Tennis “The Dark Side” … The Unfortunate Truth What has changed in the game of tennis since the tennis boom of the 60s and 70s? By Lonnie Mitchel I wrote in the last issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine that tennis is a gift for a lifetime, and that will be my battle cry for all parents who want to do something great for their kids. Tennis has evolved in many ways during the last 3040 years. Billie Jean King, for one thing, has made great strides over the years being our sport’s best ambassador and helping to evolve our game and bring tennis to the masses. Local tennis clubs and the USTA have embraced the new Tennis QuickStart program, which has introduced our young children to the game. However, I still question if most kids from middle class and working class families can afford it? Some may say yes, I say we have made progress, but have a long way to go. As our sport of choice, I am embarrassed to say that, in some ways, we remain an elitist sport. Let’s be realistic,
the cost of really improving our game is prohibitive for most. Whether you are an aspiring recreational player or a top-level junior or senior, there are quite a few hidden costs which, for most families on Long Island, are a reach. Let’s take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1960s and 70s and talk about this young phenom from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. who graced the Holiday Park Public Courts. Synonymous with the tennis boom, Chris Evert burst onto the scene as if she was tennis’s version of the high school prom queen. She was my sports idol at the time, along with Joe Namath of the New York Jets and the Miracle Mets of 1969. But, Chris Evert played the sport I played the most, and I celebrated her arrival on the scene by purchasing a 3 X 5 framed picture of her. There she stood with her distinct two-handed backhand pose with her classic wood racquet framed and nailed right onto my bedroom wall. She stayed on that wall until I moved out of my parent’s home. I admit
it, I was in love with Chrissie, and I have not forgiven Jimmy Connors for “stealing my girl.” At the time, I did not know why I loved her, I just did. So what was it that I loved about Chrissie? I have thought about it over time as I matured. She learned to play tennis on a public court from her father who toiled teaching tennis at Holiday Park in Ft. Lauderdale, seven days a week in the hot Florida sun. She came from a middle class background, and I saw her as a “commoner;” one of us, so to speak, who mastered the game of tennis with the help of her father as she became “America’s Sweetheart.” She is, and will always be, one of the great champions of our time. At the time, Jimmy Connors, who was in his prime, was too brash for me, and Rod Laver, who I also admired, was past his prime. So Chrissie was it for me with her super cool personality who showed no signs of aggression until she walked on the continued on page 53
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Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2009
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