a bad word about him because I never saw anything but excellence from him.”

Parker took a break from tennis in his mid-20s. Drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, he flew C-130s for the Air Force, and had an eye on a career in the private sector as a pilot after his service was up. At the time, tennis was still an amateur player’s game.

“Right during that time, the birth of open tennis was occurring, and I was totally separated from the game,” he says. “During my time in the military, tennis as a living became a viable alternative.”
He took over as the tennis coach at his alma mater, Rice, after he was discharged and began a career in tennis that has lasted to this very day. Most of it was spent in Houston as a private instructor and player.
​
He has earned enough income in the last 40-plus years to sustain a passion he first developed on the St. Louis courts as a kid. He has crossed paths with some of the game’s best, playing against Rod Laver and being part of the first championship match on the U.S. Open’s stadium court.
“I’ve lost a lot of those, so I guess you can say my tennis career has a lot of footnotes, but also a lot of asterisks,” he says.

Senior International Team for the 2019 World Championships
Mark Winters
mwinters@nsmta.net
June 2019
Players names originally published on USTA.com, June 2019

​Tennis players are always anxious to improve their tournament level competitiveness. Once they become successful, the focus turns to removing items from their “Bucket List”. Often, the first cross-off goal is winning a national title and securing the treasured gold ball, that the USTA awards for such triumphs. The next possible objective could be more difficult to achieve. Earning a spot on one of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) teams representing the US at the annual World Team Championships is quite a coup. That accomplishment is the ultimate achievement since only four performers per age group are selected.

For participants, the event is very much like being selected for a Davis Cup or Fed Cup team, but on the senior level. In 1981, the ITF launched the Super-Seniors World Team Championships. Twelve years later, in 1993, the organization decided to delineate further. They chose to divide the group in two. Seniors (35-55) and the Super-Seniors (60-80) defined the team competition. (The escalating number of senior players participating in tournaments led to the changes.) Today, there are three groups: Young Seniors (35-45), Seniors (50-60), and Super Seniors (65-85)

The Young Seniors World Championships will take place this November in Miami, Florida; the Seniors World Championships in Estoril & Lisbon, Portugal in August and the Super-Seniors World Championships in Umag, Croatia in September. Congrats and good luck to all the players!

Young Seniors (ages 35, 40, 45)

Italis Cup (M35)
Brandon Blankenbaker – Charleston, SC
Jonathas Sucupira – Riverview, FL
Matt Hane – Richmond, VA
Quinn Borchard – Thousand Oaks, CA

Tony Trabert Cup (M40)
Chris Groer – Knoxville, TN
Michael Halperin – Boca Raton, FL
Paulo Barros – Fort Myers, FL
Stuart Ross Duncan – Laguna Hills, CA

​Dubler Cup (M45)
Art Hernandez – Huntington Beach, CA
Michael Chang – Anaheim, CA
Neel Grover – Laguna Beach, CA
Raj Vaswani – New York, NY

Seniors (ages 50, 55, 60)

Fred Perry Cup (M50)
Dana Gill - San Jose, CA
Eoin Collins – Houston, TX
Gregory Paukstis – Washington, DC
Willie Alumbaugh – Leawood, KS

Austria Cup (M55)
Bill Moss – Malibu, CA
Ken White – Elma, NY
Leo C. Young – Eagle, ID
Stuart Saiki – Orlando, FL

​Von Cramm Cup (M60)
Daniel Waldman – Washington, DC
Mark Vines – Naples, FL
Michael Tammen – Portland, OR
Wesley Cash – Chattanooga, TN

Super Seniors (ages 65, 70, 75, 80, 85)

Brittania Cup (M65)
Gary Jenkins – Boston, MA
Geoff Cykman – San Francisco, CA
Mark Meyers – Houston, TX
Tom Smith – Alpharetta, GA

Jack Crawford Cup (M70)
Brent Abel – Moraga, CA
Bob Litwin – Lafayette, CO
Geoffrey Moore – Boynton Beach, FL
Steven Gottlieb – New York, NY

Bitsy Grant Cup (M75)
Donald Long – Rochester, NY
David Dollins – Escondido, CA
Dean Corley – Aliso Viejo, CA
Jimmy Parker – Santa Fe, NM

Gardnar Mulloy Cup (M80)
Herman Ahlers – Las Vegas, NV
James Rauch – Annandale, NJ
Lester Sack – New Orleans, LA
Wilbur Jones – Shawnee, KS

Men's 85 Cup (M85)
George J. McCabe – Oxford, OH
John Powless – Madison, WI
Joseph A. Russell – Chagrin Falls, OH
King Van Nostrand – Vero Beach, FL

Changing Hands 
Ron Cioffi - USTA Southern
Submitted by Steve Duffel
sduffel@bellarosa.us
September 2018
This article was originally published in the USTA Southern insert in the September/October 2018 issue of Tennis Magazine.

Lloyd Settle was on a gurney being rolled into the emergency room. Hours earlier he had barely survived a farm accident as his hand was badly mangled in a corn picker. He knew he may lose his right hand and never play his beloved tennis again.

While weaving down the hospital hallway, his ex-wife said, “The doctor knows you. He played tennis against you.”

After hours in the ER that hand surgeon enabled Settle to keep his right hand. Oddly enough, that’s when Lloyd Settle became a left-hander.

