Ladislav Hecht

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Ladislav Hecht
Ladislav Hecht.PNG
Born(1909-08-31)August 31, 1909
Zsolna, Austria-Hungary (now Žilina, Slovakia)
DiedMay 27, 2004(2004-05-27) (aged 94)
Kew Gardens, Queens, New York City
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Grand Slam Singles results
French Open4R (1934, 1935, 1938)
WimbledonQF (1938)
US Open3R (1939, 1941, 1942, 1951)
Doubles
Highest rankingNo. 6 (1934)[1][2]
Grand Slam Doubles results
French OpenSF (1934)[3]
WimbledonSF (1937)
US OpenQF (1939)[4]
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon3R (1938)
Team competitions
Davis CupFEu (1931, 1934, 1937)
Ladislav Hecht

Ladislav Hecht (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlaɟɪslav ˈɦɛxt]; Hungarian: Hecht László [ˈhɛkt ˈlaːsloː];[5] August 31, 1909 – May 27, 2004) was a Czechoslovak professional tennis player of Jewish descent, well known for representing Czechoslovakia in the Davis Cup during the 1930s, where he compiled an 18 victories-19 losses record. Despite being of Jewish origin, he was invited to the Germany Davis Cup team, but chose not to accept it.[2] In the 1930s, he was ranked world #6 in singles.

Early life[]

Hecht was born in Zsolna, Kingdom of Hungary (today Žilina, Slovakia), and was Jewish.[6]

Tennis career; interrupted by World War II[]

Hecht developed a successful tennis career, many considering him to be the best tennis player in Europe immediately before the Second World War.[2][7]

In the 1930s, he was ranked world #6 in singles.[6][7] He won the gold medal in singles at the 1932 Maccabiah Games.[6][8] In 1934, Hecht won the Butler Trophy of Monte Carlo alongside Roderich Menzel, defeating Jacques Brugnon and Jean Lesueur in the final.[9] In singles, he was victorious at the Hungarian International Tennis Championships, upsetting Henner Henkel in the semifinal and Ignacy Tłoczyński in the final.[10][11] He reached the doubles finals with Josef Caska.[12]

In late 1935 and early 1936, Hecht and Roderich Menzel toured the Far East, which included a visit to Japan to participate in the Japanese National Championships, where Menzel lost in the final, and they lost in the doubles final as well, both times to title defender Jiro Yamagishi.[13] From there, they sailed to India where they were the finalists at the East of India Championships.[14] Arriving home, he was defeated in the Czechoslovakian International Championship match by Fred Perry.[15] He was a second straight time finalist in Budapest.[16]

From 1930 to 1939, he played for the Czech Republic Davis Cup team, achieving a record of 18–19, and was its captain.[6][7] In 1936, Hecht moved to Budapest, and then sought livelihood in Australia.[17][18] Hecht was invited to play for the German Davis Cup Team after Germany acquired part of Czechoslovakia by an aide that was unaware that he was Jewish, but he declined.[6][2]

He fled to the United States three days before the Nazi Germany invaded the Czech Lands in 1939.[19] He worked in a munitions factory during World War II.[20][17][18][6][19]

After the war, Hecht continued his tennis career, becoming a no. 1 ranked player in the eastern United States.[6] In May 1941, he was the runner-up at the Brooklyn Tennis Tournament, losing to Pancho Segura.[21][22] At the end of 1942 he was ranked # 10 of all men players in the United States.[23]

In 1947, he won the Brooklyn Tennis Tournament by beating Peruvian Enrique Buse in the final in straight sets.[24][25] Hecht added the Eastern Clay Court Championships to his accolades the same year by defeating Dick Savitt in the final in Jackson Heights, Queens.[26][25]

Honors[]

Hecht was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[27]

Later life[]

Hecht started toy and paintbrush businesses, and later in life was honored by the city of Bratislava, having a multisport stadium named after him in 1966.[20]

He had two children, Timothy and Andrew, both of whom settled in Aspen, Colorado.[2]

See also[]

  • List of select Jewish tennis players

References[]

  1. ^ Skolnik 2007, p. 147.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Litsky 2004.
  3. ^ Cairns Post 1934, World tennis.
  4. ^ The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser 1939, American Tennis Championships.
  5. ^ Tennisz és Golf 1931, Balance sheet of the first international tournament of the Czechoslovakian Hungarian Tennis Association.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g [1]
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Peter Bodo (November 14, 2012). "The Little Nation that Could". Tennis.com.
  8. ^ The Jews of Czechoslovakia; Historical Studies and Surveys, Volume 2, Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968.
  9. ^ Keesing's Record of World Events 1934, Sport.
  10. ^ Nowiny Codzienne 1934, More success for Tłoczyński at the tennis competition in Budapest.
  11. ^ Kraśnicki 2011.
  12. ^ Huszadik Század 1934, Schréderné – Paksyné won the ladies' doubles.
  13. ^ Sydney Morning Herald 1936, Japanese Championships.
  14. ^ Straits Times 1936, Lawn Tennis. Czechs do well in India.
  15. ^ Argus 1936, Perry wins.
  16. ^ Huszadik Század 1935, Gábori took revenge on Szigeti in the semifinals.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Mariborer Zeitung 1936, Sport.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b The Canberra Times 1938, Czech tennis star seeks job.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Christopher Hilton (2011).How Hitler Hijacked World Sport; The World Cup, the Olympics, the Heavyweight Championship and the Grand Prix
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame website.
  21. ^ Seebohm 2009, p. 31.
  22. ^ Caroline Seebohm (2009). Little Pancho; The Life of Tennis Legend Pancho Segura
  23. ^ "U.S. Top 10s - Men". usta.com.
  24. ^ Wechsler 2008, p. 166.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b [2]
  26. ^ Wechsler 2008, p. 208.
  27. ^ "International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". jewishsports.net.

Works cited[]

Online media[]

Books[]

Periodicals[]

External links[]

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