St. Louis has long been one of America’s great tennis cities, with a rich tradition that stretches back more than a century.  This tradition began with Dwight Davis.  Born in 1879, Davis was both an accomplished competitive player, administrator and advocate for tennis.  As a player, he won three consecutive doubles titles at the U.S. Championships from 1899-1901.  Additionally, he won the American intercollegiate singles title representing Harvard in 1899.  

As an administrator and advocate for tennis, he built the first municipal public tennis courts while serving as the St. Louis Public Parks Commissioner from 1911-1915.  “This effort made tennis, which was basically an elitist sport, accessible to the public”, remarked former teaching pro Rick Randall.   His most memorable accomplishment was the founding of The Davis Cup, an international competition among nations that still bears his name today.  Davis was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1956.  

The 1960’s was the golden era of tennis in St. Louis.  St. Louis Tennis Hall of Famer Paul Tobin stated that “If you walked into the Armory in the early to mid-1960’s, you would see the following St. Louis Tennis Hall of Famers:  Jimmy and Gloria Connors, Chuck McKinley, Carol Hanks Aucamp, Jack Gorsuch, Ralph Hart and his son, Justina Bricka, Mary- Ann Eisel, Butch and Cliff Buchholz, Trey Waltke, Larry and Jim Parker, Dick Horwitz and many others.  To think the Armory with only five very fast courts produced all these great players is quite something.”

Arthur Ashe came to St. Louis from Richmond, Virginia in 1960 to attend school at Sumner High School and train under the tutelage of Richard Hudlin.  Ashe did not have access to indoor tennis courts in Richmond because of segregation, and the school he attended was not suitable for someone seeking a college education.  St. Louis and its tennis community welcomed Ashe with open arms, and he thrived in an environment that provided indoor play, top notch instruction and an impressive list of practice partners.  Ashe would go on to have a fine pro career, winning five Grand Slam titles – three in singles and two in doubles.  He said that playing on the fast wood courts at the Armory helped him to develop a great return of serve as well as to add more offensive weapons to his game like serve and volleying.  He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

Chuck McKinley was a small stature dynamo who became one of the best players in the world.  He won the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon in 1963 and teamed up with Dennis Ralston to win the 1963 Davis Cup over a very talented Australian squad.  He also won the U.S. Men’s Doubles Championship with Ralston in 1961, 1963 and 1964.  McKinley was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986.

Another great player from the 1960’s was Butch Buchholz.  Buchholz won the Grand Slam of junior tennis by winning the junior French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open in succession in 1958-59.  Interestingly, Buchholz appeared on the popular television show “To Tell The Truth” as a result of this feat.  You can click on the following link to see the episode:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAv9Pqjw4zM.  The segment featuring Buchholz starts at the 16:27 mark.  Buchholz would go on to have a fine pro career and was one of Lamar Hunt’s “Handsome Eight”, a group of players signed in 1968 to compete in the newly formed World Championship Tennis (WCT) tour.  

Like Dwight Davis before him, Buchholz left an indelible mark on the tennis world with his administrative talents.  He was the Commissioner of World Team Tennis from 1977 to 1978 and the Executive Director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) from 1981-1982.  In 1985, he founded the Lipton International Players Championships, which later evolved into today’s Miami Open.  Buchholz was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.  

Justina Bricka was one of the best female tennis players in the world in the 1960’s.  She was ranked #5 in the United States in 1961, and in 1962 teamed up with the legendary Margaret Smith Court to win seven doubles titles and reach the finals of the Women’s Doubles at the French Open.  She also reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s Singles at Wimbledon in 1965.  

Mary-Ann Eisel was also one of the best tennis players in the world in the 1960’s and early 70’s.  She was ranked #9 in the world in 1964, and she won the 1968 U.S. Open Mixed Doubles title.  One of her most memorable matches was her 1971 second round loss to sixteen-year-old Chris Evert at the U.S. Open.  Evert held off six match points to win the match.  Evert would go on to reach the semifinals of that tournament, and it was a breakthrough event for her.  You can click on the following link to see some footage of the match:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXlhskYrEzM.   

Jimmy Connors was one of the greatest tennis players that ever lived.  Known for his brash style and fierce competitiveness, he holds three prominent Open era singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 matches played and 1,274 match wins.  He won eight Grand Slam singles titles – five U.S. Open titles, two Wimbledon titles and one Australian Open title.  He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.  

Jim Parker was a standout junior and collegiate tennis player in the country who went on to become a prolific senior men’s tennis player.  He has the distinction of being the youngest man to win 100 USTA gold balls and was ranked #1 in the ITF World Senior Rankings five times. He has held the #1 national ranking in every age division from 35 to 80.   He has also contributed to tennis off the court, serving on the board of directors of the Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame, President of the USPTA Texas Division and President of the National Men’s Tennis Association.

Trey Waltke was a very successful professional tennis player in the 1970’s and 80’s.  Standing at 5’8” like Chuck McKinley before him, Waltke made a name for himself as a top junior and well-respected competitor on the pro tour.  He reached the third round of the U.S. Open twice (1976, 1981) and was one of the very few players who beat both John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in the same year.  His highest world ranking was #45, which he reached in March of 1982.  Waltke made quite a splash at Wimbledon in 1983 when he showed up for his first-round match against Stan Smith wearing 1920’s-era long flannel pants, a white buttoned-down long-sleeved shirt and a necktie for a belt.  Life Magazine put his picture on their cover to celebrate his fashion statement.

Ken Flach was one of the best doubles players in the world in the 1980’s.  He won thirty-six doubles titles (thirty-four men’s doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles).  Six of his titles were won at Grand Slam events (four in Men’s Doubles and two in Mixed Doubles).  He also won a Gold Medal in Men’s Doubles in Seoul, South Korea, and compiled an impressive 11-2 record representing the United States in Davis Cup play.  Flach and his partner Robert Seguso were ranked #1 in the world in 1985.  His highest world ranking in singles was #56, which he reached in December of 1985.  

From the Armory days to the present-day indoor clubs with their thriving memberships, St. Louis tennis has built a legacy that is truly special.  The city has not only produced some great players but also provided key people who helped to transform tennis into the worldwide success that it is today.