Wimbledon court memories

By Russell Barlow

JAKARTA (JP): I count myself lucky to be one of the few to fulfill every tennis player's dream to play on the Center Court at Wimbledon, the world's oldest and most revered tennis tournament.

As a young tennis player growing up in Australia, I would beg my parents to allow me to stay up until the late hours to watch the tape-delayed telecasts of matches from Wimbledon.

As I watched my heroes -- John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver -- I would try to imagine how it would feel to step onto the Center Court in front of a packed stadium.

Of course, we had good grass tennis courts in Australia, but they could not compare with the images of immaculately maintained, lush green courts of England that I saw on television. And Wimbledon is more than tennis. No tournament has witnessed the history, drama or legendary matches of this tournament, which began in 1877.

Even its official name, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and the use of "Gentlemen" and "Ladies" in identifying players is an echo from a distant, more genteel era. What other tournament but Wimbledon can make Andre Agassi put his flamboyant wardrobe aside and don all-white for two weeks?

I realized my ambition to become a professional tennis player at the age of 17, eventually ranking in the top 175 on the ATP Tour computer list and winning several Challengers, the second tier of men's tennis tournaments.

As I traveled the international circuit I kept my childhood dream of playing on Center Court and in 1987, quite unexpectedly and at the age of 26, my dream came true.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon in 1987 was one of the wettest on record, with frequent downpours playing havoc with the schedule. I was entered into the doubles with my partner, Harald Rittersbacher, as a "Lucky Loser" after being beaten in the final round of the qualifying tournament.

We drew the French pair of Guy Forget and Yannick Noah, and expected to have our match completed by the second day of the tournament. The rain kept on falling in torrents and on Friday we were informed that we would play the following day.

There had always been the chance that we would play on one of the "show" courts of Center or Court One because Noah was the world's best doubles player, but I was still taken aback when I saw we were scheduled for Center Court.

Walking onto Center Court was just as awe-inspiring as I had always imagined. Some players describe Center Court as cavernous, but to me there is a great intimacy about the stadium. This begins from the moment players walk onto the court, as they are always greeted by applause from the English crowds, who are both knowledgeable about the game and appreciative of fine tennis.

Atmosphere

This intimate atmosphere builds during the warmup when the spectators start to return to their seats and the stadium is full. Of course, I was nervous because there is a tinge of foreboding at performing in front of so many people, both in the stands and on television.

I still had a few butterflies when the match got underway. Guy and Yannick were old friends of mine from my days of living and training in France and I knew their games well. Guy served first and, in my zeal to hit a great return and make a great impression, I missed the ball completely.

Well, I almost got hit by it as it swung into my body and I had to jump out of the way.

We all laughed and this little incident broke the ice somewhat. It is always enjoyable to play against good friends and the match was fun. We won a few games, gave Noah and Forget a run for their money and the crowd seemed to enjoy the match.

I guess I have what is known as "flashbulb" memory retention about the match, where you remember specific aspects of a significant incident in your life, but these are not necessarily the most important details. For instance, I cannot remember the score, but I do recollect certain shots that I hit, some faces in the crowd and when Harald accidentally hit one of the ballgirls with a shot (he apologized!).

The BBC also gives videos of matches to players, and I was fortunate that the late Dan Maskell, the so-called voice of tennis, was commentating on my match. I sometimes sit down, either alone or with friends, switch on the video and relive a very special day in July when my dream came true.

Russell Barlow is the ATP Tour Consultant for the ATP Tour World Doubles Championship scheduled for Jakarta in November.