Unflappable: Whitney Reed Part 1

Was Whitney Reed the best tennis player many people have never heard of? Or just the most eccentric?

Whitney won the 1959 NCAA Intercollegiate singles championship while at San Jose State University. Also that year, he won the singles title and reached the doubles final at the Cincinnati Masters. In 1961 and 1963, he won the singles title at the Canadian National Championships.

He was ranked in the top 10 in the United States 5 times, and in 1961 was ranked number 1. During his career, he had wins over Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser, Chuck McKinley, Frank Sedgman, Manuel Santana, Gardnar Mulloy, Art Larsen, Allen Fox, and Alex Olmedo. But he never got past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam, probably why he is less remembered than so many other players of his era.

What follows are some thoughts on his life on and especially off the tennis court.

Amusing God

Some folks feel that if you are charming and witty, and live life with verve and imagination, God will cut you some slack. Some folks feel that if you keep God amused enough, he may ignore a few shortcomings and allow the tiniest of indiscretions. Maybe even…