Red Sox-Yankees. Lakers-Celtics. Ali-Frazier. UCLA-Stanford.
That’s right, Stanford. Not USC. We’re talking
men’s tennis here, and in that realm, there is no greater
rivalry than Bruins-Cardinal.
Over the years, the schools have produced 32 NCAA Championships
combined (17 for Stanford, 15 for UCLA), countless All-Americans,
many top professionals and memories galore. Spanning decades, the
rivalry has consistently brought the best in college tennis
together, and this year will be no different.
The spirit of the rivalry will be realized once again today when
No. 3 UCLA (19-2, 5-0 Pac-10) hosts No. 5 Stanford (19-3, 5-0
Pac-10) at 1:30 p.m.
And this time ““ like so many others ““ the Pac-10
title is on the line.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position (to win the
Pac-10),” UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. “Now
it’s a matter of whether we can perform.”
Since 1967, UCLA has slightly outperformed Stanford in
head-to-head competition, as it leads the series 47-44. In their
first match this season, the Bruins made an emphatic statement in
Palo Alto, winning 5-2 without Marcin Matkowski, their No. 2
player.
Now, with the addition of Matkowski, the No. 40 player in the
nation, it would seem that the Bruins are the heavy favorite to win
Friday and gain a stronghold in the race for the conference title.
But in sports, as the saying goes, anything can happen.
“We need to be really hungry and motivated,” Martin
said. “If we’re not, we’re going to
lose.”
But win or lose, there will always be a mutual respect between
the teams ““ the one fact that makes the rivalry so
special.
“I think it’s a good rivalry,” Martin said.
“It’s not a hatred, but there’s a lot of respect
both ways for both programs.”
Senior co-captain Erfan Djahangiri agreed, pointing out the
differences between the USC and Stanford rivalries.
“We definitely hate ‘SC,” he said. “But
Stanford is different. They’re usually better than ‘SC,
so we don’t hate them; we just want to prove to them that
we’re better.”
Assistant coach Jason Sher, like Martin, has experienced the
rivalry as a player and a coach.
“I think there’s definitely a lot of respect,”
he said. “I think that’s the best word to sum it up.
It’s heated on the court, but once the match is over,
there’s a good relationship among the coaches. I think
it’s fair, and it’s played hard.”
The relationship among the coaches is truly special.
Martin, who won the NCAA singles title in 1975 ““ the last
UCLA player to do so ““ was recruited by Stanford head coach
Dick Gould, who is now in his 37th season with the Cardinal.
“He recruited me. He came to my home and recruited
me,” Martin said.
Gould remembers that recruiting experience.
“Doggone it, he got away,” Gould said.
Now Gould will pay another visit to Martin, who is 225-42 in his
head coaching career and looking to best the legend.
Gould, the most successful coach in college tennis history, has
led the Cardinal to all 17 of its national titles. He was named
“Coach of the Decade” in both the 1980s and the 1990s,
and his teams have finished in the top five in 28 out of the last
33 years. His overall record now stands at 751-139.
He is a man truly worthy of the respect he garners.
“He’s like our guru,” Martin said.
“There’s Wooden and Scates and Gould. I’ve
learned so much coaching against him.”
The accomplishments of the legend serve to further motivate
Martin, who hasn’t yet won a national title as head coach at
UCLA.
“It maybe means I try a little harder to whoop him, after
all the whoopings he’s given our teams,” he said.
“I take great pride whenever we can beat their teams, home
or away, because I know it’s a job well done.”
Gould, who has seen the development of the rivalry take shape
for nearly four decades, has as much respect for UCLA as
anyone.
“It’s really been a fun rivalry,” he said.
“It brings out the best in us.”
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I
can remember matches we’ve lost at the last second, and
matches we’ve won at the last second. We’ve had some
really great battles through the years.”
Players who have seen those battles include greats such as John
McEnroe and Roscoe Tanner for Stanford, and Jimmy Connors and
Arthur Ashe for UCLA.
“It’s the highest level of competition, and I really
value it,” Gould said.
Since 1970, UCLA has won or shared 17 Pac-10 titles, while
Stanford has won or shared 13. And prior to this season, every
national team indoor championship since 1990 has been won either by
UCLA or by Stanford.
There’s been a lot of history between these storied
programs, but when the players step on the court, there is one
thing on their minds.
“When I’m on the courts, I just want to get the
“˜W,'” said Tobias Clemens, the nation’s No.
5 player.
Clemens will likely face Stanford’s David Martin, the No.
12 player in the country, whom he beat 6-4, 6-1 in Palo Alto.
In doubles, Martin and Scott Lipsky comprise the No. 2 doubles
team in the nation. They will face the No. 22 team of Matkowski and
Rodrigo Grilli.
Should the Bruins win Friday, things won’t get any easier
on Saturday, when No. 4 Cal (17-3, 3-1 Pac-10) visits Westwood at 1
p.m. Cal has had the Bruins’ number in recent meetings.
“Cal’s beaten us three straight times,” Martin
said. “That always gets my competitive juices flowing, when
somebody’s beaten us on a regular basis, and they have. I
think it’s a real challenge to win both these matches, and I
think it would be a real accomplishment to do that this
weekend.”