Product Code Database
Marion Anthony Trabert (August 16, 1930 – February 3, 2021) was an American amateur world No. 1 tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker.
Trabert was ranked world No. 1 amateur by many sources in 1953, by Ned Potter and The New York Times in 1954 and by Lance Tingay and Ned Potter in 1955. He was the winner of ten Grand Slam titles – five in singles and five in doubles. He won two French singles championships, two U.S. National Men's Singles Championships, and one Wimbledon gentlemen's singles championship. Until Michael Chang won the French Open in 1989, Trabert was the last American man to hoist the championship trophy. He turned professional in the fall of 1955. He won the French Professional Championships at Roland Garros in 1956 and 1959.
A native of Cincinnati, Trabert grew up two houses down from a public park. It had clay courts that helped hone his groundstrokes. By age 11, Trabert was winning junior tournaments. Trabert honed his tennis skills on the courts of the Cincinnati Tennis Club with the help of another member of that club, fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Billy Talbert. Talbert became Trabert's mentor. In 1951, Trabert posted his first win over Talbert in the final of Cincinnati's international tennis tournament (now known as the Cincinnati Masters). In the midst of his amateur career, Trabert's game was interrupted by a two-year stint in the Navy, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea during the Korean War, but this did not stop him. In 1953, Trabert won the men's singles in the Ojai Tennis Tournament. After winning his first Grand Slam singles title at the U. S. Championships in 1953 (over Vic Seixas in the final), Trabert was ranked the world No. 1 amateur for 1953 by Lance Tingay in The Daily Telegraph, Ned Potter in World Tennis, Gardnar Mulloy, Bill Talbert, Ham Richardson, Hal Burrows and Grant Golden. In 1954 Trabert won the French Championships (over Mervyn Rose, Budge Patty in the semifinal and Arthur Larsen in the final) and was ranked world number one amateur by Ned Potter in World Tennis and by panel of 8 experts in The New York Times. In 1955, Trabert won three consecutive Grand Slam singles titles: the French (over Rose in the semifinal and Sven Davidson in the final), Wimbledon (beating Kurt Nielsen in the final) and U. S. Championships (over Rosewall in the final). He was ranked world number one amateur for 1955 by Lance Tingay and by Ned Potter.
Trabert's record in 1955 was one of the greatest ever by an American tennis player. He won the three most prestigious tournaments in amateur tennis—the French, Wimbledon, and American Championships. He won Wimbledon and the US in 1955 without losing a set (the only time it has ever been done in consecutive majors). He is one of only ten male players to have won three Grand Slam singles title in a year.Crawford, Perry, Budge, Trabert, Hoad, Laver, Wilander, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic Trabert's own chance at a Grand Slam was stopped with a loss to Ken Rosewall in the semifinals at the Australian Open. Trabert won 18 tournaments in 1955, compiling a match record of 106 wins to 7 losses, which included a 38-match winning streak.
Trabert, along with Vic Seixas, was an American Davis Cup team mainstay during the early 1950s, during which time the Americans reached the finals five times, winning the cup in 1954. It was one of only two victories over the dominant Australian teams during the decade (the other being in 1958). He called the 1954 Davis Cup win the "biggest thrill in my tennis career". Trabert turned pro after winning the ’55 U.S. Championships because he had a wife and two children to support.
In the 1958 pro tour, Trabert won a personal series against Segura 34–31, showing that he had adjusted to the portable canvas surface used by the Kramer pros in small indoor venues and gyms.McCauley, p.208 In the Wembley Pro in 1958, he defeated Rosewall in the semi-final and was runner-up to Sedgman . In the French Pro at Roland Garros in 1959, Trabert beat Rosewall in the semifinal and then defeated Frank Sedgman in the final, to win his fourth title at the red clay venue. In the 1960 US Pro (billed as Cleveland World Pro), he was runner-up to Alex Olmedo. In November 1961, Trabert led the United States team into the Kramer Cup final (the pro equivalent of the Davis Cup) at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Trabert defeated Rosewall in four sets, but lost the fifth and deciding rubber to Lew Hoad in four sets.McCauley, p115 The following week, Trabert won the Western Province Pro in Cape Town, beating Rosewall in the final.The History of Professional Tennis, Joe McCauley, 2003, p.223 In October 1962, Trabert won the South African Pro Championships on the cement courts of Ellis Park in Johannesburg by defeating Hoad in the final in five sets.McCauley, p.120 Trabert also had wins over Hoad at the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions in 1957 and 1958.McCauley, pp. 206, 209
In his 1979 autobiography The Game Jack Kramer, the former world No. 1 player, included Trabert in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.
In 1980 he had a small cameo role on the television show "Hart to Hart", Season 1, episode 24. He played a tennis pro at a tennis club.
He was also a tennis author and was a motivational speaker. In 1988, he published the book Trabert on Tennis, sharing his insights on the game from a player's, coach's, and commentator's standpoint. In 1970, with the encouragement of Dr.Toby Freedman and Dale Jensen, Trabert opened the Tony Trabert Tennis Camp in Ojai, California at Thacher School, and then one in Pebble Beach, California for ages 8–18.
Trabert served as president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island from 2001 to 2011.
In 2004, he announced his retirement from broadcasting while commentating at the Wimbledon Championships.
Trabert resided in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with Vicki Trabert, his wife of 30 years, and their grandchildren. They had five children (two of his and three of hers) and 14 grandchildren.
Trabert died at age 90 at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on February 3, 2021.
| 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 6–4, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 6–3, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 9–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 6–2, 1–6, 10–8, 6–2 |
| 6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| 3–6, 6–4, 8–6, 6–3 |
| 6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 6–1, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–2 |
| 4–6, 3–6, 4–6 |
| 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 5–7, 4–6 |
| A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | not eligible | 0 / 2 | 4–2 | 66.7 | ||||||||
| French Open | A | A | 4R | A | 4R | A | W | W | not eligible | 2 / 4 | 18–2 | 90.0 | |||||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | SF | W | not eligible | 1 / 3 | 13–2 | 86.7 | |||||||
| US Open | 3R | 2R | 1R | QF | A | W | QF | W | not eligible | 2 / 7 | 23–5 | 82.1 | |||||||
| U.S. Pro | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | SF | SF | A | F | A | A | QF | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | 50.0 |
| French Pro | not held | W | NH | QF | W | SF | SF | 1R | 1R | 2 / 7 | 11–5 | 68.8 | |||||||
| Wembley Pro | NH | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | SF | A | F | SF | QF | QF | QF | QF | 0 / 7 | 11–7 | 61.1 |
| Win–loss | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 6–0 | 16–3 | 23–1 | 6–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | |||
|
|
