Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox tennis biography

Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player.<ref name=sr/> He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 by A. Wallis Myers, and was ranked joint World No. 1 pro by Ray Bowers in 1927<ref name="bowersIIpart1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and World No. 1 pro by Bowers in 1930.<ref name="bowersIIpart2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

BiographyEdit

Born in Yonkers, New York, he attended the Jesuit Fordham Preparatory School, attended Fordham University and studied at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1922.<ref name=sr/><ref name=msu/>

Richards won the National Boys Outdoor Singles Tournament in 1917. He became a protégé of Bill Tilden after being defeated by the latter in a match, and he then teamed up with him to win the United States doubles championship in 1918 at the age of 15. He remains the youngest male to have ever won a major championship.<ref name=sr/> Twenty-seven years later, in 1945, he and Tilden won the United States Pro doubles title. While Bill Tilden teamed with Richards to win titles together, he was beaten by Richards in both singles and doubles, including for several major titles. During their long rivalry, they faced each other 102 times, with Richards holding a career record of 52–50 against Tilden.

Richards retained his amateur status for 10 years because his ambition was to compete in the 1924 Olympics held in Paris, France. He realized this ambition by winning the gold medal for the United States in both singles and doubles,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> additionally collecting the silver medal in mixed doubles.<ref name=sr/> Richards is one of two American male tennis players to win the gold medal in both singles and doubles (Beals Wright was the other), and he ranks second all-time with his three medals won in 1924 (second to Reginald Doherty of Great Britain, who won four Olympic tennis medals). Between both men and women, Richards is third behind Venus Williams in first, and Serena Williams in second, with three overall medals, with Williams collecting four gold medals over multiple Olympics. Richards was a semifinalist at the French championships in 1926, where he beat Colin Gregory and Bela Von Kehrling, then lost to Henri Cochet.<ref name="gsta">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was also a semifinalist at the U.S. championships in 1922 (losing to Bill Johnston), 1924 (losing to Tilden), 1925 (where he beat René Lacoste, then lost to Tilden) and 1926 (losing to Jean Borotra). While there was no official ATP Tour in the 1920s, Richards was one of the pioneers in creating a version of a "world tennis tour", playing in the equivalent of all four grand slams during his career, additional major tournaments, and exhibition matches in front of emperors, presidents, and other heads of states. While Tilden may have overshadowed Richards, even in the Davis Cup, Richards held a perfect 5–0 record when he played for his country.

In April 1926, Richards and Tilden contested the final of the Mason & Dixon Tournament at The Greenbrier resort, with Richards winning in five sets.

Richards was one of the best singles players of the 1920s and played on several United States Davis Cup teams.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1927 he was the first prominent male player to turn professional. In 1928, he was still generally considered to be one of the top 5 or 6 players in the world and played a brief tour at the end of the year against Czech player Karel Koželuh, another new professional. Richards only beat Koželuh five times in 20 matches. Richards won the United States Pro Championship in 1927, 1928, and 1930, beating Koželuh in the finals in both 1928 and 1930, and losing to him in the 1929 final. He lost the 1931 final to Tilden and won the U.S. Pro Championships for the last time in 1933, this time beating Frank Hunter in the final. He continued to play in the U.S. Pro championships in most years until 1946.<ref name="gsta2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Richards and Tilden won the doubles at the 1945 U.S. Pro championships.

Richards was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1961.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Business careerEdit

After retiring from tennis, Richards joined the Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company as general manager of the sporting goods division and became vice president.<ref name=msu>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

In February 1924, he married Claremont Gushee in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they had three children.<ref name="fordhamprep">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She died in 1950.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On September 28, 1959, Richards died of a heart attack at Doctors Hospital in New York.<ref name=msu/>

Major finalsEdit

Grand Slam tournamentsEdit

Doubles: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)Edit

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1918 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden Template:Flagicon Fred Alexander
Template:Flagicon Beals Wright
6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–2
Loss 1919 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden Template:Flagicon Norman Brookes
Template:Flagicon Gerald Patterson
6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6
Win 1921 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden Template:Flagicon Watson Washburn
Template:Flagicon R. Norris Williams
13–11, 12–10, 6–1
Win 1922 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden Template:Flagicon Pat O'Hara Wood
Template:Flagicon Gerald Patterson
4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
Win 1924 Wimbledon Grass Template:Flagicon Frank Hunter Template:Flagicon Watson Washburn
Template:Flagicon R. Norris Williams
6–3, 3–6, 8–10, 8–6, 6–3
Win 1925 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon R. Norris Williams Template:Flagicon John Hawkes
Template:Flagicon Gerald Patterson
6–2, 8–10, 6–4, 11–9
Win 1926 French Championships Clay Template:Flagicon Howard Kinsey Template:Flagicon Jacques Brugnon
Template:Flagicon Henri Cochet
6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4
Loss 1926 Wimbledon Grass Template:Flagicon Howard Kinsey Template:Flagicon Jacques Brugnon
Template:Flagicon Henri Cochet
5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6
Win 1926 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon R. Norris Williams Template:Flagicon Alfred Chapin
Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden
6–4, 6–8, 11–9, 6–3

Mixed doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)Edit

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1919 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Marion Zinderstein Template:Flagicon Florence Ballin
Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden
2–6, 11–9, 6–2
Win 1924 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Helen Wills Template:Flagicon Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
Template:Flagicon Bill Tilden
6–8, 7–5, 6–0
Loss 1925 U.S. National Championships Grass Template:Flagicon Ermyntrude Harvey Template:Flagicon Kitty McKane
Template:Flagicon John Hawkes
2–6, 4–6

Pro Slam tournamentsEdit

Singles: 6 (4/2)Edit

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win 1927 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flagicon Howard Kinsey 11–9, 6–4, 6–3
Win 1928 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flagicon Karel Koželuh 8–6, 6–3, 0–6, 6–2
Loss 1929 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flagicon Karel Koželuh 4–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 5–7
Win 1930 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flagicon Karel Koželuh 2–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1931 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flag icon Bill Tilden 5–7, 2–6, 1–6
Win 1933 U.S. Pro Grass Template:Flagicon Frank Hunter 6–3, 6–0, 6–2

Singles performance timelineEdit

Richards was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams when he joined the professional tennis circuit in 1927. Template:Performance key

1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments 0 / 13 38–13 74.5
Template:Nowrap NH A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Not held A A A A A A 0 / 0
French Open NH NH Only for French players A SF A A A A A A A A A A A A A Not held A A A A A A 0 / 1 4–1 80.0
Wimbledon NH A A A A 4R QF A 2R A A A A A A A A A A A A A Not held A A A A A A 0 / 3 48–3 72.7
US Open 3R 3R 3R 3R SF 3R SF SF SF A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 9 26–9 74.3
Pro Slam tournaments 4 / 19 35–15 70.0
U.S. Pro Not held W W F W F QF W SF A A QF 2R 2R 2R 2R A 2R NH QF 3R 2R A A 1R 2R 4 / 19 35–15 70.0
French Pro Not held A A A NH A A A A A A Not held 0 / 0
Wembley Pro Not held A A NH A NH A Not held A A A 0 / 0
Win–loss 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 5–1 5–2 8–2 4–1 9–3 3–0 4–0 3–1 6–0 5–1 1–1 4–0 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 1-1 4 / 32 73–28 72.2
National representation
Olympics NH A NH G Not held 1 / 1 6–0 100

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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