“AGONIZING AGANIZING “ whispered Midwood High School’s Murray Eisenstadt, the school’s first tennis coach(Social Studies, Civics) his wife Kappoe, as they watched the most celebrated Swiss player of all time, Roger Federer, lose to the Serbia Novak Jokavitz, under the lights, in ae rain delay … his 6-4, 5--, 6-4, 6-4… four set loss, where he squandered four game changing points.
II
Of all trhe celebrioties in attendance, the 90ish old Vic Seixas, the oldest living grand slam champion, of our own spectator complimentary tickets at the Forest Hills, West tennis club,Queens.N.Y.
Here the agile Philadelphian in singles and doubles wth is alter ego Tony Trabert, rose to the top ten every season before World War2, the sneqk attack b the Japanese Zeros, vat Pearl Harbor., while a delegation vwas at the White House speaking the Dragon Lady’s“ peace be with you.”
III
The likes of Vic Seixas brought back vmem ories of his honed movements and finesse as his all court game was a versatileballet to see. In his all whites, relaxed state of minfd, he dismissed most of his opponents in the game ws still an am ateursport…no money ,trophies being the incentives for triumphing., his very anticipation in the chess play strokes,down the line,cross court, lobs, overheads, drop shots…
Plays like billy Talbert werein their personsa stock brokersGardnar Malloy of Coral Gables, from Florida’s Miami University (Doris Hart’s ) were aristocrats, self employed in what career no one ever knew…. Frank Shields in his impeccable long white trousers, Boby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Ted Olewine, Ted Schroeder, Pancho Gonzales, Pancho Segura, Wayne Sabi n ,Bitsy Grfant,. Long after Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Baron Gottfried von Gram, Bunny Austin, Don Budge., the Aussies Harry Hopkins, John Bromwich and his partner Adrian Quist.
IV
So before these legendary heroes akin Vic Seisas came back, returned to those yesterdays at Forest Hills, where he gained fame without an y notoriety for his sportsman like leadership persona, mnned court persona, his will to win motivating his all court tactics and image, moving forward….
IV
Those were the seventh heaven days grwin g up, every summer going to the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association Big Apple officefor the comps , the family’s Joel Adler, competing in the tournament with his long time nemesis Nathan “Lefty”Goldstein of Brooklyn.
His steadiness from the baseline, chasing down all Joel’s shots in their war of attrition, baseline duels from side to side inside and out, down the line, cross court in a war of attrition..(indoorArmories, Mammoth clay, Herby Titler’s clay, with Jake Javitz, later a N.Y. Senator, the Lincoln Terrace Park courts)
V
So it was in this amateur climate Herby Flam. Leonard Steiner, Sidney Schwartz, Bob Willner, Sonny Fotre matured their teen age steady game into adroit pre college maturity.
Cornell, graduate manager&coach Bill Ackerman’s UCLAteams, Tulane USC (the Falkenberg brothers, Bob and Tom,(their sister Jinx, courted by Howard “Slim” Hughes, wshile he was into flying lessons at Santa Monica’s Cloverdale Airport)evolved their all court shot making., American trwist s …Hugh Stewart from San Gabriel….Pancho Gonzales from East Los Angeles.(Andre Agassi’s former brother in law)
VI
The Eisenstadts were under th radar…celebrating 185 years of their birthdays” the coach and civics teacher 95, Kappioe a Tilden High School counselor 90…185 gala celebration underthe four bridges in Williamsburg, their daughter Ellen, engineering the gala, in the open era….the thletes in their quest for fame and fortue as the Serena andVenus sisters or Pete Sampreas and Agassi- Steffi Graf in their retirement six or seven bck from today’s Rger Federer, age34, to bag another “mojp”!..but doomed by the newly married revitalized Serbianin those aforementioned rain delay four sets.
VII
“Agonizing agonizing “ whispered retired Midwood High School retired te3nnis coach, 95 year old Murray Eisenstadt to his wife 90 year old Kappie, in their 185 year birthday gala, under the four bridges.
Sepotember15, 2015 The City that never sleeps,
