To the Stanford Community,

We are all 110-percent engrossed at this great University in our own worlds with little time to venture beyond. But every once in a while, something so special occurs in our universe here at Stanford that it deserves special attention and consideration. This can happen in the classroom, in a lecture series, in performing arts or in a multitude of other areas.

In my 50 years at Stanford — five as a student-athlete, and 45 as an employee, 38 of which were served as the men’s tennis coach — I have had the opportunity to witness many of these events on campus. Just in my own special area of athletics alone, I have been privileged to watch on campus the USA-USSR track and field spectacle during the height of the Cold War, a Super Bowl, World Cup soccer games, dual match intercollegiate tennis matches played before more than 7,000 in Maples Pavilion and the Fed Cup tennis finals between the United States and Russia.

The incredible 12-1 football season and yet another Final Four appearance by our women’s basketball team this year are sterling examples of the fantastic performances of our student athletes. How proud we can and should be.

Unfortunately, not all these great performances receive the support they merit. Specifically, I refer to our men’s and women’s tennis teams. Of the 100 national team championships won by Stanford (Thank you, men’s gymnastics, for getting us to this milestone last month!), 34 have been won by the storied men’s and women’s tennis teams — 17 by each program.

The tradition continues this year, headed by our defending national champion women’s team and 2010 NCAA doubles champ and singles semi-finalist, senior Hilary Barte. Our women have not lost at home in over 12 years, winning 179 matches in a row), a national record in any sport. Our men also have a legitimate shot at the title as well and are led by 2010 NCAA singles champion, junior Bradley Klahn.

And yet, despite the presence of these two great teams and all of the exciting individuals that comprise them, our student attendance this year has been subpar. There is an incredible home court advantage in tennis if there is a large and boisterous crowd supporting its players. We have a unique and rare opportunity to tangibly contribute to the final success of these teams this year, as we host the 2011 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships at the beautiful Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

I trust we can rise to the challenge of giving our teams the support they merit and in turn give them that boost to make a real difference in results. The 12-day NCAA Tennis Championships, hosted from May 19 to 30, are comparable to the Orange Bowl or the Final Four being held at Stanford, with the Cardinal as a legitimate contender for both titles. We hope to see you there.

Dick Gould

The John L. Hinds Director of Tennis

Stanford University