The anticipation across the country was electric. The buzz
had been building for more than a year: the American Tennis
Association was going to the Big Apple-a once in a lifetime
event. Devotees of the ATA Annual booked flights to New York
and dealt with the sting of paying for high priced hotel
rooms. The ATA coming to New York was just something you
couldn’t afford to miss. A chance to reunite with old
friends, to get on court and settle the score with
long-standing rivals. All surrounded by the glitz, glamour
and grit of America’s tennis capital-New York, the City that
Never Sleeps.
The event offered five days of memorable matches, along with
an array of receptions and many other special events that
have become a part of the gathering’s traditions. In the end
the week proved to be a bit harrowing, but still a
confirmation that the American Tennis Association is
securing its historic place as a major institution on a
mission to offer opportunity for athletic competition, civic
involvement and social interaction to a multicultural
population. The scene in the lobby at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel Sunday afternoon, July 22nd was truly awesome. It was
a beautiful, sparkling day. The call had gone out and the
tennis faithful were arriving by the
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The event offered five days of
memorable matches, along with an array of receptions and many
other special events that have become a part of the gathering’s
traditions.
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hundreds by car and train, via airport courtesy vans which
brought them in from LaGuardia just on the other side of the
expressway, or from JFK further out, or Newark, a $50 cab fare
away from Queens. Others had come in on the nearby #7 train or
the city bus that stopped right in front of the deluxe hotel
located in East Elmhurst. The sight was amazing-an assembly of
fit and ready tennis players and excited fans, mostly Black but
by no means all Black, strikingly attired in the latest athletic
outfits and equipped with the best racquets on the market. When
late in the afternoon, a large contingent of teenaged and young
adult competitors just arriving from the Bay Area muscled their
way through the crowds and headed directly to the draw sheets
posted on moveable panels, it was clear: these people had come
to town with some serious game and they were eager to get
started. As the evening rolled on, however, it became evident;
the 90th Annual ATA Tournament was getting off to a rocky
beginning. The hour was getting late and while registrants could
examine the draws, no information was available yet to tell them
at which of the various sites their particular event would be
held, nor was there any firm indication of how to reach those
locations.
And while the l8s would be
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