NEW YORK — It was 75 years ago on July 20, 1937 when Don Budge won one of the most dramatic and politically important tennis matches of all time as he came back from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Gottfried von Cramm 6-8, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 8-6 in the fifth and decisive match as the United States defeated Germany 3-2 in the Davis Cup inter-zone final at Wimbledon.
The match, featured in the new book by Steve Flink, THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, was played under increasing international tensions that led to World War II. Budge and the United States went on to win the Davis Cup title over Britain and, the following year, he won the first “Grand Slam” in tennis history, sweeping all four major singles titles.
“It was the best and most important match that I ever played,” Budge said to Flink in THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, when Budge was in his seventies. “Coming right after I had beaten Gottfried at Wimbledon in the final of the tournament in straight sets, we were trying as hard as we could to win the Davis Cup, which the U.S. had not done for a period of eleven years. So it was not only a personal thing but also a matter of helping my country win the Davis Cup which meant so much to me.”
Flink ranks the Budge-von Cramm match as the No. 4 greatest match of all time in his book. The 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is ranked No. 1 by Flink as the greatest of all time, followed by the 1980 Wimbledon final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe and the 1926 Cannes, France final between Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills.
THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, a hard-cover book that retails for $28.95, can be purchased via this link http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://m1e.net/c?96279190-J3uJuoguMrj/.%407657030-4K/B.vVmnlqsU at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold. The book is available in electronic formats, including on Amazon.com’s Kindle here: http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Tennis-Matches-Time-ebook/dp/B008B9CIN4/ref=kinw_dp_ke
The book features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the 1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Other champions featured in the book include Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among many others. Flink’s fascinating “greatest strokes of all time” section ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years.
Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. A resident of Katonah, N.Y., he is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week.
Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf (www.CliffRicheyBook.com), “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryBook.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “The Lennon Prophecy” by Joe Niezgoda (www.TheLennonProphecy.com), “Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Susan Anson, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According To Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin, “People’s Choice Guide Cancun” by Eric Rabinowitz, “Lessons from the Wild” by Shayamal Vallabhjee among others.
In December of 2012, New Chapter Press will publish “A Backhanded Gift,” a novel by Marshall Fisher, also the author of “A Terrible Splendor,” a book on the Budge-von Cramm match from 1937. It is available for pre-order here: http://www.mailermailer.com/rd?http://www.amazon.com/A-Backhanded-Gift-Novel/dp/1937559149/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1342789227&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=A+backhanded+gift