Vincent Richards

Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player.[1] 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[4] and World No. 1 pro by Bowers in 1930.[5]

Vincent Richards
Richards at the 1922 Davis Cup
Country (sports) United States
Born(1903-03-20)March 20, 1903
Yonkers, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedSeptember 28, 1959(1959-09-28) (aged 56)
New York City, U.S.[1]
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Turned pro1926
Retired1951[2]
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1959 (member page)
Singles
Career record472-154 (75.4%) [3]
Career titles46 [3]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1927, Ray Bowers)
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenSF (1926)
WimbledonQF (1924)
US OpenSF (1922, 1924, 1925, 1926)
Professional majors
US ProW (1927, 1928, 1930, 1933)
Doubles
Career recordno value
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1926)
WimbledonW (1924)
F (1926)
US OpenW (1918, 1921, 1922, 1925,       1926)
F (1919)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US OpenW (1919, 1924)
F (1925)
Medal record
Olympic Games – Tennis
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris Singles
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1924 Paris Mixed doubles

Biography

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.[1][6]

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.[1] 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,[7] additionally collecting the silver medal in mixed doubles.[1] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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 1959.[11]

Business career

After retiring from tennis, Richards joined the Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company as general manager of the sporting goods division and became vice president.[6]

Personal life

In February 1924, he married Claremont Gushee in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they had three children.[12] She died in 1950.[13] On September 28, 1959, Richards died of a heart attack at Doctors Hospital in New York.[6]

Major finals

Grand Slam tournaments
The Richards, circa 1930s

Doubles: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1918U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill TildenUnited States Fred Alexander
United States Beals Wright		6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–2
Loss1919U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill TildenAustralia Norman Brookes
Australia Gerald Patterson		6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6
Win1921U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill TildenUnited States Watson Washburn
United States R. Norris Williams		13–11, 12–10, 6–1
Win1922U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Bill TildenAustralia Pat O'Hara Wood
Australia Gerald Patterson		4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
Win1924WimbledonGrassUnited States Frank HunterUnited States Watson Washburn
United States R. Norris Williams		6–3, 3–6, 8–10, 8–6, 6–3
Win1925U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States R. Norris WilliamsAustralia John Hawkes
Australia Gerald Patterson		6–2, 8–10, 6–4, 11–9
Win1926French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Howard KinseyFrance Jacques Brugnon
France Henri Cochet		6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4
Loss1926WimbledonGrassUnited States Howard KinseyFrance Jacques Brugnon
France Henri Cochet		5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6
Win1926U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States R. Norris WilliamsUnited States Alfred Chapin
United States Bill Tilden		6–4, 6–8, 11–9, 6–3

Mixed doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1919U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Marion ZindersteinUnited States Florence Ballin
United States Bill Tilden		2–6, 11–9, 6–2
Win1924U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Helen WillsUnited States Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
United States Bill Tilden		6–8, 7–5, 6–0
Loss1925U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Ermyntrude HarveyUnited Kingdom Kitty McKane
Australia John Hawkes		2–6, 4–6

Singles: 6 (4/2)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win1927U.S. ProGrassUnited States Howard Kinsey11–9, 6–4, 6–3
Win1928U.S. ProGrassCzechoslovakia Karel Koželuh8–6, 6–3, 0–6, 6–2
Loss1929U.S. ProGrassCzechoslovakia Karel Koželuh4–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 5–7
Win1930U.S. ProGrassCzechoslovakia Karel Koželuh2–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–4
Loss1931U.S. ProGrassUnited States Bill Tilden5–7, 2–6, 1–6
Win1933U.S. ProGrassUnited States Frank Hunter6–3, 6–0, 6–2

Singles performance timeline

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

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.
1918191919201921192219231924192519261927192819291930193119321933193419351936193719381939194019411942194319441945194619471948194919501951 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments0 / 1338–1374.5
Australian Open NHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAAA 0 / 0 – –
French Open NHNHOnly for French playersA SF AAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAAA 0 / 1 4–1 80.0
Wimbledon NHAAAA 4R QF A 2R AAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAAA 0 / 3 48–3 72.7
US Open 3R 3R 3R 3R SF 3R SF SF SF AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 0 / 9 26–9 74.3
Pro Slam tournaments4 / 1935–1570.0
U.S. Pro Not held W W F W F QF W SF AA QF 2R 2R 2R 2R A 2R NH QF 3R 2R A A 1R 2R 4 / 19 35–15 70.0
French Pro Not heldAAANHAAAAAANot held 0 / 0 – –
Wembley Pro Not heldAANHANHANot heldAAA 0 / 0 – –
Win–loss 1–11–13–12–15–15–28–24–19–33–04–03–16–05–11–14–02–10–11–10–11–11–10–12–11–10–10–11-1 4 / 32 73–28 72.2
National representation
Olympics NH A NH G Not held 1 / 1 6–0 100

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Vinnie Richards". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. "The Record (Hackensack), 22 June 1951". newspapers.com. June 22, 1951.
  3. "Vincent Richards: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  4. Bowers, Ray. "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 2, part 1: 1927-1928" – via tennisserver.com.
  5. Bowers, Ray. "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 2, part 2: 1929-1930" – via tennisserver.com.
  6. "Vinnie Richards, Dunlop vp, Former Tennis Great Dies in September" (PDF). Michigan State University.
  7. "Vincent Richards". Olympedia. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  8. "French Open 1926". www.tennis.co.nf.
  9. "Davis Cup – Vincent Richards". International Tennis Federation (ITF). Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. "U.S. Pro Championships". www.tennis.co.nf.
  11. "Tennis Hall of Fame – Player Profile Vinnie Richards". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  12. "Vincent Richards, Class of 1920". www.fordhamprep.org. Fordham Prep.
  13. "Milestones: Feb. 11, 1924". Time. February 11, 1924.
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