Ed Serrano flew planes, raced speedboats on the Mississippi, and partnered with the Listerine heir to buy a gold mine in California. And somehow that's not even the most interesting thing about him. 

He came to St. Louis from Mexico at age 10, the son of the Mexican consul to the United States. He won the city's interscholastic championship in 1905. Triple A Club titles in 1908, 1910, and 1937. St. Louis District men's doubles in 1925, 1926, and 1932. Pacific Coast champion in 1939. He was still winning titles in his late fifties. 

In 1934, he changed the game. Twice. 

When his son Spud was old enough to play, Serrano wanted him to practice, but couldn't always be there to feed him balls. So he did what inventors do. He built a Tennis Robot. 

He introduced the Tennis Robot to Forest Hills, home of the U.S. Nationals and the most prestigious club in American tennis. The first automatic ball machine, it fired balls at any speed, angle, or spin. It could serve, slice, drive. That same year he introduced the No-Awl Racket Stringer. A foot pedal dropped a weight and set the tension. No more ice pick and awl. More than 1,000 dealers worldwide were selling it within a few years. He ran both through Tennis Machines Inc. for the rest of his life. 

Serrano passed away in 1985. He was 99. He lived life at 100. 

(1994)