Astronaut Sally Ride Had Rich Tennis History

Written by: Staff on 25th July 2012

Astronaut Sally Ride Had Rich Tennis History |

Astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to enter space, had a rich tennis history. Ride, who passed away on Monday, was a standout junior in Southern California. She was coached by the Hall of Famer Alice Marble and played at the Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. In college Ride competed for Swarthmore and Stanford, where she played No. 1 for two year and reached the quarterfinals of the International Intercollegiate Championships.

She considered going pro and in an interview she did six years ago said: “I was a good tennis player. I really enjoyed being outside. I really enjoyed playing sports and started playing tennis when I was about 11 and really got hooked on it, played in tournaments, first locally in Southern California, and then later, nationally, and spent every summer playing pretty serious tennis. Actually, I did [consider tennis a career] much to the dismay of my parents, I think, although they were both very supportive of tennis. When I headed off to college, I made the decision that tennis wasn’t going to be the central point in my life.”

Ride’s partner Tam O’Shaughnessy, actually did play on tour, competing at the US Open from 1969-1972, where she took singles losses two the notable players Marita Redondo and Valerie Ziegenfuss.

Tennis historian Bud Collins shared this anecdote about Ride on Facebook:

“Many years ago, at a WTA tournament in Palm Springs, I encountered Sally Ride who was trying to earn her living as a tennis pro. She was a with her doubles partner, Tammy O’Shaughnessy.

They were looking for somebody to practice against. Finding none, they were desperate. They asked me if I knew anyone they could practice with. I volunteered myself and Barry Lorge, of the Washington Post. We were flattered to be on the same court and hoped they would not beat us too badly.

Strangely, they got nervous, even though we were a couple of hacks. They hoped nobody was watching. Somehow they fumbled it away and we won. Sally, one of the great women of our time, was amused and congratulated us. As we shook hands, she laughed and said: ‘Don’t tell anybody, please.’ I won’t” said I. I had no idea that this would soon launch Sally into space.”

Topics: 10sballs.com, Alice Marble, Barry Lorge, Bud Collins, Sally Ride, Sports, sports tennis news, Tennis News

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Astronaut Sally Ride Had Rich Tennis History | – 10sBalls | The Art Of Tennis says:

July 25, 2012 at 3:41 pm

[…] Astronaut Sally Ride Had Rich Tennis History |10sBallsActually, I did [consider tennis a career] much to the dismay of my parents, I think, although they were both very supportive of tennis. When I headed off to college, I made the decision that tennis wasn't going to be the central point in my life … […]