Richard Sears (tennis)

Richard Sears

Full name	Richard Dudley Sears
Country	United States
Born	October 26 1861 Boston, MA, USA
Died	April 8, 1943(1943-04-08) (aged 81) Boston, MA, USA
Turned pro	1880 (amateur tour)
Retired	1888
Plays	Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HOF	1955 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 5 (1887, Karoly Mazak)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon	1R (1884)
US Open	W (1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
US Open	W (1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887)

Richard Dudley "Dick" Sears (October 26 1861 – April 8, 1943) – was an American male tennis player.

Biography

He was the son of Frederic Richard Sears and Albertina Homer Shelton. He married Eleanor M. Cochrane on November 24, 1891 and they had Richard Dudley Sears, Jr. and Miriam Sears. His brothers Philip and Herbert were also tennis players.

He learned to play tennis in 1879.^[2] Sears was undefeated in the U.S. Championships, he won the first of his seven consecutive titles in 1881 while still a student at Harvard. In those days the previous year's winner had an automatic place in the final. Starting in the 1881 first round, he went on an 18-match unbeaten streak that would take him through the 1887 championships, after which he retired from the game. Not until 1921 was his 18-match unbeaten run overtaken (by Bill Tilden). During his first three championships Sears did not lose a single set. Sears was the first 19-year old to win in the U.S., slightly older than Oliver Campbell was in 1890 and the youngest winner ever, Pete Sampras, in 1990.

He was the first U.S. No. 1 in the USLTA rankings, when they began in 1885 and retained the ranking in 1886 and 1887.^[3] Sears was ranked World No. 5 for 1887 by Karoly Mazak.^[1]

After giving up playing lawn tennis, Sears won the U.S. Court Tennis singles title in 1892 and went on to serve as USTA President in 1887 and 1888.

He died on April 8, 1943.

His grandson is the Massachusetts politician John W. Sears.

Legacy

Sears was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1955, where his cousin Eleonora Sears also has a place.

Controversial date of birth

There are some controversial information regarding his date of birthday, however, the date of October 26 is considered as the most authentic one according the most of the genealogy reports and researches.^[4]

Grand Slam record

U.S. championships

• Singles champion: 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
• Doubles champion: 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887

Grand Slam singles finals

Titles (7)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1881	U.S. Championships	William E. Glyn	6–0, 6–3, 6–2
1882	U.S. Championships (2)	Clarence Clark	6–1, 6–4, 6–0
1883	U.S. Championships (3)	James Dwight	6–2, 6–0, 9–7
1884	U.S. Championships (4)	Howard Taylor	6–0, 1–6, 6–0, 6–2
1885	U.S. Championships (5)	Godfrey Brinley	6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3
1886	U.S. Championships (6)	R. Livingston Beeckman	4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
1887	U.S. Championships (7)	Henry Slocum	6–1, 6–3, 6–2

Grand Slam doubles finals

Titles (6)

Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents	Score
1882	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Crawford Nightingale G M Smith	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
1883	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Alexander Van Rensselaer Arthur Newbold	6–0, 6–2, 6–2
1884	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Alexander Van Rensselaer W.V.R. Berry	6–4, 6–1, 8–10, 6–4
1885	U.S. Championships	Joseph Clark	Henry Slocum Wallace P. Knapp	6–3, 6–0, 6–2
1886	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Howard Taylor Godfrey Brinley	6–3, 6–0, 6–2
1887	U.S. Championships	James Dwight	Howard Taylor Henry Slocum	6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Sears.

• International Tennis Hall of Fame