Leach Feels Like a Youngster at 37

Where have all the adults gone?

Maybe it all had to do with hearing about the exploits of one teenager who made quite an impact in Monte Carlo last month. Or the combination of hearing about that kid, and another teenager causing a stir in Mallorca, Spain, last week.

Each of these two youngsters is 15 years old. Now, 15 years old is hardly shocking on the women’s tour.

But on the ATP Tour? Fifteen-year-old Richard Gasquet of France beat Franco Squillari of Argentina in the first round at Monte Carlo before losing to Marat Safin in the second and was recently awarded a wild card into the French Open. The second youngster is Rafael Nadal-Parera of Spain, who defeated Ramon Delgado of Paraguay in the first round at Mallorca, then lost to Olivier Rochus of Belgium in the second.

Enough was enough.

It was time to talk to Rick Leach, that noted doubles player.

Considering all those on the tour who were born in the ‘80s, there’s a certain comfort in seeing a birth date in which the third digit is a six, as in 1964. Not quite as satisfying as getting carded at a club ... but close.

Leach, refreshingly, is an adult. He returns phone calls, not only the same day but usually within hours. He has a good sense of humor about his (relatively) advanced age on the tour. He will turn 38 in November and last year became the oldest player to win an ATP doubles title since Sherwood Stewart, who won at 40 in 1987.

This week, Leach is playing with Brian MacPhie at the Italian Open in Rome because his regular partner, Ellis Ferreira is suffering from nerve problems in his shoulder. MacPhie turns 30 on May 11, which, compared to Leach, makes him practically a kid.

Naturally, Leach has taken his share of hits in the locker room, but wide as the generation gap is, he isn’t ready to quit playing and become a coach, not even after his father, Dick, announced he was going to retire as USC coach in June. After all, he won three tournaments last year, earning $236,872, and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Still ...

“I’m so old, compared to these guys,” Leach said. “The worst was at the Australian Open. They say I’m going to keep playing on the tour till I go straight into the 45s, and skip the 35s.”

Success, of course, helps him maintain a healthy perspective. But he still sometimes has to put up with things others don’t at tournaments.

At Monte Carlo, for instance, tournament workers didn’t believe he was a player and didn’t want to give him a locker at first.

What does he have to do? Carry around a resume?

That would be a handful. Leach won his first Australian Open title in 1988, his second in 1989 and his third in 2000.

The first two were with Jim Pugh and the third was with Ferreira. In 1988, Leach and Pugh beat Jeremy Bates and Peter Lundgren, then Darren Cahill and Mark Kratzmann in 1989.

Some perspective: In 2002, Cahill is coaching Andre Agassi, and Lundgren has been working with Roger Federer.

Leach, though, isn’t the only thirty-something still finding success on the doubles tour. Jeff Tarango is 33, and will turn 34 in November. He won his 14th doubles title last year, with Australian Michael Hill, and made five other finals.

As recently as 1999, Tarango lost in the singles final of one tournament and reached the semifinals in another. The next year he represented the United States at the Olympics in Sydney, playing singles.

The best example of the latest doubles bloomer is Don Johnson, who will turn 34 in September. He had his best season in 2001, leading the circuit with seven titles, among them Wimbledon’s, reached three other finals, and also made his U.S. Davis Cup debut.

Summer Swing

Tickets will go on sale Monday for the JP Morgan Chase Open, Aug. 4-11, at Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, and the field appears slightly stronger than last year’s. Among those committed to play are defending champion Lindsay Davenport, two-time champion Serena Williams, Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati, who will be appearing for the first time.

The final two days of the event will be shown on ESPN. One semifinal, the first, will be tape-delayed Aug. 10, and the final will be on live Aug. 11, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Capriati also has entered the Acura Classic at Carlsbad, the week before the Manhattan Beach tournament. This year’s tournament will be televised live on ABC on Aug. 4.