George Lott

George Martin Lott (October 16, 1906 – December 3, 1991) was an American tennis player and tennis coach who was born in Springfield, Illinois, United States. Lott is mostly remembered as being one of the greatest doubles players of all time. He won the U.S. title five times with three different partners: John Hennessey in 1928; John Doeg in 1929 and 1930; and Les Stoefen in 1933 and 1934.

George Lott
Full nameGeorge Martin Lott
Country (sports) United States
Born(1906-10-16)October 16, 1906
Springfield, Illinois, United States
DiedDecember 3, 1991(1991-12-03) (aged 85)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Turned pro1934 (amateur tour from 1924)
Retired1946
PlaysRight-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1964 (member page)
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 4 (1931, Züricher Sport)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenQF (1931)
WimbledonQF (1929, 1930, 1934)
US OpenF (1931)
Professional majors
US ProQF (1938)
Wembley ProQF (1935)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1931)
WimbledonW (1931, 1934)
US OpenW (1928, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1934)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonW (1931)
US OpenW (1929, 1931, 1934)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1929, 1930, 1934)

At the U. S. championships singles in 1928, Lott beat Christian Boussus and John Doeg before losing to Frank Hunter in the semifinals.[2] In 1931 Lott beat defending champion Doeg in the semi-finals before losing to Ellsworth Vines in the final.[2]

Lott won the Canadian Covered Court Championships four times. In 1927 he defeated Canadian Willard Crocker in a marathon five set final, in 1928 he defeated Frank Shields in three straight sets in the final, in 1930 he defeated Frederic Mercur in a marathon five set final, and in 1931 he defeated Berkeley Bell in three straight sets in the semifinal and John Van Ryn in a long five set final.

In 1928 he won the Pinehurst Resort title on clay defeating Shields in the final in a long close five set match.

In 1929 and 1930 he was ranked World No. 6 and No. 7 by A Wallis Myers;[3][4] No. 6 by Pierre Gillon in 1930;[5] and in 1931 was ranked No. 4 by Züricher Sport.[1]

In 1934 Lott became a touring professional, thereby giving up his amateur status and the ability to play in Grand Slam tournaments. He signed a professional contract in November 1934 with promoter Bill O'Brien and in January 1935, at Madison Square Garden, started a series of head-to-head matches against Bill Tilden and by March trailed him 5–26.[6][7]

Lott was the men's tennis coach at DePaul University from 1969 until his death in Chicago on December 3, 1991.[8][9] He had been inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.[10]

Lott was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1964.[11]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1931U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Ellsworth Vines9–7, 3–6, 7–9, 5–7

Doubles (8 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1928U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States John HennesseyAustralia Gerald Patterson
Australia Jack Hawkes		6–2, 6–1, 6–2
Win1929U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States John DoegUnited States Berkeley Bell
United States Lewis White		10–8, 16–14, 6–1
Loss1930WimbledonGrassUnited States John DoegUnited States John Van Ryn
United States Wilmer Allison		3–6, 3–6, 2–6
Win1930U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States John DoegUnited States John Van Ryn
United States Wilmer Allison		8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 13–15, 6–4
Win1931French ChampionshipsClayUnited States John Van RynSouth Africa Vernon Kirby
South Africa Norman Farquharson		6–4, 6–3, 6–4
Win1931WimbledonGrassUnited States John Van RynFrance Jacques Brugnon
France Henri Cochet		6–2, 10–8, 9–11, 3–6, 6–3
Win1933U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Lester StoefenUnited States Frank Shields
United States Frank Parker		11–13, 9–7, 9–7, 6–3
Win1934WimbledonGrassUnited States Lester StoefenFrance Jean Borotra
France Jacques Brugnon		6–2, 6–3, 6–4
Win1934U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Lester StoefenUnited States Wilmer Allison
United States John Van Ryn		6–4, 9–7, 3–6, 6–4

Mixed doubles (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1929U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Betty NuthallUnited Kingdom Phyllis Covell
United Kingdom Bunny Austin		6–3, 6–3
Win1931WimbledonGrassUnited States Anna McCune HarperUnited Kingdom Joan Ridley
United Kingdom Ian Collins		6–3, 1–6, 6–1
Win1931U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Betty NuthallUnited States Anna McCune Harper
United States Wilmer Allison		6–3, 6–3
Loss1933U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Sarah PalfreyUnited States Elizabeth Ryan
United States Ellsworth Vines		9–11, 1–6
Win1934U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Helen JacobsUnited States Elizabeth Ryan
United States Lester Stoefen		4–6, 13–11, 6–2

Other tennis achievements
  • Davis Cup team member – 1928–31, 1933–34
  • The first player, and one of only four (Bobby Riggs, Mats Wilander and Roger Federer being the other three), to win the tournament now known as the Cincinnati Masters four times: 1924, 1925, 1927 and 1932. Also won the doubles title in 1924 (with Jack Harris) and 1925 (with Thomas McGlinn) and was a singles finalist in 1926 and a doubles finalist (with Thomas Johnson) in 1927.

References
  1. Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 1, 1931). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. III (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda, Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt. 18–19: 3–9. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  2. Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. pp. 106, 109. OCLC 172306.
  3. "Tilden Ranks Fourth in London Telegraph Rankings", The Toledo News-Bee, September 19, 1929.
  4. Béla Kehrling, ed. (November 20, 1930). "tennis and golf" (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Bethlen Gábor irod. és Nyomdai RT. II (21). Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  5. Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 22, 1930). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf. II (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Bethlen Gábor Irod. és Nyomdai R.T. 19–20: 375. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  6. McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor: The Short Run Book Company Limited. pp. 25–26.
  7. Howard Barry (January 26, 1935). "Tilden and Lott play tonight on Armory courts". Chicago Daily Tribune.
  8. "George Lott, Tennis coach, 85" (obituary), The New York Times, Wednesday, December 4, 1991..
  9. "Three-time Wimbledon winner George Lott dead at 85". UPI. December 3, 1991.
  10. "Hall of Fame – DePaul University Athletics". Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  11. "Hall of Famers – George Lott". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
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