Random Tennis Player Biofile: Karen Pestaina

Name: Karen Pestaina

Occupation: Editor-in-Chief of Tennispanorama.com and Contributor to The New York Times.

Resides In: Fort Lee, N.J.

First memory of tennis: I have two “first” memories. Although I was very little, I barely remember when Arthur Ashe upset Jimmy Connors to win Wimbledon in 1975. I had an uncle and cousins in London calling my father to give him match updates until we could find the match on my father’s shortwave radio. Later I remember watching the match on tape-delay on NBC.

In 1977 I witnessed the last U.S. Open at Forest Hills when Guillermo Vilas upset Jimmy Connors in four sets for the championship. This was the first tennis match I actually attended and I did not realize the significance of the match until years later. This match branded me a Vilas fan for life.

Favorite players to watch: On the men’s side, I have tendency to like aggressive players or those who like to mix up their games like Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Michael Llodra, Feliciano Lopez and back in the day Stefan Edberg, John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic and Arthur Ashe. Although he was not an aggressive player – I had to watch Vilas of course as I had major crush on him. (My husband says I still do, I have to agree with him.) I also enjoy watching the “fighters” like Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg. No one plays with more heart than Nadal. I also have a special spot in my heart for Ollie Rochus – a scrapper who comes to net.

As for the women, as a child I enjoyed Evonne Goolagong’s game. She seemed to float and dance as she played. I enjoyed Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Monica Seles, Zina Garrison’s games. Again, I like assertive players. In the current game, I like craftiness which draws me to Francesca Schiavone, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska. Love her or not, Serena Williams when healthy is the best fighter in the women’s game, maybe in the history of the women’s game.

Why do you love playing tennis: Playing tennis gives me a sense of freedom. As an individual sport, it’s up to me to control what goes on – in singles, I’m not relying on anyone else. Also it’s one of few sports in which both men and women compete. Also it’s a sport anyone can play at any age and great excercise. Tennis at its very best is art.

Funny tennis memory: This may not be funny to my husband but about a year after getting married I attended the U.S. Open as I’ve done nearly every year since 1977. Someone sent me a copy Guillermo Vilas’ poetry book “125” (Cientoveinticinco), knowing that I was a big fan. The book came the day before attending the middle Saturday session of the U.S. Open. I saw that Vilas was playing Legends doubles so I decided to bring the book with me, as I might get chance to get an autograph.

As fate or destiny would have it, Vilas did win his doubles match and I had the chance to meet him and get him to sign his book. As I went towards Vilas, my husband stayed behind me because he wanted to snap some photos of us. I could see that Vilas was touched that someone had his poetry book written in the 70’s. We chatted for a few minutes with a small crowd around, some of whom were probably wondering if he actually knew me. I think he was happy that I had his book.

He signed the book “To Karen, All my love from this your friend. Guillermo Vilas.” After this he asked me for my phone number right in front of my husband, not knowing my husband was standing right behind me. My husband and I can laugh about this now, but had this happened to me a couple of years before [smiles]….

Greatest tennis moment: Mine is a personal one. I grew up playing tennis on public courts on Long Island and one year as a pre-teen my local recreation center was holding a non-sanctioned junior tournament. Seems that they were short a person to play in the Boys tournament so I was asked to play by my summer camp leader figuring it would be good practice, even though I would be slaughtered.

With my luck, I drew the top seed and prayed I would not be double-bageled. I figured that since whenever men or in this case boys play girls they feel that they can just over power them. So I used my opponent’s power back at him, I basically blocking back shots which made him try to hit harder and harder. It caused him to make a ton of unforced errors and lose his focus.

Same thing happened when he was serving – he just kept trying to overpower me with hard serves which lead to second serves and double faults and breaks.

He kept getting angrier and angrier as the match went on and I kept getting the ball back. Game, set and match for me – 6-2, 6-2. Spectators were shocked and I was amazed that I kept my composure during the match.

I made my way through the draw and in the semifinals I had to play one of my brothers. Sadly for him he fell into the “I can overpower-this-girl-syndrome” and I beat him 6-0, 6-1. He hasn’t played tennis again with me since that day!

The clock struck midnight for me in the finals – between playing the girls and boys tournament I was worn out. I fell to the second seed 6-4, 6-4.

I did win the girls tournament so I took home two trophies that day – Girls winner and Boys runner-up!

Worst tennis moment: As a youngster I really wanted Bjorn Borg to win the US Open and when he lost to Jimmy Connors in the 1978 final, I was devastated. I did not talk about tennis until a few months later. I had a feeling that this would have been his best chance to win, and I was proven right years later as he never won the US Open.

Favorite tournament: I’m biased, because I grew up in the New York suburbs, so you guessed it – the U.S. Open. I grew up at this tournament. I know the “ins and outs” of this place. It’s my tennis home and I know how to maneuver through the “chaos” and the crowds. Not everyone is up for the challenge.

Racquet you play with: I alternate between Wilsons and Dunlops.

Shoes you wear to play: I’ve loved K-Swiss on and off the court for years now, I’ll even wear them with holes they are so comfortable.

Favorite courts to play: U.S. Open courts at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens. The general public does not realize that when the U.S. Open is not taking place, lowly hackers like me can play on the outer courts for a fee. There is something special about playing on the very courts where a Grand Slam takes place.

Favorite tennis books: John Wertheim’s “Strokes of Genius,” followed by “A Terrible Splendor” by Marshall Jon Fisher and “Days of Grace” by Arthur Ashe. Since Strokes of Genius, any book I’ve read that has tried to describe Rafael Nadal defeating Roger Federer for the 2008 Wimbledon championships has not lived up to Wertheim’s glorious prose.

Karen says she's a "Vilas fan for life"

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