Appreciation: L.P. Ernst – Tennis Champion and Gentleman Extraordinaire!
View(s):L.P. Ernst the tennis legend was my tennis coach – kind, generous and a gentleman to his fingertips. Percy was the National Champion in 1953, and a member of the first Sri Lankan Davis Cup team.
From 1950 – 1960 he was one of the top Sri Lankan tennis players. Going way back to 1960, when the Nationals were played in Nuwara Eliya, Percy was a popular and respected player, with stylish ground strokes and impeccable manners — both off and on the courts.
Determination and guts were his trademark and a match was not over until it was really over.At the time, I was a junior trying to learn by watching!
There were no professional coaches in the early 60’s – the tennis we learnt was either from our parents, school, or poring over books to learn the correct strokes from the pictorial descriptions!
I cannot remember how I was singled out by Percy to be coached. I had won the Junior Nationals a couple of times, hit the headlines a few times with unexpected wins and by 1964 had reached a plateau.
To be a protégé of this legend was a privilege. I put my heart and soul into this game of tennis and Percy was able to make me enjoy practicing hard and giving the best I could.
His philosophy for tennis was first get the mastery of the ground strokes – be able to play either the backhand or forehand where ever you wish the ball to land and be CONSISTENT.
This I learnt – by practicing with him every day for two hours and doing exactly what he instructed me to do. Percy, had no technical coaching experience, but he was able to impart the knowledge and experience he had as a tennis player to a pupil who was more than willing to learn.
He was my “Guru” from 1965- 1969. His first goal was to make me reach the top in Sri Lankan tennis, which he did and then win the Nationals, which was a greater challenge, because top level Indian and Indonesian girls competed every year.
With his guidance, encouragement, and patience -to use not only the tennis racquet but also one’s head, I was able to reach this target.
He spent hours on the tennis court without any financial benefits, and I think I did make him proud of what he had achieved — molding another young Sri Lankan tennis champion.
Thank you Percy for all what you did for me – I am forever indebted.
Sria Gooneratne
Munasinghe