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| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Born | (1937-08-03)3 August 1937 Barcelona,Spain |
| Died | 9 October 2019(2019-10-09) (aged 82) Barcelona, Spain |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1960 |
| Retired | 1974 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2009(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 935-535 (63.6%)[1] |
| Career titles | 41[1] (11 open era titles listed by ATP) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1969) |
| French Open | W (1972) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1970) |
| US Open | 4R (1969,1972) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (1972) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | F (1967) |
| Wembley Pro | F (1965) |
| French Pro | F (1962,1967) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 94–60 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1960) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1959) |
| US Open | F (1968) |
Andrés Gimeno Tolaguera (3 August 1937 – 9 October 2019) was a Spanishtennis player. His greatest achievement came in 1972, when he won theFrench Open and became the oldest first-time Grand Slam champion in the Open era at 34 years of age.[2]
Andrés came from a family which loved tennis, and his father Esteban supported his efforts to play the game. Esteban had been a good tennis player and he became Andres' coach. They practiced atReal Club de Tenis Barcelona. At an early age Andres started to become a really good tennis player, winning some important tournaments in his region. At age sixteen, he won the U-18 Championship of Spain. In 1954, he won the Championship of Spain in the doubles category playing withJuan Manuel Couder.[3] At the same time, he stopped studying to focus on his tennis career.[citation needed]
He was not only a successful tennis player in Spain, but also represented his country throughout Europe. He played in the Galea's Cup, the European Championship U21, and won it in 1956 and 1957.[4] He was the runner-up in 1958. After that, he decided to go to Australia to play with the man who was considered the best tennis coach in the world,Harry Hopman.[citation needed] He improved his tennis level and soon, he had two important victories in the championships in Perth and in Sydney.[citation needed]
Gimeno went back to Spain in 1960 where he then had his best year as an amateur, winning the titles in Barcelona, Caracas,Monte Carlo, and atQueen's Club.[3] In Barcelona, he became the first Spanish player to win theTorneo Conde de Godó, beating the Italian playerGiuseppe Merlo. That same year he reached the doubles final of theFrench Open too, losing to an Australian duo.[3] After that year, he joined the professional groupWorld Championship Tennis,[5] whereJack Kramer offered him $50,000 for three years, and more money for each victory. The group consisted of some of the best tennis players in history such asRod Laver,Pancho Gonzales andKen Rosewall.
Gimeno won the Pörtschach pro tournament in August 1963 beating Rosewall andFrank Sedgman.[6] He also won the Genoa Pro in September 1963 beating Laver and Rosewall. Gimeno won theCollege Park Pro Championships in May 1964 beatingLew Hoad in the final.[7] He won tournaments in Noordwijk and Munich in August and September 1964 beating Laver and Rosewall in both events.[8] Gimeno won the Milan Pro in September 1965 over Laver and Rosewall and beat Laver in the final of the pro event at Port Elizabeth in October 1965.[9] Gimeno won the US Pro hardcourt event at St. Louis in June 1966 beating Laver in the final.[10] He won the World pro championships in Oklahoma City in July 1966 beating Laver and Rosewall.[11] He also won the Geneva and Barcelona pro tournaments in September 1966 (both over Laver).[12] He won the Cincinnati Pro in July 1967 beating Laver and Rosewall.[13] In September 1967, Gimeno won the Border Pro at Selborne (over Rosewall andFred Stolle) and the Eastern Province Pro at Port Elizabeth (over Laver and Rosewall).[14]
Gimeno's best Grand Slam results as a singles player came in 1968 when theOpen era started and the professional could participate in Grand Slams. His first good result was the final in Australian Open[15] in 1969, where he lost to Rod Laver in three sets.[16] Gimeno won events at Barcelona, Cologne and New York in 1969, Dallas in 1970 and Hamburg in 1971.[17]
Gimeno's best year was in 1972, when he was a finalist in Brussels and in Paris, and he won in Los Angeles, in Eastbourne,[18] in Gstaad, and the French Open. The Catalan won his first and only Grand Slam in 1972. He held the record for the oldest male player to win the French Open (at the age of 34) until2022, and remains the oldest first-time Grand Slam champion. In the final, he beat the French playerPatrick Proisy in four sets. In addition, he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1970.[19] In 1973, he reached the final of the Dutch Open in Hilversum, whereTom Okker beat him in five sets.[20]
Gimeno was an activeDavis Cup player, recording an 18–5 singles record and 5–5 doubles record.[21] His debut was in the match that Spain played against Egypt with one of the most important players in Spain,Manuel Santana. He could not play the competition while he was a part of the professional group, but he participated as coach in 1966. In 1973, he injured hismeniscus and decided to quit playing tennis. He became the tennis coach in the RFET, Tennis' Spanish Federation and then in the Suisse Federation.[22]
After his professional career, he decided to join the tennis circuit for retired players called Legends Championship. He also founded a tennis club in 1974 called "Club de Tenis Andres Gimeno" inCastelldefels, Barcelona.[23]
