USTA News

The NorCal Tennis Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2011. They are Larry Stefanki, a UC Berkeley All American, accomplished ATP player and outstanding pro coach; Meredith McGrath, an All American at Stanford and Grand Slam Doubles Champion; Larry Huebner, an inspiring player and coach who transformed tennis in the Central Valley; and Carolyn Nichols, a senior player who keeps getting better as she gets older.

 

The 2011 USTA Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony and brunch will be held Thursday, July 28 at Stanford University during the Bank of the West Classic. A reception begins at 10:30 and the brunch and program begin at 11:15.  Tickets are $65 plus a small processing fee and are available for purchase on-line by July 22nd, click here.

 

Larry Stefanki’s professional playing and coaching career began when his family relocated to Los Altos from Illinois. "We lived across the street from Los Altos High School; my older brothers Steve and John started playing and I followed suit," Larry explains.

 

Though he also had a passion for baseball, basketball and wrestling, tennis eventually became his main focus, as he explains, "Tennis really suited me; I loved every part of it - the running and the geometry of playing inside a rectangular box – it never got old."

 

Along with playing on the Los Altos High School team, Larry participated in NorCal juniors tournaments. "Tennis was huge at the junior level when I was growing up. Playing in that type of competitive environment drives you to become better," he explains.

 

It was the legendary coach Tom Chivington that drew him to Foothill College his freshman year of college. "My brothers went to Foothill so I have known Tom since I was 10 or 11. Tom is a real special guy; he understood how competitive I was. He’d believe in you and back you and those are qualities that you need in a coach." As a freshman Larry played #3 singles and doubles, and was the first player to win both singles and doubles State Championships in one year. He then earned a three-year full scholarship to UC Berkeley, playing under Bill Wright, where he played #1 singles and earned All American status.

 

As a player on the pro tour Larry earned a career high ranking of 30 in singles and 24 in doubles (with Robert Van’t Hof). He credits Northern California coach Tom Stow for helping him improve the fundamentals of his game. Larry earned three singles titles; two in Nigeria in 1980 and 1981, and the Masters Series Indian Wells in 1985. "There’s nothing like playing," Larry says. "I loved both the traveling and the competition; I would sign up everywhere I could, all over the world."

 

Stefanki’s notoriety as a coach came after helping John McEnroe climb back up the rankings to No. 8 in the world toward the end of his career. "Everyone said McEnroe was done, washed up, but you can still play the game at a high level in your later years. It was very gratifying to see his improvement during his last two years."

 

From there Larry helped Patrick McEnroe and his doubles partner Jonathan Stark rise from a ranking of 175 to 40. And then another tennis bad boy, Marcello Rios, crossed his path; Larry helped Rios reach the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, after starting out at No. 125 "Rios could control the ball better than anyone, besides McEnroe, but he didn’t like to work."

 

Next Larry coached Yevgeny Kafelnikov and helped him also reach a No. 1 world ranking along with an Olympic gold medal, the Australian and French Open championships. Tim Henman reached the No. 4 ranking under Stefanki’s guidance, as well as numerous semifinal rounds at Wimbledon. Fernando Gonzalez went from a career high ranking of 19 to No. 5 with Stefanki as his coach, during which time he won an Olympic silver medal and was a finalist at the Australian Open. "At 25 or 26 years old Fernando was still willing to make changes. He was a lot of fun to work with," says Larry.

 

Currently Larry is coaching the top ranked American player Andy Roddick, who again reached the top 5 ranking after an epic Wimbledon 2009 final against Roger Federer. "Andy and I have a great relationship; he’s very competitive and hates to lose even a point. He’s very smart, very aware and quick. He knew he had to do hard work to stay at that high level."

 

After Roddick, Larry hopes to work with juniors near San Diego, where he resides with his wife Kelly and three sons, Clay, Will and Joe.

 

As a junior tennis player former pro Meredith McGrath had starry-eyes for Stanford.

"It was the only school on my radar; going to Stanford was an easy choice, I was probably one of the easiest recruits ever," says Meredith. "I didn’t even go out on an official visit, I just blindly knew it was where I wanted to be."

