EXCLUSIVE
THE SCOOP:
U.S. OPEN DAY 5, AUGUST 30
David
Wheaton: from player to scribe
Former player pursues new career
By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net
www.davidweaton.com
|
FROM THE U.S. OPEN –
The last time David Wheaton stepped out at the U.S. Open was
in 2000 and he wore a players’ badge. This year, however,
Wheaton has put down his racket and picked up a pen, and the
adjustment was most notable in the red credential badge he
wore that was emblazoned with a big M for media.
Wheaton, 33, who hails from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, the
home of where everyone’s favorite moccasins are manufactured,
is smiling broadly as he begins new life adventures away from
playing tennis.|
After heel surgery in 1997 and elbow problems in 1998, which
forced him off the tour for two years, Wheaton attempted to
make a successful comeback between 1999 and 2001. But by the
end of last year, Wheaton had determined that while he had
made some strides in his return, he wasn’t going to climb
to the heights he once enjoyed in the game – a career
high ranking of No. 25 in May 1995, a semifinal berth at '91
Wimbledon and quarterfinal showings at the '90 Australian
and U.S. Opens.
“I can tell you it’s a hard transition to make from
being David Wheaton: tennis player to the next step,”
Wheaton told tennisreporters.net. “The transition
away from tennis is very difficult to do for most players,
especially for someone like me that has some goals beyond
tennis. I do a radio sports show every week in Minneapolis
and down the line, I’d like to do maybe a cultural oriented
show, maybe something from a Christian standpoint.”
MOVE TO FAR-FLUNG CORRESPONDENT
But while Wheaton hopes that the future will bring
involvement in-and-out of tennis, he knows that the first
step would be easiest if he didn’t venture to far a field.
First move for Wheaton – a phone call to Minneapolis-St.
Paul Star-Tribune sports editor Glen Crevier trying to sell
himself to the paper as a freelance correspondent. The strategy
worked and David Wheaton: Budding Journalist has provided
the paper with preview pieces leading into this year's Roland
Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
“David called me and suggested I might be interested
in giving him a chance,” Crevier said by phone. “I
thought we could use his expertise since that was an area
we didn’t have much background in.”
As it turns out, Wheaton possesses a talent as a scribe and
thoroughly enjoys the challenge of writing.
In his advance for the Open, entitled “Survivor: On Location
In New York at the '02 US Open,” Wheaton creatively weaved
his article around the reality-based TV show “Survivor”
and Frank Sinatra’s hit song “New York, New York.”
As a sampling of the former players writing style, a couple
of the opening paragraphs from the article that appeared in
the Star-Tribune:
“Start spreadin’ the news,” the greatest
spectacle in tennis begins tomorrow in New York. Forget the
staged histrionics of the popular TV show; the eventual champions
at the 2002 US Open Tennis Championships will be the real
survivors – for they are the ones who will truly outwit,
outplay and outlast all comers in the toughest two weeks of
tennis.
Yep, survival, that’s what the US Open is all about.
No other tournament is a challenging physically and mentally
for the players. ‘If I can make it there, I’ll make
it anywhere. …’
Right on, Frank.
Wheaton, who says he often has his older brother, attorney
John Wheaton, who used to be his agent at IMG, read his copy
before shipping it off to editors, isn’t sure where his
interest for writing began.
“I like writing, but I don’t really remember having
and interest in writing at school,” said Wheaton, whose
last main draw stint was at the RCA Championships at Indianapolis
in August 2000. “I just enjoy it. I guess I just like
the written word and the spoken word.”
DOESN'T NEED MUCH EDITING
According to Crevier, Wheaton’s copy comes into the paper
rather clean and is in need of very little editing.
“David has a very colorful style and is very knowledgeable,”
Crevier said. “He has a lot of style and we choose to
leave it alone because it’s so distinctive. It would
be pretty hard to edit so we give him a lot of license. I
can certainly see where in the future he should be able to
capitalize on his talent.”
Although Wheaton has left the professional tennis world behind
– a lifestyle he readily admits he misses – he hasn’t
totally abandoned taking to the court. This summer he participated
in World Team Tennis as a member of the Springfield Lasers.
“I loved playing team tennis,” he said. “I
got myself back in shape and I still have fun out there playing.”
As for his social life, Wheaton reports he ended a long-term
relationship last year, but that he and his former girlfriend
remain good friends. Right now, however, he spends a lot of
his free time with a very special buddy.
“I’ve got a four-year-old yellow lab named Benjamin,”
Wheaton said, smilingly adding, “He’s the love of
my life. He’s a great boy.”
