Peruvian tennis player (1936–2020)
In this Spanish name , the first or paternal surname is Olmedo and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez .
Alex Olmedo Full name Alejandro Olmedo Rodríguez Country (sports) Peru United States Born (1936-03-24 ) March 24, 1936Arequipa , PeruDied December 9, 2020(2020-12-09) (aged 84)Los Angeles, California , US Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Turned pro 1960 Retired 1977 Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Int. Tennis HoF 1987 (member page ) Career record 477–420 (53.1%)[1] Career titles 21[1] Highest ranking No. 2 (1959, Lance Tingay )[2] Australian Open W (1959 )French Open 1R (1969 , 1972 ) Wimbledon W (1959 )US Open F (1959 ) Professional majors US Pro W (1960 )Wembley Pro SF (1960 , 1963 ) French Pro QF (1962 , 1964 ) Career record 26–35 US Open W (1958)US Open F (1958) Davis Cup W (1958 )
Alejandro "Alex " Olmedo Rodríguez (March 24, 1936 – December 9, 2020) was a tennis player from Peru with American citizenship. He was listed by the USTA as a "foreign" player for 1958, but as a U.S. player for 1959.[3] He helped win the Davis Cup for the United States in 1958 and was the No. 2 ranked amateur in 1959. Olmedo won two Majors in 1959 (Australia and Wimbledon) and the U.S. Pro Championships in 1960, and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
Biography [ ]
Although born and raised in Peru, Olmedo moved to Southern California and was mentored by Perry T. Jones , president of the Southern California Tennis Association[4] at the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC) . George Toley recruited him to play for the University of Southern California (USC) . Olmedo graduated with a business degree from USC. While there, he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Singles and Doubles Championships in 1956 and 1958.[5] (In 1957, USC was excluded from NCAA competition due to a financial contribution violation involving the football program which also suspended the tennis team.)
Olmedo was ranked as the world No. 2 in 1959 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph .[2]
Perry T. Jones was Davis Cup captain in 1958 and recruited Olmedo from Modesto Junior College to play on the team. He represented the U.S. in Davis Cup competition in 1958 and 1959, winning in both singles and doubles – achieving all three of the three points required to win the Cup in 1958 (two singles and one doubles). His teammates were Ham Richardson and Barry MacKay , when they won the Cup in 1958.[6] Although he was not a U.S. citizen, he was technically eligible to represent the U.S. in Davis Cup because he had lived in the country for at least three years (since February 1954) and because Peru, his country of citizenship, did not have a Davis Cup team in those particular years. However, his participation was very controversial. Sports columnist Arthur Dailey at The New York Times wrote "This would seem to be the saddest day in the history of American tennis. A few more such rousing victories and the prestige of this country in tennis will sink to a new low." At the time, Olmedo, who held a student visa, refused to file for U.S. citizenship, said he was content to remain a Peruvian citizen, and denied he was refusing to apply for U.S. citizenship to avoid being drafted into the military. Still, many Americans "took a dim view of the largest nation in the competition stooping to borrow a little player from Peru to win the Cup".[7] Olmedo eventually became a U.S. citizen many years later.[8]
Olmedo won the Australian Championships and the Wimbledon singles titles in 1959 and was the runner-up at the 1959 U.S. Championships , losing to Neale Fraser , whom he defeated in the Australian Championships earlier that year. At 1959 Wimbledon, he defeated Rod Laver in 71 minutes 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. Olmedo turned professional in 1960, and that year, won the US Pro title by beating Tony Trabert in the final.
