Savitt, Richard

Richard Savitt “Dick”
Born: March 04, 1927
Hometown: Boyonne, New Jersey, United States
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Right
Inducted: 1976

Grand Slam Record
Australian     Singles     1951

Wimbledon     Singles     1951

French     Doubles finalist     1951, 52

Tournament Record
Davis Cup     Team Member     1951

Italian     Doubles     1951

Only three American men have won Australian and Wimbledon titles in one year. Savitt was the second in 1951 (following Don Budge, 1938, and preceding Jimmy Connors 1974). He beat Ken McGregor in the Aussie’s lair and straight sets at Wimbledon.

Any hopes he had of a Grand Slam were squelched by champ Jaroslav Drobny, 1-6, 6-8, 6-4, 8-6, 6-3, in a quarterfinal of the French. Defending the Aussie title, Savitt was beaten in the 1952 semis by McGregor, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and at Wimbledon by Mervyn Rose in a quarterfinal, 6-4,3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. In the U.S. Championships he was a semifinalist in 1950, losing to the champ Art Larsen, 6-2, 10-8, 7-9, 6-2; a semifinalist in 1951, losing to Vic Seixas, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; and a quarterfinalist in 1952, 1956 and 1958. In 1956 he lost a stirring baseline slugfest to the champ Ken Rosewall, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 8-10, 6-1.

A large broad-shouldered, dark-haired right-hander, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, he was a powerful and stubborn competitor. Sav was a king of the Seventh Regiment Armory, a boards runner in his Manhattan neighborhood, winning the U.S. Indoor thrice. He deposed Bill Talbert in 1952, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, beat Budge Patty in 1958, 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 12-10, and, at 34 (no longer ranked), knocked off No. 1 American Whitney Reed, 6-2, 11-9, 6-3, 1961. But the best remembered of his five finals was a rousing joust lost to world No.1 Alex Olmedo 7-9, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 12-10, in 1959. He ranked six times in the U.S. Top Ten between 1950 and 1959, No. 2 in 1951, and four times in the World Top Ten between 1951 and 1957, No. 2 in 1951.

A Cornell graduate, Dick was born March 4, 1927, in Bayonne, NJ. In 1981 he and his son, Robert, won the U.S. Father and Son doubles title. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am and is filed under Hall of Famer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.