TENNIS – He may not be known to many by name but he plays an important role to maintain the well established traditions of The Championships. By Henry Wancke, Tennis Today
Ironically his involvement doesn’t come into play until the final weekend but he sets off from his home in Poland in a 52 year old MG to be at the AELTC in time to play his part.
His name is Roman Zoltowski. He is 76 years old and he drives over to Wimbledon just to engrave the trophies as the individual events draw to a conclusion, a task he has enjoyed doing annually since 1979.
The middle weekend of the world’s most famous tennis tournament is the signal for him to start packing up his red open-top MG ready for the 850-mile journey from home, near Poznan, to set up a work bench behind Centre Court, where he quietly plies his trade.
And there is great deal of equipment to squeeze into his small vehicle, like engravers, eyeglasses and sandbag supports to mention just a few.
He sets off at 10am with the roof up because the equipment needs to go in the space where the retractable hood sits, and the journey, through Hermany, Holland and Belgium, lasts anything between 14 and 18 hours, depending on traffic.
He does stop off in Bruges for a night where he stays with friends but sets off mid-morning the following day.
He is an interesting character. After Russia invaded Poland in 1939, his family, like thousands of his compatriots, was sent to Siberia and by all accounts, his father was almost certainly shot by the NVD (later KGB) whilst in prison.
He remained in Poland with his mother, brother and sister for three years before fleeing in company with General Władysław Anders and the Polish army.
The family settled in Jerusalem for four years but then the war between Jews and Arabs started and Poles were advised to leave so they travelled to Liverpool towards the end of 1947.
He started engraving the trophies while working as a freelance for Halfhide jewellers who supply the silverware for the AELTC but then returned to Poland with his brother and sisters when the Russians left in 1989, and recovered their old home.
His siblings unfortunately died and he now lives there with his wife and son.
Henry Wancke, Tennis Today
