Jim Courier is talking fast. He
needs to, he’s late for his plane and there are plenty of interview questions
to answer in the 11 minute journey from the Ritz-Carlton to Owen Roberts
International Airport.
The brilliant American tennis
player was so busy when in Grand Cayman with Jimmy Arias three weeks ago for a
24-hour visit to promote the Legends tournament, that this is the only window
of opportunity.
Having won the two previous Legends
tournaments here, Courier will be just as competitive as in his prime in the
‘90s when he won four Grand Slams, to retain his title. Of the many sponsors,
the Cayman Financial Review is one of them. At a cocktail party at the
Ritz-Carlton, members of the Cayman Free Press’ team socialised with Arias,
Courier and Ritz-Carlton developer Mike Ryan in advance of the tournament,
which begins Friday, 5 November.
Although being the Legends king
cannot compare to being world No.1 again and capturing Grand Slam titles,
Courier is still totally in love with tennis. He is as trim and toned as ever
and looks capable of still giving the current top names a good argument.
He says winning his first major in
1991 at the French Open, and being part of the Davis Cup team in 1992, which
was his first Davis Cup when he was part of an incredible team with Andre
Agassi, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe, were among his greatest tennis moments.
“And the day I won my semi-final match in San Francisco in 1992 and became No.1
in the world by winning that match.”
There is no question of quitting
the game he loves. “Tennis is something that I’ve always done. I love to
compete and the workout that tennis provides. It’s a very complete workout. You
run all over in every direction and swinging is a bit like punching, so it’s a
very fitness workout as well. And I’ve really enjoyed chasing behind that pesky
little yellow ball as well, and if I can control it, it’s a lot of fun.”
He established the Legends Champion
Outback Series for players like himself and Arias to remain competitive. “It’s
also a chance to take it to places like Grand Cayman where there isn’t a big
professional tournament and no opportunity for people in places like this to
see high-calibre tennis and big names they know. So I thought there was an opportunity
and a real void, and I think we’ve done a really nice job of taking tennis to
places like here and providing a service to the tennis fans in this area.
Of his four Grand Slam titles, the
hardest to win was definitely the first. “You don’t know if you’re capable of
winning one until you actually do. (He beat Agassi). There are a lot of great,
great tennis players who have made it to the finals of majors and not quite
made it over the line and I could have easily been one of those guys. I was
very fortunate to win as many as I did and I certainly didn’t expect to win any
when I started my career and it’s all been a bonus.”
There is no time nor energy for
anything but tennis. “Right now I play primarily tennis as a sport and play
golf, but that’s not a sport, it’s a game. You can drink a beer and eat a
Snickers bar and play better. It’s not a sport.” Tiger Woods might have something
to say about that. “I’ll have that discussion with Tiger any time. Playing my
tennis is my main source of fitness and I also get to the gym if I can and
catch a little run on the treadmill and lift weights. I’m doing the best I can.
I’ve just turned 40 and trying to fight the good fight.”
Respected for his total dedication
and even temperament, win or lose, Courier used to celebrate tournament wins in
a typical understated way. “Going out and having a great meal with your team.
Typically I’d have a coach with me and my manager would be there and there
would be other people there who you would know, friends and family. Just having
a big meal and maybe a little bit of champagne and just spending time with the
people that helped get you there.”
He talks extensively of his love of
Grand Cayman and staying at the excellent facilities at the Ritz-Carlton,
praising developer Michael Ryan for hosting the Legends tournament. Those
answers are in the Key to Cayman magazine, out in December.
As an experienced traveller,
Courier gives some sensible tips on how to maximise enjoyment. “Get there early
so that you actually make it. One of things I’m most adamant about is that when
I book my travel I get a seat that I like. If it’s a long haul flight I like to
be by the window so people aren’t climbing over me to go to the rest room. If
it’s a short flight I like to be in the aisle so that I have access to move
around if I want to. The worst thing for me is to be on a plane stuck in the
middle seat. I also like to bring a lot of reading material. It’s a chance for
me to unplug from the world and catch up with my reading. So I travel with a
Kindle because I have a lot of books.
“I’ve just finished a book by
Sebastian Junger, who is an excellent author who went in and embedded himself
in Afghanistan in the Kandahar Valley with American marines. The book’s called
War and it’s non-fiction. It’s a very startling and sobering look at what our
problem in Afghanistan is. You get a better sense of what the locals feel and
what the Taliban want and what they’re all about and you get a real sense of
the challenges that our military faces. It’s not a fun book to read but I think
it’s an important one. I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction, books like Too
Big To Fall, which is about the financial meltdown, to get a better
understanding of why it happened and we might be able to avoid it going forward.”
The best advice anyone has ever
given him is “just do your best with what you’re given”. He adds: “I think that
really holds over with everything. The thing that I tell people is, control
what you can control. If you’re an athlete, you should prepare the best you
can, and if you’re a student, you should study as best you can and just be prepared
because there are certain things in life that you’ll find are out of your
control and you have to not worry about them, but you have to worry about the
things can manage.”
When Courier was younger he
idolised Bjorn Borg and baseball star Pete Rose, but he doesn’t have any idols
anymore. He breakfasts on scrambled egg whites and a bowl of fresh fruit and a
cappuccino, and when it comes to favourite foods there are too many to name. “I
love food. You have great fresh fish around here. We had some great tuna
fettucini last night.”
The limo rolls into the airport as
Courier finishes his last answer. Perfect timing, which, of course, he has
always been a master of on court.
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