Kovacs' playing style, "Kovacs was nearly two years younger than Riggs, of whom he was a direct opposite. Frank was rangy, about 6' 4", and served with lethal velocity. Riggs termed Frank's stroking "tremendously powerful" from both sides--often brilliant but sometimes erratic. Generally uninterested in coming to net, Frank preferred beating opponents from backcourt. Budge later said that the Kovacs backhand was the best he had ever seen. (Tilden wrote that it was second only to Budge's.)" Kovacs' net game improved during the 1940s, with a report from 1947 that "Kovacs had the losers shaking their heads by the sheer brilliance of his net game". In an assessment from July 1951, it was stated that "Kovacs, present world pro champ, gained his formidable spot through booming serves and a sound net game....", indicating that his net play had developed. Tennis great Jack Kramer, Kovacs' near contemporary and rival, wrote: "Kovacs had picture strokes, maybe the best Backhand, but he could never win anything because he didn't have any idea how to go about winning. He never had a set plan for a match. Hell, he never had a set plan for a shot. He could sort of decide what to do with it halfway through the stroke." Kovacs' best shot, says Kramer, was "a hard, angled backhand crosscourt, but he could never figure out how to set it up so he could take advantage of it." Riggs reportedly said to Kramer one day: "...don't worry about Frankie.... He looks great, but give him long enough and he'll find some way to keep you in the match, and give him a little longer and he'll find a way to beat himself." Nevertheless, Kovacs had many notable wins over Riggs, and a very positive win–loss record against Kramer. In the Philadelphia Inquirer in March 1950, it was said Kovacs led Kramer 16-0 in their head to heads as amateurs. TennisBase states Kramer led 4-0 in their meetings as pros, all four matches played in the Philadelphia indoor tournament on wood. Personal life Kovacs was married to San Francisco vocal coach Judy Davis in 1950 and they lived for many years in their home in the Rockridge district of Oakland, until his death in 1990. His first marriage, on July 14, 1941, was to Virginia Wolfenden, also a tennis professional; they had a son, Frank Jr. His cousin was the entertainer Ernie Kovacs.