by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
From my “On This Day In Tennis History” book, ebook, mobile app and audio book, you will find that July 20 is the anniversary of the famous 1937 Davis Cup match between Don Budge of the United States and Gottfried von Cramm of Germany at Centre Court at Wimbledon. This match is well-documented in Marshall Fisher’s book “A Terrible Splendor” here https://www.amazon.com/Backhanded-Gift-Marshall-Jon-Fisher/dp/1937559149/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469026267&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Backhanded+gift and also is profiled in Steve Flink’s book “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” here https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Tennis-Matches-All-Time/dp/0942257936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469026380&sr=8-1&keywords=greatest+tennis+matches+of+all+time
However, there’s another great Davis Cup match that was played on this day that while not as famous or politically important, but was equally if not more courageous than Don Budge’s victory. It was on July 20, 1986 when Davis Cup rookie Tim Mayotte, a fast-court player, defeated Leonardo Lavalle of Mexico in a raucous and hostile environment on clay to clinch the United States victory.
The summary of this courageous effort from Mayotte from the “This Day In Tennis” compilation can be read below.
On this July 20, 1986…
Davis Cup rookie Tim Mayotte, playing in as foreign and uncomfortable environment for him as possible – a clay court in front of a rowdy crowd in Mexico City, Mexico – heroically clinches the 4-1 U.S. victory over Mexico in the Davis Cup quarterfinal, defeating Leonardo Lavalle 7-5, 4-6, 0-6, 6-4, 9-7. The fast-court serve-and-volley specialist saves two match points trailing 3-5, 15-40 in the fifth set, before rallying to victory. Nicknamed “Gentleman Tim” by the British during his 1981 semifinal run to the Wimbledon semifinals, Mayotte becomes so irritated with the taunts and jeers of the Mexican crowd early in the third set that he exchanges heated words with fans sitting in the first few rows. Play is interrupted so many times due to the crowd that ITF referee Francis Patrick Loderop penalizes Lavalle a point and threatens to award the match outright to the United States. Mayotte controls his nerves and blocks out the antagonistic fans to help the United States and first-year captain Tom Gorman advance into the semifinals against Australia. Says Mayotte after the match, “I’ve won some tournaments before, but to come back like that under these conditions and win for a team is the greatest thrill of my tennis life.” Writes Bud Collins in World Tennis magazine, “When you consider Americans seemingly out of their league on foreign clay, besieged by loud and jeering patriotic crowds, Mayotte’s determined victory is in a class with Stan Smith’s overcoming Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac to win the 1972 Cup in Bucharest. But Smith was an old Cup hand, while this was Mayotte’s debut.”
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- Tim Mayotte