Tony Trabert
Trabert in 1960
Full nameMarion Anthony Trabert
Country (sports) United States
Born(1930-08-16)August 16, 1930
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
DiedFebruary 3, 2021(2021-02-03) (aged 90)
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro1955 (amateur from 1945)
Retired1963
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1970 (member page)
Singles
Career record766–456 (62.6%)[1]
Career titles56[1]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1953, Lance Tingay)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (1955)
French OpenW (1954, 1955)
WimbledonW (1955)
US OpenW (1953, 1955)
Other tournaments
Professional majors
US ProF (1960)
Wembley ProF (1958)
French ProW (1956, 1959)
Other pro events
TOCSF (1959FH)
Doubles
Career record2–4
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1955)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1955)
French OpenW (1950, 1954, 1955)
WimbledonF (1954)
US OpenW (1954)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (1954)

Marion Anthony Trabert (August 16, 1930 – February 3, 2021) was an American amateur world No. 1 tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker.[3]

Trabert was ranked world No. 1 amateur by many sources in 1953, by Ned Potter and The New York Times in 1954 and by Lance Tingay and Ned Potter in 1955. He was the winner of ten Grand Slam titles – five in singles and five in doubles. He won two French singles championships, two U.S. National Men's Singles Championships, and one Wimbledon gentlemen's singles championship.[3] Until Michael Chang won the French Open in 1989, Trabert was the last American to hoist the championship trophy. He turned professional in the fall of 1955. He won the French Professional Championships at Roland Garros in 1956 and 1959.

Tennis career

Amateur

Trabert (left) with Jack Kramer in 1955

Trabert was a stand-out athlete in tennis and basketball at the University of Cincinnati, and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.[4] In 1951, he won the NCAA Championship Singles title.[5] He played doubles with Bob Mault and was coached by George Menefee, who later became the head trainer for the Los Angeles Rams. Trabert was also a starter on the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team at the University of Cincinnati.[6] Previously, at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, he had been Ohio scholastic champion three times and played guard on the 1948 basketball team that won the District Championship.[6]

A native of Cincinnati, Trabert grew up two houses down from a public park. It had clay courts that helped hone his groundstrokes.[7] By age 11, Trabert was winning junior tournaments. Trabert honed his tennis skills on the courts of the Cincinnati Tennis Club with the help of another member of that club, fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Billy Talbert. Talbert became Trabert's mentor. In 1951, Trabert posted his first win over Talbert in the final of Cincinnati's international tennis tournament (now known as the Cincinnati Masters). In the midst of his amateur career, Trabert's game was interrupted by a two-year stint in the Navy, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea during the Korean War, but this did not stop him.[8][6] In 1953, Trabert won the men's singles in the Ojai Tennis Tournament.[9] After winning his first Grand Slam singles title at the U. S. Championships in 1953 (over Vic Seixas in the final), Trabert was ranked the world No. 1 amateur for 1953 by Lance Tingay in The Daily Telegraph,[2] Ned Potter in World Tennis,[10] Gardnar Mulloy,[10] Bill Talbert,[10] Ham Richardson,[10] Hal Burrows[11] and Grant Golden.[10] In 1954 Trabert won the French Championships (over Mervyn Rose, Budge Patty in the semifinal and Arthur Larsen in the final) and was ranked world number one amateur by Ned Potter in World Tennis[12] and by panel of 8 experts in The New York Times.[13][14][lower-alpha 1] In 1955, Trabert won three consecutive Grand Slam singles titles: the French (over Rose in the semifinal and Sven Davidson in the final), Wimbledon (beating Kurt Nielsen in the final) and U. S. Championships (over Rosewall in the final). He was ranked world number one amateur for 1955 by Lance Tingay[15] and by Ned Potter.[16]

