Richard Sears (tennis)

Richard Sears

Full name	Richard Dudley Sears
Country (sports)	United States
Born	October 26, 1861 Boston, MA, US
Died	April 8, 1943 (aged 81) Boston, MA, US
Turned pro	1880 (amateur tour)
Retired	1888
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1955 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 5 (1887, Karoly Mazak)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon	1R (1884)
US Open	W (1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
US Open	W (1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887)

Richard Dudley "Dick" Sears (October 26, 1861 – April 8, 1943) – was an American tennis player, who won the US Open singles in its first seven years, from 1881-87, and the doubles for six years from 1882-87, after which he retired from tennis.

Early life

He was the son of Frederic Richard Sears and Albertina Homer Shelton. His brothers Philip and Herbert were also tennis players.

Tennis career

Sears learned to play tennis in 1879.^[2] He was undefeated in the U.S. Championships, he won the first of his seven consecutive titles in 1881 while still a student at Harvard. In those days the previous year's winner had an automatic place in the final. Starting in the 1881 first round, he went on an 18-match unbeaten streak 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). During his first three championships Sears did not lose a single set. Sears was the first 19-year-old to win in the U.S., slightly older than Oliver Campbell was in 1890 and the youngest winner ever, Pete Sampras, in 1990.

Sears was the first U.S. No. 1 in the USLTA rankings, when they began in 1885 and retained the ranking in 1886 and 1887.^[3] He was ranked World No. 5 for 1887 by Karoly Mazak.^[1]

After giving up playing lawn tennis, Sears won the U.S. Court Tennis singles title in 1892 and went on to serve as USTA President in 1887 and 1888.

Personal life

Sears married Eleanor M. Cochrane on November 24, 1891 and they had two children, Richard Dudley Sears, Jr. and Miriam Sears.

He died on April 8, 1943.

His grandson was the Massachusetts politician John W. Sears.

Legacy

Sears was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1955, where his cousin Eleonora Sears also has a place.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (7 titles)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Opponent	Score
Winner	1881	U.S. Championships	William E. Glyn	6–0, 6–3, 6–2
Winner	1882	U.S. Championships (2)	Clarence Clark	6–1, 6–4, 6–0
Winner	1883	U.S. Championships (3)	James Dwight	6–2, 6–0, 9–7
Winner	1884	U.S. Championships (4)	Howard Taylor	6–0, 1–6, 6–0, 6–2
Winner	1885	U.S. Championships (5)	Godfrey Brinley	6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3
Winner	1886	U.S. Championships (6)	R. Livingston Beeckman	4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
Winner	1887	U.S. Championships (7)	Henry Slocum	6–1, 6–3, 6–2

Doubles (6 titles)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1882	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Crawford Nightingale G M Smith	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
Winner	1883	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Alexander Van Rensselaer Arthur Newbold	6–0, 6–2, 6–2
Winner	1884	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Alexander Van Rensselaer W.V.R. Berry	6–4, 6–1, 8–10, 6–4
Winner	1885	U.S. Championships	Joseph Clark	Henry Slocum Wallace P. Knapp	6–3, 6–0, 6–2
Winner	1886	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Howard Taylor Godfrey Brinley	6–3, 6–0, 6–2
Winner	1887	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Howard Taylor Henry Slocum	6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3

References

1. Mazak, Karoly (2010). The Concise History of Tennis, p. 15.
2. Hall, Valentine G. (1889). Lawn tennis in America. New York: D. W. Granbery & Co. p. 1. OCLC 15175498.
3. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 407.

External links

• Richard Sears at the International Tennis Hall of Fame