1971 Davis Cup put Olde Providence Racquet Club in the National Spotlight

By Mike Holder:

The year was 1971. The venue was Julian J. Clark Stadium at Olde Providence Racquet Club. Less than a decade after breaking ground, Cliff Turner, and the founding members’ goal of bringing world-class tennis to the club were realized as it played host to the Davis Cup Final between the United States and Romania. And while the club had seen elite-level players such as Arthur Ashe, Chrissie Evert, and Tony Roche (to name a few) come through prior to the tie, nothing could match the prestigious competition that took place from October 8-10, 1971.

Davis Cup was founded in 1900 and carries with it a sense of national pride, much like the Olympics, where it is an honor for participants to compete for their respective countries. Interestingly, from 1937-

1973, the title went to either the United States or Australia which speaks to the rich talent pool from those countries during that time period.

Legendary Australians such as Roche, John Newcombe, Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, and Rod Laver carried the mantle for the Aussies. The need for a calculator may be required to total the number of grand slam titles that group amassed throughout their careers.

Meanwhile, the Americans were led by the likes of Ashe, Stan Smith, Vic Seixas, Tony Trabert, Jack Kramer, and Pancho Gonzalez during that same historical era. The United States always assembled a formidable team throughout those decades.

In 1971, the Americans were in the midst of a 5-year run in which they held the Davis Cup crown. Led by Smith, who was coming off the US Open singles title just weeks prior, the team was poised to maintain their dominance on home soil at Olde Providence.

However, the task would not be easy as a strong Romanian team, led by future International Tennis Hall of Famers Ilie Nastase and Ion Țiriac, stood in front of them.

Smith got the United States off to a fast start defeating Nastase 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening match on Friday. Then, in a battle that was suspended until Saturday due to darkness, American Frank Froehling staged a legendary comeback to defeat Tiriac 3-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, 8-6.

With the sun setting, and the score tied at 6-6 in the 5th set, referee Harry Hopman (of Hopman Cup fame) stopped play until the following day where Froehling would take the final two games.

It was a signature win for Froehling who received the nod to play in the final over Clark Graebner, the American No. 2.

Years later, Froehling recalled the pressure he overcame. "I was getting killed in that match," he said. "Those first two sets, mostly because of nerves, I couldn't do anything. It was embarrassing."

In the doubles rubber on Saturday, Nastase and Tiriac teamed up to defeat Smith and young American Erik van Dillen 7-5, 6-4, 8-6.

Then, on Sunday, Smith rolled past Tiriac 8-6, 6-3, 6-0 to secure the 3rd point, clinching the title for the United States.

During the weekend, organizers were forced to be creative thanks to heavy rain that moved in on Saturday night. To dry the blue-gray Hartru clay, they arranged for a helicopter to hover over the stadium court and also set gasoline on fire to dry the wet surface.

Nonetheless, the crowd of around 5500 were at full throat throughout the weekend, cheering for the United States to hold on to the crown. It was

the last Davis Cup played under the challenge rules where the defending champion automatically competed in the Final the following year.

Stan Smith would finish his career with 64 singles titles, including two grand slams, and 5 major doubles championships. He currently resides in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Ion Tiriac would later discover future champion Boris Becker and managed notables such as Guillermo Vilas, Mary Joe Fernández, and Marat Safin. Meanwhile, Ilie Nastase went on to win 2 major singles championships and earned his nickname “Nasty” with a series of controversies on the tour.

It was an exciting time for Olde Providence and sports in the city of Charlotte which, at that time, was mostly known for racing, college basketball, minor league baseball, and the Kemper Open PGA golf tournament. But in 1971, the Davis Cup Final put the club and the city in the spotlight and with the arrival of the Carolinas International Tennis Tournament, the door opened for decades of exciting top- notch tennis on the grounds.