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![Paul Hahn ends up hitting the next shot. Hahn faced Peter Magnusson in the open finals of the Pritchett-Moore Men’s City Invitational Series on July 18, 2020 at Indian Hills Country Club. [Photo/Hannah Saad]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/26/NTTN/36601fa2-833a-4b50-af45-d82d3e2ee9e5-TUS_AL_PritchettMooreInvitational-1009.JPG?width=660&height=572&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
In 2006, Steve Burdette decided the time was finally right.
An exam player in high school, hed put his bat away for years: marriage, children, career and everyday life kept him off the field. But hed made a recent comeback, and when the Pritchett-Moore Mens City Invitational moved around that July, he decided to give it a try.
He has returned every year since.
It’s always a good sign for me to see how much I’ve improved from last year, said Burdette, the US elite Alabama male elite of the year with a 4.0 division pair championship and several final appearances at an event the locals call Tuscaloosas Wimbledon.
Hell is on the field again in 2021. The tournament will be held at the Indian Hills Country Club from July 12-18. The event, tailored for beginners to experienced players, its seven divisions include the men’s 2.5 – Open Division singles and doubles and the men’s 55-year-old singles.
Registration is open until July 7. The price is $ 65 per single player and $ 40 per single player.
The first tournament was in 1974. This year marks the 47th tournament, and the year was skipped due to the construction of the pro-shop. It is an annual showcase of local talent and a summer rite for players, their families and friends who gather annually to socialize and cheer them on.
It has survived even through COVID-19. Last year’s tournament was held with numerous security measures, including no water coolers or benches on the fields, no one got inside the pro trade, and masks worn by participants, including participants between their matches. It gathered about 190 participants.
We were all completely exploded, said Indian Hills tennis manager and head tennis player Keith Swindoll. I think everyone was hungry to do something. We had a really good year at the tennis and golf club because you can get out. People really put pressure on it last year.
It was a kind of healing thing. It allowed people to get out. Everyone did all the things they had to do to run the tournament. It turned out great. You couldn’t have asked for it to have gotten better than it had.
Water coolers and benches will return to court this year. The player party is back. The host cleans the areas. But for the most part, it’s like previous tournaments.
One difference is that instead of singles being played on one day and a duel on another, playing can include both on the same day. The game starts on weekdays at 5pm and around 8am in the semi-finals and finals on Saturday and Sunday.
Swindoll said it was the reason it survived for nearly half a century.
It is so unique. It comes in midsummer right after Wimbledon. I think the appeal has always been that it’s for all the guys who play, whether you’re a beginner, a student or an advanced player. Seven different levels have a place for you, Swindoll said.
Keith and his staff have always done first-class work from start to finish, Burdette said. It’s really an event that I think a lot of people who don’t even play tennis are always looking forward to coming out and watching.
To register, go to www.playtennis.usta.com/tournaments, call the Indian Hills Professional Store at 205-349-1505 or email [email protected]
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Sources 2/ https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/2021/07/01/pritchett-moore-mens-city-invitational-tennis-tuscaloosa-wimbledon/5360435001/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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