SI Vault 'Hello Again' To A Grand Group Frank Deford August 05,
1985 When the author first met them, they were all young
athletes of great promise. On a second visit, he finds that
their promise has been fulfilled Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font August 05, 1985  'hello Again' To A
Grand Group   View CoverRead All Articles View This Issue  I had
a date with a 15-year-old brunette in Paris, and I was waiting
for her in the lounge when the old Aussie hero came in, took a
Perrier at the bar and spotted me across the way. It had been a
long time, so he sauntered over and sat down and we caught up on
one another. "What're ya doing here?" he asked, gesturing at my
tools of accuracy. They lay on the table, my pad and pen.
"Waiting to interview the kid—Gabriela Sabatini," I said, and he
nodded. Then, like a flash, it hit me. The man sitting before
me, Tony Roche, had been the first athlete I ever wrote a
feature story on for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. He was 17 at the time.
I discovered Tony Roche. One