The younger ones are about to meet him. For those over 50, his name is very familiar. For those who saw him play, it is impossible to forget. Today we remember one of the best tennis players in history: Pancho Gonzales.
His ATP file says that he won 9 individual titles, although there were actually more than a hundred. That same card reveals to us that he reached #109 in the rankings, although the reality is that he was the best on the circuit for more than a decade. The truth is not reflected even in his official name, Pancho Gonzalessince the correct name is Ricardo Alonso González. Born in Los Angeles in the late 1920s but of Mexican descent, today I come to talk to you about one of the first individual stars to occupy the world tennis stage. A period character, not always valued, whom we remember today through this album of photos and memories.
From a humble family – although he always repeated that he never lacked anything – Ricardo had to share his childhood with six other brothers. Despite being born in the United States, he had to suffer the prejudices of his origins, experiences that bordered on racism throughout his entire career. A scar on his face from a scooter accident when he was seven years old added another level of danger. Regarding the nickname ‘Pancho‘, the truth is that he hated it, it seemed derogatory to him, a sad way to stigmatize him. Not even the spelling of his surname was respected, changing the ‘z’ to the ‘s’. Furthermore, Pancho Segura (1921-2017), an Ecuadorian and also a nationalized North American, already had that nickname, so there was no need to have two repeated stickers. But there were, although one of them regretted embracing the 50-star flag all his life.
His career – with some interspersed gaps – spanned from 1949 to 1974, from the age of 21 until he was 46. His beginnings coincided with one of the bloodiest battles in the chronology of this sport, that of amateurs against professionals. Pancho opted to become a professional as soon as the opportunity came, so he could not compete in the Grand Slam tournaments, leaving only a pair of titles at the US National Singles Championships (1947, 1948), currently known as the US Open. He was so good that he did not understand that this life did not produce benefits, so he accumulated successes and money between 1952 and 1969, a stage in which he was considered the best tennis player on the planet by all of his rivals.
If we analyze his game, everything was conditioned by his height, close to 1’91m. With that size he dominated like few others from the service line, something that he accompanied with his continuous climbs to the net. His ardent will to win also made him shine from different perspectives, leaving his rivals stunned by him, unable to understand how that giant could move like a panther all over the court. He was even prohibited from volleying right after the serve, to avoid so much advantage. They also tried to delay the baseline to control the threat of his serve, anything to limit his abilities. Result? They never managed to stop him, he always ended up winning.
A COMPLICATED GUY TO DEAL WITH
If we talk about his forms, his character – I was looking forward to getting to this paragraph –, we will collide with a textbook agitator, although without leaving behind his status as a genius. He could be kind and generous off the court, but he was to pick up the racket and turn into a demon, a temperamental freak out of the box. His coldness and solitary nature caused him to be rude at many times, giving the impression of being angry at the world. If things didn’t work out, he paid for it with his rival, with the public or with the judges. Who was in front, it didn’t matter. Pancho believed that this attitude helped him in the competition., meanwhile, what his opponents thought was that he really hated them. After all, they were his enemies.
But did he really hate them? Far from it – the same as some – but I couldn’t stand losing, this was the key. Pancho would do anything to win, in fact, he gave the impression that the angrier he got, the better he played, anticipating a doctrine that only John McEnroe would fulfill in the future. He intentionally threw a tantrum, not because he was upset with the situation, but simply to disconnect his opponent and take him out of the game. What was there to invent an injury? Any end justified the means. “Every time we faced each other, my goal was not to make eye contact with him, I wasn’t looking for him, I didn’t want to react to his show.“, he points out Rod Laver about the American with Latin roots. He knew well that if you played into his game, you were easy prey. More than one was paralyzed when trying.
That daily intensity did not help him establish friendly relationships either, much less with those above him. In 1954, when he joined the professional tour led by Jack Kramer, he experienced first-hand the injustice of back-billing. It’s not that he received insignificant amounts, it’s that the rest of his colleagues earned six times more. In the end he got tired and left, he gave himself a few sabbatical years when he turned thirty, to finish returning to the circuit in September 1963, when he was already 35 years old. He still carried that dark side, he still carried that permanent outburst, but his majestic movement and feline agility had not gone away either. Tall, swift, with a beautiful face and a well-kept black knight, although grayer every day. This was Pancho Gonzáles, a teacher who was more respected than loved.
