PANCHO GONZALEZ INDUCTED INTO US OPEN COURT OF CHAMPIONS

Written by: Staff on 2nd September 2011

PANCHO GONZALEZ INDUCTED INTO US OPEN COURT OF CHAMPIONS

epa01849845 Actor Benjamin Bratt speaks during a tribute to tennis player Pancho Gonzalez on the 60th anniversary of his back-to-back titles at the U.S. National Championships on the sixth day of the 2009 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 05 September 2009. EPA/JUSTIN LANE |

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 1, 2011 – The USTA announced today that Pancho Gonzalez,

a tennis pioneer and two-time U.S. National Champion, has been named the 2011 inductee

into the US Open Court of Champions, a US Open and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center attraction honoring the greatest singles champions in the history of the 130 years of

the U.S. Championships/US Open. Gonzalez will be inducted during a ceremony in Arthur

Ashe Stadium on Saturday evening, September 3.

The ceremony will be hosted by accomplished actor and a founder of the National Hispanic

Foundation for the Arts Esai Morales, who will be joined by New Jersey Senator Robert

Menendez for the tribute. Tennis Channel plans to air portions of the ceremony into its

evening broadcast.

The US Open Court of Champions salutes the tournament’s all-time greatest champions with

an individual permanent monument that serves as a lasting tribute. Gonzalez will join prior

inductees Arthur Ashe, Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Jimmy Connors, Margaret Court,

Chris Evert, Althea Gibson, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Ivan

Lendl, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Margaret Osborne

duPont, Ken Rosewall, Pete Sampras, Bill Tilden and Helen Wills. A panel of international

print and broadcast journalists selected the 2011 inductee from the roster of U.S. champions

based on their performances at the tournament and their impact on the growth of the event.

“Pancho Gonzalez was not only a great champion but also a true pioneer in the sport of

tennis,” said Jon Vegosen, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “He has served and

will continue to serve as a role model for generations of Americans, especially Hispanic-

American athletes, and I’m proud that his name will live forever amongst the greatest US

Open champions.”

Gonzalez broke many tennis barriers. He taught himself how to play on public courts at the

age of 12, and was considered one of the most talented tennis players of his generation and

was a fan favorite on the professional tour throughout the 1950s and 60s. Early in his career,

which spanned four decades, he won back-to-back titles at the U.S. Championships in Forest

Hills, N.Y. in 1948-49. He also won two matches to help the U.S. defeat Australia to capture

the 1949 Davis Cup title. His passion and intensity led to an illustrious career as the world No.

1 for an unequaled eight years. As a 40-year-old in 1968, he reached the semifinals at Roland

Garros and the quarterfinals of the inaugural US Open. The following year, Gonzalez played

Charlie Pasarell at Wimbledon in a five-hour match that spanned two days and led to the

advent of the tie-break. Gonzalez also became the oldest player to ever win a professional

tournament when he won the Des Moines Open just shy of his 44th birthday.

The US Open Court of Champions, a 9,000-square foot outdoor pavilion bounded by the

South Entry Gate and the Arthur Ashe Commemorative Garden and Sculpture, celebrates the

event’s greatest champions with an individual permanent monument to serve as a lasting

tribute. The attraction also features a complete listing of all U.S. singles champions since the

competition began in 1881.

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