Playing the Atlanta Senior Championships
I sat down with Settle over a cheap meal and a few beers. He was in town to play the Atlanta Senior Invitational Championships, a national-level tournament for men from 30 to 80 who continue to prove they are among the best in the country.

Settle is the type of guy who can inject a joke into just about anything he says. He told me, “My favorite beer is cold and somebody else’s.”

After a brief hello, he said, “Tennis is the best sport there is. All you have to do to have the fountain of youth is a USTA card and an entry fee. You ought to make that your slogan.”

“I like that,” I replied. “I’ll use it in the story.”

Accident could have been fatal
Odd that a 72-year-old man who nearly escaped death would be announcing that he had found the secret of a long life.

Here’s the brief history of Settle. For most of his career he was a high school chemistry teacher in southern Kentucky. In his 30s, he also coached some basketball and baseball when he was living in Virginia. He broke his wrist and was told, “No more softball.” So, he decided to take up tennis.

“At about the age of 40, I said, ‘I want to get good at this game.’ I started to concentrate on the game. I had no lessons and learned a lot of bad habits. With a lot of practice, I got pretty good, played 4.5 in tournaments. Then I went to zero.”

That’s where Settle’s story really begins: on his family farm, when he was harvesting corn. Out in the fields, all alone, he got his right hand stuck that corn picker and it nearly came off.

“I had a feeling I was dead. I thought I was a goner and took some chances that a normal mind wouldn’t do. I was alone. I ran about a mile and the pain was really quite intense and did some yoga breathing. I got home and told my wife not to look at it because she would pass out. I told her to get a blanket because I knew I would go into shock. So, she took me to the hospital in Hopkinsville and the doctor said he would lop it off. And, I said, ‘No, no.’ They said there was nothing they could do.”

Settle figured if they took his right hand, he would never play tennis again. He couldn’t face that future.

So, off they went to the best hospital around at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Under the care of Dr. Milek
That’s when Settle was wheeled into Dr. Mike Milek’s emergency room. Doctor and patient recognized each other, having bonded across the net and a table a few years belore. Settle was playing in a Nashville tournament when weather dampened the courts. Milek got permission from the referee to play a double match versus Settle at his club. After the match, they had a few cold ones and got to know each other.

With Settle in the operating room, the noted hand surgeon decided he could perform the magic that doctors in Hopkinsville said couldn’t be done.

Milek, now retired, said, “It was one of the ten worst injuries I’ve seen, one or two of the worst hand injuries. No fingers were attached. They were all going in different directions.”

Settle told Milek that he didn’t want to lose the hand. The doc understood.

That was about 25 years ago. Settle reminisced, “I didn’t go around tennis or tennis players for over a year. There was a tournament in my area. And I looked at it from the outside and realized I missed tennis and tennis people. It occurred to me that it’s a lot easier to be positive when your around positive people. Who else are more positive than tennis players. They’re always looking forward to the next age division, the next tournament, the next match.

Playing tennis at any level has benefits
“I had an epiphany. You don’t have to be good (to play tennis). You still get all the benefits.

So, Settle became of left-hander, even though he realized he would be awful.

“A lot of guys wouldn’t want to practice with me but I was selfish and I wanted to get better. My only goal was to see how good I could get lefthanded.

“It took four or five years to react fast enough to play doubles. I worked on it for years and at my age I was told it wouldn’t happen. Working out wouldn’t even help me. Tennis is cheaper than a shrink. … A couple of years ago I was at a Southern Closed in Kiawah Island and I finshed third. I got a national seed. I’m in the top 10, which is freaking amazing. It goes to show you: It’s not talent (that makes for tennis success).”

Currently ranked No. 7 in USTA Southern in 70 & Over singles, Settle talked about his game with precision of a former science teacher.

“When I had my accident, I knew that when I was going to play tennis is like taking a knife to a gun fight. It’s a mismatch. I have to be guy with the knife. I have to be smart, consistent and quick. I have to do what the other person doesn’t do well. I have to approach a match differently because I have to probe at their weaknesses as opposed to using my strength.”

“I’ve been No. 1 in my age division in Kentucky for several years. When I first got to No. 1 … There was a guy back home that could kick my ass right handed and I eventually beat him left handed.”

That comment was accompanied by a slight smile. Hey, Settle was drinking a cold beer … paid for by someone else.

Archive

Brian Cheney Reaches 100
Jimmy Parker
January 2024

Richard Doss - Renaissance Man
Jimmy Parker
January 2023

Leonid Stanislavsky - Oldest Competitive Tennis Player in the World
Jay Center
October 2022

Interview with Tom Walker
Paul Fein
July 2022

William King (Still on the Road)
Jimmy Parker
April 2022

Passion Play
Walter Villa
October 2021

King of Hearts
ITF World
August 2021

A Climb to the Top: Jimmy Parker - A Tennis Legend
Chuck Garcia
July 2021

Tennis Cause Of Lifelong Friendship
Kyle Lutz
July 2021

USTA Announces 2021 Senior International Team
Keiko Kimball Gouty
February | June | September 2021

Senior International Team for the 2020 World Championships
Keiko Kimball Gouty
July 2020

They’ve Done Some Great Things
Paul Fein
April 2020

No slowing down: Going strong on the courts at 100 years old
Jorge Encinas
December 2019

At 74, Santa Fe Tennis Player Still Making Racket on Court
Will Webber
September 2019

Senior International Team for the 2019 World Championships
Mark Winters
June 2019

Changing Hands
Ron Cioffi
September 2018