Jaroslav Drobný
Encyclopedia
Jaroslav Drobný (12 October 1921 in Prague
, Czechoslovakia
– 13 September 2001 in London
, United Kingdom
) was an amateur tennis
champion as well as being an ice hockey
player for the Czechoslovakia
n national team. He left Czechoslovakia in 1949 and travelled as an Egypt
ian citizen before becoming a citizen of Great Britain
in 1959, where he died in 2001.
He was a silver medalist with the Czechoslovakian ice hockey team in the 1948 Olympics
. In the final match, Czechoslovakia and Canada tied goalless but Canada won the gold medal due to a better overall goal average. Drobný scored 9 goals in 8 games at the Olympics. Jaroslav Drobný was also a member of the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team which won the gold medals at the 1947 World Ice Hockey Championships
in Prague. He scored 15 goals in 7 games in the tournament including a hat-trick in the decisive victory over USA which gave his country its first ever World Championships title. In 1997, Drobný has been inducted in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/history/the-iihf/iihf-hall-of-fame.html.
Drobný could have become the first ever European player to start in the National Hockey League
when the Boston Bruins
put him on their reserve in 1949. Apparently, he was offered $20,000 to come over to play for Boston but he has refused, preferring to remain playing amateur hockey and retain the flexibility to play tennis during the summers. The first European to play in the NHL eventually became Ulf Sterner
from Sweden
when he started for the New York Rangers
for the first time on 27 January 1965.
As a tennis player, Drobný was good enough as early as 1946 to be able to beat Jack Kramer
in the round of 16 at Wimbledon before losing in the semi-finals. In 1951 and 1952 he won the French Open, defeating in the final Eric Sturgess
and then retaining the title the following year against Frank Sedgman
. Drobný was the losing finalist at Wimbledon in both 1949 and 1952 before finally winning it in 1954 by beating Ken Rosewall
for the title, the first left-hander to capture Wimbledon since Sir Norman Brookes
. He has also won the French Open doubles title in 1948, playing with Lennart Bergelin
, and he won the mixed doubles title paired with Patricia Canning Todd at 1948 French Open. Drobný was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
in Newport, Rhode Island
in 1983. He's the only person to win the rare combination of Wimbledon in tennis and a world championship title in ice hockey.
Drobný held the distinction of having competed at Wimbledon under four different national identities. In 1938, at the age of 16, he started for his native Czechoslovakia. A year later, following the German invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia, he was officially representing the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
. After World World II, he started at Wimbledon yet again as Czechoslovakian but he has chosen to defect the communist regime in 1949 - he has left Czechoslovakia for good on 11 July 1949.
Becoming stateless, Drobný attempted to gain Swiss, US, and Australian papers until finally Egypt offered him citizenship and so he started in Wimbledon for Egypt from 1950 through 1959, including his title winning run in 1954. He is the only Egyptian citizen to ever win a grand slam tennis tournament. At the time of his Wimbledon win in 1954, Drobný was already living in the United Kingdom but only in his final appearance at Wimbledon in 1960, at the age of 38, he was representing his new homeland, Great Britain.
During his amateur career, Drobný won over 130 singles titles, and was world ranked in the top 10 from 1946-55.
After the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
, Drobný was increasingly dissatisfied with the way the communist propaganda used him for its purposes. At the time, he was Czechoslovakia's most renowned athlete together with the phenomenal long-distance runner Emil Zátopek
. Increasingly, it was becoming apparent to Drobný that he was no longer free to travel freely to tournaments and he grew dissatisfied with the new regime. That has ultimately escalated in his defection from his native land.
Drobný has defected Czechoslovakia together with a fellow Czech Davis Cup player Vladimír Černík while playing at a tennis tournament in Gstaad
, Switzerland
in the Summer of 1949. Drobný and Černík were the core of the Czechoslovakian Davis Cup team. Twice, the two of them had carried their country to the Davis Cup semifinals, losing to Australia in 1947 and in 1948.
In total, Drobný started in Wimbledon 17 times, always sporting his trademark tinted prescription glasses as an old hockey injury affected his eyesight. Drobný is the only male tennis player who ever won Wimbledon singles title while wearing glasses. Billie-Jean King and Martina Navratilova are the only female Wimbledon champions wearing glasses. Arthur Ashe
who was known for playing with spectacles had switched to contact lenses by the time he won Wimbledon in 1975.
In 1955, Jaroslav Drobný published his autobiography titled Champion in Exile. He was married to Rita Anderson Jarvis, onetime English tournament player. He died in Tooting
, London
.
French Championships
Wimbledon
wrote a poem called Wimbledon which addresses Drobný.
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
– 13 September 2001 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) was an amateur tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
champion as well as being an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player for the Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n national team. He left Czechoslovakia in 1949 and travelled as an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian citizen before becoming a citizen of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1959, where he died in 2001.
He was a silver medalist with the Czechoslovakian ice hockey team in the 1948 Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics
In Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics, Team Canada returned to its dominance, winning their fourth Gold Medal out of the first five Olympic Games.-Rival United States teams:...
