“Milestones” covers significant events and times in the lives of metro Atlantans. Big or small, well-known or not — tell us of a Milestone we should write about. Send information to hm_cauley@yahoo.com; call 404-514-6162; or mail to Milestones, c/o Holly Steel, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30346.
Ben Carella admits he was skeptical when his son urged him to try his hand at tennis. At the time, the Roswell resident was 55 and not interested in learning a new game.
“To me, tennis was a rich man’s sport,” said Carella, who grew up playing stick ball in his native New York. “I’d never even held a racket in my hand. But one day, I went to the courts with my son and gave it a try.”
Carella’s son James stayed with the sport, going to college on a tennis scholarship and working as a pro for many years. He taught his dad the basics, and Carella gradually became more proficient by sheer determination.
“He eventually gave up on me, but I found I really enjoyed it,” said Carella. “I was too cheap to take lessons, so I’d just go to the court and keep hitting and hitting to practice.”
Carella’s first brush with the sport sparked an enthusiasm that has stayed with him for almost 40 years. Today, at 93, he is considered the oldest player in the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) and one of the few who kept competing past the 90-year mark. He’s an avid doubles player, but he also gets in a few pickup games during the week. It’s not unusual to find him at the River Club at his Martin’s Landing community, looking for an impromptu session.
“For a guy my age, I think that’s enough,” he said with a laugh. “But I keep moving; when I don’t play, I go to the gym at the senior center at Roswell and work out.”
Carella’s dedication to staying in shape came later in life, he admits.
“In the military, I drank like a fish, and I smoked until I was 28,” he said. “One year, I finally threw the cigarettes away for Lent and never went back.”
A former Air Force pilot, Carella traveled to and lived in various countries as a flight inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration. In 1975, he settled in Atlanta and learned about ALTA when he joined the River Club. He has been playing steadily ever since.
“I like to play people in my age group, but my nearest competitors are in their 80s,” he said. “But I love to beat them. I really can’t play singles — it’s too hard, and I can’t cover that much ground anymore. But winning doubles makes me feel good.”
Most of his competitors aren’t quite sure just how old Carella is, and he doesn’t like to broadcast the information.
“But word gets around,” he said. “Members of my team brag about me.”
Carella credits great genes inherited from both parents as the main reason he has stayed so spry.
“My mom was 91 and my dad was 87 when they passed away,” he said. “They were both hard workers who came over from Italy. And my grandparents lived into their 90s, too, so I have a lot of long-livers in my family tree.”
Carella, now a widower, raised three children and has five granddaughters and seven great-grandchildren. But he’s not interested in slowing down.
“I still drive; I’m a very independent, old Italian geezer,” he said. “When I do get old, I’m going to take up golf.”
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