Serving His Homeland : Seeboonruang, 79, Embraces Tutelage of Thai Youth as a Labor of Love

Around the tennis courts he is known as “Mr. Thai.” He tutors and champions young players from his native Thailand and dreams of the day his homeland leaps to prominence in tennis.

“We hope that some day we will have a player like Michael Chang,” said Aroon Seeboonruang, who at age 79 has the energy and enthusiasm to spearhead the project.

Seeboonruang (pronounced SEE-boon-rung) is known as the godfather of the Thai Tennis Assn., an unofficial Valley group that has more than 500 members. On Sundays, Seeboonruang often can be found at the Poly High tennis courts, giving free instruction to as many as 50 Thai children.

He has become the tennis mentor for many Thai children in the Valley, helping them to improve their game.

Although Seeboonruang concentrates on developing players, he still wields a hefty racket himself. He is entered in the Southern California Seniors Invitational Tennis tournament that began Saturday at The Racquet Centre of Universal City. The tournament is the largest senior event in Southern California with more than 750 entries.

Seeboonruang, 5-foot-6 and 135 pounds, is scheduled to begin play Monday. He was rated No. 11 in the 75-and-over division in the 1991 Southern California rankings.

“I’m fit and I don’t get tired,” he said proudly. “My strength is endurance. If I have to go three sets against these guys, I usually win.”

He needs endurance simply to maintain a fast-paced lifestyle that would tire a man 30 years his junior. He lives in Arleta with his 39-year-old wife Tina. They have three children: Fontip, 7; Tanawan, 6; and Emily, 3. He also has a son by a previous marriage and two grandchildren. His wife is a full-time registered nurse, which means his latest career is playing “Mr. Mom.”

His typical weekday begins at 7 a.m. He prepares breakfast for the children, takes daughter Fontip to school, baby-sits the other two, prepares lunch, takes son Tanawan to afternoon classes, and later picks up Fontip from school.

Seeboonruang, born and raised in Bangkok, began playing at 25. He later became a national open-division champion and was the playing captain of the Thai Davis Cup team in the 1950s. After retiring from open competition, he dedicated himself to improving the caliber of tennis in Thailand.

He said he persuaded his government to build a tennis court where he gave free lessons to Thai children. He soon had as many as 600 pupils with 500 more on the waiting list.

In 1961, he toured the United States for four months to study and observe American coaching techniques. A year later he accepted a position in Hawaii as a tennis coach and physical education instructor for the Thai Peace Corps training center.

After he settled in Los Angeles with his second wife Sakultala--his first marriage ended in divorce--Seeboonruang took a job as an automobile salesman and opened a Thai restaurant in Hollywood. After the death of his second wife, he married Tina in 1984.

Becoming a father again has given Seeboonruang another dream: to see his children grow up. “Sometimes I get very sad at night,” he said. “I am so happy with my kids. I live for them now. I try to take good care of myself so that I may have a long life.”

Seeboonruang continues to play the regional senior circuit and has a goal to get a national ranking in the 80-and-over division next year.

Seeboonruang said he has never been sick or taken a vitamin or a prescription drug. His formula for longevity?

“I have no secret,” he said. “I have played tennis most of my life, which keeps me healthy. I eat well, and I married a young wife who keeps me young.”