Destiny sends Greer to Games in Athens
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Two months ago, Kane'ohe's John Greer played on the lush lawn at Wimbledon. This week, he plays an exhibition at the U.S. Open. Then, his 2004 wheelchair tennis schedule truly takes off.
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How many players can make that claim?
"The Paralympics has been a lifelong dream ... the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," says Kane'ohe's John Greer, who missed the 2000 Sydney Paralympics because of a severe bone infection.
Greer will live out a dream that feels as old as Athens when he plays in the 12th Paralympics Games, Sept. 19 to 27 at the same sites in Greece where the Olympic Games just ended.
Four thousand-plus athletes from more than 100 countries will participate, including 112 from 33 countries in tennis.
Greer will play singles, where his current world ranking is 19 (he qualified at No. 13 in April), and doubles. His partner is Steve Welch, the top-ranked American singles player and No. 4 in the world. Welch, also a world-class basketball player, has won the silver medal in singles at the past two Paralympics.
"We are a medal hopeful," Greer says. "Steve is really good on the baseline and one of the faster guys on tour and I'm good at the net so we're a good team."
The two were a win away from gold at the World Team Cup and British Open, two of the premier events on the burgeoning world tour. The Paralympics are the ultimate prize, particularly for Greer.
Four years ago, his relentless training and constant travel had him heading Down Under for the Sydney Paralympics. A severe bone infection in his back kept him out, and nearly killed him. He was knocked out of the game for a year.
The thought of playing in Athens was part of Greer's motivation for coming back after his ranking, as high as sixth in 1998, dropped to zero.
"It was destiny for me to go to Athens where it all started," Greer said.
It has been a wild ride to get there. He was married nearly four years ago; wife, Christine, narrowly missed qualifying for England's Paralympic team.
The family joke is that they are "home" in Hawai'i long enough each year to "wash clothes and pack." This year they have gone to tournaments in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, England, Canada, Miami and New York. They average two or three trips to Europe and two to Japan each year.
Purses for wheelchair events range from $15,000 to $50,000. The tour is the Greers' career. John, who will turn 40 in Athens, has played on it half his life, since a 1984 car accident paralyzed him from the waist down.
"It seems like forever. Everything has changed so much on the tour," Greer says. "Back in the day, everybody used to party and some were a little overweight and half the guys smoked. Now everybody is watching their nutrition and lifting and talking to psychologists."
Greer believes he had more "raw talent" in 1998, but his tactics and feel for the game are dramatically better now. By the end of the month, he will know if his instincts are golden.
Either way, it has been a brilliant year.
He had a player's badge at Wimbledon that allowed him full access when he played his exhibition July 3 and 4. "It was really amazing," Greer recalled. "It's always been my dream to play Wimbledon and I couldn't stop smiling."
This week, he takes on Flushing Meadows. Then, the world.
"The Paralympics has been a lifelong dream," Greer says. "The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. ... Everything this year is great for me."
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.
