|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jaroslav Drobny When the Nazi dictator was threatening Germany, a Czechoslovakian was playing at Wimbledon: his name was Jaroslav Drobny, aged just 16 in 1938. He played there the following year and disappeared into the World War II cloud, thinking: would he ever play the game he loved again? Drobny was born on the 12th October 1921 and learnt the game as a ball boy at his father's local club, where he was groundsman in Prague. He won the Czech national title ten straight times before defecting, having solidified his reputation by reaching the final of the first post-war French Championship final losing to Marcel Bernard in five sets. He was a world-class athlete in two sports, tennis and ice hockey. A forward on the ice he was good enough to win the World Amateur Championships in 1948 with Czechoslovakia and gained silver at the Olympics. His trademark dark glasses were as a result of a hockey injury that affected his eyesight.
In 1946 Drobny was permitted to play at Wimbledon again, rusty from little play during the war he expected nothing and surprised all by beating the world's best Jack Kramer 2-6, 17-15, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the fourth round and got to the semi-finals, hailed as a national hero back home. Paris was a happy hunting ground for the left-hander, who varied the speed and spin of the ball to become a force on the continental clay. Five years he graced the French singles final, losing in 1948 to Frank Parker and in 1950 to Budge Patty before mastering the knack of winning. He beat Eric Sturgess 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in 1951 and the world number one Frank Sedgman in 1952 6-2, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4. Rome too proved great for Drobny as he reached the final four years consecutively, winning three titles in 1950-51 and 1953. His fortunes in the United States weren't too good, although able to deliver a fast and sliced serve backed up with superb volleys, Drobny was always a threat, but he lost in 1947 and 1948 in the semi-finals to Kramer and Pancho Gonzalez respectfully. By 1949 tennis was Drobny's life and he made the decision to leave his police-state homeland for good. He reached the Wimbledon final that year beating John Bromwich in three sets, but couldn't master the acrobatic Ted Schroeder, losing 6-4 in the fifth set. Defecting with Davis Cup team-mate Vladimir Cernik during a Swiss tournament in Gstaad, the two of them had become national heroes by carrying their nation to the semi-finals in 1947 and 1948. Now they would have to make it on their own. Drobny was getting closer and closer to the Wimbledon title, but before he did win it in 1954, Sedgman exacted revenge for Drobny's victory in Paris, with a four set victory in the 1952 Wimbledon final. Though Drobny was written off by 1954, 11 happened to be his lucky number and in his 11th try for the Wimbledon singles title he came through a tough semi-final against Patty and beat 19-year-old Ken Rosewall for the title he wanted so badly. In 2 hours 37 minutes of play Drobny won 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7. The following year Tony Trabert beat him in the quarterfinals 8-6, 6-1, 6-4, but in the Champions Parade of 2000 at SW19, Drobny was able to line-up alongside the game's greats for one last time. After his defection he travelled on Egyptian papers until 1959, when he became a British citizen and lived in London with his wife, the former Rita Anderson, one-time player. He died on the 13th September 2001, having won an amazing 133 singles titles in a 15-year amateur career. Grand Slam Record French Singles winner 1951-52; Singles finalist 1946, 1948, 1950; Doubles winner 1948; Doubles finalist 1950; Mixed winner 1948 Wimbledon Singles winner 1954; Singles finalist 1949, 1952; Doubles finalist 1951 U.S. Championships Doubles finalist 1950 Tournament Record (inc. Davis Cup) Italian Championships Singles winner 1950-51, 1953; Singles finalist 1952; Doubles winner 1951-52, 1954, 1956; Doubles finalist 1953 Czechoslovakian Davis Cup team member
1946-49
|
