After a great innings, Abe Segal’s game is over…

JACK MILNER

Alan Abraham Segal was born in 1935. Forbes wrote two books – A Handful Of Summers and Too Soon To Panic – in which Segal naturally featured prominently. In fact, the title of the second book comes from a quote from Segal during a Davis Cup tie against Germany in Berlin in 1962.

Segal was the third child of Polish immigrants and was brought up in Doornfontein in Johannesburg where he attended Doornfontein Prep as a youngster and then received a bursary from the Jewish Board of Deputies to attend Trade School. Once on the world stage, this flamboyant personality, with a biting sense of humour and booming left-handed serve, established himself as one of the most colourful players on the tennis tour.

He mixed with the best: from Hounslow to Hollywood. He played tennis with James Hunt and Kenny Rogers, chatted to the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, had little good to say about Lauren Bacall and spent time on the golf course with Sean Connery.   

Actor and writer Peter Ustinov wrote the forward to A Handful Of Summers and when Segal produced his book in 2008, called Hey Big Boy, not to be outdone, Segal got Connery to pen the forward in his book.

On the international stage Segal twice made the finals of the French Open in 1958 with Australian Roy Howe where they lost in four sets to Ashley Cooper and Neale Fraser and again in 1963 with Forbes where they lost to Roy Emerson and Manuel Santana.  

Forbes and Segal reached the Wimbledon semi-finals that same year and it was a title Forbes felt they could have won had Segal not pulled a stomach muscle prior to the game.

Said Forbes: “That was the only time. Abe never complained and he never made excuses but he could only serve at half pace and his serve was always his biggest strength.”

There had been quite a few upsets that year and the team that beat them in the semis went on to win the title.

“We played together for a long time and won the SA Open four times and every provincial title at least once. We also twice won the British Hard Court, which was a big tournament in those days,” said Forbes.

Many tennis players compare their relationship to a marriage because of the amount of time they spend together. Most ended in “divorce” but Forbes and Segal remained friends for some 60 years. 

“It’s a huge blow,” said Forbes. “He has been ill for a long time and probably as we say, it’s for the best. 

“I never thought Abe would die. He was one of those characters who I thought would last forever. He was a rough diamond but the diamond part of him was very good.”

Anybody who sat in a room with Segal would be roaring with laughter, but as Forbes points out, Segal was always at his funniest when he didn’t intend to be funny. “I was once in an argument with an umpire and Abe walked up to me and said: ‘Forbesy, why don’t you let dead dogs sleep’.”

Segal played in 19 ties for the South African Davis Cup team in the years 1955, 1957, 1959 and from 1961 to 1965 and compiled a record of 24 wins and 14 losses. “We made some semi-finals but we could not beat Sweden,” said Forbes. 

The line “Too soon to panic” came up during a practice session for their tie in Berlin and Forbes was getting very agitated because he was struggling with his game. This was on the Monday before the tie and Segal came up to Forbes and said: “Today is Monday, the match starts on Friday; it’s too soon to panic. I’ll tell you exactly when to panic.”

A few days later they were in the fifth set of the doubles rubber against Bungert and Khunke after losing the first two singles rubbers. The South Africans were up 4-3 and with Bungert serving, Forbes and Segal earned themselves a break point. As Bungert was about to start his service action, Segal held up his hand and stopped him. He then walked over to Forbes and said: “Okay idiot, panic now!”

They effected the break, held serve, won the doubles and then came back to win the tie.  

In the later part of his life Segal also took up painting and surprised most people with his talent and insight.

Forbes said that every Christmas, Segal went to Plettenberg Bay and the two of them played a round of golf. “It was a tradition. We got very philosophical this last time and because we were older and kept forgetting what we had said the day before, we kept saying the same thing. 

“But then Abe turned to me and said: ‘Forbesy, we’ve had a great innings, but the game is over.”