Vincent Richards

Vincent Richards

Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1903-03-20)March 20, 1903 New York, NY, USA
Died	September 28, 1959(1959-09-28) (aged 56) New York, NY, USA
Int. Tennis HoF	1959 (member page)
Singles
Career record	38–13
Highest ranking	No. 2
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	SF (1926)
Wimbledon	QF (1924)
Doubles
Career record	no value
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	W (1926)
Wimbledon	W (1924)
US Open	W (1918, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US Open	W (1919, 1924)

Olympic medal record
Men's Tennis
	1924 Paris	Singles
	1924 Paris	Doubles
	1924 Paris	Mixed doubles

Vincent "Vinnie" Richards (March 20, 1903 - September 28, 1959) was a top American tennis player in the early decades of the 20th Century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer.

Biography

Born in Yonkers, New York, he attended the Jesuit Fordham Preparatory School, attended Fordham University and studied at the Columbia University School of Journalism in 1922.

A superlative volleyer, Richards won the National Boys Outdoor Singles Tournament in 1917. He became a protégé of Bill Tilden after being defeated by the older man in a match, and teamed up with him to win the United States doubles championship in 1918 at the age of 15. He remains the youngest male to have ever won a major championship. Twenty-seven years later, in 1945, he and Tilden won the United States Pro doubles title.

The grave of Vincent Richards in Woodlawn Cemetery

Richards was one of the best singles players of the 1920s and played on several United States Davis Cup teams. He won the Silver in mixed doubles with Marion Jessup. In 1927 he was the first prominent male player to turn professional. The following year, in 1928, he was still generally considered to be one of the top 5 or 6 players in the world and played a brief tour at the end of the year against another new professional, the hitherto virtually unknown Czech player Karel Kozeluh. In spite of a number of close matches, Richards could only beat Kozeluh 5 times while losing 15. In 1929 Richards won 2 out of 7 matches against Kozeluh and in 1930 2 out of 6. At the end of 1930 he then announced his retirement from professional tennis. At the time, he had won the United States Pro Championship three times, in 1927, 1928, and 1930, beating Kozeluh in the finals in both 1928 and 1930, while losing to him in the 1929 finals. He later came out of retirement and won the Pro Championship once again in 1933, this time beating Frank Hunter.

Richards was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1959.

Grand Slam doubles finals

Titles (7)

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents	Score
1918	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Bill Tilden	Fred Alexander Beals Wright	6−3, 6−4, 3−6, 2−6, 6−2
1922	U.S. National Championships Philadelphia, USA	Bill Tilden	Watson Washburn Richard Norris Williams	13−11, 12−10, 6−1
1923	U.S. National Championships Philadelphia, USA	Bill Tilden	Pat O'Hara Wood Gerald Patterson	4−6, 6−1, 6−3, 6−4
1924	Wimbledon London, United Kingdom	Frank Hunter	Watson Washburn Richard Norris Williams	6−3, 3−6, 8−10, 8−6, 6−3
1925	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Richard Norris Williams	John Hawkes Gerald Patterson	6−2, 8−10, 6−4, 11−9
1926	French Championships Paris, France	Howard Kinsey	Henri Cochet Jacques Brugnon	6−4, 6−1, 4−6, 6−4
1926	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Richard Norris Williams	Alfred Chapin Bill Tilden	6−4, 6−8, 11−9, 6−3

Runner-ups (2)

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents	Score
1919	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Bill Tilden	Norman Brookes Gerald Patterson	8−6, 6−3, 4−6, 4−6, 6−2
1926	Wimbledon London, United Kingdom	Howard Kinsey	Henri Cochet Jacques Brugnon	7−5, 4−6, 6−3, 6−2

Grand Slam mixed doubles finals

Titles (2)

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents	Score
1919	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Marion Zinderstein	Florence Balllin Bill Tilden	2−6, 11−9, 6−2
1924	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Helen Wills	Molla Bjurstedt Mallory Bill Tilden	6−8, 7−5, 6−0

Runner-ups (1)

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents	Score
1925	U.S. National Championships Forest Hills, USA	Ermintrude Harvey	Kathleen McKane John Hawkes	6−2, 6−4

External links

• History of the Pro Tennis Wars
  • Chapter II: The eminence of Karel Kozeluh and Vincent Richards 1927-1928
• Vincent Richards at Find a Grave
• International Tennis Hall of Fame - Player Profile
• Davis Cup - Player Profile