Elderly Tennis Phenom Nehemiah Atkinson Spends His Golden Years on the World's Tennis Courts by Robert G. Miller

Nehemiah Atkinson first hit a tennis ball as a nine-year-old boy in the Deep South long before the start of the Great Depression. Now, over seven decades later and nearly 83 years of age, he's still swinging a racket but now capturing worldwide recognition on the international tennis circuit for seniors.

Atkinson is truly a man before his time. As a young African-American child in New Orleans, he was attracted to the game of tennis, which was largely confined to the ranks of the elite.  According to Atkinson, tennis was and still is predominantly a white man's game. But he didn't understand racial barriers and was determined not to let them interfere with his or other African Americans' enjoyment of the game. What resulted was a lifetime of work to encourage more minorities to learn the game and expand their cultural exposure. After a stint in the Army during World War II, Atkinson studied offset printing, worked a night job as a supervisor for a Coca-Cola plant and gave private tennis lessons during the day to affluent whites. In all, he has taught tennis to untold numbers of young people from different ethnic backgrounds including nearly a 23-year track record as a tennis instructor and supervisor for the New Orleans Recreation Department, retiring in 1995. He believes in giving back to the community. This is evident from his longtime volunteer work with the American Tennis Association and the establishment of the Nehemiah Atkinson Scholarship Foundation. Numerous young tennis players have attended college because of Atkinson's work.

Patience has its rewards and Atkinson has plenty of it. His crowning achievements as a tennis pro came in 1999. He reaped the benefits of his perseverance in high-level competition by winning four gold balls in national and international matches. After years of finishing near the top in his age division in national competition, Atkinson finally succeeded in winning a national singles championship in the Men's 80s (age bracket) National Hardcourt Championships in San Diego. This milestone victory came on the heels of Atkinson winning the gold ball in doubles with his Florida partner Gardnar Mulloy against a Spanish team during the World International Senior Tennis Championships in Barcelona, Spain. He is currently ranked number one in nine southern states. "I've had a lot of fun playing in the senior tennis tournaments. I've met some of the best tennis players in the world such as Bitsy Grant, Bobby Riggs and Gardnar Mulloy, and it has been a thrill to play with them," he said. Atkinson is not bashful in assessing his success in senior tournaments. He remarked, "I've got better wheels than most people I play. Also, I play a lot of young folks and I'm simply out on the court a lot. Tennis keeps you young. It stimulates your heart, keeps your body in shape and your eyes sharp."

Atkinson expects to play abroad at least once this spring in the World International Tennis Championship in Australia, senior's division for players in their 80s and he'll compete this year in four national tournaments in San Diego, California; East Orange, New Jersey; Arlington, Virginia; and Boise, Idaho. When asked if he had any advice for senior tennis players, Atkinson, who has played before in international tournaments in Australia, Spain and South Africa asserted, "it's important to remember that tennis is played with your mind. You need to be patient and learn from your matches in order to continue to improve."  Ironically, Atkinson, a son of a preacher, made it to the top of the senior tennis circuit without ever having taken a tennis lesson himself. As he philosophically states, "God blessed me with everything I needed. It's a hard road to travel in achieving success, but anyone can do it with hard work, dedication and the will to win."

Nehemiah Atkinson is the essence of a winner for all ages to follow.

Robert G. Miller is the vice president of Editorial Administration for iMinorities, Inc., and the editor of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.