Pancho Gonzalez: The Best Ever?

Pancho with his trophy from the second U.S. championship. Richard Gonzalez stood ready - ready to fight for the most important thing in his life. It was September 5, 1949, and Gonzalez was at Forest Hills, New York, seconds away from starting the United States National Tennis Championships final. Thirteen thousand spectators filled the stadium expecting to see one of the best tennis matches of the year. Gonzalez was not thinking about them though. His mind was focused on the man on the other side of the net, current Wimbledon champion and longtime rival, Ted Schroeder. Both men fought fiercely for each point. The two seemed evenly matched as the lead kept changing hands. It took Schroeder one hour and thirteen minutes to beat Gonzalez in the first set, 18 - 16. Between sets Schroeder put on spiked shoes for better traction on the grass court that had become slippery due to dampness. Gonzalez did not own spikes. Schroeder quickly won the second set 6 - 2. Then Gonzalez's friend Frank Shields pulled him aside. He told Gonzalez to move closer to the net when Schroeder was serving. Shields thougth that he was playing too far back on his returns....