Russell leaves legacy of excellence

JAMAICA LOST a tennis icon recently, with the passing on January 15 of Richard Russell, one of Jamaica’s most decorated sporting personalities, at age 79.

He was a player of note, a coach, mentor and administrator, and his contribution to the sport over many years is immeasurable

I had the great pleasure of sitting down with him to discuss tennis, technically, from time to time, and also to exchange thoughts with him about the state and progress of the game in Jamaica. My greatest exchange with him was back in 2015 when I did an extensive interview, and, to this day, I recall the hours we spent together then, and the pleasure it was to have him share his thoughts and experiences with me.

He told me then that he started playing tennis when he was 13 years old and the choice was not his. He attended Kingston College at the time and it was suggested to him that he start to play the game by his history teacher ‘Bean Head’ Bailey. He never knew Bailey’s first name, he said, as in class it was Mr Bailey and out of class it was simply Bean Head.

In those days, cricket was the sporting choice for him, and he played it well. Mr Bailey, however, wanted some new players for the school’s tennis team and his theory was that, since tennis and cricket involved hitting a ball, and since Richard was good at hitting cricket balls, he would also do well hitting tennis balls. At Mr Bailey’s request, he therefore started playing tennis competitively. He did well in the sport, came to love it, and had the thrill of playing for his school along with his good friend Dennis Atkinson.

He recounted that, in his first tournament, he reached the final, and that was the incentive that he needed to move forward.

To make it easier, he said, tennis was the game that his father Irvin loved and played, and, since he was now also playing the game, his father built a tennis court at their residence on Wellington Drive, at the expense of his mother Lurline’s cherished rose garden, which she had to remove, under protest, to another location on the premises, so that they could train and play together frequently. There was no looking back after that, he said. His father became his full-time coach and, after playing competitively for just over two years, he became Jamaica’s youngest singles champion at age 16.

‘A miracle’

Pleased with his progress, he said, Daddy Irvin decided to get him the best coaching possible and, by what Russell called “a miracle”, he sent him to Australia to be coached by one of the greatest coaches of that era, Harry Hopman. He spent two years there from 1962-64 and, during that period, he said, his game blossomed. He went on to achieve greatness.

Along the way, Russell had a great ally, his friend from Kingston College days, Lance Lumsden, and together they toured the world, playing singles and doubles. There were many hard times, he said, and sometimes, to make ends meet, they had to sing calypso at parties, with Lance playing guitar and he doing his “thing” on vocals and shaking the maracas. He enjoyed this sojourn, he said, and one of the most memorable matches that they played together was a game for the West Indies against the United States in 1966, at the then St. Andrew Club in Jamaica.

In that match, they went against the highly rated American duo of Arthur Ashe and Charlie Passarell, and won 6-4, 7-9, 14-12, 4-6, 6-4, giving the West Indies their first-ever victory in a match against the US. It was the most memorable match of his career, he said, not only because of the win or that it lasted over five hours, but what it meant to the spectators.

He also noted that, in a match of that duration, Lumsden never lost his service, a fantastic achievement. The crowd loved it, he said, and, at the end of the match, the crowd rushed on to the court and carried himself and Lumsden on their shoulders around it.

When he retired from playing, Russell formed the Russell Tennis Academy and, with his sons Craig, Ryan, and Rayne, continued to pass on the knowledge of the sport to young tennis enthusiasts. Ryan followed in his footsteps as one of Jamaica’s top-ranked players for many years.

Richard regarded Lumsden, who pre-deceased him on January 18, 2011, as his “hero”.

He told me then that Lumsden was not only his tennis partner, but was his best friend and filled the void of the big brother that he never had.

Richard Russell has left his mark on the sport of tennis in Jamaica and the world, and Jamaica paid tribute to him in October of 2022, when he was awarded the Order of Distinction (OD).