CINCINNATI — This weekend, tennis players from across the country are competing in Cincinnati at a national championship with a long tradition in Ohio: the Father and Son National Clay Court Championship.
Like most divisions in the United States Tennis Association, teams compete in four big national tournaments every year: grass, hard court, indoor and for the past 48 years, the national clay court championship has been hosted by the Cincinnati Tennis Club.
What You Need To Know
- Cincinnati Tennis Club has hosted the National Father & Son Clay Court Championships for 48 years
- There are 31 teams are taking part from 14 states, including Florida and California
- The event is free and open to the public
- Houston’s Wesbrooks family is going for their 7th straight title
“We are so proud of the history of the club,” said John Williams, the CTC president who is also competing in the tournament. “Davis Cup matches were played here, and we were the precursor to the Western and Southern pro tournament which we all love, so to be able to host a USTA national championship is meaningful.”
Williams is playing with his son, Nicholas, a former state high school champion in Ohio who recently graduated from Michigan State, where he played Division One tennis.
Like many of the teams, it’s the son who has grown into the role of leader on the court.
“Playing against my dad growing up, he was the one I looked up to,” Nicholas said. “So to be calling the shots and bossing him around the court, there’s something sweet about it.”
Both Williams players are grateful to be healthy this year – something that has eluded them over the past six years.
“This is the first year that we’re playing in this event healthy since 2017,” Williams said. “There have been a lot of disappointing years – some with my own play but by and large, the luck of the draw, and the Williams genetics have not served either of us well in the past.”
They do consider themselves fortunate to have turned competitors into friends over the years, including the six-time defending champions, Michael and Alex Wesbrooks from Houston.
“It’s everything about the tournament, the club, the hospitality and the people that make it like no other event that we’ve every played really,” said Michael Wesbrooks.
Each year, the tournament hosts a welcome dinner for teams, with a portion of the tournament entry fee going to the evening, Williams said. CTC club members also help with hospitality, including securing Hyde Park Golf and Country club for the dinner.
“We don’t want it to be just be tennis – why not spend some time off the court,” Williams said. “We enjoy poking fun at each other and it is a time to tell some fun stories and get to meet the next generation of players.”
Going the extra mile is how the club sees a consistent group of return teams every year.
“Our members do a lot of things to make the players feel welcome,” said Colleen Dwight, the tournament co-director. “Some of our members host players in their homes so they don’t have to stay in hotels.”
“A couple teams have played here 25 plus years,” said Brad Pierce, tournament co-director. “For a number of years, they played with their dads, and now, they’re bringing their sons to the event, so it’s become an annual event for tennis families to keep coming back.”
“It’s great to see how in some teams, the father’s carrying the sons and in some they’re kind of equal and in some the son’s carrying the father,” Dwight said. “It’s wonderful to watch.”
