UT History Series: Judy Alvarez Represents UT at Wimbledon

By Joey Johnston

Judy Alvarez, one of the most accomplished athletes in University of Tampa history, was a world-renowned tennis champion. At her peak, she was ranked sixth nationally. She defeated Virginia Wade on Wimbledon's famed Centre Court and held victories against three other members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, including Billie Jean King.

"But it all started in Tampa,'' Alvarez said. "I was so proud of representing my hometown.''

From gritty beginnings as the daughter of two Ybor City cigar-factory workers, Alvarez often jogged the 10 blocks from her 12th Street home to Cuscaden Park, where she took tennis lessons for a quarter. She practiced her strokes by hitting off the back wall of the Boys and Girls Club. On occasion, she worked out at the Davis Islands Tennis Club with her friend, Sandra Warshaw (later Sandra Freedman, the mayor of Tampa).

After graduating from Jefferson High School in 1962, the seniors commenced with the time-honored tradition of heading to "Beach Week.''

All except Alvarez.

Instead, she headed for Wimbledon. The Tampa Tribune took a photograph of Alvarez, just before boarding the Pan-American Airlines flight, as she received a kiss on each cheek from her parents, Oscar and Mary.

Alvarez's every move was carefully chronicled. At Wimbledon, she set an alarm clock to wake up about midnight, so she could call back to Tampa and speak live on the air to the legendary Salty Sol Fleischmann, who delivered the sports report for WTVT-Channel 13. Make no mistake, Judy Alvarez was big hometown news.

"But things were very different back then because you couldn't make a huge amount of money (playing big-time tennis),'' Alvarez said.

Tampa civic officials held fundraisers to make sure Alvarez had the necessary money to compete at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and French Open, among other tournaments. In another era, perhaps Alvarez would have devoted her life to world travels and tennis excellence. But in her era, she knew a college degree was a necessity.

So Alvarez attended UT — on a football scholarship.

"They didn't have tennis scholarships,'' said Alvarez, who majored in Social Studies and Physical Education. "I was in with the football players. I remember going with them, lining up to get our books. I would call out, 'Ladies first!' And everyone laughed. I was the only girl there, but they knew who I was.

"I loved going to the University of Tampa. The classes were small and personal. The teachers were great. Plus, it was a very short distance over to Davis Islands, where I did my tennis workouts.''

Eventually, thanks to the presence of Alvarez, UT formed its first women's tennis team — long before women's athletics were a full-fledged force. Sometimes, she took a semester off because of her tennis travels. But otherwise, she enjoyed college life, even joining a sorority, which was eager to accept her because of the notoriety.

Alvarez has a lengthy list of tennis accomplishments, including the state's junior championship, the singles and doubles titles at the Orange Bowl International Junior Championships, a victory against a world No. 1-ranked player (Darlene Hard) and a Round of 16 Wimbledon appearance and several wins against the iconic King (then known as Billie Jean Moffitt).

Alvarez, the classic underdog, believes she was slighted when she wasn't selected for the Wightman Cup team, even though she had defeated three of the top five American players that season. Some believed it was discriminatory because Alvarez was the only Hispanic on the American tennis scene.

She carried a grudge and quit the tennis tour, a decision she has always regretted. She concentrated on finishing school, then teaching tennis, which she did with great success as one of the forerunners of the tennis-academy business with bustling clubs in Tampa.

Alvarez made a brief comeback in the early 1970s. She returned in a bigger way when she qualified for the USTA 35s circuit, sweeping the major grass court, hard court, clay court and indoor events for a Grand Slam, then ranking No. 1 in the 35s singles and doubles. She also was ranked No. 1 in the 40s division.

Her final major appearance came at the U.S. Open grandstand court in New York, where she fell to King in the senior tournament.

"I think Judy could've made a lot of money (if she had kept playing),'' King once told the Tampa Tribune. "She was a great player, a very good athlete. And it was very important for her to be playing — it was important to me — because she was Hispanic.''

Alvarez said she has many fond memories from her world-class tennis days — some of them light-hearted.

During her first appearance at Wimbledon — at the traditional (and often stodgy) All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club — Alvarez's bra strap snapped. She was encircled by the lines people, who held up towels, as repairs were made so she could continue.

In doubles, she and partner Carol Caldwell were put on Centre Court to follow a singles match by Rod Laver. The Duchess of Kent was present in the Royal Box, so Alvarez was quickly taught how to curtsy.

She knew it was a big occasion, so there were nerves as she slowly walked from her seat to the service line. She heard whistles and clapping from the crowd and wondered about the fuss.

Then she realized her mistake. She had mistakenly left her racquet at her seat. When Alvarez hustled over to retrieve it, she balanced it on her head and everyone laughed.

Alvarez remembers being contacted by the mailroom at the All-England Club. A letter had arrived from her mother — written in pencil — with a $20 bill stuffed inside. Alvarez's mother was always on pins and needles, awaiting the match results. She never learned how to keep score, even when watching Alvarez play in person, but gauging the match's progress by the expression on her daughter's face.

"It was just a different time,'' Alvarez said. "You played for the honor of playing. It wasn't a cut-throat, money-making kind of thing. It was just a simpler time. You wonder what might have happened (in a different era).''

Alvarez is now retired, living in a home that overlooks Tampa Bay.

"I did it the hard way,'' she said.

Alvarez spent most of her life in the tennis business, building facilities from the ground up, establishing a client base, imparting her knowledge to scores of juniors and adults. Some of her students included George Steinbrenner and the Lykes family.

Recently, Alvarez was in the grocery store when someone approached.

"Are you Judy Alvarez?''

She laughed.

"Well, I used to be,'' Alvarez said, giggling.

As a member of the UT Athletic Hall of Fame and the Tampa Sports Hall of Fame, Alvarez's legacy is secure. She had some notable firsts — did anyone else on football scholarship ever win a Wimbledon match? — and enough memories to last a lifetime. She was one of the athletes most closely associated with Tampa, which then was known for holding the Dixie International Tennis Championships at Davis Islands.

She will always remember the sights, sounds and smells associated with competing in places such as London, Paris, Rome and New York. She saw the world — even conquering it in some ways.

But she always loved coming home to Ybor City and Tampa, where UT's minarets represented familiarity and comfort.

"I can sit on my porch and the water is about 10 feet away,'' Alvarez said. "At night, I can see the Howard Frankland bridge all lit up. I feel very lucky to have reached this point. This is home. And it always will be.''

Joey Johnston has worked in the Tampa Bay sports media for more than three decades, winning multiple national awards while covering events such as the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, Wimbledon, the U. S. Open, the Stanley Cup Finals and all the major bowl games. But his favorite stories have always been about Tampa Bay Area teams and athletes. A third-generation Tampa native, he was a regular in the Tampa Stadium stands at University of Tampa football games.