"Ask the Athletes: Tennis" Will Feature Living Legends

The Pasadena Senior Games has teamed up with the California Senior Games Association to produce a monthly Zoom series of sports-related panel discussions by seasoned current and former professional athletes followed by questions from viewers of the live events.

Two big names in the world of tennis will be featured at 4 p.m. Monday, June 14, via Zoom: Rosie Casals and Dick Gould.

Anyone 50 or older may register by visiting www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and clicking on Events, Clubs and Lectures, then Online Events or calling 626-795-4331. Everyone who registers will receive a link via email for joining the Zoom discussion. Membership in the Pasadena Senior Center and residency in Pasadena are not required. Anyone who does not have Internet access may call 626-795-4331 to receive a number to call to listen to the live event by phone.

Known for her acrobatic and athletic style of tennis-playing and her pioneering role in demanding equality for women in the world of professional tennis, Rosie Casals amassed 595 wins in women's singles tennis and 508 in doubles and was ranked among the world's top 10 players for 12 seasons. She won the inaugural Virginia Slims Invitational as a singles player in 1970 and, with her tennis partner Billie Jean King, won five women's doubles championships at Wimbledon between 1967 and 1973, four U.S. Open doubles championships between 1971 and 1982, two mixed doubles championships at Wimbledon in 1970 and 1972 and the mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open in 1975.

Casals was ranked third in the world for women's professional tennis in 1970. Also that year, at a time when female tennis players were heavily outearned by men, she was among nine female tennis players who were galvanized when it was announced the men's championship prize for the 1970 Pacific Southwest Open in Los Angeles would be $12,500 and the women's prize would be $1,500. Risking their futures in the sport, they demanded prize money for women equal to male players' purses on all professional tennis circuits and tours, equal exposure in center-court matches and better coverage by the news media. These acts of courage changed tennis history forever and led to the formation of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). As a result, women players are no longer an afterthought to men on tennis circuits, female players now earn millions of dollars in prizes for WTA and other professional championship tournaments, and tennis is the most popular women's professional sport in the world. Now in retirement but still very active in the tennis world, Casals joined King to win the U.S. Open seniors women's doubles championship in 1990 and often plays in senior invitationals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996 as an individual player and in July 2021 will be inducted a second time as one of the "Original Nine."

When he played tennis collegiately on the men's team at Stanford University, Dick Gould knew he wanted to be a tennis coach. After graduation he was a teaching pro at a private tennis club and then a coach at a community college. He joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1966 as the men's head tennis coach, taking over a lackluster program at a time when sports were not a priority at the school and the tennis team's rankings were mediocre at best. Gould refused to buy into the concept that unexceptional was good enough. He had a big vision for what Stanford men's tennis could become.

He led his teams to 17 NCAA championships, and coached 10 NCAA singles champions, seven NCAA doubles champions, 50 All-Americans and an unprecedented nine players who reached the top 15 on men's professional tennis tours. He spearheaded fundraising campaigns to endow every aspect of Stanford tennis so future coaches would never have to worry about the sustainability of the programs. He continued to work in the athletic department until his official retirement in 2018 as the John L. Hinds director of tennis, wrapping up a career that spanned 57 years. In 2019 he was inducted into the U.S. Professional Tennis Association Hall of Fame as the winningest NCAA men's tennis coach in history. Now in retirement, he focuses his energy on stewardship, marketing, external relations, facility improvement and development for Stanford.

Part of the Cynthia Rosedale Memorial Sports Talk Series, the monthly "Ask the Athletes" features well-known sports figures, many in retirement, who discuss their athletic careers, answer questions from Zoom viewers and offer tips for keeping mentally and physically fit in sports and in life.

In addition to online classes and other Zoom activities, members and nonmembers of the Pasadena Senior Center are encouraged to visit the website regularly for COVID-19 updates for older adults and other timely information, a weekly blog, monthly magazine, ongoing activities throughout the year and more.

The center, at 85 E. Holly St., is an independent, donor-supported nonprofit organization that has served older adults for more than 60 years. During the pandemic, doors are open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for social services and other critical services for older adults in need, as well as limited occupancy in the library, fitness center and computer lab. Masks and social distancing are required. All who enter are subject to temperature screening, must sanitize their hands upon entry and answer a simple screening questionnaire. Rooms are sanitized after each use.