 | |
| Full name | Joseph Raphael Hunt |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1919-02-17)February 17, 1919 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 2, 1945(1945-02-02) (aged 25) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S |
| Turned pro | 1935 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1945 (due to death) |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1966(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | W (1943) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (1939Ch) |
Joseph Raphael Hunt (February 17, 1919 – February 2, 1945) was an Americantennis player of the late 1930s and early 1940s fromSouthern California. He was the number one ranked American in 1943 and won theUS singles championship in his final match.[1] He died off the coast ofFlorida in an airplane crash during World War II.[1] To date he is the only man to win the U.S. boys' (15 and under), junior (18 and under), collegiate, and men's singles championship.[1]
A graduate ofFairfax High School in Los Angeles,[2] Hunt played college tennis at theUniversity of Southern California as a freshman, and he went undefeated in singles and doubles play while in college during 1938, including theOjai Tennis Tournament.[1] Hunt was very athletic, and he played football for a while. After enlisting, he attended theUnited States Naval Academy and joined theNavy football team as a running back during the 1940 season.[1] He was given the game ball for the 1940Army–Navy Game.[1] Hunt made the semifinals at the 1939 and 1940United States singles championships.[3] During the 1940 quarterfinals againstFrank Kovacs, he staged a sit-down strike during the match after he complained to the referee about Kovacs' antics and was unhappy with the referee's lack of response.[4] Early in their third set, Kovacs began engaging in prolonged antics with the stadium gallery. When the umpire would not stop Kovacs or quiet the crowd, Hunt sat down on his baseline and did not acknowledge several of Kovacs' serves, allowing them to fly by. Kovacs then sat down on his baseline, and the two players sat for up to five minutes while the crowd alternately jeered and cheered. When order was finally restored, Hunt went on to win the match in straight sets.[5] Hunt represented the United States in the1939 International Lawn Tennis Challenge (nowDavis Cup) challenge round against Australia. He played the doubles match partneringJack Kramer which they lost toJohn Bromwich andAdrian Quist.[3][6]
Hunt married Jacque Carolyn Virgil in 1942.[7]
In September 1943, he won the United States singles championship atForest Hills while lying on the ground.[8][9] On match point, Hunt collapsed with legcramps while his opponent,Jack Kramer, who due to food poisoning had lost 19 pounds during tournament,[1] hit a return that barely went long. Had it been in, most observers at the time felt that Kramer would have eventually won the match against Hunt. Hunt was unable to obtain leave from the Navy in 1944 in order to defend his title.
He was the U.S. no. 1 in 1943 and world no. 10 in 1939 byGordon Lowe.[10]
Hunt was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1966.[1]
Pancho Segura, who had lost to Kramer in the semifinals, described Hunt as "a strong guy, big serve and volley, and took to grass, coming from the Southern California concrete".[11] In a 2014 interview Segura added: "He was a very good-looking man with a body likeCharles Atlas. He drew women to his matches. He would have been good for tennis. He was a credit to the game."[1]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1943 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Jack Kramer | 6–3, 6–8, 10–8, 6–0 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH |
| US Open | 3R | QF | QF | SF | SF | A | A | W |
Hunt was a graduate from theNaval Academy atAnnapolis. He became alieutenant in theU.S. Navy during World War II and served a year on a destroyer in the Pacific and a year in the Atlantic. On February 2, 1945, close to his 26th birthday, Hunt was killed on a routine gunnery training mission offDaytona Beach, Florida when the fighter airplane that he was piloting, aGrummanHellcat, went into a spin at an altitude of 10,000 feet from which he failed to recover.[12][13]
