The Outsider: A Memoir (36 page)

24

PASSION PLAY

W
riting this book almost pisses me off, because I have to go back and remember how I spent my life doing something that I genuinely loved, and now it’s over. But I will tell you this: The desire to play and compete has NEVER left me, but when your body says stop, what can you do? You stop. If I could have my 25-year-old body with my 60-year-old mind, would I still want to play again?

Hell, yes!

In fact, if my body would cooperate, I’d be out on the court competing right now. But that’s just not the way life worked out for me.

As I sit here today, almost back to normal after my third hip replacement, I’m thinking that maybe tennis should have come with the warning label
MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
. But if it had, would I have listened? Would I have done something else?

Hell, no!

I make no apologies for the way I played tennis. I wasn’t out there to win a popularity contest—I was out there to win—and entertain at the same time. The thing is, I was good at being a bad boy, a real one. Not like some of the pretend bad boys who said sorry after every little incident. Face up to it or don’t do it. I always accepted the fines, suspensions, and screaming headlines that followed my spontaneous assholery. That is a word, right? Well, it is now.

Did I step over the line a few times? Well, yeah, but that just made my job more exciting. I was letting the 25,000 people in the stands and millions more watching on TV into my office, to see, feel, and be touched by the pressures I experienced. (How many CEOs of big companies would allow that to happen? Bill Gates? Anyone? Raise your hand.) Did I make it harder on myself? Yeah, I could be a prick. I
had
to be one. Because when I was good, I was merely good, but when I was bad, I was great.

My grandmother Two-Mom understood the reality. She said to me, “You can get away with almost anything if you win.” No one was going to fault a winner. I listened to Two-Mom, only I ignored the “almost.” I honestly don’t believe the guys today could carry the same load, whereas for me it was all part of the game; I craved the responsibility, loved it, and fed off it.

But I have to say that if I had come along on my own, it would have been a tough sell. I stood out and I was good, but my co-stars were great. With the Open Era, tennis entered a new world, one that was already crammed with professional sports—football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer—all vying for attention. To survive, tennis had to drag itself out of its comfortable little corner. It needed a facelift. The guys of my generation provided it. Suddenly there we were, a group of rebellious bandits, shooting from the hip—and the lip—with different styles, personalities, and attitudes. We were our parents’ children, not willing to settle for the life we had been given. We were ready to break out, make some noise, and pay the price—good and bad. And we knew exactly what we were doing. None of it happened by accident. We recognized the show we had to provide, and we understood why we were doing it. Fighting, always fighting—for more than a column inch of coverage, for recognition, and, sure, for money.

What was the result? We moved tennis from those gated country clubs to the streets. We sparked the revolution that opened the doors to the people who loved sports, drank beer, ate hot dogs, and wanted to be a part of the spectacle—to see it, smell it, and, most important, let their feelings be known loud and clear. Back then, you could reach out and touch the players; that’s how close the stands were. I didn’t need to try hard to be heard, because they caught it all.

I appealed to a different crowd. The old-school fans hated what I was doing, of course; they were horrified by what they saw as a crude upstart trampling their precious traditions. But the new breed of fan, those who before had never considered watching a tennis match, suddenly had someone they could relate to. They saw themselves in what we were doing and liked what they saw.

If it weren’t for the fans, we’d have played anyway, but I have to tell you, the fans made every broken bone, every knee operation, every wrist operation, every torn muscle, every aching back, and all three hip operations worth it. The fans won me more matches than I won myself. I fed off their energy, and I never for a moment took them for granted. I knew who I was playing for, and what I miss most is the appreciation and applause from the fans. It was my healthiest addiction.

How did the media react? Well, they sure wrote about me enough, so I must have been doing something right. Like me or not, I was good copy. They weren’t afraid to hook onto me to further their careers. I even let one of them into my house. After that, the media and I had trust issues. They weren’t all bad. There were some that I wouldn’t mind sitting down with today for a beer.

The more the media criticized, the more I gave them to write about. They motivated me—that’s the thing they never got—even though I knew the ongoing battle with the press was one I was ultimately going to lose. You can’t stay at the top forever, and when you slip, they will always be there to have the last word.

I’d say there are plenty of players out there who have regrets over not achieving everything they wanted to in their career. I’m not one of them. I’m one of those fortunate people who got to spend his life doing what he loved to do and came away without even one “What If.”

I just hope that if you take anything at all away from this book, it’s that it’s possible to keep doing what you love to do far beyond the age when others may be telling you to quit. That was a big motivation behind my run in 1991—all of a sudden age became irrelevant, 40 became the new 30.

