Richard “PANCHO” Gonzales Tennis Champion And Proud Mexican American Would Have Been 88 Today.

Written by: Staff on 9th May 2016

Richard "PANCHO" Gonzales Tennis Champion And Proud Mexican American Would Have Been 88 Today.

The LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles’ first Mexican-American cultural center, opened its doors to the public during its grand opening in downtown Saturday, April 16. The Smithsonian Affiliate is a 2.2-acre facility is dedicated to celebrating the influence of Mexican and Mexican-American culture on Southern California. Although many people enjoyed the free live music, art workshops, and tours, members of Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians protested across the street with chants like “The people who there are grave robbers,” and “Shame on you Los Angeles.” People who attended were able to tour the center’s interactive exhibit “LA Starts Here!” that showcases artifacts, films, and mosaics from 1781 to today. (Photo credit: Jeffrey Ledesma/ Neon Tommy) |

Happy Birthday Pancho Gonzales!

10sBalls.com would like to wish Pancho Gonzales a happy birthday. Our entire team agrees he is the greatest player of all time and we commemorate his birthday by looking back on his greatness:

Editors Note : Please check the upcoming events honoring Pancho and his foundation via tennis clinics and education.

Take a look at the podcast at Sports Illustrated published May 1^st . We thought all the the tennis fans would enjoy. http://www.si.com/tennis/2016/04/29/si-vault-podcast-pancho-gonzales

-From Wikipedia
Ricardo Alonso González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), generally known as Richard “Pancho” Gonzales (or, less often, as Pancho Gonzalez) was an American tennis player. He was the World No. 1 professional tennis player for an unequaled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s. He won two Major titles and twelve Pro Slam titles.

Largely self-taught, Gonzales was a successful amateur player in the late-1940s, twice winning the United States Championships. He is still widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. A 1999 Sports Illustrated article about the magazine’s 20 “favorite athletes” of the 20th century said about Gonzales (their number 15 pick): “If earth was on the line in a tennis match, the man you want serving to save humankind would be Ricardo Alonso Gonzalez.” The American tennis commentator Bud Collins echoed this in an August 2006 article for MSNBC.com: “If I had to choose someone to play for my life, it would be Pancho Gonzalez.”^[2]

While Pancho’s greatness was defined by many amazing performances, one of his matches is considered the most memorable ever played.

In 1969, it was Gonzales’s turn to prevail in the longest match ever played till that time, one so long and arduous that it resulted in the advent of tie break scoring. As a 41-year-old at Wimbledon, Gonzales met the fine young amateur Charlie Pasarell, a Puerto Rican younger than Gonzales by 16 years who revered his opponent.

Pasarell won a titanic first set, 24-22, then with daylight fading, the 41-year-old Gonzalez argued that the match should be suspended. The referee didn’t relent and thus the petulant Gonzalez virtually threw the second set, losing it 6-1. At the break, the referee agreed the players should stop. Gonzalez was booed as he walked off Centre Court.

The next day, the serves, the volleys and all the prowess that made Gonzales a fiery competitor surfaced with trademark vengeance. Pasarell, seeking to exploit Gonzalez’s advanced years, tried to aim soft service returns at Gonzalez’s feet and tire him with frequent lobs. Barked Gonzalez on a changeover, “Charlie, I know what you’re doing – and it’s not working!” Gonzalez rebounded to win three straight sets, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9. In the fifth set, Gonzales won all seven match points that Pasarell had against him, twice coming back from 0-40 deficits, to walk off the court from the 5-hour, 12-minute epic.

The final score was an improbable 22-24, 1–6, 16-14, 6–3, 11-9. Gonzales went on to the fourth round of the championship, where he was beaten in four sets by Arthur Ashe. The match with Pasarell, however, is still remembered as one of the highlights in the history of tennis and has been called one of “The Ten Greatest Matches of the Open Era” in the November/December 2003 issue of TENNIS magazine.But it was not this match alone which gave Gonzales the reputation, among the top players, of being the greatest long-match player in the history of the game.

The match would (largely due to the introduction of the tie break) remain the longest in terms of games played until the historic, 11 hours and 183 games long Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

Pancho’s legacy lives on today and 10sBalls.com once again wishes him a Happy Birthday!

For more info on Pancho Gonzales: Click Here

Topics: Pancho Gonzales, Richard Gonzales, Sports, Tennis Legend

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10sBalls_com says:

May 9, 2015 at 10:26 am

Happy Birthday Pancho Gonzales!- http://t.co/X9z1X0jNll #tennis #PanchoGonzales #HappyBirthday
BSipiora says:

May 9, 2015 at 10:27 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Happy Birthday Pancho Gonzales!- http://t.co/X9z1X0jNll #tennis #PanchoGonzales #HappyBirthday