. In the final match, Czechoslovakia and Canada tied goalless but Canada won the gold medal due to a better overall goal average. Drobný scored 9 goals in 8 games at the Olympics. Jaroslav Drobný was also a member of the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team which won the gold medals at the 1947 World Ice Hockey Championships
1947 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 14th Ice Hockey World Championship and 25th European Championship was the first after the Second World War. It was held from 15 to 23 February 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Eight teams participated, but the competition was notably missing the reigning world champion, Canada. The world...
in Prague. He scored 15 goals in 7 games in the tournament including a hat-trick in the decisive victory over USA which gave his country its first ever World Championships title. In 1997, Drobný has been inducted in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/history/the-iihf/iihf-hall-of-fame.html.
Drobný could have become the first ever European player to start in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
when the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
put him on their reserve in 1949. Apparently, he was offered $20,000 to come over to play for Boston but he has refused, preferring to remain playing amateur hockey and retain the flexibility to play tennis during the summers. The first European to play in the NHL eventually became Ulf Sterner
Ulf Sterner
Ulf Ivar Erik "Uffe" Sterner is a Swedish retired ice hockey forward. He played in nine IIHF World Championships for Sweden, where the team won seven medals: one gold, five silver, and one bronze. He was also a member of the silver medal team at the 1964 Winter Olympics...
from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
when he started for the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
for the first time on 27 January 1965.
As a tennis player, Drobný was good enough as early as 1946 to be able to beat Jack Kramer
Jack Kramer (tennis player)
John Albert Kramer was an American tennis player of the 1940s. A World Number 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time. He was considered the father and the leading promoter of the professional tennis tours...
in the round of 16 at Wimbledon before losing in the semi-finals. In 1951 and 1952 he won the French Open, defeating in the final Eric Sturgess
Eric Sturgess
Eric William Sturgess was a South African male tennis player. Eric Sturgess attended Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg...
and then retaining the title the following year against Frank Sedgman
Frank Sedgman
Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21...
. Drobný was the losing finalist at Wimbledon in both 1949 and 1952 before finally winning it in 1954 by beating Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
for the title, the first left-hander to capture Wimbledon since Sir Norman Brookes
Norman Brookes
Brookes was also an Australian rules footballer in his youth, playing two matches for Victorian Football League club St Kilda Football Club in 1898, kicking two goals.-Honours:Norman Brookes was knighted "in recognition of service to public service" in 1939...
. He has also won the French Open doubles title in 1948, playing with Lennart Bergelin
Lennart Bergelin
Lennart Bergelin was a Swedish tennis player and coach. As a player, for AIK, Bergelin won nine Swedish championship singles titles between 1945 and 1955, and the French Open doubles title in 1948. Bergelin is best known for his work with Björn Borg, whom he trained between 1971 and 1983, helping...
, and he won the mixed doubles title paired with Patricia Canning Todd at 1948 French Open. Drobný was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
in 1983. He's the only person to win the rare combination of Wimbledon in tennis and a world championship title in ice hockey.
Drobný held the distinction of having competed at Wimbledon under four different national identities. In 1938, at the age of 16, he started for his native Czechoslovakia. A year later, following the German invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia, he was officially representing the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
. After World World II, he started at Wimbledon yet again as Czechoslovakian but he has chosen to defect the communist regime in 1949 - he has left Czechoslovakia for good on 11 July 1949.
Becoming stateless, Drobný attempted to gain Swiss, US, and Australian papers until finally Egypt offered him citizenship and so he started in Wimbledon for Egypt from 1950 through 1959, including his title winning run in 1954. He is the only Egyptian citizen to ever win a grand slam tennis tournament. At the time of his Wimbledon win in 1954, Drobný was already living in the United Kingdom but only in his final appearance at Wimbledon in 1960, at the age of 38, he was representing his new homeland, Great Britain.
During his amateur career, Drobný won over 130 singles titles, and was world ranked in the top 10 from 1946-55.
After the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
, Drobný was increasingly dissatisfied with the way the communist propaganda used him for its purposes. At the time, he was Czechoslovakia's most renowned athlete together with the phenomenal long-distance runner Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...
. Increasingly, it was becoming apparent to Drobný that he was no longer free to travel freely to tournaments and he grew dissatisfied with the new regime. That has ultimately escalated in his defection from his native land.
Drobný has defected Czechoslovakia together with a fellow Czech Davis Cup player Vladimír Černík while playing at a tennis tournament in Gstaad
Gstaad
Gstaad is a village in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Berne in southwestern Switzerland. Part of the municipality of Saanen, Gstaad is known as one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the world....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the Summer of 1949. Drobný and Černík were the core of the Czechoslovakian Davis Cup team. Twice, the two of them had carried their country to the Davis Cup semifinals, losing to Australia in 1947 and in 1948.
In total, Drobný started in Wimbledon 17 times, always sporting his trademark tinted prescription glasses as an old hockey injury affected his eyesight. Drobný is the only male tennis player who ever won Wimbledon singles title while wearing glasses. Billie-Jean King and Martina Navratilova are the only female Wimbledon champions wearing glasses. Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
who was known for playing with spectacles had switched to contact lenses by the time he won Wimbledon in 1975.