THE RETURN OF THE GREATEST
His second coming to the circuit caused a sensation both inside and outside the locker room. He was no longer the best in the world, but he was the star. Profiles like Laver or Rosewall, leaders at that time, were amazed to see the pull that the California giant had. He had more presence on the posters, he gave more interviews, people followed him, they adored him, no one gave importance to the controversies that he could create on the track. Speaking clearly: he sold more than the others. People preferred to see Pancho’s anger than the skills of the rest, he was the definitive showman. Am I the only one thinking about Nick Kyrgios? He had so much personality that he even sued the players’ statute for forcing him to play more tournaments than he wanted, although the only thing they demanded of him was that he respect the calendar and the contracts. The Mexican ended up winning that trial and being the master of his destiny, competing only when he felt like it. He went down in history for being the first player to collect half a million dollars in prize money.
One of those who suffered it the most was Rod Laver, about whom we have already talked a lot in Punto de Break thanks to an autobiography that we cannot stop recommending. The Australian tells an anecdote about the first time they saw each other, where Gonzales did not want to recognize him. Then, after being reduced by the oceanic, we didn’t even talk about shaking his hand. He was not good at losing, as you can see. This did not sit well with ‘Rocket’, who sought personal revenge in the next match. When the time came, the man from Rockhampton dominated his rival 6-0 and 3-1, to the point of seeing it done: “I thought I was toast, no chance of reaction”. Can you imagine how that duel ended? With Pancho coming back and winning the final the next day against Rosewall. You should never trust someone who controlled the scene so well.
Another curious aspect of Pancho that is now impossible to reproduce were the tremendous screams he gave when he played, to the point of being violent. Laver himself relates in his book another funny anecdote related to his wife (Mary) and the arrival of his first child, Rick. Apparently, the creature was quite noisy and cried uncontrollably, so his wife asked him if his whining bothered her. The champion’s response could not be more authentic: “Why would I bother? I’m used to it, I’ve been listening to Gonzales for five years”. That was good old Pancho, an earthquake in every sense, you could only accept it.
And was it the same in private life? This information may help you as an answer: he was married and divorced up to six times, having nine children with four different women. The last one was the most famous, Rita Agassi (Andre’s older sister), whom he married in 1984, having children shortly after. But that story wouldn’t turn out well either, since Mike Agassi would do everything he could to boycott his daughter’s relationship. Evil tongues say that he hated Pancho so much that he even tried to kill him. After ten months battling stomach cancer, Gonzales died in July 1995 at the age of 67. Of all her ex-wives, Rita was the only one to attend the funeral, held in Las Vegas and paid for by her brother Andre.
A LEGEND TO BE RECOGNIZED
Among his hundreds of memories as a player, one that goes into the unforgettable folder was the five-set exhibition he played against Rod Laver in January 1970, in a packed Madison Square Garden, with more than 15,000 people present. Pancho, at 41 years old, defeated the Australian, a decade younger, taking all the prohibited blows from him, striking down the one who at that time was the undisputed No. 1. Days like that were what caused Rodney to dedicate a few lines to him in his memoirs, reviewing all of his battles, even those in which they almost came to blows. But they never crossed that line, in fact, it was normal that half an hour after the heat of battle they would be sharing a drink in any bar.
Everyone who crossed Pancho Gonzales’ path ended up colliding with him. Only those who had the opportunity to know him personally were able to see the nobility that lived behind that competitive psychopath. The one who took a liking to him, kept him forever. He who never swallowed it, will not be able to forget it either.
Now, could Pancho González be the best tennis player in history? It seems like a misplaced statement, but listen to those who really suffered it. “He was probably as good as anyone who has ever played the sport, if not the best.”he declared Rod Laver. “He is the best natural athlete tennis has ever known.“, he claimed Tony Trabert, who lost 101 times against him. “Seeing Gonzales on the court was like seeing a god patrolling the sky“, he pointed out Gussie Moran. “If he is not the best, he is undoubtedly one of the best,” he stressed. Arthur Ashe, who had him as an idol. Nobody better than Bud Collinsthe best tennis journalist who has ever existed, to close this catalog of mentions and understand what the essence of this legend was: “If I had to choose a tennis player to risk my life with, without a doubt, I would choose Pancho”.
2023-10-01 20:00:47
#story #Pancho #Gonzales #giant #racket
