Enshrined, embraced at the Tennis Hall of Fame
Monday, July 12, 2004
BY MIKE SZOSTAK The Providence Journal
Of all the champions who graced the Hall of Fame for its 50th Anniversary Celebration, Dorothy "Dodo" Cheney seemed to enjoy herself the most. She posed for photographs, signed autographs, played an exhibition on the stadium court and strolled the grounds of the Casino in sparkling wide-eyed wonder.
Yesterday, her visit to the City by the Sea reached its climax when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Grand Slam champions Stefan Edberg of Sweden and Steffi Graf of Germany.
"It's thrilling. All three days so far my heart has been beating like a jackhammer. There is so much to do, and I've had such a good time. . . . I'm so amazed. I pinch myself that this is going on," Cheney said before taking her place with the game's greats, including her late mother, May Sutton Bundy, Wimbledon champion in 1905 and 1907 and a 1956 inductee, and her cousin, John Doeg, the 1930 U.S. champion and a 1962 inductee. Her father, Tom Bundy, was the U.S. doubles champion 1912-14.
Cheney is proof that tennis is "the game of a lifetime." She has played for eight decades. She was the first American woman to win the Australian championship, in 1938, and she was ranked in the Top 10 in the U.S. from 1936 to 1946 and as high as No. 3 three times. World War II interrupted her international career.
But it was her plunge into senior tennis in the 1950s that put her on the path to Newport and tennis immortality. She has won 347 U.S. national championships, all but a handful as a senior. She has so many gold tennis balls, emblematic of a USTA national champion, that she had a display case built to hold them. It's part of the exhibit honoring her in the Hall of Fame. Her gold-ball haul is a USTA record that will probably remain unmatched.
Cheney has won in every age group, on every surface, and in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She has had a spectacular career and didn't hesitate when asked about the years and opportunities lost during the war.
"I wouldn't change anything for the world. Nothing. I regret nothing," she replied.
"In my day we didn't have trainers, masseurs and entourages to tour us around. We were on our own, but we had a marvelous time. I can say this: as a kid, I just had fun, just a lot of fun. I didn't care if I won or lost. I just enjoyed the game so much.
"But, as I have grown older and played in senior tournaments, I discovered that winning is more fun. As I said, as a kid I was not that competitive, but I sure am now, and I love to win," she added, a twinkle in her eye.
Cheney mentioned that her mother "was a marvelous player. At the age of 42 she was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. Can you believe that? If they had senior events when she was playing, you can imagine what she would have done."
Despite arthritic knees, Cheney danced the night away with her grandsons at a lavish dinner party at The Breakers Saturday.
"And this morning I was up and down those stairs like a teenager. It's amazing." she said.
After her induction, she hit with Hall-of-Famer John McEnroe, who introduced her to the capacity crowd.
Edberg, nine-time Grand Slam singles champion and the best player in the world in 1990 and 1991, accepted his honor with the same aplomb that marked his career. Tony Pickard, Edberg's longtime coach, noted that the ATP named its sportsmanship award after him. He also said that while Edberg was unemotional on the court, "an enormous fire to succeed" burned inside.
Edberg, 38, who retired in 1996, thanked Pickard for being a great friend, "like a dad for me." He recalled the highlights of his career, from his first Wimbledon title to the 1991 and 1992 U.S. Open championships, when he played the best tennis of his career. Ever the gentleman, he also paid homage to the Hall of Fame members seated behind him and those who had joined them for the ceremony on the stadium court Saturday.
"Yesterday, with so much talent in one place, I'll remember that for the rest of my life," he said. "Thank you, guys."