 Flam, circa 1950 | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1928-11-07)November 7, 1928 New York City, United States |
| Died | November 25, 1980(1980-11-25) (aged 52) |
| Turned pro | 1945 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1963 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 382-131 |
| Career titles | 20 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1957,Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1956) |
| French Open | F (1957) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1951,1952) |
| US Open | F (1950) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1956,1957) |
Herbert Flam (November 7, 1928 – November 25, 1980) was an Americantennis player who was ranked byLance Tingay as the World No. 4 amateur (and World No. 5 byAdrian Quist) in 1957.[1][2]
Flam was born in New York City, and he was Jewish.[3][4][5] He reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. championships in 1950, beatingBill Talbert andGardnar Mulloy and then losing toArt Larsen.[6] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the United States.[7]
In 1951, he won theOjai Tennis Tournament in men's singles.[8] AtWimbledon in 1951, Flam beatFrank Sedgman and the lost toDick Savitt in the semifinals.[9] That year, he was ranked number 4 in the U.S.[7]
In 1952 at Wimbledon, Flam beat Mulloy andVic Seixas and then lost in the semifinals toJaroslav Drobny.[9] That year, he was ranked number 5 in the U.S.[7] In the 1956Australian Championships, Flam beatAshley Cooper and then lost in the semifinals toKen Rosewall.[10][11] In September 1956 Flam won the singles title at thePacific Southwest Championships, defeating Rosewall in the final in five sets.[12] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the U.S.[7]
At the 1957French championships Flam beatMervyn Rose in a five-set semifinal and then lost in straight sets toSven Davidson in the final.[13] At theU. S. championships, Flam beat Seixas and then lost to Cooper in the semifinals.[13] That year, he was ranked number 2 in the U.S., behind Seixas.[7]
Flam was inducted into the International Tennis Association Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987,[14] into theSouthern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1990,[15] into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and into theUniversity of California at Los Angeles Hall of Fame in 2006.[16] In 2017, he was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame.[17]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1957 | French Championships | Clay |  Sven Davidson | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1950 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Art Larsen | 3–6, 6–4, 7–5, 4–6, 3–6 |
