Wayne Ferreira, retired tennis professional and Olympic Silver-medalist, treated the men of San Quentin in a weekend tennis bonanza.
On June 11, 2011, on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, Wayne Ferreira made his presence felt on the tennis court.
Two of the best tennis players of San Quentin gave it their best shot as they competed against Ferreira and Tony Marshall, a top tennis amateur. Unfortunately, the men of San Quentin lost 4-0.
Afterwards, Ferreira teamed up with Chris Schuhmacher, one of the men of San Quentin and Paul Ferro, a tennis coach for kids, teamed up with “Mac,” another San Quentin player. Chris and Wayne won 4-1.
Chris said, “It did not matter about who won or lost; it was guys taking part in a once-in-a- lifetime experience and having fun.”
When asked about how the men of San Quentin played, Ferreira said, “I am well impressed in how good the guys here played.” He also gave coaching tips to the men, teaching them the fundamentals of the groundstroke, serve, and the volley.
At the end of the day, everybody gathered and thanked him for coming and he said that he would come back again.
Ferreira played professional tennis for 24 years and currently holds the record of 64 consecutive Grand Slams played. He played in three Olympics and won the silver medal in 1992 in Barcelona.
In 1995, he ranked sixth in the world, which is his highest ranking ever. He played against players such as Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Andre Aggassi. He is currently playing in the Legends Tour with them in the U.S. and Europe.
