NAHANT — Community members turned the clock back on tennis Sunday at the Nahant Country Club in honor of the sesquicentennial of the first-ever match played in the United States — which took place in Nahant. Thirty-two players squared off sporting attire and equipment from the 19th century.
In 1874, Dr. James Dwight and Richard Sears played the first match of lawn tennis in American history, squaring off with wooden rackets. One year later, the Nahant Invitational began its two-decade run, during which six players competed in a tournament at the Nahant Club.
President of Nahant Tennis Inc. Andrea Gogolos was an integral part of the nearly year-long process of making the celebration a reality.
“It has been an amazing experience. People step up, we are a volunteer club,” Gogolos said.
Gogolos expressed gratitude to Nahant Tennis Sesquicentennial Committee Chair and former club president Peter Foukal, among other, for his contributions.
She described the feeling of excitement and pride when she took the court early Sunday morning in anticipation of the historical event, and envisioned the anniversary being celebrated again on future milestone dates.
“It just made me tingle,” Gogolos said. “It feels like a moment in time.”
The club’s director of tennis, Dimitri Vlassov, orchestrated and directed the 16 pairs for more than two hours of organized play. Thomas Imhoff of Marblehead was recognized as the best-dressed male player, but said he was happy that the game’s clothing has evolved throughout time.
“It’s been a blast so far,” Imhoff said. “I will say I’m glad the clothing has changed, it’s really hot.”
The courts later cleared for an exhibition match between prominent high school players Charles Schepens, Sam Schepens, and Nikki Carr as they were joined by former World Top Ten Tennis player Tim Mayotte. The Springfield native’s storied career includes competing at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He would go on to lead a discussion with the attendees on a myriad of topics including the history of tennis, technique, and some unique experiences Mayotte had during his career that took him to more than 40 different countries.
“John McEnroe was the most talented player I ever played, and one of the meanest,” Mayotte said.
He revealed his “aha” moment to be after a match against Swedish player Bjorn Borg early in his career.
“His capacity to hit open-stance passing shots on the run just blew my mind,” Mayotte said. “So I had to improve my groundstrokes.”
Dan Sears was also welcomed as a guest speaker, being the great-grandson of Richard Sears. He emphasized that Richard Sears was merely 13 when he made history as the first American to play tennis.
Sears chronicled his ancestor’s long history of involvement in the country’s earliest tennis establishments, including president of the United States Tennis Association in the late 1880s. He quoted Time Magazine, who credited Richard Sears for establishing the modern game of lawn tennis shortly after his death in 1943.
The festivities concluded with a commemoration at the former Appleton estate on Swallow Cave Road, where that historic game between Dr. Dwight and Richard Sears took place.
