He still has game
Camarillo resident, 94, plays tennis four times per week
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers SAVVY VETERAN- Local resident John Darnall has been playing tennis since 1925, when he was 12 years old. Darnell competes against friends four times a week at Pleasant Valley Park in Camarillo.

Camarillo resident John Darnall picked up his first tennis racket when he was 12 years old. The year was 1925.

It's been 82 years since, and he still hasn't put the racket down.

The 94-year-old Darnall has never coached tennis or played professionally. In fact, he never even played the sport in high school. But there may not be a single person in Camarillo that has more knowledge about the game.

"I first started playing tennis in Cincinnati," Darnall said. "I was watching these guys play at a Methodist Church that had two clay tennis courts, and after a while they invited me to start playing with them. I picked up on the sport rather quickly."

On average, Darnall will play tennis four times a week at the Pleasant Valley Park courts. For the last 10 years, Darnall has been playing with the same group of guys at the park. Craig Sherbrooke, 73, from Camarillo, was surprised the first time he saw Darnall play.

"My first impression of him was, 'Wow, he's pretty good for his age,'" Sherbrooke said. "His serve is really good, even better than mine. He's never in a foul mood, and he always greets you in a kind way."

Don Mingay, 72, from Camarillo, said he's played with Darnall for three years.

"I was very surprised with how good he was on the court," Mingay said. "He's a real nice guy and is very easy to talk to."

After living in Ohio, New York and Florida, Darnall moved to Camarillo, where he's lived ever since. Darnall is a former mechanical engineer and previously worked in the research department for the Los Angeles Times for 15 years. He retired when he was 62.

With a job that required frequent travel, Darnall often played in pickup games on the road.

"Tennis is a great game because you only need one to three other people to play a game," Darnall said. "There are tennis courts all over the world. All you need is a racket."

Darnall said technology has changed the game.

"My first racket was wooden, and it had a very wide top," Darnall said. "The equipment today is so much better. The stringing on a racket has become so specialized. They have stringing for all kinds of play and all kinds of weather. The balls have improved, too. They bounce better and they last longer than they did in the past."

Darnall said that while he enjoys his current tennis partners, the best games he ever competed in were at the old Thousand Oaks Racquet Club.

"Now those were some good players," Darnall said. "I enjoyed those years at Thousand Oaks because you always had to bring your best game. It's too bad those courts aren't there anymore."

Darnall, who has lived through 16 U.S. presidents, said the best tennis player he's ever seen is Roger Federer, although Pete Sampras is a close second.

While Darnall has never coached a team, he still offer's tips to anyone that asks.

"I've done no organized teaching, but if someone is doing something wrong, a lot of times they'll ask me for help," Darnall said. "I'll tell them how to hold the racket properly and anything else they need to know."

Darnall said he always looks forward to Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays when he meets up with his tennis group.

"They're a great bunch of guys," Darnall said. "I have a lot of fun playing with them. I played a lot of sports when I was a kid, but I always liked tennis the best to this day. It's a great game. It's social and it gets me out of the house."