Pancho Segura: The Beginning

[klacr]

God bless him...what a dramatic character. Larger than life. Good old Francisco Segura. Don Budge talked of him quite a bit at his camp in Maryland. It is sort of ironic that we get to know him a little bit better now in tennisplayer.net. Timing is everything. Is it a coincidence or is it fate? Segura said of Aaron Krickstein that he was going to be the next Björn Borg. Krickstein just dominated United States junior tennis for years and Segura was well aware of him. I will never forget that he said that...I too, felt that Aaron had a calling. Destiny.

Aaron still has a calling. Just not the same one everyone assumed of him. He is doing great and is very happy. Sadly for me, that calling has nothing to do with the success (or lack thereof) of Michigan football this weekend against Ohio State. Aaron and I spoke the whole weekend about the dismal performance from our Wolverines.

Pancho Segura may have passed and the timing of the article is coincidental. But I'm glad we are highlighting him and I'm excited to find out more about him in the coming issue of tennisplayer.net.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

I remember vaguely seeing the two Panchos train at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club when I was a little kid. My dad used to take me with him to watch. As I mentioned elsewhere, father would play mixed doubles with Gussie Moran...

[don_budge]

God bless him...what a dramatic character. Larger than life. Good old Francisco Segura. Don Budge talked of him quite a bit at his camp in Maryland. It is sort of ironic that we get to know him a little bit better now in tennisplayer.net. Timing is everything. Is it a coincidence or is it fate? Segura said of Aaron Krickstein that he was going to be the next Björn Borg. Krickstein just dominated United States junior tennis for years and Segura was well aware of him. I will never forget that he said that...I too, felt that Aaron had a calling. Destiny.

[gzhpcu]

He reached 96! R.I.P. may he meet the other Pancho...

[stotty]

Pancho passes away aged 96.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/19/obituaries/pancho-segura-dies.html?_r=0

[stotty]

I really like this article about Francisco Segura. If we want to be really politically correct we maybe shouldn't use these nicknames. I think I will read the whole thing before commenting on things like "racism" and the like. They are interesting angles of course. Inflammatory these days to talk of these things. Back in those days it was different. I like your comments here...I always love it when somebody show's an interest in being a true student of the game.

Here's a thread that I started about Francisco's two handed forehand. The article that I based the thread on has since been deleted but it was truly fascinating and described in great detail just how he hit it complete with grip descriptions.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...-pancho-segura

I think the book is one you should definitely read. I shall read again myself.

It wasn't just racism but also social class he was up against. In Ecuador, back then, one had to know one's social place and be expected to stay there. He was one of seven children in a poor family. He was born prematurely and contracted malaria. He also developed rickets which resulted in his trademark bandy legs. Francisco Segura had to overcome so much right from the get-go. I cannot tell you how impressive his story is.

[bottle]

What would be politically correct would be to get rid of the present president. That looks to be correct from the viewpoint of saving the planet and the human species as well. It's a democracy, right? The people are supposed to decide.

[don_budge]

Interesting....and Segura's strokes are original.

Originality is one thing classic tennis has in spades over modern tennis. Coaching has ruined the self-development side of tennis players. I much preferred it when things were left more to chance. It made the game more interesting. British tennis players, on all levels, were once a treasure trove of quirky, unique tennis strokes. You could once find the most peculiar wind-up to service motions that were a source of wonder. No more. There is a coach in every club these days nipping such eccentricities in the bud. What a shame.

Players like Segura made classic tennis so exquisitely beautiful because of the uniqueness of their strokes. You remember how I once saw Rosewell in his 50's practicing with Fred Stolle? I could have watched Rosewell's backhand volley all day long, that's how exquisitely beautiful it was to watch. Stolle spent a good five minutes hitting to Rosewalls backhand volley. I learned much.

I really like this article about Francisco Segura. If we want to be really politically correct we maybe shouldn't use these nicknames. I think I will read the whole thing before commenting on things like "racism" and the like. They are interesting angles of course. Inflammatory these days to talk of these things. Back in those days it was different. I like your comments here...I always love it when somebody show's an interest in being a true student of the game.