In 1955, Jaroslav Drobný published his autobiography titled Champion in Exile. He was married to Rita Anderson Jarvis, onetime English tournament player. He died in Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Grand Slam record
Australian ChampionshipsAustralian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
- Men's Doubles runner-up: 1950
French Championships
- Singles champion: 1951, 1952
- Singles runner-up: 1946, 1948, 1950
- Men's Doubles champion: 1948
- Men's Doubles runner-up: 1950
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1948
Wimbledon
- Singles champion: 1954
- Singles runner-up: 1949, 1952
- Men's Doubles runner-up: 1951
Singles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1946 | French Championships | Clay |  Early Modern France Marcel BernardMarcel Bernard Marcel Bernard was a former French male tennis player. He is best remembered for having won the French Championships in 1946. He defeated Jaroslav Drobný in the finals by the score of 3-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.In the same French Open , Bernard also won the Men's Doubles with Yvon Petra... |
3–6, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 1948 | French Championships | Clay |  United States Frank ParkerFrank Parker ----Frank "Frankie" Andrew Parker was an American male tennis player. He was coached by Mercer Beasley.... |
6–4, 7–5, 5–7, 8–6 |
| Runner-up | 1949 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
Grass | United States Ted Schroeder Ted Schroeder Frederick Rudolph "Ted" Schroeder was an American tennis player who won the two most prestigious amateur tennis titles, Wimbledon and the U.S. National. He was the No. 1-ranked American player in 1942 and the No. 2 for 4 consecutive years, 1946 through 1949... |
3–6, 6–0, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1950 | French Championships | Clay | United States Budge Patty Budge Patty John "Budge" Edward Patty was an American male tennis player. He was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States.1950 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles... |
6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 5–7, 7–5 |
| Winner | 1951 | French Championships | Clay |  South Africa Eric SturgessEric Sturgess Eric William Sturgess was a South African male tennis player. Eric Sturgess attended Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg... |
6–3, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1952 | French Championships (2) | Clay |  Australia Frank SedgmanFrank Sedgman Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21... |
6–2, 6–0, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1952 | Wimbledon | Grass | Australia Frank Sedgman |
4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1954 | Wimbledon | Grass | Australia Ken Rosewall Ken Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam... |
13–11, 4–6, 6–2, 9–7 |
Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1948 | French Championships | Clay |  Lennart BergelinLennart Bergelin Lennart Bergelin was a Swedish tennis player and coach. As a player, for AIK, Bergelin won nine Swedish championship singles titles between 1945 and 1955, and the French Open doubles title in 1948. Bergelin is best known for his work with Björn Borg, whom he trained between 1971 and 1983, helping... |
Harry Hopman Harry Hopman Henry Christian Hopman, CBE was a world-acclaimed Australian-American tennis player and coach, born in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, and soon moving to Parramatta, a city adjoining Sydney and now effectively a suburb of the metropolis.Hopman was a student at Rosehill Public Primary school... Frank SedgmanFrank Sedgman Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21... |
8–6, 6–1, 12–10 |
| Runner-up | 1950 | French Championships | Clay |  Bill TalbertBill Talbert William Franklin "Billy" Talbert was an American tennis player and administrator.He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 13 times between 1941 & 1954. 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 favorite... |
Tony Trabert Tony Trabert Marion Anthony Trabert is a retired American tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker... Eric SturgessEric Sturgess Eric William Sturgess was a South African male tennis player. Eric Sturgess attended Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg... |
6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1950 | Australian Championships Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
Grass | Eric Sturgess Eric Sturgess Eric William Sturgess was a South African male tennis player. Eric Sturgess attended Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg... |
John Bromwich John Bromwich John Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed forehand.... Adrian QuistAdrian Quist Adrian Karl Quist was an Australian male tennis player.-Biography:Adrian Quist was born in Medindie, South Australia. The tennis legend grew up in Adelaide and once played Harry Hopman, however he lost, only because he gave Hopman a head start... |
6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6 |
| Runner-up | 1951 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
Grass | Eric Sturgess Eric Sturgess Eric William Sturgess was a South African male tennis player. Eric Sturgess attended Parktown Boys' High School in Johannesburg... |
Ken McGregor Ken McGregor Kenneth Bruce McGregor was a former tennis player from Australia who won the Men's Singles title at the Australian Championships in 1952. He and his longtime doubles partner, Frank Sedgman, are generally considered to be one of the greatest men's doubles teams of all time... Frank SedgmanFrank Sedgman Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21... |
3–6, 6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
Mixed Doubles: 1 (1 title)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1948 | French Championships | Clay | Patricia Canning Todd |
Doris Hart Doris Hart Doris Hart is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg... Frank SedgmanFrank Sedgman Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21... |
6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
In popular culture
Ivan BlatnýIvan Blatný
Ivan Blatný was a Czech poet, member of Skupina 42 .-Life:...
wrote a poem called Wimbledon which addresses Drobný.