GODFREY – Tennis can often be a family affair.
The game, like many others, can be passed on from generation to generation, by watching it, playing it and supporting it.
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Grayson Goldin, who is playing in this week's USTA Lewis and Clark Community College Men's Futures Tournament, has the backing of family members – namely his grandparents – at this week's tournament.
“They've lived here for about six years now,” Goldin said. “It's good to see them and have them come out and watch me play, so that's always nice. It's great to come here; this tournament is always well-run. We love coming here, all the futures players. We really appreciate it.”
Goldin's grandfather, Jeff Hendrickson, may be familiar to long-time area radio listeners; he got his start in the business at what was then-WOKZ-AM in Alton, then went to a station in Highland before joining the news staff at what was then-KXOK-AM in St. Louis – back when the station was the station of choice for young listeners throughout the area with such legendary DJs as Peter Martin, Ray Otis, William A. Hopkins and Don Pietromonaco – who was better known as the definitive Johnny Rabbitt – as well as reporters and anchors like Bob Shea, Stephen B. Stephens and Robert R. Lynn before spending 31 years at Chicago AM powerhouse WLS-AM as a news anchor.
Hendrickson and his wife returned to Godfrey several years ago and Hendrickson has been very supportive of Goldin's career aspirations. “I'm very proud of him,” Hendrickson said. “He's already accomplished a lot in his tennis career, but it's still a very tough road he'll have to travel to get to where he wants to be.”
Grayson isn't the only tennis player in the immediate family; his brother and sister are also players and are on hand, along with his mother (who helped Grayson get started in tennis as a youth in Atlanta), to lend their support this week and next week in the Edwardsville Futures tournament. “They follow him to all his tournaments,” Hendrickson said. “His sister will also be playing in a tournament in Columbia, Mo., soon, and then his brother and sister will be both playing in a tournament in Iowa City after that.
“It's great having everyone here.”Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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