Trabert's record in 1955 was one of the greatest ever by an American tennis player.[4] He won the three most prestigious tournaments in amateur tennis—the French, Wimbledon, and American Championships.[17] He won Wimbledon and the US in 1955 without losing a set (the only time it has ever been done in consecutive majors).[7][8] He is one of only ten male players to have won three Grand Slam singles title in a year.[18][7] Trabert's own chance at a Grand Slam was stopped with a loss to Ken Rosewall in the semifinals at the Australian Championships.[19] Trabert won 18 tournaments in 1955, compiling a match record of 106 wins to 7 losses, which included a 38-match winning streak.[5]

Trabert, along with Vic Seixas, was an American Davis Cup team mainstay during the early 1950s, during which time the Americans reached the finals five times, winning the cup in 1954. It was one of only two victories over the dominant Australian teams during the decade (the other being in 1958). He called the 1954 Davis Cup win the "biggest thrill in my tennis career".[8] Trabert turned pro after winning the ’55 U.S. Championships because he had a wife and two children to support.

Professional

Having reached the top amateur ranking in 1955, Trabert turned professional in the fall of that year. Trabert explained: “When I won Wimbledon as an amateur, I got a 10-pound certificate, which was worth $27 redeemable at Lilly White’s Sporting Goods store in London. Jack Kramer offered me a guarantee of $75,000 against a percentage of the gate to play on his tour." With a wife and two children to support, the decision was clear.[20] In 1956, he was beaten on the head-to-head world pro tour by the reigning king of professional tennis Pancho Gonzales, 74–27, consisting mostly of indoor matches on a portable loose canvas surface.[4] Forty years after his matches with Gonzales, Trabert told interviewer Joe McCauley "that Gonzales' serve was the telling factor on their tour—it was so good that it earned him many cheap points. Trabert felt that, while he had the better ground-strokes, he could not match Pancho's big, fluent service."[21] However, he beat Gonzales in five sets at Roland Garros in the final of the 1956 French Pro title.[7] Trabert also won a South American tour over Gonzales, Sedgman, and Kramer in 1956, winning six matches against Gonzales, and losing three matches indoor, for a 6–3 edge over Gonzales on that tour.[22] For the year 1956 as a whole, Trabert had an edge over Gonzales in outdoor matches of 16-11 (1-1 on grass, 4–5 on cement, and 11–5 on clay).

In the 1958 pro tour, Trabert won a personal series against Segura 34–31, showing that he had adjusted to the portable canvas surface used by the Kramer pros in small indoor venues and gyms.[23] In the Wembley Pro in 1958, he defeated Rosewall in the semi-final and was runner-up to Sedgman . In the French Pro at Roland Garros in 1959, Trabert beat Rosewall in the semifinal and then defeated Frank Sedgman in the final, to win his fourth title at the red clay venue.[7] In the 1960 US Pro (billed as Cleveland World Pro), he was runner-up to Alex Olmedo. In November 1961, Trabert led the United States team into the Kramer Cup final (the pro equivalent of the Davis Cup) at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Trabert defeated Rosewall in four sets, but lost the fifth and deciding rubber to Lew Hoad in four sets.[24] The following week, Trabert won the Western Province Pro in Cape Town, beating Rosewall in the final.[25] In October 1962, Trabert won the South African Pro Championships on the cement courts of Ellis Park in Johannesburg by defeating Hoad in the final in five sets.[26] Trabert also had wins over Hoad at the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions in 1957 and 1958.[27]

In his 1979 autobiography The Game Jack Kramer, the former world No. 1 player, included Trabert in his list of the 21 greatest players[lower-alpha 2] of all time.

Post-playing career

Trabert with wife Shauna in 1953

After retiring from the game, Trabert enjoyed a 33-year career (1971–2004) as a tennis and golf analyst for CBS, covering events such as the US Open. During many of those years, he teamed with Pat Summerall and was the lead commentator at the US Open.[29] The popularity of their broadcasts helped propel the US Open into an annual financial success for CBS and the United States Tennis Association. He was also the US Davis Cup team captain from 1976 to 1980.[3] Trabert's captaincy is remembered by his frustration in dealing with the egos of younger players like John McEnroe and for his racket-wielding expulsion of anti-apartheid protesters who ran onto the court during a Davis Cup match against South Africa at the Newport Beach Tennis Club in California in April 1977.[3][30]

In 1980 he had a small cameo role on the television show "Hart to Hart", Season 1, episode 24. He played a tennis pro at a tennis club.

