Richard Gonzalez: U.S. National Champion

In 1947, Gonzalez defeated the Czech Jaroslav Drobny, then the number 5 player in the world.

In September 1947, Richard Gonzalez made his first appearance at the United States National Championships. This tournament was played at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. The top-seeded player there that year was Jack Kramer. Frankie Parker was seeded number two and Gardnar Mulloy number three. In his premier outing at the U.S.’s most prestigious amateur tournament, Gonzalez played so well that he almost beat Mulloy.

When Gonzalez returned to Los Angeles, he played in the Pacific Southwest Tournament. There he defeated Czechoslovakian Jaroslav Drobny, the number-five-ranked player in the world, and Parker, the number three-ranked. But in the next round, Gonzalez lost to Ted Schroeder.

Gonzalez’s successes brought him new attention. With this attention came closer scrutiny and tennis fans soon saw that he was different from other players. First of all, he was Mexican-American. Second, he was not the socially sophisticated young man that many people assumed tennis players to be. Gonzalez smoked cigarettes and played poker. He often stayed out until the early hours of the morning. He enjoyed an occasional beer. At times, he seemed a…