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Jack: John Kramer Tennis has forever been indebted to John Albert "Jack" Kramer, whose impact on the world game has been felt as a player, exceptional promoter, innovator, and television commentator. Jack Kramer hit the world stage in 1939, to play in the crucial Davis Cup final doubles with Joe Hunt against the Australian's, aged just 18. War intervened and despite getting leave from the Navy to play in the U.S. Championships singles final in 1943, Kramer had to wait three more years to make his mark as champion.
A practitioner of the 'big game,' brushing to the net constantly behind his serve, which took opponents off the court setting up an easy volley. A blistered hand curtailed Kramer's bid to land the first post-war Wimbledon losing in the fourth round to Jaroslav Drobny. He came back though to win in shorts in 1947, whipping doubles partner Tom Brown in 48 minutes, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 for the loss of 37 games during the entire fortnight and seven matches. Brown had also lost to Kramer in the 1946 U.S. Championship final in three sets. Kramer closed his amateur career by beating Frank Parker in the 1947 Forest Hill final, and winning the Davis Cup against Australia in 1946 and 1947 with the services of Ted Schroeder. Kramer had lost only two matches in 1946 and dropped one to Bill Talbert in 1947, on his way to eight tournament victories out of nine and 48-1 year match record. Bobby Riggs, the reigning professional champion was now in Kramer's sight. Their first match was a 15,114-spectator sell-out, during a blizzard that set the whole of New York to a standstill. At the old Madison Square Gardens on the 27th December 1947, Riggs won their first battle, but Kramer would quickly knock Riggs off the top spot, during their one-nighter's throughout America. Riggs simply couldn't keep up with the player born in Las Vegas, but who spent much of his childhood in Los Angeles. Kramer won the tour 69 matches to 20, as Riggs turned promoter signing Pancho Gonzalez. He taught the rookie new tricks, winning 96 compared to Gonzalez's 27. Kramer won $85,000 against Riggs and $72,000 against Gonzalez for his percentage of the 1949 season.
An arthritic back led to Kramer's retirement as a player, deciding that his last tour would be against the top amateur player Frank Sedgman: a player that Kramer had recruited when he turned boss of professional tennis in 1952. The Australian won 54-41, but persuaded one of his victims Gonzalez to keep going on the tour. For Gonzalez he would become the strongman. When the open era began in 1968, Kramer's advice and knowledge was sought. He devised the Grand Prix for the men's game, which was a series of tournaments that leads to a Masters Championship for the top eight finishers at the end of the season. The tournaments, held in the most attractive corners of the world, was established in 1970 and ran until 1990 when the ATP Tour took over the structure. It is still in use today. He was instrumental in the creation of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1972, and lead the boycott of Wimbledon in 1973, which although proved unpopular at the time, ended up as being a landmark case, enabling the players their right to control their own destinies. As a result he later served on the world's governing body, the Men's International Professional Tennis Council. Grand Slam Record Wimbledon Singles winner 1947; doubles winner 1946-47 U.S. Championships Singles winner 1946-47; Singles finalist 1943; Doubles winner 1940-41, 1943, 1947; Mixed winner 1941; Mixed finalist 1940 Tournament Record (inc. Davis Cup and Olympics) United States Davis Cup team member 1939,
1946-47; winning team 1946-47; losing team 1939 |