Something still drove me to push even when I was past my prime. I played injured, dehydrated, hallucinating, and delusional. It’s not what you accomplish; it’s what you overcome to accomplish it that sets you apart. I wanted the responsibility of being the best and every pressure that went along with it. I walked away from the game not once, not twice, but three times. When I had no more to offer, I moved over and made room for a new era of tennis players.

What has the game done for me? Everything. I’ve played for royalty, for presidents, and for millions of people. I won and lost against some of the most talented athletes in the world. Me, a kid from East St. Louis.

I was lucky enough to be in a generation of guys who gave it their all. I don’t have time for the other guys, the half-assed athletes who coast along with their eyes on nothing but the paycheck. I respect guys like Larry Byrd, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Montana, guys who laid it on the line, no excuses. For them, what mattered were the old-school values of pride and performance. Like Pancho said, “It’s not your bank balance but what you feel about yourself.”

One of the questions I hear most now is “What are you doing these days?”

I’ve got a lot of of projects that interest me, and some of them are in areas that you wouldn’t expect. One thing that won’t surprise you is that, even though I’m 60 and have been retired from the game for 12 years, I think it’s time to get back to work. My hips are feeling pretty good, as long as I use a little WD-40 on them every morning, and I’m wondering if tennis
is
in my future.

Come on. Admit it. You’d love to see me come back . . . Wouldn’t you?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
o my wife, Patti, without whose love, encouragement, patience, and forgiveness I don’t think I could have made it. You allowed me to be who I was, not who I became. You’ve kept me aware of what is important, what is lasting, and what, in reality, life is all about.

To my son, Brett, and my daughter, Aubree. You have shown me that there is more to life than just playing tennis; the pleasures one has don’t always have to be on a grand stage, and being a dad is the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.

To Mom, Dad, Two-Mom, Pop, Gramps, Grandma Mary: I owe you everything and I miss you every day.

To my brother, Johnny, for the life we had and the lessons we learned that were taught to us in a most unusual way. Thanks for helping me remember and for adding your feelings to my book. We’ve been through it all, good times and tough times, and in the end you are and will always be my big brother.

To my co-conspirator, Casey DeFranco. In the 30 years we’ve been friends, I had no idea your knowledge of sports was so deep. If I’d known that, I’d have been coming to you for my bets. Thanks for filling me in and coming out of the tennis closet for me, Casey. Your friendship and understanding of me, and all that I’m about, made it easy for me to express my feelings. You made the hard work fun, to say the least.

To David Hirshey, my brilliant editor. You covered me back in the day as a sportswriter for the New York
Daily News
, and, as far as I can remember, you didn’t write anything that pissed me off, which is more than I can say for 99 percent of the press corps. Five years ago you said to me, “I will chase you to the ends of the earth to get your book.” And you did, tearing your meniscus along the way and putting off your knee surgery until you were screaming from a different kind of pain. Thank you for your tenacity in convincing me to write my story and for allowing me the freedom of expression.

Also, I need to thank Richard Rosen at HarperCollins for his help polishing the final draft, William Ruoto for making me look so young in the photo sections, and Barry Harbaugh for making sure David didn’t leap off the ledge before the book was finished.

To my UK publisher, Giles Elliott at Transworld, thanks for staying the course and not making me sound too British.

To my agents, Maggie Hanbury and Robin Straus, thanks for your patience, understanding, and support. It’s been a real pleasure and an experience I’ll never forget.

To Pancho Segura, whose wisdom and guidance gave me so much more. Your attitude fit my mold, and you were able to bring out the best in me. Your passion for tennis was infectious, and I couldn’t help grabbing onto what you had to offer. Hard work, tenacity, pride, and personality. Lessons learned, Pancho.

To all my buddies: Spencer Segura, Ilie Nastase, David Schneider, Gerry Goldberg, John Lloyd, Bob Adler, Joel Pashcow, Lornie Kuhle, Bill Lelly (if I’ve forgotten anybody, I told you I’ve got amnesia). You guys have run me ragged, boggled my mind, and helped break down my body. But through it all, I wouldn’t have missed one minute. Thanks for keeping me grounded (some of you) when it was needed, lifting my spirits when necessary, and throwing me under the bus . . . again, when required. Hopefully, we have a long life ahead of us to continue our friendships. But maybe we can tone it down a little. Nah!

To Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss. Your love, friendship, and loyalty during tough times meant more to me than you’ll ever know.

To my “twin sister” Brenda Richie, thank you for always being supportive and loving me.

To Dr. Bob Dean and everyone at Santa Ynez Pet Hospital, thank you for all the TLC you gave my pups when they needed it and for looking after them as if they were your own. Your compassion and caring will never be forgotten.

To Chrissy Lombardi, my physical therapist, and all those who took care of me at Elite Performance, thank you for keeping me motivated and mobile and putting up with my attitude during all three hip rehabs. I really can’t thank you enough.

To Dr. Brad Penenberg, my hip doctor, thanks for easing my mind and making me feel as if it were no big deal. Oh, yeah, and for helping me be able to walk again.

To Dr. Rick Scheinberg, who gave me a new wrist and helped make my run at the 1991 US Open possible.

To Lloyd Greig, thank you for your care, understanding, and friendship.

If I’ve left any of my doctors out, that’s just part of being old.

To my golfing buddies in Montecito, Barry, Chris, and the rest of you mutts, thanks for dipping in my pocket, so I guess more shots are in order. “I press.”

To the fans. It didn’t matter who you were rooting for; your passion for the game of tennis helped take our sport to a new level. Thanks for always being there. You made an incredible journey that much more exciting. You made it all worth it.

INDEX

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Adela (nanny), 227, 235, 256, 262

Agassi, Andre, 311–13, 320

Alan King Classic, 247

of 1982, 250–51

of 1983, 267

of 1989, 312

Alexander, John, 132, 255

Ali, Muhammad, 385

All-England Club tournament (1975), 155–60

Amaya, Victor, 203

Amdur, Neil, 188

Amritraj, Vijay, 203, 230, 245

Andrews, Julie, 54

Anka, Paul, 162, 165

Arias, Jimmy, 287

Arnaz, Desi, Jr., 55, 135, 173

Ashe, Arthur, 60, 73, 79, 80, 81, 96, 103, 107–8, 116, 117, 148, 155, 157–59, 165, 284, 286

ATP circuit, 79, 81, 98, 115, 116, 155

Ohio tournament (1982), 259

Ohio tournament (1983), 274–75

Austin, Jeff, 190

Austin, Tracy, 190

Australian Open, 78, 233

of 1973, 109–11, 112, 114

of 1975, 135–38

of 1977, 360

of 1978, 210

Bacall, Lauren, 227

Bacharach, Burt, 54

Barazzutti, Corrado, 207

Barker, Sue, 373

Barman, Fred, 114

Bassett, Glenn, 72

Bassey, Shirley, 164

Bauer, Mike, 264

Becker, Benjamin, 313, 320

Becker, Boris, 291, 294, 308

Benirschke, Rolf, 307

Benton, Ray, 148, 344, 346–47, 351–52

Bergelin, Lennart, 217

Berger, Jay, 310

Best, George, 173, 182, 187

Betz, Pauline, 17

Birmingham International Indoors, 230

Bloom, Gilad, 307

Booth (Mom’s friend), 14

Borg, Björn, 37, 130, 163, 174, 175, 177–78, 179–80, 202–4, 205, 209, 210, 217–18, 219, 226, 228, 229, 232–33, 234, 242–44, 245–47, 254, 259, 260, 290, 342, 345, 346, 347, 350–51, 355, 358, 360

