Dennis Ralston
Richard Dennis Ralston (July 27, 1942 – December 6, 2020) was an American professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s.[3]
 | |
| Full name | Richard Dennis Ralston |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | July 27, 1942 Bakersfield, California, US |
| Died | December 6, 2020 (aged 78) Austin, Texas, US |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Turned pro | 1967 (amateur from 1958) |
| Retired | 1977 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1987 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 576–251 (69.6%) [1] |
| Career titles | 41 [2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1966, Lance Tingay) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1970) |
| French Open | 4R (1966) |
| Wimbledon | F (1966) |
| US Open | SF (1960) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | SF (1968) |
| Wembley Pro | QF (1967, 1968) |
| French Pro | 2R (1968) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 125–87 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1971) |
| French Open | W (1966) |
| Wimbledon | W (1960) |
| US Open | W (1961, 1962, 1963) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1962, 1966) |
| US Open | F (1969) |
As a young player, he was coached by tennis pro Pancho Gonzales. He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and won NCAA championships under its coach George Toley. He and partner Bill Bond captured the NCAA doubles title in 1964.[4] He was the highest-ranked American player at the end of three consecutive years in the 1960s; Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked him as high as world no. 5 in 1966 (Ralston was ranked world no. 3 by the magazine Reading Eagle in 1963).[5]
His best result at a Grand Slam singles event came in 1966 when he was seeded sixth and reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships, which he lost to fourth-seeded Manuel Santana in straight sets.[6][7] At the end of that year he turned professional.[8]
Ralston was a member of the Handsome Eight, the initial group of players signed to the professional World Championship Tennis tour.[9][10] He won 27 national doubles and singles titles, including five grand-slam doubles crowns.[11]
Ralston, a Davis Cup winner with the US Davis Cup team in 1963, continued to serve in the team as a coach from 1968 to 1971 and as a captain from 1972 to 1975, winning the title in 1972 over Romania.[12]
Ralston was the men's coach at Southern Methodist University between 1981-89 and 1991-93 (split when he helped Noah in 1989–90), being named the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1983, when SMU finished second nationally.[13]
Ralston was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.[14] In 2016, he was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame.[15]
Grand Slam finals
Singles, 1 final (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1966 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass |  Manuel Santana | 4–6, 9–11, 4–6 |
Doubles, 9 finals (5 titles, 4 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1960 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass |  Rafael Osuna |  Mike Davies Bobby Wilson | 7–5, 6–3, 10–8 |
| Win | 1961 | US Championships | Grass | Chuck McKinley | Rafael Osuna Antonio Palafox | 6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 13–11 |
| Loss | 1962 | US Championships | Grass | Chuck McKinley | Rafael Osuna Antonio Palafox | 4–6, 12–10, 6–1, 7–9, 3–6 |
| Win | 1963 | US Championships | Grass | Chuck McKinley | Rafael Osuna Antonio Palafox | 9–7, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 11–9 |
| Win | 1964 | US Championships | Grass | Chuck McKinley | Mike Sangster Graham Stilwell | 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 1966 | French Championships | Clay | Clark Graebner |  Ilie Năstase Ion Ţiriac | 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Loss | 1966 | US Championships | Grass | Clark Graebner | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Roy Emerson Fred Stolle | 4–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1969 | US Open | Grass | Charlie Pasarell | Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle | 6–2, 5–7, 11–13, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1971 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Arthur Ashe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | 6–4, 7–9, 8–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Mixed Doubles, 4 finals (4 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1961 | US Championships | Grass | Darlene Hard | Margaret Smith Bob Mark | default |
| Loss | 1962 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Ann Haydon | Margaret Osborne duPont Neale Fraser | 6–2, 3–6, 11–13 |
| Loss | 1966 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Billie Jean King | Margaret Court Ken Fletcher | 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1969 | US Open | Grass |  Françoise Dürr | Margaret Court Marty Riessen | 4–6, 5–7 |
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 1R | SF | F | A | QF | 4R | 4R | 3R | A | A | 1R | A | A | 2R | 0 / 13 | |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | SF | A | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 4R | A | QF | 4R | QF | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 13 | |
| Strike Rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 30 | |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
References
- "Dennis Ralston: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- "Dennis Ralston: Career tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- "Dennis Ralston, 78, Doubles Champion in Tennis Hall of Fame, Dies". The New York Times. December 8, 2020.
- Norcross, Dan (August 22, 2013). "Famous La Jolla tennis player dies". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- "Emerson, Ralston Win Net Tests", Reading Eagle, 2 September 1963.
- Harman, Neil (June 23, 2008). "'I see Rafa playing tennis I do not believe'". The Times. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- "Santana Defeats Dennis Ralston In Wimbledon Finals". Reading Eagle. AP. July 1, 1966.
- "Ralston Turns Tennis Pro". The Tuscaloosa News. AP. December 27, 1966.
- Atkin, Ronald (March 5, 2000). "Britain turn to passion of the handsome one". The Independent. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- Wind, Herbert Warren (1979). Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s (1. ed.). New York: Dutton. pp. 65–70. ISBN 0525111409.
- Porter, Ross. "Dennis Ralston". Real Sport Heroes. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- Dennis Ralston at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Harman, Neil (December 7, 2020). "'I see Rafa playing tennis I do not believe'". ATPTour. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- "Hall of Famers – Dennis Ralston". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- "Texas Tennis Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2016". Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame. August 22, 2016.
