J. Donald Budge

An absolute natural, Don Budge created the concept of the Grand Slam. J. Donald Budge: the hero of every tennis player who ever saw him play, and a man whose backhand is considered the greatest shot in the history of the game. Budge was an absolute natural, who never played tennis seriously until he was 14. As he himself told the story, his older brother, Lloyd, challenged him: "Don, you'd have a good chance to win the California State Boy's 15 and Under if you practice, but you're too darned lazy to practice, so forget it." Two weeks before the tournament, Budge started going up to Bushrod Park, a few blocks away from his house, and playing anyone who showed up with a racquet. That preparation bore fruit. In the first round, Budge beat the number one seed and went on to win the tournament. No one played off the ground better than Don Budge The most devastating aspect of his game was his return. No one could follow his serve to the net against him. Jack Kramer is on record as saying Budge was the best tennis player he ever saw play the game. Budge had an aura of...