With four Grand Slam singles titles to his credit, Jim Courier has nothing to prove on a tennis court. But the former world No. 1 recently found out that expertise in one racquet sport doesn’t necessarily translate into prowess in another.
Courier engaged in a 75-minute practice session at the New York City Badminton Club, where he teamed up with 1989 World Badminton Championships bronze medalist, Chibing Wu. In a match against Bob Downey, a 71-year-old International Tennis Hall of Fame board member, and Pawel Meres, who teaches tennis at a New York country club, Courier showed promise but whiffed on two game points, all the while muttering, “not getting it,” whenever easy shots fluttered to the ground.
“In badminton, you have to be extremely wristy,” Courier says. “I’m a pretty wristy tennis player, but this is a whole different world.” The friendly match was Downey’s idea. During a silent auction at the 2007 International Tennis Hall of Fame Legends Ball, Downey won court time with Courier. But after struggling to find a convenient date for tennis, Downey decided to ask Courier if he’d be up for bashing a birdie.
Although a novice, Courier impressed Wu with how quickly he grasped the basic badminton techniques. His best shot, Wu says, is an “excellent forehand.” His weakness? “Not too good of a backhand because tennis players hit backhands below the waistline, but badminton requires hitting at shoulder level or higher.”
Will Courier continue to practice and return to avenge his loss?
“It was quite fun,” he says, “but I don’t have enough time to split my racquet sports.” Sounds like somebody has met his match.