It will be a bittersweet start for the Wareham High School girls' tennis team this year, as the excitement of the new season is tempered with sadness that they are finishing their last winter clinic with longtime coach, Alex Pavao, who is retiring as pro of the Marion Indoor Tennis Club after 23 years.

Unlike the majority of their competition, Wareham lacks tennis facilities. So the tennis team depends on Pavao and the Marion Indoor Tennis Club to not only sharpen their skills, but in many cases, teach them the fundamentals of the game.

Each October, Alex hosts a four-month, preseason clinic for high-school girls from Dartmouth High School, Bishop Stang, Fairhaven High School, Old Rochester Regional and Wareham High School. It is designed to help the girls develop and strengthen their skills by dividing practices into drills and rotating matches.

Geoff Swett, who has been coaching the Wareham High School girls' tennis team for the past six years, has always sent his athletes to Marion Indoor Tennis Club in the offseason.

"I have so much trust in Alex's ability to get the most out of young people," said Swett. "He believes in making it fun, and kids won't want to stick with something that isn't fun."

Wareham junior, Kayla Wyatt, agreed. "[Pavao's] sense of humor" would be what she would miss most about Alex. "This was my first winter session with Alex. He helped me a lot with many things and I definitely see an improvement every time I step out on the court.

Ever since he was a young child, Pavao always dreamed of becoming a teacher. He graduated from Southeastern Massachusetts University in 1972 with a degree in Elementary Education and Portuguese. He went on to teach in the New Bedford school system for thirteen years, specializing in grades 4 through 6. However, at the same time, he was discovering his second passion in life-tennis.

While in college, Pavao stumbled upon the game of tennis accidentally when he was at the local park with friends. Over the next couple of years, the friends had taught themselves the game and moved to playing on the courts of Buttonwood Park, where the best intermediate players of New Bedford spent their time. It was there that Alex was discovered by Jak Beardsworth, the pro at the nearby Whaling City Tennis Association (WCTA).
Alex became his assistant, and it wasn't long before he began to work his way up the ranks to become the WCTA director. He organized six weekend tournaments each summer in addition to running the summer league, and instructing the club's junior program with his friend Bob Ryan. The two ended up running the program for 26 years.

But his winters were still open. When the Marion Indoor Tennis Club was looking for a new pro in 1986, they turned to Alex. In the 1990s, he and his wife Irys began taking over more responsibility for the club and became its owners. The business has been thriving ever since.

"I've been teaching alongside Alex since the fall of 2004," said Russ Keeler. "Alex is high energy, always moving, like the kids he teaches. His clinics are about lots of movement and hitting lots of tennis balls, with as little standing around as possible. I think the kids feed upon his energy and passion."

Owning a business that is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm isn't an easy task, however. Throw in being the head coach of the Bishop Stang boys' tennis team in the spring, and directing WCTA in the summer, and there is little time left to breathe, let alone keep up that high energy. So after 23 years, Alex said that he is ready to retire and travel the world with his wife. But no matter where he goes, he promises to always come back.

"I'd miss teaching too much, and I'd miss people too much," said Alex. "I may be traveling, but I'm not going anywhere. As soon as I finish emptying my bucket list, I'll be back on the courts volunteering where I can."
The reassurance that their beloved pro won't be going far has comforted club members and friends.

"I expect to continue to compete with and against Alex for years to come and continue to pick his brain about teaching and coaching," said Keeler. "Fortunately, I will not have to miss any of that. I will miss teaching alongside him and the boost that I get from the energy that he puts into every lesson he teaches."

On June 1, Charles "Chick" Renfew of the Sippican Tennnis Club will be taking over as pro at the Marion Indoor Tennis Club. As for Alex, he said that "Irys and I are looking forward to enjoying our club from the other side of the desk."

Lauren Harper is a 2009 graduate of Wareham High School, where she played on the Girls Varsity Tennis Team.  She is currently attending Bridgewater State College.