The fireworks are loud. Happy Birthday, America. Our nation’s founding forged a bold new path. A more perfect union—right?
Well, not exactly. From the beginning, there were flaws. The American story has always been inspiring, complicated and unfinished.
But birthdays are for celebration. So here are 100 red, white and blue moments and memories to celebrate, savor and muse upon.
1. AMERICAN TEARS FLOWED: Last year, after Coco Gauff – the granddaughter of a civil rights pioneer – won the French Open, I teared up as the American flag fluttered over Paris and the Star-Spangled Banner echoed across Roland Garros. It was one of those rare moments when tennis, patriotism and history became one.
2. THE ENERGY OF A RESTLESS PEOPLE: In 1776, King George wasn’t a fan of the colonies. But two centuries later, Princess Diana was. She observed, “When the Americans come in July for Wimbledon, you can feel the energy go up. But it all collapses when they leave.”
3. BILLIE’S PASSION: The relentless curiosity, American energy and passion for fairness of the unsinkable Billie Jean King have changed the sports landscape.
4. AN ENDURING LEGACY: Our nation had Dr. King. Our sport had Arthur Ashe. Dignified, brave, restrained and reflective, Ashe stepped up at the big moments to combat apartheid and fight for racial justice, AIDS awareness and education. He left a legacy like no other. My love and admiration for him hasn’t wavered.
5. WHAT I’M MOST PROUD OF: For 44 years I published Inside Tennis. The proudest moment of my career came when I initiated and succeeded in the effort to get the USTA to name their US Open stadium after him.
6. HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE: First, Pancho Segura cracked the door. Then Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl opened it wide – for the likes of Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova and Frances Tiafoe. Players and their parents have long sought America as a safe haven where ambition could take root. Think: Agassi, Chang, Kenin, Pegula, Anisimova and many others.
7. AND SO IT BEGAN: One boring summer when I was ten, my mischievous father broke the tedium with, “Hey, Billy, there’s a big tournament over at that country club, crosstown. Sneak in and check it out.” Little did I know I’d come upon the enchanting Grand Slam winner, Maureen Connolly. It was the spark that began my love for elite tennis. That fire has burned for seven decades.
8. DAYS TO REMEMBER: The August afternoon when I finally beat my dad. The moment in a Los Angeles tennis shop when Inside Tennis was born. The morning the first issue rolled off the presses of a gritty San Francisco print shop.
9. WHY TENNIS? With golf, is tennis the most mental sport in the world? After soccer, is it the most international? Is there any sport that’s more of a change agent? Is it also the most selfish, the cruelest – and the sport that reveals character more than any other?
10. AMERICA FROM AFAR: The farther I traveled – from Zimbabwe to Bali, from India to England – the more I appreciated America’s openness, optimism, extraordinary diversity and restless energy. Distance has a way of sharpening gratitude.
11. A TRAIN TO SOMEWHERE: New York’s boxy, clanky 7 train that takes thousands to the US Open in Queens is a song of America and a celebration of diversity. But, if you like calm and quietude, you can take a cab.
12. PIONEERS WHO TRANSFORMED SPORTS: Brave Althea Gibson shattered tennis’ whites-only racial barrier…Billie Jean King’s humiliation of Bobby Riggs changed America’s sports and cultural landscape like no other tennis match…Nine women – The Original Nine – banded together, defiantly held up $1 bills and created a tour that now provides $249 million a year in prize money.
13. THE UNMATCHED RIVALRY: Chris and Martina were endearing frenemies whose fierce, then poignant, legacy continues to give and grow.
14. THE QUESTION THAT WON’T GO AWAY: For more than two decades, one question has hovered over American tennis: When will an American man win another Grand Slam title?
15. LIFE, LIBERTY AND PURSUIT OF TENNIS HAPPINESS: Columnist Art Buchwald wrote, “I have a good job and a lot of money, but if I had a good tennis game, my life would be complete.”
16. A LIFE FULLY LIVED: Christopher Clarey suggested, “You haven’t fully lived the 21st century unless you’ve seen Federer and Nadal play in person.” I’d add that a rich life can include encountering people of uncommon wisdom and grace. I’ve been lucky – I met the Dalai Lama and interviewed Jane Goodall, Bishop Tutu, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Ram Dass and Alan Watts. And, yes, seeing both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana at Wimbledon was memorable.
