Rosal Casals: A San Francisco Gem
Just about any tennis fan 40 or more years old will recall the 1970s, as one of the most exciting and defining moments in professional and recreational tennis. Even Elton John recorded a song about tennis which became a pop hit. And, the tennis explosion as it were, seemed to inspire just about anybody with basic physical ability, to visit local parks and join clubs for the purpose of learning, playing or socializing tennis. And, the only time when people weren’t actively playing it, was when they were huddled around a television set watching the pros compete. Rosie Casals, or Rosebud, as she was often referred for her petite stature, seemed to stand tall among many of the other big name pros of her day. Not only because of her tenacious and competitive spirit, and not just because of the important role model she represented to emerging girls and women athletes, but also for having began her tennis career in San Francisco, and for developing through a program she valued which eventually became Youth Tennis Advantage (YTA).
Try to imagine this distant 70s era without Rosie Casals, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more vibrant, tenacious, and skilled professional woman tennis player packed into one petite 5’2” frame. But Rosie really did personify this period by earning a place as one of world’s top 10 women’s tennis players for 11 years, and from 1968-1982 winning close to 600 matches in this time.
Aside from the professional tennis star Casals is known for, few knew that she began playing tennis in San Francisco Golden Gate Park as child.
“I was about eight years old when I would go out with my dad who played social weekend tennis at the park or just hitting against the wall and he’s the one who got me started,” Casals said. “There was a Whiteman Cup group that was active there and who was helpful to me, as well as the ‘Friends of Golden Gate Park’ and James B. Moffitt who all played with me.”
Casals explained that while she was just learning to play and coming into her own as a talented recreational tennis player, she became aware of the Youth Tennis Federation, which was the genesis of the current YTA.
” I was fortunate at the time, we had a lot of great tournament players and I was very fortunate to have come from a public park that had a lot of history with the tennis players who’d played there like Bill Johnson, Maureen Conway and Bill Tilden.”
The Youth Tennis Federation, a significant resource that worked with the public parks to bring tennis to underprivileged children when Casals was a youngster, has gone through various iterations before becoming the YTA we know now. With a published book to her credit and an organization in place that she oversees, Casals is involved and committed to working with YTA’s fundraising efforts to insure children of all socioeconomic levels can participate in the sport if they wish despite the escalating costs associated with tennis.
“Tennis is costly nowadays, just entering tournaments is expensive and many things that should be available are not and there are not enough free programs available, but kids shouldn’t suffer because they can’t afford coaching or academies” Casals commented. “Too often these kids fall through the cracks because the lack of programs, but through YTAs fundraising events like Esurance and other types of programs that raise funds, especially where pros can help, this will make the difference, I’ll see what I can do to help.”
