Pancho Gonzales

Ricardo Alonso Gonzalez, aka “Richard Gonzalez or Pancho Gonzalez”, was a professional tennis player whose unrivaled fame and expertise has made him considered by most as the greatest tennis player in history. Gonzalez was born on May 9, 1928 in Los Angeles, California, to parents Carmen Alire and Manuel Antonio Gonzalez. Born as the eldest of seven children, Gonzalez’ parents were immigrants from Chihuahua, Mexico in the early 1900s, and he grew up in a stable home that was not exactly poor like what most people assumed.

Gonzalez started playing tennis when he was given a tennis racket by his mother when he was still 12 years old. He taught himself the basics of tennis by watching the other players who frequented the public tennis courts at Exposition Park. As soon as he fell in love with tennis, Gonzalez fell into a rather troubled adolescence where he often got himself into trouble. In fact, he was even arrested for burglary when he was 15 years old, and spent a whole year in detention.

After hard work and eventually doing well as an amateur tennis player, Gonzalez tried his luck playing professionally. However, as luck would have it, Gonzalez came out utterly defeated during his first year as a professional.

Although he was beaten badly during his first year of tennis, Gonzalez still managed to win four Grand Slam titles and a slew of other competitions. However, despite his obvious talent, Gonzalez gained a reputation for being a loner whose moodiness became something that opponents, photographers, and officials wary of. Although he easily got upset, Gonzalez played better under the said circumstances. As a result of his impressive tennis playing, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1968. He lived long enough to see himself inducted into the Hall of Fame, as he died on July 3, 1995.