Here's a thread that I started about Francisco's two handed forehand. The article that I based the thread on has since been deleted but it was truly fascinating and described in great detail just how he hit it complete with grip descriptions.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulletin/forum/tennisplayer/2521-the-two-handed-forehand-and-pancho-segura

[stotty]

And his strokes are so original! And he's so shrewd in his book called CHAMPIONSHIP STRATEGY. And my friend Jim Kacian sat next to him at a tournament and just listening to his gregarious talk felt he (Jim) was receiving a great lesson on spectating. In fact, in that book, Chapter Eighteen is called "Learning through Spectating." Jim said that Segura frequently came back, in their watching and their conversation, to the theme of a good approach shot to the opponent's backhand and then making a smart volley. This, it seemed, was a lifelong basic for him and something he never would tire of returning to and always was glad to discuss.

Interesting....and Segura's strokes are original.

Originality is one thing classic tennis has in spades over modern tennis. Coaching has ruined the self-development side of tennis players. I much preferred it when things were left more to chance. It made the game more interesting. British tennis players, on all levels, were once a treasure trove of quirky, unique tennis strokes. You could once find the most peculiar wind-up to service motions that were a source of wonder. No more. There is a coach in every club these days nipping such eccentricities in the bud. What a shame.

Players like Segura made classic tennis so exquisitely beautiful because of the uniqueness of their strokes. You remember how I once saw Rosewell in his 50's practicing with Fred Stolle? I could have watched Rosewell's backhand volley all day long, that's how exquisitely beautiful it was to watch. Stolle spent a good five minutes hitting to Rosewalls backhand volley. I learned much.

[bottle]

And his strokes are so original! And he's so shrewd in his book called CHAMPIONSHIP STRATEGY. And my friend Jim Kacian sat next to him at a tournament and just listening to his gregarious talk felt he (Jim) was receiving a great lesson on spectating. In fact, in that book, Chapter Eighteen is called "Learning through Spectating." Jim said that Segura frequently came back, in their watching and their conversation, to the theme of a good approach shot to the opponent's backhand and then making a smart volley. This, it seemed, was a lifelong basic for him and something he never would tire of returning to and always was glad to discuss.

[stotty]

I read the book. Highly recommended. Shows the contrast between the two great Panchos. Both had to deal with racism and prejudice but dealt with it differently. Pancho Gonzales became bitter and a loner, reacted with aggression. Pancho Segura reacted with charm and became a well loved figure.

Yes I mentioned this in a post some time ago. The two men tackled prejudice and racism in completely different ways. Segura accepted the world he was living in while Gonzales was offended punched back. It's probably important to understand, though, that Segura came from a more disadvantaged background than Gonzales, and it's likely that had Segura tackled racism like Gonzales, his tennis career may never have gotten off the ground. Sometimes life is about playing the best hand you can. Playing along with how the world was, was a policy that Segura continued with long after after his tennis career came to an end.

Segura seems happier than Gonzales was. His approach to life and the way he dealt with prejudice and racism may have had something to do with that. It's tough to walk around with a chip on your shoulder like Gonzales. It has to make you miserable, bitter, and leave you scarred. Resolving to accept and make the best of a given situation, as Segura did, makes for a happier life.

But a Gonzales benefits society more in the long run whereas a Segura unwittingly legitimises racism by going along with things. This is not to take anything away from Segura who is a player I admire above all others. I can think of no other player who overcame such odds on the road to being a truly great player.

The book is excellent and well structured. I would recommend anyone interested in classic tennis to read it.

[bottle]

I have always admired Seebohm's work, but this is the best I've seen. And how about the one sentence in which she successfully uses the word "expensive" or "expensively" eight different times?

[gzhpcu]

I read the book. Highly recommended. Shows the contrast between the two great Panchos. Both had to deal with racism and prejudice but dealt with it differently. Pancho Gonzales became bitter and a loner, reacted with aggression. Pancho Segura reacted with charm and became a well loved figure.

[johnyandell]

Let's discuss Caroline Seebohm's article, "Pancho Segura: The Beginning"