Tennis, anyone?

Pete Sampras is coming to Columbus to play tennis, Troy Johnson informed us in an article in today's Ledger-Enquirer.

That's big news but Sampras definitely isn't the first nationally ranked player to play in town. The story said Chris Evert played here, and that's correct. She started playing on local courts when she was a teen. But the list doesn't end with Evert.

Right after World War II, Chuck Evert — Chris' uncle — was tennis pro at Fort Benning. He brought big names such as Don Budge, Pancho Gonzalez and Jack Kramer to the post.

Later, in the 1970s, international stars such as Vic Seizas, Ham Richardson, Roscoe Tanner and Cliff Bucholz competed in the Southeastern Invitational at the Country Club of Columbus.

That event evolved into a stop on the Virginia Slims tour. The top women players in the world played at the CCC. That list included Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Margaret Court and Rosie Casals. At one time, five of the top females in the world were on the courts at the same time.

Later on, Green Island Country Club was the site of the Perrier Classic, bringing more nationally ranked male players to town. Jimmy Connors played. So did Vitas Gerulaitis, a former Australian Open champion. The untimely death of Gerulaitis in 1994 deeply affected Sampras who was a close friend of the playboy player.