If you ask former professional tennis player Butch Buchholz who the voice of tennis is he'll respond without question -- Tony Trabert.
“If you want to talk about the poster person for the All-American that was Tony Trabert," Buchholz said. “Everybody looked up to Tony Trabert. The way he handled himself on and off the court was an example for all of us.”
Trabert, a Cincinnati native, died Feb. 3.
He graduated from Walnut Hills High School before playing tennis and basketball at the University of Cincinnati. The tennis legend went on to a decorated professional tennis career, earning inductions to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970 and the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977.
More: Tony Trabert: Tennis Hall of Famer, UC Bearcat standout dies at 90
After his playing career, Trabert spent 33 years as a broadcaster for CBS. He served as President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame for 12 years before Stan Smith took over the position.
“He's an unbelievable ambassador for tennis worldwide and he’s just a good guy, you didn’t hear any controversial stuff about him. He always spoke straight and his word was his bond. He was a great human being," Smith said. "His character was outstanding, that’s probably the most important thing."
Despite becoming a household name synonymous with fellow international tennis greats, Trabert never forgot his home.
Western & Southern Open tournament director J. Wayne Richmond said Trabert watched every minute of his hometown tournament each year, even when he couldn't make the trip to Cincinnati from his retirement home in Ponte Verda Beach, Florida.
“If you talked to Tony Trabert about his career it always started with his roots in Cincinnati," Richmond said. "He took great pride in how the community had embraced the tournament and I think the whole community plus Tony have been proud about how the tournament has gone over the years."
Like Buchholz, Richmond dubbed Trabert as the "voice of tennis in Cincinnati," and it's one of the reasons the Western & Southern called Trabert to voice over the "It's Time" video released on the eve of the 2020 tournament.
The Western & Southern Open will honor Trabert on Monday, his birthday, the tournament told The Enquirer. Both Mason and Cincinnati will proclaim Monday to be Tony Trabert day. The tournament will recognize Trabert and some of his family who will be in attendance prior to the start of Monday night's session.
“It was very, very close to him and to his family at the end as well because it just kind of tied Tony’s career to Cincinnati and the tournament," Richmond said. "There was just this natural bond over the years.”
Richmond said Trabert had a way about him that made him friends with almost everyone he met. Even on some of his final days, Trabert opened his southern Florida home to enjoy cocktails and jokes with friends like Buchholz just as they always had.
"His memory was great, Tony always had the latest jokes," Buchholz said. "You could not forget that smile and that voice. They were special.”
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