He’s learning tennis, so he’ll come and watch somebody play, and he’ll figure out what’s wrong with his serve or whatever. He notices these little things that only he can point out. So I want to name the tennis center after him. I asked his friends to explain to him, people are slowly forgetting who you are, so this establishment should be named after you.
Mr. Savitt, you made the semi-finals of the 1951 US Open, which gave you lifetime privileges, including access to the locker room at Flushing Meadows. What is your favorite memory from the tournament?
BS: My father used to go every day and every night for two weeks. It’s harder for him to walk now, but we went last year and had a great day, and we’ll go again this year.
When the tournament was in Forest Hills, it was much smaller, and everyone was wearing suits and jackets. We will talk to the players. They don’t have inviters, all those coaches and trainers, so you have access to them.
For most of his life at Forest Hills or Flushing Meadows, he couldn’t go five paces without bumping into someone who was a friend or acquaintance of him while he was playing.
Our box was right in the back yard, so when my dad knew all the people were playing he would actually coach them even though you weren’t allowed. He’ll cheer them up when they’re down, or if he sees their opponent hitting a weak backhand, he’ll say, “Go backhand.”
BG: At the US Open, before, all tennis lovers knew Dick. They would call him Mr. Savitt, even Arthur Ashe. It’s a little different now, but I think he doesn’t want to be known. He was always very serious when he watched tennis, and he didn’t want to talk too much. I remember Alan King, the comedian, having a box next to Dick’s, and when Alan waved to the crowd, Dick would get mad and say, “Sit down. Sit down. This is about tennis. “
