The only time in the history of Wimbledon that the men’s singles final was not played is told in detail by the crowned champion in this illuminating tennis biography. Sidney Wood won the 1931 Wimbledon title by default over Frank Shields—his school buddy, doubles partner, roommate, and Davis Cup teammate—in one of the most curious episodes in sports history. Wood tells the tale of how Shields was ordered by the U.S. Tennis Association not to compete in the championship match so that he could rest his injured knee in preparation for an upcoming Davis Cup match. Three years later the story continues when he and Shields played a match at the Queen’s Club for the Wimbledon trophy. Also included are a compilation of short stories that deliver fascinating anecdotes of the 1930s and a signature document of the play and styles of 20th-century tennis legends. "Even if you have never picked up a tennis racket or watched a tennis match, you will unconditionally enjoy this wonderful book about a bygone era when athletes were gentlemen first and competitors second. . . . Wood's tales of the now (and then) famous is delightful, and at times sobering." —www.hamptons.com "[Wood] is George Plimpton-esque in his marvelous prose which gives one a Great Gatsby feel to recollections of the champions he competed (very successfully) against and then observed through the modern era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal." —www.WorldTennisMagazine.com (July 14, 2011) "The book's charm lies in the way it recreates early 20th century tennis history. . . . A rich source of stories about tennis history." — Long Island Tennis Magazine (December 1, 2011) Sidney Wood was an American tennis player who was crowned men’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 1931. He was also a singles finalist at the 1935 U.S. Championships, played for the U.S. Davis Cup team in both 1931 and 1934, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1964. David Wood is Sidney's son The Wimbledon Final That Never Was ... ... And Other Tennis Tales from a Bygone Era By Sidney Wood, David Wood New Chapter Press Copyright © 2015 David Wood All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-942257-84-7 Contents INTRODUCTION, 1 • WHO AM I?, 2 • EARLY YEARS, 3 • THE WIMBLEDON FINAL THAT NEVER WAS ..., 4 • THE PRIVATE UNDERSTANDING PLAYOFF, 5 • FROM WIMBLEDON TO WALL STREET, 6 • MY FAVORITE MATCH, 7 • DOING LAUNDRY WITH DON BUDGE AND ARNOLD PALMER, 8 • DAVE SELZNICK, 9 • SHOOTING IT UP WITH GARY COOPER, 10 • THE OTHER ERROL, 11 • SCARECROW SERVER, 12 • NEAR IMMORTALITY AT GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATRE, 13 • CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN WONDERLAND, 14 • REPLAY WITH FAY WRAY, 15 • GROUCHO GETS BAGGED, 16 • J. DONALD BUDGE, 17 • ROOF TOP TENNIS IN MANHATTAN THE FOUNDING OF TOWN TENNIS CLUB, 18 • THE FULL COUNT, 19 • DAYS OF GRACE, 20 • THE CASE OF ALTHEA GIBSON, 21 • TENNIS WITH BOBBY FISCHER, 22 • THE SHAH AND I, 23 • THE FIRST US OPEN BOX SEATS, 24 • SUPREME COURT, 25 • ONCE I WAS GROSS AT ROLAND GARROS, 26 • FREQUENT FLIER, 27 • NEAR MISS, 28 • DEPUTY WOOD, 29 • THE HOTFOOT, 30 • NUTS TO YOU, MRS. ASTOR, 31 • PRACTICE IMPERFECT, 32 • THE "DOUBLE-HIT" THAT COST JEAN BOROTRA THE 1927 WIMBLEDON TITLE, 33 • HENRI COCHET – THE FRENCH CONNECTION, 34 • FOOT FAULTS ... BEFORE AND AFTER, 35 • FRENCH FRUSTRATIONS, 36 • MARK MCCORMACK – THE ULTIMATE SPORTS MOGUL, 37 • ADRENALINE, 38 • ANALYZING THE GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME, 39 • THE GREATEST STROKES AND SKILL SETS OF ALL TIME, 40 • FRIENDSHIPS FOR A LIFETIME, EPILOGUE, CHAPTER 1 Who Am I? People tend to remember my tennis name (if at all!), not as one of the top three or four American players of my time, but for the uniqueness of being Wimbledon's only winner by default. Even so, I was its youngest men's singles champion at the age of 19 for over 50 years and its youngest male competitor at the age of only 15. I had never given much thought to remedying this impression until I started digging up a bunch of old records that Tennis magazine had requested for a story. I had retained draw sheets of most major tournaments from time immemorial, and when I fished out those of our U.S. Nationals, now the US Open, and saw myself seeded four years at No. 3, twice at No. 4, and once each at No. 5 and No. 6, over an eight-year span. I literally wondered for a moment whether some kind of crazy misprint had occurred. When I then got curious about my international record against the world's top 10, I was again startled and admittedly aglow at finding my one-on-one numbers were a lot more favorable than I'd realized. The only discovery that might top this would be something like a missing birth certificate materializing with a decade-later-than presumed nativity date. In our day, to be chosen as one of your country's two Davis Cup singles players was every player's ultimate hope. As a married, depression-years' breadwinner from the time I was 21, paying the rent came before putting tr