Golden Boy

Peter MacHoy

• 9780953651641

Samenvatting:

The book takes as its starting point Pete Sampras winning his second consecutive Wimbledon singles title in 1994. Shortly after coming off court, he is visibly distressed by news of the death of his idol, Lew Hoad, at the age of fifty-nine. Hoad's progress is traced from humble beginnings in a Sydney suburb to becoming one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen. Often referred to as the Golden Boy of tennis, blond, good-looking Hoad was probably the first ever tennis superstar. In this book, his incredible feats on court as well as the colourful and dramatic events off court , are unfurled against a backdrop of major changes in the sport. The book takes as its starting point Pete Sampras winning his second consecutive Wimbledon singles title in 1994. Shortly after coming off court, he is visibly distressed by news of the death of his idol, Lew Hoad, at the age of fifty-nine. We then trace Hoad's progress from humble beginnings in a Sydney suburb to becoming one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen. His early tussles with life-long friend and rival, Ken Rosewall, are described - the diminutive Rosewall who was three months his senior and thrashed him 6-0, 6-0 in their first four matches. Later chapters focus on his epic win as a 17 year-old with Rosewall in the Men's Doubles at Wimbledon in 1952 when the twins as they were known caused a sensation by beating the American second seeds, Dick Savitt and Gardner Mulloy. More heroic exploits followed in the Davis Cup Final against the United States the following year. Hoad, playing his first Davis Cup, defeated Tony Trabert in a match that has gone down in the annals of Davis Cup history as one of the best and most exciting ever played. Australia had retained the Cup. With his blond good looks (he was often described as a 'blond Adonis'), strapping physique, and spectacular power play, Hoad never lacked female admirers and his teenage romance with the beautiful and talented young Australian tennis player, Jenny Staley, blossomed into a love that lasted for the rest of his life. Just prior to the 1955 Wimbledon they were married in a church close to the Championship grounds. Like Lew's earlier Wimbledon matches, this one produced headline news as reporters got wind of the marriage despite desperate attempts to keep it secret. In 1956, his annus mirabilis, Lew Hoad won the Australian, Italian, French and German singles titles as well as Wimbledon where he defeated his old rival, Rosewall. However, Rosewall got his revenge in the U.S. Championships later that year. It was a victory that brought joy and sadness in equal measure because he'd deprived his friend of the one remaining title he needed for the cherished Grand Slam (winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. titles in the same year). There were troubles looming, however. Lew became increasingly concerned by a back problem caused by a boyhood Australian Rules football injury. In the year following his Wimbledon triumph, he lost his Australian title to Ashley Cooper and there had been disappointing defeats on the red shale courts of Italy and France. In Australia, newspapers dismissed their wonder-kid as a But by the time Hoad arrived in England for the grass-court season, he'd experienced an amazing transformation. Cont. Suddenly his back felt good, his concentration was sharp and he was hitting the ball with power and precision. A string of tournament wins led to Wimbledon where he was seeded number one. Walking on to the centre court for the opening match, he was greeted with a standing ovation. To the British crowd, this modest, blond Australian was an idol - a Golden Boy whose serve and volley game was perfectly suited to grass. On his way to the final, Hoad honed his game against some of the best players: first the Frenchman, Pierre Darmon; next, mighty drinking partner and fellow-countryman, Roy Emerson; then Davis Cup team-mate, Merv Rose; and, in the semi-final, the re