SPORTS
It’s just another day at the office for
Yorkshire terriers Max and Bear as
their owner Mark Harrison readies
for work.
The office for this trio is the tennis
court in the back of Harrison’s Lake
Washington home, where he teaches the
fine points of tennis to aspiring players
while the teeny terriers watch intently.
Rockets fly along the Space Coast, but
so do tennis balls, and plenty of them.
The area is tailor-made for the sport and
professionals like Harrison are all too
happy to help students of the game hone
their skills.
“Tennis in Brevard is popular and
thriving,” Harrison said. “Brevard is very
much a tennis town.”
Harrison’s story reflects the degree of
passion for the sport found in so many
local players, be they amateurs or pros.
“I started playing tennis when I was
seven with my dad,” he said. “I loved
it from the beginning and wanted it as
a career.”
Harrison’s father, who at 80 still plays
tennis twice a week and is also a scratch
golfer, went so far as to build a tennis
court in the backyard of their West
Melbourne house.
By age 9, Harrison was competing in
tournaments. At Palm Beach State
College, where he went after graduating
from Melbourne High, he earned All-
America designations in singles and
doubles. Harrison’s pro highlights include
17 United States Tennis Association
national titles and the No. 1 ranking in
Florida singles and doubles.
STELLAR CAREER
A member of the Space Coast Sports Hall
of Fame, Harrison won the USTA national
at Forest Hills. He has represented the
United States in competitions throughout
the world and continues to do so, even
though he has an active teaching career
in Melbourne and at the Hamptons,
where, from Memorial Day to Labor Day,
he is director of tennis at the ultraexclusive
club, The Bridge.
“It is safe to say the Hamptons is one
of the most desirable tennis markets >>
WINTER 2023: 67