Perfectly Puzzling : Mission Viejo’s Indescribable Pearne Indestructible on the Court

How do you like your Gary Pearne?

Depending on your point of view, the Mission Viejo High School senior is:

- A talented tennis player who is too lazy to take advantage of his natural ability.

- A talented tennis player who manages to keep tennis in its proper perspective.

- A quiet guy.

- A funny guy.

- All of the above.

Pearne, Mission Viejo’s No. 1 singles player, has led the Diablos to the 3-A Southern Section playoffs, where they will play Sunny Hills in a first-round match Tuesday.

He is 49-0 in singles matches this season. On the court, his talent is obvious.

But try to describe someone whom some call withdrawn, and others call hilarious. Someone who knows what it takes to be the best he can be, but admits he rarely does it. Or someone who’s lost three matches in his last three high school seasons but is looking forward to the day when college competition will “kick my butt.”

Actually, the solution to Gary Pearne is quite simple: Watch him play tennis.

He moves fluidly on the court. Foot slides turn into glides--his movement is continuous and yet appears effortless. Such is his approach to the game. Born with a talent coaches call “uncoachable,” he has not pursued tennis with the fervor of some of his contemporaries.

“I know kids who will practically die if they lose a match,” Pearne said. “They work so hard and are pushed so hard that their whole life revolves around tennis and whether they win or lose. I’m not that way. I don’t take things too serious.”

He concedes he probably could be a better player--through more intense practice sessions--but says he just can’t get motivated to do it.

“I’m lazy,” he said.

Raw talent has been more than enough to carry him through high school competition. Practicing harder would most likely move him up in the rankings of the more prestigious junior circuit. He is 17th in California’s 18-and-under division.

Pearne is eager to get to college--he’ll attend the University of Illinois on a tennis scholarship--because he thinks a few lumps there will spark a harder work ethic.

“I don’t think about being undefeated now because the competition in high school isn’t the best,” he said. “It makes it hard to really practice hard when you know that. I think if I get to college and get my butt kicked a few times, that might be enough to get me to work harder.”

Perhaps it’s difficult for Pearne to get excited because of the way he got involved in tennis. Almost by accident. Well, if not by accident, then by the spin of a (steering) wheel.

He was asthmatic as a child and had to make hospital visits for treatment. One day, as his mother drove to the hospital, they came upon a detour that took them by a park with tennis courts.

His mother’s interest was piqued and it soon infected Pearne’s father. That got Pearne on the court, with his father tutoring him.

When Pearne’s father started to teach him the game, 10 years ago, Bjorn Borg was atop the tennis world. Legions of youngsters were trying to emulate Borg’s way of hitting topspin ground strokes from the base line.

“Kids will emulate whoever is on top at the time,” said Bill Smith, Mission Viejo coach. “That’s why you have a ton of kids around now who hit so much topspin. They started playing when Borg was on top. That’s who they imitated.”

But not Pearne. His father admired Ilie Nastase, the colorful Romanian player who relied on finesse and a deft touch.

He passed this on to Pearne.

“He does some things with a tennis racket that are unbelievable,” Smith said. “He can caress a ball on his racket. Sometimes it seems like he can hold it there until he decides what to do. He has the kind of soft touch that is beyond coaching.”

Thus his ground strokes are not slugged but slashed. Much like his manner. He may not speak often, but he is not soft-spoken.

“When he says something, it usually has a point to it,” Smith said. “He really has a great sense of humor that some people might miss because it’s a very dry sense of humor.”

A few examples:

On what he thinks of going undefeated in singles.

“Not much.”

On what he thinks of some of the tennis types he meets.

“Some of them are real goons. They have the personalities of clams.”

On what he wants out of life.

“Lots and lots of money.”

Exactly how much is lots and lots?

“A ton.”

Oh.