Billy Martin doesn’t have plans to attend this
week’s Mercedes-Benz Cup. But that doesn’t mean the
UCLA men’s tennis coach isn’t excited about it.
When some of the best professional tennis players in the world
come to Westwood to play in the first stop of the US Open Series, a
swell of pride will rise in Martin. That’s because the Los
Angeles Tennis Center, the home of the UCLA men’s and
women’s tennis teams, will be on display, and Martin knows
that it will show well.
“It gets people to see UCLA and what a great facility we
have,” Martin said.
Constructed for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the Los
Angeles Tennis Center (LATC) is the largest collegiate tennis
facility in terms of seating capacity in the country. At full
capacity, the LATC can accommodate 10,000 spectators.
Martin ranks it among the top-five facilities in the nation,
along with Stanford, Georgia, Tulsa and Texas A&M. This week,
the LATC will get its fair share of attention and television time,
a combination which only serves to boost the UCLA tennis
program.
“It gives us good exposure,” Martin said.
“Some of the top, top players are coming to UCLA.”
In the past, Bruin players have had chances to play with these
world-class players. It hasn’t been out of the ordinary for a
professional to call up Martin and ask to hit with one of the
players on his team.
Tobias Clemens, who graduated in June, has probably had the best
of it. In his Bruin career, Clemens was fortunate enough to
practice with the likes of a Pete Sampras, perhaps the greatest
tennis player ever and 1991 and ’99 Mercedes-Benz Cup
champion, on the courts of the LATC.
The Mercedes-Benz Cup also acts as a tool for Martin in several
other ways.
In the past, Martin has developed recruiting contacts through
international professionals who were impressed with the facilities
at UCLA and subsequently contacted Martin, alerting the Bruin coach
of talented young players from their respective countries.
The tournament also allows many young junior tennis players in
Southern California to take notice of UCLA, and perhaps enroll in
one of Martin’s summer tennis camps, which are held at UCLA
and facilities in Big Bear.
“That’s kind of exciting for the kids, to be playing
on the same court the pros have been playing on,” Martin
said.
That’s not all the tournament does for the UCLA tennis
program. When the pros have packed up and moved on, the LATC courts
are resurfaced, keeping the facility in top condition for the
coming college season. This year the surface for the tournament is
green, but it will be transformed back to UCLA’s trademark
blue when the tournament is complete.
But at its heart, the Mercedes-Benz Cup is just good for tennis
in Southern California as a whole. As a warm-up tournament for the
US Open, the stop in Westwood is an important time for many players
and a great chance for Southern California tennis fans to see
professional tennis in their own backyard.
It is special for Martin in other ways as well. The Bruin coach
played in the event himself when it was under different sponsorship
and played inside Pauley Pavilion.
But since the construction of the LATC, the tournament has been
moved outside, presenting a greater opportunity to showcase the
school and the courts.
“I’m always proud of our facility and our
campus,” Martin said.