He was also a tennis author and was a motivational speaker. In 1988, he published the book Trabert on Tennis, sharing his insights on the game from a player's, coach's, and commentator's standpoint.[7] In 1970, with the encouragement of Dr.Toby Freedman and Dale Jensen, Trabert opened the Tony Trabert Tennis Camp in Ojai, California at Thacher School, and then one in Pebble Beach, California for ages 8–18.[8]

Trabert served as president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island from 2001 to 2011.[8]

In 2004, he announced his retirement from broadcasting while commentating at the Wimbledon Championships.[7]

Trabert resided in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with Vicki Trabert, his wife of 30 years, and their grandchildren.[6] They had five children (two of his and three of hers) and 14 grandchildren.[6]

Trabert died at age 90 at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on February 3, 2021.[6][31]

Awards and honors

In 1970, Trabert was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.[7] He was enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002 together with Billy Talbert.[32] On September 8 2014, Trabert was inducted into the United States Tennis Association's Court of Champions prior to the US Open men's singles final.[8]

Major finals

Source:[33]

Grand Slam tournaments

Singles: 5 (5 titles)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win1953U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Victor Seixas6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Win1954French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Arthur Larsen6–4, 7–5, 6–1
Win1955French Championships (2)ClaySweden Sven Davidson2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
Win1955WimbledonGrassDenmark Kurt Nielsen6–3, 7–5, 6–1
Win1955U.S. Championships (2)GrassAustralia Ken Rosewall9–7, 6–3, 6–3

Doubles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1950French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Bill TalbertEgypt Jaroslav Drobný
South Africa Eric Sturgess		6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2
Win1954French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Vic SeixasAustralia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall		6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Loss1954WimbledonGrassUnited States Vic SeixasAustralia Rex Hartwig
Australia Mervyn Rose		4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 4–6
Win1954U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Vic SeixasAustralia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall		3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3
Win1955Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Vic SeixasAustralia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall		6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1
Win1955French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Vic SeixasItaly Nicola Pietrangeli
Italy Orlando Sirola		6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4

Pro Slam tournaments

Source:[34]

Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win1956French ProClayUnited States Pancho Gonzales6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–2
Loss1958Wembley ProIndoorAustralia Frank Sedgman4–6, 3–6, 4–6
Win1959French ProClayAustralia Frank Sedgman6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1960U.S. ProIndoorPeru Alex Olmedo5–7, 4–6

Singles performance timeline

Trabert joined the professional tennis circuit in 1955 and as a consequence was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams until the start of the Open Era at the 1968 French Open.

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
1948194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments5 / 1658–1184.1
Australian Open A A A A A A 2R SF not eligible 0 / 2 4–2 66.7
French Open A A 4R A 4R A W W not eligible 2 / 4 18–2 90.0
Wimbledon A A 2R A A A SF W not eligible 1 / 3 13–2 86.7
US Open 3R 2R 1R QF A W QF W not eligible 2 / 7 23–5 82.1
Pro Slam tournaments2 / 1927–1761.4
U.S. Pro A A A A A A A A SF SF SF A F A A QF 0 / 5 5–5 50.0
French Pro not held W NH QF W SF SF 1R 1R 2 / 7 11–5 68.8
Wembley Pro NH A A A A A NH NH SF A F SF QF QF QF QF 0 / 7 11–7 61.1
Win–loss 2–1 1–1 3–3 4–1 3–1 6–0 16–3 23–1 6–2 1–1 4–3 6–1 5–3 3–2 1–2 1–3 7 / 35 85–28 75.2

The results of the Pro Tours are not listed here.
Source:[35]

Notes

  1. ↑ Lance Tingay, London Telegraph; CM Jones, British Lawn Tennis; Réné Mathieu, Smash magazine; Philippe Chatrier, Tennis de France; Umberto Mezzanote, Tennis Italiano; Arthur Goldman, Anson Press; Allison Danzig, New York Times; Jack Russell, Tennis Australia
  2. ↑ Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors..[28]

