 Richards at the 1922 Davis Cup | |||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) |  United States | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1903-03-20)March 20, 1903 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | September 28, 1959(1959-09-28) (aged 56) New York City, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1926 | ||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1951[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1961(member page) | ||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||
| Career record | 472-154 (75.4%)[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 46[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No.1 (1927, Ray Bowers) | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||
| French Open | SF (1926) | ||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | QF (1924) | ||||||||||||||
| US Open | SF (1922,1924,1925,1926) | ||||||||||||||
| Professional majors | |||||||||||||||
| US Pro | W (1927,1928,1930,1933) | ||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||
| Career record | no value | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1926) | ||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1924) F (1926) | ||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1918,1921,1922,1925, 1926) F (1919) | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1919,1924) F (1925) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an Americantennis player.[1] He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 byA. Wallis Myers, and was ranked joint World No. 1 pro by Ray Bowers in 1927[4] and World No. 1 pro by Bowers in 1930.[5]
Born in Yonkers, New York, he attended the JesuitFordham Preparatory School, attended Fordham University and studied at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1922.[1][6]
Richards won the National Boys Outdoor Singles Tournament in 1917. He became a protégé ofBill Tilden after being defeated by the latter in a match, and he then teamed up with him to win the United States doubles championship in 1918 at the age of 15. He remains the youngest male to have ever won a major championship.[1] Twenty-seven years later, in 1945, he and Tilden won the United States Pro doubles title. While Bill Tilden teamed with Richards to win titles together, he was beaten by Richards in both singles and doubles, including for several major titles. During their long rivalry, they faced each other 102 times, with Richards holding a career record of 52–50 against Tilden.
Richards retained his amateur status for 10 years because his ambition was to compete in the 1924 Olympics held in Paris, France. He realized this ambition by winning the gold medal for the United States in both singles and doubles,[7] additionally collecting the silver medal in mixed doubles.[1] Richards is one of two American male tennis players to win the gold medal in both singles and doubles (Beals Wright was the other), and he ranks second all-time with his three medals won in 1924 (second to Reginald Doherty of Great Britain, who won four Olympic tennis medals). Between both men and women, Richards is third behind Venus Williams in first, and Serena Williams in second, with three overall medals, with Williams collecting four gold medals over multiple Olympics. Richards was a semifinalist at the French championships in 1926, where he beatColin Gregory andBela Von Kehrling, then lost toHenri Cochet.[8] He was also a semifinalist at the U.S. championships in 1922 (losing to Bill Johnston), 1924 (losing to Tilden), 1925 (where he beatRené Lacoste, then lost to Tilden) and 1926 (losing toJean Borotra). While there was no official ATP Tour in the 1920s, Richards was one of the pioneers in creating a version of a "world tennis tour", playing in the equivalent of all four grand slams during his career, additional major tournaments, and exhibition matches in front of emperors, presidents, and other heads of states. While Tilden may have overshadowed Richards, even in the Davis Cup, Richards held a perfect 5–0 record when he played for his country.
In April 1926, Richards and Tilden contested the final of the Mason & Dixon Tournament atThe Greenbrier resort, with Richards winning in five sets.
Richards was one of the best singles players of the 1920s and played on several United StatesDavis Cup teams.[9] In 1927 he was the first prominent male player to turn professional. In 1928, he was still generally considered to be one of the top 5 or 6 players in the world and played a brief tour at the end of the year against Czech playerKarel Koželuh, another new professional. Richards only beat Koželuh five times in 20 matches. Richards won theUnited States Pro Championship in 1927, 1928, and 1930, beating Koželuh in the finals in both 1928 and 1930, and losing to him in the 1929 final. He lost the 1931 final to Tilden and won the U.S. Pro Championships for the last time in 1933, this time beatingFrank Hunter in the final. He continued to play in the U.S. Pro championships in most years until 1946.[10] Richards and Tilden won the doubles at the 1945 U.S. Pro championships.
Richards was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1961.[11]
After retiring from tennis, Richards joined theDunlop Tire and Rubber Company as general manager of the sporting goods division and became vice president.[6]
In February 1924, he married Claremont Gushee in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they had three children.[12] She died in 1950.[13] On September 28, 1959, Richards died of a heart attack atDoctors Hospital in New York.[6]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1918 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Bill Tilden | Fred AlexanderBeals Wright | 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1919 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden |  Norman BrookesGerald Patterson | 6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6 |
| Win | 1921 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | Watson WashburnR. Norris Williams | 13–11, 12–10, 6–1 |
| Win | 1922 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | Pat O'Hara Wood Gerald Patterson | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 1924 | Wimbledon | Grass | Frank Hunter | Watson WashburnR. Norris Williams | 6–3, 3–6, 8–10, 8–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 1925 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | R. Norris Williams | John Hawkes Gerald Patterson | 6–2, 8–10, 6–4, 11–9 |
| Win | 1926 | French Championships | Clay | Howard Kinsey |  Jacques BrugnonHenri Cochet | 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1926 | Wimbledon | Grass | Howard Kinsey | Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet | 5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1926 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | R. Norris Williams | Alfred ChapinBill Tilden | 6–4, 6–8, 11–9, 6–3 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1919 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Marion Zinderstein | Florence BallinBill Tilden | 2–6, 11–9, 6–2 |
| Win | 1924 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Helen Wills | Molla Bjurstedt Mallory Bill Tilden | 6–8, 7–5, 6–0 |
| Loss | 1925 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Ermyntrude Harvey | Kitty McKaneJohn Hawkes | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1927 | U.S. Pro | Grass |  Howard Kinsey | 11–9, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 1928 | U.S. Pro | Grass |  Karel Koželuh | 8–6, 6–3, 0–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1929 | U.S. Pro | Grass | Karel Koželuh | 4–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 5–7 |
| Win | 1930 | U.S. Pro | Grass | Karel Koželuh | 2–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1931 | U.S. Pro | Grass | Bill Tilden | 5–7, 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 1933 | U.S. Pro | Grass | Frank Hunter | 6–3, 6–0, 6–2 |
Richards was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams when he joined the professional tennis circuit in 1927.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | 0 / 13 | 38–13 | 74.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | – | – | ||||
| French Open | NH | NH | Only for French players | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 4–1 | 80.0 | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | NH | A | A | A | A | 4R | QF | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 48–3 | 72.7 | |||||
| US Open | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | 3R | SF | SF | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 9 | 26–9 | 74.3 |
| Pro Slam tournaments | 4 / 19 | 35–15 | 70.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U.S. Pro | Not held | W | W | F | W | F | QF | W | SF | A | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | NH | QF | 3R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 4 / 19 | 35–15 | 70.0 | ||||||||
| French Pro | Not held | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | 0 / 0 | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wembley Pro | Not held | A | A | NH | A | NH | A | Not held | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 5–2 | 8–2 | 4–1 | 9–3 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1-1 | 4 / 32 | 73–28 | 72.2 | ||||||
| National representation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | NH | A | NH | G | Not held | 1 / 1 | 6–0 | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
