When Tennis Meets a Budge
Thursday, May 20th, 2010Now that it’s really coming down to the wire, and the ones who have acted like pros all along reveal their true personalities, the world is observing that they are still absolute pros. There’s something about the game that brings out the best in people. Certainly, everyone has bad moments, and there have been players in history who have more bad moments than others, but the majority of players demonstrate a coolness. At least at times there’s a coolness, and a composure that’s hard to observe in other sports. That makes it tough to call which matches will be the most emotional, even when the French Open schedule is announced.
It seems to be in the history of the game. Players today have a reputation to live up to, and it has nothing to do with them at all, but with the long lineage that is part of the package. Even those who manage to have scored a Grand Slam often demonstrate a grace under pressure that is pretty extraordinary. It could be well argued that it all comes from the first person to ever accomplish that feat, a boy from Oakland, California named Don Budge .
He’s well-remembered, and well-regarded everywhere as one of the great tennis players of all time, if not the greatest. His backhand was a work of sublime grace, and the serve was something else. Coming from a 6 foot 1 inch frame, and one that had been training for baseball and basketball, it had a power that was very difficult to contend with. John “Donald” Budge was offered the chance to go pro, and decided to wait, which was the smartest move perhaps anyone ever made, because the next year, 1938, was the one where all the magic came together and he won the big prizes at all four games.
He suffered a shoulder wound as a soldier in WWII, which cost dearly, but he still played for years after that. When he retired, he also did that as a gentleman, and lead programs that taught tennis to kids. In 1964, the world recongnized his achievements and he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They don’t make them like that anymore, or perhaps they do.