Francis Hunter
Francis "Frank" Townsend Hunter (June 28, 1894 – December 2, 1981) was an American tennis player who won an Olympic gold medal.[3] He won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.
Francis Hunter (left) with Daniel Prenn, 1929 | |||||||||
| Full name | Francis Townsend Hunter | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States | ||||||||
| Born | June 28, 1894 New York, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | December 2, 1981 (aged 87) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Turned pro | 1931 (amateur tour from 1915) | ||||||||
| Retired | 1944 | ||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) | ||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1961 (member page) | ||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||
| Career record | 480-152 (75.9%) [1] | ||||||||
| Career titles | 24 [1] | ||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1929, A. Wallis Myers)[2] | ||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||
| French Open | QF (1929) | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1923) | ||||||||
| US Open | F (1928, 1929) | ||||||||
| Professional majors | |||||||||
| US Pro | F (1933) | ||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||
| Career record | no value | ||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1924, 1927) | ||||||||
| US Open | W (1927) | ||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||
| French Open | F (1928, 1929) | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1927, 1929) | ||||||||
Medal record
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Early and personal life
Hunter graduated from Cornell University in 1916, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society and the ice hockey team.
During WWI he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and served on Admiral Beatty's flagship of the British Royal Navy.[4] He later wrote a book about his experiences with the Admiral.
Hunter was the second husband of the actress Lisette Verea in 1954.[5]
Hunter was later successful in the coal and printing industries.
Tennis career
Hunter won the U.S. National Indoor Championships in 1922 and again in 1930 and the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1919.
Hunter was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1923 (where he beat Gordon Lowe, then lost to Bill Johnston).[6]
Hunter won a gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics, in the men's doubles event with partner Vincent Richards.
He won the Scheveningen Championships on red clay in the Netherlands in 1928 defeating Hendrik Timmer in the semifinal in four sets and Jean Borotra in the final in three straight sets.
Hunter reached the U.S. championships singles final in 1928 (where he beat Jack Crawford and George Lott, then lost to Henri Cochet in five sets).[7]
He reached his third Grand Slam singles final at the U.S. championships in 1929 where he beat R. Norris Williams, losing the final in five sets to Bill Tilden.[7]
He was ranked World No. 4 in 1929 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and World No. 5 in another Myers list in September the same year.[2][8]
Hunter won the Brooklyn Indoor Championships in 1930 defeating J. Gilbert Hall in the semifinal.
Hunter turned professional in mid January 1931 joining Bill Tilden.[9] He reached the final of the U.S. Pro Championships in 1933 where he lost to Vincent Richards.[10] As well as playing on the pro tour, Hunter was also a promoter, including promoting the first Perry-Vines tour in 1937 with S. Howard Voshell.[11]
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 3 runners-up
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1923 | Wimbledon | Grass | Bill Johnston | 0–6, 3–6, 1–6 | [12] |
| Loss | 1928 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Henri Cochet | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 3–6 | [13] |
| Loss | 1929 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6 | [13] |
Doubles: 3 titles
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1924 | Wimbledon | Grass | Vincent Richards | Watson Washburn R. Norris Williams | 6−3, 3−6, 8−10, 8−6, 6−3 | [14] |
| Win | 1927 | Wimbledon | Grass | Bill Tilden | Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet | 1–6, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3, 6–4 | [14] |
| Win | 1927 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Bill Tilden | R. Norris Williams Bill Johnston | 10–8, 6–3, 6–3 | [15] |
Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1927 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elizabeth Ryan | Kathleen McKane Godfree Leslie Godfree | 8–6, 6–0 | [16] |
| Loss | 1928 | French Championships | Clay | Helen Wills | Eileen Bennett Henri Cochet | 6–3, 3–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 1929 | French Championships | Clay | Helen Wills | Eileen Bennett Henri Cochet | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 1929 | [Wimbledon | Grass | Helen Wills | Joan Fry Ian Collins | 6–1, 6–4 | [16] |
References
- ^ a b "Frank Hunter: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ^ a b Béla Kehrling, ed. (October 10, 1929). "Wallis Meyers a világ legjobb tenniszezőiröl" [Wallis Myers about the best players in the world] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Bethlen Gábor irod. és Nyomdai Rt. I (11): 262–263. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Francis Hunter". Olympedia. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Francis Hunter". Olympedia. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Mrs. Lisette Ruegg Wed to F. T. Hunter" New York Times (June 22, 1954): 23. ProQuest 112904984
- ^ "Wimbledon 1923". www.tennis.co.nf.
- ^ a b Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. pp. 106–107. OCLC 172306.
- ^ "Tilden Ranks Fourth in London Telegraph Rankings", The Toledo News-Bee, September 19, 1929.
- ^ "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 3: Tilden's Year of Triumph: 1931". Tennis Server. March 3, 2002.
- ^ . www.tennis.co.nf. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "13 Nov 1937 - Howard Voshell Dead". Argus. November 13, 1937.
- ^ "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Singles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b . U.S. Open official website. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Gentlemen's Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ . U.S. Open official website. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Wimbledon Rolls of Honour / Mixed Doubles". Wimbledon official tournament website. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
External links
- Francis Hunter at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Francis Hunter at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Francis Hunter at the International Tennis Federation
- Francis Hunter at the Davis Cup
- at databaseOlympics.com (archived)
- Francis Hunter at Olympedia
- Francis Hunter at Olympics.com