Kathleen Horvath watching her son RJ Fresen practice. “Tennis is his aspiration, but all I really want for him is to be happy, healthy, successful and to hopefully pursue his passion,” Horvath said. Credit Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times Kathleen Horvath peered over the railing high above the indoor courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Outside, rain was pouring down so hard that it sounded as if the New York Philharmonic’s percussion section were rehearsing on the roof.
Horvath tried to pretend she was not sneaking peeks at her 16-year-old son R J Fresen. He was hitting with Julia Elbaba, a four-time all-American at Virginia and a fledgling pro, under the watchful eye of Jay Devashetty, a coach for the United States Tennis Association.
Fresen, once ranked in the top 10 by the U.S.T.A. among 12- and 14-year-old boys, had been out of the game for much of the last two and a half years because of a stress fracture in his back. Finally healthy, he has his sights set on a pro career, just as his mother once had, with a possible stop at college along the way.
“Tennis is his aspiration, but all I really want for him is to be happy, healthy, successful and to hopefully pursue his passion,” Horvath said. “Based on his drive, work ethic and how much he loves competing, he’s well suited for this life.”
Horvath, 51, who lives in Short Hills, N.J., often drives 200 miles a day shuttling Fresen between training sessions, physical therapy and academic tutoring. She also wafts between typical tennis parent and been-there-done-that observer.
That is because she has been there and done that.
In 1979, when she was just 14 years 5 days old, Horvath, then known as Kathy, became the youngest player to compete in a main-draw match at the United States Open. Her record still stands. A native of tiny Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County, N.Y., Horvath played her way through three qualifying matches, the first on her 14th birthday, before losing to the Australian veteran Dianne Fromholtz in straight sets in the first round.
She would go on to reach the top 10 and amass a singles record of 176-154 before retiring in 1989. But there is only one match that really matters.
On May 28, 1983, Martina Navratilova and Horvath played in the round of 16 at the French Open, a match that would become a question on “Jeopardy!” and in Trivial Pursuit. While they did not know it at the time, Horvath’s victory would become Navratilova’s only loss in 87 singles matches that season, preventing her from capturing the Grand Slam.
“It’s the reason Martina hates me to this day,” Horvath said, only half joking.
On a picturesque Saturday afternoon at Roland Garros, a crowd gathered to watch Navratilova, the defending champion, who had won her first 36 matches that year. Horvath, then 17 and unseeded, had reached the final of the German Open in Berlin the week before, losing to Chris Evert in straight sets.
But almost everyone in the stands that day expected Navratilova to win easily and go on to face the second-seeded Evert in the final. Horvath had other ideas.
