Lewis Alan ("Lew") Hoad (born November 23, 1934 in Glebe, New South Wales, Australia, died July 3, 1994 in Fuengirola, Spain) was a champion tennis player. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Glebe is an inner-city Suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 Kilometres south-west the Sydney central business district and is part of the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and Municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranks Hoad as one of the 21 best players of all time. John Albert Kramer (born August 1, 1921, in Las Vegas, Nevada) was a champion U [1] For five straight years, beginning in 1952, he was ranked in the World Top Ten for amateurs, reaching the No. 1 spot in 1956.
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Biography
With his movie-star good looks, powerful physique, and outgoing personality, Hoad became a tennis icon in the 1950s. As Kramer says,
"Everybody loved Hoad, even Pancho Gonzales. Ricardo Alonso González or Richard Gonzalez, (May 9 1928 &ndash July 3 1995 who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales or less often as Pancho Gonzalez They should put that on Lew's tombstone as the ultimate praise for the man. . . . Even when Hoad was clobbering Gonzales, Gorgo wanted his respect and friendship. "
Strength played an important part of Hoad's game, as he often drove for winners rather than rallying and waiting for the right opportunity. Although he assaulted his opponents, he also had the skill to win the French Championships on the slower clay court. The French Open ( Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major Tennis tournament held over According to Kramer, "Hoad had the loosest game of any good kid I ever saw. There was absolutely no pattern to his game. . . . He was the only player I ever saw who could stand six or seven feet behind the baseline and snap the ball back hard, crosscourt. He'd try for winners off everything, off great serves, off tricky short balls, off low volleys. He hit hard overspin drives, and there was no way you could ever get him to temporize on important points. "
Hoad was a member of the Australian team that between 1952 and 1956 won the Davis Cup four times. The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's Tennis. He is often remembered for his match as a 19-year-old amateur in the 1953 Davis Cup against the great United States champion Tony Trabert. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Marion Anthony (Tony Trabert (born August 16 1930 in Cincinnati Ohio) is a retired American Tennis champion and long-time tennis author TV commentator instructor In a titanic struggle, Hoad defeated Trabert by a score of 13-11, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 7–5 to help his country retain the Cup.
In 1956 he won the first three stages of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments and was heavily favored to win the fourth and then turn professional for a lucrative contract offered by Jack Kramer. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important Tennis events of the year In a stunning upset, however, he lost to fellow Australian Ken Rosewall in the United States Championship at Forest Hills. Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur Fresh from his victory over Hoad, it was Ken Rosewall who signed the professional contract and went on to spend the new year as the regular victim of Pancho Gonzales on the pro tour. At a time when only amateur players were allowed to compete in the four national championships, Hoad finally turned professional after winning his second successive Wimbledon singles title in 1957.
His first year as a pro was a series of head-to-head matches with the reigning king of professional tennis, Pancho Gonzales. Hoad won 18 of the first 27 matches, but Gonzales surged back to finally defeat Hoad by 51 matches to 36. Gonzales, whom some consider to be the greatest tennis player of all time, always maintained that Hoad was the toughest, most skillful adversary that he had ever faced. "He was the only guy who, if I was playing my best tennis, could still beat me," said Gonzales in a 1995 New York Times interview. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 "I think his game was the best game ever. Better than mine. He was capable of making more shots than anybody. His two volleys were great. His overhead was enormous. He had the most natural tennis mind with the most natural tennis physique. "
Kramer, however, clearly has mixed feelings about Hoad's ability. In spite of calling him one of the 21 best players of all time, he also writes that "when you sum Hoad up, you have to say that he was overrated. He might have been the best, but day-to-day, week-to-week, he was the most inconsistent of all the top players. " When Kramer was thirty-seven, and a part-time player, he played a number of matches against Hoad just after the Australian had turned professional. "I actually beat him thirteen matches to twelve. That was because he just didn't give a damn when he played me. . . . It was the same thing with Segura, and Lew lost a majority of his matches to Segoo. Pancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura ( June 20, 1921, known as "Segoo") was a leading . . . He wanted to beat Kenny, and he did. Remember now, Hoad lost 13-12 to me while Rosewall beat me 22-4, but Hoad turned it around and won two-thirds of his matches against Rosewall. "
Back problems plagued Hoad throughout his career and forced his retirement from the tennis tour in the mid 1960s. Kramer compares Hoad to another great player, Ellsworth Vines. Henry Ellsworth Vines Jr (September 28 1911 – March 17 1994 was an American Tennis champion of the 1930s the World No "Both were very strong guys. Both succeeded at a very young age. . . . Also, both were very lazy guys. Vines lost interest in tennis (for golf) before he was thirty, and Hoad never appeared to be very interested. Despite their great natural ability, neither put up the outstanding records that they were capable of. Unfortunately, the latter was largely true because both had physical problems. "
In retirement, Hoad moved to Fuengirola, Spain, near Málaga, where he and his tennis-playing wife, Jenny Staley, operated a tennis resort for more than thirty years entertaining personal friends such as actors Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, and Charlton Heston. Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4 1923 &ndash April 5 2008) was an American Actor of
Lew Hoad was battling leukemia and waiting for a bone marrow donor when, in his weakened condition, he died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 59. A book co-written with Jack Pollard and titled The Lew Hoad Story was published in 1958. In 2003, Pollard teamed up with his widow, Jenny, to write My Life With Lew.
