Tennis Bums show age is but a number: ‘They liven the courts up in the morning’
It was 2017 when Richard Wolff met the Tennis Bums. The Elgin native was playing a round of singles at Naperville’s Nike Park when he came across the group.
“They said, ‘Hey, you want to play tennis? You look like you’re old enough,” Wolff said, flashing a grin. Eight years later, he’s still playing with them.
The Tennis Bums have been a local staple for more than two decades. A community tennis group with a 4.0 rating by U.S. Tennis Association standards, it boasts members from Naperville and surrounding suburbs. The catch: members are, at their youngest, in their 60s. The oldest Bums are in their 90s.
“It’s a great, great group, you know?” Wolff, 77, said. “We aspire to play well but, hey, we aspire to play.”
Speaking on a Monday morning earlier this month, Wolff stood beside a few of his fellow Bums after a couple hours of play at Plainfield’s Five Star Tennis. On any given Monday, Wednesday or Friday, that’s where you’ll find the Tennis Bums — scuffing around a few courts from 8 to 10 a.m. on the dot. That’s their well-worn routine these days, members say.
“It was a great find,” Wolff said. “I don’t know of any other groups like this.”
The Tennis Bums date back to 2003. It was founded by then-Naperville resident Richard Hutter. The group started out of a senior tennis match that Hutter organized among friends at the Vaughan Tennis Center in Aurora, he said.
By word of mouth, the group caught on and today totals 22 members.
For years, the Tennis Bums played at Vaughan through the winter months and at various outdoor courts — from Naperville North High School to Nike Park — in the summers. But lately, Five Star has been their go-to spot year-round.
Five Star co-owner Robin Henders said he’ll never forget the first day he met the Bums.
“We sat in (our) lobby,” Henders recalled. “They sat me in a chair and there were probably 15 or 16 of them that sat around me in like a semi-circle. And they just fired off questions to me … I think just to vet us out and make sure that we kind of knew what we were doing.”
The Tennis Bums came to Five Star a year after it opened. Henders, a graduate of North Central College in Naperville, launched the Plainfield facility alongside Dan Brown, former tennis coach at Naperville Central High School.
Brown and Henders crossed paths while both were working on tennis programs in the area. The pair started to stage summer tennis camps together back in 2007 and by 2014, they were breaking ground on their own facility.
Offering 11 indoor tennis courts, Five Star really “hangs its hat” on junior tennis, Henders said. But the center has programs catering to every age group. The Tennis Bums especially help Five Star “run the gamut where we do have something for every single type of tennis player that exists,” Henders said.
They’re a testament to what — and who — Five Star is, he said. A tennis club “is what it is because of the people that come in here and the atmosphere you create,” he said, “and (the Tennis Bums) are a vital part of it, for sure.”
Moreover, they prove that tennis really is a lifetime sport, Henders said, noting “they liven the courts up in the morning.” And to not only keep at the sport but do it with a tight-knit cadre of friendly competitors — that’s a “life goal,” he added.
“That’s amazing,” he said. “If I can be in my 70s, and I’ve got a group of guys that are like that, that I can count on and continue doing life with, that’s incredible. … Everybody should be so lucky to have a group like that.”
Asked if he’s ever played with the Bums, Henders said, “No, no. I don’t know if I could hang. I don’t play much these days. (They’re) the wily veterans.”
Born and raised in Ohio, Hutter, 89, started playing tennis when he was 36 years old. He and his wife moved to Naperville in 1980. His tennis career stretched on 51 years. He stepped back from the sport a couple of years ago, he said, but to this day remains close with the Tennis Bums.
He frequents the Bums’ post-play hangout spot: a nearby Panera Bread.
“It’s 8 to 10 a.m. (on the courts) then to Panera. We solve the problems of the world,” Hutter quipped, “and talk about all kinds of (things). It’s great camaraderie.”
It’s meaningful too, Hutter said. He pointed to members who are widowers or who have had health challenges.
When member Dick Jensen lost his wife nearly four years ago, the group came to her service, Jensen said.
“It’s kind of like just an extension of a bunch of brothers,” Jensen, 88, of Naperville, said. “They’re really caring and a good group.”
Jensen is going to keep playing with the Bums “for as long as I think my body will allow me to,” he said. “I like to play with the young guys because they can run the court,” he said.
William Jones, 76, of Shorewood, plays primarily for exercise, he said. Being a part of the Tennis Bums is especially helpful after having “a massive heart attack a year ago,” he said.
