Toward A Better Understanding Of Pre-Open Era Tennis
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Show Notes
TBS Special: In the vein of our Pride episode from last year, we've gone and done a bit of research into the history of tennis and are coming to you with our findings on what tennis was like before and leading into the Open Era.
04:28 What was amateurism and why did it exist?
18:36 So, what did tennis look like in the first 90 years or so?
21:48 What happened when a player turned professional in the pre-Open Era?
29:34 Jack Kramer, professional kingpin & thorn in side of amateur tennis
34:48 The relative quality of amateur vs pro tennis
43:43 The rumblings of professionalization/Open Tennis
51:59 What about the women, you might be asking?
57:50 Margaret Court's record gets a bad rap? It's complicated
64:40 Richard Pancho Gonzalez and his undervalued place in history
71:37 A trio that stood out to us and a story about BJK
Partial Reading List:
“Open the Door, Stockholm!” - Martin Kane, Sports Illustrated, July 10, 1961
"Goodbye Billie Jean, With Love From Nancy" - Kim Chapin, Sports Illustrated, April 8, 1968
“Open Season For a Test of Time” - Kim Chapin, Sports Illustrated, August 26, 1968
“The Lone Wolf” - S.L. Price, Sports Illustrated, June 24, 2002
“For Love or For Money: A History of Amateurism in the Olympic Games” - L.A. Jennings, Vice, June 7, 2016
The Right Set: A Tennis Anthology, Caryl Phillips.