Stan Smith – An Unsung Hero
Stan Smith, Born. Dec 14, 1946 in
Pasadena (Calif) was one of the greatest Davis Cup Competitors, former No.1
Tennis Player and two time Grand Slam title winner from America. He was one of
the iconic sportsmen between late 1960s and early 1980s.
When Stan Smith was a kid, he
wanted to become a ball boy but turned down because the organizers felt he was
unskilled in handling things without realizing that kid would someday become a
Tennis superstar.
Stan started getting recognized
when he played his collegiate tennis at the University of Southern California,
where he went on to win 1966 (Singles), 1967 & 1968 (Doubles) of National
Collegiate Athletic Association championship titles.
Stan was respected in the Tennis world not just for his caliber of the game but the strength of his character on and off the field.
Stan also entered the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. Take a look at some of the major
titles he’s won in his career.
Grand Slam Record
Career Achievements
Davis Cup 1968-73, 1975-79, 1981.
Record: 15-5 (Singles), 20-3(Doubles)
Australian Open
Doubles Champion 1970
US Open
Singles Champion 1971
Doubles Champion 1968, 1974,
1978, 1980
Wimbledon
Singles Champion 1972
After all these achievements,
Stan himself told in an interview that ‘The youngsters these days doesn’t know
about his career achievements before the launch of Adidas Sneaker range by his
name and accepted that the name has become bigger than him as a person’. Though
the shoe is not recommended for today’s tennis players, it still continues to
remain an iconic brand for Retro Tennis shoe fans. Several celebrities like Sky
Ferreira, Will Arnett, Phoebe Philo and Kanye West may seem spotted with Stan
Smith Green and Whites.
Once asked by Oystermag, if he
was on a desert land what he would take among these and why – A pair of Stan
Smiths, a tennis racket, a tennis ball or an iPhone? Stan without any thought
said it would be the pair of Stan Smiths because he would feel comfortable and
can protect his feet from oyster shells and sand crabs, as the ball and racket
wouldn’t be of help without a court and the iPhone wouldn’t work without a
network.
Take a look at the video of Stan
himself describing the new sneaker range by Adidas
A pair of Stan Smiths worn by the
legend himself
Watch The Legend in Action:
Image Source: Flickr
Image source: Guardian
To be continued…
Adidas
,
Australian Open
,
Collegiate
,
Davis
,
NCAA
,
Stan Smith
,
US Open
,
Wimbledon
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