Pancho Gonzalez:
50 Points on Terror

Doreen Gonzales

Gonzalez developed a reputation for disputing calls with officials.

By now, Richard Gonzalez was known everywhere as the best tennis player in the world. In addition to his reputation for great tennis, he had developed a reputation for his personality.

When Gonzalez first stepped into the public spotlight, he had been described as charismatic and confident. But as the years progressed, some people came to see this self-assurance as conceit.

These people's opinion was not improved by Gonzalez's curt treatment of his fans. He regularly refused to sign autographs before matches, making some of them feel he was mean-spirited and haughty.

Gonzalez defended his actions by saying that he had to conserve his energy for competition. Besides, he said, he was usually preoccupied with tactical thoughts before his matches. But Gonzalez did sign autographs after many matches-especially victorious ones.

Gonzalez was also criticized for the outspoken manner in which he questioned line-calls with which he disagreed. He became known for the icy glares and sarcastic remarks he directed at officials. For example, after a call went against him, he would turn to the crowd and ask, "Is there an eye doctor about?"

Gonzalez believed that letting his emotions out was necessary to energize himself.

Many incidents were more confrontational. During one match, Gonzalez became particularly short-tempered as a heckler shouted at him. After several catcalls, Gonzalez demanded that the heckler show his face. He did not. Then, as Gonzalez prepared to serve a game-winning point, the heckler shouted again to distract him. Gonzalez stopped for a moment to regain his concentration. When he served, he double-faulted and went on to lose the game. While walking to the other side of the court, Gonzalez took an angry swing at a microphone standing next to the court and sent it flying.

On another occasion Gonzalez was in a rage over the loud noise made by a clock. To quiet it, he smashed a ball into the clock face, completely shattering it. Later, Gonzalez paid to have it repaired.

Another time Gonzalez was battling Rosewall in a match that seemed to last forever. One sports reporter worried that he would not make his deadline if he waited until the end ofthe match to start writing his story. So he pulled out his portable typewriter and began typing. A few other reporters did the same. The tap-tap-tapping of the typewriters began to annoy Gonzalez.

Ken Rosewall believed Gonzalez exuded an "air of violence".

He shouted up at the reporters to quiet down. Assuming that Gonzalez was complaining about a situation on the court, the writers ignored him. So Gonzalez started slamming balls into the press section.

According to one of the reporters, "I was just working, not paying attention to [Gonzalez's] yelling, until a ball parted my hair and crashed behind me. It was like a rocket attack, and we were, literally, sitting ducks in the front row upstairs. Pancho scared the hell out of us. I've ducked foul balls in the press box at Fenway Park, but they come one at a time, and the batter isn't aiming at you. Pancho was out to get us, hitting balls as fast and hard as he could. They were smashing all around US."

Newspapers and magazines regularly reported Gonzalez's outbursts. His talent for terrorizing locker rooms became well known. One writer recalled a time when Gonzalez was angry with courtside photographers because their flashbulbs kept distracting him during his match. Afterward, Gonzalez stormed into the locker room shouting and throwing rackets. One player hid behind a shower curtain during the tirade while another ducked under a table.

Some people believed Gonzalez's manners were proof of his low social status. But many enjoyed his antics. Over time, he developed a large following of admirers. They saw his passion for every point as evidence of a highly competitive spirit. There was a purity about Gonzalez. He did not want popularity or acclaim. He simply wanted to play tennis.

Gonzalez had more magnetism than any player of his era.

And he charmed many of the people who came to watch him play-even those who had previously thought him obnoxious. There was something undeniably alluring about the handsome man who played ferocious tennis. As one writer put it, Gonzalez brought more "magnetism onto a tennis court than anyone who ever played the game."

He also brought more emotion. Gonzalez knew that his court etiquette was less than perfect. But he maintained that most of his poor manners were caused by frustration at himself for making mistakes. In addition, the world of professional tennis was often brutal. It was a business to the promoters and a job for Gonzalez-a job he would lose if his tennis was not up to par.

Gonzalez believed that under these circumstances, showing one's emotions was natural and healthy. "For players under pressure," he said, "emotion is a way of stimulating yourself. In tennis, there is no [other] way to do it, and it's unfair to ask a player to hold it in." But Gonzalez's opponents were not always sure he was simply giving himself a pep talk. Rosewall, for instance, said that Gonzalez's whole demeanor on the court exuded a "general air of violence."

Some people claimed that Gonzalez used his size and fireworks to intimidate opponents and referees. Rosewall himself admitted that he had to be careful not to let Gonzalez ruin his concentration. As Kramer put it, "Pancho gets 50 points on his serve and 50 points on terror."

Richard was driven partially by an inner rage.

Those closest to Gonzalez knew that his explosive nature was caused by something besides trying to win tennis matches. They knew his attitude was partially caused by an inner rage.

Some of this rage came from Gonzalez's awareness that many people in the elite circle of championship tennis thought of him as inferior. Gonzalez avoided these people as much as possible.

While at home, Gonzalez preferred the company of family and close friends. And though he could also be temperamental with them, those who knew him best described him as honest and considerate. Among them, Gonzalez was known for unusual acts of kindness.

When Gonzalez was on a tennis tour, he spent most of his time alone. He ate by himself and spent his days in his hotel room reading about cars. Sometimes he took a drive into the surrounding countryside.

At times one of his brothers, usually Ralph, accompanied him. More often Gonzalez traveled alone, driving from stop to stop in his own sports car while his fellow competitors shared rides together. Because of this Gonzalez earned another nickname-"The Lone Wolf."

But though Gonzalez claimed to prefer solitude, it sometimes had its drawbacks. "Because when you lose you are down," he said, "depressed and thousands of miles away from home which depresses you more, and tears come to your eyes. And you are all alone."

The famous Kramer pro tour truck at the Hall of Fame. But Gonzalez traveled alone.

Gonzalez found another disadvantage to the traveling lifestyle. Occasionally, he was the victim of prejudice. One blatant incident happened in the 1950s when he, his brother Manuel, and Segura were traveling on tour together.

They entered a Texas cafe, none of them noticing a sign hanging near the door that said, "No Mexicans served here." They sat down, and no one waited on them. When Gonzalez learned why, he felt as if he would explode. But then he remembered his grandmother's advice and imagined the owner of the cafe in his underwear. The ridiculous idea caused his immediate anger to fade. The hurt from the incident, though, would last.

When Gonzalez returned to Los Angeles after this tour, he talked with other Mexican-Americans about racism. He learned that discrimination was a negative force in many of their lives. Gonzalez was moved by their pain and wished he could do something about it.