%2c_Bestanddeelnr_916-7880.jpg) Olmedo in Noordwijk (the Netherlands), 1964 | |
| Full name | Alejandro Olmedo Rodríguez |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Peru United States |
| Born | (1936-03-24)March 24, 1936 Arequipa, Peru |
| Died | December 9, 2020(2020-12-09) (aged 84) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Turned pro | 1960 |
| Retired | 1977 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1987(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 477–420 (53.1%)[1] |
| Career titles | 21[1] |
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (1959,Lance Tingay)[2] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1959) |
| French Open | 1R (1969,1972) |
| Wimbledon | W (1959) |
| US Open | F (1959) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | W (1960) |
| Wembley Pro | SF (1960,1963) |
| French Pro | QF (1962,1964) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 26–35 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1958) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | F (1958) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1958) |
Alejandro "Alex"Olmedo Rodríguez (March 24, 1936 – December 9, 2020) was atennis player from Peru with American citizenship. He was listed by the USTA as a "foreign" player for 1958, but as a U.S. player for 1959.[3] He helped win theDavis Cup for the United States in 1958 and was the No. 2 ranked amateur in 1959. Olmedo won twoMajors in 1959 (Australia and Wimbledon) and theU.S. Pro Championships in 1960, and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
Although born and raised in Peru, Olmedo moved toSouthern California and was mentored byPerry T. Jones, president of the Southern California Tennis Association[4] at theLos Angeles Tennis Club (LATC).George Toley recruited him to play for theUniversity of Southern California (USC). Olmedo graduated with a business degree from USC. While there, he won theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Singles and Doubles Championships in 1956 and 1958.[5] (In 1957, USC was excluded from NCAA competition due to a financial contribution violation involving the football program which also suspended the tennis team.)
Olmedo was ranked as the world No. 2 in 1959 by Lance Tingay ofThe Daily Telegraph.[2]
Perry T. Jones was Davis Cup captain in 1958 and recruited Olmedo from Modesto Junior College to play on the team. He represented the U.S. inDavis Cup competition in 1958 and 1959, winning in both singles and doubles – achieving all three of the three points required to win the Cup in 1958 (two singles and one doubles). His teammates wereHam Richardson andBarry MacKay, when they won the Cup in 1958.[6] Although he was not a U.S. citizen, he was technically eligible to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup because he had lived in the country for at least three years (since February 1954) and because Peru, his country of citizenship, did not have a Davis Cup team in those particular years. However, his participation was very controversial. Sports columnist Arthur Dailey atThe New York Times wrote "This would seem to be the saddest day in the history of American tennis. A few more such rousing victories and the prestige of this country in tennis will sink to a new low." At the time, Olmedo, who held a student visa, refused to file for U.S. citizenship, said he was content to remain a Peruvian citizen, and denied he was refusing to apply for U.S. citizenship to avoid being drafted into the military. Still, many Americans "took a dim view of the largest nation in the competition stooping to borrow a little player from Peru to win the Cup".[7] Olmedo eventually became a U.S. citizen many years later.[8]
Olmedo won theAustralian Championships and theWimbledon singles titles in 1959 and was the runner-up at the 1959U.S. Championships, losing toNeale Fraser, whom he defeated in the Australian Championships earlier that year. At 1959 Wimbledon, he defeatedRod Laver in 71 minutes 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Olmedo turned professional in 1960, and that year, won theUS Pro title by beatingTony Trabert in the final.
Olmedo was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.[9] He spent over 40 years teaching tennis atthe Beverly Hills Hotel in California. His clients includedKatharine Hepburn,Robert Duvall, andJon Lovitz.[8]
Olmedo's marriage to Ann Olmedo ended in divorce. He had a son Alejandro Jr., two daughters Amy and Angela, and four grand children.[8] Olmedo died on December 9, 2020, at the age of 84 from cancer inLos Angeles.[10][11][12]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1959 | Australian Championships | Grass |  Neale Fraser | 6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Neale Fraser | 3–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Ham Richardson | Sam GiammalvaBarry MacKay | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Butch Buchholz | Roy EmersonNeale Fraser | 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Maria Bueno | Neale FraserMargaret Osborne duPont | 3–6, 6–3, 7–9 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 1 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 2 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | A | 2R | 1 / 5 |
| US Open | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 4R | 1R | QF | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 10 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 2 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 2 / 18 |
