The year was 1980. The score was tied. “SHIRAS’ OVERHEAD SHOT MAY END POINT,” a sports commentator predicts, “OH, MURPHY’S OING FOR IT.” The Clemson athlete back-pedaled, reaching his wooden racket to the sky. This was all he needed to gain a lead on Princeton.
A sudden blow to the back of the head, and he awoke in an ambulance, his NCAA steak 31 consecutive matches broken. “If not for running into that steel beam, I would have beaten that guy,” Murphy claims.
At age 66, Pender Murphy is well known in Charlotte’s tennis community for his impressive athletic career. He started playing tennis at eight years old, practicing at the Charlotte Country Club, and eventually advanced to college-level tennis at clemson, where he was elected team captain.
Murphy went on to play at the professional level for three years, competing in the US and French Open. During his time as a pro, he beat the players ranked 23rd and 31st in the world. His own recored placement, though, was No. 102.
Unlike many pro athletes, Murphy was neither pressured to play nor coached by his parents. His motivation for improving at the game was purely intrinsic: he enjoyed it. “I always had a kind of capacity to work hard.”
But there was one thing hard work hadn’t prepared him for: the loneliness of traveling professionally. There were very few American players traveling as Murphy was, and language barriers isolated him from everybody else. This made grappling with losses especially challenging.
“Dealing with losses in general is tough,” Murphy added. “Your happiness id determined by whether or not you’re winning tennis matches. Plus, there’s the money factor. You had to really do well to carve out a living.”
Murphy has since spread the joy of tennis through TLA (Tucker Leighton Avram)- a program of coaches who provide equipment and guidance to around 100 players a week, specifically targeting underprivileged communities in Charlotte. Most players, however, are unaware of Murphy’s professional background, as he is not known to brag.
For over 10 years, Murphy has been working with East Meck students to help them learn the basic of tennis or, sometimes, to advance them to levels as high as alumna Sydney Uglier, who was the first girl in East Meck history to go to regionals.
“Not only has he helped me drastically with tennis, he also supported my family and taught me a lot about life,” Uhlir recalls, “Pender was one of the only people who really supported and helped my family when my mom got cancer again…he cam over dropped off gifts, and just helped out whenever we needed.” This is one of many times Murphy’s selflessness has left a lasting impact on students.
A many of many trades, Murphy’s creativity is not limited to outsmarting opponents on the court. He has a deep fondness for the English language, fascinated by words and their sounds.
He pursued this interest as an English major at Clemson and now exercises his passion by tutoring children and publishing essays to the platform Medium.
Murphy has plans of publishing a book of these essays soon, which he will share with friends, family and students. These essays include old stories, imaginative narratives and deep analyses of everyday moments, with elements of witty humor and introspection.
In a recent essay, Murphy reveals that his competitive nature is still very much alive. After competing in a 65-and-over tennis tournament, he tossed and turned all night, over-analyzing every move he had made in his final match,. This restless night manifested into a hopeful sentiment:
“I suppose the sleepless nights mean I still care, that I’m still alive. I suppose…that’s a good thing.”