 

The journey to Stanford and subsequent WTA Tour began when Meredith was seven years old at the family’s summer cottage; looking for something to do she fatefully signed up for the local tennis camp. "I loved it right from the start," says Meredith. An all around athlete Meredith also participated in basketball, soccer, speed skating and gymnastics, but by 12 years old she decided to focus primarily on tennis. "I had a lot of success right away along with a good amount of positive feedback; that played a big part in me wanting to do it more," Meredith explains.

 

It was also the start a successful Juniors career; Meredith won three consecutive US Open Girls Doubles Championships; in 1987 and 1988 with Kimberly Po and in 1989 with Jennifer Capriati. She also won the Wimbledon Girls Doubles Championships in 1988 and 1989, and was the runner- up in the Wimbledon Girls Singles Championship in 1989.

 

Despite the pressure to turn pro after high school Meredith chose to accept a full scholarship to Stanford, in 1989, to work with the famed Stanford women’s tennis coach Frank Brennan. As a freshman she earned All American and finished the season ranked as No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles.

 

"Meredith was the 1990 NCAA doubles champion on probably the greatest team in NCAA history and went on to have one of the most distinguished professional careers of any intercollegiate player," says Coach Brennan.

 

The next year Meredith embarked on the WTA Tour full-time, "I had decided I wanted to go to school despite pressure to turn pro, but I knew that I would only be there for one or two years. Frank had let me play pro tournaments while I was at Stanford; in 1990 I was ranked 90 in the world so the time was right to leave school," says Meredith.

 

During her ten-year career as a pro Meredith reached a career high ranking of 18 in singles and 5 in doubles. She earned three singles titles, at Oklahoma City, Eastbourne and Birmingham, and in 1995 she captured the US Open Mixed Doubles championship with Matt Lucena, defeating Gigi Fernandez and Cyril Suk 6-4, 6-4.

 

The pinnacle of her career, when she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1996, was a bittersweet moment for Meredith, "It was one of the last tournaments that I ever played," she explains. "I had won Birmingham two weeks before but I had fallen in the finals and hyper extended my knee. I continued playing; I was in pain but I was playing so well that I didn’t want to stop." Meredith felt her knee becoming worse during each round of Wimbledon; by the time she reached the semifinals she could barely walk.

 

Having suffered a fractured femur and tibia, Meredith would undergo three surgeries over a two-year period. Though she made several attempts at rejoining the tour, her injuries proved too great to make a full comeback. Instead she returned to Stanford and finished her degree.

 

Residing in Santa Clara, Meredith’s focus these days is on her two sons, aged five and seven.

 

Through his passion for tennis Larry Huebner has had a profound affect on people’s lives all around the world.

 

Known as "Mr. Tennis" in his hometown of Fresno, Larry was born into a family that had tennis in their blood; Larry’s son John explains, "My grandfather was a self-taught player and got into the tennis business in 1931 during the Depression while playing at Roeding Park in Fresno. If someone broke a string they had to send it to San Francisco to get restrung; so my grandfather started stringing racquets out of the back of his car. The next year he opened a tennis and ski shop across the street from the park, Huebner Sports."

 

It was the start of tennis in Fresno and a legacy that Larry inherited and continued from his father; he is credited with cultivating the Central Valley into the tennis hub that it is today. "In the late 1930’s before the war there were maybe 100 people in the area that played tennis, now the Central Valley has the largest contingency of players in Northern California," says John.

 

Larry graduated from Fresno High in 1949, lettering in tennis, basketball and baseball, and he was one of the first Central Valley residents to have national success as a junior tennis player. Though John Wooden, who would remain a lifelong friend, recruited him to play basketball at UCLA, tennis prevailed, thanks to a little encouragement from the UCLA tennis coach. As captain, Larry took the team to two national championships and won an individual title in doubles.

 

One of his greatest legacies was his instrumental role in founding the Fig Garden Swim and Racket Club. John explains, "My dad returned to Fresno after serving two years in the Navy and there were no tennis clubs, so he found the site, gathered the investors and was the first manager and tennis pro."

