Columnist: NTA failing to promote local players

Monday, July 8, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

EVERY SPORTS columnist in the country has a piece running today on tennis and Wimbledon. The themes will vary somewhat but more than a few will discuss the improbability of a men's final without a seeded player -- which was a first -- and the potential significance within the African-American community of MaliVai Washington becoming the first black player since Arthur Ashe in 1975 to play with the championship at stake.

Another option exists for those writing or reading in Las Vegas and it has to do with the apparent -- and continued -- nonchalance of the Nevada Tennis Association.

Ordinarily, athletic associations are formed to promote their particular sport and provide structured competition for those interested. The Southern Nevada Golf Association is the perfect example, arranging regular tournaments and keeping its name -- and its players' names -- in the public spotlight through a regular series of events that run virtually year-round.

The most important of the SNGA tournaments are covered by the papers and even the results of the lesser events find their way into print, adding to everyone's satisfaction.

Why the Nevada Tennis Association doesn't conduct its business in a similar fashion has been perplexing for several years. The NTA has its newsletter, yet it remains a very low-profile organization that has failed to date to capitalize on the sport's ever-increasing fan base. It's a matter of fact that when it comes to local tennis, stories of turmoil within the power structure -- such as who's presiding over the NTA or who's running the facilities at Lorenzi Park -- outnumber stories of athletic achievement.

There's no reason for it to be that way.

A year ago in this space the then-president of the NTA promised to look into the relatively simple concept of holding an open city championship. No one knew if it had ever been done but everyone agreed it was a great idea and a way to showcase the city's leading players. The men's and women's finals would be worthy events for media coverage and the tournament itself would breathe some life into the Las Vegas tennis scene.

That president is now a past-president and another year has passed with the NTA making no visible strides forward. What's so hard about holding a legitimate city championship, with everyone from NTA to country club members dueling for supremacy? If it takes a month to conduct, so what?

Wimbledon, due to interruptions like Sunday's three rain delays, seemed to stretch on for weeks before Richard Krajicek eventually wore down Washington a day after Steffi Graf had her usual way with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Having determined the men's and women's most prestigious championships, tennis advances with unusual momentum as both the Olympics and the U.S. Open lie ahead.

But the bandwagon hasn't yet passed through Las Vegas, where the NTA -- however well-intentioned -- is unresponsive to a fault.