Well, let me tell ya ’bout this fella, Don Johnson, the tennis player. Not the Miami Vice guy, mind you, though that fella was somethin’ else on TV. This Don Johnson, he was all about tennis, smackin’ that little yellow ball somethin’ fierce.
I heard tell he was born in 1968, September 9th, to be exact. That makes him… well, never you mind how old that makes him. He’s older than my grandkid, that’s for sure. And this fella, he wasn’t just any ol’ tennis player. Folks say he got to be number one in the whole world, but only in doubles. You know, playin’ with a partner. That’s still somethin’, ain’t it? Two against two, gotta be twice as hard, I reckon, all that runnin’ and hittin’.
Don Johnson, the Tennis Champ
Now, I ain’t never seen him play myself, but my neighbor, Agnes, she got one of them fancy cable boxes, and she seen him on TV once. Said he was a strong fella, moved like a cat, and hit that ball so hard it sounded like a gunshot. Agnes, she exaggerates sometimes, but I bet he was good. You don’t get to be number one by just flappin’ your arms around, you know.
- Born in 1968, a long time ago.
- Got to be number one in doubles tennis. That’s a big deal, I guess.
- Played all over the world, I hear. Fancy places, too.
They say he’s from America. Don’t know where exactly, some place with a long name, I think. Beth… Beth… somethin’ or other. Anyway, he played all over the world, Agnes said. Mexico, Amsterdam, Monaco, places I only ever seen on them travel shows. Musta been somethin’ to travel all that way just to hit a ball. But I guess that’s what them athletes do.
And he won a lot, too. Agnes said they kept track of all his wins and losses. More wins than losses, thank the Lord. Nobody likes a loser, do they? He won tournaments in Mexico City, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo… all them fancy places. Lost a few too, I reckon. Can’t win ‘em all, that’s what my husband used to say when he played checkers at the town hall.
Playing the Game, Winning the Game
Now, tennis, it ain’t like no game I ever played. We used to play hopscotch and jump rope back in my day. None of this runnin’ around and hittin’ a ball business. But I can appreciate a good game, no matter what it is. And this Don Johnson, he was good at his game, that’s for sure.
They got all sorts of numbers and stats about him, Agnes told me. How fast he served the ball, how many aces he hit… somethin’ called “double faults,” too, but I don’t rightly know what that is. Sounds like he messed up, though. But even the best mess up sometimes, that’s just life.
And there’s even talk of this Don Johnson bein’ one of the first African American fellas to get into some Tennis Hall of Fame. Now, that’s somethin’ to be proud of, ain’t it? Breakin’ down barriers and showin’ the world what you can do. That’s the kinda stuff that makes you feel good inside.
Don Johnson: An American Tennis Legend
So, that’s the story of Don Johnson, the tennis player, as best as I can tell it. A fella who worked hard, played hard, and got to be the best in the world at what he did. He probably had his ups and downs, like we all do, but he kept on swingin’ that racket, and that’s what matters. He’s what they call a legend, I guess. A tennis legend.
And even though I don’t know nothin’ about tennis, I can tell you this: it takes a lot of grit and determination to get to the top. And this Don Johnson, he had plenty of both. So, good on him, I say. Good on him.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go make some supper. All this talk about tennis has made me hungry. Maybe I’ll have some fried chicken tonight. That sounds good, don’t it?
Tags: [Don Johnson, Tennis, Doubles, American, Athlete, ATP, World No. 1, Tennis Player, Sports Legend, Professional Tennis]
