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As the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship takes place at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, showcasing top-ranked players and title winners, there’s someone working behind the scenes who plays a crucial role in the tournament: Randy Gibson.
For over two decades, Gibson has been stringing rackets at tennis tournaments, including the last four U.S. Opens. Along with his team of two other stringers in the tournament’s racket services department, Gibson handles every racket for almost every player during the event. The clay court championship keeps him particularly busy, with the unique conditions of the courts leading to increased racket wear.
“In Houston, especially because it’s clay court, we’ll always do more than 350 rackets,” Gibson shared with ABC13. “Clay court has moisture, and the ball gets the moisture and the clay, so the strings wear probably a little more.”
Outside the stringers’ office, there’s a board displaying information about the type of racket, string, and tension preferred by top players, all managed by Gibson and his team. Despite the pressure of producing the perfect racket setup for elite athletes, Gibson emphasizes that his priority is meeting the players’ preferences to ensure their satisfaction.
“For some, it is even more important than you would even think,” Gibson explained. “So at that point, all my job is: it’s not about my thoughts, my opinions – it’s about what they want and just making sure they’re happy.”
However, there are moments when players express frustration by hitting their rackets, sometimes damaging Gibson’s work. As a tennis player himself, Gibson acknowledges feeling a pang of disappointment when this happens.
“Every once in a while, you say ‘Aww man,'” Gibson admitted.
With Gibson’s meticulous attention to detail, the goal is to ensure that every racket stays in the players’ hands, contributing to a successful tournament experience for all involved.