 Uberto De Morpurgo playing Tennis | |
| Full name | Hubert Louis (Uberto Luigi) De Morpurgo |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Austria-Hungary (−1920) Italy (1920–) |
| Born | (1896-01-11)11 January 1896 Trieste, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 26 February 1961(1961-02-26) (aged 65) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Turned pro | 1914 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1939 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (1930,A. Wallis Myers)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | SF (1930) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1928) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WHCC | 3R (1921,1923) |
| WCCC | SF (1922) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1925) |
Medal record | |
Uberto De Morpurgo (11 January 1896 – 26 February 1961) was an Italiantennis player.[2]
Uberto De Morpurgo was born inTrieste when it was part ofAustria, but became anItalian citizen when the city changed hands afterWorld War I. His world rankings were ninth in 1928, tenth in 1929, and eighth in 1930.[3]Bill Tilden ranked him 10th in the world in 1924,[4] and 6th in 1929.[5]
De Morpurgo was junior champion inGreat Britain in 1911, and student champion in Paris in 1915. He was ranked as Italy's top tennis player in 1927, and again in 1929 through 1931.Tennis magazine called him "the Tilden of his country".[6] De Morpurgo reached the semifinals of the 1930 French championships (beatingEdgar Moon before losing toHenri Cochet).[7]
He was named Italian Commissioner of Tennis byBenito Mussolini in 1929.[6]
De Morpurgo participated in thesingles event at the1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. He won his first four matches to reach the semifinal which he lost to eventual gold medal winnerVincent Richards in four sets. De Morpurgo won thebronze medal after a five-set victory in the play-off againstJean Borotra of France.[6]
De Morpurgo played on Italy'sDavis Cup team each year from its inaugural year in 1922 through 1933.[6] He won 39 singles matches and lost 14, while in doubles he was 16–10.[8]
De Morpurgo used a very fast serve on his first ball, and an exaggerated American Twist serve on the second serve which was of extreme contortion. His baseline game consisted of flat drives. He had an excellent net attack, owing to his great reach. His overhead, like his service, was hard but erratic.[9]
De Morpurgo, who wasJewish, was inducted as a member of theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.[10]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1925 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Elizabeth Ryan |  Suzanne LenglenJean Borotra | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1928 | Genoa International,Genoa | Clay |  Emanuele Sertorio | 6–2, 8–6, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2. | 1929 | Monte Carlo Championships, Monaco | Clay | Henri Cochet | 6–8, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 1930 | Italian Championships, Rome, Italy | Clay | Bill Tilden | 1–6, 1–6, 1–6 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
