Bill Talbert
William Franklin Talbert (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 1999) was an American tennis player and administrator.[4]
| Full name | William Franklin Talbert |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | September 4, 1918 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 28, 1999 (aged 80) New York City, U.S. |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1967 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 651-201 (76.4%) [1] |
| Career titles | 49 [2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1949, John Olliff)[3] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1947) |
| French Open | SF (1950) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1950) |
| US Open | F (1944, 1945) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1947, 1954) |
| French Open | W (1950) |
| US Open | W (1942, 1945, 1946, 1948) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1950) |
| US Open | W (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946) |
Tennis career
He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 13 times between 1941 and 1954, and was ranked World No. 3 in 1949 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph.[3] He won nine Grand Slam doubles titles, and also reached the men's doubles finals of the U.S. National Championship nine times, mainly with his favorite partner, Gardnar Mulloy. He also was a Davis Cup player and one of the most successful Davis Cup captains in U.S. history.
Talbert was a Type 1 diabetic, one of the few known to be in sports at a highly competitive level, and for many years was held up as an example of how this disease could be surmounted.[5]
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Talbert still holds records at the Cincinnati Masters in his hometown. His records are for most doubles titles (six), most total finals appearances (14), and most singles finals appearances (seven). He won three singles titles (in 1943, '45 & '47), and his six doubles titles came in 1943, '44, '45, '47, '51 & '54.
Talbert reached the final of the U.S. Championships in 1944 and 1945 (losing both finals to Frank Parker). He also reached the semi finals of the French championships in 1950 (beating John Bromwich before losing to Budge Patty 13–11 in the fifth set).[6]
Talbert also won the singles title at the U.S. Clay Court Championship in 1945 and was a finalist in 1946 and '43. Before starting out on the international tour, he played for the University of Cincinnati and won an Ohio State singles title in 1936 while at Cincinnati's Hughes High School.
Talbert was enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967 and was in the first class, along with his former protégé Tony Trabert, enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Barry MacKay, another protégé, was inducted into the same Hall of Fame in 2003. After his playing career, he wrote tennis books, including the best seller The Game of Doubles in Tennis with Bruce Old in 1977, served as a tennis commentator for NBC Sports, and was Tournament Director of the US Open.
Grand Slam finals
Singles (2 runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1944 | U.S. Championships | Grass | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Frank Parker | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1945 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Frank Parker | 12–14, 1–6, 2–6 |
Doubles (5 titles, 5 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1942 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Ted Schroeder Sidney Wood | 9–7, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1943 | U.S. Championships | Grass | David Freeman | Jack Kramer Frank Parker | 2–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1944 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Pancho Segura | Don McNeill Bob Falkenburg | 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Win | 1945 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Bob Falkenburg Jack Tuero | 12–10, 8–10, 12–10, 6–2 |
| Win | 1946 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Don McNeill Frank Guernsey | 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3, 20–18 |
| Loss | 1947 | U.S. Championships | Grass | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bill Sidwell | Jack Kramer Ted Schroeder | 4–6, 5–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 1948 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Frank Parker Ted Schroeder | 1–6, 9–7, 6–3, 3–6, 9–7 |
| Win | 1950 | French Championships | Clay | Tony Trabert | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jaroslav Drobný .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Eric Sturgess | 6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1950 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | John Bromwich Frank Sedgman | 5–7, 6–8, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1953 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Gardnar Mulloy | Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose | 4–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6 |
Mixed Doubles (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1943 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Pauline Betz Pancho Segura | 10–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 1944 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Dorothy Bundy Don McNeill | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1945 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Doris Hart Bob Falkenberg | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1946 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne | Louise Brough Clapp Robert Kimbrell | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1948 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne duPont | Louise Brough Clapp Tom Brown | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1949 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Margaret Osborne duPont | Louise Brough Clapp Eric Sturgess | 6–4, 3–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 1950 | French Championships | Clay | Patricia Canning Todd | Barbara Scofield  Enrique Morea | w.o. |
References
- Garcia, Gabriel. "Bill Talbert: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- Garcia, Gabriel. "Bill Talbert: Career tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 426.
- "Bill Talbert, Tennis Champion, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. March 2, 1999.
- William F. Talbert; John Sharnik (May 4, 1959). "What Price Independence?". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 10 no. 18. pp. 76–88.
- "French Open 1950". www.tennis.co.nf.
