BRUNSWICK, Maine — A nationally-recognized tennis tournament is coming to Maine this May, the USTA Men's National 35 ITF Tournament.
The four-day tournament runs from May 19-21. It's being held at Maine Pines in Brunswick.
Jason Terry, director of tennis at Maine Pines said, "It is a different type of tennis when you see some of these people play.”
It’s Maine’s only category-one tennis tournament, which means that players play for points to be able to play on the world team when they play against other countries.
“We've had people that have played in Wimbledon come and play. We've had people on the tour, who are just getting off the tour play," Terry said.
Maine Pines said it expects around 100 players this year.
One Mainer in particular plans to serve up some competition.
Bill Ewing, 80, has been playing tennis since he was seven. This year, he's taking on the USTA National Tournament on his home court.
“I’m probably more intense than the others, but I'm the oldest one on the court. I got to justify being there,” Ewing said.
Ewing's approach to life and tennis is that it's just another match.
Ewing said, "Having this kind of activity just adds to the quality of life. And when you finish, it's over. That whole match is over. You put it aside. You just come back the next day and start over.”
But more importantly, he’s looking forward to hitting the courts this May with some well-known players.
“I get to play with them. They know that I'm not an intense competition, but they make it fun,” Ewing said.