Tennis: Are we having fun, yet?

Richard Dunn

The other day in a social setting when a lady was telling me about

her daughter playing tennis, I got the impression that the game was being

taken a little too seriously.

I mean, how many coaches can you have? How many specialists can you

visit? Some coaches are paid to focus strictly on footwork, others on

conditioning and weightlifting.

There are sports psychologists for 12-year-olds, trainers who massage

your body, nutritionists who tell you what and how to eat.

And, of course, parents who expect the world.

No wonder there’s burnout. No wonder players like Venus Williams say

they’re ready to retire at age 19, because some 14-year-old is coming up

through the ranks of professional tennis in a hurry.

Finally, during my discussion with this anonymous woman, I asked her:

“Well, is your daughter having fun?”

The response I received was shocking. It was like I asked for the

combination to her safe deposit box, inquired about her deepest political

and religious beliefs, wanted Pentagon secrets. I’ll never forget that

stare. She was appalled I would ask such a thing as to refer to her

daughter’s tennis playing as “fun.”

(Hey, it was just a question.)

Don’t get me wrong, I love competition. I love sports, games, overtimes,

tiebreakers, extra innings. It’s all part of the excitement, the energy,

the fun. You don’t become a sportswriter because you love opera or the

theater.

Sure, winning and losing can be important -- depending on your age level

-- but to think you’re headed for a Wimbledon title because you captured

an open tournament, or moved up to a No. 1 ranking in your division, is

beyond absurdity.

“It obviously seems to be a trend lately where if someone wins a

12-and-under tournament, they turn pro ... they think they’re so good,”

Newport Beach’s Lindsay Davenport, 23, said recently. “It’s quite

remarkable, even players I’ve had experience with. I was always under the

impression you should win the 14s, the 16s, 18s, Junior French, Junior

U.S. Open, all those, before you would even think about it.

“The most important thing is to play juniors, learn to win, learn to

lose, learn to communicate with other players your age, learn to get

along, and see what happens.”

Amen. Davenport, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, was 16 when she turned

pro.

Members of the Newport Beach Tennis Club senior men’s teams (50s and 60s)

will defend their U.S. and world championships April 17-23 at the 23rd

annual Phoenix Challenge in Palm Springs. NBTC is trying to become the

only club to win back-to-back world and national titles.

Newport Beach’s Peter Finch and Leo Fracalosy were undefeated in last

year’s Phoenix Challenge, according to team captain Gene Nalbandian.

Earlier this year, NBTC competed in 120-degree temperatures at the

Australian National Championships.

Gary Adams, Bruce Malloy, Paul Knox, Bob Shepard, Bill Wegener and Gene

Rhodes are new members of the NBTC team this year.

Nalbandian said the Australians are coming to the Phoenix Challenge,

where they were knocked off last year by NBTC, and are bringing 100 fans

with them to support the tennis teams.

Under Phoenix Challenge rules, defending championship teams can only

return three players, which means Finch, Fracalosy and Nalbandian.

According to a source, the World Fed Cup final next fall will be held in

Las Vegas, but speculation is that a group of new promoters will have a

difficult time underwriting the event and another host site will come

into the picture.

That means Palisades Club owner/operator Ken Stuart could still be alive

in the bidding.

The United States Tennis Association sold its rights to the Davis Cup and

Fed Cup. Stay tuned.

The Penn League is designed for beginning players, the lower of three

tiers of competition for juniors, following the satellite and open

divisions.

Newport Beach, a.k.a. Tennis Town USA, always has some of the best high

school players in Orange County. But it isn’t often enough you hear or

read about the novices, which is all the more thrilling for the Balboa

Bay Club Racquet Club to win this year’s Penn League girls title in the

12-and-under division.

The developmental Penn League is played from October through December,

with the Southern California regional playoffs in February and March.

Brittany Cluck, Sarah Geocaris, Stephanie Langer, Megan McKay and

Brittany Sturgess played for BBC Racquet Club in the championship final,

when it defeated West Los Angeles by one point.