Sport: Work

Big Jake Kramer, 28, king of the pro tennis players, looked a little gaunt at 162 Ibs. For two years, from Madrid to Melbourne, he had been eating in hotels and hash-houses, sleeping when he could, trying to stay fit for one big match after another. Last week Big Jake cast a quizzical eye upon 190-lb. Pancho Gonzales, 21, twice U.S. amateur champion and current aspirant to Kramer’s professional throne. Said Kramer: “He’ll melt off some of that weight, and every pound will make it tougher on me. Pancho didn’t get enough work as an amateur.”

Next night, as their 90-match tour began before 13,357 fans in Madison Square Garden, Pancho got his first workout as a pro. He rocked back and let go with his big weapon—a hard, high-twisting serve. Kramer, tense and continually wiping the palm of his racket hand between shots, fired Pancho’s big serves right back and won the opening game. Then Pancho broke Kramer’s equally big and more accurate serve.

Although the crowd was for Pancho, Kramer won the first set, 6-4, and only play at full-power form saved Gonzales the second one, 6-3. From then on, Big Jake bossed the situation like an instructor giving lessons to a prize pupil. He poured it on, 6-3, 6-2.

Pancho Gonzales took his first pro beating without a whimper. In the dressing-room later, he said: “There are no excuses. The light didn’t bother me … I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t scared by the crowd. I wasn’t thinking about the money either. Kramer held his service and I couldn’t get my first ball in, so I lost. That’s all, I lost.”

Three nights later in Chicago, Pancho’s big serve worked better and he dusted off Kramer, 9-7, 1-6, 6-4, but in Milwaukee he lost again, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Pancho had youth and brawn in his favor, but right now Big Jake Kramer still looked like the champ.