József Asbóth
| Country | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 September 1917 Szombathely, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 22 September 1986 (aged 69) München, West Germany |
| Turned pro | 1939 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1957 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (1948, John Olliff) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | W (1947) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1948) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | SF (1947) |
József Asbóth (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈjoːʒɛf ɒʃboːt]; Hungarian: Asbóth József; September 18, 1917, Szombathely - September 22, 1986) was a Hungarian male tennis player. Born in a family of railway workers,[1] he is best remembered for being the first Hungarian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the 1947 French Open (where he was seeded fifth).[2] Asbóth also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1948.[3] Hungary's Communist government had let him leave the country only after the personal warrant of the Swedish King Gustaf V that Asbóth would return to his homeland and wasn't going to emigrate.[1] In 1941, he was a member of the Hungarian team that won the Central European Cup. Asbóth was ranked World No. 8 by John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph in 1948 (and No. 9 in 1947).
His Davis Cup record was 24 wins and 17 losses and he won the Hungarian National Tennis Championships 13 times.[4]
After his career, he became responsible for the next generation of tennis players at the Belgian Tennis Federation. He later became a trainer in Munich.
In 1993 a street was named after Asbóth in Szombathely, the city where he was born.[5]
Grand Slam singles finals [edit]
Wins (1) [edit]
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1947 | French Open |  Eric Sturgess |
8–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
References [edit]
- ^ a b Lass, Gábor (2011-06-29). "A magyar tenisz végvára" [Last resort of Hungarian tennis]. demokrata.hu (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Demokrata. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ "Men's Grand Slam Title Winners". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ "Asbóth József" (in Hungarian). Hungarian Biographical Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ Árvay, Sándor (2009. 01. 05.). "Bajnokaink" [Our champions] (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Tenisz Szövetség [Hungarian Tennis Association]. Retrieved December 07, 2010.
- ^ "Asbóth József" (in Hungarian). Webpage of the city of Szombathely, Hungary. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
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