Mikael Pernfors has lived in Vero Beach for the past 10 years, but, for the most part, the former world No. 10 and 1986 French Open finalist continues to make his living on tennis courts somewhere else.
“I’ve got an arrangement with Grand Harbor, where I’m their touring pro, so I do some exhibitions and camps there,” Pernfors said from Jupiter, where he was watching his son, Figge, play his first junior tournament. “But other than that, I don’t really do much in Vero.
“I travel quite a bit,” he added. “I do almost 30 events a year – charity fundraisers, corporate outings, exhibitions and some tournaments – but most of them are in other places around the country or in Europe.
“As I go along, though, I would like to do more here.”
To that end, Pernfors will join his longtime friend and competitor, Jimmy Arias, for a Feb. 8 fundraiser at Sea Oaks, where they’ll conduct three afternoon clinics, play an exhibition and attend a question-and-answer dinner.
The first-time event – “A Day with the Legends” – was organized by a Sea Oaks homeowners committee created in December 2014 to raise money to support the educational pursuits of the club’s employees and employees’ families.
Funds raised through the not-for-profit Sea Oaks Employees Learning Program are to be used to help with the costs of college, trade school or professional certification. The committee’s board of directors has set a goal of raising $35,000 in its inaugural year.
“We raised $17,000 in the fall, when we sent out our solicitation letter to the members,” board president Duke Foster said, adding that John’s Island, Orchid Island and The Moorings run similar education-assistance programs. “We’re hoping to raise another $17,000 with the help of this event.”
Clinics are scheduled for 1, 2 and 3 p.m., followed by an exhibition at 4:30 p.m. The Q&A dinner starts at 6 p.m. The clinics, exhibition and dinner cost $50 apiece or $125 for all three. For more information, call the Sea Oaks pro shop at 772-231-3102.
“Mikael occasionally comes to play here in our Wednesday afternoon exhibitions,” Foster said, “and he’s very popular with our members.”
He’s popular in a lot of places.
Pernfors, who won back-to-back NCAA singles championships at the University of Georgia before embarking on an 11-year career and winning three singles titles on the ATP World Tour, has played on the ATP Champions Tour for most of the past decade, though not as much since turning 50 in 2013.
He also has played in the French Open Legends and Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Invitational doubles tournaments, usually teaming with fellow Swedes Mats Wilander in Paris and Joakim Nystrom in England.
In recent years, he and Arias have teamed up for several exhibitions.
“I need to work, for sure,” said Pernfors, 52, who earned just under $1.5 million in prize money on the ATP Tour. “Hopefully, I eventually hope to be able to do more here.”
Having purchased a home at The Boulevard Tennis Club, Pernfors had hoped to use the club as a home base for his post-tour career. Roughly five years ago, however, he and the club’s management/owners had a falling out – little effort was made to promote his presence there – and he decided to accept an offer from Grand Harbor.
“I thought I’d have much more involvement with The Boulevard, especially since I was living there, but it just didn’t happen,” Pernfors said. “Then things just broke down and that was it.”
So now Grand Harbor is his base.
Occasionally, though, Pernfors plays exhibition events at other clubs around town, particularly at Sea Oaks and John’s Island. He also spends at least a couple of months each summer in Europe, visiting family and doing exhibitions.
“I don’t know if I do more over there,” he said, “but most of the bigger events I do are in Europe.”
Why doesn’t he do more – lessons, clinics, camps – in his adopted hometown?
“I’ve done a little bit here and I’d like to do more, but I don’t really market myself,” Pernfors said. “I guess I need to start doing that. Most people here probably don’t know that I’m around and I’m available.”
