New York
While on the tennis circuit from the mid-Fifties to 1965, it was an open secret that there was a lot of hanky-panky going on in the women’s locker rooms. Mind you, lady players were much older than they are now, but there were still some pretty young and impressionable girls competing who took ‘coaching’ from older female players. Competitors back then chose not to know, although in late-night bull sessions and poker games the subject would inevitably be joked about. Actually, I bring it up because of the tennis coach who is facing jail after being convicted of having a year-long lesbian affair with the 13-year-old she was coaching. Yes, it’s a terrible breach of trust and quite disgusting, but I’d hate to think of some very grand names of tennis who have got away with similar behaviour. Claire Lyte, the coach, is obviously very stupid to boot. She should have pleaded guilty immediately and thrown herself at the mercy of the court. The judge had very correctly even warned her to reconsider. Now she’s facing jail and the end of her career. What bothers me is the mother of the victim. As they say, what was she thinking allowing her daughter to continue training at the academy and waiting almost a year before making a formal complaint?
Big Bill Tilden, one of the greatest before modern technology changed the game into a power contest, did time for playing around with young boys, and I can think of at least two great women champions who have been very close to crossing the line where youngsters are concerned. I suppose the rules of the river apply: don’t get caught. But let’s not throw the book at Claire Lyte.
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