Borg, Mariana, 254

Borowiak, Jeff, 132

Bridges, Cindy, 75

Bridges, Lloyd, 54, 75

Briner, Bob, 155

Bristol Open, 96

British Hard Court Championships, 96

Bruguera, Sergi, 310

Brussels invitational (1980), 232

Buchholz, Butch, 301

Bunge, Bettina, 244

Byrd, Larry, 385

Caan, Barbara, 211

Caan, James, 211

Caan, Ronnie, 211

Caleca, Ralph “Shorty,” 34–35

Canadian Open (1982), 259

Canè, Paolo, 307, 308

Carillo, Mary, 360

Carson, Johnny, 141

Casal, Sergio, 307, 308–9

Cash, Pat, 304

Caujolle, Jean-Francois, 234, 235, 237

Challenge Match, 153, 158, 189, 193

Laver-Connors, 16, 137, 139–42, 143, 145, 146, 174

Nastase-Connors, 188–89, 190–91, 192

Navratilova-Connors, 337

Newcombe-Connors, 149–52, 162, 169

Orantes-Connors, 174–75, 188, 192

Champions Tour, 343, 344, 346–48, 350–53, 362, 365, 368

of 1993, 358

of 1994, 353, 359

of 1997, 351

Chang, Michael, 307, 322–23, 325

Charles, Father, 269

Charles, Prince of Wales, 240

Charlie (restaurant owner), 34, 35

Chatrier, Philippe, 113, 114

Chesnokov, Andrei, 306

Cierro, Massimo, 310

Citibank Champions tournament (1994), 346

Clay Courts tournaments (Indianapolis), 215

Clerc, José Luis, 219, 327, 342, 346, 347

Collins, Bud, 188

Columbus tournament (1982), 259

Congoleum Tennis Classic (1983), 264

Connolly, Maureen, 253

Connors, Aubree Leigh, 274, 285, 287, 292, 294, 315, 317, 328, 334, 340, 363, 364, 367, 371, 372

Connors, “Big Jim” (father), 14, 17–18, 27, 30–31, 34, 35, 38–39, 42, 87, 88, 182–86, 187, 376, 377

Connors, Brett, 1–3, 27, 221, 223, 224–27, 235–36, 245, 252–53, 256, 260, 262–63, 264, 265–68, 270–71, 274, 277–78, 285, 287–88, 294–96, 315, 324, 327–28, 329, 340, 363, 367, 378–80

Connors, Gloria Thompson, 1, 3, 13–15, 17, 18, 19–20, 21–24, 25–26, 27, 30, 32, 34, 35–37, 39, 40–42, 43, 44, 45–48, 49–50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 58, 70, 71, 74, 75–76, 83, 84, 85, 86–89, 93, 95–96, 106–7, 111, 116, 126, 127, 138, 145, 152, 153, 159, 169–71, 172, 175, 176, 177, 178, 180–81, 183, 184–86, 208, 212–13, 219–22, 224, 231, 251, 255, 262, 265–66, 273, 292–93, 303, 315–17, 328, 333, 336, 339, 344, 363, 365–66, 367–68, 371, 374–77, 378

Connors, Johnny, 13–14, 15, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27–32, 33, 34–36, 37–39, 43–44, 45, 49, 50, 63, 77, 87, 88, 182–83, 184–85, 220, 255–56, 260, 265–66, 315–17, 335–36, 376

Connors, John T., 17, 33, 34

Connors, Mrs. John T., 34

Connors, Patti McGuire, 1–3, 27, 32, 196, 210–13, 214, 215–16, 219–28, 230–31, 233–36, 242, 244–45, 252–54, 255, 256, 258, 260, 262–69, 270–74, 276–78, 279, 280–81, 285–86, 287–88, 293–94, 300, 314–15, 317, 319, 327–28, 329, 334, 337, 339–41, 342, 350, 357, 359, 360, 363–64, 365, 366–68, 370, 371, 372, 374, 376, 377, 380–81

Cooper, Alice, 196

Cooper, John, 98

Coppola, Francis Ford, 56

Corman, John, 208

Cosell, Howard, 164, 165

Courier, Jim, 320, 335

Cox, Mark, 68

Cunningham, Carrie, 336

Cuomo, Mario, 206

Curren, Kevin, 270, 307

Daniels, Mary-Lou, 336

Davis Cup, 97, 158, 159, 166, 169, 170, 171, 360

of 1972, 85–86, 284

of 1984, 283–87

Dean, Bob, 340

DeCarlo, Joe, 210–12, 213

Delatour, Hunter, 287

Dell, Donald, 66, 79, 115, 152, 155, 166, 170, 284

Dent, Phil, 110–11, 125, 201

Denver, John, 164

Dewar’s Cup, 167

Dibbs, Eddie, 40, 73, 163, 167, 186, 206, 214–15, 220, 269, 342, 348

Dietrich, Marlene, 236–37

Djokovic, Novak, 283

Douglas, Kirk, 54

Drysdale, Cliff, 79

Eastwood, Clint, 141

Edberg, Stefan, 278, 282, 310–11, 320

Edmondson, Mark, 202–3

Elizabeth II, Queen of England, 197

Emerson, Roy, 58, 60, 69, 70, 71, 140, 202

Evans, Bob, 55–56

Evans, Judge, 335–36

Evert, Chrissie, 19, 45, 93–94, 96, 103–7, 108, 109, 110, 115, 117–18, 119–20, 125, 126, 128, 129, 132–34, 135, 160–61, 173, 216, 253, 254