17. A NOT-SO-MINOR MIRACLE: How do teaching pros spend decades on windy, cold and blistering hot courts, patiently feeding balls to beginners, correcting bad habits, encouraging the discouraged and somehow preserving both their passion and their sanity?
18. STAND BY YOUR MAN: Tennis’ finest “Stand by Your Man” moment came when Pete Sampras was slumping badly late in his career and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, slipped him a note: “My husband, seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete…Remember this. You are truly the best player ever to pick up a tennis racket.”
19. THE END OF INNOCENCE: As a teen, Steffi Graf said her life was perfect. When young Monica Seles came out on court to play at Roland Garros, she gleefully flung flowers at the crowd. Just before Naomi Osaka won the US Open, her coach said, “The whole world can learn from Naomi’s innocence.” Too bad the slings and arrows of our world inevitably caught up with all three.
20. OREGON WITH THE WIND: The confetti fell. The celebration was sweet. American glee prevailed. In Portland, Oregon, Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan boys captured the only Davis Cup we’ve won in 31 years.
21. A RUN LIKE NO OTHER: There has never been a grander, more operatic and over-the-top run in tennis than Jimmy Connors’ charge to the 1991 US Open semifinals. He flashed fist pumps, made incredible retrievals, barked, “You’re an abortion!” at an umpire, and shouted, “This is what they wanted. This is what they’ll get!”
Robert Lipsythe captured the whimsical meaning of it all: “If only we could once again stop the party in the living room, make all the grownups applaud our naughty words, dance through the hors d’oeuvres…and be a terrible two, the only time when a human being will be loved for conquering the world while crying.”
22. THE INNER GAME: Long before mindfulness became a common practice, Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis invited us to quiet the chatter, watch the ball and use the Zen-like phrase, “Bounce-hit.” His best-selling book made tennis part of America’s New Age awakening.
23. HALLELUJAH! Well before we sensed that Agassi had a reflective side, Barbra Streisand told Inside Tennis that Andre was a Zen master. Leonard Cohen’s Zen master thought the singer needed to be more active. He told Cohen to descend from his monastery atop California’s Mt. Baldy and play tennis in Claremont. Hallelujah!
24. DYLAN’S SUBTERRANEAN TENNIS BLUES: In 1964, Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Free No. 10” wandered onto a tennis court: “I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on…waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun.” Later, Dylan played tennis with Beatle George Harrison on the Isle of Wight.
25. BEST SPIRITUAL ADVICE: A Miami fan held up a sign that suggested, “Commit your sins when Federer is playing. Even God is watching.”
26. SUPER COACHES: Peter Burwash brought spirituality to coaching. Vic Braden taught with unmatched humor. Dennis Van der Meer was a master technician. And Nick Bollettieri transformed the sport by creating the modern tennis academy.
27. FLOWER CHILD: In a scene straight out of Paper Moon, young Bollettieri picked flowers from the front yard of a Pelham, New York, home, made a bouquet – and promptly sold the owner her own flowers.
28. MAMA DEAREST: Tennis’ sweetest mother-daughter moment came in 2009, when two-year-old Jada Clijsters toddled onto the court to celebrate with her mother after Kim won the US Open.
29. DADDY DEAREST: Andre Agassi’s dad dangled a tennis ball over his son’s crib…Maria Sharapova’s father Yuri arrived in America from Siberia with $700 in his pocket…Frances Tiafoe slept with his father in the maintenance room at Maryland’s Junior Tennis Championship Center…Mary Pierce, her father Jim and their family lived out of their Cadillac for a time…And Pam Shriver said Lindsay Davenport’s father was the game’s best dad – because she never saw him.
30. AMERICA’S BEST TENNIS NAMES: When it comes to Americans with splendid tennis names, it’s hard to beat Bay Area lawyer Steve Tennis. Then again, Tennys Sandgren, Billy Ball and Nadine Netter aren’t bad. Still, in the end, we vote for the musical moniker, Katie Volynets.
31. UNDERAPPRECIATED VISIONARIES: Jack Kramer helped build the modern men’s tour. Slew Hester had the vision to move the US Open to Flushing Meadows. Howard Head revolutionized racket design. John Gardiner created the first tennis-only resort.
32. COUCH POTATOES: One Saturday, Mike Bryan was in California and Bob was in Miami when they discovered they’d each bought the exact same brown sofa for the exact same price at Crate & Barrel.
And once Mike and Bob had this dialogue on CNN:
Mike: “We’re pretty telepathic. I know what he’s thinking.”
