Amidst the excitement on the court over the last few days of the CitiOpen Tennis Tournament, one bittersweet parting took place in the announcer’s booth that drew Washingtonians even more toward tennis love.
You’d recognize him by his voice. His name is Charlie Brotman, and he’s been announcing the Washington tournament since its inaugural year in 1969 — and every year since. After being honored as a inductee into the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) Hall of Fame, Presented by Citi for his decades of service to the tournament this year, the legendary voice that boomed over the stadium court for all of its 46 years announced that he would step down from the mic after the men’s final match.
In an interview with MarblePlayTV, Brotman, whose career also included giving the play-by-play of Eisenhower’s inaugural parade, working as an on-air radio-TV personality in the 50s and 60s, and eventually forming Brotman Winter Fried (acquired by Sage Communications), said only this about the evolution of tennis over the years: “In the old days, [the players] seemed to enjoy the tennis more.”
And a takeaway of his own experiences? “I’m talking about some of the greatest tennis players — these are all friends now… I’m one lucky and fortunate guy.”
*Lead image: Allie Ritzenberg, Charlie Brotman (center) and Dwight Mosley’s induction into the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy WTEF.org
