Tennis History Tuesday: The Richeys Talk Dinara and Marat

Stand-out Brother-Sister Combination From The 1960s, 1970s Speak About Dinara Safina and Marat Safin Becoming Only Sister-Brother To Both Rank No. 1 In The World.

This week Dinara Safina ascended to the No. 1 ranking on the WTA Tour for the first time, joining her older brother Marat Safin (the No. 1 ranked player on the ATP computer for 18 weeks in 2000 and 2001) as the only brother-sister pair to rank No. 1 in the world rankings. Dinara and Marat’s predecessors as perhaps the greatest brother-sister combination in tennis history are Cliff and Nancy Richey, who were both elite players in the game and the only brother-sister pair to rank No. 1 in the United States and called by tennis historian Bud Collins in his book THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS, prior to ascent of Safina, as “the game’s most extra-ordinary sister-brother combo.”

Nancy Richey was the first woman to win the first “open” major championship at the 1968 French Open (as an amateur, making her the only amateur woman to win a major singles title). She also won the Australian Open in 1967 and ranked as the No. 1 American in 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.

Cliff Richey won the year-end international professional points title in 1970 (a precursor to the ATP rankings), highlighted by semifinal showings at the French and U.S. Opens. He clinched the year-end No. 1 singles ranking that year defeating Stan Smith in a match that rided on the final point of the match – a winner-take-all on the final point of sudden-death nine-point tie-breaker – Richey winning the semifinal match at the Pacific Coast Championships in Berkeley, Calif. 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5-4). His book detailing his trials and triumphs with clinical depression is expected to be released within the year.

The following is a question and answer exchange with both Cliff and Nancy on Dinara and Marat’s accomplishment and other insights on brother-sister dynamics in tennis.

1) Are you surprised that Dinara and Marat were both able to achieve the No. 1 ranking?

CLIFF RICHEY: Absolutely. Everyone knows how difficult it is to become No.1 .and for a brother and sister to achieve that is unbelievable!

NANCY RICHEY: They both are big and strong terrific athletes and certainly are talented enough to reach No. 1 and of course two in the same family is quite something!

2) What are the dynamics of sibling rivalries and did the two of you have one when you were growing up?

CLIFF RICHEY: When there are two that good in the same family, there is always good-natured needling and sometimes not so good-natured needling as to results and current form etc. But, of course, the best thing is that you always have a practice partner.My sister Nancy and I always felt we took advantage of that very much. We always felt that it was a big time advantage to have a built in practice partner.

NANCY RICHEY: Being four years older than Cliff, I had a decided advantage over him until he was about 13 years old. Cliff started to beat me in our practice matches on a regular basis when he turned 15. However, we continued to be good for one anothers games throughout our careers. I know I can say that Cliff also coached me to several very important tournament titles. The advantage of having a built-in coach is not to be overlooked.

3) Is it more difficult being the older or younger sibling when in a sibling rivalry or when siblings are both highly talented and successful at the same sport? Is it more or less difficult being the male or female or does it matter?

CLIFF RICHEY: For me, I was glad I was the younger one and also I was glad I was the male. When I was around 11 years old and I started to become serious and was becoming a good player, I obviously had a very successful role model with my sister to show me the way and we were great practice partners for one another in those early years. I think the younger male / older female combination is preferable in those formative years.

NANCY RICHEY: Cliff and I are four years apart in age and we were both glad that we were relatively close age-wise so that we had pretty much coinciding careers. I never really felt that it was a rivalry but more a joint effort. Being of the different gender, it really eliminated the rivalry aspect as far as I was concerned – sister/sister or brother/brother seems to me would be more difficult.

4) Talk about how the two of you were both able achieve great heights in international tennis as brother-sister?

CLIFF RICHEY: Obviously, we were both blessed with enough athletic ability to reach the top rungs in the game. Just because it’s brother/sister from the same gene pool does not always mean that you both have the necessary abilities. Our father coached both of us throughout our career. He knew the game very well and was a very good player in his own right. He was also a very good tactician. I feel very blessed to have had a father who taught me that the attitude that you must have is that if you were good at the state level take it national and if you are good there, take it international. He taught me not to be afraid of success..

NANCY RICHEY:  As I have said, it is a big help to have an entire family dedicated to the game.  Cliff and I were both known as tenacious competitors. This was imparted to both of us by our father. He was not an abusive father – the modern game has had a few of those – he simply had a super never-say-die attitude. He hated to lose and obviously that rubbed off on us–that’s not a bad thing!

5) What advice would you have for parents and siblings who both excel at a high level of tennis?

CLIFF RICHEY: Respect the game for how difficult it is. In our case, we were proud of our longevity and having it in the family is a double edged sword. There are probably more heated moments in a family situation but the family dedication and built-in advantages I believe override any of the negatives. It’s hard to describe really but the Richeys were just totally committed to the game over a very long period of time. I know there were times where we were too deathly serious about the game and of course if I could do it all over again I would try to inject a little more fun into it but that’s easy to say now.

NANCY RICHEY: Always remember at any level that it’s a great game – true family love and loyalty will get you through many tough spots.