Pancho Gonzalez was inducted Saturday into the US Open Court of Champions.

Self-taught on the public courts of Los Angeles, Gonzalez, the son of Mexican immigrants, won back-to-back titles at the US championships in Forest Hills in 1948-49 and won two matches to help the US team beat Australia for the 1949 Davis Cup.

    Gonzalez later became a fan favourite and a dominant player on the professional tour throughout the 1950s and ‘60s.

    As a 40-year-old in 1968, when professionals were allowed back into competition at the grand slams, Gonzalez reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros and the quarter-finals of the inaugural US Open.

    “Pancho Gonzalez was not only a great champion but also a true pioneer in the sport of tennis,” U.S. Tennis Association president Jon Vegosen said in a statement.

    “He has served and will continue to serve as a role model for generations of Americans, especially Hispanic-American athletes, and I’m proud that his name will live forever amongst the greatest US Open champions.”