Evert, Jimmy, 45, 108

Farrar, Ken, 299–300

Feaver, John, 150

Federer, Roger, 204, 283, 373–74

Ferreira, Ellis, 336

Ferrero, Juan Carlos, 373

Fibak, Wojciech, 168

Fleming, Peter, 101, 286, 346

Flynn, Errol, 17

Forney, Monsignor, 31

Fraser, Neale, 90, 98

French Open, 78, 111, 112, 114–15, 151, 163, 177, 290, 303, 339, 356, 360

of 1972, 89–90

of 1974, 130

of 1976, 176, 373

of 1978, 210

of 1979, 226

of 1980, 233–35

of 1983, 268, 269

of 1984, 283, 286

of 1985, 292

of 1988, 310

of 1991, 322–23, 326

George, Susan, 159–60, 161

George (friend), 56

Gerulaitis, Vitas, 23, 80, 84, 104, 113, 119, 143, 144, 146, 167, 217–18, 232, 234, 259, 290, 310, 337, 342, 346, 353, 355–61

Gilbert, Brad, 347

Gildemeister, Hans, 214, 350, 351

Gitlin, Drew, 255

Goldberg, Gerry, 144, 228, 245, 248, 280, 285, 291–92, 306, 307, 313, 337, 338, 368–69

Goldie, Dan, 310

Gómez, Andrés, 291–92, 304, 310, 347

Gonzales, Pancho, 46, 60–61, 62, 63, 68–69, 71, 139

Goolagong, Evonne, 96, 114, 132, 253

Gorman, Tom, 85, 96

Gottfried, Brian, 23, 39, 40, 56, 149, 151, 259, 342

Gottfried family, 245

Graebner, Clark, 71

Gramps (Patti’s stepfather), 372, 373

Grand Prix circuit, 79, 80, 115, 195, 247, 260, 288

in Vermont, 215

Grand Prix Masters, 208–9, 339, 374

of 1980, 230, 232

of 1981, 243

of 1982, 250

of 1983, 264

of 1984, 280

Grand Slam, 2, 3, 68, 77–78, 79, 80, 96, 98, 101, 110, 111, 113, 115, 126, 130, 131, 137, 139, 158, 164, 168, 171, 176, 177, 180, 189, 197, 210, 218, 226, 229, 233, 234, 237, 241, 242, 246, 247, 252, 258, 260, 279, 281, 288, 289, 308, 325, 335

Graves, Bill, 93

Greenberg, Hank, 54–55

Greig, Lloyd, 223, 225, 287, 366

Gretzky, Janet Jones, 357, 358

Gretzky, Wayne, 24, 357, 358, 385

Griffin, Merv, 304–5, 307

Gullikson, Tim, 215

Hagey, Chico, 216

Happer, Karen Scott, 344, 346

Happer, Marshall, 344

Hart, Gary, 228

Hattie (nurse), 376

Heart of America invitational tournament (1939), 17

Hefner, Hugh, 195–96, 211

Henderson, Doug, 131, 208

Heston, Charlton, 141

Hewitt, Bob, 95, 96

Hewitt, Lleyton, 373

Higueras, José, 215

Holmes, Greg, 282

Hooper, Chip, 250

Howe, Bob, 139

Hunt, Lamar, 78, 193, 194–95

ILTF circuit, 78, 79, 80, 97–98, 114, 115

IMG circuit, 85, 152, 170, 284

Indianapolis:

finals in, 130

tournament in, 225

Industry Hills tournament (1982), 259

International Tennis Competition (1980), 232

IPA circuit,
see
Riordan (Independent Players) circuit

Italian Open:

