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A unique debut Stevenson surprised Wimbledon on and off the court
Posted: Monday July 05, 1999 05:02 PM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- No one ever made a debut at Wimbledon like Alexandra Stevenson. She served at screaming speeds and curtsied to the crowds with theatrical flourishes in a historic trip from the qualifiers to the semifinals. Her mother, who raised her since birth to become a sports star, made headlines with charges of subtle racism and rampant lesbianism on the WTA Tour. Her father, who saw her only once when she was 3, made headlines by revealing his identity: Hall of Fame basketball player Julius Erving. The story of Alexandra at Wimbledon seemed more like Alexandra in Wonderland, curiouser and curiouser the longer it went on. She took in everything with wide-eyed fascination, but she filtered out the distractions when it came time to go on court. She beat another terrific newcomer, Martina Hingis' first-round conqueror, Jelena Dokic, and everyone else she played except the eventual champion, Lindsay Davenport. She arrived as an amateur and left as a professional, pocketing dlrs 154,704. Only one other player in Wimbledon history, John McEnroe in 1978, had gone from qualifier to semifinalist. At 18, a few weeks after her high school graduation in California, Alexandra Stevenson came across as astonishingly poised and talented, well-adjusted and well-coached. She also came across as someone who will have to cope with a variety of problems created by her parents. Already thee is backlash in the women's game against the sweeping charges of racism and lesbianism leveled by Samantha Stevenson, a free-lance sports writer who writes frequently for he New York Times. "I'm not sure if she'sdoing it for attention or just saying these things, because they sound crazy, some of them," Davenport said. "All this stuff that she's calling all of us ... I don't think the players really appreciate it." Alexandra entered the fray briefly, reading a statement she wrote saying that her mother was right but was misquoted by some of the British newspapers. But the quotes were tape recorded, and they read about the same in all the papers. The issue raised by Erving's acknowledgment that he's her father might have stayed private if her mother hadn't written so many times in magazines about Alexandra's championship bloodline and her destiny as a superstar. Samantha Stevenson also talked a lot about her daughter, telling several confidantes over the years that Erving was the father. In tennis circles, it was common gossip and nothing more. But it was inevitable that once Alexandra stepped on the world stage at a place like Wimbledon, the family secret would come out. No one sought to prove it until last year, when the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, acquired a photocopy of Alexandra's birth certificate in California. Julius Winfield Erving II -- Dr. J's legal name -- was listed as the father, and Alexandra wasgiven the middle name of Winfield. The Sun-Sentinel didn't rush out with that information. Alexandra was still a high school student scuffling through junior competition, and however big Erving's status was, a story at that time would hardly have been newsworthy. That all changed at Wimbledon. Now she was becoming famous, a new face making a record charge at the most prominent tennis tournament. Her mother's comments about the tour -- and a threat to sue for prize money if it was denied because of Alexandra's amateur standing -- had already thrust her into controversy. The Sun-Sentinel questioned rving, and he denied he was her father, but the newspaper ran the story and photo of the birth certificate. Questioned again, this time by The Associated Press, Erving didn't deny being the father, but said it wasn't the right time to discuss it. That was shortly before the NBA draft, and Erving is vice president of the Orlando Magic. A couple of days later, two hours after Stevenson beat Dokic to reach the semis, Erving told the AP he was, indeed, Alexandra's father. He said he had been supporting her financially through his attorney, and had long ago informed his wife, Turquoise,and four children about the situation. Erving congratulated Alexandra on her success and complimented Samantha on the way she had raised her. He said it was up to Alexandra to decide whether she wanted to get together with him. When asked about Erving's statement, Alexandra refused comment. Told that she'd probably be asked about it again and again until she did respond, she said she'll do it when she's ready. When Samantha Stevenson was asked when she might have a comment about Erving, she said bluntly, "never." And yet Samantha Stevenson has told friends she's planning to write a book about her daughter. The disclosure of Erving as Alexandra's father did more than attach a certain celebrity status to her. It helped explain how this muscular, 1.86-meter (6-foot-1) daughter of a rather small and unathletic-looking white mother had become so imposing a spors figure. Certainly there is more to tennis stardom than good genes. It takes desire and hard work and good coaching. Alexandra had the drive and discipline. Samantha knew and sought the best coaches. Stevenson has long had a sense of destiny for herself as a tennis star. She was 9 years old in 1990 when Navratilova won Wimbledon for the last time, and she heard someone ask Navratilova if there will ever be a great serve-and-volleyer like her again. "She said there is some 9- or 10-year-old that is going to be coming up," Stevenson said. "I was watching it and my mom was in the bedroom, and I said, 'Hey, mom, that's me.'"
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