Albert Lyle Wins USTA Southern Male Player of the Year
The saying goes “tennis is a sport for a lifetime,” and there’s no better embodiment of that phrase than Albert Lyle.
Lyle just capped off a fantastic year on the courts, which enabled him to finish not only as the top player in the country in the USTA 85’s division, but also as the top player in the WORLD in singles and doubles in the ITF World Rankings. Lyle took home several titles in 2022, including St Petersburg, Baton Rouge, and Asheville, as well as making deep runs at the National Clay Courts Championship, the National Grass Courts Championship, and the World Championships in Palm Beach.
For his efforts, Lyle was named the USTA Southern “Slew Hester Male Adult Player of the Year,” and was honored at the USTA Southern Awards Banquet on January 14 in Atlanta. Lyle didn’t even begin playing the game until his 30s, as he grew up an avid golfer. But after giving it a try and quicky improving, Lyle eventually started winning large tournaments in his 40s. Still improving into his 50s, Lyle teamed up with Ken Toler and the pair were ranked number one in the Southern Region in their respective age division for a decade.
“Once I decided to give tennis a try, and it was fun and I was able to improve pretty quickly which made it even more fun,” said Lyle.
“I enjoy the athleticism, mental aspects, and competitiveness of tennis. It’s great that the sport offers tournaments in all different age groups, and that gives me the incentive to improve, and I’m still improving to this day.”
Even though Lyle started the sport “later” in life, he’s now as accomplished as most could dream of being in a lifetime. He was inducted into the Mississippi Tennis Hall of Fame in 2018 alongside other legends of the game in the state.
