Six-time WTA tournament champion Madison Keys to be featured during Court of Dreams Celebration of Tennis

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

When Mark Kuhn laid down the foundation and planted the seeds for what would eventually become the Alex J. Kuhn Court of Dreams, the celebrated home-grown grass court that makes the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club an out-of-the-way destination for so many tennis aficionados across the country as well as the world, he couldn’t have plotted that the court and club’s 20th anniversary would eventually coincide with The Championships, Wimbledon’s 100th anniversary.

Or could he have?

Regardless, because here we are in 2022. Milestone years on both sides of the pond.

The Wimbledon celebration will happen first. But the tournament is due to segue to the latter celebration to take place at the AILTC just south of Charles City.

“This year they’re going to be playing on the middle Sunday,” Kuhn said of July 3 of The Championships, which is due to have the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ fourth-round singles matches. “During that day, they’re going to air a documentary celebrating 100 years of Wimbledon.”

The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club is going to be a part of that documentary.

“They were here filming … I don’t know how much we’re going to be in it,” Kuhn said, “but it could only help promote what we got going on here [less than a week] after Wimbledon.”

The Court of Dreams Celebration of Tennis two-day event will take place July 14-15. It will feature international tennis star Madison Keys.

During a Zoom interview this week, Keys was asked if she was going to bring her forthcoming Wimbledon trophy to the “Celebration”.

“If I do, you’re not going to be able to pry it from my hands,” Keys said.

A perennial Top 20 player on the WTA Tour who has reached as high as No. 7 in the world, Keys has been there before in regards to making the finals of a Grand Slam tournament. In the 2017 U.S. Open women’s final, Keys was stopped by Sloane Stephens.

The six-time WTA tournament champion is a native of Rock Island, Illinois.

“But I grew up in Iowa,” Keys said. “There are not too many grass courts around, and I never knew there was such a beautiful one literally right in the middle of a corn field just a couple of hours away from where I was living.”

Keys found out about the AILTC/Court of Dreams by way of a documentary produced by veteran journalist Jon Wertheim. Keys expressed interest in doing something with the AILTC last year, but as Charles City tennis coach Brian Parrott — who is the event’s promoter — says … “When you’re working to put something like this together involving top touring professionals and their agents, it takes a lot of coordination.”

Other professional players to appear at the celebration are New Zealand’s Kiranpal Pannu, who event director Ryan Knarr says is known for his creative shots as well as lively personality when it comes to playing to the crowd; Nathan Healey, also from New Zealand, who has won three ATA doubles titles during his career; and another women’s pro to be named later.

Also due to be a part of the celebration is a special junior’s match featuring Iowa state girls doubles champion Maya Mallavarapu from Cedar Falls High School and Emma Perkins, the Pennsylvania state girls doubles champion from Conrad Weiser High School.

“And there will be some ‘surprise’ appearances,” Kuhn said.

The first part of the Celebration of Tennis event will take place July 14 starting at 2 p.m. at the Clear Lake Athletics and Wellness Center. It will consist of a Junior Tennis Clinic, which will feature the aforementioned professional players as well as college coaches from NCAA D1, D2 and D3 schools.

There will also be a Mental Health Panel chaired by Keys, who has been one of the prominent torch bearers for the mental well-being for athletes at all levels.

Keys is the co-founder of KINDNESS WINS with two-time Olympic gold medalist alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and eight-time Paralympic Games medalist Oksana Masters.

The mission of KINDNESS WINS is to encourage kindness through sport even in the most competitive environments.

“Sometimes it’s just that way,” Keys responded to a question that noted that professional tennis, especially with all the money at stake, is not always kind. “You’ve got travel … you’ve got the stress of competition … and you’ve got the rest of your life to deal with.

“Before, professional athletes didn’t talk about these personal issues. You just didn’t do that in public. Now that more people are willing to open up, it can only encourage others to join in the communication.”

The second day (July 15) will start at 1 p.m. at the AILTC where there will be mixed doubles and singles matches featuring the professionals and the state/champion junior players. Four participants from the Junior Tennis Clinic will be drawn to hit with the pros on The Court of Dreams.

There will also be a post-event party at the AILTC.

“This is a great way to get more kids involved in tennis,” Keys said. “Tennis shouldn’t be about trying to make it as a pro. But just to be able to play in high school and college, or just for fun, is such a rewarding experience. Tennis is a great way to meet other people and build relationships.”

Tickets for one or both days of the event as well as VIP packages may be purchased at www.courtofdreams.org.

Additional information may be found on the CODCOT Facebook page.

Proceeds are to go to KINDNESS WINS and the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit with a mission to grow the game of grass tennis for youths and adults, fund kids reading programs and raise awareness about the importance of mental health.

The podcast Cracked Racquets will broadcast the event.

Ellesse is the event’s official outfitter.