Bob: “Yeah? What am I thinking now?”
Mike: “You’re thinking I just gave a crappy answer [to that last question].”
Bob: “Yeah, you’re right.”
33. COME LET US CELEBRATE THE US OPEN: Opening day at the US Open is filled with a certain jolly chaos. It feels like the first day of school. Opening night is a lollapalooza that dazzles. Celebrities are showcased without restraint. Whoever invented night tennis deserves a medal. The roars are imposing. The old Grandstand is missed. Super Saturday isn’t. Controversies are welcomed. No, check that. They’re required.
34. LET’S GET METAPHYSICAL: It’s often said that watching Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal up close is a metaphysical experience. So is sitting in Row Z on the west side of Arthur Ashe Stadium in the golden afternoon light. Far below, the players seem no bigger than postage stamps. Turn around, and Manhattan becomes Oz, glowing beneath a stunning sunset.
35. TOUGH LOVE FOR AMERICA: Days after 9/11, Aussie Pat Cash stunned many by declaring, “Welcome to the real world, America,” while reflecting on terrorism and conflict around the globe. His tone was blunt. His timing was questioned. But his point still invites reflection.
36. THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES: After their playing days, Andrea Jaeger became a nun and Tim Mayotte studied at Union Theological Seminary. One day, after Michael Chang told me his favorite Bible story was David and Goliath, I visited my deeply religious mother in her nursing home. “Open my Bible, dear,” she said, “and read me the story of David and Goliath.” I did.
37. MUSINGS ON MARRIAGE: Bollettieri said, “The words of Nick Bollettieri have been very direct and have not always gone over very well. Just ask any of my eight wives.”… Years ago, Venus Williams confided, “I heard being married is tough. You have to stick around, be supportive, listen. It seems really hard.”…World TeamTennis player-coach-general manager Clark Graebner insisted that his wife, Carole, be drafted onto his Cleveland Nets team. But when his marriage went south, he traded her south to the Pittsburgh Triangles.
38. THE CZECH WHO CAME TO AMERICA AND HUGGED A POLE: After Martina won her first tournament, she had no one to embrace, so she hugged an aluminum pole. And when her dog Yonex was temporarily missing, Scott Ostler noted, “Martina was beside herself – which, come to think of it, would make a hell of a doubles team.”
39. THE T-SHIRT DIET: Tennis has produced some memorable diets. Martina Navratilova once joked she was on a seafood diet – “I see food, I eat food.” McEnroe admitted that during one stretch he survived on a Haagen-Dazs diet. But the most unforgettable diet belonged to the Miami Herald’s Edwin Pope. Convinced that Agassi would never win Wimbledon, he vowed, “If Andre ever wins Wimbledon, I’ll eat my t-shirt.” A week later, when Agassi lifted the trophy, Pope asked: “Will somebody please tell me how to eat a t-shirt? Broil it? Bake it? Fricassee it?”
40. TRUMP SAYS AURA IS EVERYTHING: Just after Maria Sharapova beat Serena to win Wimbledon in 2004, Donald Trump told me, “Maria’s gait is magnificent, and those shoulders. You don’t often say, ‘Gee, she has beautiful shoulders’…She’s beautiful. But I’d say that maybe Sabatini is the most beautiful.”
Trump added, “Serena is used to looking like the star. Now all of a sudden she was facing this girl who’s a supermodel beauty…She looked across the court and said, ‘I’m playing against a supermodel.’…Aura is the whole thing. Perception is an amazing word.”
Sports Illustrated’s S.L. Price later observed that in New York it was “impossible to resist Donald Trump’s playboy aura…It looked like he owned the US Open.”
41. BEST SPEECH: When Agassi retired, he told a spellbound US Open crowd, “I’m the luckiest man in the world…Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty – you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration – you have willed me to succeed…And I have found generosity – you have given me your shoulders to stand on.”
42. FOND FAREWELLS: Agassi’s farewell wasn’t the only memorable goodbye in New York. After losing to Zina Garrison, Chris Evert left with a graceful wave. On his 30th birthday, Andy Roddick stunned fans by announcing he’d retire after the US Open. In 2022, after Serena lost to Ajla Tomljanović, tears flowed and celebrities gushed as she retired. Who knew that four years later she’d un-retire?
43. BEST AMERICAN STROKES:
Serve: John Isner, Pete Sampras, Reilly Opelka, Pancho Gonzales, Andy Roddick, Ben Shelton, Serena Williams.
