BOURNEMOUTH, England — The original and atmospheric clubhouse where Fred Perry and Rod Laver once turned heads is long gone. So is the annual professional event, and the shale playing surface that went with it.
The word “tennis” is no longer even part of the official name of the West Hants Club here, which was under threat at one stage of being shuttered and sold off to developers.
But 50 years ago this week, it was the epicenter of the game: the soggy and unlikely site of the first open tournament in tennis.
“How is it in Bournemouth?