Tim Wilkison Scores Easy Victory Over Waves Freshman Sznaidjer

When the nation turned its eyes on the 1986 U.S. Open, there was nothing to focus on.

John McEnroe was long gone. Jimmy Connors, too, was an early casualty. For the United States, all that remained were seven anonymous players who might be able to fill the void.

Out of the fuzziness, a red, white and blue cap was spotted. Then, a nickname was bestowed upon the owner--Tim Wilkison of Asheville, N.C.

Wilkison, previously known as Doctor Dirt for his get-down, all-out style of play, was christened Rambo by virtue of his victories over Yannick Noah and Andrei Chesnokov. It was enough to propel him out of the chorus line and into the lights of prime time.

He was the last American to lose, the final member of the not-so-magnificent seven who had reached the round of 16.

Rambo? Here, Wilkison agrees with New York Giant tight end Mark Bavaro, who also had the nickname until he begged off during Super Bowl week.

Thanks for the attention . . . but, really, no thanks.

“I don’t especially like the Rambo nickname,” Wilkison said Tuesday after his 6-2, 6-0 victory over Pepperdine freshman Andrew Sznaidjer in the first round of the Pilot Pen Tournament at Grand Champions Resort.

“Dr. Dirt, I like that better,” Wilkison said. “I guess the only time the Rambo thing really bothered me is when we went to some tournaments in Europe during the time the terrorism was going on and my wife said to me, ‘You’re going to be the one they are going to get.’

“So I said, ‘Rambo, who me? I’ve never heard of that.’ But I guess it’s one thing if you’re going to be known for that . . . which is better than not being known at all.”

Wilkison, 27, knows about not being known. Before last summer, his tennis career could be summed up with one word: Journeyman.

The Open success helped him finally break into the top 25 in the world late last year. It also brought forth more offers to appear in lucrative exhibitions.

Said Wilkison: “Even though I’m ranked 28th now and there are 27 guys ahead of me, it helps that I’m more well known from the TV thing.” An obvious endorsement vehicle would be from companies manufacturing caps. Wilkison’s management agency has been approached by several firms about such a venture, but tour rules prohibit him from wearing a cap with a product logo during Grand Prix events.

During a recent exhibition in Atlanta, a man approached Wilkison and asked him to wear a cap bearing the name of his construction company. Being a good-natured sort, Wilkison was willing to do it. But the man interrupted: “I’ll give you $200 to wear it.”

Wilkison laughed. “I told my wife, ‘Here’s the $200 and take our friends out to dinner.’ It was just perfect. The whole construction thing was just perfect for Dr. Dirt.”

Although risking a fine by wearing a cap on the Grand Prix circuit might be tempting, Wilkison is more practical:

“Since the fine escalates each time you do it, I’d probably have to win the tournament to make some money.”

It would appear Wilkison’s chances of winning here might end today when he meets second-seeded Boris Becker in a second-round match. But Wilkison said they have split in their two matches, and he won the last meeting, at Atlanta.

In the warmup for Becker, Wilkison defeated Sznaidjer in a match that barely lasted an hour. Afterward, Wilkison was making half-hearted apologies to his friends who arrived too late.

“I had never played him before so I was a little nervous,” Wilkison said. “A lot of times it happens on the circuit that a new guy has some very good wins, but I knew I had the experience on him and it showed.”

The first three matches on the Stadium Court Tuesday followed a pattern. In each, the favored player lost the first set but came back to win the match.

Czechoslovakia’s Miloslav Mecir, the No. 7-seeded player, defeated Paolo Cane of Italy, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Mecir had underwent a rough trip from Prague last weekend, enduring almost two days of cancelled flights and long delays.

“The more I played and I got a little back to my sharpness,” said Mecir, who was the U.S. Open runner-up last year. “I woke up three times last night and the first time it was only 4:30. I thought to myself, ‘What the hell is going on?’ I thought it was time to play.”

After Mecir’s struggle, fifth-seeded Henri Leconte of France was the next player to lose the first set. Leconte eventually defeated Jonathan Canter of Los Angeles, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Third-seeded Noah also started slowly, but he beat American David Pate, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.