 Hard at the 1957 Wimbledon Singles Championships. | ||||||||||||
| Full name | Darlene Ruth Hard | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States | |||||||||||
| Born | (1936-01-06)January 6, 1936 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Died | December 2, 2021(2021-12-02) (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1964 (amateur from 1953) | |||||||||||
| Retired | 1970 | |||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed | |||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1973(member page) | |||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||
| Career record | 498-156 (76.1%) | |||||||||||
| Career titles | 43 | |||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (1957) | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | QF (1962) | |||||||||||
| French Open | W (1960) | |||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1957,1959) | |||||||||||
| US Open | W (1960,1961) | |||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (1962) | |||||||||||
| French Open | W (1955, 1957, 1960) | |||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1957, 1959, 1960, 1963) | |||||||||||
| US Open | W (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969) | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (1962) | |||||||||||
| French Open | W (1955, 1961) | |||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1957, 1959, 1960) | |||||||||||
| US Open | F (1956, 1957, 1961) | |||||||||||
| Team competitions | ||||||||||||
| Wightman Cup | W (1957,1959,1962,1963) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at theFrench Championships in 1960 and theU.S. Championships in 1960 and 1961. With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 women's doubles titles inGrand Slam tournaments, and was the finest doubles player of her generation.[1] Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 US Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor. She also played the US Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round toFrançoise Dürr.
According toLance Tingay, Hard was ranked among the top 10 in the world from 1957 through 1963, reaching a career high of No. 2 in those rankings in 1957, 1960, and 1961.[2]The Miami Herald ranked herNo. 1 for the 1961 season.[3] In 1957, she made her firstWimbledon finals appearance, losing toAlthea Gibson.[4]
Hard was included in the year-end top-10 rankings issued by theUnited States Lawn Tennis Association from 1954 through 1963. Charles Friedman wrote inThe New York Times that year that "as a doubles player, she has no peer."[5] She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1960 through 1963.[6] With her younger doubles partnerBillie Jean King, she helped the US team to victory in the 1963Federation Cup. Hard was enshrined in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1973.[7]
Hard graduated fromPomona College in 1961.[8] She was the first woman inducted into the college's athletic hall of fame in 1974.[9]
She was part of the AmericanWightman Cup team that won the trophy against Great Britain in 1957, 1959, 1962 and 1963.[10][4]
In 1964, Hard won the singles title at theSouth African Championships, defeatingAnn Haydon-Jones in the final in straight sets, and soon afterwards turned professional when she became a teaching pro.[10] She later owned two tennis stores.[11]
According to a 2007 published report, she had been working for the University of Southern California since 1981 in the Publications Department.[11]
In later life, Hard lived in theWoodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She worked at theUniversity of Southern California in the Publications Dept. for four decades, aiding in the design and fact-checking of the University Yearbook.[1]
Hard died at the age of 85 on December 2, 2021, from complications after a fall.[1][7][13] She was survived by her sister, Claire.[14] Hard's brief marriage to Richard Waggoner from 1977–1979 ended in divorce, and she had no children.[15]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Althea Gibson | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Althea Gibson | 6–3, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Maria Bueno | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1960 | French Championships | Clay |  Yola Ramírez | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Maria Bueno | 6–4, 10–12, 6–4 |
| Win | 1961 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Ann Haydon | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1962 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Margaret Court | 7–9, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | Beverly Baker | Shirley BloomerPat Ward | 7–5, 6–8, 13–11 |
| Loss | 1956 | French Championships | Clay | Dorothy Head | Angela BuxtonAlthea Gibson | 8–6, 6–8, 1–6 |
| Win | 1957 | French Championships | Clay | Shirley Bloomer | Yola RamírezRosie Reyes | 7–5, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Althea Gibson | Mary Bevis HawtonThelma Coyne Long | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Althea Gibson | Louise BroughMargaret Osborne | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Jeanne Arth | Maria Bueno Althea Gibson | 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | Jeanne Arth | Beverly BakerChristine Truman | 2–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1959 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Jeanne Arth | Maria BuenoSally Moore | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1960 | French Championships | Clay | Maria Bueno | Pat WardAnn Haydon | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Win | 1960 | Wimbledon | Grass | Maria Bueno |  Sandra ReynoldsRenée Schuurman | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Win | 1960 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Maria Bueno | Ann HaydonDeidre Catt | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1961 | French Championships | Clay | Maria Bueno | Sandra Reynolds Renée Schuurman | default |
| Win | 1961 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Lesley Turner |  Edda Buding Yola Ramírez | 6–4, 5–7, 6–0 |
| Loss | 1962 | Australian Championships | Grass | Mary Carter Reitano | Robyn EbbernMargaret Smith | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1962 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Maria Bueno | Karen HantzeBillie Jean Moffit | 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 1963 | Wimbledon | Grass | Maria Bueno | Robyn Ebbern Margaret Smith | 8–6, 9–7 |
| Loss | 1963 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Maria Bueno | Robyn Ebbern Margaret Smith | 6–4, 8–10, 3–6 |
| Win | 1969 | US Open | Grass |  Françoise Dürr | Margaret CourtVirginia Wade | 0–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | Gordon Forbes | Jenny Staley Luis Ayala | 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1956 | French Championships | Clay | Bob Howe | Thelma Coyne Long Luis Ayala | 6–4, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1956 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Lew Hoad | Margaret OsborneKen Rosewall | 7–9, 1–6 |
| Win | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mervyn Rose | Althea GibsonNeale Fraser | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Bob Howe | Althea Gibson Kurt Nielsen | 3–6, 7–9 |
| Win | 1959 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rod Laver | Maria Bueno Neale Fraser | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 1960 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rod Laver | Maria Bueno Bob Howe | 13–11, 3–6, 8–6 |
| Win | 1961 | French Championships | Clay | Rod Laver |  Vera SukováJirí Javorský | 6–0, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1961 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Dennis Ralston | Margaret SmithBob Mark | default |
| Loss | 1962 | Australian Championships | Grass | Roger Taylor | Lesley TurnerFred Stolle | 3–6, 7–9 |
| Loss | 1963 | Wimbledon | Grass | Bob Hewitt | Margaret SmithKen Fletcher | 9–11, 4–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 – 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| French Championships | A | A | 2R | 3R | QF | A | A | W | 4R | A | 2R | A | A | A | 1 / 6 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | SF | 3R | F | A | F | QF | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| U.S. Championships/US Open | 2R | SF | 3R | QF | SF | F | SF | W | W | F | QF | A | 2R | 2R | 2 / 13 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 2 / 3 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 3 / 27 |
