‘Racket Up, America!’ Million-Dollar Serve Attempt Falls Short

March 15, 2010 · No Comments

The target was a life-size image of Billie Jean King, and the goal was to serve a ball that first bounced in the service box of the Madison Square Garden court and then went through the hole in BJK’s racquet.

If the Christine Smith of Hurst, Texas—the random winner of the Racket Up, America! promotion—had been able to do that, she would have won $1 million. But Billie Jean won that round, as Smith’s attempt fell short. The potential million-dollar serve took place during the BNP Paribas Showdown on March 1.

Smith, who originally entered the contest hoping for third prize—$500 in tennis equipment, which she planned to donate to her daughter’s high school—was surprised that she ended up as the grand-prize winner. Especially considering that she does not play tennis.

Local media in the Dallas area, along with Tennis magazine, interviewed Smith for stories about how she planned to “train” for the serve, and how she felt serving in front of thousands of tennis fans at one of the most storied sports venues of all time. Hear her in her own words from an interview with KRLD-AM, a CBS affiliate radio station in Dallas. She was on the “On the Other Side of the News” segment on March 1.