Tony Trabert
Encyclopedia
Marion Anthony Trabert (born August 16, 1930 in Cincinnati, Ohio
) is a retired American tennis
champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer
, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Trabert in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.
, and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. In 1951, he won the NCAA Championship Singles title. He was coached by George Menefee. He was also a starter on the basketball
team. Previously, at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, he had been state singles champion three times and played guard on the 1948 basketball team that won the district championship.
Trabert honed his tennis skills on the courts of the Cincinnati Tennis Club
with the help of another member of that club, fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Billy Talbert. Talbert became Trabert's mentor. The first win Trabert posted over Talbert came in the final of Cincinnati's international tennis tournament (now known as the Cincinnati Masters
) in 1951. Both were enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Barry MacKay
was enshrined in 2003.
Trabert's record in 1955 was one of the greatest ever by an American tennis player. He won the three most prestigious tournaments in amateur tennis—the French
, Wimbledon
, and American
Championships—en route to being ranked world no. 1 among the amateurs for that year. Only Grand Slam winners Don Budge
and Rod Laver
, and in 2010 Rafael Nadal
, have ever achieved the same feat. Trabert's own chance at a Grand Slam was stopped with a loss to Ken Rosewall
in the semifinals at the Australian Championships
. Trabert won 18 tournaments in 1955, compiling a match record of 106 wins to 7 losses.
An extremely athletic right-hander who mostly played a serve and volley
game, Trabert won all of the five Grand Slam event finals he appeared in. He won the French doubles in 1950, 1954, and 1955 and also won the French singles in 1954 (becoming the last American man to win that event until Michael Chang
35 years later) and the U.S. Championships in 1953. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1953, before winning the title the following year, without losing a set (a record shared with Don Budge
, Chuck McKinley
, and Björn Borg
).
Trabert, along with Vic Seixas
, was an American Davis Cup
team mainstay during the early 1950s, during which time the Americans reached the finals 5 times, winning the cup in 1954. It was one of only two victories over the dominant Australian teams during the decade (the other being in 1958).
Having reached the top amateur ranking in 1955, Trabert turned professional in 1956. He was beaten on the head-to-head tour by the reigning king of professional tennis Pancho Gonzales
, 74-27. He beat Gonzales for the French Pro Championship in 1956, however, and beat Frank Sedgman
for the same title in 1959. He was runner-up to Sedgman in the London Indoor Pro in 1958. In the U.S. Pro Championships, he was runner-up to Alex Olmedo
in 1960.
In 2000, the USTA originated the Trabert Cup for Mens 40 and over International Competition.
and was the lead expert commentator at the US Open. The popularity of their broadcasts helped propel the US Open into an annual financial success for CBS and the U.S. Tennis Association. He was also the US Davis team Captain from 1976 to 1980. Tony's captaincy is remembered by his frustration in dealing with the egos of younger players like John McEnroe
, and for his racket-wielding explusion of an apartheid protest demonstrator during a Davis Cup match against South Africa at the Newport Beach Tennis Club in California in April 1977. He is also a tennis author and a motivation speaker.
Forty years after his matches with Gonzales, Trabert told interviewer Joe McCauley "that Gonzales' serve was the telling factor on their tour — it was so good that it earned him many cheap points. Trabert felt that, while he had the better ground-strokes, he could not match Pancho's big, fluent service."
In 2004, Trabert announced his retirement from broadcasting while commentating at the Wimbledon Championships in London.
Trabert was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
in Newport, Rhode Island
in 1970.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) is a retired American 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 and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker. In his 1979 autobiography 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...
, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Trabert in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.
Career
Trabert was a stand-out athlete in Tennis and Basketball at the University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. In 1951, he won the NCAA Championship Singles title. He was coached by George Menefee. He was also a starter on the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. Previously, at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, he had been state singles champion three times and played guard on the 1948 basketball team that won the district championship.
Trabert honed his tennis skills on the courts of the Cincinnati Tennis Club
Cincinnati Tennis Club
The Cincinnati Tennis Club was founded in 1880 just five years after tennis was introduced in America, and is today one of the oldest active tennis clubs in the United States.-History:...
with the help of another member of that club, fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Billy Talbert. Talbert became Trabert's mentor. The first win Trabert posted over Talbert came in the final of Cincinnati's international tennis tournament (now known as the Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
) in 1951. Both were enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Barry MacKay
Barry MacKay
Barry MacKay is a former American tennis player and tournament director and a current tennis broadcaster. While competing in college for the University of Michigan, he won the singles title at the 1957 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship to clinch the team title for Michigan. He was also a finalist...
was enshrined in 2003.
Trabert's record in 1955 was one of the greatest ever by an American tennis player. He won the three most prestigious tournaments in amateur tennis—the French
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
, 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...
, and American
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...
Championships—en route to being ranked world no. 1 among the amateurs for that year. Only Grand Slam winners Don Budge
Don Budge
John Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional...
and Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
, and in 2010 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, have ever achieved the same feat. Trabert's own chance at a Grand Slam was stopped with a loss to 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...
in the semifinals at the 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...
. Trabert won 18 tournaments in 1955, compiling a match record of 106 wins to 7 losses.
An extremely athletic right-hander who mostly played a serve and volley
Serve and volley
Serve and volley is a style of play in tennis where the player serving moves quickly towards the net after hitting a serve. The server then attempts to hit a volley , as opposed to the baseline style, where the server would stay back following the serve and attempt to hit a groundstroke Serve and...
game, Trabert won all of the five Grand Slam event finals he appeared in. He won the French doubles in 1950, 1954, and 1955 and also won the French singles in 1954 (becoming the last American man to win that event until Michael Chang
Michael Chang
Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
35 years later) and the U.S. Championships in 1953. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1953, before winning the title the following year, without losing a set (a record shared with Don Budge
Don Budge
John Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional...