Hoad was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1980. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit Tennis Hall of fame and Museum at the Newport Casino in Newport Rhode Island Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (4)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1956 | Australian Championships |  Ken Rosewall |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 1956 | French Championships |  Sven Davidson |
6–4, 8–6, 6–3 |
| 1956 | Wimbledon | Ken Rosewall |
6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 1957 | Wimbledon | Ashley Cooper |
6–2, 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1955 | U. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur The French Open ( Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major Tennis tournament held over Sven Davidson ( July 13 1928 - May 28 2008) was a Swedish Tennis player Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious Ashley John Cooper AO (born September 15, 1936 in Melbourne Victoria) is a former Tennis player from Australia, who was Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) S. Championships | Ken Rosewall |
9–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1956 | U. Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. Championships | Ken Rosewall |
4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–3 |
Grand Slam doubles finals
Wins (6)
- Australian Open: 1953, 1956
- Wimbledon Championships: 1953, 1956, 1957
- US Open: 1956
Notes
- ^ Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 John Donald ("Don" or "Donnie" Budge ( June 13 1915 &ndash January 26 2000) was an American Tennis Henry Ellsworth Vines Jr (September 28 1911 – March 17 1994 was an American Tennis champion of the 1930s the World No The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. William Tatem Tilden II ( February 10, 1893 &ndash June 5, 1953) often called "Big Bill", was an American Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995 born in Stockport, Cheshire, was an English Tennis and Table tennis Robert Larimore ("Bobby" Riggs ( February 25, 1918 &ndash October 25, 1995) was a 1930s&ndash40s Ricardo Alonso González or Richard Gonzalez, (May 9 1928 &ndash July 3 1995 who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales or less often as Pancho Gonzalez After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors. For the arena in Melbourne Park used for show matches in the Australian Open, see Rod Laver Arena Rodney George "Rod" Laver Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt Freiherr von Cramm ( July 7, 1909 – November 8, 1976) was a German amateur Tennis champion Frederick Rudolph "Ted" Schroeder ( July 20, 1921 – May 26, 2006) was an American Tennis player who won the two most prestigious John Herbert ("Jack" Crawford ( March 22, 1908 - September 10, 1991) was an Australian tennis player of the 1930s Pancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura ( June 20, 1921, known as "Segoo") was a leading Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927 in Mont Albert a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia was a Tennis player Marion Anthony (Tony Trabert (born August 16 1930 in Cincinnati Ohio) is a retired American Tennis champion and long-time tennis author TV commentator instructor John David Newcombe AO OBE (born 23 May 1944 in Sydney Australia) is a former World No Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946 in Pasadena California) is a former American Tennis player who with his partner Bob Lutz (bjœɳ bɔrj born 6 June 1956) is a former World No 1 Tennis player from Sweden who is widely regarded by observers and tennis players James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2 1952 in East St He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately but felt they were among the very best. Henri Jean Cochet ( December 14, 1901 – April 1, 1987) was a champion Tennis player one of the famous " Four Musketeers Jean René Lacoste ( July 2, 1904 - October 12, 1996) was a famous French Tennis player and businessman nicknamed "the
Sources
The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis (1979), Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (ISBN 0-399-12336-9)
Adapted from the article Lew Hoad, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The GNU Free Documentation License ( GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a Copyleft License for free documentation designed by the Free Software
External links
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