He was a hardscrabble kid in a highbrow, "sissy" game; the son of a fundamentalist minister; a compulsive gambler; a self-proclaimed male chauvinist whose only mentors in the game were women; a short, wispy-haired fellow with a squeaky voice, a bad haircut, and horned-rimmed glasses who became, somehow, a sex symbol.

But Bobby Riggs was also a great player. Though scrappy and brash, he was a gifted athlete, a sportsman and a genuine champion. He was a player who dominated the game in both the amateur and pro ranks, winning at Wimbledon, twice at Forest Hills (now the U.S. Open) and was three times U.S. professional champion.

With speed, agility, strength and coordination that belied his small size, Bobby defied the predictions of so-called experts who early in his career said he would never make it in the game. He was a player known for his exquisite touch and movement, a player who was a tenaciousness competitor and a terrific strategist, and a player who made a career outsmarting bigger, stronger opponents.

After a stint in the Navy during World War II, Bobby turned professional. Along with Jack Kramer, Pancho Segura, Pancho Gonzalez, and a handful of other players, he barnstormed across the nation playing tennis in a series of one-night stands in auditoriums, hockey rinks, high-school gymnasiums, any place they could fit their portable canvas court. The success of these tours in the Forties and Fifties laid the foundation for the rest of the game to turn professional in 1968. Indeed, Bobby's career traces the evolution of the modern game.

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