The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FORGET retirement. Former touring pro Mark Knowles has decided to take down his tennis gear and come out to play one more tournament.

Less than one year after he retired following the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, Knowles said he was convinced in a conversation with long-time friend and former partner Lleyton Hewitt to make his 22nd consecutive appearance in the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tourney at the All England Club in London, England.

The application was submitted and Knowles was awarded a wild card into the doubles draw on Friday to team up with Hewitt, the 2002 singles champion.

“I am extremely excited. I am honoured and thankful to the AELTC and referee Andrew Jarrett for extending us a wild card to play in this year’s championships,” Knowles says. “It is the most exciting event that we have on tour and you never get tired of being on the grounds of the All England Club. I truly look forward to getting back out there.”

Knowles, 41, won four Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon’s mixed doubles with Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld in 2009 before he retired after 21 years on the circuit. He and Hewitt, who has a home in Lyford Cay, have built a friendship and bonded with each other’s families. The two even played together, reaching the final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in 2010.

“We were having a chat in Miami this year and Lleyton said ‘why don’t we play doubles this year at Wimbledon?’ My first response was, ‘I am retired’ and he didn’t really think that was a good answer,” said Knowles about how they decided to renew their relationship on the court.

“He started to get on me about firing it back up for the biggest tournament of them all. Once I realised he wasn’t joking, I started to think to myself that I could get it rolling again to have a chance to play with an incredible champion at Wimbledon. I was honoured that Lleyton wanted to play and then jumped at the chance.”

Our kids are similar in age and enjoy hanging out. So we thought this would be pretty cool to play together at Wimbledon and have our kids watch their dads go to work out there. There is really no feeling like playing at Wimbledon. It is such a special place.”

Knowles had his best showing in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2002 when he and former long-time partner Daniel Nestor of Canada finished as runners-up. Knowles also reached the semifinals on four occasions with Nestor and a few other different partners.

Today, both Hewitt and Knowles are enjoying life with their wives and three children each. In fact, it was Knowles’ eldest, seven-year-old Graham, who inspired him to dust off the racket and get back into playing shape for the tournament, which he has played since he was a junior.

“To get to play in front of my family with such a great champion at the greatest event in tennis is amazing. These are moments you cherish as you get older and there is nothing better than sharing them with your loved ones,” Knowles said.

“My wife Dawn and Graham will accompany me to London. The other kids are too busy in their sports and camps to make the trip. They are still too young to understand what their dad does for a living. But with age, Graham has taken more of an interest, really enjoys being around the tennis scene and seeing all of his favourite players.”

A product of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Knowles, at the age of 15, went on to win the US Indoor singles title and was runner up in doubles. He went on to shine for UCLA where he earned All-American status before turning pro in 1991.

During his career, Knowles gained a lot of his success with Nestor as they won three of the four Grand Slams, taking the Australian Open in 2002 and ended up securing the number one spot on the ATP circuit that same year before they came back in 2004 to add the US Open. In 2007, they picked up the French Open before they climaxed their partnership by pulling off the year ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, China.

Knowles, who has hosted a December charity event on Paradise Island since 2001, was one of the few players to have earned a career 50-plus title, eclipsing the feat by India’s Mahesh Bhupathi in 2008 in Basel.

Knowles played his final tournament at the US Open in 2012 with Xavier Malisse, losing in the first round.