Since I took over as Managing Partner of New Chapter Press in 2007, I have been fortunate to have published some classic and famed tennis titles. The re-issued memoir of Rod Laver, THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER, as well as Bud Collins’ tennis encyclopedia THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS are probably my most well-known and prestigious titles. However, I have a very special and unique feeling of pride for my most recent release, the memoir of 1931 Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood called THE WIMBLEDON FINAL THAT NEVER WAS…AND OTHER TENNIS TALES OF A BYGONE ERA.
It certainly was a risky proposition to publish a book about a man who is no longer living and of whom many people — outside of real tennis insiders and historians — have probably never heard of. However this title, as you will read below, was for me worth the risk. The tale of this man and how he won Wimbledon 80 years ago – as well as the stories of his life and times as a player and a citizen of the game – is something that just had to be preserved. The man who wrote these tales had to be honored and these stories need to be kept alive for future generations to enjoy If you ever had the privilege of meeting Sidney Wood when he was alive, you would know what I mean.
I first met Sidney Wood in 1999 at the USA vs. Australia Davis Cup quarterfinal at the Longwood Cricket Club just outside of Boston. It was the Centennial Celebration in the 100th year of Davis Cup and the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) invited every living U.S. Davis Cupper to this celebration. It was at this special occasion where I also had my first and only meeting with Don Budge, the man who won the first Grand Slam of tennis in 1938.
The United States team went down 0-2 after the first days’ singles matches as both Todd Martin and Jim Courier lost to Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter, respectively. As the USTA’s Davis Cup team press officer, I had to conjure up the statistic that the United States had only come back from 0-2 down one time in long and storied Davis Cup existence. That year was 1934 and, by golly, one of the men on that team was there in attendance at Longwood – none other than Sidney Wood.
While at the USTA, my philosophy was always to try to bring the history of Davis Cup and tennis into modern scope of the game so I thought I would seek out Wood and get some quotes for the media from him about the comeback and if he thought the USA could do it again. I found Sidney in the clubhouse at the historic club and introduced myself to him, turned on my tape recorder and let him talk. Sidney just overflowed with enthusiasm and was friendly, outgoing, liked to joke and I warmed up to him immediately. I instantly liked this person and was enraptured by his tale of he and Frank Shields helping the United States team come back from 0-2 down to beat Australasia.
This man was so entertaining and full of energy for a 87-year-old that I just had to let more of the world know about this kind and bubbly gentleman. In addition to being a member of this unique U.S. Davis Cup team in 1934, Sidney was best known as the man who Wimbledon without playing a shot, claiming the 1931 title at the All England Club when Shields, his friend, doubles partner, roommate and Davis Cup teammate – and the grandfather to Brooke Shields – defaulted the final with a knee injury, on pressure – or orders – from the USTA in order to save himself for the Davis Cup matches with Great Britain two weeks later. (Thus the title of the book being THE WIMBLEDON FINAL THAT NEVER WAS…)
I pitched the good people at ESPN if they want to interview Sidney during the broadcast of the Saturday doubles match and they obliged. Early in the second set of the doubles match between Pete Sampras and Alex O’Brien and Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde, I was to bring Sidney courtside where we were to meet MaliVai Washington, then doing the side-line reporting for ESPN. MaliVai instructed Sidney what he was going to ask and that he was going place his arm around him with his hand on his back. He said that when he needed Sidney to wrap it up and stop talking, he would start tapping him in the back. When Cliff Drysdale and Fred Stolle turned the program over to MaliVai courtside for the interview, Sidney was his usual charming, enthusiastic self, recounting the circumstances of the great U.S. team comeback victory from 1934. Sidney, however, had probably never been interviewed on live television and didn’t know how to speak in sound bites, just recalling his tale in long details. After several minutes, I could see MaliVai repeatedly slapping Sidney on the back, trying to encourage him to quickly wrap up his story. I think Sidney really enjoyed being in the spotlight for that moment and I had made a new friend.
Sidney and I continued to stay in touch. I always loved getting calls from him, sharing his writings with me, sending me information on his business interests and sharing his stories from yesteryear and his perspectives on the modern game. Pretty much every year at the US Open, I would spend a little time with him – also at Wimbledon in 2002 when I ran into him at the Wimbledon Museum.
The last time I saw Sidney was at the USA vs. Sweden Davis Cup quarterfinal in Delray Beach, Fla. in 2004. Early in the week, he invited me to visit him at his home in Palm Beach, which I did, and we lunched at the nearby Bath and Tennis Club. During the official Davis Cup dinner, he had a fun conversation with Andy Roddick, encouraging the reigning US Open champion to work more on his volley and come to net more. Bud Collins, always sensing historical moments, aggressively worked with me to set up photo opportunities with Sidney with all players in the room who had won major titles – in that case Roddick, Swedish Davis Cup captain Mats Wilander and his team member Tomas Johansson.
When I left the USTA in 2005, I always thought about calling Sidney and meeting up with him either in Florida or his summer residence in Southampton, N.Y. and bring a tape recorder and just document all of the stories and observations he had. He was a treasure of information and the only person still alive who could tell the tales of the great players from his era – Bill Tilden, Rene Lacoste, Don Budge, etc.
Unfortunately, I never got that chance as in January of 2009, I learned of his passing. About a year later, I got a phone call from David Wood, one of Sidney’s sons, who, on the advice of Bud Collins, wanted to inquire my interest in publishing his father’s writings. As mentioned, to publish a book written by someone who is no longer living about an era of sports where very few people are alive to reminisce about would not appear to be a proper business decision. However, I felt like I had to publish this book to honor this enthusiastic fun-loving man with such interesting stories about this “bygone” era of tennis.
David presented me with his father’s writings, which came in all sorts of different forms – some items were typed with an old typewriter, others were hand-written on paper with faded pencil, while even more with a primitive type-set and some in the form of tape-recordings. I was not even sure if there was even a book that could be pieced together based on what I had.
However, the content was compiled, chapters were put in order and placed like pieces of a puzzle into a book. At first, we were excited that we could put together a book, with enough interesting content to fill about 200 pages. As we saw the book laid out into book form, with chapters, photos and a flow of content, a real sense of accomplishment came over us. The content, in some way, really came alive and all the people who were involved in the creation of the book – editors, proof-readers, designers, etc. – all remarked what a fantastically colorful and entertaining book this was. I hope by reading this column, you will log onto Amazon.com and buy the book or go to your local bookstore and order it and find out for yourself. (Click the link to buy “The Wimbledon final that never was…” on amazon.com)
David Wood told me that it was always his father’s dream to be published. I know Sidney is smiling and chuckling with pride somewhere that his stories are now available for all to read.