 | |
| Full name | Francis Xavier Alexander Shields Sr. |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1909-11-18)November 18, 1909 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1975(1975-08-19) (aged 65) New York, U.S. |
| Turned pro | 1926 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1955 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1964(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 214–114 |
| Career titles | 31 |
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (1931)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 4R (1933) |
| Wimbledon | F (1931) |
| US Open | F (1930) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1931) |
| US Open | F (1933) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | F (1930) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | F (1932) |
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields Sr. (November 18, 1909 – August 19, 1975) was an American amateurtennis player of the 1920s and 1930s, and an actor known forHoosier Schoolboy (1937). He was ranked world No. 2 in 1931, and U.S. No. 1 in 1933.
Noel Dickson in the Melbourne Herald ranked him world No. 2 in 1931,[2] and world No. 5 in 1930 byA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph.[3] Between 1928 and 1945, the USLTA ranked him eight times in the U.S. Top Ten, reaching No. 1 in 1933, and No. 2 in 1930.
In January 1928, Shields was runner-up toGeorge Lott in the Canadian Covered Courts Championships at the Montreal Indoor Tennis Club, defeating Canadian No. 1 Dr.Jack Wright in a long five-set semifinal.
Shields was runner-up in the 1929Canadian Open Championships at theToronto Lawn Tennis Club on red clay, losing the final to Dr. Wright, who had earlier beatenJohn Doeg in the semifinal. Shields lost toBill Tilden in the third round of the 1929U.S. National Tennis Championships, but returned the favor the following season, defeating Tilden in the quarterfinals of the 1930Southampton Invitation.
In June, 1930, Shields won the singles title at theCincinnati Open, defeatingPaul Kunkel in the semifinals andEmmett Paré in the final in five sets.
Shields defeatedWilmer Allison andSidney Wood before losing toJohn Doeg in the final of the 1930 U.S. Championships.[4] Shields defaulted toSidney Wood in the singles final ofWimbledon in 1931 due to an ankle injury he had sustained in winning his semi-final match against France's "Musketeer"Jean Borotra, and this was the only time in the history of a Grand Slam event the singles final of that event was won by default.
His best season was 1933, when he won nine tournaments. He won the Canadian Covered Court Championships title in January, defeatingJ. Gilbert Hall in the final. Shields reached the fourth round at the 1933French Championships at Roland Garros, where he lost toChristian Boussus. He did not play at Wimbledon that season. During the Wimbledon period, Shields played in theEastern Clay Court Championships in Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y., finishing runner-up toJ. Gilbert Hall in the final. He also won theSouthampton Invitation (Long Island) on grass, defeatingBitsy Grant in the semifinal and Frank Parker in the final, in three straight sets. Shields won theNewport Casino Invitational on grass, defeatingEllsworth Vines in the semifinal andWilmer Allison in the final. At the Mason & Dixon Championships atThe Greenbrier resort, Shields defeatedGregory Mangin in the final in four sets.
At the 1933 U.S. Championships, Shields was seeded No. 2 behind Vines. Vines lost to Grant in the fourth round, while Shields reached the semifinal, where he lost to Jack Crawford. Shields was ranked U.S. No. 1 for 1933 by the USLTA official ranking,[5] and world No. 5 ahead of Vines by Bernard Brown.[6]
In 1934, Shields defended his Canadian Covered Court Championships title by defeatingJ. Gilbert Hall in a close four-set semifinal andGeorge Lott in the final in three straight sets. He won the United North and South tournament at the prestigiousPinehurst Country Club, North Carolina[7] on clay courts, defeating Allison in the final in three long, straight sets. Shields defended his Mason & Dixon title at The Greenbrier resort by defeating Grant in a close five-set match in the final. Shields reached the final of theQueen's Club Championships, where he lost to Sidney Wood. He reached the semifinal at Wimbledon, where he lost a close match to Crawford.
In 1935, Shields won theOjai Tennis Tournament, defeatingGene Mako in the final. In 1937, he won the Hotel de Coronado[8] tournament in San Diego, defeatingJack Tidball in the final.
He entered the 1950 US Open. However, he andGinger Rogers were knocked out of the mixed doubles competition in the first round. He competed at the1951 U.S. National Championships in New York City, but was defeated in the first round by South AfricanSyd Levy in straight sets.
He competed for theDavis Cup in 1931, 1932, and 1934, winning 19 of 25 matches. He was left off the team in 1933, supposedly for "erratic" "playing," despite being the No. 1 ranked U.S. player for that year.[9][10] Shields was the non-playing captain in 1951, when the team won four matches.
Shields had his issues both with interactions with other players and with alcohol.[11][12][13] In the late 1930s, Shields was known for making fun of the US tennis starBryan Grant, the smallest American to win an international championship, saying "the little shaver" was hiding behind the net. Once, a drunk Shields held Grant upside down, outside a hotel window.[14]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  John Doeg | 8–10, 6–1, 4–6, 14–16 |
| Loss | 1931 | Wimbledon | Grass | Sidney Wood | walkover |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1933 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Frank Parker | George LottLester Stoefen | 13–11, 7–9, 7–9, 3–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Marjorie Morrill | Edith CrossWilmer Allison | 4–6, 4–6 |
In 1932, Shields married Rebecca Tenney (1910–2005). In 1938, he maintained a home inPalm Springs, California.[15] Shields and Tenney divorced in 1940 because of his "habitualintemperance and cruelty"[16] and in 1947, she married lawyer Donald Agnew.
In 1940, he married his second wife,Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1916–1960).[17] Marina was the daughter ofMarino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi (1861–1933) andMary Elsie Moore (1888–1941), an American heiress. Marina's brother wasAlessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi (1911–1986), the husband of theSpanish Infanta Beatriz de Borbón (1909–2002). Shields had two children with Marina Torlonia:
Shields and Torlonia divorced, and in 1950, she married Edward W. Slater.[18]
In 1949, he married Katharine Mortimer (1923–2003), the daughter of financier Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Sr.[19] and grand-daughter ofRichard Mortimer. She had previously been married to Oliver CadwellBiddle, with whom she had a daughter, Christine Mortimer Biddle, who became a stepdaughter to Shields. Shields had three children with Mortimer:
Shields and Mortimer divorced, and in 1962, she married Richard Gillespie Blaine.[21]
In his later years, he was frequently drunk, at which times he became destructive and bullying with his strength.[citation needed] After two heart attacks and a stroke, he died at 65 of a third heart attack, in aManhattan taxi.[22] He was the grandfather ofBrooke Shields, Morgan Christina Shields, and Holton Joseph Shields.
Shields appeared in the following films:
Shields was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame inNewport, Rhode Island in 1964.
| International | |
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| National | |