Vincent Richards

Vincent "Vinnie" Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player.[1] He was active in the early decades of the 20th century,[3] particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 both as an amateur in 1924 by A. Wallis Myers, and as a pro by American Lawn Tennis magazine in 1930.[4]

Vincent Richards
Richards at the 1922 Davis Cup
Country (sports) United States
Born(1903-03-20)March 20, 1903
Yonkers, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedSeptember 28, 1959(1959-09-28) (aged 56)
New York City, U.S.[1]
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Turned pro1927
Retired1930 (brief comebacks in 1933 and 1945)
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1959 (member page)
Singles
Career record472-154 (75.4%) [2]
Career titles46 [2]
Highest rankingNo. 2 (1924, A. Wallis Myers)[3]
Grand Slam Singles results
French OpenSF (1926)
WimbledonQF (1924)
US OpenSF (1922, 1924, 1925, 1926)
Professional majors
US ProW (1927, 1928, 1930, 1933)
Doubles
Career recordno value
Grand Slam Doubles results
French OpenW (1926)
WimbledonW (1924)
F (1926)
US OpenW (1918, 1921, 1922, 1925,       1926)
F (1919)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
US OpenW (1919, 1924)
F (1925)
Medal record
Olympic Games – Tennis
1924 Paris Singles
1924 Paris Doubles
1924 Paris Mixed doubles

Biography

Born in Yonkers, New York, he attended the Jesuit Fordham Preparatory School, attended Fordham University and studied at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1922.[1][5]

Richards won the National Boys Outdoor Singles Tournament in 1917. He became a protégé of Bill 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, 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 tied with Venus Williams with three overall medals, with Williams collecting three gold medals over multiple Olympics. Richards was a semifinalist at the French championships in 1926, where he beat Colin Gregory and Bela Von Kehrling, then lost to Henri Cochet.[6] He was also a semifinalist at the U.S. championships in 1922 (losing to Bill Johnston), 1924 (losing to Tilden), 1925 (where he beat Rene Lacoste, then lost to Tilden) and 1926 (losing to Jean 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.

Richards was one of the best singles players of the 1920s and played on several United States Davis Cup teams.[7] 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 player Karel Koželuh, another new professional. Richards only beat Koželuh five times in 20 matches. Richards won the United 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 beating Frank Hunter in the final. He continued to play in the U.S. Pro championships in most years until 1946.[8] Richards and Tilden won the doubles at the 1945 U.S. Pro championships.

Richards was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1959.[9]

Business career

After retiring from tennis, Richards joined the Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company as general manager of the sporting goods division and became vice president.[5]

Personal life

In February 1924, he married Claremont Gushee in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they had three children.[10] She died in 1950.[11] On September 28, 1959, Richards died of a heart attack at Doctors Hospital in New York.[5]

Grand Slam finals
The Richards, circa 1930s

Doubles: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1918U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Bill Tilden Fred Alexander
Beals Wright		6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–2
Loss1919U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Bill Tilden Norman Brookes
Gerald Patterson		6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6
Win1921U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Bill Tilden Watson Washburn
R. Norris Williams		13–11, 12–10, 6–1
Win1922U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Bill Tilden Pat O'Hara Wood
Gerald Patterson		4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
Win1924WimbledonGrass Frank Hunter Watson Washburn
R. Norris Williams		6–3, 3–6, 8–10, 8–6, 6–3
Win1925U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass R. Norris Williams John Hawkes
Gerald Patterson		6–2, 8–10, 6–4, 11–9
Win1926French ChampionshipsClay Howard Kinsey Jacques Brugnon
Henri Cochet		6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4
Loss1926WimbledonGrass Howard Kinsey Jacques Brugnon
Henri Cochet		5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6
Win1926U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass R. Norris Williams Alfred Chapin
Bill Tilden		6–4, 6–8, 11–9, 6–3

Mixed doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1919U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Marion Zinderstein Florence Ballin
Bill Tilden		2–6, 11–9, 6–2
Win1924U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Helen Wills Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
Bill Tilden		6–8, 7–5, 6–0
Loss1925U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Ermyntrude Harvey Kitty McKane
John Hawkes		2–6, 4–6

Singles performance timeline

Richards was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams when he joined the professional tennis circuit in 1927.

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
191819191920192119221923192419251926192719281929193019311932193319341935193619371938193919401941194219431944194519461947194819491950 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments0 / 1338–1374.5
Australian Open NHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAA 0 / 0 – –
French Open NHNHOnly for French playersA SF AAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAA 0 / 1 4–1 80.0
Wimbledon NHAAAA 4R QF A 2R AAAAAAAAAAAAANot heldAAAAA 0 / 3 48–3 72.7
US Open 3R 3R 3R 3R SF 3R SF SF SF AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 0 / 9 26–9 74.3
Pro Slam tournaments4 / 1834–1470.8
U.S. Pro Not held W W F W F QF W SF AA QF 2R 2R 2R 2R A 2R NH QF 3R 2R A A 1R 4 / 18 34–14 70.8
French Pro Not heldAAANHAAAAAANot held 0 / 0 – –
Wembley Pro Not heldAAAAAANot heldAA 0 / 0 – –
Win–Loss 1–11–13–12–15–15–28–24–19–33–04–03–16–05–11–14–02–10–11–10–11–11–10–12–11–10–10–1 4 / 31 72–27 72.7
National representation
Olympics NH A NH G Not held 1 / 1 6–0 100

References
  1. Vinnie Richards. sports-reference.com
  2. "Vincent Richards: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  3. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 424.
  4. K. De Lang, ed. (January 14, 1930). "Lawntennis" (PDF). Het Vaderland (in Dutch). Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands: C.M. Schilt. 61: 15. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  5. "Vinnie Richards, Dunlop vp, Former Tennis Great Dies in September" (PDF). Michigan State University.
  6. "French Open 1926". www.tennis.co.nf.
  7. "Davis Cup – Vincent Richards". International Tennis Federation (ITF). Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  8. "U.S. Pro Championships". www.tennis.co.nf.
  9. "Tennis Hall of Fame – Player Profile Vinnie Richards". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  10. "Vincent Richards, Class of 1920". www.fordhamprep.org. Fordham Prep.
  11. "Milestones: Feb. 11, 1924". Time. February 11, 1924.
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