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John Gunther once noted that in Hong Kong, the Chinese, after observing how the English groaned and sweated, how gruff and red they grew on the court, mildly inquired why they did not hire coolies to play their tennis for them. Much the same sort of observation might be made about the psychological stresses of mixed doubles for many couples. Indeed, the mystery is, in view of the possible pain, why so many people want to play mixed doubles at all. One reason, masquerading under the jargon of togetherness, is a persistent yearning for a shared skill, for a kind of comradeship that husbands and wives feel ought to be part of a modern marriage. "It was sort of like circling the wagons," a 45-year-old wife says wistfully. "However you worked it out, you were supposed to be stronger for being together." Another reason is the evident pleasure of the game as it can be played, a fine and courtly conspiracy in motion, full of nuances and restraints and insights into character, as well as hard shots and action. "Mixed doubles," says John McPhee, author of Levels of the Game, the best book on tense, competitive tennis yet written, "has to be played with a pinch of forbearance. It doesn't have much to do with winning. It's more like a fleshly version of that other rarity, a civilized conversation between four friends."
Whatever the motives, whatever the pangs, circumstances alone seem likely to keep mixed doubles growing. Crowded and expensive courts force people to play doubles, and some clubs have dictated doubles only for weekends, which frequently translates into mixed-doubles. One of the largest groups in the new wave of tennis players are the over 50s, men and women whose children are grown up and who want to do something together. They also tend to prefer the slower pace of mixed doubles.
Prize money for mixed doubles at the U.S. Open increased over 300% in the past year, and such matches are covered more heavily than ever by television. The network of smaller mixed-doubles tournaments for amateurs, sponsored by companies, is increasing. In 1970, Kodel's first year, 600 players competed. This year more than 10,000 men and women were in action, and the company is thinking of doubling that number next year. More mixed-doubles play does not necessarily mean less conflict. Braden notes that in tennis, as women free themselves from inhibitions about sweating and yelling and hustling to win, they may prove more of a court scourge than men. Says he: "Women are hurt more deeply and stay hurt longer by losses. I've had women come to me saying they wanted to be good enough to beat someone two years from now. The arguments in the new all-women's leagues are something like 25 times as many as occur in the men's leagues. For many women who don't work, tennis is their only outlet. There is no definite reward system in being a mother. With tennis there is a definite reward system."