Pancho Gonzales

Pancho grew up on public courts in South Central Los Angeles, far from the privileged LA Tennis Club.

While Jack Kramer and the other young men in Southern California were being groomed on the privileged courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Club, a boy was growing up in South Central Los Angeles, hitting balls on the public courts of Exposition Park every day until it became too dark to see.

That boy was the great Pancho Gonzales. Gonzales was a superior athlete. He covered the court like a blanket with a natural ability to get to the net. He was just as fast or faster than the great Fred Perry, but much bigger.

Undoubtedly the most graceful big man in the history of tennis, Pancho also had the advantage of truly believing he would hold his serve every time he played. If you lost your serve against Pancho you were in deep trouble. Said Rod Laver: "I don't think I've ever seen a serve hit more accurately or with more speed." Click Here to study his motion for yourself.

Some say he had the greatest serve in the history of tennis. Some say he was the greatest player period. Because of his limited playing history in Grand Slam events and the nature of pro tennis in his era, he has never received sufficient consideration for his shotmaking or his incredible competitive skills. It is also true that for most of his career he was deeply disliked by many in the tennis establishment. He had a nasty temperment. He was from the wrong side of the tracks. He was Mexican.

Pancho's amateur career was abbreviated. Here he holds the trophy for his first US Championship in 1948.

Pancho's career in the Grand Slams was abbreviated, clouding his place in tennis history. After winning his second U.S. National championship, Gonzales turned pro and played a tour against the reigning professional champion Jack Kramer.

This initial tour is often pointed to by his detractors who wished to place him in the second or third tier of the all time greats. Kramer dominated him on his first tour, often winning 3 matches in a row. This would motivate Gonzales to play the match of his life, and for one match defeat Kramer. But he was still young and not fully developed as a player, while the seasoned Kramer was at the pinacle of his own formidable abilities.

Pancho would not be able to maintain his level, although it was a hint of things to come. Kramer would then again "routine" him three or four matches in a row before illiciting another over his head performance. This was the pattern of the tour, Kramer would beat him 3 to 1, 4 to 1, 3 to 1.

That drubbing put Pancho on the tennis sidelines.It was basically a disater for his career. In those days, pro tennis was a two-man affair. You were either the professional champ, or the best player in the amateur game, or you weren't able to play. Imagine being able to beat the best player in the wordl one out of 4 or 5 times, yet being barred from competition.

Rod Laver felt Gonzales had the best serve of all time.

That might have put Pancho or many lesser men out of the game. But while Pancho was on the sidelines, he made good use of the painful lessons he learned on the Kramer tour. He trained harder than he had before. He started coming over his backhand, which enabled him to make crosscourt passing shots. He matured and realized his amazing potential.

When at last his second chance came, he didn't fail. Gonzales became master of all he surveyed. My own opinion is that, at his best, Pancho was as good as any player in the history of the game. He was as good or better than Big Bill Tilden at the same age.

The strongest evdience is his incredible wins, at the age of 40, in two tournaments in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with all the players of the Open era: Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and John Newcombe among others. That was at the age of 40! He defeated Laver, Emerson, Ashe, and Newcombe. They were at their peaks and Pancho was probably 10 years past his own.

Gonzales had great heart, he loved to win, he loved to play and he loved the game. He had a tenacious attitude and a special ability to win the long matches.What was it like to actually play him? Click Here to find out what Allen Fox thought about Pancho's game and his place in tennis history.

Pancho was as good or better than Tilden at the age of 40 plus.

He was probably as good a competitor as anybody that ever played the game. He had natural charisma and was a crowd pleaser throughout his career.

But his combative visage belied the sensitivity and shyness the public never saw. Whenever asked to help youngsters with their tennis, Pancho never said no.

Was he actually the greatest player ever to play the game?

Listen to the words of Jack Kramer: "Give Gonzales a month to think about a match and then line up all the players that ever played Laver, Tilden, Budge, whoever. The winner gets to walk and the loser has to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco , I kind of like Gonzales."

Pancho Gonzales

By Ed Atkinson