Francis Hunter

Francis "Frank" Townsend Hunter (June 28, 1894 – December 2, 1981) was an American tennis player who won an Olympic gold medal.[3] He won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.

Frank Hunter
Francis Hunter (left) with Daniel Prenn, 1929
Full nameFrancis Townsend Hunter
Country (sports)United States
Born(1894-06-28)June 28, 1894
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 2, 1981(1981-12-02) (aged 87)
Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Turned pro1931 (amateur tour from 1915)
Retired1944
PlaysRight-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1961 (member page)
Singles
Career record480-152 (75.9%) [1]
Career titles24 [1]
Highest rankingNo. 4 (1929, A. Wallis Myers)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenQF (1929)
WimbledonF (1923)
US OpenF (1928, 1929)
Professional majors
US ProF (1933)
Doubles
Career recordno value
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonW (1924, 1927)
US OpenW (1927)
Other doubles tournaments
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French OpenF (1928, 1929)
WimbledonW (1927, 1929)
Medal record
Olympic Games – Tennis
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris Doubles

Early and personal life

Hunter graduated from Cornell University in 1916, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society and the ice hockey team.

During WWI he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and served on Admiral Beatty's flagship of the British Royal Navy.[4] He later wrote a book about his experiences with the Admiral.

Hunter was the second husband of the actress Lisette Verea in 1954.[5]

Hunter was later successful in the coal and printing industries.

Tennis career

Hunter won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and again in 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.

Hunter was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1923 (where he beat Gordon Lowe, then lost to Bill Johnston).[6]

Hunter won a gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics, in the men's doubles event with partner Vincent Richards.

He won the Scheveningen Championships on red clay in the Netherlands in 1928 defeating Hendrik Timmer in the semifinal in four sets and Jean Borotra in the final in three straight sets.

Hunter reached the U.S. championships singles final in 1928 (where he beat Jack Crawford and George Lott, then lost to Henri Cochet in five sets).[7]

German Daniel Prenn (left) and Hunter (right), in a Davis Cup match in Berlin in 1929

He reached his third Grand Slam singles final at the U.S. championships in 1929 where he beat R. Norris Williams, losing the final in five sets to Bill Tilden.[7]

He was ranked World No. 4 in 1929 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and World No. 5 in another Myers list in September the same year.[2][8]

Hunter won the Brooklyn Indoor Championships in 1930 defeating J. Gilbert Hall in the semifinal.

Hunter turned professional in mid January 1931 joining Bill Tilden.[9] He reached the final of the U.S. Pro Championships in 1933 where he lost to Vincent Richards.[10] As well as playing on the pro tour, Hunter was also a promoter, including promoting the first Perry-Vines tour in 1937 with S. Howard Voshell.[11]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 runners-up
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1923WimbledonGrassUnited States Bill Johnston0–6, 3–6, 1–6[12]
Loss1928U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassFrance Henri Cochet6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 3–6[13]
Loss1929U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill Tilden6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6[13]

Doubles: 3 titles
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1924WimbledonGrassUnited States Vincent RichardsUnited States Watson Washburn
United States R. Norris Williams		6−3, 3−6, 8−10, 8−6, 6−3[14]
Win1927WimbledonGrassUnited States Bill TildenFrance Jacques Brugnon
France Henri Cochet		1–6, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3, 6–4[14]
Win1927U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill TildenUnited States R. Norris Williams
United States Bill Johnston		10–8, 6–3, 6–3[15]

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1927WimbledonGrassUnited States Elizabeth RyanUnited Kingdom Kathleen McKane Godfree
United Kingdom Leslie Godfree		8–6, 6–0[16]
Loss1928French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Helen WillsUnited Kingdom Eileen Bennett
France Henri Cochet		6–3, 3–6, 3–6
Loss1929French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Helen WillsUnited Kingdom Eileen Bennett
France Henri Cochet		3–6, 2–6
Win1929[WimbledonGrassUnited States Helen WillsUnited Kingdom Joan Fry
United Kingdom Ian Collins		6–1, 6–4[16]

References
  1. "Frank Hunter: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  2. Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 10, 1929). "Wallis Meyers a világ legjobb tenniszezőiröl" [Wallis Myers about the best players in the world] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Bethlen Gábor irod. és Nyomdai Rt. I (11): 262–263. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  3. "Francis Hunter". Olympedia. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  4. "Francis Hunter". Olympedia. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  5. "Mrs. Lisette Ruegg Wed to F. T. Hunter" New York Times (June 22, 1954): 23. ProQuest 112904984
  6. "Wimbledon 1923". www.tennis.co.nf.
  7. Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. pp. 106–107. OCLC 172306.
  8. "Tilden Ranks Fourth in London Telegraph Rankings", The Toledo News-Bee, September 19, 1929.
  9. "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 3: Tilden's Year of Triumph: 1931". Tennis Server. March 3, 2002.
  10. "U.S. Pro Championships". www.tennis.co.nf. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  11. "13 Nov 1937 - Howard Voshell Dead". Argus. November 13, 1937.
  12. "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Singles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Open Past Champions / Men's Singles". U.S. Open official website. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  14. "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  15. "U.S. Open Past Champions / Men's Doubles". U.S. Open official website. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  16. "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Mixed Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
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