The tournament at Wimbledon, England, is perhaps the most important in tennis. A victory there is a tremendous achievement. Jaroslav Drobny found out how tough the competition is at this most famous of tennis events.
Drobny first came to Wimbledon in 1938 as a 16-year old boy. It was his dream to take the championship back to his native Czechoslovakia some day. But then the Germans invaded Drobny’s homeland, and soon World War II was underway. After the war, the Communists came to power in Czechoslovakia and Drobny became an exile. From then on he lived wherever he could, usually in Egypt or England. Year after year he kept entering the Wimbledon tournament. Sometimes he reached the semi-finals, sometimes the finals. But somehow he always lost the big match.
In 1953 Drobny was 31 years old. He faced Budge Patty in one round, in a match that is still remembered at Wimbledon.
Drobny beat his younger American opponent in the first set, 8-6. The second set was an exhausting battle, which Patty finally won, 18-16. He took the third set as well, 6-3. The old man seemed to be finished. But Patty was getting tired too. And Drobny managed to eke out the fourth set, 8-6, to tie the match.
It was getting dark by then, but the referee insisted that they keep playing. Drobny had to change his dark glasses to a pair with pink lenses; they were really his reading glasses. Patty changed his socks because his feet were raw and blistered.
They played on and on. With the score at deuce Drobny felt terrific pains in his legs. He did not think he would be able to continue, but then he saw Patty was also in agony with leg cramps. The old-timer found the will to continue, and finally came through, beating Patty in the final set, 12-10. The match had lasted five hours, and was one of the most grueling in the tournament’s history.
But the championship still eluded Drobny. The Swedish star Kurt Nielsen beat him the next time Old Drob took the court, ending his chances for 1953.
But 1954 was another year, and this year Drobny got all the way to the finals. His opponent was young Ken Rosewall.
It was another tough match. Drobny repeatedly fell behind and then caught up. At one point in the first set Rosewall had him down by 11-10, and it was set point. But Old Drob pulled it out, and went on to win, 13-11. The Australian won the second set, 6-4. Back came Drobny to win the third set, 6-2.
The fourth set was almost more than Drobny could bear. He was nearly 33 years old and no longer had the stamina to hold off the young upcoming challengers. This could well be his last opportunity to win at Wimbledon.
Again it was a see-saw struggle. But Drobny was a desperate man. It was now or never. He broke through Rosewall’s service and went on to win the set and the match, 9-7.
At long, long last Old Drob had achieved his dream of winning at Wimbledon.
From The Giant Book of Strange But True Sports Stories by Howard Liss. Illustrations by Joe Mathieu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Wimbledon_Championships_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_Singles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaroslav_Drobn%C3%BD
Turns out the old boy was a hockey player as well, winning a silver with the Czech team at the 1948 Olympics. I’m kind of surprised Liss didn’t put a blurb in here about that as well.