New Tennis Star Alexandra Stevenson Is Dr. J's Daughter And A True Champion

Jet, July 26, 1999

Champions are born, not made. And new tennis star Alexandra Stevenson is a champion in the truest sense of the word.

She is the daughter of a champion-NBA great Julius "Dr. J" Erving.

She recently won international attention when she made history at Wimbledon in England-the same day that Dr. J revealed to the world that he is indeed her father.

The new 18-year-old champion handled herself with grace and ease on and off the tennis court. She won with grace and eventually conceded graciously her loss to Lindsay Davenport.

Again with grace, she refused to comment when asked by reporters at a post-tennis match conference if Erving was her biological father.

"I just focus on my tennis and let everyone else deal with all that," Stevenson said before Erving made his statement. "I'm oblivious to most of it. I haven't been reading any newspapers, just playing tennis."

And she indeed played tennis. She made history at Wimbledon by becoming the first qualifier to reach the women's semifinals.

Only one man, John McEnroe in 1978, has reached the semifinals as a qualifier since qualifying competition began in 1925 to include a few players not selected for the main draw.

Stevenson served 15 aces at speeds of up to 113 mph in a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Jelena Dokic.

Two hours later Erving, who initially denied that he is her father, said reports that he is her biological father are true and he has been supporting her financially (JET, July 19).

Stevenson's mother, Samantha Stevenson, is a White freelance journalist who worked in Philadelphia when Erving starred there for the 76ers.

She has written many times about her efforts to raise her daughter to be a champion.

"What makes a champion?" she asked rhetorically in a World Tennis article in 1987. "Red Smith (the late New York Times sports columnist) once told me it's in the blood. I agree. A world-class athlete is born with the ability to be great. Alexandra has it. You do know if your child's got it."

Alexandra Stevenson was 9 in 1990 when Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon for the last time, and she heard someone ask Navratilova if there ever would be a great serve-and-volleyer like her again.

"She said there is some 9- or 10-year-old that is going to be coming up," Stevenson said. "I was watching it, and my mom was in the bedroom, and I said, `Hey, mom, that's me.' I really thought it was going to be me. It's great that it's kind of coming true."

Erving said he hoped coming forward would ease the distractions that shadowed Stevenson's run at Wimbledon.

"I understand they are being besieged because she won her match today," Erving said. "Getting this statement out will help."

Erving also said, "I am pleased to see Alexandra, at 18, doing so well, and I applaud her mother's efforts and courage."

Erving has four children with his wife, Turquoise. They married in 1972.

Neither the tennis star nor her mother, Samantha, made any comment about Erving's being Alexandra's father.

"No comment ever," Samantha Stevenson said. "I'll go to my grave with it."

The issue came up when The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Florida published a copy of Stevenson's birth certificate that lists her father as Julius Winfield Erving II-Dr. J's formal name. Erving initially denied he was Stevenson's father after the story came out.

Alexandra's mother, Samantha, stirred Wimbledon since the start of the tournament with accusations of racism and lesbianism on the tour and a dispute over prize money for her daughter.

Alexandra lost 6-1, 6-1 to Davenport. Afterward, the gracious champion, who lost with a smile, said in the Sunday Telegraph, "I have experienced the glory of Wimbledon. Now I might persuade the flight attendant to upgrade me to business class on the way home and be able to buy my mother a washing machine. I'd like my own Volvo convertible, but I think I'll have to wait until later on to get that."

She added, "I have learned a ton here, but I am going to work on my serve and work on holding my serve and work on my serve and volley and become a better attacker. I am going to work on the business of finishing inside two sets, instead of going out there and playing great, then losing focus and then playing great again."