By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills hasn’t hosted the U.S. Open since 1977 or an ATP pro event since 1989, but it is continuing its comeback into the tennis spotlight.
In addition to luring the South Africa vs. Venezuela Davis Cup match September 18-19 at its famed 13,000-seat horseshoe stadium (read more here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/20159 and get tickets at ForestHillsStadium.com), the club will once again host its annual “Heritage Day” celebration after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The 2021 event will take place Friday August 27th at 5:00p.m. The ceremony honors past and present legends of tennis, who have had a lasting impact on the sport and its development. The 2021 honorees are Stan Smith, on the 50th anniversary of his 1971 U.S. Open triumph, and legendary tennis journalist Bud Collins.
“It’s a really important event because it brings together not just the history of tennis itself, but brings together the experiences that were witnessed here by so many people at the West Side Tennis Club,” said Jason Weir-Smith, the Club’s Director of Racquet Sports. “It honors the people who were involved in those experiences.”
Smith, a tennis player and fashion icon, won two major titles over an illustrious tennis career, the US Open at Forest Hills in 1971 and Wimbledon in 1972. Smith was also known as a prolific doubles player— claiming the US Open trophy on four occasions (1968, 1974, 1978, 1980) and the Australian Open in 1970.
Smith is widely known for his impact on the global fashion scene. Following his decade long run of success in the 1970’s, Adidas made the decision to formally name the line of tennis shoes after him in 1978. Today, the Adidas Stan Smith’s are iconic and timeless, with more than 30 million pairs sold worldwide.
Collins is known for his unmatched stage presence in the world of sports broadcasting. His vibrancy in his choice of words and outfits while commentating were unmatched, and through his commitment to tennis he’s left an indelible impact on many generations of journalists and tennis fans alike.
In addition to being a celebrated commentator for decades for television networks like CBS and most famously NBC, Collins was an established author in his own right of numerous books that have received high critical praise, including his famous Bud Collins History of Tennis encyclopedia (for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_VFEXZ8Q6GZ4ECP4R79AQ ) and his book with Rod Laver documenting Laver’s 1969 Grand Slam season “The Education of a Tennis Player” for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257626/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_S82ES8NPCG8STTQBWB6KAdding to Collins’ legacy as a commentator, coach, author and tennis historian, Collins’ wife Anita Ruthling Klaussen donated her late husband’s entire collection of rare publications on tennis to the West Side Tennis Club. Over the past several months, more than 1,200 books, magazines, programs and other publications comprising Bud’s tennis library have been catalogued, preserved and are being exhibited in the Club’s library space which has been named in his honor.
Collins, who passed away in 2016, will be honored for his contributions to the sport at the West Side Tennis Club.
In 2019, Laver was honored on Heritage Day on the 50th anniversary of his Grand Slam. In 2018, Virginia Wade and Arthur Ashe were honored on the 50th anniversary of their winning the first Open edition of the U.S. Championships. A video of Wade’s speech can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quJ_mU6EkmE and the speech from Ashe’s brother Johnnie can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wrRLjQW3zA
The club also previously honored former U.S. champions Jack Kramer and Maureen Connolly and will continue to honor tennis greats in ceremonies at the club before the start of the main draw of the U.S. Open each year.
