Ricardo Alonso González or Richard Gonzalez, (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales or, less often, as Pancho Gonzalez, was the World No. 1 tennis player for an unequalled 8 years in the 1950s and early 1960s. During that period, he played as a professional. Completely self-taught, he was also a successful amateur player in the late-1940s, twice winning the United States Championships. The tempestuous Gonzales is still widely considered to be one of the all-time great tennis players. Prior to the Open era, he was considered by many observers to be the greatest player in the history of the game. A 1999 Sports Illustrated article about the magazine\s 20 \"favorite athletes\" of the 20th century said about Gonzales (their number 15 pick): \"If earth was on the line in a tennis match, the man you want serving to save humankind would be Ricardo Alonso