Tony Trabert played on five Davis Cup teams and the 1954 squad was victorious. In five years as the US captain, he piloted teams to two triumphs. The first was in 1978 against Great Britain. Living in Southern California almost...

April 2022

From 1976 to 1980 Trabert served as Davis Cup captain. (He also served as playing captain in the 1953 US 5-0 defeat of Japan.) His debut took place at the Margaret Court Racquet Club Ranch, in Tucson, Arizona. Fred Stolle,...

March 2022

Tony Trabert had first played the US National Championships just after he turned 18 in 1948. He reached the third-round losing to Earl Cochell, the No. 9 seed, 6-0, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. An aside: three years later in 1951 the...

February 2022

As my tennis writing assignments increased, I regularly attended the US Open. Whether it was at Forest Hills or at the National Tennis Center (before Billie Jean King's name was attached) in Flushing Meadow, I was able to spend time...

January 2022

Though he hadn't played a competitive match in five years, Tony Trabert focused on preparing for a return in 1968. At 38, after all he had accomplished, he still had the drive. He wanted to have his name in the...

December 2021

Though Tony Trabert possessed Gentleman's Quarterly good looks augmented by a charming personality, he didn't act like an entitled elitist. He was humble and enjoyed tremendous popularity, which extended beyond the world of sports. But, with a wife, trying to...

November 2021

After his marriage at the end of 1953 (Click Here), the next year didn't get off to a great start. Trabert was seeded No. 2 at the 1954 Australian Championships but he lost to the tricky No. 13 seed, John...

October 2021

Because the US was involved in the Korean War, Trabert was drafted in September 1951. He spent nearly two years in the US Navy, most of it on the Coral Sea, an aircraft carrier that cruised the Mediterranean for six...

September 2021

When I learned that Tony Trabert had passed away at his home in Ponte Vedra, Florida on February 3rd this year, I realized the curtain had closed for the final time with my "Big Three." The Big Three were the...

August 2021

Leaving the Davis Cup captaincy (Click Here) didn't mean that Tony Trabert, all of a sudden, had a lot of time on his hands. In fact, he became more occupied. Through the mid-1980s, his summer tennis camp was still a...

May 2022

As a result of being a tennis journalist for decades, I have had the opportunity to travel widely covering tournaments. One of the additional joys is cultural discovery... and all of it has been enriching. Do I have favorite events......

May 2025

John Yandell was "Camera Man" ... that was my take when I first met him ever so long ago... It may have been the annual men's professional event held at UCLA, or Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore's desert spectacular then...

April 2025

Almost everyone who spent time around Robert Lansdorp has a story, usually more than one. I am a member of the "Lansdorp Storytellers" having watched him give lessons, talked with him about his teaching philosophy and the meaning of the...

November 2024

In the 1930s, Palm Springs was a sanctuary for Hollywood stars such as Charlie Farrell and Ralph Bellamy. Farrell, who brought elegance to his roles, and Bellamy, ultimately the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner, were not only good friends,...

October 2024

Every July the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the game's sanctuary located in Newport, Rhode Island, inducts new honorees. On July 20th, in conjunction with the Hall of Fame Open, Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj, along with Richard Evans, will...

August 2024

Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert are the Roland-Garros standards having claimed, respectively, 14 and 7 French singles titles. But the passage of time has resulted in many historic accomplishments falling into a "Chasm ." This story which delves into a...

June 2024

Forty-five years ago, the US Open transitioned. It moved from an exclusive tree-lined neighborhood with homes that showcased magnificent Colonial Revival style architecture to the fourth largest park in New York City, an area that had been wetlands, and was...

October 2023

For many across the country, Labor Day marks "The End..." Summer is over, and it is time to return to academic pursuits. But at the US Open Military Appreciation Day takes center stage. Having been held on Labor Day Monday...

September 2023

Having attended The Championships for ages, there are a host of things I still don't understand about the tournament, or for that matter, Great Britain. Communication is the best place to begin because of the catalog of words that may...

July 2023

The best way to fully appreciate the magical, almost mythical, history of Stade Roland Garros is by looking back and taking select snippets from the past, beginning with the facility's construction and moving through the decades until it staged the...

June 2023

In January 2022, I received an email from Tom O'Neal wishing me a Happy New Year and adding, "I trust you are still writing about tennis. Please give me a call at your convenience as I had a thought that...

December 2024

Butch Buchholz, whose given name was "Earl" and was a Jr., was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1940. Before Nick Bollettieri turned Bradenton, Florida into the tennis training/player development Promised Land and before Vic Braden and Robert Lansdorp did...

January 2024