World TeamTennis is coming up, and now that Washington has one of the hottest tennis teams in the country — the Kastles — Yeas & Nays caught up with the team’s celebrity tennis coach, Murphy Jensen, about some local celebs.
Jensen, who has trained tennis stars like Serena and Venus Williams, and celebrities like Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Jim Carrey, broke down some of the best games he’s seen in Washington.
“Out there on the tennis court, it can be a humbling experience for anybody, even a pro,” Jensen said.
Here are some notes from the coach:
President George H.W. Bush
» Huge serve, lots of slices, doesn’t hit too much spin, but slow on the foot these days
» Classic style, like when tennis was played with wooden rackets
» Traditional player: “You won’t see him cheating,” Jensen said.
Former Sen. John Breaux, D-La.
» Massive serve
» Combination of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras
» “Take the weaknesses of those players and you’ve got Sen. Breaux,” he said.
Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein
» Ranked by the Association of Tennis Professionals at No. 1,107 for his doubles game
» Access to practice partners like Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer
» “Best player pound for pound in Washington,” Jensen said.
Robert Rubin, former Treasury secretary under President Clinton
» Crafty: “He’s going to get every ball back,” he said.
» Hits about 300 shots a point to win or lose: “He’ll bore you to death, but he’s a killer.”
