Will Shortz is the world’s greatest crossword creator, and he’s also a former professional tennis player. That’s right, the man who brings you those pesky little puzzles every day was once a competitive athlete. Shortz started playing tennis when he was just four years old, and by the time he was a teenager, he was good enough to play in the USTA Junior Nationals. He even won a few tournaments, including the 1974 Indiana State High School Championship.
However, college tennis was a different story. Shortz only played for one year at Indiana University before quitting the team. He later explained that he just didn’t have the passion for the sport anymore. So how did Shortz go from being a tennis champ to the world’s greatest crossword creator? It all started with a chance encounter with New York Times editor Will Weng. In 1978, Weng asked Shortz to solve a puzzle that had been submitted to the paper. Shortz not only solved it, but he also found a mistake in the clue. Weng was so impressed that he asked Shortz to become the paper’s crossword editor.
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Shortz has been creating puzzles ever since, and he’s now the only person to hold that title at both The New York Times and USA Today. He’s also the creator of the popular game show Wordplay and the author of several books on crosswords.
So there you have it: the world’s greatest crossword creator was once a tennis player. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see Shortz back on the court!
How did this person become so successful in both fields
It all started with a chance encounter with New York Times editor Will Weng. In 1978, Weng asked Shortz to solve a puzzle that had been submitted to the paper. Shortz not only solved it, but he also found a mistake in the clue. Weng was so impressed that he asked Shortz to become the paper’s crossword editor.
Shortz has been creating puzzles ever since, and he’s now the only person to hold that title at both The New York Times and USA Today. He’s also the creator of the popular game show Wordplay and the author of several books on crosswords.
When did this person start playing tennis
Shortz started playing tennis when he was just four years old, and by the time he was a teenager, he was good enough to play in the USTA Junior Nationals. He even won a few tournaments, including the 1974 Indiana State High School Championship. However, college tennis was a different story. Shortz only played for one year at Indiana University before quitting the team.
