Pancho Gonzales (1928 – 1995), was the world’s top ranked tennis player for a still-unequalled 8 years in the 1950s and early 1960s. Gonzales played professionally during that period.
Astonishingly, he learnt the game on his own, without coaching of any kind.
As an amateur in the late 1940s he was US champion twice.
Prior to the Open era (before 1968), many considered him the greatest player in the history of tennis.
Unfortunately, due to the rules prohibiting pros from competing at the Grand Slams before 1967, he was ineligible to compete in them at the height of his career. He most definitely would have won a handful of them during 1949-1967 when he was at his prime.
The first Grand Slam of the Open era was the French Open in 1968, when Gonzales was already 40 years old. Still, he took part, despite having been semi-retired for a few years.
And amazingly, he defeated 1967 defending champion Roy Emerson in the quarterfinals, before losing in the semis to another legend, Rod Laver.
Later he participated at Wimbledon and lost in the 3rd round and went quite far (5th round/quarters) at the US Open.
An article from a 1999 edition of Sports Illustrated, named him 15th in their “20 favourite athletes of the 20th century” and wrote: “if earth was on the line in a tennis match, the man you want serving to save humankind would be Ricardo Alonso Gonzalez.” So apparently, not Pete Sampras, not Bjorn Borg, not anybody else.
Prominent tennis commentator Bud Collins seconded that in 2006 when he wrote in MSNBC: “If I had to choose someone to play for my life, it would be Pancho Gonzalez.”
Ref:
Wikipedia
