My interview with Dennis Ralston

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by atatu

We didn't talk about it directly, he just talked about how he is getting used to it and getting better day by day. I know he is actively teaching and a friend of mine is going to play doubles with him on Friday. Here is a link with some pictures.


http://galleries.austin360.com/galle...-court/#194361

Great pictures. It takes tremendous strength of character to continue coaching after what he's been through.

[Datacipher]

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

Great pictures. It takes tremendous strength of character to continue coaching after what he's been through.

The leg is a much bigger deal of course, but if memory serves, Ralston in retirement, once had an arm injury and couldn't play with it at all....so until it healed he worked on playing with his non-dominant arm and got to the point where he could beat a lot of club players that way.

[kiki]

Santana managed him very well at Wimbledon, and Santana was not a great grass courter.I think it was much more an issue of mind over matter.

My opinion is: Emmo,Stolle,Santana would be the only 3 amateurs of their time to be reasonably succesful against the big pro likes: Laver,Gimeno,Gonzales,Trabert,Hoad or Rosewall.Rest of amateurs, like Ralston,Mc Kinley,Osuna.. would just suck.

[Don't Let It Bounce]

I saw him a couple of times when I was teaching in Dallas, way back when he was coaching at SMU, but I didn't know him. My old college roommate, who was also teaching there at the time, did know him, took a few students to him, and thought very highly of him as a person and as a coach.

In the linked blog (thanks for posting that), I found Ralston's argument for Gonzales as GOAT quite persuasive.

[ClarkC]

Originally Posted by kiki

Problem with Emerson is that he squipped the pros to make a very good living and filling his pockets with glory in the quite depleted amateur ranks ( only Osuna,Stolle and Santana could spell serious trouble to him ).

I cannot find a definition for squipped. Any help? Thanks.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by ClarkC

I cannot find a definition for squipped. Any help? Thanks.

Have you heard of the players quoted above?

[ClarkC]

Originally Posted by kiki

Have you heard of the players quoted above?

Yes, but I don't know the (apparently) slang word squipped. It is not in any dictionary I can find. As you used it, I suppose you can tell us what it means.

[BobbyOne]

Originally Posted by kiki

Santana managed him very well at Wimbledon, and Santana was not a great grass courter.I think it was much more an issue of mind over matter.

My opinion is: Emmo,Stolle,Santana would be the only 3 amateurs of their time to be reasonably succesful against the big pro likes: Laver,Gimeno,Gonzales,Trabert,Hoad or Rosewall.Rest of amateurs, like Ralston,Mc Kinley,Osuna.. would just suck.

I agree that only the three top amateurs would have been reasonably successful (if at all) against Laver, Rosewall and Co.