Bill Talbert

Bill Talbert

Full name	William Franklin Talbert
Country (sports)	United States
Born	September 4, 1918 Cincinnati, OH
Died	February 28, 1999 (aged 80) New York, NY
Plays	Right-handed
Int. Tennis HoF	1967 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 3 (1949, John Olliff)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	2R (1947)
French Open	SF (1950)
Wimbledon	QF (1950)
US Open	F (1944, 1945)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1947, 1954)
French Open	W (1950)
US Open	W (1942, 1945, 1946, 1948)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open	F (1950)
US Open	W (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946)

William Franklin "Billy" Talbert (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 1999) was an American tennis player and administrator.^[2]

Tennis career

He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 13 times between 1941 and 1954, and was ranked World No. 3 in 1949 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph.^[1] 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 his favorite partner, Gardnar Mulloy. He also was a Davis Cup player and one of the most successful Davis Cup captains in U.S. history.

Talbert was a Type 1 diabetic, one of the few known to be in sports at a highly competitive level, and for many years was held up as an example of how this disease could be surmounted.^[3]

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Talbert still holds records at the Cincinnati Masters in his hometown. His records are for most doubles titles (six), most total finals appearances (14), and most singles finals appearances (seven). He won three singles titles (in 1943, '45 & '47), and his six doubles titles came in 1943, '44, '45, '47, '51 & '54.

Talbert also won the singles title at the U.S. Clay Court Championship in 1945 and was a finalist in 1946 and '43. Before starting out on the international tour, he played for the University of Cincinnati and won an Ohio State singles title in 1936 while at Cincinnati's Hughes High School.

Talbert was enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967 and was in the first class, along with his former protégé Tony Trabert, enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Barry MacKay, another protégé, was inducted into the same Hall of Fame in 2003. After his playing career, he wrote tennis books, including the best seller The Game of Doubles in Tennis with Bruce Old in 1977, served as a tennis commentator for NBC Sports, and was Tournament Director of the US Open.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Parker	4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6
Runner-up	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Frank Parker	12–14, 1–6, 2–6

Doubles (5 titles, 5 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1942	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Ted Schroeder Sidney Wood	9–7, 7–5, 6–1
Runner-up	1943	U.S. Championships	Grass	David Freeman	Jack Kramer Frank Parker	2–6, 4–6, 4–6
Runner-up	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Pancho Segura	Don McNeill Bob Falkenburg	5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 1–6
Winner	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Bob Falkenburg Jack Tuero	12–10, 8–10, 12–10, 6–2
Winner	1946	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Don McNeill Frank Guernsey	3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3, 20–18
Runner-up	1947	U.S. Championships	Grass	Bill Sidwell	Jack Kramer Ted Schroeder	4–6, 5–7, 3–6
Winner	1948	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Frank Parker Ted Schroeder	1–6, 9–7, 6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Winner	1950	French Championships	Clay	Tony Trabert	Jaroslav Drobný Eric Sturgess	6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2
Runner-up	1950	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	John Bromwich Frank Sedgman	5–7, 6–8, 6–3, 1–6
Runner-up	1953	U.S. Championships	Grass	Gardnar Mulloy	Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose	4–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6

Mixed Doubles (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1943	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Pauline Betz Pancho Segura	10–6, 6–4
Winner	1944	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Dorothy Bundy Don McNeill	6–2, 6–3
Winner	1945	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Doris Hart Bob Falkenberg	6–4, 6–4
Winner	1946	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne	Louise Brough Clapp Robert Kimbrell	6–3, 6–4
Runner-up	1948	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne duPont	Louise Brough Clapp Tom Brown	4–6, 4–6
Runner-up	1949	U.S. Championships	Grass	Margaret Osborne duPont	Louise Brough Clapp Eric Sturgess	6–4, 3–6, 5–7
Runner-up	1950	French Championships	Clay	Patricia Canning Todd	Barbara Scofield Enrique Morea	w.o.

References

1. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 426.
2. "Bill Talbert, Tennis Champion, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. March 2, 1999.
3. William F. Talbert; John Sharnik (May 4, 1959). "What Price Independence?". Sports Illustrated. pp. 5–10.

External links

• Bill Talbert at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Bill Talbert at the Davis Cup
• Bill Talbert at the International Tennis Federation