Aspiring tennis pros often run afoul of the laws governing military service, especially in nations where such service is compulsory. The most recent example was that of Marcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot who lit up the Australian Open with his charmed run until Roger Federer carved him up like a classic Gyro in the championship match.
Usually, the military establishment handles these cases by granting special deferments (Baghdatis got one), or cloaking their guys in uniform and – wink, wink – allowing them to perform their service with no appreciable change in their tennis training or playing schedules for inconveniences like basic training or, heaven forbid, combat in a war zone.
Who can forget the pictures of impish Ilie Nastase, with long disco-boy-neo-hippy locks bursting out from under his snappy Romanian Army cap and uniform. Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe cut similar deals, of course, and that was a main reason that Ashe was able to turn one of the most impressive feats in men’s tennis history – winning the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open singles titles in the very same year.
That happened because in 1968, the first year of Open tennis, the USTA held both events, just to be on the safe side during a tumultuous period in tennis history.
Shannon Patrick Buck, who was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation as a junior, is the latest player to come up against the service dilemma. Here’s part of a letter sent by Buck’s coach, Dr. Dave Marshall, soliciting help and support: