Former World No. 1 Ken Flach, one of the world’s leading doubles players of the 1980s, a winner of six Grand Slam titles and the 1988 Seoul Olympics gold medal (w/Seguso), passed away aged 54 on Monday after a brief illness. One week ago, Flach was playing 36 holes of golf, the sport he was addicted to, in California. Later that day, Flach fell ill with bronchitis, which in the space of four days turned into pneumonia and then into sepsis. Put on life support, he slipped away on Monday night with his family by his bedside at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Carling Bassett, a former WTA pro and the wife of Robert Seguso, said in...
Tommy Buford, the longtime tournament director of the former ATP World Tour stop in Memphis, passed away at the age of 83 on Sunday at his home in Idaho. “Tommy was a true professional and a great tournament director. More than that, he was a warm, friendly Southern gentleman who was such a pleasure to deal with,” said ATP Vice Chairman Mark Young. “He will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by all who knew him.” Buford, who also coached the University of Memphis tennis team for 32 years, had some of the ATP World Tour’s best players compete at the Memphis indoor event each February, from Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe to Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. He was...
Pancho Segura, one of the world’s leading players of the 1940s and 1950s, who would later mentor and coach Jimmy Connors, passed away on Saturday aged 96 due to complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Carlsbad, California. At 5'6", Segura was diminutive in stature, but displayed an imposing game predicated on lightning-fast agility, a lethal two-handed forehand and astute court awareness. Tennis legend Jack Kramer, the ATP’s first Executive Director, once said that he possessed “the single greatest shot in the history of tennis”, as his forehand cut through the court with devastating precision and power. Upon turning professional in 1947, Segura became an immediate fan favourite with his sharp sense of humour and unorthodox style. He would...
Frenchman Jerome Golmard, a winner of two ATP World Tour titles, passed away on Monday aged 43 following a battle with Motor Neurone Disease (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He was first diagnosed with the disease in January 2014 and soon established Association Jerome Golmard, Combattre la maladie de Charcot. Golmard, who, for much of his career had a residence in Boca Raton, Florida, where a number of French players made their home, first began playing tennis aged six with his parents by hitting against the wall of his local club. In a 14-season injury-plagued professional career, Golmard reached a career-high No. 22 on 22 April 1999, shortly after capturing his first ATP World Tour title at...