Campus news

Tennis coaches help TV team take on a high-flying myth

By Public Affairs

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Can two people standing on a flying airplane’s wings really play tennis? Two coaches of UC Berkeley men’s tennis team helped the Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters” show take on that burning question, and try to resolve it once and for all.

Head coach Peter Wright and associate head coach Tyler Browne appear on the show, which airs tonight (Thursday, July 24) at 9 p.m. (may play earlier in some satellite systems; check local listings).

The “Mythbusters” team, with an assist from Roxanne Makasdjian, a videographer in the UC Berkeley Office of Public Affairs, set up huge fans on one of the courts at the Hellman Tennis Complex to try to bust the myth created by a popular promotional video for a tennis racquet company. The video appeared to show tennis superstar Novak Djokovic hitting balls back and forth with another player strapped to the wings of a small plane while it flies high over fields.

In the show, Wright and Browne play a round of tennis while the fans simulate the rushing air of flight. They also accompany the team to an airstrip.