Richard Dudley "Dick" Sears (b. October 16, 1861 d. April 8, 1943 both in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

) – was an American male 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...

 player. He was the son of Frederic Richard Sears and Albertina Homer Shelton. He married Eleanor M Cochrane on Nov 24, 1891 and they had Richard Dudley Sears, Jr. and Miriam Sears.

Sears was undefeated in the U.S. Championships

U.S. Open (tennis)

The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...

, he won the first of his seven consecutive titles (the all-time record, although in those days the previous year's winner had an automatic place in the final) there in 1881 while still a student at Harvard. Starting in the 1881 first round, he went on an 18-match unbeaten streak at that would take him through the 1887 championships, after which he retired from the game. Not until 1921 was his 18-match unbeaten run overtaken (by Bill Tilden

Bill Tilden

William Tatem Tilden II , nicknamed "Big Bill," is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. An American tennis player who was the World No. 1 player for seven years, he won 14 Majors including ten Grand Slams and four Pro Slams. Bill Tilden dominated the world of...

). During his first three championships, Sears did not even lose a single set, never mind a match. Sears was the first 19-year old to win in the U.S., slightly older than Oliver Campbell

Oliver Campbell

Oliver Edward Michael Campbell was an American male tennis player....

 was in 1890 and the youngest winner ever, Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....

, in 1990.

After giving up playing lawn tennis, Sears won the U.S. Court Tennis singles title in 1892 and went on to serve as USTA

United States Tennis Association

The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...

 President in 1887 and 1888.

Sears 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 1955, where his cousin Eleonora Sears also has a place.

U.S. championships

U.S. Open (tennis)

The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...

• Singles champion: 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
• Doubles champion: 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887

Wins (7)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1881	U.S. Championships	William E. Glyn William Glyn William E. Glyn was an American male tennis player.William Glyn from the Staten Island Cricket and B.B. Club was a finalist in the first U.S. National Championships held in 1881 at the Newport Lawn Tennis Club in Newport, Rhode Island. En route to the final, he defeated Mr. Rives, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1;...	6–0, 6–3, 6–2
1882	U.S. Championships (2)	Clarence Clark Clarence Clark Clarence Munroe Clark was an American tennis player active near the end of the 19th century.-Biography:Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, he was part of a distinguished family from Philadelphia. In 1881, he became the first secretary of the recently-formed United States Lawn Tennis Association...	6–1, 6–4, 6–0
1883	U.S. Championships (3)	James Dwight James Dwight (tennis) James Dwight was a former American tennis player.Sometimes called the "Founding Father of American Tennis," James Dwight won the first recorded tournament in the U. S...	6–2, 6–0, 9–7
1884	U.S. Championships (4)	Howard Taylor	6–0, 1–6, 6–0, 6–2
1885	U.S. Championships (5)	Godfrey Brinley	6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3
1886	U.S. Championships (6)	R. Livingston Beeckman	4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
1887	U.S. Championships (7)	Henry Slocum Henry Slocum (tennis player) Henry Warner Slocum, Jr. was an American male tennis player. He was the son of the American politician and Union general Henry Warner Slocum....	6–1, 6–3, 6–2

External links

• International Tennis Hall of Fame