Dibbs playing in the final of an exhibition tournament in Rotterdam. | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Born | (1951-02-23)February 23, 1951 (age 74) Brooklyn, New York |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Turned pro | 1972 (amateur from 1970) |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand)[1] |
| Prize money | $2,016,426 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 604–264 |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (July 24, 1978) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | SF (1975,1976) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1974) |
| US Open | QF (1975,1976,1979) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (1978) |
| WCT Finals | F (1978) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 77–106 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1976) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | QF (1975) |
| US Open | 4R (1972) |
Eddie Dibbs (born February 23, 1951) is a retired Americantennis player also nicknamed "Fast Eddie". He attained a career-high singles ranking of world No. 5 in July 1978, winning 22 titles and being a runner-up another 20 times.[2]
Dibbs holds the record number of ATP Tour career match wins for a player who never reached aGrand Slam final. He did reach two semifinals, both atRoland Garros, losing toGuillermo Vilas in 1975 and toAdriano Panatta in 1976. His most significant victory was defeatingJimmy Connors, 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 in London on carpet.
In 1976, only one other American player, Connors, had a better record than Dibbs.[3] In 1977, Dibbs was the 2nd highest ranked American in the tour.[3] In the1978 season, he ended the year as the leading money winner on the professional tennis tour.[4]
Dibbs was consistently ranked in thetop 10 tour rankings for five years from 1975 to 1979.[4] He is also the American tennis player withmost singles victories in clay ever in the Open Era and ranks 7th all-time in overall singles victories on clay.[5]
Dibbs is credited with coining the tennis term "bagel" to describe a 6–0 set.[6][7][8] Dibbs played doubles withHarold Solomon. They were nicknamed "The Bagel Twins" byBud Collins.[9] In 1976, they were ranked No. 4 worldwide, and they were among the top ten also in 1974, 1975 and 1976.[9]
A 2011 ranking system created atNorthwestern University based on quality of performances and number of victories ranked Dibbs in the top 20 greatest players of all time.[10][11]
Dibbs was born in Brooklyn, New York toLebanese parents.[3][12] His family moved toMiami when he was a youngster where he started playing at a young age. He was a two-time state singles champion forMiami Beach High School[13] and attended theUniversity of Miami for three years before turning professional.[14] At the University of Miami he compiled a 93% winning record and was an NCAAAll-American twice. He was inducted in the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.[14]
| Result | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 1973 | Jackson, Mississippi, US | Hard (i) | 5–7, 6–1, 7–5 | |
| Win | 2. | 1973 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 6–1, 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 3. | 1973 | Fort Worth, US | Hard | 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Win | 4. | 1974 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 1. | 1974 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | 3–6, 7–5, 6–8, 0–6 | |
| Win | 5. | 1975 | Tehran, Iran | Clay | 1–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 | |
| Win | 6. | 1975 | London, UK | Carpet (i) | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 | |
| Win | 7. | 1976 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | 7–6, 6–2 | |
| Win | 8. | 1976 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | 6–1, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 2. | 1976 | Mexico City, Mexico | Clay | 6–7, 2–6 | |
| Win | 9. | 1976 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 3. | 1976 | Cincinnati, US | Clay | 6–7, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 4. | 1976 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | 6–7, 2–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 5. | 1976 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | 1–6, 6–2, 6–2, 5–7, 4–6 | |
| Win | 10. | 1976 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6 | |
| Win | 11. | 1977 | Miami, US | Clay | 6–0, 6–3 | |
| Win | 12. | 1977 | London, UK | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–2), 6–7(5–7), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 6. | 1977 | Charlotte, US | Clay | 6–7, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 7. | 1977 | Louisville, US | Hard | 6–1, 0–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 8. | 1977 | Boston, US | Clay | 6–7, 5–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 9. | 1977 | Tehran, Iran | Clay | 2–6, 4–6, 6–1, 1–6 | |
| Win | 13. | 1977 | Oviedo, Spain | Hard (i) | 6–4, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 10. | 1978 | St. Louis WCT, US | Carpet (i) | 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 11. | 1978 | Dayton, US | Carpet (i) | 6–2, 4–6, 6–7 | |
| Win | 14. | 1978 | Tulsa, US | Hard (i) | 6–7, 6–2, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 12. | 1978 | WCT Finals, Dallas | Carpet (i) | 3–6, 2–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 15. | 1978 | Cincinnati, US | Clay | 6–2, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 13. | 1978 | Washington, US | Clay | 5–7, 5–7 | |
| Win | 16. | 1978 | North Conway, US | Clay | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Win | 17. | 1978 | Toronto, Canada | Clay | 5–7, 6–4, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 14. | 1979 | Birmingham, US | Hard | 2–6, 6–3, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 15. | 1979 | Tulsa, US | Hard (i) | 7–6, 5–7, 1–6 | |
| Win | 18. | 1979 | Forest Hills, US | Clay | 7–6, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 16. | 1979 | Columbus, US | Clay | 3–6, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 17. | 1979 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | 4–6, 3–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 19. | 1980 | Sarasota, US | Clay | 6–1, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 18. | 1980 | Houston, US | Clay | 1–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 20. | 1980 | Boston, US | Clay | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 19. | 1980 | North Conway, US | Clay | 3–6, 7–5, 1–6 | |
| Win | 21. | 1981 | Forest Hills, US | Clay | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Win | 22. | 1981 | Quito, Ecuador | Clay | 3–6, 6–0, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 20. | 1982 | Forest Hills, US | Clay | 1–6, 1–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Open | A | 1R | 4R | SF | SF | 2R | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | 0 / 9 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| US Open | 2R | 1R | A | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | QF | 2R | A | 0 / 8 |
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 9–2 | 9–2 | 3–2 | 6–2 | 8–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 0 / 18 |