The Wimbledon Final That Never Was . . . And Other Tennis Tales from a By-Gone Era

by Wood, Sidney; Wood, David

• ISBN13: 9780942257847
• ISBN10: 0942257847
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-01
• Publisher: New Chapter Press

Summary

The only time in the history of Wimbledon that the men's singles final was not played is told in detail by the crowned champion in this illuminating tennis biography. Sidney Wood won the 1931 Wimbledon title by default over Frank Shields--his school buddy, doubles partner, roommate, and Davis Cup teammate--in one of the most curious episodes in sports history. Wood tells the tale of how Shields was ordered by the U.S. Tennis Association not to compete in the championship match so that he could rest his injured knee in preparation for an upcoming Davis Cup match. Three years later the story continues when he and Shields played a match at the Queen's Club for the Wimbledon trophy. Also included are a compilation of short stories that deliver fascinating anecdotes of the 1930s and a signature document of the play and styles of 20th-century tennis legends.

Author Biography

Sidney Wood was an American tennis player who was crowned men’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 1931. He was also a singles finalist at the 1935 U.S. Championships, played for the U.S. Davis Cup team in both 1931 and 1934, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1964. David Wood is Sidney's son

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. i
Who am I?	p. 1
Early Years	p. 3
The Wimbledon Final that Never was…	p. 20
The Private Understanding Playoff	p. 35
From Wimbledon to Wall Street	p. 41
My Favorite Match	p. 45
Doing Laundry with Don Budge and Arnold Palmer	p. 48
Dave Selznick	p. 51
Shooting It Up with Gary Cooper	p. 53
The other Errol	p. 56
Scarecrow Server	p. 59
Near Immortality at Grauman's Chinese Theatre	p. 60
Charlie Chaplin in Wonderland	p. 62
Replay with Fay Wray	p. 65
Groucho Gets Bagged	p. 67
J. Donald Budge	p. 69
Roof top Tennis in Manhattan the Founding of Town Tennis Club	p. 71
The Full Count	p. 73
Days of Grace	p. 78
The Case of Althea Gibson	p. 83
Tennis with Bobby Fischer	p. 85
The Shah and I	p. 89
The First us Open Box Seats	p. 93
Supreme Court	p. 95
Once I was Gross at Roland Garros	p. 97
Frequent Flier	p. 101
Near Miss	p. 104
Deputy Wood	p. 105
The Hotfoot	p. 109
Nuts to You, Mrs. Astor	p. 110
Practice Imperfect	p. 112
The ôDouble-Hitö that Cost Jean Borotra the 1927 Wimbledon Title	p. 114
Henri Cochet - The French Connection	p. 117
Foot Faults…Before and After	p. 120
French Frustrations	p. 122
Mark Mccormack - The Ultimate Sports Mogul	p. 125
Adrenaline	p. 129
Analyzing the Greatest Players of All Time	p. 134
The Greatest Strokes and Skill Sets of All Time	p. 147
Friendships for a Lifetime	p. 173
Epilogue	p. 177
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