of 1975, 309

of 1988, 309

Ivanisevic, Goran, 290

Jacksonville tournament, 76, 85

Jaite, Martín, 308

Jerry (friend), 378

Joe (driver), 34

John, Elton, 227, 272

Johnson, Magic, 385

Jones, Curtis, 376

Jones, Jack, 159

Jones, Tom, 173

Judy (Patti’s friend), 224

Kaiser, Jordan, 114

Kasem, Casey, 162

Ken (driver), 302–3

Kennedy, Colleen, 371

Kerkorian, Kirk, 62

Kerzner, Sol, 272

Kimmage, Paul, 364

King, Billie Jean, 24, 94, 114, 140, 160–61, 193, 253, 322, 337, 360

King, Larry, 114

Kline, Michael, 213

Kloss, Ilana, 322

Koch, Ed, 206

Kodes, Jan, 80, 81, 98, 125, 132, 177

Korda, Petr, 290

Kovacs, Frank, 46

Kramer, Jack, 46, 56–57, 79, 115, 155, 166, 195, 360

Kreiss, Bobby, 60, 68, 133, 149, 151

Krickstein, Aaron, 324, 329–30, 331–33

Kriek, Johan, 250

Kuhle, Lornie, 106, 180–81, 197–99, 210, 216, 256, 260, 269–70, 305, 337, 338

Lacoste, René, 237–38

Laimbeer, Bill, 280

Lanna, Gus, 139

Laurie (Schneider’s girlfriend), 119, 120

Laver, Rod, 16, 60, 78, 80, 137, 138, 140, 141–43, 145, 146, 149–50, 151, 189

Leighton, Art, 249

Lelly, Bill, 291, 295–96, 306, 308, 314, 322, 349, 376–77

Lendl, Ivan, 123, 218, 242–43, 259–60, 264, 278–79, 284, 289, 298–300, 304, 320

Lenglen, Suzanne, 253

Lewis, Jerry, 56

Lewis, Richard, 200, 258

Lipton International Players Championships (1986), 298

Littlefield, David, 330, 331

Lloyd, John, 119, 145, 156, 254, 311, 326, 336, 342, 345

Louis, Joe, 15, 16

Lupica, Mike, 188, 333

Lynch, Kelly, 15

McCormack, Mark, 85, 152

McEnroe, John, 3–5, 6–7, 9–11, 27, 101, 126, 201–2, 206, 215, 218, 229, 230, 232–33, 234, 238–42, 246, 248–50, 251–52, 254, 256–58, 259–60, 275, 278, 281, 283, 284, 286–87, 289, 290, 306, 327, 347–50, 355, 360

McEnroe, Patrick, 327, 328

McKevely, Monsignor, 377

McMillan, Frew, 113

McNamee, Paul, 234, 256

March, Fredric, 54

Martin, Billy, 172

Martin, Dean, 55

Martin, Dino, Jr., 55, 62, 104, 135, 173

Mayer, Gene, 243, 251, 256

Mayer, Sandy, 98, 201, 251, 259, 276

Meiler, Karl, 168

Metreveli, Alex, 98, 132

Mexico tournament (1975), 284

Michelob Light Challenge of Champions (1982), 248

Mike (Johnny’s friend), 45

Milan tournament (1990), 314

Mills, Alan, 299

Montana, Joe, 24, 385

Montreal Challenge Cup, 229

Montreal tournament (1982), 260

Moore, Ray, 71, 103

Moran, Gussie, 253

Morozova, Olga, 115, 125

Murphy, Dennis, 114

Murray, Andy, 373

Musial, Stan, 185

Myburg, Mike, 255

Nadal, Rafael, 283

Nastase, Dominique, 98, 99, 100–101, 285, 327

Nastase, Ilie “Nasty,” 67, 73–75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 96, 97–102, 104, 113, 119, 128, 132–33, 143, 146, 167–68, 178–79, 188–89, 190–92, 199, 202, 218, 219, 225, 227–28, 231–32, 236, 237, 248, 280, 284–85, 288, 290, 291, 327

national championships:

in Chattanooga (1963), 39

in Kalamazoo, 44–45

Navratilova, Martina, 253, 337, 338

Newcombe, John, 80, 97, 102, 111, 136–37, 142, 146, 148–51, 189, 197, 258

Newley, Anthony, 54

Nita (Patti’s aunt), 220, 372

Nixon, Richard, 229

Noah, Yannick, 290

Nolte, Nick, 380

Nordstrom, Onni, 291

Norris, Bill, 129–30, 167, 323–24

North Conway tournament, 223

Novacek, Karel, 329

Nuveen Masters, 347

Okker, Tom, 97, 102

Orange Bowl (1964), 41

Orantes, Manuel, 163–64, 174, 175–76, 189, 215

Overton, Wendy, 93

Pacific Southwest tournament, 69–71, 202

of 1974, 133

of 1982, 250

Paloheimo, Veli, 324

Panatta, Adriano, 96, 144, 216–17, 234

Pan Pacific tournament, 63

Pasarell, Charlie, 60, 95

Pecci, Victor, 226

Pernfors, Mikael, 303, 304

Perry, Fred, 54

Pfister, Hank, 250

Pilic, Niki, 97–98

Pilot Pen Classic (1985), 282

Pohmann, Hans-Jürgen, 178–79

Posar, Pompeo, 196

pro-am tournament (Phoenix), 62

Purcell, Mel, 250, 347