“If I don’t have exercise, my feet swell (and) my blood pressure goes up,” he said. “When you get older, you’ve got to find some exercise that you enjoy. People say swim. … My wife swam but I can’t stand swimming.”
Jones has played tennis since he was 10 years old. He recalls shoveling snow off the outside courts to play in his hometown of Lisbon, about 50 minutes southwest of Naperville.
Shrinivas Kamath, who offered a coy “70-something” when asked for his age, said he’s been playing tennis for 40 years. From India, Kamath said he moved to the western suburbs in 1982. He started out as a ping pong player but switched to tennis at the suggestion of a friend.
He looks to the Tennis Bums as his “elder brothers,” Kamath said.
“I have learned about humanity, dignity, respect and all of these life lessons that we need to learn no matter how old you are,” he said.
Plus, once in a while they let him win, Kamath said, “so that makes it even more special.” But winning is secondary to the companionship.
“I think that as a human being, I have improved,” he said. “As a friend, I have improved. As a competitor, I have improved. But that’s about it. I think that’s more important to me at this stage than … going up in ranks.”
-
The Tennis Court’s Greatest Illusion
The best players in the world are obsessed with court speed and bounce, but those aren’t the only factors in outcomes.The New York Times - 2d -
Inside the Sudden Rise to Fame of a Tennis Bee Catcher
Lance Davis saved Carlos Alcaraz and the Indian Wells tennis event last year, when bees swarmed over the main court and stung the star.The New York Times - 1d -
Fred Stolle, Golden-Age Australian Tennis Star, Dies at 86
In addition to winning 19 Grand Slam titles, including two singles championships, he was a coach, a club pro and a television commentator.The New York Times - 5d -
Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals
On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that might just become essentials in your everyday life. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns ...CBS News - 3d -
Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals
On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that might just become essentials in your everyday life. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns ...CBS News - 1d -
Prince Andrew was told Epstein saw Staley as close friend, court hears
FCA presents email evidence it claims shows bank boss and child sex offender were like ‘family’. Prince Andrew was among a number of high-profile contacts of Jeffrey Epstein who were told that the ...The Guardian - 2d -
Warren: Democrats ‘showing up’ while Republicans are ‘hiding’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday lauded her fellow Democrats for “showing up” while Republicans are “hiding” from the American people, referring to the GOP's avoidance of in-person town ...The Hill - 3d -
Morning Report — Democrats look to sidestep shutdown blame
In today’s issue: Senators are working down to the wire to avoid a midnight funding lapse in Washington that would carry major ramifications. Despite widespread Democratic criticism of the ...The Hill - 15h -
Woman who lived to age 117 had genes keeping her cells ‘younger’, study shows
Maria Branyas Morera, US-born supercentenarian who died in Spain last August, found to have microbiota of an infant. The US-born woman who was the world’s oldest living person before she died in ...The Guardian - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the ...Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Siakam scores 27 points and helps Pacers rally with big second half to beat the 76ers 112-100
Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on Friday night. Myles Turner added 18 points and seven rebounds, while ...Yahoo Sports - 16m -
Detroit Red Wings find their wind too late in 4-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes
Detroit Red Wings score: Michael Rasmussen got the Wings within a goal early in the third, but that was it in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.Yahoo Sports - 18m -
17-year-old Andreeva advances to Indian Wells final, beating Swiatek in chilly conditions
Yahoo Sports - 29m -
F1 Australian GP LIVE: Qualifying start time and practice updates as Ollie Bearman crashes again
Follow live build-up to qualifying in Melbourne with Charles Leclerc top of the leaderboardYahoo Sports - 29m
More in Sports
-
No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the ...Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Bruno hits back at Ratcliffe's 'overpaid' comments
Bruno Fernandes has hit back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe's suggestion that some Manchester United players are overpaid by telling the British billionaire "the club agrees to do the contracts."ESPN - 13m -
Siakam scores 27 points and helps Pacers rally with big second half to beat the 76ers 112-100
Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on Friday night. Myles Turner added 18 points and seven rebounds, while ...Yahoo Sports - 16m -
Detroit Red Wings find their wind too late in 4-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes
Detroit Red Wings score: Michael Rasmussen got the Wings within a goal early in the third, but that was it in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.Yahoo Sports - 18m -
75 years of innovation: How F1 has evolved since 1950 and where it's headed
To celebrate F1's 75th anniversary, ESPN charts the sport's evolution since 1950 through its most iconic cars, and details where it's headed in 2026.ESPN - 24m