Olmedo was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.[9] He spent over 40 years teaching tennis at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California. His clients included Katharine Hepburn and Robert Duvall .[8]
Olmedo's marriage to Ann Olmedo ended in divorce. He had a son Alejandro Jr., two daughters Amy and Angela, and four grand children.[8] Olmedo died on December 9, 2020 at the age of 84 from cancer in Los Angeles .[10] [11] [12]
Grand Slam finals [ ]
Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up) [ ]
Result
Year
Championship
Surface
Opponent
Score
Winner
1959
Australian Championships
Grass
Neale Fraser
6–1, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Winner
1959
Wimbledon
Grass
Rod Laver
6–4, 6–3, 6–4
Loss
1959
U.S. Championships
Grass
Neale Fraser
3–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6
Doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up) [ ]
Result
Year
Championship
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Win
1958
U.S. Championships
Grass
Ham Richardson
Sam Giammalva Barry MacKay
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Loss
1959
U.S. Championships
Grass
Butch Buchholz
Roy Emerson Neale Fraser
6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 4–6, 5–7
Mixed doubles (1 runner-up) [ ]
Result
Year
Championship
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Loss
1958
U.S. Championships
Grass
Maria Bueno
Neale Fraser Margaret Osborne duPont
3–6, 6–3, 7–9
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline [ ]
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
DNQ
A
NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
Singles [ ]
Tournament
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
Australian Open
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
W
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
1 / 1
French Open
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
1R
A
A
1R
0 / 2
Wimbledon
A
A
A
A
A
A
1R
A
W
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
3R
1R
A
A
2R
1 / 5
US Open
1R
A
A
A
2R
4R
1R
QF
F
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
3R
A
2R
1R
2R
0 / 10
Strike Rate
0 / 1
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 1
0 / 1
0 / 2
0 / 1
2 / 3
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 0
0 / 2
0 / 2
0 / 1
0 / 1
0 / 3
2 / 18
References [ ]
^ a b "Alex Olmedo: Career match record" . thetennisbase.com . Tennismem SL.
^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
^ "U.S. Top 10s - Men" . usta.com .
^ "Hall of Famers – Perry Jones" . International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012 .
^ "Alex Olmedo, Tennis Champion" . Sports illustrated . September 7, 1998. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2009 .
^ "Hail to the Chief" . Time . January 12, 1959. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2009 .
^ "While Critics Cry, He Wins", Lakeland Ledger , August 23, 1959, page 19.
^ a b c Goldstein, Richard. "Alex Olmedo, 84, Dies; Tennis Star Known for a Remarkable Year" . The New York Times . Retrieved December 19, 2020 .
^ "Alejandro Olmedo" . International Tennis Hall of Fame . Retrieved November 17, 2010 .
^ Joel Drucker (December 10, 2020). "Remembering Alex Olmedo, 1936–2020: star player, teacher to the stars" . Tennis.com . Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020 .
^ James Buddell (December 10, 2020). "Alex Olmedo, 1936-2020" . Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
^ Goldstein, Richard (December 13, 2020). "Alex Olmedo, 84, Dies; Tennis Star Known for a Remarkable Year" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved December 26, 2021 .
