The Sixth Annual Play for Team Luke Tennis and Pickleball Event takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Click here for more info. Special guests are Jimmy Arias and Luke Jensen.
Jimmy Arias: So good so young so slight so overpowering he scared everyone. Hit the forehand so hard predictions were his arm would fall off. Too much money on the table, so turned pro at 15 years old. Life was lonely on tour. What are you going to do with a 15 year old kid? Almost no one would warm him up before matches. Ranked #20 in the world at 17. Highest ranking at #5. Ask him about Lendl. Great story. Ask him about Connors and Ashe. Greater Story. Ask him about the time he interviewed President George Bush as a commentator. A greater story still. Check out My Five Greatest Stories, by Jimmy Arias.
Luke Jensen: Wild long hair, an American flag bandanna to hold it in place. Tennis as Football or Rock n’ Roll. Throw your body everywhere. Make a lot of noise. Both righty and lefty serves at 130 MPH. That’s why they called him “Dual Hand Luke.” He and his brother, Murphy, won the French Open doubles title in 1993. The Jensen Brothers. Culture Heroes. Bad Dudes. Mean Dudes. That’s what Rolling Stone called them. Fun Dudes, I call them. They loved to launch water balloons at everyone: government officials, fellow players, famous people of every kind.
About Team Luke: In response to his son suffering a traumatic brain injury, Tim Siegel (a former ATP player and tennis coach at Texas Tech) founded Team Luke, an organization dedicated to helping families whose children have suffered traumatic brain injuries. You can learn more about Team Luke and the great work they do on their website.
About the Artist: More work by Jeffrey Sparr and an artist bio is available here: Cliff Richey and the Belly of the Whale, Art by Jeffrey Sparr.