, Chuck McKinley
Chuck McKinley
Charles Robert "Chuck" McKinley Jr. was an American men’s amateur tennis player of the 1960s. He is remembered as an undersized, hard working dynamo, whose relentless effort and competitive spirit led American tennis to the top of the sport during a period heavily dominated by Australians.McKinley...
, and Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
).
Trabert, along with Vic Seixas
Vic Seixas
Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. is an American former tennis player.Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi...
, was an American Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team mainstay during the early 1950s, during which time the Americans reached the finals 5 times, winning the cup in 1954. It was one of only two victories over the dominant Australian teams during the decade (the other being in 1958).
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...
, 74-27. He beat Gonzales for the French Pro Championship in 1956, however, and beat 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...
for the same title in 1959. He was runner-up to Sedgman in the London Indoor Pro in 1958. In the U.S. Pro Championships, he was runner-up to Alex Olmedo
Alex Olmedo
Alejandro "Alex" Rodríguez Olmedo is a former tennis player from Peru, who was ranked as the top amateur player in the world in 1959. Although born and raised in Peru, he came to Southern California and was mentored by Perry T. Jones, President of the Southern California Tennis Association at the...
in 1960.
In 2000, the USTA originated the Trabert Cup for Mens 40 and over International Competition.
Retirement
In 1971 he began a 30-year career as a tennis and golf analyst for CBS covering such events as the US Open. During many of these years he teamed with Pat SummerallPat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
and was the lead expert commentator at the US Open. The popularity of their broadcasts helped propel the US Open into an annual financial success for CBS and the U.S. Tennis Association. He was also the US Davis team Captain from 1976 to 1980. Tony's captaincy is remembered by his frustration in dealing with the egos of younger players like John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
, and for his racket-wielding explusion of an apartheid protest demonstrator during a Davis Cup match against South Africa at the Newport Beach Tennis Club in California in April 1977. He is also a tennis author and a motivation speaker.
Forty years after his matches with Gonzales, Trabert told interviewer Joe McCauley "that Gonzales' serve was the telling factor on their tour — it was so good that it earned him many cheap points. Trabert felt that, while he had the better ground-strokes, he could not match Pancho's big, fluent service."
In 2004, Trabert announced his retirement from broadcasting while commentating at the Wimbledon Championships in London.
Trabert was inducted into 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 1970.
Singles: 5 (5 titles, 0 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner (1/1) | 1953 | 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... |
Grass |  Victor SeixasVic Seixas Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. is an American former tennis player.Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi... |
6–3, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner (2/2) | 1954 | French Championships French Open (tennis) The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are... |
Clay | Arthur Larsen |
6–4, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner (3/3) | 1955 | French Championships (2) | Clay |  Sven DavidsonSven Davidson Sven Davidson was a Swedish tennis player who became the first Swede to win a Grand Slam title when he won the French Championships in 1957... |
2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner (4/4) | 1955 | 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 |  Kurt NielsenKurt Nielsen Kurt Nielsen was a Danish tennis player. He was born in Copenhagen, and is the only Danish tennis player ever to have played in a men's singles final in a Grand Slam tournament.... |
6–3, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner (5/5) | 1955 | U.S. Championships (2) | Grass |  Kenneth RosewallKen 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... |
9–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
Doubles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1950 | French Championships French Open (tennis) The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are... |
Clay | Bill Talbert Bill 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... |
 Jaroslav DrobnýJaroslav Drobný Jaroslav Drobný was an amateur tennis champion as well as being an ice hockey player for the Czechoslovakian national team...  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 |
| Winner | 1954 | French Championships | Clay | Vic Seixas Vic Seixas Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. is an American former tennis player.Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi... |
Lewis Hoad 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... |
6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1954 1954 Wimbledon Championships -Men's Singles: Jaroslav Drobný defeated Ken Rosewall 13-11 4-6 6-2 9-7-Women's Singles: Maureen Connolly Brinker defeated Louise Brough Clapp 6-2, 7-5... |
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 | Vic Seixas |
Rex Hartwig Rex Hartwig Rex Noel Hartwig was an Australian tennis player.-Wimbledon:He won the doubles in Wimbledon twice: In 1954 with Mervyn Rose and in 1955 with Lew Hoad.-Australian Championships:... Mervyn RoseMervyn Rose Mervyn Rose was an Australian male tennis player. He was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales and turned professional in 1959... |
6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1954 | 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... |
Grass | Vic Seixas |
Lewis Hoad Ken Rosewall |
3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1955 | 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 | Vic Seixas |
Lewis Hoad Ken Rosewall |
6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | Vic Seixas |
 Nicola PietrangeliNicola Pietrangeli Nicola "Nicky" Pietrangeli is a former tennis player from Italy. He is considered by many to be Italy's greatest-ever tennis champion.... Orlando SirolaOrlando Sirola Orlando Sirola was a tennis player from Italy.Sirola was born in Fiume, today the Croatian city of Rijeka. He only began playing tennis at the age of 22. Despite his late start, he achieved some notable successes.... |
6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
Sources
- The Game — My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) — Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)
- The History of Professional Tennis (2003) Joe McCauley
- Little Pancho (2009) Caroline Seebohm
- Man with a Racket (1959) The Autobiography of Pancho Gonzales, as told to Cy Rice
- Trabert Cup (2000) Mens 40 and over International Competition
- Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame (2002)