Stars Come Out For Coach Lansdorp’s Birthday

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 19th November 2013

Stars Come Out For Coach Lansdorp’s Birthday

Maria Sharapova from Russia celebrates after defeating Lindsay Davenport of the United States at their second round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 16 January 2008. Sharapova won the match 6-1, 6-3. EPA/DENNIS M. SABANGAN |

Robert Lansdorp has yet to be nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but perhaps he should be.

Last weekend, more than 100 former students and friends from all over the globe, came to celebrate his 75th birthday at the West End Racquet & Health Club in Torrance, California.

Lansdorp has had major hand in the careers of Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Tracy Austin and Pete Sampras, among others. Sharapova made an appearance, as did Davenport and Austin. The hard driving Lansdorp is known for his relentless drills from the baseline and helping develop some of the game’s most formidable forehands.

“He was like a second father to me,” Davenport told the Torrance Breeze. “We were super close. He was really gentle with me. I don’t think I ever would have accomplished anything without him. There’s no one like him. He’s cantankerous and he acts cranky, but a lot of it is a show and once you get past that you can see whom he is deep down. But he’s not afraid of anybody. He’ll tell you like it is because he doesn’t care if you don’t come tomorrow and your parents stop paying him. He would give it to you straight, but it was always great to hear the truth.”

Lansdorp is known as more of a junior coach, but he did attend a number of Grand Slams to help his prodigies.

He still works with kids in Rancho Palos Verdes, even though he has experienced physical problems.

“Some days I feel like retiring when the body doesn’t feel that great and then once I get on the court and I start working with these kids I get into it. I’m trying,” Lansdorp said. “It’s always hard work and I don’t mind working hard. And it’s the hard work of the kids (that matters) so maybe it’s still possible.”

Austin, who won two US Opens, is still pretty close to Lansdorp and even brought one of her own kids over to him for some lessons.

“Robert was a big part of my success,” she said. “I needed a coach who was going to work me hard and he was obviously a taskmaster. It instilled confidence in me that he thought there was always something more that I could give, that there was more I could improve. You know he’s doing it to make you tougher, to make you stronger, to make you mentally tougher. I think he’s the best coach to teach ground strokes in the history of the game.”

Former pro, broadcaster and ATP Board member Justin Gimelstob was also in attendance and recalled living with the Lansdorps where he learned some serious lessons. Once he lied to Lansdorp after he snuck out of the house on a date.

“He picked me up by my shirt — I was probably 16 (years old), 160 pounds — and he held me up and said, ‘Get out of my house,’ ” Gimelstob recalled. “I went down, packed all my stuff in my car, my little sports car. It probably took me seven hours.”

Lansdorp eventually let him stay, but Gimelstob paid for it on court during later days doing hardcore drills. Gimelstob thought he became a better man because of it.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp, International Tennis Hall Of Fame, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Robert Lansdorp, Tennis, Tennis News, Tracy Austin, US Open