Ruffin & Robert "Bob" Ryland at the 2007 US Open Robert Ryland is not a household name in tennis. That omission says more about the sport than it does about him. Robert “Bob” Ryland was born in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, where he learned to play the game at age 9 on public courts.  Taught by his father, playing for the Chicago Prairie Tennis Club, his talent was evident. His talent was great enough to propel him to win the Illinois State High School title over Jimmy Evert,