BRYANS BRING JOY TO THE PARK: Before the COVID crisis, the best doubles team ever, Bob and Mike Bryan, came to San Francisco to raise funds for the Goldman Tennis Center at Golden Gate Park. As they left they promised they’d return to celebrate its opening.
Who knew there would be a pandemic? October 1-2 the duo again proved that they are just as outstanding tennis ambassadors as they are tennis players. They and their personable father Wayne drew hundreds of wide-eyed kids, teens and adults to the park’s sparkling new venue for tennis-is-wonderful clinics and a spirited Saturday fundraising evening filled with dance, a spirit of goodwill and community accomplishment. The $29 million Goldman Center, which Racquet Industry Magazine just named as America’s Tennis Facility of the Year, is nothing less than a stunning triumph.
Not surprisingly, on Saturday night, as the Bryan Brothers Band belted out the rock classic “Proud Mary,” one sensed the common pride of so many who had come together to build a breathtaking tennis complex and the simple joy of gathering again in person. One dancer with some pretty good moves gushed, “Gee, it’s great to actually party together again!”
