Kelly Evernden in action in 1993. Photo / Photosport
Kelly Evernden in action in 1993. Photo / Photosport
Kelly Evernden is never short of a story, whether it is taking on John McEnroe, Boris Becker or Andre Agassi, facing a streaker at Wimbledon or having a marauding alligator interrupt one of his matches.
The former Kiwi tour professional has been back in the limelight this week, spending timewith the New Zealand Davis Cup team in Newport and commentating on their tie with South Korea.
It's brought back wonderful memories for Evernden, who was a mainstay of the Cup team between 1985-1994 and part of some unforgettable ties.
"As a kid you grew up watching the All Blacks and the cricketers, seeing New Zealand versus the world," says Evernden. "My inspiration was 'I'm like those guys'; I get to represent my country just like they do, which made it special."
They were halcyon days, with New Zealand facing the likes of Sweden (with Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd), Australia, Argentina and Spain in the World Group.
"It was one of the only times as New Zealanders that we got together," says Evernden. "A lot of the time on tour it was just me."
He was a special talent. While contemporary critics argued he didn't fulfil his ultimate potential, he carved a significant niche and achieved things that are difficult to imagine today.
Evernden remains the last New Zealander to win an ATP singles title (Bristol 1987, Brisbane 1987 and Wellington 1989) and reached four other finals.
His scalps included John McEnroe, Yannick Noah and Pete Sampras and he duelled with Jimmy Connors, Edberg (when he was world No 1), Ivan Lendl and Agassi.
At the 1985 US Open he faced Boris Becker in the third round, a few months after the German had won Wimbledon. Evernden was world No 144, in his first full year on tour, but fought well in a 7-6 6-3 7-6 defeat.
"I pushed him to the limit", says Evernden.
Kelly Evernden. Photo / Photosport
The Gisborne product also reached the 1987 Australian Open quarter-finals, beating four top-100 players, but says his best performance came at the 1989 Austrian Open, in a semifinal against local hero Thomas Muster.
"It was the first match he had lost in Austria in 2 years," says Evernden. "He had beaten Agassi and Sampras there."
Evernden was a pure shot maker – "My game was really violent and fast, which comes with inconsistencies. When I played well, I could go on court with anyone."
That was best shown when he toppled then world No 5 Michael Chang 6-0 6-1 in San Francisco in 1989.
"I played the match of my life," says Evernden.
He reached a career high of No 31 (November 1989) and was ensconced in the ATP top-100 between 1985 and 1991.
"People say I could have been better but I loved what I did," says Evernden. "I got to a level of tennis than not many people do and have had an incredible life based around that."
There were also odd moments, like a streaker interrupting a five-set battle against world No 8 Joakim Nystrom at Wimbledon
"Joakim yells at me and said 'Kelly, look'," says Evernden. "She was running across the court and I said to him afterwards, 'thank you for sharing'."
The most bizarre incident came in Tampa, Florida, when an aggressive alligator almost saw the end of the family pet. On the comeback from injury, Evernden was playing a satellite tournament near his residence.
"I made the mistake of bringing my dog to the courts," says Evernden. "I tied her up to a tree about 20 feet from the side of the court but about 20 feet from the side of a lake.
"Halfway through the match everybody started yelling and there was this alligator coming out of the water to go eat my dog. I had to jump the fence, race over there, chase it away with a racquet. It caused quite a scene. If we had had a long point, we might have lost the dog."
Evernden has been based in the United States for more than two decades, spending most of that time as resident coach and professional at the Mercer Island Country Club in Seattle.
"I like the difficulty of tennis," says Evernden. "There are different scales; Watching Davis Cup is a different level of tennis to what we are doing there, from young kids to a 70-year-old, who is my oldest client. I try and get everyone to get better."
He loves life in Washington state – "it's very similar to New Zealand – mountains, rivers, skiing, ocean, rain and snow" – and tries to return home every two years.
Evernden has enjoyed spending time with the New Zealand team this week, with Finn Reynolds (21) and Isaac Becroft (20) the latest Kiwi hopefuls trying to make their mark.
"They are super committed to what they are doing," says Evernden. "They are trying as hard as they can. People don't realise how difficult it is to play tennis today - and it is a lot harder when your country is at the other end of the planet.
"It's not like they are travelling like the All Blacks with 60 people whenever they go on tour, they are on their own. It's tough."
The deeds of Evernden belong to another era but have not been easily forgotten. A few years ago he attended the ATP world tour finals in London, with his sons (Austin, 19, Hudson 16) surprised to see their dad exchanging hugs and handshakes with the likes of Pat Cash, McEnroe and Edberg.
"When people like that remember you, you have done something to get their attention," says Evernden. "[My sons] only know me as Dad so they thought it was pretty cool."
