By Andrea Juarez
Nearly every day, whether it’s sweltering in the triple digits or a brisk 40 degrees, Black tennis players from the Denver metro area are ready to hit it at City Park’s southeast tennis courts. A few dress in Wimbledon whites, but the majority sport less traditional tennis garb – sweats or colorful shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap. Here, it’s less about looking good or having expensive gear, and more about whether “you got game.”
On weekday mornings, there are several retired men, teachers off for the summer, and other players who are self-employed. On Friday nights, there’s a larger presence of Black women, and on weekends, it’s anyone’s game with players in and out.
“You know it’s always live here and there’s someone on the court. I can always pick up a game here,” says Jessica Sampson, 25, a former Montbello High School varsity tennis player. She hasn’t picked up a racquet much in seven years but today she had the day off and drove from 40th and Chambers to play.
“The tennis scene at the park started because the surrounding residential area was Black,” explains Chauncey Hudson. “It has continued here for over 50 years though because of the camaraderie. Tennis players feel welcome and are introduced to the group and encouraged to work to improve their game.”
Sampson after just rallying with Hudson, who is 50 years her senior, gasps, “He had me running, but I was able to get some returns. I’m rusty. My skills are there but they need to be juiced. I’ll be back.”
Hudson, 75, and some of the other 60 to 80 year-olds are amazingly fit and agile. Light on their feet, they jet side to side, front and back, on the cement court to seize returns. And, frequently they outplay folks half their age.
Most are self-taught players who learned the sport by hitting against the wall. The exercise is solitary and not as fun as hitting against an opponent, but they say it is critical in developing hand-eye coordination, timing, and learning to control the ball with the racquet.
Hudson and Charles Henry, 73, have been playing at City Park since the 1950s.
“I play tennis about twice a week but I’m at the court nearly every day. The days I don’t play, I sit around and talk to the fellas,” says Henry, a retired teacher. “Tennis at City Park is as much about good tennis as it is social.”
Henry has unofficially become the guardian of the park’s tennis courts, lobbying the city for upkeep of the courts and its facilities. He’s also one of the organizers of the park’s annual tournament.
He says about 40 Black tennis players of all ages hit at the park during the summer.
Henry estimates the players range from 2.5 to 5.0 players. In tennis parlance (guided by the National Tennis Rating Program), players are ranked by skill. A 1.0 is a complete novice and a 7.0 rating is a world-class hitter. The average player, by Henry’s calculations, has a ranking of around 3.5 or 4.0, and the few who are 5.0s are good enough to win amateur tournaments.
Preston Hancock, 82, says he’s a 3.5 player. He picked up the game when he was around 55, because he couldn’t find anyone to play table tennis.
“I transitioned into tennis and changed from a push to a stroke,” he says.
Now retired, Hancock plays tennis six days a week and regularly competes in singles tournaments. Last year, he was ranked third in the state for his age group and, as of June, he was second according to the Colorado Tennis Association.
“To get the body coordinated for tennis, you need a good forehand, lobs, backhand, and a serve,” he says. “All have to be together to get a complete game.”
Focusing on all these aspects of the game can sometimes be a challenge, especially when there’s heckling from the sidelines. Just outside the gates, players and other spectators perch in the shade. The area is known as the “crow’s nest” or the “peanut gallery.” Here people gather and discuss everything from tennis to religion to politics, and of course, make the unsolicited critique of someone’s game. Hudson says it’s a good way for the players to practice their concentration.
“It’s congenial at City Park,” says Hancock. “It’s sort of like a family. It’s competitive and it’s a good thing.”
Keith Bell, 44, director of diversity and community development for the United States Tennis Association Intermountain Section, says there is no accurate count of African-American tennis players in Colorado. He believes, however, the number of Blacks playing tennis is on the rise because of their growing presence at tennis events and tournaments.
The image of those who play tennis is no longer limited to the rich and white, says Bell, explaining, “The Williams sisters helped break that image because they didn’t come from the country club.”
“Black and Latino players hit all over the city, but there are certain parks where there’s a significant presence of people of color such as at City Park for Black players and Berkeley Park in northwest Denver for Latinos and Asians,” he notes.
Jessie Walker-Smith, 56, plays tennis at City Park on Friday evenings with members of the East Side Tennis Association, a predominantly African-American tennis group. She says most of the Black women tennis players in the area are part of the organization, which also provides a summer tennis program to kids and families on Saturdays at Montbello High School.
Walker-Smith says, “Tennis at City Park is not all about winning and ego. It’s about having a good game and also having fun.”
Editor’s note: A tennis tournament for all skill levels is scheduled for Aug. 15-19 at City Park. E-mail cityparkracquetclub@yahoo.com, or contact Debbie Yoder at 303-949-7916 for information.
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