Return of Serve: Agassi, Connors, Evert, Serena, Coco Gauff.
Forehand: Sampras, Taylor Fritz, Jack Kramer, Serena, Lindsay Davenport, Madison Keys.
Backhand: Agassi, Connors, Don Budge, Taylor Fritz, Evert, Amanda Anisimova.
Volleys: McEnroe, Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Taylor Townsend.
Speed and Anticipation: Michael Chang, Tommy Paul, Gauff, Venus Williams.
Mental Toughness: Connors, Serena, Monica Seles, Billie Jean King.
Competitive Fire: Connors, McEnroe, Serena.
44. THERE IS A ROSE IN SPANISH HARLEM: Once, by a US Open locker room, I sat on a bench next to Aretha Franklin and told her about the moment, late one night, when I was seeking the Holy Grail and crossed the border from Sikkim into a dusty Indian village, where I’d found my way to a small café with a jukebox playing her classic song, “There Is a Rose in Spanish Harlem.” She smiled in delight.
45. ABBEY ROAD: Once, in an empty corridor outside a US Open suite, I waited for Paul McCartney to emerge. When he did, I introduced myself and told him that I’d named my daughter Abby Rose in honor of the Beatles studio – Abbey Road.
“How wonderful,” he replied. And he put his arm around my shoulder and we skipped down the corridor together, as if we were in The Wizard of Oz.
46. JUST SAY NO: I had taught my young daughter Claire that, as the daughter of a tennis writer, she had to retain strict neutrality. That meant she couldn’t ask for autographs or applaud a player. Little did I know that one day, backstage in San Jose, Andre Agassi would ask her if she wanted his autograph. Just as I’d trained her, she replied, “No, thank you.” Andre’s entourage howled in laughter.
47. THE REBEL AT THE PALACE: After years of challenging tennis’ establishment, I finally secured a Buckingham Palace press credential by playing my trump card. I reminded the royal gatekeepers that my beloved Canadian-born stepmother had crossed the Atlantic during the Blitz to serve as a driver. It worked.
Soon I was covering a fundraiser featuring Björn Borg and John McEnroe. The least memorable part was interviewing the now disgraced Prince Andrew. The most memorable was watching McEnroe’s gleeful young children running across the palace grounds.
48. CROSSOVER: I got Michael Jordan to talk about Roger Federer and tennis. Then I got Roger Federer to talk about Michael Jordan and basketball.
49. WILLIAMS’ CHECKLIST: Richard Williams did what no other parent has ever done. Conceive a plan for two daughters who’d make him a fortune? Check. Predict they’d become No. 1 and No. 2 in the world? Check. Say Serena would be even better than Venus? Check. Declare they’d forge a revolution in women’s tennis? Check. The boldest predictions in sports history came true, and now many say the Williams sisters’ journey out of Compton to the top of the tennis world is the greatest story in sports history.
50. LOCKER ROOM MOMENTS: I interviewed Arthur Ashe when he was soaking in a hot tub, Cliff Drysdale when he was taking a Jacuzzi, and Jeff Borowiak when he was doing yoga…In an Atlanta locker room, I was interviewing Jimmy Connors when, after he gave his answer, a voice called out from the other side of the room: “That sounds about right.” It was John McEnroe.
51. REPORTS OF TENNIS’ DEATH WERE GREATLY EXAGGERATED: In 1994, Sports Illustrated’s cover asked, “Is Tennis Dying?”
52. SUITABLE FOR THE SWIMSUIT ISSUE: Steffi Graf, Serena and Venus, Anna Kournikova, Sharapova, and Caroline Wozniacki are some of the tennis players who’ve appeared in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. After spotting Brooklyn Decker in the swimsuit edition, Andy Roddick asked his agent to put him in connection with her. He did, and soon they were wed. In a San Francisco press conference, Women’s Sports editor Amy Rennert asked Bjorn Borg if he would pose for the magazine’s swimsuit edition. He didn’t.
53. THE MAN WHO SAVED DOUBLES: Bob and Mike Bryan’s dad Wayne stepped in to save doubles just before the ATP was about to gut it. He asked ATP chief Etienne de Villiers, “Can I…[make] one last shoutout into the wind before the hurricane engulfs us? Before the tanks drive over our collective faces?” Now the ATP is about to scale back doubles.
