Doris Hart

Doris Hart

Hart in 1953
Country (sports)  United States
Born (1925-06-20)June 20, 1925
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died May 29, 2015(2015-05-29) (aged 89)
Coral Gables, Florida, United States
Retired 1955 (but played at the 1969 US Open)
Int. Tennis HoF 1969 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking No. 1 (1951)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open W (1949)
French Open W (1950, 1952)
Wimbledon W (1951)
US Open W (1954, 1955)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (1950)
French Open W (1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)
Wimbledon W (1947, 1951, 1952, 1953)
US Open W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open W (1949, 1950)
French Open W (1951, 1952, 1953)
Wimbledon W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955)
US Open W (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955)

Doris Hart (June 20, 1925 – May 29, 2015) was a World No. 1 American tennis player who was active in the 1940s and first half of the 1950s and was ranked No. 1 in 1951. She won a Career Grand Slam in singles and is one of three players to have a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles—every possible title (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) from all four Grand Slam events.

Tennis career

As a child, Hart suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg. She started playing tennis when she was 10 years old, greatly encouraged by her brother Bud.[1]

Hart's first Grand Slam title was in women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1947, when she was still a student at the University of Miami.[2][3] Her first Grand Slam singles title came at the 1949 Australian Championships. She also won singles titles at the French Championships in 1950 and 1952, Wimbledon in 1951, and the U.S. Championships in 1954 and 1955.[2][4] In 1951, she beat her long-time doubles partner, Shirley Fry Irvin, in the Wimbledon final.[2] Hart is the first person to complete the career boxed set.[5]

In 1951, Hart won the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles championships at Wimbledon, playing the finals of all three events on the same day (Saturday 7 July 1951).[2] She also won the "triple crown" at the French Championships in 1952 and the U.S. Championships in 1954.[6]

During her Wightman Cup career from 1946 through 1955, Hart was a perfect 14–0 in singles matches and 8–1 in doubles matches.[1] Hart won 35 Grand Slam titles during her career, tying with Brough Clapp for fifth on the all-time list.[5] Six of her titles were in women's singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 15 in mixed doubles.[1] Hart is one of three players, all women, to have a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles—every possible title (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) from all four Grand Slam events. The others are Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova.[1] Hart won nine consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles titles from 1951 through 1953, with her streak of 43 consecutive match wins in Grand Slam women's doubles tournaments finally ending in the 1954 Wimbledon final. Hart was the champion of the last Grand Slam singles tournament she played, the 1955 U.S. Championships.[4] Hart published an autobiography in 1955, Tennis with Hart.[6]

According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Hart was ranked in the world top ten from 1946 through 1955 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings in 1951.[7] Hart was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1942 through 1955. She was the top ranked U.S. player in 1954 and 1955.[8]

Hart retired from the tour in 1955 to become a tennis teaching professional. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969. She died on May 29, 2015 at her home in Coral Gables, Florida, aged 89.[9]

Grand Slam record

Grand Slam finals

Singles (6 titles, 12 runners-up)

Outcome Year Championship Opponent in final Score in final
Runner-up 1946 U.S. Championships United States Pauline Betz Addie 9–11, 3–6
Runner-up 1947 Wimbledon United States Margaret Osborne duPont 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up 1947 French Championships United States Pat Canning Todd 3–6, 6–3, 4–6
Runner-up 1948 Wimbledon United States Louise Brough Clapp 3–6, 6–8
Winner 1949 Australian Championships Australia Nancye Wynne Bolton 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 1949 U.S. Championships United States Margaret Osborne duPont 3–6, 1–6
Runner-up 1950 Australian Championships United States Louise Brough Clapp 4–6, 6–3, 4–6
Winner 1950 French Championships United States Pat Canning Todd 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Runner-up 1950 U.S. Championships United States Margaret Osborne duPont 4–6, 3–6
Runner-up 1951 French Championships United States Shirley Fry Irvin 3–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner 1951 Wimbledon United States Shirley Fry Irvin 6–1, 6–0
Winner 1952 French Championships (2) United States Shirley Fry Irvin 6–4, 6–4
Runner-up 1952 U.S. Championships United States Maureen Connolly 3–6, 5–7
Runner-up 1953 French Championships United States Maureen Connolly 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up 1953 Wimbledon United States Maureen Connolly 6–8, 5–7
Runner-up 1953 U.S. Championships United States Maureen Connolly 2–6, 4–6
Winner 1954 U.S. Championships United States Louise Brough Clapp 6–8, 6–1, 8–6
Winner 1955 U.S. Championships (2) United Kingdom Patricia Ward 6–4, 6–2

Grand Slam tournament timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF R# RR Q# A NH
(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; or (NH) tournament not held.

Singles

Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 19461 19471 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 Career SR
Australian Championships A NH NH NH NH NH A A A W F A A A A A 1 / 2
French Championships NH R R R R A QF F SF A W F W F A A 2 / 7
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH NH QF F F A SF W QF F SF SF 1 / 9
U.S. Championships 2R 1R QF SF QF SF F SF QF F F SF F F W W 2 / 16
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 1 / 2 1 / 4 1 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 3 1 / 2 1 / 2 6 / 34

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

Women's doubles

Tournament 1942 1943 1944 1945 19461 19471 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956– 1967 1968 1969 Career SR
Australian Championships NH NH NH NH A A A F W A A A A A A A A 1 / 2
French Championships R R R A F F W A W W W W A A A A A 5 / 7
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH F W F A F W W W F 2R A 2R A 4 / 10
U.S. Championships F F F F SF F F F F W W W W F A A 1R 4 / 15
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 1 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 2 2 / 4 3 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 1 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 14 / 34

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

Mixed doubles

Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 19461 19471 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956–1968 1969 Career SR
Australian Championships A NH NH NH NH NH A A A W W A A A A A A A 2 / 2
French Championships NH R R R R A 2R ? F A ? W W W A A A A 3 / ?
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH NH 4R SF F A SF W W W W W A A 5 / 9
U.S. Championships ? ? ? 1R QF F QF 1R SF QF F W W W W W A QF 5 / ?
SR 0 / ? 0 / ? 0 / ? 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / ? 1 / ? 0 / ? 1 / 2 1 / ? 3 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 2 / 2 2 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 1 15 / ?

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Litsky, Frank (May 31, 2015). "Doris Hart, Tennis Standout Despite Physical Limitations, Dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Evans, Richard (May 31, 2015). "Doris Hart obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ Kleinberg, Howard (2013). Legendary Locals of Greater Miami. Arcadia Publishing. p. 56.
  4. 1 2 Associated Press (May 30, 2015). "Tennis Career Grand Slam Winner Doris Hart Dies at 89". ABC News. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Reuters (May 30, 2015). "Grand Slam tennis champ Doris Hart of U.S. dies at 89". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Doris Hart, tennis champion – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702–3. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
  8. ↑ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. pp. 260–1.
  9. ↑ "Tennis career Grand Slam winner Doris Hart dies at 89". Sports Illustrated. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.

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