Through the steady rumble of traffic encircling Tarkington Park in Indianapolis, a mixture of shoes squeaking, rackets thwacking and energetic grunting rang out. Under tufts of clouds spreading across a light blue sky, spectators lounged in lawn chairs to catch a glimpse of the action.
In a time where a majority of sports have been absent due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sight last Saturday in Indianapolis was rather rare. It was live sports.
IU men’s tennis rising sophomore Patrick Fletchall crouched with a slight bend in his knees and gripped a racket in his hand. A socially distanced length away from Fletchall, stood Grand Slam mixed-doubles champion Rajeev Ram. Former All-American and IU volunteer assistant coach Ronnie Schneider was positioned across the net, along with Northwestern tennis commit Presley Thieneman.
The gathering was organized by digital sports media company Cracked Racquets to raise money for Frontline Foods, an organization that provides meals from local restuarants to workers fighting coronavirus.
When Fletchall got a text about playing in the event, he didn’t hesitate to join. Fletchall grew up in the Indianapolis area and was a two-time state champion. Throughout his years of junior tennis, he said he always felt supported by the tennis community.
“I figured what better use of my time than now to give back to Indianapolis fans,” Fletchall said. “I thought that it was just a special event and I couldn’t turn it down.”
Fletchall had watched the updates on the news and scrolled through social media during the initial outbreak of the pandemic a few months ago. Videos of doctors attending to patients spread the internet as they attempted to subside the health crisis. Now, there have been more than 2 million confirmed cases in the U.S.
Fletchall’s father, who is a family doctor, came into contact with patients that had flu-like symptoms. His father tested negative for the virus and is healthy.
So, when Fletchall read the text, he knew he wanted to help the cause.
The headlined doubles match on Saturday was just the precursor to more live tennis. An open draw tournament was coordinated for the rest of the weekend.
IU men’s tennis senior William Piekarsky was also notified about competing in the event.
Piekarsky, who graduated from IU in the spring, is staying in Bloomington to utilize the extra year of eligibility that the NCAA provided to all spring athletes. While Piekarsky will continue college life, many of his friends, who were scheduled to move out, struggled to score jobs.
“I’m very lucky that our financial situation is OK, but there are a lot of people that it’s not,” Piekarsky said. “We’re all in this together and some people need more help and now is the time to be that light and be that help to people that really need it.”
Piekarsky also has friends whose family members contracted the virus. He reached out to them to offer support.
“They said it was the worst feeling they’ve ever had,” Piekarsky said. “They felt so sick and couldn’t explain it or wish it on anyone.”
So, Piekarsky stayed in Fletchall’s house for the weekend and joined his teammate in the fundraiser.
Fletchall reached the semifinals in the singles draw before finally losing, while Piekarsky dropped his first round match. In the doubles tournament, Fletchall and his partner met Piekarsky and Schneider in the semifinals.
“There’s a little banter going back and forth the whole time,” Piekarsky said with a laugh.
Fletchall came out on top, leaving more room to trash talk in the coming season. However, he ended up losing in the finals.
After playing 11 matches over the weekend, Fletchall’s legs ached as he hobbled around. But, what mattered most was the positive influence on the community. According to IndyStar, around $5,000 was raised.
At the end of the celebrity doubles match, the four converged at the net and, instead of shaking hands, they bumped rackets in a salute to their competitors, and social distancing.