54. COLLEGE TENNIS’ TOP TEN: In 2018, Inside Tennis dared to rank the greatest college tennis teams and their stars. It sparked one of the hottest debates in our history.
1. USC, 1962-64 — Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna
2. Stanford, 1978 — John McEnroe
3. UCLA, 1971 — Jimmy Connors
4. USC, 1967-68 — Stan Smith
5. Trinity, 1962-65 — Chuck McKinley
6. UCLA, 1965-66 — Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell
7. Stanford, 1973–74 — Sandy Mayer
8. Stanford, 1998 — Paul Goldstein, Bob and Mike Bryan (many readers insisted this team should have been ranked much higher.)
9. Trinity, 1972 — Dick Stockton and Brian Gottfried
10. USC, 2011–13 — Steve Johnson
55. ONE OF LIFE’S LITTLE MYSTERIES: Stanford’s legendary coach Dick Gould is not in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
56. CARTER’S CONFESSION: Jimmy Carter told Inside Tennis that his wife Rosalynn was the best player in their family.
57. BUSH’S KIND AND GENTLE LETTER: George H. W. Bush, who called for a “kind and gentle” conservatism, wrote us a handwritten letter thanking us for the article we published on his “kind and gentle” tennis game.
58. CLINTON’S CONVERSATION: My interview with President Clinton at the edge of Wimbledon’s Royal Box was televised throughout Britain. More importantly for me, it was shown in the Wimbledon press room. Instantly I became the media’s hero du jour. It completely changed my status – from a California outsider partial to alfalfa sprouts to a serious tennis writer worthy of privileges – like a permanent seat in the Centre Court press box.
59. TRUMP ON POWER: During my 2004 interview with Donald Trump, I brought up an Abraham Lincoln quote that Trump had cited in The Art of the Deal: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Trump then asked, “What does that mean?”
I started to explain that power reveals character…
Trump cut in.
“I’ve seen many people change a lot with power,” he said. “I’ve seen people go crazy and go power hungry…I’ve seen it politically. All of a sudden they become total monsters. And they usually crash and burn.”
60. A REPORT ON REPORTERS: Sitting with the gracious Bud Collins during a match was an enchanting treat. Nothing quite matches the erudite reflections of the born-in-Paris, reared-in-Britain Richard Evans, who now lives in Florida. Steve Flink’s encyclopedic memory is a wonder of the tennis world. Jon Wertheim’s imaginative insights and deep resources impress. Conversational adventures with Joel Drucker delight.
Chris Bowers’ insights astound, and his English accent is the most elegant I’ve heard. Chris Clarey’s narratives are impeccable. Simon Barnes’ essays were literary gold. Greg Sharko’s stats are lifelines. Tom Tebutt is the guru of Canadian tennis journalism. If you want slashing British humor, Alix Ramsay is your go-to person. No one does tennis on radio like the lyrical Gigi Salmon. Gracious Ted Robinson was the ultimate McEnroe whisperer.
61. PROUD OF MY TRADE: I founded and published Inside Tennis for 44 years. It was a blast. And I’m proud of my fellow publishers. The creative, erudite and generous Tennis Week publisher, Gene Scott, was said to be the conscience of tennis. World Tennis publisher Gladys Heldman was, along with Billie Jean and Joe Cullman, an early driving force of women’s tennis.
62. PICTURE PERFECT: From Russ Adams, Mike Baz, Cynthia Lum, the Mullanes and the Getty corps, photographers bring the game alive, but get precious little credit.
63. STRING THEORY: How do master stringers transform 40 feet of string into a perfectly tuned racket in 15 minutes? One of tennis’ underappreciated arts.
64. FICKLE FANS: Tennis fans boo one moment and swoon the next. In LA, they hollered and howled at the X-rated rants of McEnroe. A moment later, when the tennis wizard blasted a gorgeous overhead winner, they cheered in adoration. On one New York night, they lashed out at Daniil Medvedev. In his next match, they hailed him as a hero. Then there was the American in London who sprayed aerosol in McEnroe’s eyes. Asked why, he offered the only explanation he felt he needed: “I’m Tony from Chicago, and I felt like it.”
65. COULDA, SHOULDA, WOULDA: American tennis is haunted by inches. Derrick Rostagno had Boris Becker on the ropes at the 1989 US Open, until a net cord on match point rescued Becker. In the greatest ever US Open night match in 2005, James Blake nearly took down Agassi, but a key forehand flew long, just a few inches out. Andy Roddick seemed poised to impose his will at the 2009 Wimbledon against Federer. But he muffed a fateful backhand volley to the open court.
