8-time Grand Slam champ helps celebrate Evergreen Racquet Club’s 50th Anniversary

BLOOMINGTON (25 News Now) - Eight-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander continues to share his love of tennis. This past weekend, Wilandersharing his love of the game with fans in the Twin Cities.

“I have a passion for tennis,” Wilander said. “I think I have knowledge that I like to share. If I could make people inspired by playing tennis that’s great because it’s a great sport. It’s a sport for a lifetime.”

The 58-year-old helped celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, a club that brings the best players of all ages together.

“It’s the crossroads of tennis excellence in the Midwest,” Ian Symmonds, former Illinois State tennis player, said. “Evergreen has really done a great job of elevating the status of tennis in the area.”

“Tennis is big in Bloomington-Normal,” Colleen Curran, Evergreen Racquet Clubs General Manager, said. “We’re so lucky because of our location that we are kind of a central location for all these communities around here.”

Over the course of 50 years, Evergreen Racquet Club has seen the game of tennis grow in the Twin Cities. The pros say it’s clubs like Evergreen where the next Rodger Federer or Serena Williams will get their start.

“Places like the Evergreen Tennis Club are absolutely so important,” Wilander said. “We all start in a club like Evergreen and the future of our sport is in places like this. There might be a kid here one day who’s walking around who might be the next Rodger Federer or the next great Swedish player.”

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