A Kind of Interesting Margaret Smith Court Story

[muddlehead]

Reading Bud Collins 1989 book "My Life With the Pros". 1961. Dennis Ralston prohibited from playing US Nationals Singles at Forest Hills because he misbehaved (bad language) in an earlier Davis Cup tie vs Mexico. Prior to Forest Hills, he played at US Mens Doubles and US Mixed Doubles Championships at Longwood Cricket Club near Boston. In those days, Longwood hosted the 3 doubles - mens, womens, and mixed. Forest Hills hosted only mens and womens singles the week after the doubles were played at Longwood. Ralston won the mens doubles at Longwood. He was in the finals of the mixed with Darlene Hard vs Margaret Smith and Bob Mark. Mixed doubles was rained out in Boston. Powers in charge agreed to move it to Forest Hills the next week. Play it before the singles competition commenced. No problem. Oops. Except Ralston is banned from Forest Hills that year. That meant he couldn't play the mixed final. Smith / Mark the default winners. Goes down as one of her record 62 major titles. Collins naturally calls it her easiest title. I then picked up Court's 1975 book "Court on Court" to see if she mentions that match. She writes "Bob Mark and I won the mixed doubles title from the strong American team of Dennis Ralston and Darlene Hard." (probably the bio-ghost writer George McGann wrote that. But, still...)

 

[Dan Lobb]

Reading Bud Collins 1989 book "My Life With the Pros". 1961. Dennis Ralston prohibited from playing US Nationals Singles at Forest Hills because he misbehaved (bad language) in an earlier Davis Cup tie vs Mexico. Prior to Forest Hills, he played at US Mens Doubles and US Mixed Doubles Championships at Longwood Cricket Club near Boston. In those days, Longwood hosted the 3 doubles - mens, womens, and mixed. Forest Hills hosted only mens and womens singles the week after the doubles were played at Longwood. Ralston won the mens doubles at Longwood. He was in the finals of the mixed with Darlene Hard vs Margaret Smith and Bob Mark. Mixed doubles was rained out in Boston. Powers in charge agreed to move it to Forest Hills the next week. Play it before the singles competition commenced. No problem. Oops. Except Ralston is banned from Forest Hills that year. That meant he couldn't play the mixed final. Smith / Mark the default winners. Goes down as one of her record 62 major titles. Collins naturally calls it her easiest title. I then picked up Court's 1975 book "Court on Court" to see if she mentions that match. She writes "Bob Mark and I won the mixed doubles title from the strong American team of Dennis Ralston and Darlene Hard." (probably the bio-ghost writer George McGann wrote that. But, still...)

Don't work up a sweat over this...

 

[Phoenix1983]

Bizarre that the doubles tourneys were played at a different venue from the singles.

 

[Mainad]

Reading Bud Collins 1989 book "My Life With the Pros". 1961. Dennis Ralston prohibited from playing US Nationals Singles at Forest Hills because he misbehaved (bad language) in an earlier Davis Cup tie vs Mexico. Prior to Forest Hills, he played at US Mens Doubles and US Mixed Doubles Championships at Longwood Cricket Club near Boston. In those days, Longwood hosted the 3 doubles - mens, womens, and mixed. Forest Hills hosted only mens and womens singles the week after the doubles were played at Longwood. Ralston won the mens doubles at Longwood. He was in the finals of the mixed with Darlene Hard vs Margaret Smith and Bob Mark. Mixed doubles was rained out in Boston. Powers in charge agreed to move it to Forest Hills the next week. Play it before the singles competition commenced. No problem. Oops. Except Ralston is banned from Forest Hills that year. That meant he couldn't play the mixed final. Smith / Mark the default winners. Goes down as one of her record 62 major titles. Collins naturally calls it her easiest title. I then picked up Court's 1975 book "Court on Court" to see if she mentions that match. She writes "Bob Mark and I won the mixed doubles title from the strong American team of Dennis Ralston and Darlene Hard." (probably the bio-ghost writer George McGann wrote that. But, still...)

Nice story. But I can't help but wonder why the powers that be decided to move the mixed doubles final to Forest Hills if Ralston was banned from playing there?

As for Margaret, either her memory failed her or she neglected to check what her ghost writer had written. Maybe she didn't even read her own book?

 

[Deleted member 735320]

Nice story. But I can't help but wonder why the powers that be decided to move the mixed doubles final to Forest Hills if Ralston was banned from playing there?

As for Margaret, either her memory failed her or she neglected to check what her ghost writer had written. Maybe she didn't even read her own book?

That is surprising that she would not have caught such glaring inaccuracy. Also, makes "autobiographies" questionable at best if they use a ghost writer.

 

[Nacho]

I love old tennis stories, accurate or not thanks for sharing I'll need to pick up the Collins book. The heritage and stories run so much deeper then many other sports

 

[hoodjem]

Reading Bud Collins 1989 book "My Life With the Pros". 1961. Dennis Ralston prohibited from playing US Nationals Singles at Forest Hills because he misbehaved (bad language) in an earlier Davis Cup tie vs Mexico.

Prior to Forest Hills, he played at US Mens Doubles and US Mixed Doubles Championships at Longwood Cricket Club near Boston. In those days, Longwood hosted the 3 doubles - mens, womens, and mixed.

Forest Hills hosted only mens and womens singles the week after the doubles were played at Longwood. Ralston won the mens doubles at Longwood.

I am a little surprised that if Ralston was banned from Forest Hills that he was allowed to play at Longwood.

Weren't these both USLTA sanctioned events? If the USLTA wanted to punish Ralston for his bad behavior, why the distinction?

 

[muddlehead]

***I am a little surprised that if Ralston was banned from Forest Hills that he was allowed to play at Longwood. Weren't these both USLTA sanctioned events? If the USLTA wanted to punish Ralston for his bad behavior, why the distinction?***
Only reason I can think of is preventing him from playing national doubles at Longwood punishes his innocent doubles partners. From NYT Sept 2 1961 (wish I knew how to copy/paste from NYT archives) Ralston recounts what happened. ""On last day of Natl Doubles I finished at 7:30P, I found letter from official telling me to be in NYC nest morning for hearing before committee on the charges. I was in Boston. Had no chance at all to get to NY. Tried to call persons on the committee, no luck, sent a telegram saying I couldn't be there. The committee said I pulled a no-shop deal even though I had a previous commitment to play on Tuesday.""

 

[PDJ]

Not a fan of Margaret Court the person, but it could be she just didn't remember. Chris Evert has a dreadful memory re some of her own results - for example, she had to be reminded whom she beat for her first Wimbledon title.
I think BJK and Navratilova are rare of former greats that they recall every win, loss.
I suspect it's probably healthier to not dwell on it.
I recall a conversation with Maria Bueno where someone brought up a match with a lesser player of her stature and she had absolutely no memory of it.