Tennis was everything from 1980 to 1990. Texas state rankings, UIL state tournaments in high school, and NAIA competition in college. And then suddenly, nothing. If I was gonna do something athletic after 1990, it wasn’t going to be tennis. Been there, done that. For 25 years, I did pretty much anything else.
But Dennis Ralston kinda brought me back.
On a whim, I stopped by my local Grey Rock tennis club in Austin, TX back in 2015 to chat about men’s leagues. I learned about one that sounded pretty neat. “It’s run by Dennis Ralston. Have you heard the name?” Historian that I am, I had. How in the world could it be that THE Dennis Ralston was a tennis professional just a mile or two from my house? I signed up immediately.
Dennis Ralston was tennis elite in the 1960s. He was a national champion for USC, before becoming one of the top ranked players in the world. Ever hear of Billie Jean King? Ralston & King reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1966. Ever hear of Arthur Ashe? Ralston & Ashe reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1971. My favorite Ralston tennis titles occurred in the early 1960s, when he and Chuck McKinley won three U.S. Open Championships. Chuck McKinley is a product of Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.
On the court in Austin, it became clear to Ralston that I had skill but was rusty. He asked me my tennis story. I told him about my junior career and my neglect as an adult. “Don’t stop playing,” he said. Don’t. Stop. Playing.
Ralston told us lots of stories during downtime on the courts in Austin. My favorite came from 1966 when he made it all the way to Wimbledon finals in singles. That year, Ralston fell in the finals and received the second place Wimbledon trophy from the royal family. He graciously accepted. But according to Ralston, he was so mad about the loss that he took the Tube to Parliament and threw his second-place trophy into the River Thames. Hahaha! I suppose it’s still somewhere in the bottom of the most famous river in London.
Ralston ignited a spark in me that had laid dormant for decades. All of a sudden, tennis was fun again. Eventually, I started playing elsewhere around Austin. When I’d return to Grey Rock after an absence, Ralston would give me a look of “where have you been?”
I’ve been playing Dennis, I’ve been playing. Just not here. That’s fine, he’d say. You don’t have to play here. Just “don’t stop playing,” he’d say. Don’t. Stop. Playing.
Dennis Ralston is intricately linked to Trinity University and its incredible tennis program. 50 years ago, Trinity was an elite Division 1 program that won a national championship. As a player, Ralston teamed with Trinity’s Chuck McKinley to bring home a Davis Cup championship to the United States. As a coach at SMU, he led his Mustangs against the Tigers in many head-to-head matchups with national title implications. Trinity tennis was an Austin College (Sherman, TX) small college rival 100 years ago, and is once again today. But not 50 year ago. In 2017, I asked Ralston if he’d agree to being a part of a Trinity tennis story in an Austin College Athletics book I was writing. He graciously agreed to be included.
That same year, Wimbledon invited Ralston to London to celebrate the beginning of the Open era of the tournament, a time when amateurs and professional finally began to compete against one another. In tennis circles, the Open era is a big deal. But among general sports writers, it is something of an unknown. I badgered the Austin American-Statesman to write about this tennis hero teaching locally within their midst, and they agreed to write a story about Ralston’s trip. I’m damn proud of that article, especially after Ralston thanked me for making a big deal about it with the Statesman. My pleasure, I told him. It WAS a big deal.
Ralston’s life included struggles after his playing career. But he righted his ship and spent his last years teaching the sport he loved. Dennis passed away this past weekend at the age of 78, and many in the tennis world have written about his contribution to the game. He played a role in my return to tennis as well. Like many others, I’m fortunate to have one of the game’s greatest as a part of my tennis story.
“Don’t stop playing,” he said. Don’t. Stop. Playing. I hear you Coach Ralston. I did once, but won’t again.
