Tennis lovers gathered in Nahant to celebrate the sport on the 150th anniversary
BOSTON GLOBE - Nahant commemorated the 150th anniversary of the first lawn tennis game played in America, when James Dwight and Frederick Sears faced each other in August of 1874 on the lawn of Colonel William Appleton’s estate on the North Shore peninsula.
Nahant Tennis Club president Andrea Gogolos cut to the chase after grabbing the microphone outside the courts at Nahant Country Club on Sunday, addressing several dozen people prior to partaking in a doubles round-robin tournament.
“This is such an important day in our town’s history,” said Gogolos, beaming with pride as the sun radiated over her.
Participants wore attire that suited the style from a century and a half ago and used wooden racquets, hitting white tennis balls.
Ruthie Merrell of Nahant serves during the tournament honoring the 150th anniversary of the first tennis game in America Sunday at Nahant Country Club. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/GLOBE STAFF
In the festivities, several women partook adorning straw hats, the ribbons neatly wrapped around the base with flowers that immaculately remained in place. Many wooden racquets remained durable, with many people commenting that they hadn’t brought the outdated equipment out of the attic for years.
The aesthetics of the event took those in attendance back in time as an ode to the history of the sport in the coastal town.
“I thought about that moment and recreating it,” said Gogolos. “I was blown away when people started showing up in the costumes, the outfits that were appropriate back then and they are out there playing in them, with wooden racquets.
Andrea Gogolos, president of the Nahant Tennis Club, addresses attendees gathered to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first tennis game in America Sunday at Nahant Country Club. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/GLOBE STAFF
“It’s beyond my expectations, the support and everything that’s happening. It’s about the history, what this moment meant. That here, this is where it all started.”
Gogolos, who played tennis at now-closed Marian High in Framingham before competing at Boston University, fell in love with the sport when she was gifted a wooden Wilson racquet at 10 years old.
“A phenomenon started here,” said Gogolos. “What we wanted to do today was honor the historic essence of what this is: the birthplace of tennis in Nahant.”
Gogolos played before looking around and smiling, the emotion of the moment plastered across her face. She described getting butterflies the night before hosting the ceremony, an exciting tingle of adrenaline that ran down her spine.
“I just love these moments,” said Gogolos. “I get choked up about it.”
Later in the afternoon, Dan Sears addressed the crowd about his great-grandfather, Richard Dudley Sears, known as Dick. Dick Sears, the younger brother of Frederick Sears, won the US Open in Newport in 1881, in addition to seven singles and six doubles championships at the US National Championships.
Sally Augustin of Nahant plays in old-fashioned tennis attire at a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first tennis game in America on Sunday on the courts of Nahant Country Club. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/GLOBE STAFF
The International Tennis Hall of Fame brought several artifacts from their museum in Newport, R.I., including photographs of Dick Sears with family members, and relics from the early days of the sport.
“The history of the Sears family and the history of Nahant are now linked through tennis,” said Mary Livingston, a member of the 150th anniversary committee.
The Nahant selectmen constructed a resolution that commemorated the first game of tennis played in America, declaring Nahant as the “Birthplace of American Tennis.” Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Ron Mariano commended the anniversary with a proclamation, which was unveiled at the ceremony.
This plaque marks the site of the first game of lawn tennis in America, on Swallow Cave road in Nahant. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/GLOBE STAFF
Former world top 10 player Tim Mayotte was on hand to discuss how tennis technique has changed throughout the eras of the sport. Mayotte adeptly broke down how advancements in court surfaces, equipment, and coaching have influenced tactics, and how strokes have been altered to maximize the effectiveness of the racquet, adding power and spin.
A native of Springfield, Mayotte won the 1981 NCAA singles title at Stanford. A former national coach for the United States Tennis Association, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1982, the Australian Open semifinals in 1983, and won the silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Mayotte jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the sesquicentennial ceremonies, imparting some of his wisdom as well as playing in an exhibition with local players.
“The longer you live, you realize that you’re just part of a big story,” said Mayotte. “To see the origin story and realize that you’re a small dot in the progression of this incredible sport, it just means so much. It’s obviously not just like any other sport in the sense that it’s so international.”