 

Countless people have come to enjoy the sport because of his guidance and mentorship. Gordon Collins, Tennis Director at the Courtside Club/WAC, says "Larry has been a leader in our industry for decades. Whether as a player, coach, club owner, club designer - he has led the way! He was a tireless volunteer and supporter of the game, while always showing the highest level of integrity - we are all indebted to him! Tennis in NorCal would not be where it is without his guidance along the way."

 

And Peter Burwash, founder and owner of Peter Burwash International (PBI), expressed that millions around the world have been positively impacted by the lessons and skills he personally learned on the court from working with Larry Huebner.

 

Larry also devoted his time to his wife of 56 years, Gretchen, and their three children Jim, John and Karin. Huebner Sports remained in business for 63 years and eventually grew to two locations. He volunteered and was active with school programs, teen programs, the Trinity Lutheran Church and the Salvation Army for over 35 years. At 45 Larry was ranked No. 1 in 35’s in NorCal. He earned a national No. 1 ranking, has won 27 gold balls, participated in numerous father-son and father-daughter tournaments, was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame and the Fresno High School Wall of Fame, and he has been honored at the US Open.

 

Senior player Carolyn Nichols lives by the adage that the longer you play tennis the better you get. Originally from a small farm in Fresno, Nichols now represents the USTA around the world as a top senior tennis player, traveling to locales like New Zealand, Spain and South Africa. Nichols, who finished 2010 ranked No. 1 in the United States in 55 and over for singles, and No. 4 for doubles, says she found her niche as a senior player, "I’m a counterpuncher so I’ve had a better time in Seniors; the goal in senior tennis is simply to improve and stay healthy while you’re having fun playing," Nichols explains.

 

The daughter of NorCal Hall of Famer and top ranked senior player Graydon Nichols, Carolyn, along with her brother and sister, was exposed to tennis at an early age, "Dad and mom played; my father is an engineer and built a court on our farm in Fresno," she says. Participating on a tennis team in high school was a turning point, "I didn’t do any sports before that but I fell in love with tennis," Nichols says. "I wasn’t very good at first, but I just kept hitting lots and lots of balls."

 

After attending Stanford University, and earning a law degree from the University of the Pacific, Nichols started taking tennis lessons every weekend. "I just kept playing and got better; there are no short cuts in tennis, you just have to work hard," she explains. She credits her ability to win matches to her days playing junior tournaments in Northern California.

 

Nichols has been nationally ranked since 1989 and ranked in sections since 1972. She reached the No. 1 Open ranking spot in 2006, has earned 23 gold balls and has been a member of 14 Cup teams, nine of which won its Cup, two of which finished second and two that finished third. Nichols was captain of five of those teams and has traveled internationally with Cup teams to Spain, South Africa, Mexico and New Zealand, among other places.

 

In 2010 alone, along with finishing the year ranked No. 1 in the United States in 55 and over for singles, and No. 4 for doubles, she competed in 107 tournament matches. Internationally Nichols claimed the No. 2 spot in 55 singles. She has also captured 21 National Championships, including the 2010 55 and over hard and clay court championships, and the 80+ Father-Daughter hard court doubles championship, an event both she and her father have greatly enjoyed playing over the years. "The Father-Daughter tournament was very memorable; dad is great to play with," Nichols says.

 

Nichols has also made far-reaching contributions to senior tennis off the court; she is a current board member and past president of the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association and a USTA member of ITF Seniors Committee. Current USTA national committees include Chairing the Senior International Competition Committee and member of International Committee and Adult/Senior Competition Committee. NorCal committee memberships have included the Adult Tournament Committee and the Intersectional Teams committee.

 

Nichols has also been recognized for her contributions to the game with various service and sportsmanship awards, including the USTA Service Bowl Winner in 2006, NorCal Player of the Year for 2000 and 2002, the 2007 Betty Gray Washington Sportsmanship Award, and in 2008 the NorCal Service to Tennis Award, SoCal Tennis Assn Media Award, the Lamita Jabour Sportswoman Award and the 2010 USTA Seniors' Service award.