Vincent Richards
American tennis player (1903–1959)
title: "Vincent Richards" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1903-births", "1959-deaths", "american-male-tennis-players", "columbia-university-graduate-school-of-journalism-alumni", "fordham-rams-men's-tennis-players", "french-championships-(tennis)-champions", "olympic-gold-medalists-for-the-united-states-in-tennis", "olympic-silver-medalists-for-the-united-states-in-tennis", "people-from-yonkers,-new-york", "international-tennis-hall-of-fame-inductees", "tennis-players-from-new-york-(state)", "tennis-players-at-the-1924-summer-olympics", "united-states-national-champions-(tennis)", "wimbledon-champions-(pre-open-era)", "grand-slam-(tennis)-champions-in-mixed-doubles", "grand-slam-(tennis)-champions-in-men's-doubles", "medalists-at-the-1924-summer-olympics", "professional-tennis-players-before-the-open-era", "burials-at-woodlawn-cemetery-(bronx,-new-york)", "world-number-1-ranked-male-tennis-players", "fordham-preparatory-school-alumni", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American tennis player (1903–1959)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Richards" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American tennis player (1903–1959) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox tennis biography"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Vincent Richards |
| image | Vincent Richards 1922.jpg |
| image_size | 240px |
| caption | Richards at the 1922 Davis Cup |
| country | |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | New York City, U.S. |
| height | 5 ft 10 in |
| turnedpro | 1926 |
| retired | 1951 |
| plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| tennishofyear | 1961 |
| tennishofid | vinnie-richards |
| website | |
| singlesrecord | 472-154 (75.4%) |
| singlestitles | 46 |
| highestsinglesranking | No. 1 (1927, Ray Bowers) |
| FrenchOpenresult | SF (1926) |
| Wimbledonresult | QF (1924) |
| USOpenresult | SF (1922, 1924, 1925, 1926) |
| Promajors | yes |
| USProresult | W (1927, 1928, 1930, 1933) |
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult | W (1926) |
| WimbledonDoublesresult | W (1924) |
| F (1926) | |
| USOpenDoublesresult | W (1918, 1921, 1922, 1925, 1926) |
| F (1919) | |
| Mixed | |
| USOpenMixedresult | W (1919, 1924) |
| F (1925) | |
| medaltemplates-expand | yes |
| :: |
|name = Vincent Richards |image = Vincent Richards 1922.jpg |image_size = 240px |caption = Richards at the 1922 Davis Cup |fullname = |country = |residence = |birth_date = |birth_place = Yonkers, New York, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = New York City, U.S. |height = 5 ft 10 in |college = |turnedpro = 1926 |retired = 1951 |plays = Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |careerprizemoney = |tennishofyear = 1961 |tennishofid = vinnie-richards |website = |singlesrecord = 472-154 (75.4%) |singlestitles = 46 |highestsinglesranking = No. 1 (1927, Ray Bowers) |FrenchOpenresult = SF (1926) |Wimbledonresult = QF (1924) |USOpenresult = SF (1922, 1924, 1925, 1926) |Promajors = yes |USProresult = W (1927, 1928, 1930, 1933) |doublesrecord = |doublestitles = |highestdoublesranking = |FrenchOpenDoublesresult = W (1926) |WimbledonDoublesresult = W (1924) F (1926) |USOpenDoublesresult = W (1918, 1921, 1922, 1925, 1926) F (1919) |Mixed = |mixedrecord = |mixedtitles = |USOpenMixedresult = W (1919, 1924) F (1925) | medaltemplates-expand = yes | medaltemplates =
Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. and World No. 1 pro by Bowers in 1930.
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.
Richards won the National Boys Outdoor Singles Tournament in 1917. He became a protégé of Bill Tilden after being defeated by the latter in a match, and he then 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. While Bill Tilden teamed with Richards to win titles together, he was beaten by Richards in both singles and doubles, including for several major titles. During their long rivalry, they faced each other 102 times, with Richards holding a career record of 52–50 against Tilden.
Richards retained his amateur status for 10 years because his ambition was to compete in the 1924 Olympics held in Paris, France. He realized this ambition by winning the gold medal for the United States in both singles and doubles, additionally collecting the silver medal in mixed doubles. He was also a semifinalist at the U.S. championships in 1922 (losing to Bill Johnston), 1924 (losing to Tilden), 1925 (where he beat René Lacoste, then lost to Tilden) and 1926 (losing to Jean Borotra). While there was no official ATP Tour in the 1920s, Richards was one of the pioneers in creating a version of a "world tennis tour", playing in the equivalent of all four grand slams during his career, additional major tournaments, and exhibition matches in front of emperors, presidents, and other heads of states. While Tilden may have overshadowed Richards, even in the Davis Cup, Richards held a perfect 5–0 record when he played for his country.
In April 1926, Richards and Tilden contested the final of the Mason & Dixon Tournament at The Greenbrier resort, with Richards winning in five sets.
Richards was one of the best singles players of the 1920s and played on several United States Davis Cup teams. In 1927 he was the first prominent male player to turn professional. 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 Czech player Karel Koželuh, another new professional. Richards only beat Koželuh five times in 20 matches. Richards won the United States Pro Championship in 1927, 1928, and 1930, beating Koželuh in the finals in both 1928 and 1930, and losing to him in the 1929 final. He lost the 1931 final to Tilden and won the U.S. Pro Championships for the last time in 1933, this time beating Frank Hunter in the final. He continued to play in the U.S. Pro championships in most years until 1946. Richards and Tilden won the doubles at the 1945 U.S. Pro championships.
