|
Pancho Gonzales (Richard Alonzo Gonzales)[gonzal´is] Pronunciation Key, 1928–95, American tennis player, b. Los Angeles, of Mexican parentage. After two straight wins in both the U.S. lawn and clay court singles championships (1948, 1949), he gained an international reputation in 1949 as a member of the U.S. team that won the Davis Cup competition against Australia. Gonzales, noted for his powerful service and strong court play, turned professional in 1949. After an unsuccessful national tour he went into semiretirement. Making a spectacular comeback in 1954, he remained the professional champion (except for 1960) until he retired in 1963. Returning again to competition, he reached the U.S. professional finals in 1964 and remained an active competitor throughout the 1960s.
See his autobiography, Man with a Racket (1959).
|
