When did you retire from the game?
Oh boy, I retired in 1994

What have you done since?
I went back to school at Pepperdine (Southern California), and got a degree in business management then went into residential real estate

How old were you when you 1st held a tennis racquet?
5 years old

Do you wish you could still play today, especially with all the prize money that is around?
No, the guys are a little too tough out there now!

You have beaten top 10 players such as Henri Leconte, Yannick Noah, and Tim Mayotte and won your only ATP Tour Event in Melbourne, Australia in 1985. What was your best moment in your career?
I guess there are 2 highlights. One at the US Open, where I was back 2 sets to love against Tim Mayotte, down triple match points, came back and won the match. Then actually in 1983, I reached the quarter finals in a tournament in Australia after not playing for almost a year and a half. It was a lot of fun.

What was your worst memory on the Tour?
Too many to count. It is pretty brutal out there. One of the worst experiences was when I was very young traveling to South America, in Chili, losing 1st round staying in the hotel all alone, not speaking the language - you know when you are 18 years old that is tough.

Were there any particular places where you enjoyed playing besides at home in Los Angeles?
I loved playing in Australia, key places in Europe, and some in the US like Indianapolis and Miami.

What about L. A your hometown?
First of all, there was only one event here when I played, but I never really did great in it. It was always after the US Open and I was always tired, I felt like I should be taking that time off.

Jonathan, you have traveled the world, have other cultures influenced your life?
Absolutely. You can’t help grow up around other cultures and see different types of people around the world, see the way they live and not be affected. So, absolutely.

Have you played in Africa?
I played in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Cairo. It was very interesting.

Would you take a vacation back in those countries?
I probably would take a trip to Kenya or something like that, but I would certainly not go back to places like G abon. Certainly not Somalia either. I would stick to places that are very touristy, especially when you have a family. It is not worth getting sick and getting yourself in a precarious position.

Jonathan, today you are a successful businessman. Tell us about your transition from your tennis career to the world of business.
I think every ex tennis player knows it is one of the most difficult things after you stop playing to make that transition, you either go into teaching or to try to do something else. I really enjoy teaching but I wanted to give myself an opportunity to do something else. I was burned out with tennis.

The Real Estate presented great opportunities to me. I did not have to travel and I figured even if you did not have a Masters Degree, you could make a lot of money. It is incredibly competitive, but the discipline of tennis and all the years on the tour helped me make the transition.

Do you follow tennis nowadays?
I watch it all the time.

How do you compare the evolution of the game since your era?
I would just say that obviously the money has increased and there is more depth in the game. It has evolved to the point that there is not that many serve and volley players anymore, but it was true when I played. It was already changing then.

It is hard to tell, but right now you don’t have players such as Edberg, Sampras, Krajicek, and Rafter. Federer seems to me the most well rounded player and I certainly would not call him a serve and volley player. There is actually no serve and volley player to threaten him - everybody plays so similar. The only one is Roddick.

Do you have any favorite players you like to watch?
I enjoy watching pretty much everybody play. Of course Federer, Safin, and the girls at the WTA. You know I still have eyes!

In your era, more players were playing than today in the US. What is missing in the game to stimulate the drive again in the US tennis fans?
I think the commercialism of tennis is doing things like showing the replays and using the GPS device, but coaching will help. More fan participation would be wonderful and having more on court interviews. If you are trying to get more interest in the game you have to garner that kind of interest through the people that are watching. You want them to participate and that is difficult when it is not a team sport.

Why are American players no longer dominating the game like they used to?
I would say that it is much more cultural. You know Europe, South America, and again this is a generalized statement, but there is not as much as camaraderie in the US. The parents are much more involved with the players and they are much more opinionated. They need to be able to step back and let former professional tennis players or coaches be able to guide the players a little bit more, a little more hands on, and a lot of them unfortunately (I hate to use this word) are spoiled. We have things so good over here that it is hard to find the motivation to become great and you know it is still a rich man’s sport. It is very expensive to learn how to play tennis, so the ones that are learning to play do not have the same kind of drive or desire as players in Europe and other parts of the world. It is more the mentality than anything else.

Have you tried to coach and help US players benefit from your experience?
When I stopped, I coached players like Michael Joyce, Spadea, Shriver, and Steffi Graff. It was a lot of fun, but I did not want to travel. If I wanted to travel, I would be today knee deep into it. I am sure it would have been very rewarding.

Have you worked with top US Juniors?
I coached guys like Joey Edelberg and a few others.

Was it difficult to get your message to Juniors on how to get up there?
It is always difficult to tell kids that are coming up like that exactly what to do. First you need their respect and usually you get it, but they need to have the maturity for them to receive what you are saying. This is the toughest part.

There are many wars around the world today. Since Sept 11, the world is like a volcano. Do you follow what is going on in politics today in the US and the World?
You really can’t avoid politics these days. My personal opinion is dangerous, but I think it was a mistake to go to war with Irak in the first place, but we are there now and we have to see things through. We have a moral obligation to try to make things right and we are probably going to be there for the next 50 years. It is so scary at times, but we need stability and this is the only way we are going to have it. We are in it for the long run.

Do you think the world is safer than when you grew up?
The world has not changed all that much. Technology has advanced much more, the populations have increased, and there are much greater chances of people doing horrible things. A lot of that is because of technology, communication, computers and all that stuff.

Your father Stanley Canter produced Greystoke with French actor Christophe Lambert. Did you ever think about making it in the movie business?
Not at all. I was not at all into that Hollywood scene. There are too many big hats and no cattle around here so I just don’t like it. It's not my personality.

I know you are a great pianist, have you made any recordings that the public can listen to?
Actually I used to write a lot of music. I have not been focusing on that at all in the past 7 years. I have a grand piano at home and I still play from time to time, but it is a question of time. Playing the piano and writing music was very cathartic for me, now I find golf very cathartic.

Do you sing?
I used to sing, not American Idol style, that would scare the hell out of me, but well enough to sit down on the piano and do my own stuff and record.

Are there any players of your generation that you are very good friends with and still in contact with today?
Quite a few. Russell Simpson, Drew Gitlin, Brian Teacher, and a few more.

Did you consider playing on the Senior tour?
No. You know tennis is a full time occupation. It is too hard physically and your body breaks down.

Would you be a tennis player again today?
Yes, but I would have gone to school first and then go out on the tour and play for a while. But you know by 18 or 19 that you are going to be a g reat tennis player or not - at least for an American. No I probably would not have done it the same way.

You got married lately. Do you have future projects and plans to expand your family?
Yes, we are working on having some children right now, diligently. I am looking forward to having a family and getting myself in a financial position where I can contribute a little more to the community and the society in general.

Do you think you would have liked to have your wife with you back when you were a professional tennis player?
She only knows Jonathan the businessman. Actually we probably would not have gotten along then. She was totally different and I was totally different.

You were a wild cat?
No, I was not. I was extremely introverted. Now I am social, but I am still introverted. I could be just fine by myself all day long, but you know it is not very good for business. My wife is very social, but now it is perfect.

Do you want your kids to play tennis?
I will have them play tennis, golf, and other sports, but they will decide what direction they want to take.

What would you like for people that have followed your career to remember about you?
I think I want for people to remember me more as what kind of a person I was and as far as my tennis, I was talented, but I had to work extremely hard at it. I want mostly to be remembered for my work ethic.

Jonathan it has been a great pleasure to have you with us, all the team at ITM want to thank you. Good luck to you!
It has been my pleasure too Ronald.