References

  1. 1 2 "Tony Trabert: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "WRITER RANKS ROSEWALL SECOND TO TRABERT". The News (Adelaide). Vol. 61, no. 9, 391. South Australia. September 15, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Memories Of My Friend – Tony Trabert". WLM Tennis. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 694. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0.
  5. 1 2 Keith Jenkins (February 4, 2021). "Tennis Hall of Famer, former Cincinnati Bearcats standout Tony Trabert dies at 90". Cincinnati.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Richard Goldstein (February 4, 2021). "Tony Trabert, a Two-Time No. 1 in Men's Tennis, Dies at 90". The New York Times.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 James Buddell (February 4, 2021). "Tony Trabert, Major champion & tennis icon, dies aged 90". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mark Preston (February 4, 2021). "Remembering Tony Trabert". USTA.
  9. ↑ Images of America – Ojai. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. 2007. p. 112. ISBN 9780738555775.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Potter, Edward C. (November 1953). "World Rankings: An Analysis of The Best Players in 1953". World Tennis. Vol. 1, no. 6. New York. pp. 14–16.
  11. ↑ "Revised World Rankings". World Tennis. Vol. 1, no. 10. New York. March 1954. p. 12.
  12. ↑ Potter, Edward C. (February 1955). "The World's First Ten". World Tennis. Vol. 2, no. 2. New York. p. 10.
  13. ↑ "Trabert and Miss Connolly Head Writers' World Tennis Ratings; Five Men and Seven Women From America Are Among Leaders Chosen Under New International Consensus". The New York Times. November 29, 1954. p. 29.
  14. ↑ "Trabert, Connolly Ranked No. 1". The Mercury (Hobart). Vol. CLXXVI, no. 26, 187. Tasmania, Australia. November 30, 1954. p. 27. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ Collins (2016), p. 758
  16. ↑ Potter, Edward C. (November 1955). "The World's First Ten of 1955". World Tennis. Vol. 3, no. 6. New York. p. 44.
  17. ↑ "Happy 90th birthday, Tony Trabert". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). August 20, 2020.
  18. ↑ Crawford, Perry, Budge, Trabert, Hoad, Laver, Wilander, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
  19. ↑ "Trabert hopes crash over Rosewall". The Argus (Melbourne). January 31, 1955. p. 23 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ "Tony Trabert". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
  21. ↑ McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. The Short Run Book Company Limited.
  22. ↑ Ned Cronin (July 30, 1956). "Cronin's corner". The Los Angeles Times. p. 3 part II – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ McCauley, p.208
  24. ↑ McCauley, p115
  25. ↑ The History of Professional Tennis, Joe McCauley, 2003, p.223
  26. ↑ McCauley, p.120
  27. ↑ McCauley, pp. 206, 209
  28. ↑ Kramer, Jack (1981). The Game : My 40 Years in Tennis. London: Deutsch. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-0233973074.
  29. ↑ Mark Schmetzer (January 15, 2016). "Tennis legend Tony Trabert enjoying retirement". Cincinnati.com.
  30. ↑ Lorge, Barry (February 1, 1978). "USTA: No Choice On Davis Clash With S.Africa". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  31. ↑ Buddell, James (February 4, 2021). "Tony Trabert, Major Champion & Tennis Icon, Dies Aged 90". ATP Tour. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Cincinnati Tennis GCTA Hall of Fame" (PDF). Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association.
  33. ↑ "Tony Trabert". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  34. ↑ McCauley, Joe (2000) The History of Professional Tennis. The Short Run Book Company Limited, pp. 205, 211, 214, 217
  35. ↑ "Tony Trabert – Player Activity". ATP Tour. Retrieved February 5, 2021.

General sources

  • The Game: My 40 Years in Tennis (1979), Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)
  • Little Pancho (2009), Caroline Seebohm
  • Man with a Racket: The Autobiography of Pancho Gonzales (1959), as told to Cy Rice
  • Trabert Cup (2000), Men's 40 and over International Competition
  • Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame (2002)
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