On a cool, late summer weekday – just a few days before my high school senior year would begin – my buddy Aziz, his little brother Zaki and I hopped on a bus in South Jersey and headed for Tennis Heaven: the US Open in Flushing, NY. We had a plan to meet as many players as possible. We were armed with Tennis magazines and Sharpie markers to make sure they could sign their pictures. It was going to be a great day.
The US Open has changed dramatically over the years. Back then, the stars strolled freely throughout the grounds. Right off the bat, we met Swedish star Jonas Bjorkman and had a little chat with him. Then, Serena Williams walked by (she wouldn’t stop for an autograph). After that, we sat about 10 feet from Lindsay Davenport as she practiced and got to meet her too.
It got better from there. On another practice court, we saw our idol, Andre Agassi. There he was, crushing backhands down the line with his coach, Brad Gilbert. His trainer, Gil Reyes, was also there watching. I knew there would be a bunch of kids screaming for Andre, and I knew I’d have to come up with a way to get his attention over all of them if I wanted an autograph.
After Andre was done hitting, he walked over and started signing. Everyone was yelling “Andre Andre over here!” So I thought of something else to say: “Andre, nice shoes! What size do you wear?” He was wearing the Air Zoom Beyond, which I also had a pair of.
“I’m a size 10,” he said as he moved towards my outstretched arm holding the Tennis magazine I wanted him to sign.
“And how many pairs do you go through in a tournament?” I asked.
“Depends on the surface.” he said.
“How about this one?” I continued, as he started signing the magazine. It was working!
“I’d say about 3-4 pairs.” said Andre.
Success. I just had an actual conversation with a living legend and got his autograph. After that, his trainer Gil Reyes was standing nearby. Feeling confident, I started calling his name to come over. Nobody else was yelling at him, so he walked over and said, “Why do you want my autograph?”
“Because you’re the man that helped bring Andre back.” I said.
Gil looked at me from behind his sunglasses, put his hands on his chest, and said, “Thank you,” with a deep grin. Gil also signed my magazine. My day was made.
One final star we got to meet was Mary Pierce. She was playing doubles on Louis Armstrong court, and after the match, she signed my magazine too. “How’s Roberto doing?” I asked. She was dating Orioles baseball star Roberto Alomar at the time.
Mary smiled while clutching her #12 necklace (his number) and said, “He’s fine.”
It was one of the greatest days of my life. Meeting so many stars all in one day. Of course Aziz, Zaki and I couldn’t stop recapping the day on the bus ride back to South Jersey. Over the years, the crowds have grown bigger and the stars have needed more security surrounding them. It has become nearly impossible to meet anyone anymore. And, of course, the Open is closed to the public so you wouldn’t be able to meet anyone unless you’re a ball boy or ball girl.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the tournament and sports in general in the coming years. I’m glad I was able to meet so many of my favorite players in what feels like 50 years ago now.
