World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

Chris Lancette

Jan-Michael Gambill lives for the roar of a different kind of crowd

by

By Christopher Lancette

I could see a little bid of dread cross Jan-Michael Gambill’s face when he saw me sprinting toward him just moments after he and his Boston Lobsters had lost their World Team Tennis match to the Washington Kastles. It had been a long day and an even tougher night on the courts. I couldn’t blame him for feeling an urge to skip post-match press interviews and wanting to just head to the hotel.

His eyes lit up, though, once he realized this scribe wanted to talk to him about big cats – as in lions, tigers and jaguars – and he pounced on the opportunity to share his passion for supporting the Cat Tales Zoological Park near his hometown of Spokane, Washington. The nonprofit organization operated by Mike and Debbie Wyche rescues and cares for upwards of 50 endangered cats at a time.

“It’s an amazing facility run by two people who have given their lives to this,” said Gambill, who reached a career-high ATP ranking of No. 14 and beat world No. 1’s including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Lleyton Hewitt. “They don’t get any federal support and it was an easy cause for me to get involved in. I’ve always loved animals, especially big cats.”

The Wyches founded the park in their own home in 1991 and now attract thousands of visitors a year. They also run a Zoological Training Center that teaches people the profession of zoo keeping. The mission of the “zoo school” becomes clear to students on day one: “The first thing you learn in this program is that you do not ‘work with the animals’,” according to its Web site. “You ‘work for the animals.’”

Gambill himself has taken classes so he can learn more about the animals he’s so eager to save.

How does a tennis player once named by People Magazine one of the “50 most beautiful people in the world” get hooked on the Cat Tales Zoological Park?

Playing in the Davis Cup. (That was your first guess, right?)

“Back then, you used to get an allocation of money that you could donate to the charity of your choice,” Gambill said. “I was very interested in endangered animals and the Davis Cup led me to my first opportunity to make a real difference.”

Gambill hopes to bring more attention to the plight of endangered cats and to the charitable work of the Cat Tales Zoological Park. He would love to put together a TV show about the Wyches and their calling.

That would be reality TV worth watching!

Photos by © Won-ok Kim

[nggallery id=46]

 

Obama family enjoys “normal” night of World Team Tennis in D.C.?

by

By Christopher Lancette

If it’s possible for First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha to “sneak” into an event, that’s exactly what they did on July 7. The fans in attendance were so focused on Serena Williams playing women’s doubles for the Washington Kastles in a World Team Tennis match that they missed the Obamas’ entrance.

Once the on-court photographers went telephoto on them, though, the buzz shot across the stadium in southwest Washington. The First Family of Tennis wasn’t doing just a drive-by appearance, either: They stayed until the match was over. Sasha was fired up the most – flashing her “Refuse to Lose” Kastles sign throughout much of the match – leading the team to an easy win over the Boston Lobsters.

I’m not prone to being star-struck as I’ve been interviewing famous people since I was a teenager but the Obamas had me spellbound. I’ve long thought I was the only person in Washington D.C. who had not run across at least one member of the family since it took office. I was starting to take it personally.

I can’t imagine how the family’s appearance didn’t distract Williams and partner Rennae Stubbs but they took care of business and stepped aside. Coach Murphy Jensen and Stubbs also got in a word, saying something that made Mrs. Obama break out in a wide smile. I didn’t get a chance to ask Jensen what he or Stubbs said but I’ve followed him long enough to know he has the gift of gab.

I had a very difficult time concentrating on the match because I was too busy watching the Obamas try to have a normal family night out on the courts. “Normal” probably isn’t a word that applies to the lives of our presidents and their families but I admired the effort the Obamas put into trying to have a low-key evening.

That’s when I got close to crossing a line — but not one on the court.

As Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds were turning in another stellar men’s doubles performance against Eric Butorac and Jan-Michael Gambill, I edged closer to the attraction behind them – racing out ahead of Malia and Sasha when they left their seats. Turned out they were headed for snow cones. I watched them stand in line just like everyone else instead of having staff bring them their treats or asking the very muscular men surrounding them to clear out the crowd. I began to feel a little uncomfortable with my stalking, as if Chris Hansen might step out any second and shine a TV camera light in my face.

