From the courts of Langland to rubbing shoulders with giants
SITTING in his office in sun-kissed Sarasota, Florida, the gravel courts of Langland Bay must feel like a million miles away for Mike Davies.
Now 74, the former Wimbledon doubles finalist is still actively involved in a game that has been his life since those formative years knocking the ball about with his mates on the Gower coastline.
In the pantheon of Welsh sporting legends, Davies may not be mentioned in the same breath as an Edwards, Charles, Lynn Davies or Howard Winstone, but he remains one of the country's greatest sporting exports.
In January, the former Swansea schoolboy will discover whether he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island - one of the highest honours in the sport.
Among the four other nominees is a certain Andre Agassi.
"It was a big surprise and a huge honour to be nominated," said Davies, when the Evening Post caught up with him across the 'Pond'.
"I am obviously delighted, and it's just a matter of waiting now to see how the ballot goes in the new year."
To put his achievement into context, Davies is on the verge of joining an exclusive 218-strong club that reads as a who's who of tennis superstardom.
Sampras, McEnroe, Borg, Nastase, Evert, Connors, Ashe, Billie Jean King, Laver and further down the honours board Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad, who Davies rubbed shoulders with during the brave new world of professional tennis half a century ago.
And it all started in a small corner of South Wales.
A pupil at Dynevor Secondary School, Davies went on to become a Welsh champion at under-16 and under-18 level for four consecutive years.
He headed out to Australia to develop his game and was soon leading the way as Britain's No. 1 men's player.
In 1960, at the height of his game, he and Englishman Bobby Wilson reached the Wimbledon doubles final, losing out to Mexico's Rafael Osuna and America's Denis Ralston in three sets.
His emergence on the global stage saw him signed up by former world No. 1 and then leading promoter Jack Kramer for a rebel professional tour, which meant he was banned from taking part in any of the Grand Slams before 'open tennis' became widely accepted in 1968.
It was then that seeds were sown for the modern men's tour as we know it today.
And here is where we arrive at Davies's impact in the corridors of tennis power.
Now retired, the Welshman started making his mark off the court as a promoter and administrator.
Davies soon became executive director of the World Championship Tennis (WCT), helping bring the game to the world and with it dismissing the image of the sport as an elitist institution.
During his time with the WCT, Davies was a major influence behind the 'Million Dollar Tour', before he moved onto the ATP where he introduced such ground-breaking measures as the coloured tennis ball and coloured clothing for players.
You wonder whether Serena and Venus have thanked Davies in person for that particular innovation.
He also helped pave the way for the first major broadcasting contract for tennis and during the 1980s was credited with helping breathe new life into the Davis Cup - the sport's highest profile international team event.
"The game has come a long way," said Davies, who is still involved in promoting tennis in the States.
"After that Wimbledon final I think I was paid a £5 voucher to buy tennis equipment and of course there was the medal, which still takes pride of place.
"These days there are huge prizes at stake. The likes of Federer, Nadal, the Williams sisters, they are making incredible amounts of money. Some may say that it isn't such a good thing and perhaps there is a need for more respect in the game.
"But, just as I am proud of that Wimbledon final and playing for Britain in the Davis Cup, I am also proud of how much we have achieved with tennis, bringing the game to the public and getting exposure to make it that much professional."
Davies is now officially retired, although he still, as he says 'has a few fingers in a few pies'.
He is the chief executive of the Pilot Pen tennis championships in New Haven, Connecticut, which serves as the final warm-up before the US Open at Flushing Meadow.
"The game has been good to me, so I still want to put something back," he added.
"This year I went back to Wimbledon for the first time in 11 years. It was the 50th anniversary of my doubles final and we were invited into the Royal Box on the same Thursday as the Queen was there, so that was nice.
"Myself and my wife Mina spent a couple of weeks travelling around the country and we went back to Swansea to visit Langland Bay to see the courts where it all started. It hasn't changed much, but there are some great memories."
So can he ever see a Welsh tennis player gracing a Wimbledon final again? "It is all down the individual," is the reply. The LTA doesn't create players, it creates the road map for players to improve. It is up to the individual to put the work in, to make the most of their talent, to make the sacrifices and show the hunger.
"You can be hugely gifted, but that will only take you so far.
"People talk of a lack of funding or facilities, but it was the same in my day."
These days Davies can also watch his grandson Tadju Davies take to the courts, with the 20-year-old having earned a tennis scholarship at Troy University in Alabama.
Who knows, perhaps the Davies name can produce another slice of Welsh tennis success? Davies junior will have to go some to outshine his gramps.
FACTFILE .Mike Davies was born in 1974. He lived in Mount Pleasant and attended Dynevor Secondary School .A Welsh junior champion he was British No. 1 in 1957, 1958 and 1960, he played for the British Davis Cup team for six years, finishing with a winning record of 24-13. .From 1968-1981, Davies served as executive director of World Championship Tennis, when he was at the forefront of staging tournaments and selling sponsorships and television rights. In 1981, Davies moved on to serve as the marketing director and then executive director for the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). .In the late 1980s, Davies served as general manager of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). He is widely credited with revitalising the Davis Cup.
.He is currently CEO of the Pilot Pen tennis championship in New Haven, Connecticut.
