Pancho Gonzales

Pancho grew up on public courts in South Central Los Angeles, far from the privileged LA Tennis Club. While Jack Kramer and the other young men in Southern California were being groomed on the privileged courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Club, a boy was growing up in South Central Los Angeles, hitting balls on the public courts of Exposition Park every day until it became too dark to see. That boy was the great Pancho Gonzales. Gonzales was a superior athlete. He covered the court like a blanket with a natural ability to get to the net. He was just as fast or faster than the great Fred Perry, but much bigger. Undoubtedly the most graceful big man in the history of tennis, Pancho also had the advantage of truly believing he would hold his serve every time he played. If you lost your serve against Pancho you were in deep trouble. Said Rod Laver: "I don't think I've ever seen a serve hit more accurately or with more speed." Click Here to study his motion for yourself. Some say he had the greatest serve in the history of tennis. Some say he was the greatest player period. Because...