External links [ ]
Four wins
1938: Don Budge
1962: Rod Laver
1969: Rod Laver
Three wins
1933: Jack Crawford (AC&FC&WI)
1934: Fred Perry (AC&WI&US)
1955: Tony Trabert (FO&WI&US)
1956: Lew Hoad (AO&FO&WI)
1958: Ashley Cooper (AC&WI&US)
1964: Roy Emerson (AC&WI&US)
1974: Jimmy Connors (AO&WI&US)
1988: Mats Wilander (AO&FO&US)
2004: Roger Federer (AO&WI&US)
2006: Roger Federer (AO&WI&US)
2007: Roger Federer (AO&WI&US)
2010: Rafael Nadal (FO&WI&US)
2011: Novak Djokovic (AO&WI&US)
2015: Novak Djokovic (AO&WI&US)
2021: Novak Djokovic (AO&FO&WI)
Two wins
1903: Laurence Doherty (WI&US)
1920: Bill Tilden (WI&US)
1921: Bill Tilden (WI&US)
1925: René Lacoste (FC&WI)
1927: René Lacoste (FC&US)
1928: Henri Cochet (FC&US)
1932: Ellsworth Vines (WI&US)
1935: Fred Perry (FC&WI)
1936: Fred Perry (WI&US)
1937: Don Budge (WI&US)
1939: Bobby Riggs (WI&US)
1947: Jack Kramer (WI&US)
1950: Budge Patty (FC&WI)
1951: Dick Savitt (AC&WI))
1952: Frank Sedgman (WI&US)
1953: Ken Rosewall (AC&FO)
1959: Alex Olmedo (AC&WI)
1960: Neale Fraser (WI&US)
1961: Roy Emerson (AC&US)
1963: Roy Emerson (AC&FC)
1965: Roy Emerson (AC&WI)
1967: Roy Emerson (AC&FC)
1967: John Newcombe (WI&US)
1973: John Newcombe (AO&US)
1977: Guillermo Vilas (FO&US)
1978: Björn Borg (FO&WI)
1979: Björn Borg (FO&WI)
1980: Björn Borg (FO&WI)
1981: John McEnroe (WI&US)
1982: Jimmy Connors (WI&US)
1984: John McEnroe (WI&US)
1986: Ivan Lendl (FO&US)
1987: Ivan Lendl (FO&US)
1989: Boris Becker (WI&US)
1992: Jim Courier (AO&FO)
1993: Pete Sampras (WI&US)
1994: Pete Sampras (AO&WI)
1995: Pete Sampras (WI&US)
1997: Pete Sampras (AO&WI)
1999: Andre Agassi (FO&US)
2005: Roger Federer (WI&US)
2008: Rafael Nadal (FO&WI)
2009: Roger Federer (FO&WI)
2013: Rafael Nadal (FO&US)
2016: Novak Djokovic (AO&FO)
2017: Roger Federer (AO&WI)
2017: Rafael Nadal (FO&US)
2018: Novak Djokovic (WI&US)
2019: Novak Djokovic (AO&WI)
2019: Rafael Nadal (FO&US)
AC=Australasian/Australian Championships , AO=Australian Open , FC=French Championships , FO=French Open , WI=Wimbledon , US=U.S. National Championships /US Open
Pre Open Era
1877 : Spencer Gore (BRI)
1878 : Frank Hadow (BRI)
1879 : John Hartley (BRI)
1880 : John Hartley (BRI)
1881 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1882 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1883 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1884 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1885 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1886 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1887 : Herbert Lawford (BRI)
1888 : Ernest Renshaw (BRI)
1889 : William Renshaw (BRI)
1890 : Willoughby Hamilton (BRI)
1891 : Wilfred Baddeley (BRI)
1892 : Wilfred Baddeley (BRI)
1893 : Joshua Pim (BRI)
1894 : Joshua Pim (BRI)
1895 : Wilfred Baddeley (BRI)
1896 : Harold Mahony (BRI)
1897 : Reginald Doherty (BRI)
1898 : Reginald Doherty (BRI)
1899 : Reginald Doherty (BRI)
1900 : Reginald Doherty (BRI)
1901 : Arthur Gore (BRI)
1902 : Laurence Doherty (BRI)
1903 : Laurence Doherty (BRI)
1904 : Laurence Doherty (BRI)
1905 : Laurence Doherty (BRI)
1906 : Laurence Doherty (BRI)
1907 : Norman Brookes (AUS)
1908 : Arthur Gore (BRI)
1909 : Arthur Gore (BRI)
1910 : Anthony Wilding (NZL)
1911 : Anthony Wilding (NZL)
