 McNeill (right) with Chilean tennis playerAndrés Hammersley in 1942 | |
| Full name | William Donald McNeill |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1918-04-30)April 30, 1918 Chickasha, Oklahoma, US |
| Died | November 28, 1996(1996-11-28) (aged 78) Vero Beach, Florida, US |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| College | Kenyon College |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1965(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 315-94 |
| Career titles | 39 |
| Highest ranking | 1 (1940)(USLTA) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | W (1939) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1939) |
| US Open | W (1940) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1939) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1939) |
| US Open | W (1944) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | F (1944) |
William Donald McNeill (April 30, 1918 – November 28, 1996) was an Americantennis player. He was born inChickasha, Oklahoma, and died in Vero Beach, Florida.
Don McNeill graduated from Kenyon College in 1940, where he became a member ofDelta Kappa Epsilon.
McNeill won his first major title in 1938 when he defeated Frank Bowden at theU.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, played at theSeventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, New York.[1]
In 1939, McNeill became the second American to win theFrench Championships singles title (afterDon Budge) when he defeated compatriotBobby Riggs in the final in straight sets.[2] Afterwards he played at Wimbledon, the only time he participated, and lost toFranjo Kukuljevic in the second round of the singles, reached the third round in the doubles and the quarterfinal in the mixed doubles.[3] He won theAll England Plate, a tennis competition held at the Wimbledon Championships, which consisted of players who were defeated in the first or second rounds of the singles competition.[4]
In June 1940, McNeill beatBobby Riggs to win the singles title at theU.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Chicago.[5] In August that year he also won the Southampton Invitational tournament after a victory in the final overFrank Kovacs.[6] His run continued two weeks later when he won the invitational tournament at theNewport Casino.[7] In September he won his secondGrand Slam title when he defeated Riggs in the final of theU.S. National Championships after being down two sets to love.[8] It was claimed that there were several bad line calls that went against Riggs in this match.[9] McNeill was the third player who managed to overcome a two-set deficit in the final of the U.S. Championships afterMaurice McLoughlin (1912) andBill Tilden (1922).[10]
His title wins in 1940 earned McNeill the No. 1 ranking in the U.S. by the USLTA ahead of Riggs at No. 2 at the end of the year.[11][12] There were no "official" amateur rankings during World War II - McNeill reached as high as World No. 7 inGordon Lowe's amateur rankings list in 1939.[13] During the war McNeill served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was attached to the embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While stationed there he won theArgentinian Championships in 1942 and defended the title successfully in November 1943, defeatingPancho Segura in the final.[14][15]
After the war, McNeill focused on his business career and played tournaments less frequently. In 1950, McNeill won his second U.S. Indoor title, 12 years after winning his first, defeatingFred Kovaleski in four sets. Additionally he had been a runner-up in 1940 and 1946.[16] Both Allison Danzig, in aNew York Times article in 1936, and Pancho Segura, in a telephone interview in 2014, described McNeill's game as consisting of very heavily topspun drives off both wings, and Segura was of the opinion that McNeill didn't turn pro because there was really very little money in professional tennis then.
He was elected to theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.
After his tennis career, he became an advertising executive in New York.[2] McNeill died on November 28, 1996 in Vero Beach, Florida due to complications from pneumonia.[17]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1939 | French Championships | Clay |  Bobby Riggs | 7–5, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 1940 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bobby Riggs | 4–6, 6–8, 6–3, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1939 | French Championships | Clay | Charles Harris |  Jean BorotraJacques Brugnon | 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 2–6, 10–8 |
| Win | 1944 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bob Falkenburg | Bill TalbertPancho Segura | 7–5, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1946 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Frank Guernsey | Gardnar MulloyBill Talbert | 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 18–20 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1944 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Dorothy Bundy | Margaret OsborneBill Talbert | 2–6, 3–6 |
