Frank Segman, Jack Kramer and Roger Federer

philly · 10-25-2007, 08:14 AM

A nice article on Frank Sedgman and insight from Jack Kramer:

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HALF a century ago, Frank Sedgman was a pariah of Australian sport. As one of the first local tennis players to turn professional, he was accused of betraying his country and was banned from the Kooyong and Wimbledon clubs.

Celebrating his 80th birthday at the RACV club yesterday, Sedgman was hailed by the sporting establishment as a trailblazing legend, all acrimony long forgotten.

The surprise guest among the 400 people present was Jack Kramer, the American player-entrepreneur who lured Sedgman to the "dark side" of tennis in 1953. It was a coup for Kramer; Sedgman was the 1952 US and Wimbledon champion. He had also helped Australia win three consecutive Davis Cups.

Sedgman said he did not set out to be a trailblazer. "In those days I did need the money," he said. "I wasn't trained to go into business and I had to put the kids through school and set up my life."

According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Sedgman was the first player to earn more than $US100,000 in a season, but he marvels at today's players "who become millionaires if they win just one tournament".

He said he was proud to have helped open up the game to an international audience and blaze a career path for other players.

Fellow champion player Neale Fraser, a neighbour of Sedgman in Hampton from 1973 to 2002, remembers the 1950 Davis Cup win of Sedgman, John Bromwich and Ken McGregor as the first time Australia tasted true international sporting success, apart from beating England at cricket.

He said while Sedgman was "a very aggressive and attacking player", he set a trend for good player behaviour.

"We played to win, we played hard but we never complained about injuries," he said. "We just went about our business and we never disputed line calls or had tantrums or anything like that."

Ken Rosewall, who toured the world on the pro circuit with Sedgman from 1956, said Sedgman was "pretty tough".

"He was a very good competitor, whether you were playing cards or on the golf course. He liked to win."

Jack Kramer, 86, relished the chance to fly from Los Angeles to reunite with his old mate.

Kramer said a young Sedgman would be able to match Roger Federer.

"If he had the same equipment, he would be all over Roger's backhand, he'd make all those passing shots," he said. "Frank Sedgman was the quickest man around the court, he had great anticipation, you couldn't lob to him, and he was a super volleyer. He might have had a shot at Roger. It would be wonderful to watch."

After retiring in 1967, Sedgman had a successful business career, which included inventing flavoured drinking straws called Sedgie Straws. He made $US250,000 in six seasons playing Masters tennis in the 1970s.

He was thrilled at the number of old friends who came from near and far yesterday, including tennis identities Paul McNamee and Brian Tobin.

"I enjoy life," he said. "I'm fortunate in that I'm in good health and my wife and kids are OK, so at the moment life is pretty good."

urban · 10-25-2007, 12:09 PM

Nice article,thanks.

10-25-2007, 08:14 AM	#1
philly New User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 48	Frank Segman, Jack Kramer and Roger Federer A nice article on Frank Sedgman and insight from Jack Kramer: --------------------------------------------------------------------- HALF a century ago, Frank Sedgman was a pariah of Australian sport. As one of the first local tennis players to turn professional, he was accused of betraying his country and was banned from the Kooyong and Wimbledon clubs. Celebrating his 80th birthday at the RACV club yesterday, Sedgman was hailed by the sporting establishment as a trailblazing legend, all acrimony long forgotten. The surprise guest among the 400 people present was Jack Kramer, the American player-entrepreneur who lured Sedgman to the "dark side" of tennis in 1953. It was a coup for Kramer; Sedgman was the 1952 US and Wimbledon champion. He had also helped Australia win three consecutive Davis Cups. Sedgman said he did not set out to be a trailblazer. "In those days I did need the money," he said. "I wasn't trained to go into business and I had to put the kids through school and set up my life." According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Sedgman was the first player to earn more than $US100,000 in a season, but he marvels at today's players "who become millionaires if they win just one tournament". He said he was proud to have helped open up the game to an international audience and blaze a career path for other players. Fellow champion player Neale Fraser, a neighbour of Sedgman in Hampton from 1973 to 2002, remembers the 1950 Davis Cup win of Sedgman, John Bromwich and Ken McGregor as the first time Australia tasted true international sporting success, apart from beating England at cricket. He said while Sedgman was "a very aggressive and attacking player", he set a trend for good player behaviour. "We played to win, we played hard but we never complained about injuries," he said. "We just went about our business and we never disputed line calls or had tantrums or anything like that." Ken Rosewall, who toured the world on the pro circuit with Sedgman from 1956, said Sedgman was "pretty tough". "He was a very good competitor, whether you were playing cards or on the golf course. He liked to win." Jack Kramer, 86, relished the chance to fly from Los Angeles to reunite with his old mate. Kramer said a young Sedgman would be able to match Roger Federer. "If he had the same equipment, he would be all over Roger's backhand, he'd make all those passing shots," he said. "Frank Sedgman was the quickest man around the court, he had great anticipation, you couldn't lob to him, and he was a super volleyer. He might have had a shot at Roger. It would be wonderful to watch." After retiring in 1967, Sedgman had a successful business career, which included inventing flavoured drinking straws called Sedgie Straws. He made $US250,000 in six seasons playing Masters tennis in the 1970s. He was thrilled at the number of old friends who came from near and far yesterday, including tennis identities Paul McNamee and Brian Tobin. "I enjoy life," he said. "I'm fortunate in that I'm in good health and my wife and kids are OK, so at the moment life is pretty good."

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