1912 : Anthony Wilding (NZL)
1913 : Anthony Wilding (NZL)
1914 : Norman Brookes (AUS)
1919 : Gerald Patterson (AUS)
1920 : Bill Tilden (USA)
1921 : Bill Tilden (USA)
1922 : Gerald Patterson (AUS)
1923 : Bill Johnston (USA)
1924 : Jean Borotra (FRA)
1925 : René Lacoste (FRA)
1926 : Jean Borotra (FRA)
1927 : Henri Cochet (FRA)
1928 : René Lacoste (FRA)
1929 : Henri Cochet (FRA)
1930 : Bill Tilden (USA)
1931 : Sidney Wood (USA)
1932 : Ellsworth Vines (USA)
1933 : Jack Crawford (AUS)
1934 : Fred Perry (GBR)
1935 : Fred Perry (GBR)
1936 : Fred Perry (GBR)
1937 : Don Budge (USA)
1938 : Don Budge (USA)
1939 : Bobby Riggs (USA)
1946 : Yvon Petra (FRA)
1947 : Jack Kramer (USA)
1948 : Bob Falkenburg (USA)
1949 : Ted Schroeder (USA)
1950 : Budge Patty (USA)
1951 : Dick Savitt (USA)
1952 : Frank Sedgman (AUS)
1953 : Vic Seixas (USA)
1954 : Jaroslav Drobný (EGY)
1955 : Tony Trabert (USA)
1956 : Lew Hoad (AUS)
1957 : Lew Hoad (AUS)
1958 : Ashley Cooper (AUS)
1959 : Alex Olmedo (USA)
1960 : Neale Fraser (AUS)
1961 : Rod Laver (AUS)
1962 : Rod Laver (AUS)
1963 : Chuck McKinley (USA)
1964 : Roy Emerson (AUS)
1965 : Roy Emerson (AUS)
1966 : Manuel Santana (ESP)
1967 : John Newcombe (AUS)
Open Era
(1881) Clarence Clark / Frederick Winslow Taylor
(1882) Richard Sears / James Dwight
(1883) Richard Sears / James Dwight
(1884) Richard Sears / James Dwight
(1885) Richard Sears / Joseph Clark
(1886) Richard Sears / James Dwight
(1887) Richard Sears / James Dwight
(1888) Oliver Campbell / Valentine Hall
(1889) Henry Slocum / Howard Taylor
(1890) Valentine Hall / Clarence Hobart
(1891) Oliver Campbell / Bob Huntington
(1892) Oliver Campbell / Bob Huntington
(1893) Clarence Hobart / Frederick Hovey
(1894) Clarence Hobart / Frederick Hovey
(1895) Malcolm Greene Chace / Robert Wrenn
(1896) Carr Neel / Sam Neel
(1897) Leo Ware / George Sheldon
(1898) Leo Ware / George Sheldon
(1899) Holcombe Ward / Dwight F. Davis
(1900) Holcombe Ward / Dwight F. Davis
(1901) Holcombe Ward / Dwight F. Davis
(1902) Reginald Doherty / Laurence Doherty
(1903) Reginald Doherty / Laurence Doherty
(1904) Holcombe Ward / Beals Wright
(1905) Holcombe Ward / Beals Wright
(1906) Holcombe Ward / Beals Wright
(1907) Fred Alexander / Harold Hackett
(1908) Fred Alexander / Harold Hackett
(1909) Fred Alexander / Harold Hackett
(1910) Fred Alexander / Harold Hackett
(1911) Raymond Little / Gus Touchard
(1912) Maurice E. McLoughlin / Tom Bundy
(1913) Maurice E. McLoughlin / Tom Bundy
(1914) Maurice E. McLoughlin / Tom Bundy
(1915) Clarence Griffin / Bill Johnston
(1916) Clarence Griffin / Bill Johnston
(1917) Fred Alexander / Harold Throckmorton
(1918) Vincent Richards / Bill Tilden
(1919) Norman Brookes / Gerald Patterson
(1920) Clarence Griffin / Bill Johnston
(1921) Vincent Richards / Bill Tilden
(1922) Vincent Richards / Bill Tilden
(1923) Brian Norton / Bill Tilden
(1924) Howard Kinsey / Robert Kinsey
(1925) Vincent Richards / R. Norris Williams
(1926) Vincent Richards / R. Norris Williams
(1927) Francis Hunter / Bill Tilden
(1928) George Lott / John F. Hennessey
(1929) George Lott / Johnny Doeg
(1930) George Lott / Johnny Doeg
(1931) Wilmer Allison / John Van Ryn
(1932) Ellsworth Vines / Keith Gledhill
(1933) George Lott / Lester Stoefen
