The year was 1980. Mark Platt was ready to enter the corporate world. Then the recession hit. JC Penney froze his job. He'd learned to play tennis from Earl Buchholz Sr., and he never forgot how much fun Mr. Buchholz made it for everyone. So he took what he'd been taught and built something new. 

He found his students before they found him. The less you knew, the better for him. He looked for balls flying over the fence, and if you were playing with a Wilson Jack Kramer or a T-2000, he was coming for you. 

In 1984, he founded Beginner's World Tennis. The idea was simple: get as many people on a court as possible by organizing parties, team tennis leagues, community-based lessons, and special events. 

He created drills and games using a 44-foot-long court that he calls Fun Tennis 44. Word spread. What started as a group became a community. Forty-five years and 100,000 St. Louisans later, Beginner's World Tennis is just one of his many programs. 

His techniques got noticed. In 1991, Mark put St. Louis on the map. Tennis Magazine named him one of the top five tennis teachers in the country. "Usually, to get recognized nationally, you need to be in Florida or New York," he said. Local pros took notice too. Donna Stauffer, former Lafayette High School coach, called him an innovator and a pioneer. Craig Sandvig, former Washington University coach, put it more simply: "Mark is the single best grower of the game that I've ever seen." 

Over 20 years, his events have raised half a million dollars for the Siteman Cancer Center. Match.com has nothing on Mark Platt. Fifty-six couples who met at his parties have gone on to get married. And his networking is just as good as his net play. He regularly helps his students find jobs.

Then there's Yelena. One of those players he found hitting the ball over the fence 30 years ago. Mark saw something. He drove her to practice, worked with her to learn English, and eventually helped her get into the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She earned her medical degree in 2005 and now runs an obstetrics practice in St. Louis. Mark is teaching her daughter to play tennis. 

Mark Platt didn't have beginner's luck. He knew exactly what he was doing 

(2019)