Late tennis player, coach, author, Dr. Desmond Oon honored at Redondo Beach courts
by Garth Meyer
Professional tennis player, author and coach, the late Dr. Desmond Oon was honored with a banner at the Anderson Park courts on June 20, his birthday.
Fellow players and Oon’s son, widow and daughter-in-law gathered for the occasion.
Dr. Oon was a Davis Cup player, captain and coach for Singapore in the 1960s. After emigrating to the U.S., he founded the Center for Mind/Body Tennis in 2002 in Redondo Beach, and wrote four books, including “Conversations with a Zen Tennis Master.”
John Bulman, a 45-year veteran physics professor at Loyola Marymount, met the doctor 11 years ago on the Anderson Park courts, and Oon invited him to come play on Saturdays.
“He was kind of like a mentor,” Bulman said. “He was a fixture on those tennis courts.”
Dr. Oon was born in Malaysia, and as a boy living in the small town of Telok Anson, he saw post-World War II British civil servants playing tennis on the only court in town. They were looking for ballboys. Oon became one and took the opportunity to hit around with old rackets.
He left Malaysia in 1959 to go to college in Australia, where he started a professional tennis career. After graduation, back in Malaysia, he was chosen to represent the country in international tournaments and continued on to later represent Singapore, after a political upheaval.
Tennis players and family gathered June 20 at the Anderson Park courts for the placing of a banner in honor of Dr. Desmond Oon. Submitted photo
Dr. Oon came to the U.S. to attend the University of Oregon, studying sports science for a Master’s degree, then returned to Singapore, eventually working for the Singapore Sports Council as its executive director of information and research.
Later, Oon’s son, Ernest, went to America to study at Cal-State San Bernardino, then emigrated his parents in 2000.
Dr. Oon’s widow, Irene, taught tai chi for 22 years at Anderson Park Senior Center.
Oon introduced Ernest to tennis at age 6.
“I had no interest,” said Ernest, a commercial banker in Las Vegas. “I got a black belt in Tae-Kwon Do at age 12, I did track and field, the 4 X 100, the 100 meter-hurdles, the 100-meter dash, I played soccer, badminton. Finally at 14, I picked up a tennis racket again and dropped everything else.”
Dr. Oon specialized in teaching the sport’s mental game.
“You wouldn’t find him just feeding balls like all those coaches do. It’s a different thing,” Ernest said.
The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) bestowed on Dr. Oon the rank of “Master Professional.”
On the wall in Ernest’s study is a framed Donnay racket, signed on the leather grip by Bjorn Borg. It was given to Dr. Oon after the two played an exhibition match in Singapore after Borg’s retirement. ER