I sheepishly turned to another reporter, Judy Kurtz from The Hill newspaper, and confessed my discomfort. She told me we were fine because we were keeping our distance and not doing anything to intrude. Still, is it normal for a 42-year-old man to scribble down that a girl who just turned 13 on July 4 was wearing orange slip-on shoes and opting for what appeared to be a frozen strawberry-lemon dessert? Or that I joined Kurtz in trying to interview the scooper who sold the Obama sisters the snack? He claimed not to know he had assisted such high-profile clients – a story that sounded even weaker when he claimed he barely noticed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the same spot two nights earlier. I can possibly imagine not recognizing two kids among a gaggle of them but it’s kind of hard to miss a 7’2’’ Hall of Famer.

I retreated past the invisible boundary line as Malia and Sasha got in their first licks and walked back toward mom.

“It’s the family of the president of the United States,” I assured myself. “It’s OK.”

I wondered how tricky life must be for kids living in that kind of a fishbowl. Growing up in the White House didn’t appear to be a picnic for Amy Carter or Chelsea Clinton. Still, Malia and Sasha kept their focus on their friends and appeared to somehow be able to tune out the swirl of attention around them.

They returned to their seats and cheered some more. Williams and Boston’s Coco Vandeweghe promptly lifted their concluding women’s singles set, perhaps seeking to impress the folks in the first row.

For all the fans at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, it was a special night. For the First Family of Tennis, though, it was a “normal” night out – a treat that was probably every bit as delicious as a strawberry-lemon snow cone.

See more photos of the First Family on our Facebook page. All photos are © by Won-ok Kim.

[nggallery id=45]

 

The Real Reason to Root for David Nalbandian

by

By Christopher Lancette

There’s a lot I like about David Nalbandian as he works his way back up the rankings in 2011. He’s a man who uses his head, heart and sometimes even his feet.

He put the latter to use for a good cause on Feb. 12 when he played a little soccer to raise money for the Primary Healthcare Center in Pueblo Nuevo, Argentina. Joining soccer scribe Gaston Recondo in the Entre Rios province of his home country, Nalbandian and the soccer club Juventud Unida de Gualeguaychu sought to expand the facility at Centro de Atención Primaria de Salud.

David Nalbandian

While many ATP players try to catch a rare rest between tournaments, the 2002 Wimbledon finalist Nalbandian was spending some of his not-very-free time with his foundation – Fundacion David Nalbandian. It’s dedicated to improving the quality of life for the disabled and for the most neglected social groups. It also promotes participation in sports and adapted sports.

I salute any player who manages to do so much good in a year-round sport with no real breaks. I like Nalbandian’s game just as much and hope to see him return to the top ten before the year is out if he can avoid repercussions from the hip injury that dropped him down to the 60s in the rankings.

Watching Nalbandian practice at the 2010 Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. before the tournament began, I turned to a friend and predicted that the wild card entry would win the event. He did exactly that, using the kind of tennis that makes crowds like the one in D.C. start singing in Spanish even when most of its members don’t speak the language. (Still can’t figure out where so many light blue and white flags came from within seconds of match point.)

Unlike the boring stand-in-one-spot baseliners (Andy Roddick, Tomas Berdych, Mardy Fish, et al.), Nalbandian employs an aggressive offense. He’s as adroit blasting double-fisted backhands down the line for winners as he is attacking the net and carving sharp angles to win points.

He’s also one of the seemingly few players who makes on-court strategic adjustments when needed – splitting open a crack in an opponent’s armor or switching to another option if his intended game plan isn’t working.

Nalbandian has the guts to play to win rather than sitting back and hoping not to lose. The approach has him off to a 6-3 start in 2011, including an Australian Open victory over Lleyton Hewitt. Nalbandian this week is playing at the Copa Claro inBuenos Aires.

It would be great to see Nalbandian regain the spot he deserves in the top five. The foundation of his game is so solid that he certainly has a chance. It’s the other foundation, though, the one that bears his name, that might mean even more to him.