Sam Duvall: Most Interesting People 2022

Why He’s Interesting: Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica isn’t the first place you’d think of to hold a tennis tournament, but Duvall’s vision came to life last August when the Women’s Tennis Association set up shop on the waterfront for a tune-up to the U.S. Open. Bringing a top 250 event to downtown Cleveland wasn’t easy, but the association must be sold because the event is returning for an encore Aug. 21-27. 

If You Build It: The idea of building temporary tennis courts as opposed to using an established location took some convincing. “I think they liked the concept of bringing tennis to an urban environment right in the heart of the city. The only way to do that is on a temporary basis, in this case in parking lots.”

Cleveland Connection: Duvall is not a native Clevelander, but his wife, Kathryn, grew up in Shaker Heights, and that drove their decision to relocate here from New York with their two young kids in 2016. “I love the people; I love the passion for sports.”

Welcome Party: Most Clevelanders had to wait a lifetime for a championship, but Duvall’s first night here was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. “We didn’t have any furniture ... our TV was set up on a chair, and we were affixed to the game.”

Interesting Fact: Duvall played tennis at Bates College in Maine.

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