C.F. Stewart writes biographies of interesting off-beat characters who are irreverent, and a bit on the shady side, like Whitney Reed, the touring tennis player who could have been one of the best, but preferred to drink beer and gamble with Wimbledon pub dwellers — instead of performing on center court for the Duchess of York. The same touring tennis player who boarded a plane for Australia to play in the Australian Championships — and forgot his racket and tennis shoes. And when all his contemporaries’ retired to the TV booth or had knee replacement surgery, he continued to play at a high level well into his 60’s. To order Unflapable, the Life and Times of Whitney Reed, Click Here . To find out about my other books, Click Here .
C. F. Stewart
Tennis History
In Whitney Reed's time, most of the elite players in the world were quasi-professionals, meaning professionals in attitude and lifestyle, without cell phones, iPods, and Blackberries. They lived better than most rock stars--when they finally made it to a tournament....
Tennis History
Tennis players, the world-class variety, did not earn a bundle of money practicing their craft in Whitney’s day—to make an understatement. Unlike today's players, they didn't have coaches, trainers, and publicists. They had patrons of sorts, and every once in...
Tennis History
In the last article we looked at Whitney's shaky time in the Air Force and the surrealistic events surrounding his 1959 victory over Donald Dell in the NCAA single final. (Click Here.) This month 5 random stories about Whitney as...
Tennis History
Whitney joined the Air Force in 1952, when men entered the military for a myriad of reasons. It could have been court-ordered, or to find a new life, or to avoid a hostile husband or father. In Whitney's case it...
Tennis History
Was Whitney Reed the best tennis player many people have never heard of? Or just the most eccentric? Whitney won the 1959 NCAA Intercollegiate singles championship while at San Jose State University. Also that year, he won the singles title...