Smith grew up in Pasadena, California and was coached mainly by
Pancho Segura. He played collegiate tennis at the
University of Southern California (USC), under Coach
George Toley, where he was a three-time
All-American and won the
1968 NCAA Singles Championship as well as the 1967 and 1968 doubles titles. At USC, Smith was a member of
Beta Theta Pi fraternity's Gamma Tau chapter. As a boy, he tried to get a job as a ball boy for the Davis Cup, but was turned down because the organizers thought he was too clumsy. In 1971 Smith lost in the Wimbledon final to
John Newcombe in five sets. "Although both men relied on power, there were relatively few errors despite the fierce struggle". Smith beat
Jan Kodeš in the final of the US championships in four sets. After losing the first set, Smith changed his tactics. "I decided I would hit slower but put more spin on my serve" said Smith afterwards and he also took charge at the net more. That year Smith and John Newcombe were joint recipients of The
Martini and Rossi Award, voted for by 11 journalists and were co-ranked world No. 1 by Judith Elian. In 1972 Smith beat
Ilie Năstase in the Wimbledon final in five sets. "Oldtimers at the Club, who've seen all the finals back to the 1930's, said the match was the best since Australia's Jack Crawford beat Ellsworth Vines of America, 6-4 in the fifth, to win in 1933." That year Smith won the 'Martini and Rossi' Award, voted for by a panel of journalists and was ranked world No. 1 by Elian,
World Tennis, Collins, Frank Rostron and Rex Bellamy. In his 1979 autobiography,
Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranked Smith as one of the 21 best players of all time. In 2005,
TENNIS magazine ranked Smith as 35th in its
"40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era". Smith was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. Following his playing career, Smith became active as a coach for the
United States Tennis Association. He has his own tennis academy with Billy Stearns, located on
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In 1974, Smith married Princeton University tennis player,
Marjory Gengler. They later mentored South African tennis player
Mark Mathabane, helping increase pressure on the South African government to end
apartheid. Smith lives in Hilton Head with his wife and four children, all of whom competed in collegiate tennis. ==Tennis shoes==