All Equal: Head Pro Allowed To 'Just Play'

PRO ENJOYS PLAYER STATUS ON LEAGUE TEAM

By Ron Cioffi/USTA Southern

Ron Cioffi/USTA Southern

Whenever Francisco Acuna can fit in a few hours around his busy coaching schedule at the Alexandria (LA) Aquatic and Racquet Club, he jumps in and practices with his Men’s 4.5 team.

Captain Kevin Simpson said, “He doesn’t drill us in our practices. He just plays.”

Acuna, longtime head pro at the club, explained that playing “is what I love to do. I’m not the captain. I don’t want [the responsibility]. … I leave the lineup to the captain. We all pitch in on the decisions.”

Simpson is appreciative of having one of the top tennis stars in this central Louisiana city on his team. “He fits us into his busying teaching schedule. I think he would feel awkward if he as asked to run drills with us.”

But, this team hasn’t forgotten its main goal: getting to this tournament. “We’ve been together for 10 to 12 years. For four years we made it here but the last year was 2001,” explained Simpson. “Since then, it’s been second, third, third, second. We just weren’t advancing. But we’ve been persistent and we’ve been practicing.”

Another interesting sidelight is the doubles combination of father Roy Martin and his son, Chris. The younger Martin, a former high school champion at Alexandria Senior High School, joined the team two years ago. The Martins have played together a few times in USTA League Tennis competition.

Asked who is the boss on the court, Roy, the proud dad, exclaimed the proud dad, “He’s is. He’s better than me.”