66. FREUD’S FRIEND: After at last winning a major, Madison Keys said the reason she won the Australian Open was due to all the deep-dive therapy she’d done that allowed her to realize that her sense of self-worth had nothing to do with her on-court results.
67. GREATEST AMERICAN TENNIS LETTERS: Alice Marble’s letter to American Lawn Tennis magazine helped Althea Gibson break tennis’ color code. Knowing he was near death, Arthur Ashe wrote a poignant farewell letter to his daughter, Camera. And when Serena seemed adrift, Chris Evert sent a wake-up call: you have a gift – don’t squander it. She didn’t.
68. MISPLACED MOJO: A year after Andy Roddick won the US Open, his sponsor American Express went all in with its scorched earth 2005 US Open “Where’s Andy’s Mojo?” campaign. Too bad he lost in the first round.
69. IMAGE IS NOT EVERYTHING: In its day, Canon camera’s clever “Image Is Everything” ad featuring Agassi seemed to tout superficiality. The slogan was everywhere. But it didn’t age well, as Andre went on to become Las Vegas’ most philosophical jock.
70. HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: Almost overnight, Agassi ditched his flowing mullet wig and James Blake cut his long braids. Both went bald.
71. THE BEAUTY OF INDIAN WELLS: You can see the Eiffel Tower from Roland Garros. The Monte Carlo Country Club is next to the Mediterranean. The long dusk at Wimbledon amplifies the magic of Centre Court. But nothing beats Indian Wells as the sun slips behind the Santa Rosa mountains.
72. IS TENNIS IN A PICKLE? Even its whimsical, unpretentious name seems to tease grand old tennis. It emerged as a cousin that’s quite a pesky rival. Sure, it’s loud and doesn’t have the heritage, star power and intrigue of tennis. Still, it’s powerful in its way: so inexpensive, so easy to learn, so friendly and democratic.
73. WHAT IF? If tennis had had electronic line calling back then, how would it have affected the careers of McEnroe and Connors?
74. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD: For decades, World Team Tennis was a daring, innovative shot of energy that showcased so much: gender equity, no ad scoring, shot clocks and condensed sets.
75. JUST AWESOME: World Team Tennis coach Luke Jensen told his New York Empire Team they’d “lead the league in fun and be powered by awesome.”
76. FASHION STATEMENTS: Wimbledon’s outfits are all white. The French Open banned body suits. The US Open has featured black biker suits, red dresses with sequins, players in denim shorts and social justice warriors in masks that named victims of racial intolerance.
77. JOHN McENROE, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS: Across seven decades, from Melbourne to Manhattan, McEnroe has stood at the forefront of tennis and popular culture: fabulous warrior, longtime rebel in residence, omnipresent broadcaster, dominant senior player, author, coach, art gallery owner, tennis academy founder, talk-show host, voice-over whiz, rocker and New York’s premier sports ambassador.
Forget “You cannot be serious.” Our favorite McEnroe quote came when he told Inside Tennis, “Ultimately, I don’t have an excuse for all the things I did. There were things that were out of line, over the line. But, to be frank, they [the officials] were too chicken to do anything about it.”
78. WHAT’S IN THE WATER IN DOUGLASTON? Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport both won Wimbledon in 1999, and both are from the tennis-happy LA enclave of Palos Verdes. The suburban enclave of Douglaston on the quiet edge of Queens boasts John McEnroe, who has long been in the Hall of Fame, Pat McEnroe, who is the President of the Hall of Fame, and Mary Carillo, who will be entering the Hall of Fame in August.
79. BEST AMERICANS WHO NEVER REACHED No. 1: Arthur Ashe, Michael Chang, Stan Smith, Jennifer Capriati, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and Mary Jo Fernandez.
80. IF HE BUILDS IT, THEY WILL COME: Charlie Pasarell helped create three stadiums, and, with Arthur Ashe, co-founded National Junior Tennis & Learning.
81. THE BIG LEAP: Jim Courier’s 1990 leap into Melbourne’s Yarra River was the splashiest Grand Slam celebration we know of.
82. THE MAN WHO MADE TENNIS COOL: Lindsay Davenport said Andre Agassi was the most important figure in tennis in 25 years because he made the game cool.
83. REBELS AT THE GATE: The most defiant press conference of our era came when the US Open refused to give the rebellious ATP leadership a room. So they gathered the press just outside the Open’s gates. Now the ATP itself is again planning to scale back doubles.
84. MOST USELESS STATS: Sue Mott noted that in 1999 Agassi became the first ear-ringed American divorcee since Chris Evert to win the French Open. Pete Sampras was 2-0 in matches when he upchucked in a match.
85. TEEN PHENOMS WHO DIDN’T QUITE MAKE IT: Atherton’s CiCi Bellis and Atlanta’s Melanie Oudin and Donald Young.
86. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY: After signing a $6 million endorsement deal with Oil of Olay – a skin-care brand associated with older women – teenager Jennifer Capriati quipped, “It’s never too early to start.”
87. IN THE OLD DAYS: Years ago, we would take the copy for our magazine to a manual typesetter. Fax machines were the hot new cutting-edge technology. A hashtag was something a drug dealer used to price his product and Marc Rosset was the best Swiss player in the world.
88. IS THE FABLE TRUE? It’s said that Alice Marble was a spy during World War II. And when young Jennifer Capriati first passed Notre Dame Cathedral, she supposedly asked, “Where’s the football field?”
89. CLASSICAL STROKES: After Don Budge won the 1938 French Open, cello master Pablo Casals invited him to his apartment for a private concert.
90. SWEET AND SOUR: In addition to the Bryan Brothers and Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Naomi Osaka (in her early days), Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Tracy Austin, Michael Chang and Evonne Goolagong were wonderful with the press. Marcelo Ríos, Reilly Opelka and Lleyton Hewitt – not so much.
91. FAVORITE PRESS CONFERENCE SITE: During the Transamerica Open, tournament director Barry MacKay hosted his annual press conference atop San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid, with a breathtaking 360° view of the Bay Area.
92. THE OPEN AWARDS: Best Politician: tennis lover David Dinkins, who got rid of noisy jets. Best Fan: Alan King. Best Promoter: Arlen Kantarian, who made the US Open a must-see event. Best Presenter: Julia Levering, an enchanting cross between a British baroness and Doris Day. Best Executives: Gordon Smith and Kurt Kamperman. Best Support Staff: the athletic ballpersons who sometimes are bigger, older and more athletic than some of the players. Lifetime Achievement Award: Billie Jean King, who gets honored five or six times every year – and deservedly so.
93. JUST IMAGINE: How sweet it would have been if Federer or Nadal had been American – or, for that matter, if Michael Jordan had chosen tennis instead of basketball.
94. THE SPIRIT OF SARASOTA: In 1987, Florida hosted a major tennis business summit called “The Spirit of Sarasota.” Decades later, when ecstatic sounds of lovemaking interrupted a Challenger match there, Frances Tiafoe deadpanned, “It can’t be that good.”
95. AND BEFORE WE GO, A COUPLE OF TENNIS TIPS: Frances Tiafoe insisted, “If you want to be successful as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” Brad Gilbert told Agassi, “I’m going to simplify this for you. If he hits the ball over there, here’s a great idea: run. Wherever he is, don’t hit it there.”
96. LEST WE FORGET: So many across our country have worked hard to bring tennis to so many. Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Las Vegan Ryan Wolfington, the JTCC’s Ray Benton, New Yorker Skip Hartman, Bill Kellogg, Little Mo promoter Carol Weyman, Dick Gould, Gordon Collins, Mike Skinner, Peter Wright, Steve Contardi, Tad Taube, the Bryan family, Charlie Hoeveler, Dana Gill, Seth Socolow, Alan Schwartz, Peter Herb, and Jeff Arons come to mind.
97. WE REMEMBER: Forest Hills. The era when California was filled with tournaments. When West Coast colleges ruled collegiate tennis. When America ruled the game.
98. IT TAKES A VILLAGE: Thanks to all my family, tennis tribe members, tireless staffers, advertisers, gritty printers and volunteers who helped Inside Tennis rock for so many years.
99. ARTHUR’S LAST WISH: “If I had one last wish,” Ashe wrote, “I would ask that all Americans could see past the barbed wires of race and color. We are the weaker for these divisions, and the stronger when we transcend them.”
100. TENNIS HEAVEN: Helen Wills Moody Roark said, “In tennis, there is another world, in which there is sunshine, the wonderful feeling of movement through space and air and speed…A sunny day, white balls, fresh white tennis clothes, a good-natured opponent, and a brisk game describes heaven for the one who loves tennis.”
