JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE / USTA ” IF THE SHOE FITS , WEAR IT ” BY SIGRID DRAPER

Written by: Staff on 27th December 2014

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE / USTA " IF THE SHOE FITS , WEAR IT " BY SIGRID DRAPER |

Editors note : 10sballs.com is thrilled that Katrina Adams is the new President of the USTA. We will not stop taking our shots at the organization as needed. But please know she didn’t create the 100 year mess that is today’s USTA and the shoeclerks Judge Kelleher spoke of. We have great confidence that Katrina will do the best possible job given the situation and short time of her presidency. (2yr terms )

When I was a young girl, my Mother would take me to a Shoe store to buy my One yearly pair of shoes. I only got one pair because that was all she could afford. She always bought an expensive pair of Saddle Oxfords that had no style but endured forever! I know “Forever” because no matter how I abused them, they would not scuff, and they would not wear out!

One redeeming factor in this exercise of buying shoes was the SHOE CLERKS! I looked forward to seeing them. They were always handsome, well dressed and impeccably mannered. They were PROFESSIONALS who took great pride in their occupation. They strove to please you and made you feel special from the minute you walked in to the time you left. You may not have liked the shoes but they were a perfect fit. They had a Metal measurer and when you stepped on it, they noted your size and width. Their goal was to make everyone feel as though they were a Princess and they were wearing a Glass Slipper!

Many years have gone by and now I buy my own shoes. I buy fancy shoes in many styles and colors. The Professional Shoe Clerks are gone. I miss them. No one cares anymore whether the shoes I buy are a perfect fit. I now have bunions and corns and the hundreds of ill fitting shoes in my closet that yield to one comfortable pair of Flip-Flops.

What does this have to do with Tennis? Interestingly, a lot. Several years ago, as I was traveling with Judge Robert J. Kelleher, who was one of the Fathers of Open Tennis, the subject of Shoe Clerks arose in a most interesting way. It seems that the quality of Tennis leadership through the USTA, had deteriorated so drastically that the Judge felt he should vocalize his disapproval of its decline. In an interview with Steve Flink, he elaborated his disappointment, by referring to the USTA as being run by a bunch of Shoe Clerks. Unfortunately, he did not realize that one of the USTA Members was in the Shoe business.

So, it was no surprise that in a very short time, he started receiving Shoe Horns by the dozens as a symbol of their displeasure. As unfortunate as it was that the Member with the Shoe Business, deemed it to be a personal attack on his livelihood, they didn’t understand the intent of Judge Kelleher’s message! The intent was to say that, like the Professional Shoe Clerks of days gone by, the caring, the quality and the pride no longer existed. It was no longer for the good of the game. It became a self-serving vehicle for people to further their own Agendas and move on. The corns, the bunions, the ill fitting shoes were of no concern. The sturdy, long lasting SADDLE OXFORDS YIELDED TO fLIP fLOPS. The structure, the long lasting substance was gone. The sacrifices of Kelleher and all those before him in building the game of Tennis were for naught! The downfall at the hands of Shoe Clerks who never had pride in their Profession.

If Judge Kelleher, Phillipe Chatrier, etal were here today, I am sure Saddle Oxfords, Metal measuring trays and Glass Slippers would make a comeback. But they aren’t here and they are not coming back. There are, however, still some people here who are not self-serving, who truly love the game and who want to know why the once domineering American Tennis players are gone. Why interest in Tennis in America has waned to the point that there no longer are any sold out matches.

It seems to me that as offensive as Judge Kelleher’s “Shoe Clerk” interview of USTA officials was, it was accurate. If this article offends anyone in the USTA, please don’t send any shoe horns. They were willed to me by Judge Kelleher. I do know that if the Judge were here, he would not deter me from saying, to anyone in the USTA who is offended, “If the Shoe Fits, Wear it “.

Topics: Phillipe Chatrier, Robert J. Kelleher, shoe clerks, Tennis, Usta

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

September 19, 2014 at 10:46 am

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE/@usta “IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT” BY SIGRID DRAPER http://t.co/Aor4H4gHKn #tennis
10sBalls_com says:

September 22, 2014 at 10:15 am

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A #SHOECLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE / #USTA “IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT” BY SIGRID DRAPER- http://t.co/Aor4H4gHKn
10sBalls_com says:

September 26, 2014 at 12:51 pm

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE / #USTA ” IF THE SHOE FITS , WEAR IT ” BY SIGRID DRAPER- http://t.co/Aor4H4gHKn
10sBalls_com says:

October 3, 2014 at 5:16 pm

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE / @USTA ” IF THE SHOE FITS , WEAR IT “- http://t.co/L6uUxTENPO #tennis #USTA
10sBalls_com says:

December 6, 2014 at 7:22 pm

JUDGE ROBERT J. KELLEHER KNEW A SHOE CLERK WHEN HE SAW ONE/@usta “IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT” BY SIGRID DRAPER http://t.co/Aor4H57v8z #tennis