Classic match: Gonzales vs Pasarell

[gzhpcu]

Hard to stop watching... Second set... Pancho is furious about the fading light, Jack Kramer, the commentator says that Pancho does have a problem with his eyes and for this reason avoids indoor tournaments. Pancho keeps demanding the referee, Gibson, but is told to go on playing...

He loses the second set 1-6. A dramatic scene at the end of the set: Pancho is serving 1-5 down, and at a given point, the umpire calls out the wrong score: 30 all, instead of 15-40 to Pasarell's favor. Pasarell complains, but the umpire keeps insisting until Pancho steps in and corrects him, telling him the right score.

Finally, Gibson suspends the game, and Pancho furiously slams his racket against the umpire's chair and storms off, leaving the staid Wimbledon public shocked... Kramer says he never saw a scene like that before in Wimbledon...

What a great match... Now on to the next three sets...

[gzhpcu]

Playing serve and volley, you see lots of lobs. Pancho is incredibly strong overhead and matches Charlie for speed coming forward...

Impressive is how fast they are in between points. The play is really practically non stop. Walk quickly to the baseline after a point, bounce the ball quickly one or twice, bang serve. Toweling only on the changeover. Quick drink from a water dispenser and away they go...

When they play, they are both incredibly smooth and lithe at the net, chipping, lobbing, drop volleying, putting away volley decisively.

[don_budge]

To Assert…Gonzalez style

Kramer says he never saw a scene like that before in Wimbledon...

That's why he did it…they had never seen the likes of him. He was asserting himself.

[gzhpcu]

Gonzalez wins the third set, starts the fourth set, and asks a ball boy to get him more sweatlets for his wrist! Has run out apparently! Pasarell plays beautiful tennis, great forehand volley, but Pancho manages to keep his nose ahead.

They both step up to the baseline, bounce the ball just once and serve quickly. Great serving without bouncing the ball a dozen times. The server also keeps both balls in his hand.

Break comes when it is 4-3 for Gonzalez, and Pasarell double faults on break point! Gonzalez holds serve comfortably to win 6-3. Both move so smoothly.

Saving the 5th set for tomorrow (even if I know the result, it is still thrilling to watch...)

[EdWeiss]

Great stuff Phil. What would you estimate is Pancho's general first serve percentage and what about on big points?

[gzhpcu]

Ed, I would guess around 70%. But in critical situations, he almost always gets his first serve in. His first serve is flat or slice, and he mostly hits topspin on his second serve. Always good depth on the serve.

Jack Kramer says that Pancho told him he went down from about 190 lbs to when he played in his twenties to 180lbs now to keep up with the young guys. He looks lean and mean. Always concentrated. He will show his displeasure at times, but he gets on with it. The only real outburst was when on the first day he had to go on playing with the bad light. You could see that in the second set he really had problems losing it 1-6, when the match up to that point had been very even.

Changeover time is only about 45 seconds...

Man is play continuous compared to today's game.

Pasarell's plan is to hit lots of lobs and keep his return very low to tire Pancho. Not working, errors on is part creep in as Gonzalez attacks relentlessly.

Gonzalez looks gaunt and tired in between points, but turns into a panther once the play begins. In the 4th set, Gonzalez hits a lob over Pasarell, who runs back to the baseline, turns and hits a very short, angled sliced smash, which lands about 6 feet behind the net, near the netpost. Gonzalez, scrambles, gets to it and hits a very fast, heavily angled shot which is pratically parallel to the net, as he continues off the court and disappears from view!

[klacr]

When tennis was tennis

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Tennis...

Let me guess…white balls. White clothes against tanned skin.

[klacr]

Let me guess…white balls. White clothes against tanned skin.

a wise man once told me..."it's not the arrow, it's the Indian:

It's not the equipment or tools or surroundings. It's the players. It's all about the players. The way they carry themselves. The way they play with authority and purpose. Good stuff

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

A good serve is efficient. A serve should contain no unnecessary movements....

Great stuff Phil. What would you estimate is Pancho's general first serve percentage and what about on big points?

A good serve is efficient. A serve should contain no unnecessary movements, the body should expend no unnecessary energy.....

His career first serve percentage was reputedly 72%...

[gzhpcu]

Pasarell rfecently was interviewed about this great match which still haunts him...
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-GF3d11dvk
Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqb01eU6dDQ
Part 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-GF3d11dvk

Pasarell was coached and mentored by Gonzalez, they knew each other very well. Touching the way Gonzalez tried to console Pasarell in the locker room.

[gzhpcu]

Gonzalez is fiercely competitive but very fair. When a Pasarell ball gets called out which he saw as good, he immediately informs the linesman.

Final set: Gonzalez saving his legs whenever Pasarell goes 30 up on serve. His legs are giving out, but his arm isn't: he is still serving bullets!

Gonzalez saves 7 match points and evens up to 9-9!

Suddenly at 9-9, Pasarell starts with a double fault and then Gonzalez pounces with two excellent lobs breaking him!

Serving at 10-9, he wins a love game! Set-match Gonzalez!

Gonzalez went on to win the next two rounds, before falling in the last 16 to Arthur Ashe in 4 sets...

Exhausted, Gonzalez win a slight smile on his face for the first time in the match, goes to the net to shake hands with Pasarell. He shakes hands with the umpire, the two gather their gear and leave the court together, both tired with their heads down.

No fist, no chest pumping, no triumphant tour of the court. Thunderous applause.

[gzhpcu]

And in 1971 Gonzalez goes on to beat the 22 year old Manuel Orantes at first round Wimbledon, in another long 5 setter: 6-3, 6-4, 6-8, 4-6, 6-2!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5g4kbVxLzk

[stotty]

This is all very well but what's the picture quality like? Is it grainy...can you make out the ball properly?

Film seems to erode over time. I have some old VHS videos where the picture has degraded despite the fact they I haven't played them all that much over the years.

[gzhpcu]

Picture quality is good, not HD, of course, but good enough.

Quality is like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyhFo3hvGPI