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SALT LAKE CITY — The world’s most prestigious tennis tournament is underway at Wimbledon. And while it’s almost 5,000 miles away from Utah, it’s never too far from home for Provo’s Brad Pearce.
It’s quite typical this time of year to find Pearce on the outdoor tennis courts at BYU doing what he’s done since his days before attending Timpview High School — playing tennis.
But 24 years ago this week, at the age of 24, Pearce stepped onto the grand stage of Wimbledon against then No. 1-ranked Ivan Lendl in the quarterfinals on NBC.
“I was like frozen. It’s like, oh my gosh. It’s the Fourth of July, center court at Wimbledon, the No. 1 player in the world, worldwide television,” Pearce said. “I was so nervous I could hardly breathe.”
Lendl won the first two sets of the match before Pearce rallied to win the third set with a spectacular backhand shot.
“I figured I’m just going to go for this," Pearce said. "I’m going to go cross court because I was expecting him to come into my backhand side. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. I stepped in (and hit it) and I think the rest is history.”
"Someone said, 'Well, do you realize now that you're a member of "The Last 8 Club" and that entitles you to center-court tickets for a lifetime?' And I was like, 'Wow, I had no idea.' " -Brad Pearce
Pearce’s big moment ended a short time later when Lendl claimed the fourth set and the match, but Pearce didn’t leave England empty- handed.
“Someone said, ‘Well, do you realize now that you’re a member of "The Last 8 Club” and that entitles you to center-court tickets for a lifetime?’ And I was like, 'Wow, I had no idea.' ”
Pearce, his wife, Cindy, and their six kids have returned to Wimbledon on many occasions, with seats right next to the Royal Box. To this day, only 17 Americans have reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and Pearce remains the only player from Utah to ever get there.
Life has come full circle for Pearce, who now coaches tennis at BYU, still playing on the courts where his father, Wayne Pearce, taught him to play. Wayne, a member of the BYU Hall of Fame, coached the Cougars for 20 years
“Tennis is a great proving ground. It’s just you,” Pearce said. “I think tennis players develop a great ability to be resilient and how to be resourceful.”
During Pearce’s eight years of professional tennis, he beat the likes of John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg.
But it was that moment on center court at Wimbledon the Provo native made a name for himself.
