Pancho Gonzalez: Open Tennis

Printable Version Richard Gonzalez, the 53rd player inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 1968, Richard Gonzalez’s twenty years in tennis were honored when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. This placed him in impressive company. Fifty-two other players had already been inducted, including Bill Tilden, Ellsworth Vines, Fred Perry, Don Budge, and Jack Kramer. But Gonzalez was the first person of color to make it to the Hall of Fame. In addition, he was the first player ever inducted while still a top competitor. The others had not been honored until many years after they had retired. The honor seemed appropriate. People who had never played tennis tried the sport after reading about Gonzalez’s matches or seeing him compete. During the 1950s, tennis had begun trickling out of private clubs and onto public courts. By the end of the sixties, huge numbers of tennis enthusiasts came in all colors and from all economic backgrounds. In 1968, tennis officials added more excitement to the sport’s increasing popularity. They opened major tennis tournaments like Wimbledon to both amateur and professional players. For the first time ever all players could…