Pancho Gonzalez:
Prejudice in Pro Tennis
Doreen Gonzales
Richard Gonzalez had encountered prejudice first hand traveling across the country playing tennis. Returning to Los Angeles, he began to talk to other Mexican Americans about racism.
He learned more about how discrimination was a negative force in many of their lives. Gonzalez was moved by their pain and wished he could do something about it. Actually his presence in professional tennis was doing more for oppressed people than he may have known. He was one of the few Latinos many people in the U.S. had ever encountered, even if it was only through the sports pages of the newspaper. He made them aware that many Latinos had been born and raised in the U.S. and were citizens just like themselves.
Other Latinos took pride in Gonzalez's achievements. His success in a world previously off-limits to people of color inspired them. Some took up tennis themselves. Others gained strength from his example and faced racism with more resolve. Furthermore, Gonzalez served as an inspiration to working-class people from all ethnic backgrounds. He was an underdog, a solitary rebel. His life revolved around one goal--playing excellent tennis.
Even those who did not like tennis could identify with Gonzalez's struggle in an unfriendly world. Many of them also struggled to achieve their dream. Sometimes it seemed to Gonzalez that his own struggle would never end, as he was subject to financial discrimination throughout his years on the professional tour.
He and Jack Kramer feuded constantly over Gonzalez's salary. Gonzalez felt that Kramer was exploiting him. He believed he deserved a larger share of the tour's profits since no one could beat him more than occasionally.
Gonzalez's outstanding play was a powerful drawing card for audiences. So were his charismatic presence and his unpredictable conduct. He created such great drama and excitement that people realized they were experiencing something phenomenal. Gonzalez often played to sold-out audiences.
When Kramer refused to increase Gonzalez's salary, Gonzalez made his complaints public. He told a reporter from The New York Times that he was considering breaking his contract with Kramer. Gonzalez went on to say, "I think I am entitled to the top position in pro tennis and that my record against Tony Trabert and Ken Rosewall and against other players in tournaments proves it."
But Kramer refused to change the terms of their contract. This left Gonzalez legally tied to Kramer through 1960 or until he lost a tour title. This did not look like it was going to happen any time soon.
In the meantime, Gonzalez continued working on his game. As he had in his youth, he watched others to see what he could learn from them. Sometimes he copied a training method or figured out a new shot. He practiced six hours a day on the court, then did off-court conditioning as well.
As for Kramer, he, too, was tired of fighting over Gonzalez's salary. So he searched for someone who could beat him. He recruited the 1956 and 1957 Wimbledon champion, Lew Hoad. Kramer thought this Australian just might unseat Gonzalez. Hoad was a powerful hitter who had also won the Australian and French titles in 1956. "If Hoad could beat Gonzalez that was my chance to get rid of that tiger," Kramer remarked, adding, “Pancho knew what I was doing, too, and he was furious."
Now Kramer did something he had never done before. He helped one of the competitors on his tour. Kramer took Hoad on a tour of Europe, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia to get him in shape for his head to head tour with Gonzalez. In effect, Kramer became Hoad's personal coach. Both Hoad and Gonzalez were physically powerful, aggressive hitters, and strikingly good-looking.
The Gonzalez-Hoad tour began in Australia in January 1958. It soon looked like Hoad just might knock Gonzalez out of the top spot. The two played great tennis and neither man was willing to yield an inch on the court. Many contests went to five sets, and some of these lasted for hours.
Some consider these matches to be the greatest tennis ever played. One observer noted:
"Both guys were such great players with big serves. Gonzalez would hit that serve, and Hoad would return it like a ping-pong ball. They would go corner to cor¬ner. Boom! Boom! BOOM! People would stand up and applaud, thinking the point was over, and it would keep going two or three more shots. Or two or three more exchanges. People would be screaming. I tell you, man, that was tennis!"
When the tour ended its Australian segment, Gonzalez was trail¬ing Hoad by five matches. But then Hoad began losing. The strain of playing against Gonzalez with his unusual power had caused an old back problem to flare up. There were nights when Hoad could barely walk, but the tennis matches always went on.
Eventually, Hoad's back improved. In the meantime, however, Gonzalez had been able to correct a weakness in his own play. Hoad had been taking advantage of the way Gonzalez gripped his racket on his backhand stroke.
Gonzalez realized this and changed his grip, moving his hand slightly toward the top of the frame. This gave him more power, spin, and versatility. By the end of their series, Gonzalez had caught up with and passed Hoad. The final series score was not close: 51 to 36 matches. Gonzalez had won yet another professional tour! Curiously, though, Hoad had made $148,000 on the tour while Gonzalez went home with only $100,000.
When Gonzalez faced Hoad in the final of the 1958 World Professional Tennis Championships, he was victorious again. He was now the winner of the most important professional tournament and well as the tour versus Hoad. Regardless of the obvious financial discrimination on the part of Kramer, Gonzalez remained the master of tennis at its highest level.
Gonzalez thrived in this world. He once said:
"The hardest part of it is when you layoff and have to work to keep in condition. While on tour I don't regard it as work. I can't go to the movies or watch television as often as I would like because ofthe eye strain. There are eight hours during the day when you have nothing to do, lying around for the match in the evening. It can get boring. But once I'm on the court I'm doing the thing I want to do, and I am very happy with my life."
