 Francis Hunter (left) withDaniel Prenn, 1929 | |||||||||
| Full name | Francis Townsend Hunter | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States | ||||||||
| Born | (1894-06-28)June 28, 1894 New York, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | December 2, 1981(1981-12-02) (aged 87) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Turned pro | 1931 (amateur tour from 1915) | ||||||||
| Retired | 1944 | ||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) | ||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1961(member page) | ||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||
| Career record | 480-152 (75.9%)[1] | ||||||||
| Career titles | 24[1] | ||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1929,A. Wallis Myers)[2] | ||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||
| French Open | QF (1929) | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1923) | ||||||||
| US Open | F (1928,1929) | ||||||||
| Professional majors | |||||||||
| US Pro | F (1933) | ||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||
| Career record | no value | ||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1924,1927) | ||||||||
| US Open | W (1927) | ||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||
| French Open | F (1928,1929) | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1927,1929) | ||||||||
Medal record
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Francis "Frank" Townsend Hunter (June 28, 1894 – December 2, 1981) was an Americantennis player who won an Olympicgold medal.[3] He won theU.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.
Hunter graduated fromCornell University in 1916, where he was a member of theQuill and Dagger society, theice hockey team, and the Alpha-Kappa Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
During WWI he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and served onAdmiral Beatty's flagship of the BritishRoyal Navy.[4] He later wrote a book about his experiences with the Admiral.
Hunter was the second husband of the actressLisette Verea in 1954.[5]
Hunter was later successful in the coal and printing industries.
Hunter won theU.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and again in 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.
Hunter was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1923 (where he beatGordon Lowe, then lost toBill Johnston).[6]
Hunter won agold medal at the1924 Paris Olympics, in themen's doubles event with partnerVincent Richards.
He won theScheveningen Championships on red clay in the Netherlands in 1928 defeatingHendrik Timmer in the semifinal in four sets andJean Borotra in the final in three straight sets.
Hunter reached the U.S. championships singles final in 1928 (where he beatJack Crawford andGeorge Lott, then lost toHenri Cochet in five sets).[7]
He reached his third Grand Slam singles final at the U.S. championships in 1929 where he beatR. Norris Williams, losing the final in five sets toBill Tilden.[7]
He was ranked World No. 4 in 1929 byA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph and World No. 5 in another Myers list in September the same year.[2][8]
Hunter won the Brooklyn Indoor Championships in 1930 defeatingJ. Gilbert Hall in the semifinal.
Hunter turned professional in mid January 1931 joiningBill Tilden.[9] He reached the final of theU.S. Pro Championships in 1933 where he lost toVincent Richards.[10] As well as playing on the pro tour, Hunter was also a promoter, including promoting the first Perry-Vines tour in 1937 withS. Howard Voshell.[11]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1923 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Bill Johnston | 0–6, 3–6, 1–6 | [12] |
| Loss | 1928 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Henri Cochet | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 3–6 | [13] |
| Loss | 1929 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6 | [13] |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1924 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Vincent Richards | Watson WashburnR. Norris Williams | 6−3, 3−6, 8−10, 8−6, 6−3 | [14] |
| Win | 1927 | Wimbledon | Grass | Bill Tilden | Jacques BrugnonHenri Cochet | 1–6, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3, 6–4 | [14] |
| Win | 1927 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | R. Norris WilliamsBill Johnston | 10–8, 6–3, 6–3 | [15] |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1927 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elizabeth Ryan |  Kathleen McKane GodfreeLeslie Godfree | 8–6, 6–0 | [16] |
| Loss | 1928 | French Championships | Clay | Helen Wills | Eileen BennettHenri Cochet | 6–3, 3–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 1929 | French Championships | Clay | Helen Wills | Eileen Bennett Henri Cochet | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 1929 | Wimbledon | Grass | Helen Wills | Joan FryIan Collins | 6–1, 6–4 | [16] |
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