Bud Collins dared to be different and, in doing so, changed the image of the sport he loved. This was especially so in America but he became a popular and unmistakable figure at Wimbledon, too, as he interviewed players for NBC.

If your writing is going to be peppered with weird and wonderful nicknames – Fingers Fortescue for his imaginary net judge was my favourite – and your dress sense extends to a never ending selection of rainbow coloured trousers, you had better know what you are talking about. And Bud did. He not only wrote and broadcast on tennis but he played and coached it and could dissect a match as well as any-ex-player in the commentary box.

It was his good fortune to burst onto the scene just as tennis was poised to take off in America in the sixties but like any good innovator he seized the moment and made it his own. Live tennis on US television was an unknown commodity when Greg Harney, a producer at WGBH-TV, Boston, persuaded his bosses to cover the US Doubles Championships at the Longwood Cricket Club in 1963. Just as importantly, Harney asked the young Boston Globe tennis writer to present it.

Suddenly, tennis had a new image as Collins’ whacky, humorous style of commentary, laced with unbounded enthusiasm and knowledge, blew away a lot of the cobwebs that had been clinging to the game for decades and ensured that tennis on television would be a revelation to the game’s fans.

However, no matter how irreverent Collins appeared to be, the man had a deep seated love and respect for the game and many, if not all, its traditions. At Wimbledon his blazers were certainly colourful but the colors were correct – green and purple. Bud knew when to tip his cap.

I discovered another side of him, too, when John Newcombe invited us to stay at the Tennis Ranch he owned in Fiji. Newk staged a little pro-am tournament on the beautiful grass courts and Bud, as he always did on such a surface, played barefoot. After inviting me to play with him, I had a great time benefitting from footwork that rivalled Fred Astaire and Bud’s sharp eye for the volley.

I managed to get the ball back across the net often enough for us to reach the final where we lost. But there were prizes -- $25 dollars each for the runners-up! I was more than happy to accept but Bud wouldn’t touch it.

“It will infringe my amateur status!” said Longwood Cricket Club member who enjoyed playing in many of the club tournaments.

“But Bud!” I remonstrated. “Nobody will ever know. The USTA probably doesn’t even know where Fiji is!”

But Bud wouldn’t budge. It was a matter of principle. He was an amateur player and proud of it. But oh! what a pro he was behind the microphone!

I’ll miss you, partner.

Bud Collins passed away on Friday 4 March 2016 at the age of 86. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by all at The AELTC and The Championships, and our condolences go out to his family and friends.