Pancho Gonzales — the greatest player of the 1950s who ruled the professional tour for two decades.
Pancho Gonzales was born Richard Alonzo Gonzales on 9 May 1928 in Los Angeles, California, to Mexican immigrant parents. Self-taught and ferociously competitive, he won the US Championships (now US Open) in 1948 and 1949 before turning professional. On the professional tour — which the top players played in the 1950s-60s, separately from the amateur Grand Slams — he dominated for over a decade. He is widely regarded as the greatest player of the 1950s and one of the greatest servers and competitors in tennis history. He died in 1995.
US Championships 1948
At the age of 41, he defeated Charlie Pasarell in a Wimbledon first-round match that lasted 112 games over two days — the longest match in Wimbledon history at the time.
Did You Know?Career Honours
- US Championships 1948
- US Championships 1949