Ham Richardson

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This article is about the American tennis player. For the Wisconsin businessman and legislator, see Hamilton Richardson.
Ham Richardson
Full name Hamilton Farrar Richardson
Country  United States
Born (1933-08-24)August 24, 1933
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Died November 5, 2006(2006-11-05) (aged 73)
New York
Turned pro 1950 (amateur tour)
Retired 1969
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
College Tulane University
Singles
Highest ranking No. 3 (1956, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open QF (1953, 1954)
French Open SF (1955)
Wimbledon SF (1956)
US Open SF (1952, 1954)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
US Open W (1958)
Team competitions
Davis Cup W (1954, 1958)
Last updated on: January 27, 2013.

Hamilton Farrar "Ham" Richardson (August 24, 1933 – November 5, 2006)[2] was an American tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s.

Life

Richardson was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Tulane University, where he won two NCAA Singles Championships (in 1953 and 1954). He was named a charter member of the Tulane University Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was named a Rhodes scholar and earned a master's degree at Oxford University during which he achieved the U.S. No. 1 ranking, both in 1956 and 1958 (Richardson was also ranked in the U.S. Top 10 in nine other years). Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked Richardson the World No. 3 in 1956, No. 6 in 1958, No. 7 in 1955 and No. 10 in 1954.[1]

In 1958, he won a U.S. National doubles title in 1958 with Alex Olmedo, and reached the mixed doubles final at the Australian National Championship with Maureen Connolly.

At the Cincinnati Masters, Richardson reached two singles finals, losing in 1950 to Glenn Bassett and in 1953 to Tony Trabert, and won two doubles titles, in 1950 with George Richards, and in 1953 with Trabert. He played on seven U.S. Davis Cup teams, including the winning Cup teams of 1954 and 1958. He was 20-2 in Davis Cup play.

After retiring from tennis, he founded Richardson and Associates, a New York investment and venture capital firm.

Personal life

Richardson had three children from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He was later married to author and editor Midge Turk Richardson from 1974 until his death from complications from diabetes in 2006.[3]

Rankings

Richardson's Top Ten U.S. Rankings[1]

  • 1951 - 9
  • 1952 - 7
  • 1953 - 6
  • 1954 - 3
  • 1955 - 7
  • 1956 - 1
  • 1957 - N/A
  • 1958 - 1
  • 1959 - N/A
  • 1960 - N/A
  • 1961 - N/A
  • 1962 - 3
  • 1963 - 7
  • 1964 - 7
  • 1965 - 6

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 413-427.
  2. ↑ "Former tennis star Richardson dies at 73", ESPN November 8, 2006.
  3. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (2006). "Ham Richardson, 73, a Star in Tennis Despite Diabetes, Is Dead." New York Times, November 8, 2006.
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