Richards was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1961.
Business career
After retiring from tennis, Richards joined the Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company as general manager of the sporting goods division and became vice president.
Personal life
In February 1924, he married Claremont Gushee in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they had three children. She died in 1950. On September 28, 1959, Richards died of a heart attack at Doctors Hospital in New York.
Major finals
Grand Slam tournaments
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Vincent_Richards_and_wife_LCCN2014716919.jpg" caption="The Richards, circa 1930s}}"] ::
Doubles: 9 (7 titles, 2 runners-up)
::data[format=table]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1918 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Bill Tilden | USA Fred Alexander | |
| USA Beals Wright | 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–2 | |||||
| Loss | 1919 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Bill Tilden | AUS Norman Brookes | |
| AUS Gerald Patterson | 6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 2–6 | |||||
| Win | 1921 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Bill Tilden | USA Watson Washburn | |
| USA R. Norris Williams | 13–11, 12–10, 6–1 | |||||
| Win | 1922 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Bill Tilden | AUS Pat O'Hara Wood | |
| AUS Gerald Patterson | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 | |||||
| Win | 1924 | Wimbledon | Grass | USA Frank Hunter | USA Watson Washburn | |
| USA R. Norris Williams | 6–3, 3–6, 8–10, 8–6, 6–3 | |||||
| Win | 1925 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA R. Norris Williams | AUS John Hawkes | |
| AUS Gerald Patterson | 6–2, 8–10, 6–4, 11–9 | |||||
| Win | 1926 | French Championships | Clay | USA Howard Kinsey | FRA Jacques Brugnon | |
| FRA Henri Cochet | 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 | |||||
| Loss | 1926 | Wimbledon | Grass | USA Howard Kinsey | FRA Jacques Brugnon | |
| FRA Henri Cochet | 5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6 | |||||
| Win | 1926 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA R. Norris Williams | USA Alfred Chapin | |
| USA Bill Tilden | 6–4, 6–8, 11–9, 6–3 | |||||
| :: |
Mixed doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
::data[format=table]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1919 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Marion Zinderstein | USA Florence Ballin | |
| USA Bill Tilden | 2–6, 11–9, 6–2 | |||||
| Win | 1924 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | USA Helen Wills | USA Molla Bjurstedt Mallory | |
| USA Bill Tilden | 6–8, 7–5, 6–0 | |||||
| Loss | 1925 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | GBR Ermyntrude Harvey | GBR Kitty McKane | |
| AUS John Hawkes | 2–6, 4–6 | |||||
| :: |
Pro Slam tournaments
Singles: 6 (4/2)
::data[format=table]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1927 | U.S. Pro | Grass | USA Howard Kinsey | 11–9, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 1928 | U.S. Pro | Grass | TCH Karel Koželuh | 8–6, 6–3, 0–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1929 | U.S. Pro | Grass | TCH Karel Koželuh | 4–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 5–7 |
| Win | 1930 | U.S. Pro | Grass | TCH Karel Koželuh | 2–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1931 | U.S. Pro | Grass | USA Bill Tilden | 5–7, 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 1933 | U.S. Pro | Grass | USA Frank Hunter | 6–3, 6–0, 6–2 |
| :: |
Singles performance timeline
Richards was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams when he joined the professional tennis circuit in 1927. ::data[format=table]
| 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | SR | W–L | Win % | Grand Slam tournaments | 0 / 13 | 38–13 | 74.5 | Pro Slam tournaments | 4 / 19 | 35–15 | 70.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||||||||||
| French Open | NH | NH | Only for French players | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 4–1 | 80.0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | NH | A | A | A | A | 4R | QF | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 48–3 | 72.7 | ||||||||||||
| US Open | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | 3R | SF | SF | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 9 | 26–9 | 74.3 | |||||||
| U.S. Pro | Not held | W | W | F | W | F | QF | W | SF | A | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | NH | QF | 3R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 4 / 19 | 35–15 | 70.0 | |||||||||||||||
| French Pro | Not held | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | 0 / 0 | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wembley Pro | Not held | A | A | NH | A | NH | A | Not held | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 5–2 | 8–2 | 4–1 | 9–3 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1-1 | 4 / 32 | 73–28 | 72.2 | |||||||||||||
| National representation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | NH | A | NH | G | Not held | 1 / 1 | 6–0 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| :: |
References
References
- "Vinnie Richards".
- (June 22, 1951). "The Record (Hackensack), 22 June 1951".
- "Vincent Richards: Career match record". Tennismem SL.
- Bowers, Ray. "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 2, part 1: 1927-1928".
- Bowers, Ray. "History of the Pro Tennis Wars, Chapter 2, part 2: 1929-1930".
- "Vincent Richards". Olympedia.
- "Davis Cup – Vincent Richards". [[International Tennis Federation]] (ITF).
- "U.S. Pro Championships".
- "Tennis Hall of Fame – Player Profile Vinnie Richards". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- "Vinnie Richards, Dunlop vp, Former Tennis Great Dies in September". [[Michigan State University]].
- "Vincent Richards, Class of 1920". [[Fordham Prep]].
- (February 11, 1924). "Milestones: Feb. 11, 1924". [[Time (magazine).
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