Tennis Pros Continue to Fly Despite Problems

More so than most people, tennis professionals are sensitive to international crises.

The world is their playpen and trans-continental flights are as common for them as the daily commute is for other workers.

Obviously, for those who spend so much of their time on foreign soil, they are keenly aware of the current threat of terrorism. Unlike others who can choose to stay home, the players are going about their business.

“Everyone talks about it, everyone’s paranoid about it,” Jimmy Arias said during the Shearson Lehman Tournament of Champions. “But I don’t think it’s going to stop us from going. It’s the way we make our living.

“We have no choice but to play the tournaments. You hope for the best. I don’t want to give too much publicity to this because I don’t want to give the terrorists ideas.”

Ivan Lendl, the world’s top-ranked player, takes a fatalistic view.

“You have to look at it realistically,” he said. “If anyone wanted to blow up Roland Garros (site of the French Open in Paris), how could you stop it? If you think about it you go crazy. The more you worry about it, the worse you feel.

“You get on a plane, you just say ‘I hope it’s not going to fall down today.’ I know I wouldn’t be flying to Beirut or Tripoli.”

Already, the United States Tennis Association has withdrawn its junior teams from several major junior competitions, including Wimbledon and the French and Italian Opens.

“We can’t take the responsibility of exposing young people to the risk,” explained Ed Fabricius, Director of Communications for the USTA. “It’s a sad situation but the feeling at the moment is that as Americans we’re targets for terrorism or demonstrations wherever we go and it’s particularly difficult when you’re dealing with youngsters.”

At the same time, no professional has been known to curtail his schedule.

“I have no change of plans,” said John Lloyd, a British player married to Chris Evert Lloyd. “There are maybe a couple of airlines I wouldn’t fly, but then I don’t fly them anyway. Chris doesn’t feel threatened by this and once my feet are on the ground I’m OK.”

Kevin Curren believes that since most players move about individually, they don’t present a prominent target.

“It would be more sense to target a soccer team or a football team,” said Curren, a native South African who now is an American citizen. “We’re not together as a group that often.

“The guys are concerned about the Mediterranean, but I don’t think that will affect the tour. I don’t think tennis players would be a big enough target -- hopefully.”

Boris Becker, the 18-year-old Wimbledon champion from West Germany, is another not particularly concerned.

“I don’t have any fears of flying,” he said. “I’m a tennis player, not a terrorist, so I concentrate on tennis playing. The Americans are more worried about it than the Europeans.”

While most of the Americans are concerned, this won’t prevent them from making their annual exodus to Europe in the coming week for the start of the outdoor season.