(1934) George Lott / Lester Stoefen
(1935) Wilmer Allison / John Van Ryn
(1936) Don Budge / Gene Mako
(1937) Gottfried von Cramm / Henner Henkel
(1938) Don Budge / Gene Mako
(1939) John Bromwich / Adrian Quist
(1940) Jack Kramer / Ted Schroeder
(1941) Jack Kramer / Ted Schroeder
(1942) Gardnar Mulloy / Bill Talbert
(1943) Jack Kramer / Frank Parker
(1944) Bob Falkenburg / Don McNeill
(1945) Gardnar Mulloy / Bill Talbert
(1946) Gardnar Mulloy / Bill Talbert
(1947) Jack Kramer / Ted Schroeder
(1948) Gardnar Mulloy / Bill Talbert
(1949) John Bromwich / Bill Sidwell
(1950) John Bromwich / Frank Sedgman
(1951) Ken McGregor / Frank Sedgman
(1952) Mervyn Rose / Vic Seixas
(1953) Rex Hartwig / Mervyn Rose
(1954) Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert
(1955) Kosei Kamo / Atsushi Miyagi
(1956) Lew Hoad / Ken Rosewall
(1957) Ashley Cooper / Neale Fraser
(1958) Alex Olmedo / Ham Richardson
(1959) Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser
(1960) Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser
(1961) Chuck McKinley / Dennis Ralston
(1962) Rafael Osuna / Antonio Palafox
(1963) Chuck McKinley / Dennis Ralston
(1964) Chuck McKinley / Dennis Ralston
(1965) Roy Emerson / Fred Stolle
(1966) Roy Emerson / Fred Stolle
(1967) John Newcombe / Tony Roche
Men
Women
Master players
Daphne Akhurst
Blanche Bingley
Dorothy Bundy Cheney
Charlotte Cooper
Thelma Coyne Long
Françoise Dürr
Marion Jones Farquhar
Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling
Suzanne Lenglen
Simonne Mathieu
Kathleen McKane Godfree
Elisabeth Moore
Angela Mortimer
Betty Nuthall
Nancy Richey
Ellen Roosevelt
Dorothy Round
Elizabeth Ryan
Margaret Scriven
Eleonora Sears
Bertha Townsend
Lesley Turner Bowrey
Marie Wagner
Nancye Wynne Bolton
Players
Juliette Atkinson
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Pauline Betz
Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
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Mary Browne
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Lottie Dod
Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers
Shirley Fry
Althea Gibson
Ellen Hansell
Darlene Hard
Doris Hart
Ann Haydon Jones
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
Helen Hull Jacobs
Alice Marble
Sarah Palfrey Cooke
Helen Wills
Recent players
Contributors
Russ Adams
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Jane Brown Grimes
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Philippe Chatrier
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Bud Collins
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Allison Danzig
Mike Davies
Herman David
Donald Dell
Cliff Drysdale
Steve Flink
David Gray
Clarence Griffin
Gustaf V
Derek Hardwick
Gladys Heldman
William Hester
Lamar Hunt
Nancy Jeffett
Robert Walter Johnson
Perry T. Jones
Robert J. Kelleher
Peachy Kellmeyer
Al Laney
Alastair Martin
Dan Maskell
William McChesney Martin
Mark McCormack
Julian Myrick
Arthur Nielsen
Mary Ewing Outerbridge
Charlie Pasarell
Gene Scott
Lance Tingay
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Ion Țiriac
Brian Tobin
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Walter Clopton Wingfield
Global ambassadors
Martina Hingis
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