The Life of Tony Trabert: Part 2

[don_budge]

Don...

Thanks to my friendship with Tony and Jack, I had an opportunity to spend time with J. Donald. He was, indeed, one of a kind...

Mark

markwinters...Man, you were rolling in great company. My dear old tennis coach is such a great, great guy. Cut from the same cloth as the gentlemen that you had the opportunity to hang with. My coach was always using Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert and Richard Gonzalez and the Australians as examples in his teachings and coaching. Harry Hopman and Bill Tilden as well. Not to mention the plethora of other great players back in the day. But Don Budge was the greatest of them all. In my mind and in my heart. My father sent me to his tennis camp in Maryland for a three week session that turned into two of the most wonderful summers of my life. Being that close to greatness on a daily basis laid the foundation for how I feel about tennis and what it means to love the game. I'll never forget those days. This was the beauty of the game back in 1972 and 1973.

It was an internet search for a video of the Don Budge backhand that led me here to tennisplayer.net. When it came time to select a username I had no idea there was a forum where I became don_budge. Six thousand three hundred posts later. Great to have "met" you here in cyber space.

I feel sort of sorry for the "modern day aficionados" of the game. They really are clueless as to what it meant to be a tennis player.

Thanks for sharing your story and definitely looking forwards to more memories from you!

[markwinters]

Don...

Thanks to my friendship with Tony and Jack, I had an opportunity to spend time with J. Donald. He was, indeed, one of a kind...

Mark

[don_budge]

DB, Yeah he "only" won 5 Slams...

Thanks for the excellent issue of TP johnyandell! Looking forwards to reading the rest of this article about this extraordinary character. Trabert won three of the four in 1955...I didn't know that either. Looking back and doing a bit of research of Tony's career...what an extraordinary era of tennis. The cast of characters ran deep. Really, really deep. Many great players.

[johnyandell]

DB, Yeah he "only" won 5 Slams...

[don_budge]

Let's discuss Mark Winters' latest article, "The Life of Tony Trabert: Part 2"

Just a great, great story about a tennis player from a different era in America. When America was great. Tony Trabert was old school. His story really resonates with me. His success as a basketball player was not so well known. In all of his broadcasts on CBS I never heard him once mention his basketball playing ability. I liked the part how he met his wife and how he courted her in the old fashioned way. I can relate to his Ohio roots and his love for the Cincinnati Reds. I became a Reds fan myself when attending Ohio University back in the seventies when the Reds were the "Big Red Machine" or something to that effect.

It makes me curious about his association with Bill Talbert. I somehow think Talbert was involved with the equipment change era. Heavily involved in the tennis political arena. Come to think of it I don't recall ever hearing Trabert weighing in on the equipment issue. You know what they say...you cannot bite the hand that feeds you. Once upon a time one of my first racquets was a Tony Trabert Wilson. Strung it with gut I'm sure. The cheaper string no doubt. Was it Imperial? VS was the cat's meow at the time...as was Tony in tennis circles.

Another good reason to stay tuned to tennisplayer.net.

[johnyandell]

Let's discuss Mark Winters' latest article, "The Life of Tony Trabert: Part 2"