USTA Ranks Bethesdan Senior #1 in Mid-Atlantic 75s Singles for August

Captured in action!

Kent Watkins, who lives in the lushly landscape gated community of Sumner Village in Bethesda, Md., practices, when he can, on the hard surface court just below his apartment. And when he needs some diagnosis and clay court practice, he turns to the head pro, Chris Furnas, at his former club, Kenwood. But, most of the time, he just enters tournaments and gets his practice there, for a nominal sum – court, new balls, and a good opponent. It is getting more difficult to find similar players, as they stop playing singles because of injury or general deterioration and turn to golf or doubles.

Two years ago, he got on this legacy or bucket list kick. He decided to play official tournaments again, after many years, and so entered 19 of them in the 70 and 75 year bracket of USTA, the United States Tennis Association. To his surprise, he received 17 trophies or plaques for winner or runner-up, and was ranked #1 in Maryland in the 75s and #2 in the Mid-Atlantic, and one or two rungs down in the 70s. His grandchildren, then five and six, enjoyed seeing them mounted on a wall in his apartment.

He had played for the College of William & Mary, but that was over 55 years ago, and later the Florida ‘circuit’ for junior veterans (over 35). His daughter, Heather, also played for her college, Trinity in Hartford, Ct., and most recently in several USTA flex leagues. One of them recently went to Indian Wells, CA, for the national championships in that category, and she is looking forward to doing it again this fall.

- A Bump in the Road Smooths Out -

As the weekly list of pro players being injured attests, Watkins was not immune, either. In 2013, he was scheduled to get a ‘minor’ operation for a groin injury that turned out to be a ‘sports hernia’, not the substantial kind, but a fairly common injury for tennis players. Before that could be done, he needed an EKG and that led to a surprise operation, a triple bypass. Luckily, it went very well and in a couple of weeks, he was able to start hitting again, and then to enter tournaments in a couple of months. It would take some time to be back in top form, however, so he decided to vary his play to include some fun – he signed up for the U.S. Open qualifying round sectional in College Park, Md., to vie for a wild card slot at Flushing Meadows.

He had no thought of winning as the oldest player entered, the next in line was 26 years old, but he played well in his second round and got a free t-shirt and cap for his efforts. It was like entering the Boston or NYC marathons, as thousands did, regardless of age. Watkins observed, “The officials couldn’t have been more accommodating and he didn’t keep any younger player from competing. Hopefully, it will serve as a role model for others to emulate and not be afraid to be more actively involved.” In his plan, some more national and even international tournaments, plus some cross-training (cycling, treadmill, weights), at the exercise space in his Sumner Valley complex, although he is not terribly enthused about that regimen.

To cap it off, he continued to remain atop the rankings for a while longer (see below), even though he was not playing as frequently in the official tournaments. He has returned to his urban consulting practice, his role as chairman of the National Academy of Housing and Sustainable Communities, seeing his grandchildren, traveling, and writing various articles and books. However, he is looking forward to participating again with Heather in the USTA national super senior clay court championships in Jupiter, Fl. That is far more meaningful as they attempt to move up in their ranking, but still enjoy the bonding experience and meet other like-minded players.

USTA Mid-Atlantic Men’s Standings - 75 Singles

Published: 8/4/2014 at 2:10 PM. This list includes 17 eligible players.

Rank Name City State Section District Points
1 Watkins, Kent Bethesda MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 975
2 Williams, Jack C. Saint Leonard MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 850
3 Manougian, John Silver Spring MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 850
4 Chao, Yung Y Silver Spring MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 650
5 Walker, David Washington DC Mid-Atlantic Washington D.C. 549
6 Chance, Guy P. Richmond VA Mid-Atlantic Virginia 336
7 Burton, John E. South Boston VA Mid-Atlantic Virginia 300
8 Benites, Santiago Poquoson VA Mid-Atlantic Virginia 285
9 Kirwan, William Brit E. Pikesville MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 262
10 Luttrell, Charles R. Boyds MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 224
11 Lee, Paul C. Annapolis MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 200
12 Hill, Dennis W Falls Church VA Mid-Atlantic Virginia 200
13 Benne, Robert D. Salem VA Mid-Atlantic Virginia 150
14 Ratner, Harvey Silver Spring MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 150
15 Wolfson, Richard Still Pond MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 112
16 Harris, Ralph Upper Marlboro MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 112
17 Howe, John S. Gaithersburg MD Mid-Atlantic Maryland 18