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| Full name | Richard Dudley Sears |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1861-10-26)October 26, 1861 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 8, 1943(1943-04-08) (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Turned pro | 1880 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1888 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1955(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 43–8 (84.3%)[1] |
| Career titles | 9[2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1887,ITHF)[3] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1884) |
| US Open | W (1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1884) |
| US Open | W (1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887) |
Richard Dudley Sears (October 26, 1861 – April 8, 1943) was an Americantennis player, who won theUS National Championships singles in its first seven years, from 1881 to 1887, and the doubles for six years from 1882 to 1887, after which he retired from tennis.
He was the son of Frederic Richard Sears and Albertina Homer Shelton. His brothersPhilip andHerbert were also tennis players.
Sears learned to play tennis in 1879.[4] Sears played his first tournament and won his first title at theBeacon Park Open held at Beacon Park in Boston in October 1880. He was undefeated in theU.S. Championships, he won the first of his seven consecutive titles in 1881 while still a student at Harvard. In those days, the previous year's winner had an automatic place in the final. Starting in the 1881 first round, he went on an 18-match unbeaten streak that took him through the 1887 championships, after which he retired from the game. Not until 1921 was his 18-match unbeaten run overtaken (byBill Tilden). During his first three championships, Sears did not lose a single set. Sears was the first 19-year-old to win in the U.S., slightly older thanOliver Campbell in 1890 andPete Sampras in 1990.
Although primarily remembered for his grand slam titles he did compete in and win other titles. He won his first tournament at Beacon Park in Boston in 1880, defeatingEdward Gray.[5] In May 1883, he reached the semifinals of theLongwood Bowl in Boston, losing toJames Dwight by a walkover.[6] In 1884 he traveled to Europe to play tournaments in Great Britain and Ireland.[7] At the second major tournament of the 19th century theIrish Championships,[8] held in Dublin he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual championHerbert Lawford in three sets.[9] Sears had to withdraw from the West of England Championships held at Bath due to a foot injury but in June he reached the final of theEast Gloucestershire Championships held at Cheltenham, losing in three sets toDonald Stewart.[9]
He then traveled to Manchester to compete at the second most important English tournament at the time theNorthern Championships where he also reached the quarterfinals, again losing to Stewart.[9] Unable to compete at theWimbledon Championships[9] due to a wrist injury he returned to the United States in July after the U.S. Championships he entered theU.S. National Collegiate Championships[10] in Hartford, Connecticut, where he reached the semi-finals. In June 1885 he won theMiddle States Championships in Hoboken, New Jersey, defeatingHoward Taylor.[11]
Sears was the first U.S. No. 1 in the USLTA rankings, when they began in 1885 and retained the ranking in 1886 and 1887.[12]
After giving up playinglawn tennis, Sears won the U.S.Court Tennis singles title in 1892 and also served asUSTA president in 1887 and 1888.
Sears married Eleanor M. Cochrane on November 24, 1891, and they had two children, Richard Dudley Sears Jr. and Miriam Sears. Sears died on April 8, 1943. His grandson, the son of Richard D. Sears Jr., was the Massachusetts politicianJohn W. Sears.
Sears was inducted in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1955.
The character Dick Sears appeared in the second episode of the second season of theHBO television showThe Gilded Age to win a local tournament at theNewport Casino,[13][14] where the real Sears won the first National Championship.
| Result | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1881 | U.S. Championships |  William E. Glyn | 6–0, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 1882 | U.S. Championships(2) |  Clarence Clark | 6–1, 6–4, 6–0 |
| Win | 1883 | U.S. Championships(3) | James Dwight | 6–2, 6–0, 9–7 |
| Win | 1884 | U.S. Championships(4) | Howard Taylor | 6–0, 1–6, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Win | 1885 | U.S. Championships(5) | Godfrey Brinley | 6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 1886 | U.S. Championships(6) | R. Livingston Beeckman | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 1887 | U.S. Championships(7) | Henry Slocum | 6–1, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1882 | U.S. Championships | James Dwight | Crawford NightingaleG M Smith | 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1883 | U.S. Championships | James Dwight | Alexander Van RensselaerArthur Newbold | 6–0, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 1884 | U.S. Championships | James Dwight | Alexander Van RensselaerW.V.R. Berry | 6–4, 6–1, 8–10, 6–4 |
| Win | 1885 | U.S. Championships | Joseph Clark | Henry SlocumWallace P. Knapp | 6–3, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Win | 1886 | U.S. Championships | James Dwight | Howard TaylorGodfrey Brinley | 6–3, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Win | 1887 | U.S. Championships | James Dwight | Howard Taylor Henry Slocum | 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