He was elected to theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, becoming the fourth Spanish tennis player in it, afterArantxa Sánchez Vicario,Manuel Alonso andManuel Santana.[24][25]
Gimeno married Cristina Corolla in 1962 and together they had three children: Alejo Gimeno, Andrés Gimeno Jr. and Cristina Gimeno.[26] In 2011, Gimeno lost all his money,[27][28] and some of the best Spanish tennis players such asRafael Nadal,Tommy Robredo,Feliciano López andDavid Ferrer played an exhibition tennis tournament inPalau Blaugrana to raise funds for him.[29]
Gimeno died following a long illness, on 9 October 2019, at the age of 82.[30]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1969 | Australian Open | Grass |  Rod Laver | 3–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1972 | French Open | Clay |  Patrick Proisy | 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1960 | French Championships | Clay |  José Luis Arilla | Roy EmersonNeale Fraser | 2–6, 10–8, 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1968 | US Open | Grass |  Arthur Ashe | Bob LutzStan Smith | 9–11, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam (1) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Tour (10) |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 1968 | Bogotá NTL, Colombia | Clay (i) | Fred Stolle | 11–13, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Apr 1968 | Paris NTL, France | Hard (i) | Ken Rosewall | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | Aug 1968 | Binghamton NTL, USA | Hard | Fred Stolle | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Aug 1968 | Fort Worth NTL, USA | Hard | Ken Rosewall | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Oct 1968 | Corpus Christi NTL, USA | Hard | Rod Laver | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Oct 1968 | São Paulo NTL-2, Brazil | Clay (i) | Rod Laver | 2–6, 6–2, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–5 | Oct 1968 | La Paz NTL, Bolivia | Clay | Rod Laver | 4–6, 6–3, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2–6 | Oct 1968 | Lima NTL, Peru | Clay | Fred Stolle | 6–2, 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–7 | Jan 1969 | Australian Open, Australia | Grass | Rod Laver | 3–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 3–7 | Mar 1969 | New York-1, USA | Carpet (i) | Arthur Ashe | 6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 6–8, 9–7 |
| Loss | 3–8 | May 1969 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Clay |  Tom Okker | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 4–8 | Oct 1969 | Cologne, Germany | Hard (i) | Roy Emerson | 6–3, 19–17 |
| Win | 5–8 | Nov 1969 | Barcelona-2, Spain | Clay | Rod Laver | 10–8, 2–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 5–9 | Feb 1970 | Hollywood, Florida, USA | Clay | Ken Rosewall | 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 6–9 | Apr 1970 | Dallas, USA | Carpet (i) | Roy Emerson | 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 6–10 | Jun 1970 | Casablanca, Morocco | Clay | John Newcombe | 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 7–10 | May 1971 | Hamburg Open, Germany | Clay |  Péter Szőke | 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 8–10 | Feb 1972 | Los Angeles, USA | Hard (i) | Pierre Barthès | 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 8–11 | May 1972 | Brussels, Belgium | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 4–6, 1–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
| Win | 9–11 | May 1972 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Patrick Proisy | 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 10–11 | Jun 1972 | Eastbourne, England | Grass | Pierre Barthès | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 11–11 | Jul 1972 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay |  Adriano Panatta | 7–5, 9–8, 6–4 |
| Loss | 11–12 | Oct 1972 | Paris, France | Hard (i) | Stan Smith | 2–6, 2–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 11–13 | Jul 1973 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | Tom Okker | 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
Source: ATP[31]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | Amateur | Pro | Open Era | SR | W–L | Win % | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961–67 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | ||||
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||
| Australian Championships/Open | A | A | A | QF | A | banned | F | A | 2R | A | A | 0 / 3 | 6–3 | 66.67 | |
| French Championships/Open | 1R | 3R | 4R | A | QF | banned | SF | QF | A | A | W | 2R | 1 / 8 | 23–7 | 76.67 |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | banned | 3R | 4R | SF | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 10 | 17–10 | 62.96 |
| US National Championships/Open | A | A | A | A | A | banned | 1R | 4R | 1R | A | 4R | A | 0 / 4 | 6–4 | 60.00 |
| Win–loss | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | n/a | 7–3 | 14–4 | 5–2 | 0–2 | 10–2 | 1–1 | 1 / 25 | 52–24 | 68.42 |
| Year-end championships | |||||||||||||||
| The Masters | Not held | A | A | RR | A | 0 / 1 | 0–3 | 0.00 | |||||||
| Win–loss | – | – | – | 0–3 | – | 0 / 1 | 0–3 | 0.00 | |||||||
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pro Championships | A | SF | A | A | SF | A | SF | F | 0 / 4 | 4–4 | 50.00 |
| French Pro Championship | QF | QF | F | 1R | SF | QF | SF | F | 0 / 8 | 10–8 | 55.55 |
| Wembley Championships | QF | QF | QF | QF | QF | F | QF | SF | 0 / 8 | 8–8 | 50.00 |
| Win–loss | 2–2 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 7–3 | 0 / 20 | 22–20 | 52.38 |
Source:[citation needed]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |