Biography
Braden was one of eight children born to Victor (1904-1973) and Mildred (née Mayes) Braden (1906-1968); both were natives of Claiborne County, Tennessee.
Introduced to tennis at age 12, he became good enough to earn invites to play in River Forest, Illinois and in Milwaukee. He told Sports Illustrated in a 1976 interview that he once hitch hiked to Detroit to watch Don Budge play Bobby Riggs because he wanted to learn how Budge hit his backhand.
Braden went to Kalamazoo College, where he was captain of the tennis team, and won the league title in singles. He was awarded an honorary degree by his alma mater in 2008.
Read more about this topic: Vic Braden
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“A biography is like a handshake down the years, that can become an arm-wrestle.”
—Richard Holmes (b. 1945)
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