{"id":27204,"date":"2026-06-29T09:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T13:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=27204"},"modified":"2026-06-29T09:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T13:06:24","slug":"tennis-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Alumni Reunite for Another Tennis Title"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2078\" height=\"1169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9.jpeg\" alt=\"Tennis teammates and vintage Hornets Jim Burda and Alex Palladino\" class=\"wp-image-27206\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9.jpeg 2078w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9-600x338.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9-150x84.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2078px) 100vw, 2078px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jim Burda &#8217;87 (left) and Alex Palladino &#8217;87 celebrate another tennis championship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>In a sport where love means nothing, Kalamazoo College alumni Alex Palladino \u201987 and Jim Burda \u201987 recently proved the opposite is true in friendship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1986 and 1987 NCAA Division III doubles champions reunited this year for the U.S. national indoor tournament in the 60-and-over division at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club in Boise, Idaho, and captured the 2026 title. Facing opponents with experience at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open and the French Open, the former Hornets overcame their underdog status, rallying from deficits in each match before earning a 6-3, 7-5 victory over the tournament&#8217;s top-seeded pair in the championship match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I won my two nationals with Alex at Kalamazoo, I was elated,\u201d said Burda, who lives in Glastonbury, Connecticut. \u201cWinning the gold with Alex 39 years later is a completely different, more meaningful feeling that goes well beyond tennis. As a senior tennis player, I had won silvers and bronzes nationally, but not quite the elusive gold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAlthough geography has kept us separated since 1990, Jim and I have a personal connection that simply \u2018is\u2019 and always will be,\u201d said Palladino, who lives in Spring Lake, Michigan. \u201cTeaming up in Boise after all these years was like asking two peas if they\u2019d like to share a pod, and the championship gold ball we came back with feels like the perfect third &#8216;pea&#8217; to complete this full-circle moment in time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"556\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-score-600x556.jpg\" alt=\"Image shows the final score of the 60-and-over tennis doubles finals\" class=\"wp-image-27207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-score-600x556.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-score-300x278.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-score-150x139.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-score.jpg 1153w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Burda and Palladino won 6-3, 7-5 in their finals match.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The championship adds another accomplishment to the resumes of two players who helped define one of the most successful eras in Hornet tennis history. Both are members of K\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame, and both credit K and legendary coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/center-court-dedicated-to-kalamazoo-college-legend\/\">George Acker<\/a> for shaping their lives long after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was something special about being a Hornet and there still is,\u201d Burda said. \u201cWith tennis, the school had this impressive tennis stadium and a dynasty reputation that made it alluring. But our coaches impressed upon us that we were student-athletes, with the word \u2018student\u2019 coming first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That lesson stayed with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was that balance that had my mom saying to me at graduation, \u2018Four years ago, I dropped you off as a boy. K College and George Acker made you a man.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palladino said Acker\u2019s approach influenced his own career as a tennis professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe understood the complexities of college-aged young men and knew how to produce results without adding the unnecessary pressure that many other coaches do,\u201d Palladino said. \u201cI\u2019ve mirrored those same sentiments, not only in my management of students, but also in how I continued to manage myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Boise championship also rekindled the chemistry that made Palladino and Burda such a successful doubles team at K. Burda remembers that their partnership started slowly, with a 0-4 record in 1986. What followed, however, was a two-year winning streak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAlex taught me how to win and be comfortable with winning by simplifying thought and making winning intrinsic,\u201d Burda said. \u201cAlex had the talent and the calm. I had the fire and energy. I brought him up and raised his energy; he brought me to that calm, confident execution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The formula, Burda said, remained remarkably familiar nearly four decades later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe went to Boise, and every time we stepped on the court, it was that same sense of calm with fire\u2014not a cockiness, but a foregone conclusion that this was ours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Palladino said returning to competition with his longtime friend felt like stepping back into their college years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJim and I were the best of friends in college, and as a doubles team, we developed a highly sophisticated method of attack,\u201d Palladino said. \u201cGetting back together to play as a team was like living in Crissey Hall all over again. We told jokes, we relived college trips, we invoked the spirit of our teammates and the entire Acker family, and most importantly, we trusted everything about each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Palladino is a member of the West Michigan Tennis Hall of Fame, and Burda is the nation\u2019s top-ranked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usta.com\/en\/home.html\">U.S. Tennis Association<\/a> 60-and-over doubles player. Yet both say the Boise title ultimately meant far more than another trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we did win, we hugged, celebrated, congratulated our opponents and then reflected,\u201d Burda said. \u201cIt turns out the athletic achievement was secondary for us. My gold ball with Alex in 2026 reminds me of how little else matters in life than love and friendship. You have that and you walk around winning gold balls in your heart daily.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In tennis, love means \u201cnothing,\u201d but Kalamazoo College alumni Alex Palladino \u201987 and Jim Burda \u201987 recently proved the opposite is true in friendship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":27206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232,3],"tags":[31],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-27204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-news","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Tennis Reunites Friends for Another Title - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In tennis, love means \u201cnothing,\u201d but Kalamazoo College alumni Alex Palladino \u201987 and Jim Burda \u201987 proved the opposite is true in friendship.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vintage Hornets Reunite for Another Tennis Title\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In tennis, love means \u201cnothing,\u201d but Kalamazoo College alumni Alex Palladino \u201987 and Jim Burda \u201987 proved the opposite is true in friendship.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-29T13:03:29+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-29T13:06:24+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/06\/Tennis-teammates-16-9.jpeg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2078\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1169\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Vintage Hornets Reunite for Another Tennis Title\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\",\"name\":\"Tennis Reunites Friends for Another Title - 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aria-label=\"archive of category Alumni\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/alumni\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Alumni<\/a><a aria-label=\"archive of category News Stories\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News Stories<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/alumni\/\" rel=\"tag\">alumni<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tennis-title\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<p>In tennis, love means \u201cnothing,\u201d but Kalamazoo College alumni Alex Palladino \u201987 and Jim Burda \u201987 recently proved the opposite is true in friendship.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No 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