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Tennis giant Richard Russell remembered with glowing attributes
January 17, 2025
WESTERN BUREAU:
Former national female player Maureen Rankine credited the late Jamaican tennis icon Richard Russell for introducing her to tennis and then serving as her coach, mentor and facilitator.
"He gave me the opportunity to work in this tennis business as an 18-year-old. This was how I got into tennis," recalled Rankine who, like Russell, became an accomplished personality in tennis with over 20 years of coaching experience.
"He coached me and later assisted me in getting a tennis scholarship to go to the United States ... this is something that he did for many youngsters in Montego Bay ... I will forever be grateful to him," she said.
Jamaica's most accomplished tennis player, Russell, died at his home in Montego Bay on Wednesday following a protracted period of illness. He was 79 years old.
Russell had the enviable distinction of giving numerous national players their start in the game, especially after taking on coaching at the end of his playing days.
He is the only Jamaican player to have advanced past the first round of all four majors - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the United States Open.
As a mark of respect for his many years of service to the development of sports in Jamaica, especially tennis, which made him a renowned face on the hotel tennis circuit in Jamaica, Russell was honoured by the Government of Jamaica on Heroes Day, 2022, with the Order of Distinction (OD).
Russell, who showed signs of greatness from an early age when, as a 16-year-old, he became the youngest All-Jamaica Open champion, became a standout player on the US tennis circuit, which served as a springboard to becoming a noted face in Grand Slam tennis.
In fact, he forced the tennis world to take notice of his talent in 1966 when he surprised India's Richie Chopra in the first round of the Australian Open, soundly beating him 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the tournament's second round.
A founding member of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), a position of prestige in the tennis world, Russell also participated in the inaugural Nations Cup as a member of the Caribbean team, alongside playing in the Davis Cup for Jamaica, where he won more than 12 matches in the national colours.
Besides the many youngsters from Montego Bay he introduced to the game and for whom he opened doors of opportunity, Russell also guided the careers of his sons Raine and Ryan, who both became national players and noted faces on the college circuit in the United States.
