BRUCE MERRIN: Tennis, anyone?

63-year-old excels at winning sport's mind game

Clockwise from top, Bruce Merrin, 63, works on his game at the tennis courts at Bally?s. Merrin is the captain of the Bally?s tennis team, which is part of the Nevada Tennis Association Saturday League. The team has 12 players.photos by marlene karas/view

There's some gray in his hair, but there's also a spring in his step.

Tennis enthusiast Bruce Merrin, 63, often faces 20- or 30-something contenders across the net. An unfair advantage? You bet. The younger players have no idea what they're up against.

Merrin has been known to win in straight sets against his younger opponents. At the Stacy Darling Memorial Day Classic at the Darling Tennis Center, 7901 W. Washington Ave., he battled back from being behind to win the match. His opponent: a 20-year-old who, he said, "could run like a cheetah."

The game lasted three hours. It tested Merrin's endurance. But, as in any contest, experience also counted.

"The 20-year-old, when it comes to running and hitting, sure, he has it over me. But, mentally ... it's like chess, a mind game. You figure out where to hit the ball, how to set up your shot," Merrin said. "I like the mental challenge of figuring out how to win."

Merrin is an 18-year resident of The Lakes community near Summerlin and operates his own publicity company, Bruce Merrin's Celebrity Speakers and Entertainment Bureau. He's been booking clients for 34 years, including people like Johnny Carson, Phyllis Diller and Michael Landon. The day he was interviewed, he'd just booked Goldie Hawn for an appearance in Delray Beach, Fla.

Merrin also is captain of the Bally's tennis team, part of the Nevada Tennis Association Saturday League. The team has 12 players.

"I'm amazed at his energy," said Irwan Groh, a dentist on the Bally's team. "Does he drink Red Bull? No, I think it's (energy) just naturally in his blood."

Jason Swanson, director of tennis for the Darling Center, said it's not every day that he sees someone in their 60s taking on opponents half their age. He credits Merrin as a "fair player, honest about calling balls" in or out of bounds. "He enjoys playing the game, and he knows what he's doing," Swanson said.

Merrin always has been active in some type of sport. He was on the track team in high school, on the racquetball team at UCLA, where he majored in film making. Later, he ran 10Ks and half marathons -- 13.1 miles.

Merrin said he's been blessed with no major injury when it comes to tennis. Sure, he's suffered a sprained ankle or a sore muscle here and there, but nothing serious.

The same cannot be said for another sport he enjoyed in his 30s and 40s -- racquetball.

He was rated an A player, the highest in the sport, and played on a league in Southern California. The fateful day came when he was 45 years old.

"We were macho guys. We didn't wear eye protectors," he said.

In the middle of a game, his opponent rocketed a forehand that sent the ball speeding at more than 100 miles per hour into Merrin's left eye.

"With my right eye, I could see OK," he recalled. "But with my left, everything was gray."

The blow had caused his retina to detach. Merrin was in the hospital for 14 days and underwent surgery. For the next few months, he saw double until the muscles returned to near normal. He now has to wear glasses for his 20/80 vision.

"My ophthalmologist told me, 'You have no idea how lucky you are. If the ball had hit a little lower, you'd be blind," ' he said.

He switched to tennis after that and has been enjoying the game ever since, playing at least twice a week.

Merrin said he'll continue to play the sport as long as he's physically able.