Gene Scott (tennis)

Gene Scott
Full name Eugene L. Scott
Country  United States
Residence New York, USA
Born December 28, 1937
New York, USA
Died March 20, 2006 (aged 68)
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro 1968 (amateur tour from 1951)
Retired 1975
Plays Right-handed
Int. Tennis HOF 2008 (member page)
Singles
Career record 39–47
Highest ranking No. 11 (1965, World's Top 20)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 2R (1964)
French Open QF (1964)
Wimbledon 3R (1964, 1965)
US Open SF (1967)
Doubles
Career record 12–22
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 2R (1964)

Eugene Lytton Scott (December 28, 1937 – March 20, 2006) was an American tennis player of the 1960s.

Early years

Scott was the grandson of Dr. Eugene C. Sullivan, one of the inventors of Pyrex and chair and president of Corning Glass Works.[2] He graduated with a BA in history from Yale University in 1960, where he was a member of Skull and Bones[3] and lettered in tennis, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse.[2] He earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1964.[2]

Tennis career

Gene Scott's highest U.S. ranking as an amateur was No. 4 in 1963, whilst he reached as high as World No. 11 in 1965.[1] At the time he was a member of the United States Davis Cup team, and was both teammate and roommate of Arthur Ashe. They remained friends and, with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, founded the National Junior Tennis League in 1969. He founded the magazine Tennis Week in 1974.

Later in life Scott remained among the best players in the world in his age group. He won the USTA Men's 65 Grass Court Championships in September 2004, and the International Tennis Federation's Men's Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in the 65 division a week later. Scott also played real tennis at New York City's Racquet and Tennis Club.

Scott grew up in St. James, NY, and played varsity hockey, track, soccer, and tennis at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. At Yale, Scott earned letters in hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and tennis.

Scott competed in the Davis Cup in 1963 and 1965, and his 1963 singles and doubles victories helped the United States win the Cup that year. Scott also made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Championships at Forest Hills in 1967 and the quarterfinals of the French Championships in 1964.

Death and legacy

Scott died of heart disease at the age of 68[2] and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008[4] in the "contributor" category.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Gene Scott: A pioneer and promoter who shaped open tennis", Addvantage USPTA, May 2006.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Litsky, Frank (March 23, 2006). "Gene Scott, 68, Publisher of Tennis Week, Is Dead". NY Times. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  3. "Miss MacLeod Wed to Eugene Scott: '62 Debutante Bride of Lawyer, a Yale Alumnus, on L.I.". New York Times. July 17, 1966. p. 62.
  4. Hall of Fame

External links