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Apr/17

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True Tennis Tales: “I want your top dawg”

scoopten2Which Bay area former ATP top ten star and future author and ESPN analyst entered Golden Gate park courts after his Pepperdine season seeking gambling matches with local heroes? The world-renowned player entered the courts wearing tennis whites and a white streak dyed on the side of his head hair and also wearing alligator skinned cowboy boots. The player declared to the players present “I want your top dawg.” First up was a local star who was quickly dispatched for $200, and then the TOP dawg Pete Pearson took the challenge for $500. Of course Pearson was also taken to the woodshed too. Interestingly the player we are talking about did not hit one forward stroke during either match. He would block back every ball with his forehand or backhand into the deep corners of the court and won both matches with those defensive or “winning ugly” tactics. Who can guess the identity of this unique player?

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9 comments

  • Chazz · April 24, 2017 at 10:30 am

    Brad Gilbert?

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 24, 2017 at 10:35 am

    We have a winner 🙂 Yes BG is the tennis lone ranger – Played with a doubles group yesterday that included a good player who witnessed it and also a former Davis Cup captain of India – the better the players you play with the better the stories get 🙂

  • Dan Markowitz · April 24, 2017 at 11:35 am

    Too easy. Here’s a Scoop. Everyone at my yoga studio, YogaSol in Norwalk Ct, Yogasol.com, if you’re in the area and want to take a hot yoga class or just want to talk tennis, knows I’m into tennis.

    So this young woman I hadn’t seen for a while came in the other day and we were talking tennis and she said her brother played tennis for Pepperdine and also at Bollettieri’s with Agassi et al. And then here’s the kicker, she said he was murdered a few years ago in South Florida by a drug cartel (apparently he owed a lot of money) that some former junior tennis players were involved in. How’s that for murky?!

    I just looked up his named and found his obit from 2005 and here’s part of it…e was a graduate of Pepperdine University, in Malibu, Calif., and was an avid Tennis player and a graduate from the Brandenton Academy in Florida while in residence at Nick Bolletieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

    Geez, tennis is a crazy sport. I know you have your Aaron Hernandez’s but this stuff is nuts.

    As for my son, I still haven’t heard about the McEnroe Scholarship he tried out for but I got this email from another coach, who was says he was top 800 (but I looked him up and the best he ever got was 1293…why does everyone lie about their ranking?) recently and he said this:

    “Dan,
    as far as the baseball tennis conflict that’s just amazing. Most likely Cal is good in tennis cus he plays baseball and vice versa.
    In the near future I will give you more details about my USPTA Elite Summer Camp in Hastings and Summer Camp in Vermont. Also, I would love to provide your son with Tennis Scholarship. He is a very talented and self motivated individual. I may be able to cover 50%- 75% cost of his training this summer and later in the fall. I would love to cover 100% of his training, but at this point I just can’t promise it. Let’s stay in contact.”

    What does that mean, I just can’t cover it? I mean give the kid a scholarship or Daddy’s going to go broke 🙂

  • catherine bell · April 24, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    Murders – There was a case years ago when a world ranked player killed his wife and later committed suicide in prison.
    I think he was still playing when it happened but can’t be sure.

  • sharoten · April 27, 2017 at 1:54 am

    Dan – here’s something you might want to check out for Cal.

    Quote:
    Rafa Nadal Academy @rnadalacademy 4 h
    And after #LA, we will be visiting #NewYork on May 2nd! Check all the info of our #clinic in #NY here!
    Image

  • Bryan · April 29, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    Any self-respecting Bay Area tennis fan would know that guy was Brad Gilbert. He lives across from SF in Marin now.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    Bryan had you heard of BG’s swagger before this post? I just might try it this summer and go to a club or public courts and utter the BG challenge: “I want your top dawg” 🙂

  • Bryan · May 1, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Scoop, I don’t recall that swagger during Brad’s playing days. Reminds me of John L. Sullivan going into bars and challenging anyone to a fight: “I’ll lick any man in the joint!”

  • Scoop Malinowski · May 3, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    Bryan; BG could have been undercover cocky in the locker room – Players are cocky in there but reporters can’t get in anymore since about five years ago I presume the players requested that – I was told Lendl used to walk around naked with just his socks on 🙂 and Navratilova would “strut around showing off her man’s body” said a lady ex pro 🙂

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