Armistead Neely obit

Atlanta tennis great Armistead Neely dead at age 76

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Armistead Neely, the state’s most accomplished senior tennis player since Bitsy Grant and a member of the Georgia and Southern tennis halls of fame, has died. He was 76.

As an Atlanta resident for more than 40 years, Neely won 29 USTA senior national titles, at least one in each of seven age divisions from the 35-and-over (first in 1982) through the 65-and-over (last in 2014). Neely won his age division’s USTA clay-court singles championship seven times.

Armistead Neely, born March 19, 1947 in Tampa, lost a lengthy battle with cancer on March 7, 2024. He is survived by Alice Pendergrast, his wife of forty some years. They lived in the Atlanta area for several decades.

Armistead was one of the best players in the state and the country since he first began playing tennis at an early age. He was one of the top collegiate players, as well. He played at the University of Florida, together with Steve Beeland, Jamie Presley, Charlie Owens, Gregg Hilley, Lee Steele, Paul Lunetta and others. They were SEC champions two times. Armi played number 1 and was an All-American.

He enjoyed a lengthy professional career and competed all over the world for decades. In the Senior divisions, he was a National Champion most of the time from the 35 and overs to the 70 and overs. When he wasn’t the number 1 player, he was always in the top 5. He coached at the University of Alabama for several years, too.

However, he will always be remembered for creating the “Watch Circuit” in the early ’70s, together with Larry Turville, when the game of tennis “opened up” and money entered the game. He was a tennis pro in Atlanta for the last 50 years of his life. He was inducted into the Southern Hall of Fame, the Georgia Hall of Fame, as well as the University of Florida’s Hall of Fame.

A right-handed player, Neely competed on the professional tour in the 1970s and had a career high singles ranking of 144 in the world. He featured regularly in the main draw of the US Open and also made appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon. His best grand slam performance came at the 1975 US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals of the men's doubles, partnering Tenny Svensson.

More than anything else, though, he will be remembered as a wonderful man who was loved, respected and revered by all who knew him.