Forbes - A handful of summers: a memoir

A beautifully written work [It] is among the triumphs of sports publishing. It is also the funniest tennis book ever written London Times

It has reduced more than one reviewer to the embarrassment of public laughter the helpless, tearful mirth that makes one seek privacy London Times

[With] gentleness and bubbling wit, [Gordon Forbes] is putting an arm around our shoulders and inviting us to share something good Its only genuine flaw is that it has a last page London Times

A mesmerizing new autobiography! We are told of the golden days of tennis Forbes goes so far as having written the most raucous, irreverent and downright Rabelaisian memoir I have read the most jingly-jangly hilarious sporting memoir that can ever have been published. The Guardian

The old, valiant days live vividly on his pages. He is a natural, elegant, if somewhat quirkish writer and he brings the characters of the game beautifully to life London Daily Express

A vivid gift for expression players spring to life under Forbes kindly microscope The Birmingham Post

Gordon Forbes romps through a rollicking tale of court craft, wine, women and outrageous anecdotes The Newcastle upon Tyne Journal

A riotously extroverted memoir. I cant get out of my mind some of the funny scenes that Mr Forbes paints. The New York Times

Warmth, wit and a touch of madness Minneapolis Tribune

written with great polish stylishly cerebral shriekingly funny a book about people hysterically tongue-in-cheek Even if you have never struck a tennis ball in anger, you must read it. Jane Fraser, Rand Daily Mail

An explosion of wry wit and constant mischievous intent delicate touches of sheer poetry Gordon Forbes has finally cracked it. He is top seed in the world. Sunday Times

Rollicking, raucous and riveting I laughed my head off An inborn writing gift is required to make people laugh aloud, and Gordon has succeeded with this sporting gem Sunday Express

Gordon Forbes, youre wrong! Your name will go down in tennis history, after all! The Citizen

Forbes joins the greats of sporting literature. A strange mixture of whimsy, ribaldry and farce it is either laugh aloud, or bubble and squeak as the air tries to break out Cape Times

not just another tennis book highly sensitive an unreturnable ace in sports literature I can hardly wait for a sequel Sunday Tribune

One of the warmest, most entertaining sporting autobiographies ever published The Star

Its a laugh a minute The Herald

Fortunately he thought his stories worth recording Fortunately he preserved his diary Long live Forbes. The Field

Even if you dont have much interest in sport, this is a must. The Signature

crammed with anecdotes and hilarious stories Tennis Australia

the splendid awareness that good times are at hand. The book is a triumph. George Plimpton

Suffused with a mood that makes it unforgettable Tennis USA

The longer it lasts the more delightful it becomes. Charles Fortune, sports commentary icon

Thank you, Gordon, for reminding us of the fun we had. Bjrn Borg

Forbsey got it right forehands, fun, food and laughter. Rod Laver

Gordon captured the sweet era of tennis perfectly. Ken Rosewall

The greatest book on tennis ever written. Lew Hoad

Congratulations! The best book on tennis, and also the funniest. Charlton Heston

The book should be made compulsory reading by all pros Bob Bryner, CEO of the Association of Tennis Professionals

Its the best book on tennis. Period. Bud Collins, leading US TV commentator

Quite simply, the best book on tennis ever written. Mark McCormack

I enjoyed the book so much that I threw a minor tantrum when it ended My God its good! Joy Goodwin, author of The Second Mark

Forbes greatest strength as a writer a sum of uncanny adjectives, remembered phrases, captured emotions. Steve Tignor

My total admiration goes to this hilarious autobiography Richard Evans in Tales from the Tennis Court

the greatest cast of characters any sport would ever dare claim. The Tennis Book

Gordon Forbes beautifully titled A Handful of Summers belongs in the small group of athlete writers who have written superb books on their own. The Norton Book of Sports

Forbseys book! People keep talking about it, which means I have to read the bloody thing again. Fred Stolle, doyen of great players turned TV commentators

I didnt realise Fred could read Roy Emerson

A Memoir

Gordon Forbes

Gordon Forbes, 1978, 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holder.

ISBN: 978-1-928257-42-4

e-ISBN: 978-1-928257-43-1

First published in hardcover by William Heinemann, 1978

First published in paperback by Jonathan Ball Publishers, 1979

Paperback reissued by Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 2010

This edition published by Bookstorm (Pty) Ltd, 2017

Published by Bookstorm (Pty) Ltd

PO Box 4532

Northcliff 2115

Johannesburg

South Africa

www.bookstorm.co.za

Cover design by publicide

Book design and typesetting by Nix Design in OrigGaramond

Ebook by Liquid Type Publishing Services

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Peter Ustinov, Owen and Jenny Williams, Ron Bookman, Gladys Heldman, Kate and Marshall Lee, Jacques Sellschop, Jane Fraser, the Segal girls, Pat Tayler, Allie Inglis, Margo Blanchett, Jenny Archibald, Jane and Burt Boyar, Frances Forbes, Ed Fernberger, Russ Adams, Arthur Cole, C.M. Jones, H. Harris, The Press Association Ltd and Drysdale.

For Jeannie

For the players who raised the laughter

And for the game that we play

For Tennis itself

Contents

Spring 2017

This book tells of the unique period in which tennis changed from a simple, amateur game to the rich and colourful spectacle it is today. And yet that long ago era from the early 50s to the late 60s ingenuous as it was, is much loved by the people who know of it, remember it, and find comfort in the artless nobility of it. The age of innocence, you may call it, if you dont mind old and well-worn phrases but then the book itself is old and well-worn, moves at a leisurely pace, and still seems able to offer a fleeting escape from the commotion of the modern world.

Everything then was steeped in thrift the tournaments, the people who ran them, the travel, the bus rides, the people who watched the tennis, the players who played it, and the little hotels they stayed in and the thrift they knew was comfortable, necessary and manageable. Life was simple, tennis a game, travelling a thrill, good living a treat; and one of the consequences was that to enjoy the world on a tight budget, the players had to be creative, resourceful and ingenious. And it was their ways and words that my sister, Jean, and I found so interesting and funny, and that lead to the stories in this book.

Oh, there were rich people in the world, of course not as many as today, but they still had mansions, Bentleys, yachts and the sort, loved the company of tennis players and issued the most luxurious invitations which of course were eagerly accepted. But while the players revelled in such luxury, they knew very well that it was only on loan, and if they wanted to own it, theyd have to devise their own ways to get it. Some of them did, and virtually all of them found their places in the world, for they were a resourceful lot, used to making their way