Sven Micossé (text), Sven Thomann (photos)
In front of the window of a small studio in Zurich’s Enge district, curious people try to catch a glimpse of a true tennis legend through the shop window. Dressed entirely in white and green – matching his iconic Adidas shoe, one of the best-selling models in history – he answers questions: Stan Smith. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Maurice de Mauriac watch brand, the American stopped by the Limmat and received Blick for an interview.
Blick: Stan Smith, not many people know that you have Swiss roots!
Stan Smith: Yes, my maternal grandfather is from La Chaux-de-Fonds. Unfortunately, I have not been there yet.
How do you introduce yourself when you meet someone new? Does tennis come first or the shoe?
(laughs). I just say my name and if they know who I am that’s fine. If not, that’s okay too. Certainly fewer people know me today because of my tennis career.
Her biography is called “Some think I’m a shoe”.
But when the book was being written, this sentence came to mind because it had felt that way in the years before. Many think I’m a shoe.
Does that bother you?
So life is. Unless you’re 60 or older, you probably haven’t seen me play tennis. So can’t wait.
Stan Smith himself
Stanley Roger Smith was born on December 14, 1946 in Pasadena, California. He was already successful on the court at college level in 1967 and 1968. A year later he turned professional. At 1.93 m, he was known for serving and volleying. Smith collected 37 individual titles over the course of his career, including the US Open and Wimbledon once each. He was even more successful as a doubles player. With his longtime partner Bob Lutz he wins five Grand Slams and a total of 54 titles. After his career, he coached Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Michael Chang, among others. The 75-year-old is best known for his Adidas Stan Smith. A tennis shoe named after him. Smith now lives in South Carolina with his wife Marjory Gengler (71). The couple have four children.
Stanley Roger Smith was born on December 14, 1946 in Pasadena, California. He was already successful on the court at college level in 1967 and 1968. A year later he turned professional. At 1.93 m, he was known for serving and volleying. Smith collected 37 individual titles over the course of his career, including the US Open and Wimbledon once each. He was even more successful as a doubles player. With his longtime partner Bob Lutz he wins five Grand Slams and a total of 54 titles. After his career, he coached Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Michael Chang, among others. The 75-year-old is best known for his Adidas Stan Smith. A tennis shoe named after him. Smith now lives in South Carolina with his wife Marjory Gengler (71). The couple have four children.
How did the collaboration come about back then?
Adidas had already developed the shoe with Robert Haillet, the French number 1 player. It was the first leather tennis shoe. Before that, they were always made of cloth. It was selling well, but they wanted a stronger US presence. I was number 1 back then. Both of our names were on them for five years.
It started out as a tennis shoe. Then more and more people started to wear the shoe in everyday life. How was it for you to see people with their face on the shoe?
It was always fun. In the beginning it was really tennis-oriented. Many players wore the boot because there weren’t many alternatives. I can remember once losing to someone who was wearing my shoe. I didn’t think that was right (laughs). He shouldn’t hit me with my shoes. I had to get used to that. It was nice when people started wearing the shoe every day.
Did you know that Roger Federer also released a shoe collection?
Yes, I know about it. I spoke to him at the Laver Cup about how I’m not too happy about it.
Why?
The shoe looks awfully similar to mine. (laughs)
And what did you tell him?
That his shoe looks awfully like mine. He just laughed. Thing is, almost every company has released a shoe that looks like mine.
In addition to the shoe, they also designed a watch with Maurice de Mauriac. How did the collaboration come about?
They approached me because they wanted to do something related to the shoe. I loved the idea of designing a watch. It looks a lot like the shoe – simple, clean and it’s green/white inside.
Let’s get sporty. What do you think of modern tennis?
It’s always evolving. Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray are still trying to be there. But they’re going to close up shop at some point. There are also new people coming – Holger Rune and Caspar Ruud, for example. And Carlos Alcaraz, who is just a lot of fun to watch. He has such variety in his game. Then there’s Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek and many more among the women who are very good athletes.
But does Alcaraz stand out for you too?
Yes. For a long time it just went back and forth from the baseline. And now he comes with his many strokes. His groundstrokes are strong, as are his serve and volley. Its drop shot, which is good on hard court and clay, is significant. I’m curious to see how he will play on grass.
Many thought that Rafael Nadal would retire after Roland Garros.
That would have been the ideal scenario. Like Ash Barty or Pete Sampras did. But only if he had said after the 14th title: “I don’t want to do that anymore”. The thing is, he enjoys it. My philosophy is that the public should not dictate when someone should resign. They should play as long as they want. You don’t always have to step down at the peak.
The same applies to Federer?
Yes, exactly. He’s in an interesting situation. I heard he wants to play in Basel. He plays a few games there, but it will be some time before the next tournament. Whenever he resigns – be it tomorrow or next year – it will not affect him.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/R6U3MSP4NNGNTIVNFJQOGGGJIM.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
