There were some pretty big things going on around the world in mid-1979, whether that be due to world politics or notable deaths. But sports have also been quite the constant, and so fittingly, on the day of John Wayne’s death, there was also a bit of competition happening elsewhere in the world. Specifically, that was the French Open tennis tournament, which took place at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.
On June 11, thousands of fans packed into the hot, sunny stadium where, on the final day of the tournament, they were treated to something of a surprising match. On one hand, there was the Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg, who had come into the competition as one of the top-seeded players and proved himself worthy of that distinction, dominating in earlier matches of the tournament. But on the other hand, there was relative newcomer Victor Pecci, the only professional tennis player from his native country of Paraguay.
Pecci had spent fairly little time in major, publicized tournaments, mostly just racking up achievements in smaller and lesser-known competitions. But upon arriving in Paris, he was at the center of upset after upset, and he quickly became the fan favorite. He managed to work his way into the finals, playing with determination and poise in equal measure, and even though Borg pulled out the win, Pecci — and those around him — had nothing but hope for his future.
