Golden Boy [Paperback]

Larry Hodgson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2001

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 redoubtable Swede, Sven Davidson. The final, against the number two seed, the debonair, darkly handsome, Ashley Cooper, was one of the shortest on record. It was a demolition job with Hoad hitting scaring winners from every part of the court, serving thunderbolt aces, and dominating the net. Years later, he said: "This was the kind of tennis I had always dreamed I might one day be able to play." After just 56 minutes, Cooper's agony was over. He won only 30 points in Hoad's 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, victory. The next day, papers around the world celebrated Hoad's win. The London Times said: "Hoad consigned his unfortunate fellow Australian, Ashley Cooper, to the realms of a mere mortal while he himself strode Olympian heights." And, in more light-hearted vein, another English paper, the Daily Miror commented: "Hoad served more aces than a crooked gambler." This was to be Hoad's last appearance at Wimbledon. Within hours of his victory, he joined Jack Kramer's professional troupe and was on his way to America. Waiting there for Hoad was the most hated and feared man in tennis - Pancho "The Black Tiger" Gonzales. A poor Mexican kid, he'd turned pro so young that most of the "established" tennis world had never seen him. Regarded by fellow pros as the "meanest, dirtiest, toughest player ever", he despised amateurs and relished thrashing them when they turned pro. Now he looked forward eagerly to annihilating the so-called "best in the world". A head-to-head 100 match world tour between Hoad and Gonzalcs had been arranged and soon Lew began to gain the upper hand. People fortunate enough to witness these matches said the tennis was unbelievable. Then one night in Kentucky, Hoad went for a smash and felt a terrific pain cut across his lower back. In a single, flashing second, his career was over. A specialist diagnosed sciatic neuritis. This meant little to Lew but the words "Your back will never be cured" did. No one ever doubted his courage: he played on but was sometimes in such agony, he couldn't stand erect. There were, though, periods of time when, mysteriously, the pain eased and Gonzales knew he had a fight on his hands. At one stage, he won 5 matches in a row and, in one match, playing sublime tennis, he took the first set 6-0 off a blinking gonzales in 13 minutes. Eventually, however, Gonzales won the series 51-36 and Hoad was forced into virtual retirement. He and Jenny found a plot of land near Mijas in Southern Spain. In this idyllic setting, the mountains behind them, the Mediterranean just a few miles away, they created one of the most beautiful tennis clubs in the world - the Campo de Tennis. The Hoads started a new carrer - coaching, and people flocked from all over the world to pick up tips from the Master and share memories and beers with him at the bar. When he died, tributes poured in, revealing the love and affection this extraordinary man inspired. The headline from respected tennis writer and family friend, Richard Evans in the Times provides a fitting epitaph for Hoad: "Tough, loyal and as straight as an arrow."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Hodgson In a thirty-year BBC career he held the posts of both Editor, Radio News and Head of Sports and Outside Broadcasts. In 1992, at the request of the All England Club, he and communications expert Mike Brown founded Radio Wimbledon, the official voice of the Tennis Championships. He is a long-standing friend of the Hoad family and lives on the Costa del Sol. Dudley Jones Dudley Jones lectures in English and Education at the University of Reading. He has published a number of articles on children's literature, and popular fiction writers (Len Deighton, Frederick Forsyth, Arthur Hailey) and recently co-edited a book about the heroic figure in children's popular culture. His main passion in life, however, is tennis and he has spent the last two years researching and co-writing this biography of his boyhood idol, Lew Hoad.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: DSM (June 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0953651649
• ISBN-13: 978-0953651641
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,157,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a eulogy, May 23, 2010

By 

Fred Doevils "Tennis Librarian" (Hilversum, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Boy (Paperback)

A book about tennisplayer Lew Hoad, twice a Wimbeldon-champion, winner of five Majors. Offcourse he deserves a biography. Let me start to say that I enjoyed the book. Lew Hoad emerges as a modest, almost shy, amiable man, and one of the greatest tennisplayer ever. A chronological account of life and a little bit times of Lew Hoad.
But there is a big but. It's more an eulogy than a biography. Everybody loved him, adored him, worshipped him. And be it as it may, and it's sure he was a very sympathetic fellow, the emphasis starts to annoy. Even his outbursts at the court, which maybe once or twice occurred in his career, is explained away.
But in conclusion a fair read. And after finishing this book you realise Lew Hoad, his life and times, deserves a more `serious' biography.