| Full name | Earl Henry Buchholz, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Residence | Westport, Connecticut, US |
| Born | (1940-09-16)September 16, 1940 (age 85) St. Louis, MO, US |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Turned pro | 1961 (amateur from 1954) |
| Retired | 1970 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2005(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 115–90 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1960,Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1969) |
| French Open | 2R (1969) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1960,1968) |
| US Open | SF (1960) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | W (1962) |
| Wembley Pro | SF (1962,1963,1965) |
| French Pro | SF (1965,1966) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 14–15 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1968) |
| US Open | QF (1969) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (1959) |
Earl Henry "Butch" Buchholz, Jr. (born September 16, 1940) is a former professionaltennis player from the United States who was one of the game's top players in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Buchholz was an outstanding junior, winning all three of the Boys' Singles slam titles in a row during 1958–1959:
Buchholz also won the U.S. National Boys’ 18 title in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1958.[2]
On February 10, 1959, he appeared as a mystery contestant on the television quiz showTo Tell the Truth, where he was described as holding the “grand slam” of junior tennis titles in France, England, Australia and the United States.[3]
Buchholz was ranked byLance Tingay the world No. 5 amateur player in 1960 and ranked four times in the U.S. top 10.[1] He played for the United States in the Davis Cup in 1959 and 1960. In the 1960 Wimbledon quarterfinal, Buchholz ledNeale Fraser 2 sets to 1, and had match points in the fourth set, but Buchholz had started cramping and had to retire from the match when Fraser made it 15–15 in the fourth set. Fraser went on to win the 1960 Wimbledon title. Buchholz reached the semifinals of the U.S. Championships in 1960, losing toRod Laver in five sets.[4]
Buchholz turned professional in 1961. He won theUnited States Pro Championship in 1962, beatingPancho Segura in the finals. Buchholz was an original member ofLamar Hunt'sHandsome Eight, a group of players signed by in 1968 for the newly formed professionalWorld Championship Tennis.[5]
Since retiring as a player, Buchholz has served tennis in many professional and administrative capacities. He has been the Commissioner ofWorld Team Tennis from 1977 to 1978, an executive director of theAssociation of Tennis Professionals from 1981 to 1982, and member of the men's pro council from 1981 to 1983.
In 1985, Buchholz founded the Lipton International Players Championships (now known as theMiami Open), which is a leading event on both the men's and women's tours. One of the courts there is named after Buchholz.
Buchholz helped create Altenis, a management company which oversees tennis tournaments in Latin America. He also helped secure the continuation of the Orange Bowl International Tennis Tournament, a prominent international junior event in Florida. In 1992, Buchholz teamed withArthur Ashe to found the Good Life Mentoring Program, benefiting hundreds of elementary and middle school children in the greater Miami area.
In 2005, Buchholz was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | 0 / 14 | 31–14 | 69 | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | 3R | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 3R | 0 / 5 | 13–5 | 72 |
| US Open | 1R | 2R | 3R | 4R | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 0 / 6 | 15–6 | 71 |
| Pro Slam tournaments | 1 / 20 | 19–19 | 50 | ||||||||||||||
| U.S. Pro | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | SF | QF | SF | SF | 1R | 1 / 6 | 6–5 | 55 | ||
| French Pro | A | NH | A | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | QF | SF | SF | QF | 0 / 7 | 6–7 | 46 | ||
| Wembley Pro | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | SF | SF | QF | SF | QF | QF | 0 / 7 | 7–7 | 50 | ||
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 5–3 | 9–2 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 9–4 | 1 / 34 | 50–33 | 60 |
