COURTING NEW FANS TEAM TENNIS PLAYERS ACCESSIBLE.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

The Newport Beach Breakers' home debut two weeks ago, after a 10-year hiatus from team tennis, was on its way to a successful relaunch when the lights went out on Lindsay Davenport and Co. - three times.

Even though the artificial lighting went out twice, two matches were played on center court at dusk. Later, with Davenport leading Elena Likhovtseva of the Sacramento Capitals, the court went dark. The players moved to a smaller court and 2,000 good-natured spectators followed, watching from a hill at the 18th hole of the Palisades Club Golf Course.

Such is the history of team tennis, which has endured numerous stops and starts during its 30-year run.

World Team Tennis was started by Hall of Famer Billie Jean King in 1974 as way to bring first-rate tennis to a wider audience. It was called the Pro League in its early days, and although the name changed, the league's philosophy hasn't.

The league's mission is to make players more accessible to the fans, and make matches more exciting. To achieve this, it strays from the standard structure of ATP and WTA matches. All players in WTT wear their names on their backs. Lets are played - if the ball hits the net on a serve, it counts. The first player to win four points on his or her serve wins the game. And players hang around the court after their matches to sign autographs.

``I've never done great in World Team Tennis,'' Davenport said. ``A lot of weird results happen. The changeovers are weird and there are weird warm-ups. It's just really different than a regular match, but it's a lot more fun than your average tennis match. It's always a fun part of the season.''

The WTT season lasts only three weeks, whereas it was three months in its heyday. And the players were fiercely committed to its success. In 1974, for example, Jimmy Connors won 97 of 103 matches - including the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian and U.S. opens - but gave up a chance to complete tennis' Grand Slam when he skipped the French Open to participate in WTT's first season.

That year, there were 16 teams across the United States, including the Los Angeles Strings, who played at the Forum. Tennis was booming at that time and with prime-time players such as King and Connors involved, the league was an instant hit.

Not long after the Strings' inception, Jerry Buss handed over the team to his 19-year old daughter, Jeanie, and they won the league championship in 1978 and 1981.

``It wasn't uncommon for 11,000-12,000 people (to go to the Forum),'' said Ilana Kloss, a former Strings player and Wimbledon doubles champion who is now the league's commissioner.

However, the good times soon came to end. The league shut down in 1979 in large part because of infighting among owners. It returned in 1981 but in a different form: The league signed players, preventing bidding wars among owners and keeping salaries down.

The league has remained viable, expanding two-fold in the '80s and welcoming players such as Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova and Tracy Austin in the '90s.

Attendance figures never equaled those of the '70s, though. As a result, team tennis moved outdoors, to smaller venues where the rent is lower. This season all 10 teams play outside.

John McEnroe played for the New York Sporttimes this season, and the veteran player understands how important it is to bring tennis anywhere and everywhere he can.

``There's got to be players and the people involved in the sport reaching out more to get the people out on the tennis court,'' McEnroe said. ``There's a lot more options out there. There's a lot more channels on the television.''

The biggest challenge for WTT is establishing a fan base with such a short season. Top players have said their calendars are already full with ATP and WTA events. And they could use the three weeks between Wimbledon and the French Open to prepare for the last Slam of the year.

However some, including Davenport, Navratilova, Andre Agassi and McEnroe, see the value of bringing tennis to fans who might not have the opportunity to see big-name players. Kloss was once one of those fans.

``I was 11 years old and I was a ball girl in South Africa, where I'm from,'' Kloss said. ``Billie Jean and Rod Laver were there playing in a tournament. I was hitting with my dad before a match was going to start and she (King) stopped by and said to my dad, `I recognize your daughter, she's a ball girl, do you mind if I hit with her?' She hit with me and I decided I wanted to be a professional tennis player. I'll never forget how one person touched my life.''

In that respect, WTT remains the same.

``If I walk by a court and see a (novice) player doing something, I say, `Look, you should do this or that,' '' Navratilova said. ``That's how it happens. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but I enjoy it.''

The Breakers reissued tickets to a later match after the lights malfunctioned during their home opener. The mishap wasn't traumatic for a league with a fun-first, grass-roots philosophy of spreading tennis to as many people as it can.

It's a league that doesn't take itself too seriously.

``It's like an intimate minor-league baseball atmosphere with major-league players,'' Kloss said. ``Kids can get right down to the court and get autographs.''

Assuming they can see the players.

Lauren Gustus, [phone]

lauren.gustus(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Lindsay Davenport plays for the Newport Beach Breakers in World Team Tennis, which strives for accessibility for all fans.

Douglas Healey/Associated Press